"“I was just scared 'cause I didn't know what I was getting myself into” he reflected later, recalling the noise, the chaos of when he first walked into “"
"“I was really lost as a kid. I didn't know what I was gonna do in my life. So boxing came, it took a lot of my time and it's just been like that ever since,” he said in an interview with the Bronx Times."
"“From there I just skyrocketed. We have a good dynamic. I'm talented. I have all the gifts to make me a good boxer and then he kind of pulled it outta me,” Polanco said."
"When Polanco was just 14 years old, his mother Wanda decided to move to Pennsylvania, he refused to go, telling her he wasn't going to move away from his boxing club. Instead, he opted to stay with his father in the Bronx."
A skinny teen began boxing to deal with bullying and felt intimidated when first entering a gym. He discovered a talent for the sport and became deeply committed, finding direction and a dream through boxing. Working exclusively with Bronx coach Gene Garcia helped him develop key skills, including switching stances, and strengthened his motivation through a supportive coach-athlete relationship. Boxing soon became more than a hobby and reshaped his daily life. At age 14, when his mother moved to Pennsylvania, he refused to go and stayed in the Bronx to remain with his boxing club. After school, he trained with friends by boxing in the street, often outperforming them.
Read at Bronx Times
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