Life’s purpose can be a journey, and Duluth resident Zach Walters has proven that believing in your dreams can make it worthwhile.
At a young age, Walters often passed by the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center (DECC) and marveled at how full the parking lot would be for various events. It became his goal to someday hold his own event there, selling out the arena to a crowd of boxing fans. In 2005, Walters’ dream came true.
Reaching that goal did not come easily. Naturally athletic and drawn to sports, Walters tried several activities before discovering what suited him best. He explained his reason for choosing boxing: “I tried team sports, but the accountability of competing individually worked better for me.”
At age 14, his parents took him to a boxing gym, and he realized it was something he could call his own. “The grittiness and realness instantly made me love it. There is no faking it in the boxing ring,” Walters said.
He began learning the basics and soon started competing. By age 15, he was entering tournaments. He ended that first year taking the bronze, saying, “I was winning and just kept winning. I worked hard and owned my results.”
Walters turned professional at 21 as a light heavyweight competitor. He quickly became a well-known name locally and regionally in the boxing world as Zach “Jungle Boy” Walters.
Walters, the son of missionary parents, grew up in Africa and moved back to the United States when he was 12 years old. His parents have attended every one of his fights, with international competitions being the only exception.
As an amateur, he fought 72 bouts, and he fought 29 more after turning professional. The North Shore native was ranked No. 12 in the world at the height of his boxing career.
Walters shares that his favorite fight of all time was the big event at the DECC in 2005. The Truth in Duluth premier boxing event was a major tournament in which Walters took the champion’s belt. He describes it as “the battle of the best from two states, Minnesota and Iowa champions.”
In 2009, the era of “Jungle Boy” as a local boxing attraction came to an end as Walters decided to hang up the gloves. “Boxing was my one obsession since I was 15 years old. The sport had become my identity and my absolute way of life,” Walters said.
The following year was a rough start to his retirement. Walters battled depression while working hard in his new career as an insurance agent.
“I was busy starting my next chapter in life, but I missed boxing, the excitement of an upcoming fight, and the thrill of competition. It was in my blood, in the core of who I was. I felt lost,” he said.
He realized he had accumulated years of boxing knowledge but was no longer using it. While visiting the gym where he had trained during his career, an idea struck him—he could coach. Walters eventually took over the business, and the Jungle Gym, the first 24-hour training facility in the area, was created.
During the COVID-19 shutdown, when everything temporarily closed, Walters used the time to strategize how to return with an even stronger business plan—one that could incorporate both is psychology degree and his boxing knowledge through coaching young athletes.
Walters also studied art and believes there is a strong connection between the fluidity of working with watercolors and pencils and the scripted yet unscripted athleticism of boxing.
“The artist in me really came out when I was boxing,” he said.
Now, through the reimagined Jungle Gym Boxing Academy, Walters coaches and mentors athletes as young as 8 and those well into their 60s. The academy is designed for competitive boxers of all ages and experience levels, with an approach that emphasizes the art of boxing. Members learn the importance of continual improvement and pushing their limits. Walters said the training looks different for each member. “Each person’s best is all that is needed. Best is your best,” he said.
Later this year, Walters will travel to Canada for the 25th anniversary of legalized boxing in the country. Walters helped advocate for the change when Canada was the only place in the world where boxing was illegal.
Walters is also a boxing promoter, bringing matches to the Northland several times a year at local venues. The Buffalo House will host a spring event on April 11 that is open to the public. Ticket information is available online at: buffalohouseduluth.com.
Jungle Gym Boxing Academy is located in downtown Duluth at 117 W. 1st Street. The full class schedule and membership information can be found online: junglegymduluth.com.
