LeadingMile Consulting is delighted to announce our agreement with Blokovi Boxing Club, a boxing club in Belgrade which gives young people from troubled backgrounds the opportunity to develop themselves into accountable and motivated human beings. Teaching discipline and giving teenagers the opportunity to express themselves better is one of the main pillars of this school, run by Stephan Hubert. LeadingMile’s UK country director, Lloyd Dean visited the gym to see for himself what kind of a club Blokovi is, and what their vision and ambitions are.
Stephan started out kickboxing to get off the streets and find a way to channel his aggression. What he learned very soon, was that the (kick) boxing world is not about being tough and aggressive, but rather about discipline, establishing friendships and respect.
“As a child of a single parent, I did not live up to my potential at all. I needed kickboxing and the people around it to make me realise that. For me, boxing was not about the sport itself but about being part of something bigger. I always enjoyed boxing as a sport, but initially did not view it as a way of life. I was doing hard training for a while and continuously took long breaks in between, never being disciplined enough to keep at it constantly. After my passion for the sport grew, I became convinced that boxing was my way of life.
After meeting the right coach who took me under his wings, I got inspired and found out that boxing was not just a way for me to become a better version of myself: on top of the self-improvement, this actually gave me a way to empower other people into becoming better disciplined, teach them about respect and let them learn from my mistakes.”
After meeting with his current protégé Jelena Janicijevic, he decided the time was right to pick up coaching himself. At first, Stephan rented out a few slots a day in a local gym and it soon started to grow exponentially. Since founding the club in 2019, Stephan has seen his ambitions being realised with some of his students reaching and winning Serbian State Championships, initially coming from nowhere.
“Some of our students were very unfortunate, losing their parents at a very young age. The way the system is set up here, they are more or less obligated to start working from then on. We support them to live a straight life, helping them with nutrition, a place to come every day and even money. You can’t learn anything productive on the streets. This is where we want to make a difference for young people, empowering them to either reach a professional status in boxing, or having learnt enough discipline in life to be successful in any profession.”
This sponsorship is part of LeadingMile’s commitment to make an impact on childrens’ lives who otherwise have limited opportunities. Just as we empower our clients to become the best version of themselves, we wish the same for underprivileged teenagers. “It was eye-opening to see what kind of a difference Stephan is able to make in the lives of these young people, ”says Lloyd.
“Personally visiting the gym and having the conversation with Stephan gave me the confidence that this project is making a very large long-term impact with relatively limited means. We are proud to contribute to that through our sponsorship agreement.” Follow Blokovi Boxing Club now on Facebook
