CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — A boxing gym in Kingsville is focusing on helping veterans knock out some of their struggles.
For this week's Veterans in Focus, KRIS 6 is highlighting Jaime Cantu, the owner of the Kingsville Boxing Club.
Cantu joined the U.S. Army at just 17 years old back in 1982. He served a total of 23 years, including time in the National Guard. He says a successful career still left marks, and it took him years to seek help of his own.
"Things happen in your career that make you realize that, you know, I need additional help. I'm out of the military and... I just still need some help," Cantu said.
Cantu started the Kingsville Boxing Club back in 1997, while he was still on active duty as a recruiter. Over the years, the gym has produced Golden Glove and national champions. One of its boxers came just two bouts short of the Olympics in 2011. Others have gone on to become professional and world champions, but he says it's not about the glory.
"We can produce that here... not everybody who walks in wants to compete at that level. They just want to work out with the bags, so we allow them to go at their pace," Cantu said.
Now, Cantu works full time connecting veterans with resources, especially for mental health. So he brought that mission into the gym. Every weekday from 10 to 20, the club holds a veterans hour where veterans and their families can train free of charge.
"They get to come in, work out, do what they like in the gym, use their form of communication, their language, no one takes offense. Veterans like to mess with each other and it's just one of the things that we actually... feel good about," Cantu said.
Then in the evenings, those same veterans help lead classes for local kids, and Cantu says he believes that's where the real healing happens.
"When a young 8 year old, male or female, you know, tells him thank you and maybe just kinda lean on you and say thank you so much. I see the impact it does to that veteran and everyone 100%. I see how they enjoy that," Cantu said.
The gym is open to everyone, but the message and impact it has on veterans is clear.
"That's a medicine that can't be put in a pill. It's gotta be real life. And so here we're just trying to tell our veterans that we appreciate you, we thank you, and we know you need us like we need you," Cantu said.
Out in Kingsville, Jaime Cantu keeps fighting for the people who once fought for all of us.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
More Veterans In Focus stories are available here, along with resources for local veterans.
