In Rio’s mean streets, boxing offers hopes over drug trafficking
RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) -At a square in a Rio de Janeiro suburb plagued by drug trafficking and high rates of violent crimes, children and young adults get together every Tuesday night to fight, but not in the way one might think. Donning gloves and following rules, they spar in street boxing matches from around 10 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. in a weekly event that has been attracting a growing audience in Belford Roxo, a poor city in Rio state. While it did not start with social aims, the project has become a way for young people to learn more about boxing, maybe drawing them away from the ever-present lure of working for drug traffickers, said Reis.
Boxing on Yahoo! Sports – News, Scores, Standings, Rumors, Fantasy Games