A historic kickboxing gym near Long Beach’s Cambodia Town will soon have to relocate to make room for a new homeless shelter for men with disabilities.
The Long Beach Khmer Kickboxing Center on Anaheim Street has been a neighborhood staple for more than 35 years, known for training champions, getting youth and gang members off the street.
The 1,200-square-foot gym leases its space in a humble strip mall building owned by the Long Beach Rescue Mission. Officials plan to turn it into a 15-bed, ADA-compliant shelter as part of its latest expansion of services for the area’s growing homeless population.
The kickboxing center opened its doors in 1987 by Oum Ry Ban, a former kickboxing champion from Cambodia who came to Long Beach after fleeing the Khmer Rouge communist regime. Ban specializes in the ancient martial art of Pradal Serey, a fighting method using elbows and knees that dates back to the ancient Khmer Empire.
“Every day I come here to train; I will keep going until I can’t move,” Ban said recently. “I love this gym so much. It’s my home here.”
But in early May, Ban received news that his beloved gym would need to be out by Aug. 1. Not long before, Ban was recognized by the Cambodian community and Long Beach. He had recently published a new book telling his story of survival, his journey from Cambodian kickboxing legend to refugee and how he now trains dedicated athletes at the center.
Keeping an ancient martial art alive was always the mission, said Ban’s daughter, Zochada Tat.
“He’s old school, rugged in his ways,” said Tat, who has trained and practically grown up at the gym herself. “He doesn’t want to move to a ‘nicer’ area with higher incomes. He wants to stay in this area, near Cambodia Town.
“My Dad is nowhere near retirement,” she added. “The news is disappointing because he’s received so many awards and recognition.”
Jeff Levine, executive director at the Long Beach Rescue Mission, said that the…
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