This week’s Business Spotlight is on Frederick Yates.
Originally from Walterboro he will be opening Yates Boxing and
Fitness on May 2nd at 1108 North Jefferies Boulevard. Yates grew
up in Colleton County and attended Walterboro and Ruffin High
Schools. He says he was a troubled teen and began boxing in a
group home where he met his trainer, Charles Singleton. After
high school Yates joined the Army in 2005 and began his boxing
career. Yates, explains, “I won a couple of tournaments as an
amateur in the Augusta Games. I went to Olympic trials in 2007,
and I competed on the All-Army team for the All-Army trials.” He
also has four professional fights in his resume.
Yates adds, “Boxing took me a lot of places and did a lot for my
career and for my life. It was always my goal to come back and
open up a gym in Walterboro, because I knew what it did for me
as a youth. I know what it did for me mentally, and what kind of
discipline it gave me and kept me out of trouble. Once I picked up
boxing, I didn’t get in trouble anymore. I could have opened a gym
in Columbia, the city I live in now, but I want to get back to where
I was from, and I think a lot of things going on in Walterboro and
think boxing will do some good in Colleton County.”
Yates says, “Boxing is for everybody. If you’re able to take
directions and listen, you can come and check us out. One thing
I love about boxing is that it doesn’t matter where you from, what
side of the street, if you black, white, and hispanic, boxing is for
everybody. There’s no color. You can either fight or you can’t fight.
It is all about discipline. You won’t be good at boxing if you don’t
have discipline. The amount of time and effort you need to put in
outside of the gym boxing, boxing is all day, all year long. It’s not
it’s not like football that has a season.”
The gym will offer flexible hours catering to all ages, and it is
going to be affiliated with USA, Boxing and the South Carolina
Athletic Commission for anybody that wants to turn pro. It’s not
just for the youth. Yates adds, “I don’t want anybody to feel like
they can’t come because they’re too old, because I started boxing
late. You still live your dream, no matter what. You still if you
want to get out there and compete professionally as an adult, you
just got to be smart about things.”
Yates Boxing and Fitness will celebrate its Grand Opening on
May 2nd beginning at 9am and closing at 5pm. Everyone is invited
to come out and check out the gym.
