TO DO IT
South Florida Boxing, 715 Washington Ave., Miami Beach, 305-674-8222; 2148 NE 164th St., North Miami Beach, 305-405-6151; 10355 Hammocks Blvd., Kendall, 305-388-1129; 12425 Taft St., Pembroke Pines, 954-436-6656Times vary. There is at least one boxing class every day.Cost: $16 (memberships also available); www.southfloridaboxing.comGrowing up I caught all the boxing movies: Rocky, Raging Bull, The Main Event, The Champ -- all the way up to the recent Cinderella Man and Million Dollar Baby.
People gravitate toward them for the ''ripped bodies'' and want to look like real boxers, says professional fighter Alex Brenes.
Brenes, 32, who fights in the lightweight division (next match: Feb. 21 at Miami Beach's Deauville) teaches boxing class at the Miami Beach branch of South Florida Boxing gym.
''The way we teach it is from the point of view of the fighter,'' he says.
That means no namby-pamby tae-bo, kickboxing, box aerobics. This is boxing training -- gloves, punching bags, wrapped hands and all. The only thing missing are sparring partners, but if you master this class you will be ready for that.
''When you get into the ring you can risk your life. It's dangerous. So you must learn proper form,'' Brenes says.
BOXING ****
DEGREE OF DIFFICULTY
At the end of The Main Event, that fluffy 1979 comedy, Barbra Streisand's character throws in the white towel to end Ryan O'Neal's championship bout.
I was livid. But today, 20 minutes into the 60-minute session, I longed for an imaginary Babs and that wonderful white towel.
Actually, I loved the class. It's just quite rigorous. After warm up, we work with light weights, throwing punches. Brenes stresses proper footwork and punching correctly. ''We maximize every muscle in the body.'' Engaging the core is important, too.
Soon, we put on the gloves and pound the hanging bag with single-arm jabs, combination moves, hook-shots. Modified (read: more difficult) push-ups and crunches follow.
Boxers, of both genders, will take to this naturally. Last time I had gloves on, I think I was 6 or 7 at the Flamingo Park after-school program. As such, I had to concentrate: Is my face covered? Is my body rigid, weakening the punch?
FUN FACTOR
Of all the classes I've taken for Sweat Equity, boxing training is arguably the best. Mastering this, I'll have acquired an important skill. The program also works you out head to toe. South Florida Boxing employs professional boxers or boxing trainers only, says owner Trevor Cedar, so you can be assured of getting real fight instruction.
RATING SCALE: Zero (Worthless) to Four Stars (Outstanding)
