Crocker’s Boxing Gym in Dapto has been instilling grit and fighting spirit in young people for almost three decades. Photos: Region.
Behind Dapto’s Dandaloo Hotel, in a sturdy tin-roofed structure no bigger than a classroom, generations of young boxers have found something more powerful than a punch.
For 27 years, Crocker’s Boxing Gym has been a place where aspiring fighters, at-risk youth and kids with disabilities come not just to train, but to grow. Run as a nonprofit since 1999 by former Australian middleweight champion Vito Gaudiosi, the gym has quietly built a legacy of transformation.
“I’ve trained three decades of people — from five-year-olds to seniors,” says Vito, who began the gym in honour of his childhood mentor, the late soldier, teacher, boxer, Catholic priest and whistleblower Father Maurie Crocker.
“He coached us kids in Berkeley. When he passed away, I wanted to keep his spirit alive.”
The gym was founded by former Australian middleweight champion and boxing coach Vito Gaudiosi, in honour of the late, great Father Maurie Crocker.
Vito, a former cop, took over where his mentor left off, relocating the program to Dapto with the help of The Dandaloo publican Phil Duggan, who owns the facility. From these digs he has been preserving Father Crocker’s legacy — using boxing as a vehicle for mentorship, resilience and direction.
The coach runs a weekly healthy lifestyle program for the little ones, a junior boxing program for kids under 14, a boxing conditioning class for all ages and a boxing program that brings amateur and professional fighters up in the ranks.
His approach is tough but heartfelt. There’s no air-conditioning, no designer gear — just sweat, discipline and a deeply personal investment in every young person who walks through the door.
Some come for fitness, others for structure. Many, for a second chance.
“This isn’t a polished gym, and that’s the point,” he says. “It’s built on blood, sweat and tears, and that’s how I like to keep it, because we’re teaching more than fitness and boxing — we’re teaching resilience and inner strength,” he says.
“It’s an old-school mentoring style, and people might disagree with my methods. But I’ve seen many success stories. When I say success stories, I mean, it has changed trajectories for the better.
“Youths who were getting themselves into trouble back when I was a cop, I’d show them the facilities, and they’d continue in my programs. We’ve had kids we’ve guided into businesses and apprenticeships, kids with disabilities who’ve gone back to work; we’ve had kids with extreme trauma come here and let their anger out in a safe way; I’ve seen a lot of kids who come into this gym very timid, develop confidence. The list goes on.”
Rainer Schilder, 15, will go to nationals this year.
Some success stories have blown through the Illawarra and into the national ring — and beyond.
Fighters such as Danny Vasquez, Wade Clout and Steve Douet cut their teeth at Crocker’s before stepping onto the national stage. Today, boxers Rainer Schilder and Owen Manning are headed to nationals, while 20-year-old Jack Carlson is already on the pathway to the Commonwealth Games and Olympics.
The success of Crocker’s Gym and its alumni has been hard won and, Vito is quick to point out, a team effort.
“We’ve received a lot of support over the years from local businesses, the community and people who can see what we’re achieving,” he says.
This week, the gym is getting a much-needed facelift for the first time in 14 years thanks to a paint donation from Wollongong Dulux. But it’s more than a lick of paint.
“These kids work hard. The guys in my boxing program train 52 weeks a year. Many of them are here daily. Some might come in the morning to train, and then again after school for another two hours,” Vito says.
“We’re talking about an 11 m by 11 m room out the back of Dapto catering for all these kids who are representing. For many, this is their home, and we take great pride in it.”
