Houston boxing legend turning lives around

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Maurice "Termite" Watkins has had a legendary career. At the age of 16, he became the nation's youngest national Golden Gloves champion and turned professional. In 1980, he fought for the coveted world title at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas, in a double main event that that featured Muhammad Ali and Larry Holmes.

These days, Watkins is coaching with a unique mission. He founded Fighter Nation, a gym in Cloverleaf that's giving gang members, ex-convicts and troubled youth a chance to turn their lives around.

ABC13 & You visited Watkins at Fighter Nation, where he shared his own inspiring journey, which led him to open the gym.

For more on Fighter Nation, click here.

DEC. 3, 2020

Termite was recently hospitalized with COVID-19 and after several months of battling the virus, he recovered and was finally released from the hospital.

"I'm so excited to share this video about one of our many heroes from ICU, Christie Purviance. She helped me and Cindy make it through our harrowing COVID journey. We are so grateful for her selfless sacrifice and service to me and all her patients. It was an honor to meet her and a joy to present her with a Mazda Miata," Watkins posted on his Facebook page.