The Connector
The Connector
Johnny Gant trains an amateur boxer at Atlanta Art of Boxing. Photo by Sara Hopkins.

Johnny Gant operates Atlanta Art of Boxing under the Johnny Gant Foundation. Gant has been boxing professionally since the late 1960s and puts his trainees and boxers through rigorous sessions.

“Our program is an amalgamation of the Amateur Boxing Association and community environment,” Gant said. “It will set in motion an avenue for the boxer to channel their interest in boxing, and use their skills as they go through life’s mazes.”

A boxer hits a speed bag during training at Atlanta Art of Boxing in Midtown. Photo by Sara Hopkins.

Speed bags (or speed balls) are small, air-filled bags anchored to a rebound platform. The bags help a boxer learn to keep his hands up, to improve hand and eye coordination and to shift his weight between punches.

The Atlanta Art of Boxing is located at 1135 Spring Street in Midtown.

This article was changed from its original version.