When members of Excalibur Boxing Club begin their inevitable climb through the amateur boxing ranks, they’ll have less to conquer than the mythical Rocky Balboa of Philadelphia.

There will be no 72 steps of the Museum of Art to climb. There will be no Apollo Creed to fight once they reach the apex.

One appropriate comparison to the Oscar-winning classic of 1976 remains. Rocky rose from boxing’s utter obscurity. So, in a community noted for sports played with a ball, must members of Excalibur.

This is Cleburne, not Philly. This is the dream of Bobby Flores, a native of Rising Star and amateur boxer for five years, who helps lead twice-weekly workouts in the rustic gymnasium of the former Santa Fe Elementary School.

It’s rustic by boxing standards, at least. There is no ring. When some six youths tie on the gloves, they spar atop concrete.

If nothing else, that discourages knockdowns and encourages toughness.

Boxing, Flores said, fills kids’ idle time.

“The whole thing we’re trying to do is get kids off the streets,” he said. “We’re trying to present them with something positive and keep them away from things like drugs. It’s not only the 8-year-olds we’re touching but also the teenagers and young adults. We have guys up to 31. The way I see it, if we have just 10 kids in here, that’s 10 that they don’t have to worry about in the streets.”

Activities are Christian-based.

“We’re operating through East Cleburne Community Center,” Flores said. “They’re letting us use the gym. We’re doing it free for the kids, and we’re raising money for these kids who can’t afford it to register for the Golden Gloves.”

Excalibur began lean and mean.

“We had two kids, J.J. [Jorge J. Castaneda, 15] and Carlos [17-year-old Juan C. Castaneda]. Now, we’re up to 36. It’s been a blessing,” Flores said.

Only a few have fought more than a few months, and in most cases it’s obvious. An exception is Brad Mears, a lanky sharpshooter who was tagging his sparring opponent consistently Wednesday night.

“Most of the guys are from Cleburne,” Flores said. “Some are coming in from Alvarado and Joshua. It’s open to pretty much anybody and everybody. Under Golden Gloves rules, the oldest you can go is 34. We don’t push the kids to compete. We just want them involved in something. If they just come work out with us, they feel they’re involved in something. Even if they don’t compete, we make them feel part of the team.”

Other adults involved in Excalibur include assistant coaches Dennis Coward, Steve Mears, Dewayne Layton and Corey Washington. Layton is a veteran of Tough Man ring competitions in Las Vegas. Washington is undefeated in one pro fight.

“Corey lives here,” Flores said. “He used to box in Fort Worth in the Golden Gloves. Dennis fought in the Gloves back in his day. He remembers when Cleburne was really big in Golden Gloves.”

The kids represent all levels of athleticism and maturity.

“We’re trying to teach them self-discipline,” Flores said. “It’s all about respect and keeping up your grades in school. If they don’t pass their classes, they won’t be able to compete here. If they’re part of Excalibur Boxing and they go out in the community and act foolish, they’re not representing us well. My kids here are brand new. They’re all excited. They hear about the Golden Gloves.

“The last time we counted, we had six kids. They come and go. Some say, ‘Coach, it’s not my cup of tea.’ That’s fine. I invite them to come back and at least work out with us. I have some quality fighters here, kids who have self-respect and will work hard. They’re really serious about it. I also have some girls with some boxing potential. They want to go forward with it, too.”

Flores never had to be discouraged from boxing when he was growing up near Abilene.

“I love the sport,” he said. “I used to drive my daughter [Aubrey] to Fort Worth when she was involved in Golden Gloves. She was in Gloves and Premier Boxing in Fort Worth. My interest in this is the kids. A lot of them don’t have a father figure. They’re living with grandparents and aunts and uncles. It’s a blessing to have them here and be able to see them grow. My mom and dad both supported me when I got in the sport. But a lot of my buddies didn’t have that support.

“To see these kids’ smiling faces, and see them keep coming back, lets me know that we’re doing something right.”

A boxer who makes any progress develops confidence inside and outside the ring.

“You increase self-esteem,” Flores said. “Nowadays, especially, there’s a lot of bullying that goes on. Some kids’ self-esteem gets run down. We do our part, I think, in building that up. They can let go of some of that stress on the bag. Afterward, they’re feeling pretty good. If you get knocked down, you can get back up and continue on.

Flores doesn’t allow his members to street fight.

“We’re not training you here to go out and do that,” he said. “We’re training you to be part of something good.”

Flores said he hopes to build up a stable of boxers he can enter on Golden Gloves cards and against other clubs. That’s down the road.

“My dream is for these kids to make their dream come true,” he said. “I want to take this as far as it can go. Some people in the community have really helped us. It may not have been a lot, but whatever they could do really helped us.

“Right now, what we’re trying to do is raise money for the kids’ [Golden Gloves] registration fees. A sponsorship is just $45.”

Excalibur can use money for other things such as equipment. A competition ring would obviously be helpful.

“This is like trying to have a basketball camp without basketball goals,” Flores said;. “One day, we hope to have a ring. It costs from $3,000 on up. It all depends on where you find it. Even a floor ring would be good. It wouldn’t have to be high-dollar, just something so these kids can work inside a ring and feel the ropes and actually box. It’s very important to learn to fight inside a ring

“In order to use a ring, we’ll drive to Fort Worth. Some kids can make the drive and some can’t. Right now, we’re waiting to see which kids are ready to compete against another club.”

A regulation ring would fit inside the Santa Fe gym with room to spare for chairs and bleachers. Excalibur could conceivably host its own fight cards in such a setting.

“If we were to get a competition ring, one we would set up and take back down if we had to, we could have a tournament, either [a Santa Fe] or the new Conferfence Center. Here [Santa Fe], you couldn’t seat a lot of people.”

The more community involvement, Flores said, the better Excalibur can be.

“It’s very important because of the volume we have. I never thought it would grow as quickly as it has. This is just since June. So many parents tell me, ‘We’ve been waiting for something like this to come around.’ Some of the teenagers have said the same thing.

“This is nonprofit. I don’t get paid for this. We’re not here for the money. We’re here for the kids.”

For more information, call Flores at 817-645-3886 or Dennis Coward at 817-269-5104.