Undisputed Champions’ Training Camp Pummels 1,000 Punches

SCHENECTADY, NY (
NEWS10
) — For over a decade the Undisputed Champions training camp has provided young adults on the autism spectrum the opportunity to learn the sport of boxing. Their Spring 2025 session concluded on Friday with the 1000 punch challenge.

Once all of the punches have been thrown, the boxers get their chance to take a picture with the IBF Championship Belt. A culmination of all the hard work they have put into the camp that provides benefits, both physically and mentally.

“The ability to know, to have confidence in the fact that they are resilient,” Head Coach Javy Martinez said. “And that they’re able to dig deep and persevere through life’s adversities, whatever shape that’s in.”

Martinez, a retired pro boxer and current Sergeant for the Town of Colonie Police Department, is not the only member of the department involved with Undisputed Champions. Chief Jay Gerace explained how special it is for his officers to be involved.

“They (the boxers) inspire us, they inspire our officers,” Gerace said. “To see them grow, see where they start from and where they take them to at the end of the program, it’s fantastic.”

The program provides plenty of benefits for the athletes, but Martinez explained the positive experience the camp is for the coaches as well.

“We make the selfish appear selfless,” Martinez said. “It looks like we are providing a volunteer service, but in reality, we receive way more in the giving.”

In addition to providing the boxers with a positive experience, the program also raises funds for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. To date, the camp has raised over $14,000.

“If you have differing abilities, sometimes people are always raising money for you,” Coach and Pro Boxing Judge Tom Schreck said. “What we wanted to do was to point out a group of people that are facing their own adversity, and when it comes to that, it’s cancer. And we wanted our group to rally around someone else who’s facing some adversity, not take money for themselves, but for people who are really up against it.”

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