WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP, Ohio (WDTN) — A local boxer has qualified for the Olympic Trials after his victory in the Last Chance Qualifier Tournament in Pueblo, Colorado earlier this year.
Twenty-four-year-old Drew Zammit will compete among the nation’s best in his weight class.
“It’s an honor,” says Drew, as his goal is to secure a spot representing the United States in the Olympics.
For about the last four years, boxing has been his life.
“It’s been all day, every day. No breaks,” states Drew. “I think I started later than most people. I started when I was about 19 or 20, so I am late to the game.”
Before boxing, life threw him some blows.
“I kind of hit a rock bottom. And life kept hitting me. I had nothing. No family. No money, like nothing. And I was like you know what I’m going to do? I was like I’m just going to fight for everything I want to get,” says Drew.
In 2019, he found DMC Boxing, and the ring became his home.
“I came to this gym. Coach looked out for me ever since,” states Drew. “He’s like the best coach there is. There’s no better coach than him.”
“Not an easy road. Drew came here and he started boxing with me,” says Daniel Meza-Cuadra, owner of DMC Boxing. “His growth has been tremendous. His dedication, his drive.”
Training for hours every day at DMC Boxing, his raw dedication is what led him to qualify for the Olympic trials.
“Life has kind of been so hard to me that it’s kind of prepared me for it in a way,” says Drew. “We treat it like it’s life or death. We push ourselves every day. We give everything we have.”
“I am super excited!” exclaims Daniel. “I feel like he’s my son, you know, like we’re family.”
Drew says while he has his sights on making it to the Olympics, he’s not losing focus of the journey.
“It’s a lifestyle. You know you can’t just train for like a fight or an event,” says Drew.
As Drew trains toward his goal in the next couple of months, he’ll be ready.
“For me it’s just about every day get a little bit better,” states Drew. “Now it’s the chance to show everybody.”
“I think he’s called to be probably one of the best fighters in the world,” says Daniel.
The Olympic Trials take place in early December in Lafayette, Louisiana.
His coach says they are looking for sponsorships.
DMC Boxing offers boxing training for people. Daniel says he has a wide age range and a diverse group of about 100 students. To learn more, click here.
