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Kick Boxing Champ Visits Gang-Prevention Center

Young people at a gang-prevention center in South-Central Los Angeles heard from a rather unlikely source Thursday about how to avoid fights--a man who fights for a living, European middleweight kick boxing champion Redoine Bougara.

Bougara was at A Place Called Home to talk about using kick boxing and martial arts as alternatives to gangs and as ways to stay out of trouble.

“The message is that through martial arts you can learn how to be respectful, learn to work hard to get what you want, learn to be peaceful with everybody,” said Bougara, who had a troubled childhood in France before finding peace in a Parisian gym.

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“It’s about discipline so you can stay away from violence,” said Desmond Coleman, who has been coming to the center for five years.

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