Ryan Bourland of Benicia

Ryan Bourland is a Benicia Resident who is near and dear to the hearts of the members of the Benicia Police Officers' Association. When Ryan's life took a negative turn, he started to go down the wrong path. "I started boxing when I was 11... [At] the age of 15, my parents got divorced. I stopped boxing and started getting into a lot of trouble and was arrested many times until the age of 22. I got back into boxing and havent been in trouble since," said Ryan.

Ryan turned his life around through boxing. Today, he gives back to his community by coaching boxing to Benicia youth. The Benicia POA Is proud of Ryan and all that he has accomplished in his professional boxing career. "I have been professional for 5 years now and my record is 14-2. I’m ranked 19 in the USA and 100 in the world. I love teaching the kids boxing in Benicia. I think they see I’m a younger coach and I goof around a lot with them, but I’m also very strict when it’s time to train just like my coaches were with me! I feel like boxing saved my life and I owe it to the sport to give back to the kids.”

Today, Ryan has formed a friendship with the Benicia POA and we could not be more proud!