On Thursday, May 30, 2024, I sat down with senior Jack Haberman to discuss his boxing career. He is having his first fight on June 15 at Stereo Garden in Patchogue.
Q: How long have you been boxing?
A: I have been doing boxing for eight years. I started when I was nine years old.
Q: Where did you start doing boxing?
A: I started at Rounds Elite Fitness, which was the kickboxing studio that my mom did her fitness classes at. After that, I went to a little gym in Lynbrook on Sunset Avenue. It was called Joe Donovan’s Boxing Gym. That ended because Covid shut his gym down. Then, I had to move to a gym in Minneola called Slick Sluggers; I was there for about two years. I didn’t really like that gym, so I moved to Freeport PAL Boxing Club. That is where I currently train.
Q: What advice would you give to younger boxers starting to do boxing?
A: Take it slow because it’s not like football, baseball, or hockey. It’s a hard sport and a hard lifestyle, and you don’t realize that. Take it slow; there’s no rush. It’s not easy. You don’t want to do it all at once because you’re not going to like it if you do it that way. You have to build up to it and see if you like it.
Q: Why is boxing such a difficult lifestyle, what makes the sport so hard?
A: First and foremost, you’re alone. There’s no one pushing you; you’re not committing yourself to a team. You’re committing yourself to yourself. You have to train your body to go to war. Everything has to be in check: your diet, conditioning, skills, how much water you drink, how much you sleep. Literally everything has to be intact.
Q: Who is your biggest supporter?
A: I’d say I have three, in no specific order. Definitley my brother Justin, my father, and my girlfriend.
Q: Was boxing the only sport that you did growing up?
A: I played basketball, I played in a flag football league, I played a little hockey, and my parents even put me in soccer and baseball. I was never really good at any of those sports; I was a little bit of a chubby kid, so nothing really stuck. Then, my parents said, “Hey, why don’t you learn how to defend yourself and lose a little weight?” From there, I finally felt passion for something, and it just took off.
Q: What are your future goals for boxing?
A: First, I have a huge fight coming up on June 15. It’s my first amateur fight, and it’s on a huge stage at Stereo Garden under the lights. Then I have another fight on June 22. I’m going to college next year, so my goals are to join the boxing club and be a four-time national collegiate champion.
