Boxing gym a way to fight weight, stress

CINDY WOOD/independent feature writer

In terms of downtown development, it’s definitely a knockout.

Located at 146 E. Main St. in Van Wert, The Sweet Science Boxing Gym has quickly become a favorite spot for those looking to take out a little aggression. Owned and operated by Van Wert High School graduate Paul Barton, the gym is a natural fit for someone who seems to have been born into the sport of boxing.

“I definitely come from a fighting family,” Barton said, adding, “my father was number five in the world and my brother was number one in the world. My mom’s dad and my dad’s dad were both pro fighters as well, so it definitely runs in the family.”

After graduating high school, Barton had the opportunity to become a camp manager for his brother, who was preparing to fight on the television show “The Defender.” It was during that time that Barton fell in love with the training aspect of boxing.

He developed his training skills with a move to Scottsdale, Arizona, where he was working with big-name athletes and executives. But when he began training kids at Iron Glove Boxing Gym, he knew he had found his niche.

“I really fell in love with training kids,” Barton said. “Most of them have never experienced boxing as a sport and they would come in and get bit by that boxing bug.”

That “bug”, Barton said, has hit Van Wert and he’s been impressed with the immediate interest from not only area youth, but clients of all ages.

“It doesn’t really matter how old you are. If you’re 20, 30, or 60, you can’t shake that bug once it bites you,” Barton said, adding that a large percentage of clients at the gym are women over the age of 30. “We have a lot of younger kids as well, but I’ve been really pleased with the number of women who are getting involved and looking to get in shape.”

Barton said boxing is a great way to not only lose weight and get in shape, but a way to eliminate some of life’s stresses — a 1-2 combination, so to speak.

“Maybe someone has had a particularly stressful day at work and they’re just looking to unload some of that,” Barton said. “Boxing is a great way to do that. I can’t think of a better way to get around a bad day than punching stuff.”

The Sweet Science gym has all the normal bells and whistles one would expect to find at a gym, but Barton’s 1-on-1 personalized training takes the training one step further.

“I’ve seen people who have been doing the same thing over and over for years and not getting where they need to be,” Barton said. “When they come in here, it’s just me and them. There is nobody else involved. It’s one-on-one and people respond to that.”

Satisfied (and thinner) clients serve as proof for Barton that he is headed in the right direction.

“We’ve got a guy who has lost 20 pounds in a few weeks, and another guy who lost 30. We have a woman in training with us that has lost 10 pounds over the last three weeks, and she’s really been struggling to take off the weight. So it’s successful,” Barton said, adding that the battle to lose weight and get fit begins in the brain.

“It’s definitely not checkers,” Barton said with a laugh, “but people assume you have to be masculine, but that’s just not true. Boxing is more mental than anything. It’s not thinking about the punch that’s coming at you, it’s thinking about the punch coming at you three punches from now. It’s thinking about the move you’re going to make five moves from now.”

Barton said the gym is a work in progress, and he feels very good about his decision to return to his hometown to try to make a positive impact on the community he grew up in.

“I heard a story about a girl here who was doing heroin in the bathroom and it really affected me,” Barton said, adding, “it truly made me sick to my stomach to hear about all these kids getting mixed up with bad stuff. I may have snuck a cigarette when I was younger when my mom wasn’t looking, but kids now are using these drugs that have serious consequences.”

One of the first things Barton did upon his return to Van Wert was organize a dodgeball tournament to raise some funds.

“We donated $700 to Westwood to get one person treatment and get them off drugs,” Barton said, adding, “if you’re a resident in a community and you care about that community, you have to do your part. It’s that simple: If everybody chips in, the problems aren’t so big.”

Barton is already working on a “kick addiction” kickball tournament that will take place this summer, although with the gym open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. seven days a week, Barton has little spare time between the gym and his job on the railroad. It’s been a labor of love for the hard-working husband and father.

“I call myself ‘Team No Sleep’,” Barton said, adding he typically puts in about 20 hours of work a day. “It’s a sacrifice right now, but that’s just what you have to do to get things running.”

But at the end of the day, Barton can rest easy knowing he is doing something he loves — and something that can make a positive difference in someone’s life.

“Boxing is a business I know in and out and I’ve been involved in it one way or another all my life,” Barton said. “I’m doing something I love and something I’m passionate about and that’s what keeps me going.”

For more information on the gym, call 419.232.2852 or visit www.thesweetscienceboxinggym.com.