Glouster, Ohio is a vastly different town today than it's heyday at the turn of the century. A dozen stores and buildings now sit boarded up and empty as residents have left the old coal town since the shutdown of it's numerous mines. The town that once boasted a population over 4,000, now has just a few hundred people hanging on.
The ring at Sam’s Gym sits empty after throngs of boxers and fighters have left for the evening. Sam keeps the gym running solely with money from his own pocket, spending $7,000-8,000 a year without charging a single customer to train there. Sam’s only goal is to keep the youth of Glouster off of the streets and provide them a positive environment.
(Right) Josh Brooks, 18, of Trimble, Ohio trains with PJ Losey, 15, of Glouster in the upstairs weightroom of Sam's Gym. Brooks is an MMA style fighter and mentors a lot of the younger fighters at the gym in MMA techniques.
Brandon Willis wraps his hands as he prepares to train at Sam's Gym. Willis, 30, is from Columbus and drives down to the gym every Monday and Wednesday train with Sam Jones. Willis is an amateur boxer, but trains and spars alongside professionals at the gym.
Josh Franklin, 17, of Glouster works on MMA technique with PJ Losey as he lies on a mat in the upstairs weightroom and training room at Sam's Gym. While Sam makes his way around to train fighters and work on techinique, man older teens like Franklin act as mentors to their younger counterparts as they learn newer fighting styles.
One of many old photos that line the walls of Sam’s gym shows a member of the original Glouster Athletic Club in 1936 when the gym was first founded by Sam’s grandfather.
Sam Jones coaches seven year-old Hunter Everett as he spars with his friend Kyle Kennedy at Sam’s Gym. Jones was a three time boxing world champion in the 70’s.
Boxing gloves sit atop a stack of weights in the weightroom in Sam’s Gym.
(Left) Joe Baul,19, of Glouster jokes aroung with PJ Losey, 15, of Glouster as the two take a break from working out in the upstairs weightroom at Sam's Gym. Baul and Losey spend every Monday and Wednesday afternoon at Sam's Gym training with friends from high school and professional boxers. "This is the only thing to do here," Baul said. "There's nothing in Glouster."
