Vital Boxing empowers Puna youth with free training, competitive events

Pāhoa was buzzing with excitement and adrenaline as young athletes competed Saturday in an afternoon of action-packed bouts in the first annual “Battle in Puna,” a fully sanctioned USA Boxing Hawaiʻi event.

“Battle in Puna” was put on by Vital Boxing, a Puna-based nonprofit that was opened at the end of 2023 by Pete Vital.

He has been teaching youth of all ages how to box and grow their skills, while also creating an outlet for kids to improve their physical and mental health.

“I found boxing later as an adult and it really helped me with the vices I struggled with at the time,” Vital said. “Instead of ending up in bad situations, I could just let go of my emotions in the boxing ring.”

As an adult, Vital has participated in competitions and fights, which have been a fun part of his life. When he began training his kids in the sport, he realized that there was an opportunity to offer this to all of Puna’s youth.

“Creating Vital Boxing was really simple for me,” he said. “I just thought of what I needed when I was young. I remember as a kid, I went to this boxing gym, and they told me if I didn’t have money, I couldn’t train with them.

“I look back at that moment and think — wow, how different would my life be if there was somewhere I could go to learn to box for free.”

Vital Boxing has training sessions from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. every Monday and Thursday, and it is free for youth 17 years old and under.When they

For beginners, the coaches focus on full-body conditioning exercises, foundational techniques and non-contact drills like hitting heavy bags.

“For people unfamiliar with boxing, I like to point out the importance of prioritizing agility, coordination and discipline over the actual fighting,” Vital said. “If you are unable to balance yourself in the ring, you don’t have a great chance at success. Footwork is key.”

Once they have the proper techniques down, they begin training with coaches wearing pads to practice combinations and timing. Training sessions are either at the Pāhoa Recreational Center in Pāhoa Park or hosted at Vital’s parents’ house in ʻĀinaloa.

Since the boxing event was coming up, Vital Boxing hosted training on Thursday at the ʻĀinaloa house so boxers could use the homemade boxing ring that Vital built from old piping from his job at Puna Geothermal and flooring donated by Pāhoa High School.

“Because we offer this for free, purchasing a boxing ring was not possible,” Vital said. “We rent one for our events, but for training, I decided to build it myself. For me, this ring is always going to be a reminder of where we started and why it is so important for us to keep offering this to our youth.”

On the Thursdays before Saturday boxing events, every athlete participating gets a two-minute ice bath to help relieve soreness.

“This is just a fun tradition they all enjoy doing before a competition and it is really helpful,” Vital said.

On Saturday, the “Battle of Puna” brought excellent competition to the ring, including 23 boxers from the Big Island.

Vital Boxing will host “End of Summer Classic,” another USA Boxing Hawaiʻi event, at the Billy Kenoi Recreation Center on Sept. 20. All events are $20 for adult admission. Kids 18 years old and under are free.

“All proceeds from the events go to our team expenses and for travel when possible,” Vital said. “It’s the perfect way for us to break even on some things while also providing the opportunity for these youth to get experience in the ring.”

To learn more about Vital Boxing, visit the Instagram page or contact Vital at riskiepete@gmail.com.