Boxing gym opens to Cleveland youths with the help of a local businessman

CLEVELAND - Gary Horvath, of Cleveland, won the Cleveland Golden Gloves Championship in 1964.

Today, thanks to the help of local businessman and lawyer Tim Misny, Horvath’s dream came true: a boxing gym of his own. A place where Cleveland boxing fans, young and old, can come and learn from Horvath and his entourage of volunteers.

The gym is called The Make Them Pay Gym and it’s located at 3212 West 25th St. in Cleveland, on the second floor. Horvath, who has been in the boxing game for nearly a half a century, owned his own gym back in the 1970,s but had it closed because of financial hardships. That's where Misny comes in.

Misny and Horvath were talking about the former boxer’s dream of opening up his own gym once again. Horvath had mentioned he would stock the gym with used equipment to keep the cost low, just to get the gym open for kids. Misny took that idea one step further, putting together a fundraiser that raised more then $13,000. He gave Horvath the resources to stock his dream gym with brand new equipment.

The gym creates a safe atmosphere, where kids who can come in off the streets and learn from some of the most knowledgeable former fighters and trainers in the business.

Horvath and his volunteers have been cleaning, painting and buying equipment for the past year, getting ready for Monday's grand opening, which was a huge success.