In
2003 founder and CEO Mario J. Jones launched a new boxing company called
Counter Punch LLC. However, Mario did not want Counter Punch LLC, to just
be one of many boxing companies that already existed. He wanted Counter
Punch LLC, to stand out and offer the sport something unique by going
into areas that no other boxing company had ever gone before. 'Meet me at Pena's Gym and I'll tell you all about it," Mario Jones explained as we talked on the telephone about the coming to life of his dream -- a dream to give back to boxing. Photographer Brian Danner and I first had to find the front door of this gym that is tucked away in downtown Davenport on 4th Street. We had heard about this gym that has been such a big part of the community for years, but never quite knew where it was. After entering the front door and climbing a narrow staircase unsure quite where it would end, we made it into the small space that surrounds a simple boxing ring. "It's not pretty, but after all this is boxing," explained owner Alvino Pena who has been coaching boxers since 1968.
The gym
Sure enough, here they come ... teens, men, women and a dozen or so young
boys all clamoring to tape on their gloves and start working out. "I
see a lot of me in a lot of these kids," says Mario Jones. "It's
great seeing them trying to accomplish something." Mario still comes
to this gym four days
Now Mario is taking his talents outside the ring. He came up with an idea
for Counter Punch, a boxing card game. The deck includes cards with jabs,
uppercuts and every boxing maneuver you can imagine. You play it similar
to Spades where one card trumps the other until someone scores a knockout.
"We are working on more products, too -- from boxing equipment to
clothing apparel to gaming where card boxing becomes like poker tournaments," "I always wanted to give back to boxing. Now I have come up with a way to do that -- and build a business for the future," Mario says with a smile. The card decks are only $10.00 to find out more, log on to www.counterpunch.biz.
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