Discipline, Respect and Community: The Values Trained at Barracas Boxing Club
By Alexandra Flores I Laureus Sport for Good
In Villa 21-24, part of Buenos Aires' District 4, Argentina, lies a boxing gym that is reshaping what sport can mean for a community.
At Barracas Boxing Club (BBC), young people between the ages of 14 and 23 train each week not just to learn how to throw punches, but to grow individually, collectively and socially.
Diego, the club’s sports coordinator, has spent over a decade at BBC and can relate to many of the participants’ experiences with inequality, grief and hardship.
"I was born and raised in Villa 21-24. Having grown up here allows me to connect with the young people from a different place, with real closeness," he said.
Each training day at the gym is built around three core values: discipline, respect and community.
"If you take it seriously, boxing demands sacrifice. You can’t say, 'I’ll hang out with my mates until 2am' because the next day you won’t get through the training," said Diego.
Diego, the club’s sports coordinator, has spent over a decade at BBC and can relate to many of the participants’ experiences with inequality, grief and hardship.
"I was born and raised in Villa 21-24. Having grown up here allows me to connect with the young people from a different place, with real closeness," he said.
Each training day at the gym is built around three core values: discipline, respect and community.
"If you take it seriously, boxing demands sacrifice. You can’t say, 'I’ll hang out with my mates until 2am' because the next day you won’t get through the training," said Diego.
At BBC, the discipline learned through boxing extends into daily life. But more importantly, the gym creates an environment where young people feel seen, safe and part of something special.
"The participants take care of themselves and each other. Boxing helps us channel aggression within a framework that’s structured, respectful and human," he added.
This sense of care is intentionally built. BBC operates three sessions per day, with a central snack break to promote care and fellowship.
A multidisciplinary team, with boxing coaches, social educators, social workers and psychologists work together to integrate health checks, free dental care, cultural workshops and employment training into the programme.
"We don’t just train people. We promote care, responsibility, community identity and shared values," Diego said.
"Boxing is an individual sport that promotes social skills. You need others to grow, to train, to protect yourself. And when someone new joins, you say: 'I’m going to help them, just like someone helped me.'”
That’s how, over time, the gym becomes a web of meaningful connections, one that supports and uplifts.
"The participants take care of themselves and each other. Boxing helps us channel aggression within a framework that’s structured, respectful and human," he added.
This sense of care is intentionally built. BBC operates three sessions per day, with a central snack break to promote care and fellowship.
A multidisciplinary team, with boxing coaches, social educators, social workers and psychologists work together to integrate health checks, free dental care, cultural workshops and employment training into the programme.
"We don’t just train people. We promote care, responsibility, community identity and shared values," Diego said.
"Boxing is an individual sport that promotes social skills. You need others to grow, to train, to protect yourself. And when someone new joins, you say: 'I’m going to help them, just like someone helped me.'”
That’s how, over time, the gym becomes a web of meaningful connections, one that supports and uplifts.
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For Agustín Gosende of Laureus Argentina, this is the type of impact that matters and what Laureus aims to continue fostering.
"In vulnerable communities, sports programmes steer children and adolescents away from risk, fostering values such as discipline, respect, teamwork and perseverance," he commented.
This collective spirit is most visible during BBC’s twice-yearly boxing festivals.
"That’s where everything comes together," said Diego. "You see youth leadership in action: The one who steps into the ring in front of their family, the one who raps, the one who is training with others, the one who proudly introduces their teammates in the ring. It’s a community effort."
Laureus Argentina doesn’t just fund the programme, it also contributes technical support.
"We like getting involved in what the programmes are doing. We help professionalise the field of sport for development in Argentina," Agustín continued. "We want to back the people and ideas that are making a real difference."
And that difference is visible: young people are returning to school, seeking out health care, overcoming substance use, and finding spaces where they feel valued.
"For many young people, BBC is a place of opportunity, of respect, and above all, of future," Diego concluded.
Image credits: Barracas Boxing Club
"In vulnerable communities, sports programmes steer children and adolescents away from risk, fostering values such as discipline, respect, teamwork and perseverance," he commented.
This collective spirit is most visible during BBC’s twice-yearly boxing festivals.
"That’s where everything comes together," said Diego. "You see youth leadership in action: The one who steps into the ring in front of their family, the one who raps, the one who is training with others, the one who proudly introduces their teammates in the ring. It’s a community effort."
Laureus Argentina doesn’t just fund the programme, it also contributes technical support.
"We like getting involved in what the programmes are doing. We help professionalise the field of sport for development in Argentina," Agustín continued. "We want to back the people and ideas that are making a real difference."
And that difference is visible: young people are returning to school, seeking out health care, overcoming substance use, and finding spaces where they feel valued.
"For many young people, BBC is a place of opportunity, of respect, and above all, of future," Diego concluded.
Image credits: Barracas Boxing Club
***
This story is part of the work carried out by Laureus Sport for Good Argentina Foundation, which supports Barracas Boxing Club as one of its long-standing programmes.
Laureus Argentina is one of the national foundations of Laureus Sport for Good, a global organisation that uses the power of sport to transform young people's lives.
Visit Laureus Argentina's website to learn more - https://www.laureus.org.ar/
Laureus Argentina is one of the national foundations of Laureus Sport for Good, a global organisation that uses the power of sport to transform young people's lives.
Visit Laureus Argentina's website to learn more - https://www.laureus.org.ar/
