From East Cleveland, Ohio,
Coach Safo's Fab 5

Coach Renard Safo, has been training boxers for 17 years in East Cleveland.  He is a man dedicated to craft and can be found in the gym five days a week immediately after work.  Born and raised in Cleveland, OH, Coach Safo was introduced to amateur boxing at a young age.  He naturally excelled but did not pursue boxing as a professional.

"When I was coming up, the pro boxers in the Midwest were always used as last minute replacement opponents for more experienced East Coast fighters.  It was tough to have any decent career because the only time you could get exposure was if you were fighting a guy with a lot more experience on short notice."  - Coach Safo

Refusing to be a "victim for hire," Coach Renard Safo pursued training boxers of his own.  He wanted to provide more opportunities for local kids trying to achieve their goals in boxing.  Coach Safo has explained that he coaches for the love of the game.  The most important thing to him is that his boxers stay healthy and out of trouble.  He provides many kids in East Cleveland a place to train and better themselves.  Now it is 2010 and Coach Safo coaches a stable of some of the top pros and amateurs in the country.

"I think 2010 will be a big year for us.  We're going to continue to stay active and moving forward." - Coach Safo

Their track record speaks for itself:

Willie Nelson (age 22) is currently 13-0-1 as a pro.  After a highly successful amateur career (200+ amateur bouts), he turned pro in 2006.  Willie has been featured on the undercards of both of the recent Kelly Pavlik Pay-Per-Views in Youngstown, OH.  His credentials include: 2000 National PAL Champion, 2001 National Silver Gloves Champion, 2004 National PAL Champion, 2005 National Under 19 Champion, and the #1 Ranked welterweight in USA boxing in 2005.  He trains 5 days a week under the instruction of Coach Safo.

When asked what he attributes their success to, he replied:

"We train hard everyday.  We all have the same drive, so when we train with each other it is war in here.  We are all very competitive and you only get better when your competition is as hungry as you are." - Willie Nelson.

Willie has a fight coming up in St Louis, Missouri on March 19th.

Prenice Brewer (age 22) is currently 14-0-1 as a pro.  Much like Willie, he had a highly successful amateur career (150+ amateur bouts) and turned pro in 2006.  Prenice has fought on ESPN several times.  His credentials include: 2005 Golden Gloves Champion, 2003 National Jr Olympic Champion, 2003 Pan American Champion, 2000 National PAL Champion, and the #1 Ranked Jr Welterweight in USA Boxing.  He cites some of his influences in boxing growing up as: "Sweet Pea" Pernell Whitaker, Sugar Ray Leonard, Tommy Hearns, Marvin Hagler, and Floyd Mayweather Jr.   Prenice also has a fight coming up in St Louis Missouri on March 19th.

Terrell Gausha (age 22) is currently the #1 Ranked Amateur Middleweight in the country.  His 10 years in boxing has been as successful as his peers.  Terrell has traveled the world; having bouts in as far away as Russia and Italy.  He will be traveling to China in the end of February for a bout.  Terrell is a 3x Golden Glove Champion, as well as a 2009 National Silver Gloves Champion.  Amidst high anticipation for him to turn pro, Terrell has decided to stay amateur and compete for a spot on the 2012 USA Olympic Team.

Click Here for Terrell's USA Boxing Spotlight Page

Brett Simmons (age 19) is currently 0-0-1 as a pro.  He had a successful amateur run of 150+ amateur bouts and turned pro earlier this year.  Brett was the 2008 Golden Gloves champion at 132 lbs and is a 3x National Silver Gloves Champion.  He is currently fighting in the welterweight division as a pro and has a bright future ahead of him.

Yaundale "Money Shot" Evans (age 21) is currently 5-0 as a pro.  He fights for Squared Ring Promotions under Roy Jones Jr.  Yaundale had a very successful amateur run, totally up 110+ bouts.  He has been featured on ESPN 3 times.  He was the 2009 Golden Gloves State & Regional Champion.  Yuandale is also a 2x Bronze Medal winner from the National Golden Gloves tournament.   Yaundale is expected to return to action on Feb 27th in Miami, FL.

Also training under Coach Safo is his son Shareef Safo (11 years old).  Shareef is a 2010 Regional Champion will be heading to the 2010 National Silver Gloves Tournament to compete in the 155lb class.