Georgia Magazine - June 2024 - 38

Hometown HEROES
By Amber Lanier Nagle
A champion
inside,
outside of the
boxing ring
H
omer Lee Gibbins shares a photo of himself
next to Muhammad Ali. As the two men
pose for the picture, the iconic heavyweight
boxer grins and playfully places his hand behind
Gibbins' head with his fingers forming " bunny ears. "
" Throughout my career, I've been blessed with
being friends with Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier,
Evander Holyfield and so many other boxing
legends, " says Gibbins, 54, who boasts his own
impressive boxing record.
In his years as an amateur (from 1976 to 1990),
he amassed 226 wins, 23 losses and 100 knockouts.
His professional career (from 1990 to 2007) produced
44 wins, 16 losses and 31 knockouts. He was the
World Boxing Federation Junior Welterweight World
Champion in 1992 and the International Boxing
Union Welterweight World Champion in 2006.
Yet in his hometown of Griffin, Gibbins is a
well-known, beloved figure not just for his boxing
career but also for his service to his community.
" As a boxer, I learned to take the hits and get
back up again, " he says. " And that's a lesson that
applies to life in general. Never give up. Keep fighting.
That's the message I offer to people. "
Gibbins applies these inspirational words of
Homer Gibbins stands in the boxing ring at the training gym named for him inside
the Griffi n Martial Arts Center in Griffi n.
resilience to every part of his life. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, he was a
familiar face at Rushton's Hope, a faith-based, nonprofit ministry, where he
helped provide food, necessities and kindness to the homeless. And for
25 years, the father of seven taught drama to youths at Oakhill Baptist
Church.
" I think it's important to help young people find ways to express
themselves and channel their energy, whether through boxing, acting or
some other way, " Gibbins says.
He's developing a program that would introduce at-risk youths
(identified by the Spalding County Juvenile Court System) to boxing as a
way to mentor them and teach them how to work through aggressive
feelings.
Gibbins recently founded Punching Parkinson's at the Spalding County
Senior Center. In this pioneering program, he helps 15 people battling
Parkinson's disease by facilitating boxing-inspired exercises and motions
tailored to enhance balance, strength and mobility and to combat the
progression of their symptoms.
" And it is building-or rebuilding-their confidence, which is so
important, " the boxing coach adds. " It's helping a lot of people, and that's
what it's all about. "
Gibbins' initiatives highlight how a sport typically associated with
aggression can be used to heal and empower.
Gibbins has experienced the thrill of victories in the ring and the
joy and satisfaction received outside the ring through service to his
community. And the decorated boxer continues to fight for others.
Amber Lanier Nagle is a freelance writer living in Adairsville.
A young Homer Gibbins visits in February 1993 with
Muhammad Ali at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Atlanta
moments before Gibbins' bout against Tommy Hanks.
38 Georgia Magazine June 2024
Want to learn more about how to help Parkinson's patients in your area? Connect
with Gibbins at Team-Homer@usa.com or (678) 350-5439.
HOMER GIBBINS SR.
AMBER LANIER NAGLE
Georgia Magazine - June 2024

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