A professional boxing career was always Scott Schaffner’s dream, until a serious eye injury forced the 3-0 amateur fighter to leave the spotlight several years ago. Now Schaffner works outside the ring, promoting the sport and sharing his life-long knowledge with a new generation of fighters through Sidney’s Bad Moon Rising Boxing Club.

Boxing has been nonexistent in this area for some time,” Schaffner said, “but Sidney has a lot of tough people. We’re trying to bring pro boxing back to this area.”

If anyone can accomplish that goal, it is Schaffner. Together with his brother Larry, he has been involved with boxing for over twenty years, fighting and managing professional boxers in 11 different states. The two created Bad Moon Rising after the demise of the Troy Boxing Club in 1993, so that local fighters would have a way to get into the world of professional boxing.

Both brothers are motivated by a genuine love of the sport, and a strong desire to pass that appreciation on to others. “The great thing about boxing is that it’s a battle between two men,” Scott Schaffner said. “These guys are at the peak of their profession, going against another guy, and there’s something pure about that.”

Although Larry, 43, still fights regularly, both brothers are now concentrating on the management and training of other local fighters through Bad Moon Rising. Fighters associated with the club receive expert coaching, and are exposed to traditional outdoor training methods such as hill climbing and log-lifting. Home base for the club is the PowerStation gym in Sidney, where fighters also enjoy weight lifting, sparring and strength training in a fully modern facility.

Bad Moon Rising also works on the management of each fighter, arranging fights and helping with state licensing issues. The club already handles three younger fighters from the Miami Valley area: Drew “The Polish Warrior” Wion, Kyle “The Iceman” Hull and Brett “The Unstoppable” Taylor.

Drew Wion has been working with the club since 2002, and turned pro in 2004. “Boxing’s not for everybody,” he said. “It takes heart, commitment and determination. You can’t just wake up one day and say ‘I want to be a boxer.”

“I love to fight,” he explained, “and Scott showed me the right way to do it. Instead of getting into trouble, I brought my skill in to make money off of it.”

Kyle Hull agreed. The 6’10” light-heavyweight started training with the club two years ago and is already working to set up his first professional fight, against a 6’5” opponent from North Carolina, sometime in March or April. “I’ve just gotten into it,” Hull said, “but I’ve known Scott and Larry for four or five years. I got into sparring with Drew, and one thing just led to another.”

“I’m exhilarated right now,” Hull said of his upcoming fight. “They called me Thursday, and ever since I’ve been happy.”

Brett Taylor, the club’s newest addition, is also pleased. The 24 year-old junior-middleweight joined Bad Moon Rising a few weeks ago, after proving himself in a Toughman Contest held at Dayton’s Hara Arena. “I’ve already learned a whole lot,” he said. “Boxing is a science; you’ve got to have skill. When you go in the Toughman, these people are in there going crazy. They just throw, and whatever hits you hits you.”

Taylor explained that he comes from a “rough” background, which has helped motivate him to succeed. “I’ve been fighting for a long time,” he said. “I’ve been to jail and stuff, but I learned from it. It makes you hungry to want to do something positive.”

This theme strikes a chord with Scott Schaffner, as it reflects one of his main reasons for starting the club. “One thing you’ll notice about these guys,” he said, “is that they are all very steady young men.”

“I don’t permit drinking or drug use,” Schaffner added. “These guys are well-oiled fighting machines.”

Larry Schaffner echoed those sentiments, noting that all of Bad Moon Rising’s fighters are also friends, as well as training partners. “We’re all living the dream,” he said. “We all carry the spit bucket, and everybody does it for everybody else.”Bad Moon Rising is currently seeking new fighters, and the Schaffner brothers would eventually like to open their own gym in the MiamiValley. The club would also like to start some kind of amateur boxing league in the area, for fighters who are not quite ready to turn pro. “Boxing is on its way back,” Scott Schaffner said. “We’re always growing, and we’re only going to get bigger.”

Schaffner encourages anyone interested in joining Bad Moon Rising to come and watch the fighters at the PowerStation Gym, between 6 and 9 on weekday evenings. Females are welcome as well, and anyone interested can also call Bad Moon Rising at 937-498-9528 for details.

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