Boxing Program Turns At-Risk Youth Into Olympic Hopefuls

With each punch, each jab, each drill, boxing coach Art James is teaching kids much more than just a sport.

"It sounds cliche, but I believe hard work and determination can get somebody anywhere," James said.

"Cops 4 Kids," a boxing program sponsored and funded by the Anaheim Police League, is teaching teens the ropes to success.

Many of the teens know that outside of the gym, sometimes the odds are against them.

"Two of the main things at 'Cops 4 Kids' is discipline and responsibility," said Sgt. Raymond Drabek of the Anaheim Police Department. "It's crucial because these are programs that are giving kids something they would never have," he said.

Sgt. Daron Wyatt of the Anaheim Police Department said some of the teens come from impoverished or high-risk homes.

"There's no boundaries here. There's no gang members. There's no rivalries," Wyatt said.

Displayed on the wall are two students who first stepped into the gym as kids and came out as Olympic-bound athletes.

Jonathon Esquivel is a U.S. trails champion and potential Olympian for the Rio games. Born and raised in Anaheim, he was taught to fight through "Cops 4 Kids."

"If I wasn't here, maybe I might have hung out with the wrong crowd and been somewhere else. This pretty much saved me," said boxer Caitlin Orosco.

Orosco holds two junior Olympic titles and started boxing at the "Cops 4 Kids" gym when she was 10 years old.

"There's nothing I'd rather do than box. It's my passion," Orosco said.

Nearly a decade later, Orosco's goals -- and swings -- have yet to slow down.

"My dream is to make this next Olympics in 2020 and become a pro," she said.

Guided by a coach and police, the program is shaping good boxers and citizens.