The first loss for Kurt Scoby only increased his drive – and his commute

Kurt Scoby is a formidable junior welterweight prospect and, like many around the world, a commuter. After losing his most recent fight, Scoby, a former football player, is now seeking to prove that his boxing ambitions are valid. That loss also led to a change in training camps – and an even longer drive to work.

Scoby will return to the ring against Daniel Lim on Friday at the Overtime Elite Arena in Atlanta. Lim (11-1, 3 KOs), 24, of Deerfield Beach, Florida, by way of the Philippines, was knocked out by undefeated junior welterweight sensation Emiliano Moreno in January – his lone fight in the United States. Since then, he returned in March to post a first-round TKO of JR Magboo.

Lim will be Scoby’s first opponent since he was stopped by Dakota Linger in April.

The 28-year-old Scoby (11-1, 9 KOs), originally from California, has since settled across the country on the East Coast. He used to drive two hours and 14 minutes each way to train at Gleason’s Gym in Brooklyn, New York, spending nearly five hours traveling. Unwilling to pay for parking garages, Scoby would punctuate his long commute with a dogged hunt for a parking spot in the crowded city.

“I feel like [a lot of people] go into a situation where they know they are not going to find parking,” Scoby told BoxingScene during a conversation in April, after having already made the first half of his daily commute. “I know something is going to open up – right now I am parked right in front of Gleason’s Gym, which is a luxury.”

Now his story has shifted gears. His perfect record is gone. Scoby is working out of Universal Training Academy in Springfield, Massachusetts, with Hector Bermudez. Reflecting on his loss to Linger, one of boxing’s toughest gatekeepers, Scoby said he grappled with the idea of leaving his former trainers at Gleason’s, Don Saxby and Leon “Kat” Taylor.

“It was very hard,” Scoby said. “My old coaches weren’t just coaches – they were father figures. It was a very hard decision.”

Somehow, Scoby’s commute has grown even longer – almost twice as long – but it seems to suit his spartan approach. Scoby is accustomed to hard work and long drives. He spent months away from his family during his last training camp and even asked those close to him not to send birthday wishes on March 25, preferring to maintain focus without distractions.

“I actually live in the gym,” Scoby said. “It is an old firehouse. A bunch of fighters stay there – me, Rohan Polanco, TJ Doheny. A bunch of champions have been staying there.”

Scoby described living in the firehouse and “a little small room,” with a ring located a staircase away from where he sleeps on weekdays.

“I do the drive once,” Scoby said. “Then I go home at the end of every week. I make it work as much as I can.”

A former Division II running back at Azusa Pacific University, Scoby had the kind of ability, according to one scout, that would have made him a late NFL draft pick. But his love for football flagged by his junior year, and he began bouncing between the gridiron and the boxing ring. Life got harsh. He saw friends die. Boxing eventually eclipsed football. His cross-country move turned the page to a new chapter. Now, his long commute to the gym resembles his exodus from the West Coast. Scoby is still a Californian, but he returns only when needed – much like his trips to the gym.

One thing hasn’t changed: Scoby approaches everything with intensity, always going the extra mile when he sets his mind to something. And now, after the dust has settled following his April defeat, Scoby may not be certain of his ultimate destination but knows this about the journey ahead:

“I know who is really with me,” Scoby said.

Lucas Ketelle is a proud member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and author of “Inside The Ropes of Boxing” (available on Amazon). Contact him on X @LukieBoxing.