I met West Barrington Artope after a memorial gathering was being held for his friend, Keith Mullings, who had been Artope’s business partner, helping him open the latest incarnation of Be First Boxing in Peekskill, NY.
West Barrington Artope, along with Keith Mullings (who has since passed,) started Be First Boxing at the Kiley Center in Peekskill thirteen years ago. “We wanted to put together a kids’ program similar to how I grew up because I grew up with the outlet of boxing…which kept us out of a lot of trouble.” says Artope. Mullings took boxing in the army and was a former middleweight champion of the world. Artope and Mullings both had an affinity for boxing, and knew how incredible it was,
“Especially for kids to learn discipline and how to fight, not just physically, but also mentally when you get knocked down. How to get back up and really be able to create value regardless of what your challenges were”, says Artope.
The original Be First Boxing was established in 1968, by men named Freddy Spry, Freddy Spry Sr. and Coach Corning. Artope, Keith Mullings, Freddy Spry Jr. and also John McCray and Joelle Wade re-established thirteen years ago what those that came before them had already begun.
According to Artope, Keith Mullings was a a “great, great, great individual, you know, like everyone and like a lot of geniuses, he had his, you know, ups and downs. Because a lot of times when people are so…where the insight is so great, you know, there’s always that negativity, you know, but his impact far outweighed any of that regarding him being able to touch people’s lives.” Says Artope.
There is a lot of history to Be First Boxing. Thirteen years ago, Be First Boxing was at the Kiley Center and then moved to where the new firehouse is now in Peekskill, on Main Street.
“That was our second location because we had to expand…it really appealed to a lot of the kids and adults.” They were there for about five years and it was former Mayor Mary Foster that helped them to acquire that building. They have since had to move down to Railroad Avenue because the firehouse was being built in its’.
“I got this place, and it was gutted. I mean…we had to paint the ceilings and do all types of stuff, but it was well worth it because… I think each year we’re here, we’re able to really just touch so many lives in regard to making people feel more confident and better about themselves…a lot of times, we deal with autistic children. We deal with people with Parkinson’s…it’s everything, you know, just us being able to deal with one person at a time, man, I’ve seen the difference. And I think that’s why we’re still here because we, I mean, we’re not lavish, you know, we don’t have a place like Club Fit and all of that. But what we do have is that person to person (attention) and every coach in here truly cares about the person and their individual journey, what their needs are. And I think that’s why we’re still standing because it’s genuine.” Says Artope.
Artope’s wife who passed a couple of years ago also was instrumental in helping them establish Be First Boxing.
“And, you know, my wife, actually I have to mention her. She was the one who helped all of us in establishing (Be First Boxing)…she was actually the silent part of it and she was an attorney. She passed away a couple of years ago, but the reason why I mention her is because our goal was to really be able to bridge the gap between the youth and the adults. Because we saw that not only was there a disrespect, but there wasn’t an appreciation for, for the older people through the youth. So she wanted to bridge that gap through this gym. We’ve been able to have family members working together, working out, whereas when they’re home, they probably don’t even see each other. One’s on the computer, one’s on the phone. So (boxing) is an activity that (a family) can do together.” Says Artope.
Artope and his wife faced some adversities before deciding to get Be First Boxing in Peekskill going. Together they watched the passing of Artope’s stepbrother in the Ring, during a famous fight on the Intrepid in New York City. There was a racial incident inflicted upon them that was with a cross burning. This did not deter Artope and his wife from establishing Be First Boxing in Peekskill.
I ask Artope what he would say to someone that’s never tried boxing:
“I mean, for someone who hasn’t done boxing, first of all, most people when they think about boxing are turned off by it, because it’s physical, it’s fighting, you know, it seems angry. It seems aggressive, but when they start to really dive into it and they’re exposed to it, most people love it because, you know, it teaches you physical conditioning or helps you become more physically fit. It helps your mind become stronger because it helps you break through some of those internal walls that you feel like you can’t get by…so it’s not about fighting someone cause you know, the boxing thing is a lifestyle and an approach to life…and it’s really about the challenge, even in the ring, when people fight each other, the challenge is against yourself more than the other person.” Says Artope.
It is a family atmosphere at Be First Boxing. “You know, when you come into this gym, it’s almost like you have a positive gang of people that will, you know, (say) hey, you can do it.” Says Artope.
“It’s worked out pretty well…We didn’t have a lot of money, we’re a non-for-profit organization, but I think because of the customer service and all, and our real love for teaching the science to kids, to help them not only to have more confidence as far as defending themselves, but also to be able to truly take that into their lives as they go on and bring those gems, those lessons.” Says Artope.
West Barrington Artope is also an animal trainer and an actor. He’s worked with all sorts of animals from monkeys to snakes to lions, and has done police canine training as well.
As a modern day Renaissance man, Artope has a lot to talk about between Be First Boxing, his animal training, and his acting career.
He graduated from Howard University and spent a lot of time in the fine arts department. Going back even further, he was ten years old when he first acted, in “Fiddler on the Roof” He began his professional acting career about ten years ago doing off-Broadway plays, and from there transferring into film and TV.
“I didn’t’ have any formal training, even though I really liked it, …so my actual formal training was on Off-Broadway, which was rough, you know, but it taught me a lot.”
Some of his Off-Broadway credits include: Prayers for the Ghetto, which was on 47th street for three years, The King and I, where Artope played the King, and Lifeboat by Alfred Hitchcock. He did about six plays before he actually got into film. His first movie he auditioned for was out of Lakeland High School, it was a school project, but “these guys were real filmmakers”, says Artope. And that is how he expanded his resume from theater into film as well.
Artope’s Film credits include: The Get Down (2016), Deadbeat (2014) and Lola (2020). Most recently he has been in Atlanta shooting Lola 2, which is a boxing movie. It’s hard to believe, but Artope actually admits to having to ov
overcome stage fright at first.
He says, “Cause acting is one of those hardest things in the world to do. It’s harder than boxing is. I mean, I’ve pulled lions out of people’s houses but it still wasn’t as hard as acting because acting makes you have to see yourself in the mirror and look at the good and the ugly. That’s not easy for anyone, no matter how big and strong you are. You have to see your mishaps, your evil deeds, your great things, all that. You have to look at it. And so that’s why it’s very difficult to do.”
Artope’s animal training began because he’s always loved animals. He began going to the different dog training schools that were in the Bronx, where he grew up. He did a couple of internships and eventually went to school for it.
He stresses several times during our interview that it is a very non-intimidating atmosphere at Be First Boxing in Peekskill, NY. Michelle Cunningham and Coach Janice offer women’s classes as well.
With piercing eyes, a boxer’s physique, and a deep, smoky voice, I have to admit, it’s been a little hard for me to pay attention to what he’s actually been saying during this interview.
One thing I can gather for sure is that between his three loves of boxing, animal training, and acting, he is an inspiring and busy man that puts passion behind everything he does.