If we walk the streets of Rivière-des-Prairies and Montréal-Nord, in the east of the city, we may pass by Annexe Boxe, the gym that Racci Nelson opened a few years ago. At first glance, you might think that this is simply a training site dedicated to classical boxing — but it's actually much more than that. Here, young people come to spend their free time and train religiously.
“I am a young man who grew up in the east end of Montreal and who lived in a Haitian family. I am a father, a young artist, an athlete, a guy who wants to help his community a lot.” These are the words in which Racci introduces himself. Wearing his pink and black military coat that he made himself and his cap signed with his artist name — Mr. Pro'lifik —, he settles down warmly in an armchair.
“Life is a rocky road”
In addition to the various hats he wears, Racci adds that he also acts “as a peacemaker, a kind of social worker, and a mentor for young people.” With a “long and unusual” career, as he himself defines it, the 38-year-old father of the family recognizes that he has had many ups and downs. “When I was young, I was a young athlete. I went to school like everyone else. My goal was to join the NBA (National Basketball Association, the American professional basketball league) or the National Hockey League,” he says with a touch of nostalgia. “During the transition between high school and college, I gave up school sports. I started to have a little more free time, I was a little less supervised.” This free time, he adds, did not fill it up in the right way.
“I became a Hustler, he says, going deeper. I was always with the guys in my area doing nothing... In my head, I couldn't find anything wrong with it. Where I was emotionally and mentally, my morality was not yet as sharp as it is today.” So after the boredom came the urge to be productive, but in his case, it took the form of a desire to make quick money.
“The reality that struck us was that for us, young immigrants from the east of the island, it was hard to find jobs in the neighborhood,” he recalls. This reality prompted him to take the path that seemed most accessible to him. “I don't come from a poor family, but I still took the path that was easiest for me at the time,” he says, vaguely referring to the illegal activities that got him where he is. “When you are young and you see people around you who are Fly, who dress well, you are amazed by that. You don't wonder how they got to be like that, you just want to be like them at all costs.”
Racci considers himself a “graduate of the Street ”. That's when he realized that he had an easy time communicating with people. “In the past, I was always told that I was a Soumoun. I was always told that it was bad, but now, basically, I realize that it was a quality that I had.” Having always used this quality, he grew up having good interpersonal skills to create connections with others.
“You're going into a wall, Cedric”
Racci does not want to detail the precise reasons why he got there, but it is at 25 that reality catches up with him. He ends up serving a sentence of more than a year in prison. “I went back to prison. I got caught up in what I wasn't supposed to do, and from then on, my life changed,” he said.
He said that before he got there, there was a process. It didn't come out of nowhere. “A few years ago, I remember what my father said to me: “You're going to hit a wall, Cedric. You live at 100 miles per hour.” I understood what he meant, but I already had both feet in this world.” For him, the damage is already done. “It will be as it will be,” he adds. And even a little later, just before he was caught, he recalls thinking for a moment in his car: “I said to myself: your life is not going anywhere. Everything I do is all well and good, but it's empty. It leads to nothing. There's nothing solid... Yes, I can get what I want quickly, but I feel completely naked despite that.”
Le Prairivois underwent a “shock treatment” in front of himself during his incarceration. “That's where the work was done. A job that led me to look in the mirror and say to myself: “You failed, Racci.” You didn't do what you were supposed to do! ” Raised by his grandparents, the artist and entrepreneur says that he felt very bad about them. “I was accountable to them,” he continues. When I was on the street, I was drowned. I started to surface again after that.”
Breaking the cycle
Stay in the same cycle or get back on track? At this point in his life, that was the question Racci was asking himself. Experienced, he chose to bet on himself and opt for the second option. “I started to train, to read, to eat properly. I changed my whole lifestyle. And by changing my lifestyle, my relationships have also changed,” he says.
When he got out of prison, he understood the need to “hold on to something quickly.” He explains that, “if you don't find something to bet on, you can easily fall back into the same cycle that led you there.” When you are incarcerated, you are supervised, he continues. Once outside, there is a great risk of relapses.
“I started boxing. Every day, to pass the time, I went to the gym to work out. After always being there, a coach noticed me and came to ask me if I wanted to be coached to compete,” he recalls. Laughing, he said he remembered exactly what she said. “Why do you think I'm here? As for me, I am a competitor,” he said to this man.
His real fight, beyond competing and boxing, was getting through it, continues Racci. “I wanted to give myself a second chance, and I told myself that boxing was going to be the best chance for me,” he said. Boxing allowed him to get back in shape physically, but also emotionally and psychologically.
The discipline and the foundations he acquired through training almost daily had effects that exceeded the athlete's expectations. “The habits I have developed with boxing have been applied to other facets of my life. I said to myself: “Look, I had a good success in boxing thanks to my ethics. Why limit it to sport?” ”
By combining this ethic, this discipline and the entrepreneurial mentality he has developed over the years, he once seriously questioned the best way to give back to others. “I created my boxing gym, Annexe Boxe, and my clothing brand, Pro'lifik Couture.”
“My entrepreneurial spirit comes from the streets; and my discipline comes from boxing”, he summarizes.
One hand washes the other
More than anything, Racci wants to inspire young people. His main motivation is that he identifies a lot with neighborhood youth. “Young people, looking at me, can Relate to me; and I, looking at them, I Relate to them. I see myself in them, and they see themselves in me. It's life, it's cyclical. ”One Hand Washes the Other, and Both Wash the Face” (a proverb literally meaning: one hand washes the other, and both wash the face),” he quotes.
Having been forced to stop his amateur boxing career due to a dislocated shoulder, he still wanted to continue to be involved in the field, while staying true to his roots. The creation of his boxing gym stems above all from a vision he had for his neighborhood. Being a guy from the East Island himself, he understands the issues and challenges that young people face better than anyone.
“I knew what the neighborhood needed. I knew what young people did when they had too much free time, he asks. There was a need that no one seemed to be able to fill.” For him, it was imperative to respond to this lack that young people were experiencing, a lack of opportunities and recognition; a lack that he himself experienced.
When he had the opportunity to open his gym, it was initially planned that the establishment would be located in the Parc-Extension neighborhood. “With all due respect for all corners of Montreal, I must say that my heart is not in Parc-Ex. He is in Rivière-des-Prairies, he is in Montreal North. I know there is a need there. Everywhere, they had their boxing clubs, their complexes... We had nothing”, he laments. “I opened this gym because I know that there are lots of little Racci who run the streets and who are just waiting for an opportunity”, he adds.
Boxing having allowed him to change his life, he wanted to offer the same chance to the youngest.
Pro'lifik Couture
In addition to her love for boxing, Racci is passionate about fashion. As he mentioned earlier, “seeing young people Fly with nice Jordans and nice clothes,” that was one of the reasons why he wanted to make money at all costs — one way or another.
Today, he is trying to recreate this feeling and to have style in his own way — in the right way. “Pro'lifik Couture is my project, it's my baby,” he says. Why “Pro'lifik”? It's his trademark, he laughs. “I've always been a productive guy. Whether in sports, in my projects, in boxing or in life in general. And prolific, it also has a relationship with Nipsey Hussle, a rapper I am a big fan of,” he says. He encourages everyone to focus on their productivity: “I promote this value. As you can see, I am a boxing coach, owner of a boxing gym, a youth worker, and I have just started in real estate recently,” he lists.
“I am full of things, but above all I am prolific. I want to develop everywhere, but above all, in my area”, he says, referring to the east of the island, which he considers abandoned.
And for young people?
Mr. Pro'lifik will always continue to give the same advice to young people. “The first person you need to be honest with is yourself. The second is with your education. The third is with your environment. By being honest with yourself, you are honest with your conscience — you know what is good and what is not,” he summarizes.
He also reiterates the importance of not acting under impulse, as is easy to do at a certain age. “I have seen many of them act impulsively or because they were influenced. When they come to court, they are not able to be solid as they said they could be,” he said.
“Just because you hang out with some people doesn't mean you have to do what they do. Just because you grew up in a certain area doesn't mean you have to act on that area's reputation. Do Tone Path, be a leader”, he ends with passion.