And Sunnyvale Detective Jose Ramirez, with his handgun clipped in his tan slacks and a silver badge hanging around his neck, looks a little too tall to be throwing punches at 14-year-olds.

But on April 26, Ramirez— a police boxing league champion— and several other local coaches will enter the ring to teach some 30 Columbia Middle School the "sweet science," of boxing and instill in them respect, dedication and motivation.

Ramirez, working with Columbia case manager Laurie Karzen and the Columbia Neighborhood Association, hopes to use boxing to deter youngsters from getting into trouble— just as it helped him while growing up in East Side San Jose.

Ramirez said he hopes that by teaching these teenagers the value of hard work and dedication to a positive activity like a sport, he can deter them from getting involved in gangs, as some Columbia Middle School students begin doing around their transition into high school. Karzen said the students they plan to invite initially are those that show signs of gang activity, including anger-management issues and violence, but the program is open to anyone interested.

"This program is really going to touch a lot of kids," Ramirez said.

For information on the boxing program, contact Laurie Karzen at 408.522.8247 x15.