Honkytonk Hitman

LA VERGNE — It’s 5 p.m., and while a majority of workers in Rutherford County are heading home from work, a group of aspiring boxers are just clocking in.

Such is a normal day at the La Vergne Boxing Club, opened by former professional boxers and Rutherford County residents Keith McKnight, Mike Rodgers and Ken Atkin.

All three — along with fellow former fighter Isaac Brown — spent their time around the pro boxing circuits. Now they’re in different vocations, back home and looking to give back to the community.

“Myself and Ken Atkin, we started in La Vergne years ago, around 1988,” said McKnight, who as “The Fighting Knight,” compiled a 44-4 professional record. “The program got bounced around and went to different places, but we always wanted to be in La Vergne where we were trained.

“We knew a lot of kids in the community could use it. A lot of kids don’t want to play baseball or soccer. Boxing is a great individual sport.”

Atkin got the ball rolling late last year, and began the search for a location to base the operation. Atkin, who as a La Vergne police officer, got the support of the La Vergne Fraternal Order of Police.

He finally found a suitable building when Crown Label and company president Alex Jenkins located next door to the Buchanan Road gym and agreed to donate an unused building.

“I can’t say enough about Alex Jenkins and Crown Label and what they did,” Atkin said. “Without a building, this thing would’ve been dead from the start.”

Rodgers, the “Honkytonk Hitman,” tracked down most of the equipment at a second-hand sporting goods store. McKnight began pouring in countless hours, not only training athletes, but talking up the gym around town.

“I heard about it from Keith,” said 20-year old Liz Dooley. “I was standing outside of work one day on my smoke break and I told him I had been trying to find a way to quit and get in shape. He said I should come down to the La Vergne boxing gym and here I am.”

Now, less than a year after the gym’s humble beginnings, between 25 and 40 athletes per day train with Atkin, McKnight, Rodgers and Brown.

On June 13, the gym — which fights under the name Club Knockout in competitions — held its first amateur boxing show with astounding results.
“We packed that place out,” said Atkin. “We set up some bleachers and we set up some chairs and they were all full.

“I bet if we could get 500 seats in there, we could probably have 500 people show up.”

The gym is hoping to host another show, tentatively scheduled for the last weekend in July.

One of the greatest benefits the La Vergne Boxing Club provides is affordability. The gym is open to everyone 8 years and up, and cost for kids between 8-18 is free. For those over 18, the cost is just $20 a month.

“Growing up, all of the other sports, you had to pay,” said Rodgers. “Boxing for us, none of it cost a dime. You go in, you work and you fight and you grow to love the sport.
“That’s something we wanted to give back.”

With no financial investment, more kids are likely to give boxing a shot.

Kyzala Hicks, a 14-year old rising freshman at Smyrna High School, decided to give boxing a try after learning about the gym from her mother, who is an acquaintance of McKnight’s.

“It’s just something I wanted to try,” said Hicks, who is still in her first week of training. “It’s different.”

While it may be too soon to guess what the future holds for the La Vergne Boxing Club or any of its boxers, for a group of former boxers, it’s already a success.

“We may never see a national champion, we may never see a world champion out of this group of kids,” said Rodgers. “But if they leave here saying ‘Yes ma’am’ and ‘Yes sir’ and make good grades and say their prayers, then we’ve won.”

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