A native of Chicago's Englewood neighborhood, Derrick Durr is committed to giving back and affecting change within his community and throughout Chicagoland.
Durr was born on the south-side in what is one of the most dangerous areas not only in Chicago but in the US. He attended O’Toole Grammar School and then onto Anderson Middle School and finally Harper High School all in the Englewood neighborhood. Sadly, during his youth Derrick had grown accustomed to losing many of his friends and classmates as a result of gun violence.
Due to high crime and poverty that surrounded him and his family, Derrick sought to find various ways out of these conditions but never discovered his true purpose. While in school, Derrick excelled in numerous sports but couldn't find his passion. By the time he was in his early twenties, Derrick was introduced to boxing at Arden Park. Soon realizing his natural talent for the sport, he trained for only 3 months before he had his first knockout at 8 seconds into the first round. Derrick only had two more amateur fights before taking a break from boxing for 5 years. At the time, he was suffering from PTSD from witnessing numerous friends and loved ones getting killed on the streets of Chicago.
Eventually, Derrick started to train again intent on a specific mission. Durr was not only determined to be a good boxer but also to be a champion and a model citizen in the community fighting for economic and social change.
As an amateur boxer, Derrick started working with various non-profit organizations to stop crime. During this time he went on to become a three-time Golden Glove champion and the runner-up in the 2016 Olympic trial qualifiers in Memphis, Tennessee.
Now as a professional boxer, Derrick has founded a soon to be non-profit called D-Champs. The mission of the organization is to engage the community with a constructive hands-on program designed to unify and promote peace through positive mentorship utilizing boxing as a catalyst to encourage effective change. He intends on targeting his programs and initiatives to youth in the crime-ridden communities of Chicago. He specifically wants to affect change within his childhood neighborhood of Englewood. Durr’s first initiative is called “Guns Down, Gloves Up”. With this program, Derrick hopes to inspire Chicagoans to become a part of something constructive and encouraging with the intent of decreasing gun violence while learning the science and skill of boxing.
Our community is full of people who want to help. D-Champs is committed to engaging with our neighbors and bringing programs and initiatives straight to the streets. Together we can "fight for our future" by developing services and programs that provide alternatives to crime.
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