MEXICO — Lisa Arsenault contacted the Times’ office the beginning of February stating, “Our own Jeff Prevost of Moontide Boxing just competed in the 2014 Northern New England Golden Gloves of Vermont. He won unanimous fights the last two weekends and qualified for the New England Novice Championships in Lowell, MA on February 11.”

Arsenault, proclaimed by Prevost, as his biggest fan, went on to announce that Prevost had won the outstanding boxer award and how proud she was of him to compete after only two weeks notice and having to drop 10 pounds before the fight.

Prevost, 34, was contacted by his boxing coach, Glenn Cugno, of Lewiston, who fought the under cards at a few of Joey Gamache’s fights, encouraged him to give the fight a shot. “I wouldn’t be where I am without the help of Glenn. I am at the max age to compete,” noted Prevost. “I also had 10 pounds to lose and wasn’t looking forward to running and having to drop the weight, but my coach believed in me and I got down to it.”

Prevost dropped the weight, traveled to Lewiston to spar and worked with Rich Viitala at Fire & Iron Athletics prior to the Vermont showing. He competed in 3 two-minute rounds and won.

“It was a great night,” stated Prevost. “I had all the people I needed right there. My coach was amazing. I had Lisa (Arsenault) there and the energy in that place was contagious. It was hard to sleep that night.”

In the following weeks Prevost trained for the final competition in Lowell, Mass. While he was conditioned and ready for the fight, he came down with a cold and had to let the match go.

“It was a little bit of a let down to not be able to compete, but now I can go back to focusing on my coaching. That’s what I really want to do. There’s just something about being able to give someone else the chance to learn the sport. Seeing someone commit to boxing and make it part of their lifestyle means so much more to me than fighting.”

Prevost stated that he appreciates having the ability and opportunity to fight competitively, and to be healthy enough to keep going, but his true passion lies in being able to share his knowledge with others.

“I want to get more people out to the gym. I want to give someone else the opportunity to learn, grow, reach beyond what they think their potential is. I want to spread the wealth that I’ve been gifted.”

Prevost began boxing under the direction of Tom Hines in 1998, won the 2009 Golden Gloves and is the coach at Moontide Boxing where he trains at Fire & Iron Athletics.

If you’re interested in learning the sport of boxing and making it part of your lifestyle, contact Prevost at 357-5463.