12 SEPTEMBER 11-17, 2025 westword.com WESTWORD | MUSIC | CAFE | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | NEWS | LETTERS | CONTENTS | Since the gym closed, Samuels has been meeting with other former staffers, like Wilson and Goodson, to fi nd spaces to train. Safe areas with professional guidance are crucial for these growing athletes if they are going to survive the fi ght game. Another round starts and ends, and Wilson takes a breather in his corner. Wilson was unhoused when he started with Heavy Hearts in 2017. The program was his salvation; he says it “saved” his life. He recalls his time as a student fondly, and after graduation he stayed around to give back as a staffer. “We need to improve,” Wilson says. “It’s not all about losing and winning. It’s about improving all around, not only out in the community, but with every- thing we do. That’s a message Heavy- Hands always had, especially Sr. and Jr. That’s all they were about.” Wilson’s optimism is contagious, and while the group here today is small, it’s enthusiastic. After giving a young woman tips on her spar with a taller gentle- man, Samuels sits and refl ects on the theory behind Heavy Hands. “I want a place that’s like almost free — but people come in, bring their little kids, ‘cause if the little kids see their parents training,working out, they’ll just naturally start doing it at home. And then those kids stay out the street,” he recalls. He’s now looking for a spot where he can start a successor to Heavy Hands, to continue the work. Samuels stresses how vital commu- nity involvement was at the start of Heavy Hands, and how that need hasn’t gone away. Any help from people who have potential spaces or can act as training collaborators is welcome, he adds. After all, the Sayers didn’t oper- ate alone; it took a village to help bring back the youth. Now people like Wilson, Samuels and Goodson keep the faith. When Heavy Hearts fi nally closed, Samuels says, it was simply time to step and counter. Lumumba Sayers Sr. Continues the Work Samuels arranges a phone call with Lumumba Sayers Sr. from Adams County Jail. He sounds composed. “I’m actually on a different mis- sion in here, building the kingdom of God right now,” he says. “You know what I mean? Like, the work is still continuing. It’s just in a dif- ferent aspect...I’m still doing work in here. I’m still helping build the youth up in here, helping build adults up in here. It’s just a differ- ent fi ght. “All the people that we worked with for the nonprofi t sector and all that stuff, they backed away, ev- erybody pulled out,” he continues. “They wanted us to be on the front lines. They wanted us to be out here being involved, being violence interrupters and all that stuff, and as soon as something like this hap- pens...” He pauses for a moment to remember Lumumba Sayers Jr. “I always loved my son.... This is no battle for me. This is God’s ven- geance. It [the Bible] says vengeance is mine to declare...They can say whatever they want to about me, but it doesn’t make it true. I never taught my son to give up. I have fi ve other kids and four grandkids with one on the way. I would never give up.” Back to Bare Knuckles Fighting Keegan “The Career Killer” Van- dermeer is a bareknuckle boxer making waves in this brutal sport. He trained and fought on cards with Lumumba Sayers Sr. He was always a religious man, Vandermeeer says, adding that he led classes oriented to the word of god. His life was saved by the Sayers family, he says, and he’s not alone in acknowledging the healing quality of his time at Heavy Hands. Today Vandermeer trains and fi ghts for BKFC, the most brutal and bloodi- est promotion where contenders don’t have the cushion of four-ounce gloves. Bareknuckle boxing wasn’t legal until 2018; Keegan earned his chops working out with the Say- ers duo. His ferocity and knockout power came from his time training with them. Vandermeer lives off-grid, in- creasingly so these last couple of years. It’s better for him this way, he says. A follower of Christ himself, he had to take a step back from the team to deal with his grief. Like Goodson and Samuels, Vandermeer is a lasting example of the reach and impact that Heavy Hands had on the community, and how the fi ght will continue even as some team members go in different directions. “I don’t think Lumumba was that lost,” he says. “Lumumba was the leader of it all. It seems like there’s been such a huge speculation over anything they do now. I think we all need to come back together to help the youth, because I don’t want see what we had die.” Colorado was at the heart of the birth of this sport, and that impor- tant role continues. Last September, One Fighting Championship chose Denver for its fi rst (sold-out) show in the United States. Donald “Cow- boy” Cerrone, Anthony “Lionheart” Smith and other legends all hung their gloves here for good reason. The state can’t help but produce fi ghters...and despite tragedy, the fi ght continues. Email the author at editorial@west- word.com. News continued from page 10 Heavy Hands members continue training at A1 Boxing. Sayers Sr. removes Samuel’s gloves after a fi rst-round KO fi nish; a Heavy Hands student catches her breath. Keegan Vandermeer trains for his upcoming bare knuckles match, and victorious at BKFC Denver. GARRETT FRANKLIN GARRETT FRANKLIN GARRETT FRANKLIN
