ROCK HILL, S.C. -- On the first day of boxing class, a dozen teenage boys with gang affiliations strode into the room, most of them late, wearing saggy pants and headphones.

By the second class, their attitudes had changed.

Jamal McFadden, 17, saw his grades go up. His temper went down, and his attitude mellowed, according to his mom, Diane Murray, who watches him each Saturday.

Jadarius Roberts, 13, said when he's angry and wants to fight, he saves it for the weekend, when he can “beat up the bag.”

They're two of nine students who disciplined themselves through a month of rigorous exercise and graduated Saturday from the Rock Hill Boxing Club's training camp at the Emmett Scott Center.

Organizers, coaches and parents want to continue offering classes to the teenagers during the week. But membership to box costs money, and the clock is ticking to find sponsorships to keep all nine in the ring, says the Rev. Seth Crosby of TLC Ministries in Rock Hill.

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