Years ago, Aj and his brother Jeremiah were talented young boxers themselves. вЂ¦ ThatвЂ™s our whole mission, is to steer them in the right direction.вЂќ And now I want to give back to these kids. вЂњThis is my way of giving back to the youth in the community I grew up in,вЂќ Vasquez said. (Alex McIntyre/Staff Photographer)ДЄfter wrapping up his day job, each day, he heads over to the TopNotch gym and works with dozens of impressionable, young boxers, as well as a handful of adults.ДЄs much as he would love to train a future Olympic boxer out of his small gym in northern Colorado, VasquezвЂ™s main focus is to make sure his pupils have a brighter future, regardless of what, exactly, that future may entail. TopNotch athletes, coached by AJ Vasquez, have had much recent success. GREELEY, CO вЂ“ MAY 25:Paloma Fish, 16, right, boxes with a partner while warming up during TopNotch Boxing practice at TopNotch Sports Academy in downtown Greeley May 25, 2021. He earned an engineering degree from Weber State University in 2007.

Vasquez leaned heavily on the sport of boxing and the program he was coaching at the time to help him get through such a horrific ordeal. In 2015, he encountered more extreme hardship when his son, Xzavier, died at about 3 months old, falling ill after he was born premature. In his youth, Vasquez was part of a gang.

Vasquez, 35, is a Greeley native who recalls struggling through some tough times during his younger years.

Vasquez has been coaching for 11 years, including about eight years in Loveland and the past three years at TopNotch. GREELEY, CO вЂ“ MAY 25:Coach AJ Vasquez, center, coaches his athletes during TopNotch Boxing practice at TopNotch Sports Academy in downtown Greeley May 25, 2021.

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