World boxing champ back home to help hurting Minneapolis

Minneapolis native and newly titled interim WBA welterweight champion Jamal “Shango” James is taking a break from bringing the hurt and is instead helping heal his community.

Inside Circle of Discipline, the gym that helped train a world champ, James volunteered to pack grocery bags for its second pop-up food shelf for those in need in south Minneapolis.

From the COVID-19 economic shutdown to the struggles brought on after the rioting following the death of George Floyd, James — following a world championship fight at the beginning of August — continues to come back home to help his community.

“There seems to be more of a need again,” James said. “This is what I’m all about, and this is what the Circle [of Discipline] is all about. I’m just glad I can have the platform I do to kind of help out and inspire other people to do the same.”

Donations were collected Friday and Saturday, and deliveries are set for Sunday. If you’d like to help, updates for the drive can be found here.

“We’re just doing what we can,” he said outside the Minneapolis gym he’s been training with since the age of 5.

“You would never think that it would be a time when a bag of groceries can make such a difference. You know, but that’s what it takes in order to make things better after everything that’s been going on,” James added.