NABC Middleweight Champion Brian Mihtar (right) poses with his son Ismail. PHOTOS: Nick Meyer/TAAN

DEARBORN — New Year’s Day 2011 marked what many hope will be a chance at a new beginning, and local boxing champion Brian “The Lion” Mihtar hopes that the youth of Dearborn, especially from the south side, will have that chance as well.

Mihtar, the current North American Boxing Council middleweight champion, opened his new Lion’s Den Boxing & Fitness center on January 1st across the street from Salina School on Dearborn’s south end with the hopes of giving kids the type of character-building recreational activities that can help instill the values needed to be successful in life.

“Boxing is hope, it gave me hope and helped me build confidence,” Mihtar said. “It taught me discipline and it saved my life.

“For me, this is all about giving back to the community. It wanted it right smack-dab in the middle of the neighborhood; a lot of these kids’ fathers have come to watch my fights and this is my way of giving back.”

Located at the corner of Salina St. and Lowry St., the gym has created a buzz among Salina students across the street, which comprises 4th through 8th-grade classes.

Since the gym opened last Saturday, upwards of 75-100 kids a day have come by to pick up fliers to bring home to their parents and almost 20 kids have signed up for classes as well.

Mihtar, who is of Yemeni descent, talked about why recreational activities are important for kids, especially in the south end, which could be described as a gritty industrial area that is home to many immigrants, many of them from Yemen.

“A lot of my friends live out here and we figured if we were going to start a place it would have to be here,” he said.

“The youth today, especially in this part of the town, have nothing to look forward to and [that’s] what I’m trying to give them. When I had amateur fights I would always be excited, win or lose.

Highly-regarded boxing prospect Ali Eljahmi (left) works with 10-year-old Ali Musaibli at the new Lion’s Den gym on the south end of Dearborn.

We’re trying to bring that excitement and, I know it sounds cliché, but to keep them off the streets, that’s really what we’re trying to do.”

Mihtar, who recently moved to Dearborn Heights from Dearborn, has long had his eye on such a project. He began the process of leasing out the current Lion’s Den location in September and had to work to get it re-zoned first, as the city of Dearborn was planning to demolish it.

The corner gym is a relatively bland greyish building and it doesn’t have the same amenities as today’s modern fitness centers, but Mihtar likes it that way.

With only one three heavy bags, one speed bag, and one double-end bag among the training equipment along with a regulation-sized (non-elevated) boxing ring, Mihtar wanted to mimic the same style of the famous original Kronk Gym in Detroit, which is now closed but produced countless champions in its heyday under legendary trainer Emanuel Steward.

“I wanted to recreate that atmosphere and do what Emanuel has done, that style makes people more hungry,” Mihtar said. “He said that it gives people a reason to work hard, to fight to get out of the tougher conditions.”

19-year-old Ali Eljahmi, who trains and works with kids at the gym, was ranked as high as #5 in the country at his 135-pound weight class in USA Boxing magazine a year and a half ago according to  Mihtar.

He said that boxing has had a positive affect on him not just physically but also in the classroom.

“I had a bad report card, but once I started training with Brian I started to do much better in school,” he said.

“I used to always look up to him when I was little, and now we’re trying to do the same thing here that he did for me, to keep kids off the street.”

A boxing contract with Mihtar’s management company could also potentially be on the way for Eljahmi as well. 

Along with the boxing center, Mihtar has further plans to purchase another property, through his non-profit Brian Mihtar Community Services, Inc., to create a women’s enrichment center to offer what he believes are much-needed services to the local community including English classes, job training, self-defense classes, assistance in receiving federal aid for prospective students, and more.

For now, however, Mihtar is mostly focused on keeping the gym open while training both himself and his new students. Pros and amateurs alike are expected to drop by to help out.

Mihtar is taking a break from boxing while his manager searches for a big-name opponent. A marquee contest against Ronald Hearns at Casino Windsor that fell apart when Mihtar said Hearns refused to sign a contract as expected in late summer 2010.

He hopes to get back in the ring soon but in the meantime, he plans to continue to work to serve the community in the south end. The membership cost is currently 60 dollars per month for kids and 40 dollars for pros and amateurs to train, but Mihtar is working with schools to offer assistance programs for kids who can’t afford the service including free memberships in exchange for writing essays or other academic assignments. The prices may drop in the future as well while he continues to assess costs, insisting that his main focus is to have enough to keep the facilities open for the kids.

He also plans to work with the Arab Center for Community and Social Services to put on amateur bi-monthly boxing events at the organization’s recreational center a few blocks away.

For more information on boxing and personal fitness classes and the Lion’s Den gym, visit www.Brianmihtar.com.