South Boston Reality Series ‘The Fighters’ Set To Air In January

Image via Discovery Channel

When you live in South Boston, you have to either “learn to fight, or … learn to run.”

At least, that’s the mantra professed by the stars of the newest Boston-based reality television series set to hit the screens later this month.

On January 23, The Discovery Channel will bring viewers into the lives of some of the city’s toughest, grittiest, and certainly most aggressive residents, with the debut of an eight-part series called “The Fighters.”

The show, which follows around a group of “dedicated young men who live in Southie,” where boxing is less of a hobby and more of a lifestyle, will highlight the longstanding Peter Welch’s Gym on Dorchester Avenue.

The gym recently went through a series of renovations and upgrades, and they will celebrate the grand opening of their new facility on the day that “The Fighters” airs at the end of the month.

“With the expansion of our facility and ‘The Fighters’ airing on the Discovery Channel … we are excited for what the New Year holds and invite all of you to join us in the fun,” representatives from the gym posted on their Facebook page this week.

The boxing gym said more details about the unveiling of the gym upgrades and the show’s premiere would be revealed closer to the date of the debut.

The show was produced, in part, by UFC President Dana White. “Boxing has always been my favorite sport and it led me to where I am today,” White said in a statement. “I’m excited to share this project with viewers and give them an opportunity to take a look into the unique world of boxing in South Boston, and to see up-and-coming talent in the sport.”

According to a description of the show:

Each week, trainers from rival boxing gyms across Boston will choose their top amateur fighters to represent their gyms in a bout. After seven days of intense training, the fighters will face off in the ring with their professional futures at stake

With a soundtrack featuring The Dropkick Murphys (who else?), the show will highlight both the challenges each individual boxer faces while training, as well as in their personal lives, as gym owner Peter Welch jumps through hoops to try and “revitalize” the sport in Boston.

“Over the last 20 years, gyms have been closing,” Welch says in the trailer for the show. “We are losing our sport, we are losing our identity. My mission is to bring the people back out, and fill the seats, and put on the best fights in the city. We are going to be the ones to build it up, the ones who took the lumps, the ones that paid their dues are going to bring boxing back.”