Boxing. A tough, cruel sport, some might say.

Few understand the dedication that is required to become successful and fewer still understand the hours spent at the gym, building stamina, body strength, fitness and lightning-fast reflexes.

It's a sport for men and women who enjoy rough and tough body contact.

Getting hit continuously is not for the faint-hearted.

Yet, this is a sport that can take so many young people off the streets and teach them discipline and living a healthier lifestyle.

The minister of sport could go a long way in encouraging young people to join and participate in the healthier lifestyle of fitness and vitality.

Who knows, somewhere in one of those boxing gyms could be a Dingaan Thobela, Vuyani Bungu or Brian Mitchell.

It's the "gym" that is going to stop young lives from being enslaved by drugs, booze and criminality.

Let's encourage fitness, and boxing is a great vehicle to achieve this.

Peter Bachtis, Benoni