MONROE – Rico Hoy Jr. left Monroe in 2003 looking to get away from bad influences.
He recently returned in an effort to make a positive impact, and may be back for good.
The Monroe native came over from Arizona to run a boxing camp at the Arthur Letsow Community Center for the past two weeks.
more:Monroe's Derrick Miller remains unbeaten with early knockout
“The center invited me back to do a boxing boot camp,” he said. “It was like an introduction to boxing, giving the kids something to do over the summer, learning new skills and, most importantly, developing a winning mindset.”
Even though temperatures often topped 90 degrees during the early days of camp, Hoie wasn't easy on the campers.
“There were about 30 students, but the number of students decreased slightly over the course of two weeks,” says Høie. “The children said, 'It's hard,' but I kept telling them, 'It's hard now, but keep persevering.' I encouraged them little by little, and they all improved. They grew a lot.”
Hoye, who turns 50 in November, was ecstatic to be invited back to the place where he learned to box.
“It was a great pleasure,” he said. “It was really nice to share my experience and passion for boxing. I hope I can help them have a positive outlook on life. You may get knocked down, but you should never give up.”
Høie knows this from experience: he's been beaten many times.
“I had over 100 amateur fights,” said Hoye, who fought under the name Robert Anderson, “and placed third in the 2001 U.S. Championships. I had 25 professional fights, was ranked No. 1 and won IBF and WBC titles.”
In 2009, he competed in the fourth season of the boxing reality show The Contender.
But it wasn't all smooth sailing: Between his amateur and professional careers he also spent time in prison.
“When I was 16 I got into trouble and was away from home for 10 years,” he said.
Afraid of falling into bad company again, Hoye moved to Arizona in 2003.
“I made the wise decision to move away from an environment that could be distracting at times. I promised my father and grandfather that I would avoid that lifestyle.
“I wanted to be a contributor, not a receiver.”
The decision to leave was reinforced by another influential family member.
“I asked my grandmother if it would be okay if I left,” he recalled. “She said, 'Hey, get out of here. See the world. If it doesn't work out, Monroe's still here.'”
It turned out to be the right choice.
He and his wife Tamira have four children: Takira, Robert, Imira and Ilya. Høie is now a grandfather.
To begin his career, he chose to do what he does best: he started Against the Ropes Boxing & Fitness Gym and founded the Helping Our Youth Excel Boxing Club in Chandler, Arizona.
Returning to Monroe brought back a lot of memories. One of the speakers at a recent camp was former champion Bronco McCart, who was his frequent training partner.
“I told my kids, 'I boxed this guy every day and I've got the scars to prove it,'” he said with a laugh.
The camp inspired a desire to return home.
“I've lived in Arizona for 20 years,” he said. “I'm pretty much a local. But I'm rejuvenated and excited to be back in Monroe. I'd love to come back. My whole family is here.”
“I moved to Arizona because my aunt was there. Then she came back. I thought, 'Why am I still here?'
However, he still has family ties to Arizona.
His second-youngest child is a student at Arizona State University and his youngest is a high school football player.
“He goes to a good school,” Hoie said. “He said, 'I can come back in three years,' but we don't know what will happen.”
