Five years ago Kenny Lunkins walked away from a near-fatal car accident.
The youngest son of a minister saw it as a revelation. His uncle, Melvin Saulsberry II, a promising amateur fighter in the 1980s, saw his boxing career end in a car accident because of injuries.
Though Lunkins, a 23-year-old heavyweight from Coral Springs, injured his lower back, he was spared a similar fate.
Lunkins, then 19, was on his way home late one night. A car full of teenagers ran a red light. The impact was at 120 miles per hour.
"When I got hit I thought my boxing career was over. I watched fire rescue cut them out of a totaled car, and carry them to an ambulance," Lunkins said."I think God had other plans for me. He gave me a second chance.
"That night I promised myself I would do everything I could to get back in the ring," Lunkins said.
Lunkins made good his promise. He won a Florida State Golden Gloves title last Saturday and qualified for next month's National Golden Gloves Tournament in Denver.
"He is the best fighter to come out of the gym," said his trainer, Kenny Barrett, who works with Lunkins at the Broward PAL Gym. "I knew before we got there he would win. This is his time."
Barrett has trained Lunkins, a former linebacker at Taravella, for two years. His grandfather got him started at age 13.
"My grandfather always told me that I was going to be a champ," Lunkins said."I was that fat, pimply-faced kid with buck teeth that everyone makes fun of in school but he saw something in me."
Lunkins (13-3) has won his last five fights in seven months. Though he has only 16 amateur bouts and four open tournaments, his gym experience includes sparring sessions with pro fighters Trevor Berbick, Razor Ruddock, Garing Lane, Artis Pendergrass and Jakey Winters.
"They encourage me to continue," Lunkins said. "I was born with the gift to box and I'm trying to cultivate that talent. A lot of guys train to fight. I was born to fight."
Lunkins worked his way back from the accident with physical therapy for a year. Because of inactivity, he ballooned from 165 to 230 pounds. He now weighs 195.
"It was painful being in the ring the first few months, but being away from it was more painful," Lunkins said.
"I had my doubts about him in the beginning," Barrett said. "I doubted his sincerity. He had physical problems because of the accident.
"In the beginning we clashed. It took time for him to realize what I expected of him in the gym. He realizes now that anything I demand is for his benefit as a boxer."
Known as a gentleman boxer, Lunkins takes his share of ribbing.
"I didn't come out of a gang, do 10 years in jail and beat all the odds," Lunkins said."I was raised in a loving environment. I'm a preacher's kid. Maybe I do sound like a Disney movie but I am blessed to be able to box and get the chance to bring back a national championship."
He wears eyeglasses, dress shirts and ties, gets a manicure and haircut before every fight.
"My grandfather always told me make sure I got my hair and my nails done," Lunkins said. "He said make sure you look like a gentleman."
Lunkins eventually hopes to turn pro. He works full time and is taking night classes to get his college degree in biomechanical engineering.
"He's not a fighter that's full of a lot of rage," Barrett said."He just loves to fight."