John Roche Jr. of Haverhill dreams big.
On the cusp of a professional boxing career, the 21-year-old can already envision a parade in his honor through downtown Haverhill, a hero's homecoming, with the world heavyweight title belt in his hands.
Roche will fight his last opponent as an amateur in April, after two successful matches in the last few months. Roche took home the heavyweight championship at the Golden Gloves in Lowell on Tuesday, Feb. 2.
Overall, his record is eight wins, two losses and seven knockouts. Both losses came on decisions.
Roche was enthralled by the "Rocky" movies as a child and idolized boxer Rocky Marciano. But his parents told him the sport was too rough. So he hacked it out in football and basketball at Haverhill High School. On the day he turned 18, he signed himself up for boxing lessons.
"I always wanted to box. It was a dream come true, something I wanted to do my whole life."
He started training with Kenny Stevenson in his basement, then at the Haverhill Boxing Club on Stevens Street. But when the city closed that facility, Roche helped build Shoe City Boxing, a new, independent gym on Merrimack Street.
"This gym is owned by the kids who are members," said Stephen Clark, director of the board at Shoe City. "Kenny (Stevenson) and I just run it. And it's because of kids like Johnny that make it work. Every day, every month, it grows."
A year ago, the gym had about five members. Now, 30 boxers are working out on a good night and 10 to 15 are there every day.
"When you're here, you're like family," he said.
Roche is one of the daily members. He trains seven days a week, for three to four hours a night at the boxing club and a few more hours at Choice Fitness. He spends even more time watching film of his fights and videos of other boxers.
"If I miss a day of training, I feel awful," he said. "I want to come down and work. Even if I'm not working out, I love to come and feel the atmosphere. Every day, I learn something new."
When he becomes a pro boxer, Roche will have to adjust to new scoring rules and fewer gear restrictions.
But the best change for Roche is that he'll be making a pay check, more than just the $10 to $20 he earns from fights as an amateur.
"That's just gas money," he joked.
The time Roche spends boxing translates into the time commitment of a second job, as if he wasn't busy enough. When he's not in the ring, Roche studies criminal justice at Northern Essex Community College and works part-time at Market Basket and as a loan officer assistant.
But his boxing career has given Roche more than a supplementary income or a way to stay in shape. It has given him direction.
"I used to get upset easily," he said. "I went and tried the college life, but that gets old. I have something growing here that's more important. I can still be in college, but be a part of something bigger. All my friends, they still are at school and they party every night. But I'm looking for something bigger than that."
Those in his boxing family have seen the growth too, especially when Roche was competing in his Golden Gloves match.
"In boxing, it takes a lot of heart and a lot of guts," said Clark. "The other night in the third round, I saw more heart and more guts in this kid than I've ever seen."
His passion inside the ring hasn't gone under the radar for boxing fans, either. Roche has an entourage of about 50 friends, family members and fans who support him at every fight.
"I have to thank everyone," he said. "I definitely don't want to ever lose, and I know they'd be proud of me either way, but I want to lose even less when they're there. I don't want to feel like I've let them down."
For the most part, he focuses in on the four familiar voices coming from his corner: Clark and coaches Stevenson, Tommy Clark and Lawrence 'Tex' Jenkins.
"When I first started, there were times I just wanted to quit," he said. "But you find some way to push yourself through it. I've been told I was too small, too short, too slow."
His Shoe City Boxing family knows he'll find a way to be the best.
"He's a talented young man and he has the potential to go all the way," said Jenkins. "It's up to him. He's got everything he needs. He has a right hand that can take him all the way."
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John Roche Jr. is looking for sponsors for his professional career. Anyone interested may contact Stephen Clark at the Shoe City Boxing Club at 978-807-1700. Visit www.shoecityboxing.com for more information.
