GROWING up on the rough side of town in the housing projects of Chicago, James Marina was no stranger to challenges.

Now at age 54, the current Bermuda Boxing Association (BBA) president is bracing himself for perhaps the biggest challenge of his life.

Marina is on a mission to help save young lives - and he's using boxing as a means to get the job done.

Outspoken, yet gentle in nature, Marina possesses an enormous passion for his fellow man. And like many others, he harbours great concern for the current rise in youth violence in Bermuda.

Only late last month, 20 year-old Shundae Jones was gunned down at point-blank range while sitting in a car as he and friends left Dockyard. Police have since urged for calm, but according to Marina, the writing has long been on the wall.

"There are a lot of people who say that they are willing to help - but let's find out. I once staged a free junior boxing event up at CedarBridge Academy and few parents were present to lend their support to the youngsters," he said. "Yet they turn out for the bigger boxing events at the Number One Shed. But really, all you have to do is venture out to any local sporting event and use the crowd as a barometer. Everyone just turns a blind eye to the real situation."

Marina is a graduate of South Western College in Winfield, Kansas and a 20-year US Air Force veteran. He also served his country during the Vietnam War and completed his service at the rank of Technical Sergeant (computer programer).

Presently employed as a Unix Systems administrator at Belco, Marina has been in Bermuda for the past eight years and is married to Somerset resident Lorna Jean Marina.

Marina was introduced to boxing at a very young age and is a former US Air Force welterweight champion. He became president of the BBA in 2001 after taking over the helm from former top executive, Kenneth (Manix) Simmons.

He also accompanied Bermuda's two Caribbean Amateur Boxing Association Championships gold medallists Trace Easton and Sharieff Wales at the recently concluded tournament held in the Bahamas.

"We say that we support, but we don't show up. We don't put our money where our mouth is," said Marina.

"I've lectured down at the Prison Farm and there are many young men down there who don't deserve to be there. But they are there because they made a choice and they made a mistake - and all they want to do is get out.

"Had somebody been in their lives who could've helped them with that decision. . . that little momentary decision may not have occurred. Basically I look at my life and say: 'Hey I would've deserved something like that had every little thing that I messed up on been caught and been brought to it's full resolution'. But yet I didn't make as many mistakes because I had a father who didn't want to see me in any trouble."

Marina said living in Bermuda's present society can be very challenging.

"I couldn't imagine being a single parent on the verge of making it or breaking it financially in this day in age," he added. "The effort that you are going to have to put forward. . . I find that since I've been here I look at Bermuda and marvel at the fact that Bermudians would work two jobs. I see many good men and women and parents working two jobs in order to bring about the support that's necessary for their children."

However, Marina said that creates another problem.

"When they do that - work those two jobs - the kids are out there learning from some other knuckle head who doesn't have that type of support," he added. "The kid is often responding to some other leader - if you will. And he may be a young leader who may have the wrong idea. The kid is just getting all of these nice new shoes and stuff like that, but not any new nice advice about solving problems in terms of leadership."

Marina has now adopted a hands-on approach in a personal bid to diffuse the escalating trend of youth violence on our shores.

"I stop all of the time to talk to them (youngsters) on the street. And I have invited them to come in the gym," said Marina. "I tell them: 'If you are talking all of this tough trash then show me how tough you are and go and put some gloves on'.

"Boxing can become a real party - and I could make it into a real party. But my desire is to insure that these young men and women get the discipline and benefits of what boxing brings to them in terms of discipline, self-confidence, training, accomplishment and fulfilling their goals and desires.

"Boxing allows them to enter into a fraternity that is exclusive. I am not as accomplished as Muhammad Ali yet I feel the same brotherhood. So boxing is a true fraternity and a brotherhood."

Marina also expressed a strong desire to see local boxing restored to its former prestige. However, thus far, all he's received is more talk and less fancy footwork - a disturbing trend he's determined to eradicate before leaving office.

"What's really tough is that everyone comes with their own ideas but nobody wants to do anything,"said Marina. "You can have a million people here with brilliant ideas. I can lay back in bed and think of a billion ideas myself. But it's the implementation of those ideas which really counts. And it's the people who want to implement those ideas and who will implement those ideas that makes things effective. And that same thing happens with me.

"So I guess that I'm hard-headed enough - and blessed enough - to where the ideas that are going to be helpful to boxing are going to be the ones that I am determined to implement. I have no axes to grind and what I care about is what's best for the organisation and what's best at the end of the day for the boxers."