Get to know Coach Greg

Coach Greg Young, CEO/President of Fight 4Life Fitness and Boxing Ministry, Inc. was born and raised in Orlando, Florida. He began his amateur boxing career at the age of 18. During his amateur career he held a record of 75 wins, 14 Knockouts and 4 Losses from 1975 to 1979. By age 20 he had won the USA Golden Gloves Championship in his weight division. In 1980 he was accepted to box in the USA boxing Olympic tryouts. Coach Greg Olympic debut and hopes was eliminated due to the 1980 Boycott of the Olympics by former President Jimmy Carter.  Later that year he begin boxing as a professional boxer out of South Florida with a record of 9 straight wins, 5 by Knockouts. He won the Florida Welter Weight Championship, the Southeastern Championship and by 1983 was ranked #6 in the world. He fought at Madison Square Garden for the World Junior Middle Weight Title but lost by decision. During his professional boxing career Greg held a record of 24 wins and 8 loses before retiring in 1987. 

Since Coach Greg's retirement in 1987 he has served as a boxing instructor in Orlando, Florida for Front Line Outreach Youth Center and The Church Street Gym, Round One Boxing Gym in Hoover, Alabama and in 1999 established the Fight 4 Life Fitness and Boxing Ministry, a ministry he operated under the umbrella of Young Life for 3 1/2 years and later incorporated it on August 19, 2004.  James  Moore, former Director of the Young Life Urban Program introduced Coach Greg in 1999 to Young Life Regional Director.  This was the beginning of the Fight 4Life Boxing Ministry. Coach Greg has taken the opportunity to use his boxing experience and love for Christ to help young boys and girls of all ages.

"When a family member or friend misleads you or says words that hurt you (whether it’s true or not), the manner in which you respond to the situation will cause either of two things to happen: (1) your temper will raise to a level that will cause anger to build, or (2) you will stay calm. Having a calm demeanor will allow you to be cool about the situation at hand, which will allow you the ability to make a cautious and wise decision. Choices you make in life when you are angry can lead you down a path of self-destruction. This is what I call the “hot” and “cold” method of boxing.”

Some thoughts from Coach Greg:

"Life struggles are similar to boxing in may ways.  You might ask why do I say this?  Let's take a look at Revelation 22:6.

The angel said to me, "These words are trustworthy and true. The Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent his angel to show his servants the things that must soon take place.

In life we are faced with situations daily that are out of our control, yet we try to handle them by ourselves. God knows our struggles and sends his angels to fight our battles for us. We must always strive to be the best that we can by training our minds to think positive thoughts about our life, by disciplining our body and by spiritually seeking to reach the inner power of our soul, which is the spirit of God.

In conclusion, whatever the situation we are going through won't be in vain, if we trust and praise God through our Lord and savior Jesus Christ."