The Classic recently donated $40,000 to the Club for their expansion, which enabled them to add another practice ring and more space for punching bags.

It also provided space for more boys and girls from across the valley as young as eight. "This club is not about teaching kids to fight," according to Lee Espinoza, founder and director. "When that glove hits that bag, it is giving them focus, eliminating stress and building discipline and character. It's about giving kids a chance to be better no matter what they choose in life. It is keeping them from following their peers who are making the choice to break windows and roam streets."

The most famous product of the club is Junior Welterweight champion Antonio Diaz, although many other young boxers are waiting in the wings to compete for world titles in the coming years.

Another shining star of the club is recently graduated Julio Mirando, 18, who the club shepherded to college despite his #3 ranking in the amateur boxing national meet. "We had a straight-A student," Espinoza said. "I could have said just box, because he has the potential, but we saw even more in him." Mirando went on to the University of California Irvine this semester.

But the Coachella Boxing Club & Youth Center is not about winning world titles. It's about molding lives — and the Classic is proud to support that effort.

The Classic has contributed to the Boxing Club & Youth Center since 1991 and has donated nearly $100,000 to the club.