Vestavia coach and teacher using boxing passion to raise funds

Two and a half years ago, Leo Harlan’s wife bought him a one-month membership to a local boxing gym.

“That was obviously a mistake on her part,” he said with a grin.

Because these days, not only is he still boxing — he’s boxing in front of a gym full of his students at Vestavia Hills High School.

And he’s not choosing easy opponents.

Two years ago, Harlan boxed against the current super heavyweight champion of Alabama as part of Knockout Cancer, a fundraiser for Relay for Life.

He “didn’t do so great” at that matchup, he said.

But this year at Knockout Cancer 3 — set for St. Patrick’s Day, March 17, during the 10 a.m. student activity period — he’s going to be looking for redemption.

Harlan, a history teacher and soccer coach at the high school, is planning to box against a prison guard.

“The boxing aspect is totally legit,” he said, noting that his gym — Round 1 Boxing — is producing the event.

“It’s their ring, their judges, their equipment,” Harlan said, who himself is a Golden Glove amateur boxer now. “The reason why we’re doing this is to try to raise $10,000 for cancer research.”

He’s creating a green St. Patrick’s Day T-shirt and selling it for $20 as the ticket to the fight. Students and community members alike are welcome to purchase tickets and attend the match.

David Godber, owner of the local Round 1 Boxing franchise, said they started a few years ago with the intention of just making the event better.

“That first year, we had a makeshift ring and had five bouts,” he said. “We packed out the gym with more than 1,000 people.”

Attendance waned a little for Knockout Cancer 2 because Harlan wasn’t boxing, Godber said.

“The students didn’t just want to see my boxers fight — they wanted to see people from Vestavia Hills High School,” he said.

So this year he’s bringing in his real ring and matching Harlan up against the prison guard, whom Godber also trains.

“We’re trying to pack the gym again,” he said. “I think it will be a good match.”

Both boxers are trained by Godber, and “Leo has more experience, but our prison guard is a big boy and well-qualified,” he said.

“Leo the Lion” Harlan, as Godber called him, will come out in a prisoner’s uniform, and his opponent will come out in a prison guard uniform.

“They aren’t trying to kill each other — but we want to make it more interesting each year,” he said. “We want to make it better, so we can make more money.”

All the money raised will go toward Vestavia Hills High School’s total Relay for Life goal of $250,000. Relay for Life is the signature fundraiser for the American Cancer Society and culminates in a relay team walk with collected sponsorships on April 22.

The ring and production for the boxing match at the high school will be the real deal and look like Las Vegas, Godber said. 

The event, he said, is the biggest fundraiser for Vestavia’s Relay for Life. “We’re excited to be a part.”

And after that event is over, the Golden Gloves championship tournament will be at the gym that night and the following day, March 17-18. That event also is open to the public and will serve as an Olympic qualifying round.