Jonathan Perales calls himself a crime fighter. He doesn’t wear
a mask – or a cape – or even hold a police badge, but Perales
believes giving the area’s youth something to do besides breaking
the law is one of his greatest accomplishments.
Jonathan Perales calls himself a crime fighter. He doesn’t wear a mask – or a cape – or even hold a police badge, but Perales believes giving the area’s youth something to do besides breaking the law is one of his greatest accomplishments.
But instead of a case of vigilantism, Perales does it with a pair of boxing gloves and his son Charles.
Since he was a boy, It was always a dream for Perales to own a gym – a boxing gym to be specific – in his hometown of Hollister.
The now 67-year-old, and life-long Hollister resident, finally realized that dream a little more than three months ago when he opened Hollister Boxing and Fitness with his son Charles as the main trainer.
Charles Perales, who played professional basketball in Europe and Mexico, has boxed recreationally since he can remember. His first pair of boxing gloves were given to him when he was only a toddler.
“We started him young,” Jonathan Perales said.
And for the elder Perales teaching his son boxing was a must.
“Our family is basically a boxing fan,” Jonathan Perales said. “I loved boxing because that’s the only sport my father understood.”
But boxing was never something that Charles Perales competed in – instead it was supplementary workout to basketball, football and martial arts.
“Everywhere I went I always went to a boxing gym,” Charles Perales said “It’s always been a hobby, maybe just a little more than a hobby.”
And through all of his training, Perales started to get better and better – realizing that he wanted to train young boxers to “go to the next level.”
And that next level is rather simple for the 30-year-old trainer – he wants to train and bring up a professional boxer.
“There are dreams to be reached and it can happen here in Hollister,” Perales said. “That’s what we are all about – to train a boxer to go to the next level.”
To do that, Perales has created a training regiment that consists of hours of condition and some boxing. At the Perales-owned gym, fitness comes first.
“It’s kind of like – a lot of boxing gyms just do boxing but we make sure you are conditioned before you enter the ring,” Charles Perales said. “That’s what sets us apart, we concentrate on conditioning drills. There is a lot of dedication to box in this gym.”
And that’s exactly what some of the young Hollister boxers wanted.
“We do a lot of conditioning – more conditioning then we do boxing, ” 16-year-old Roy Buelna said. “I see myself getting better every day. Conditioning gets us ready for everything.”
And because of the constant running, sit-ups and bag work, pounds are being shed fast inside the gym.
“I’ve gotten in a lot better shape,” 16-year-old Anthony Perez said. “There is a lot of conditioning – I’ve lost 20 pounds since I started a month and a half ago. It’s good for your physical condition. Anyone can come here to get in shape – or for someone that is in shape to look for a challenge.”
And after nearly 67 years of dreaming for a boxing gym, that’s exactly what Jonathan Perales wants to hear.
Perales started boxing when he was 12-years-old at the American Legion in Hollister. With his group of friends, Perales’ early boxing sparked his want for his own boxing gym. And after he retired as a carpenter and his son was looking for a job, after leaving his basketball career behind, Perales thought it was the perfect time to buy a gym.
And so far it’s been worth the investment.
“I though I would open up a gym where people can come train and to give Charlie (Perales) something to do,” Jonathan Perales said. “I’ve seen a lot of weight lost here. I’ve seen a lot of enthusiasm here.”
Everyday around 6 p.m., the gym crowds with hopeful boxers and those wanting to get in shape. Charles Perales snakes around the room, avoiding black punching bags, to give helpful tips to each boxer. It’s that personal touch that has people coming back every day and every week.
“The reason why I like it a lot is because you are working one-on-one with Charles and he gives good advice.” 16-year-old Danny Alma said. “We train harder. We condition three times a week but it’s three hours straight – we work hard.”
And that dedication is used outside the boxing gym as well, Jonathan Perales said. Committing to the hard training and the daily rigors of boxing keeps people away from crime and forces them to follow rules.
“It’s good for kids to follow rules because it sets them up not for failure but for success,” Jonathan Perales said. “I consider myself to be a crime fighter.”
