South Boston boxer gallery

Brendan Flynn started boxing when he was 11 years old, and loved it from the very beginning.

John Flynn has been boxing in South Boston since he was 12 years old, a year after his brother, Brendan.

Geovany Lorenzo became hooked on boxing when he was 12 years old walked into the gym down the street from his house.

Although he didn’t start until 16 years old, Danny “Bhoy’’ O’Connor made up for his late start with many claims to fame, including being an alternate on the 2008 U.S. Olympic boxing team in Beijing and a pro record of 28 matches with only two losses. He was invited to be one of the coaches on the Ireland youth boxing trip.

Boys and girls of all ages train for free at Peter Welch’s Gym in South Boston, as part of a youth program almost 90 years old.

One of only a few girls her age, Lily Austin has been training at Peter Welch’s since she was 7 years old. She plays more than a handful of other more team-oriented sports, but keeps coming back to boxing even though many of her friends don’t understand why.