A Springfield boxing coach is fighting against the growing drug problem by encouraging children and teens both inside and outside the ring.

Coach Darrell Smith, or "Smitty's," efforts are even earning the attention of the governor.

"A lot of times kids will make one wrong choice and they'll start using opioids," Governor Eric Greitens said.

Statistics show, most people who abuse prescription drugs are young.

"There's going to be drugs everywhere, there's going to be bad influences," Boxer Alicia Acero said.

That's why Grietens says places like Mid-West Boxing Gym are where the battle begins.

"It's not just about boxing, it's about life skills and life lessons," Smitty said.

Smitty has won many golden gloves, but he's the true champion of changing lives.

"I've lived a rough life, a rough life, and I looked forward to the gym and it saved me," Acero said.

At Smitty's, young boxers have to succeed in school, use their manners, and always seek to be the best they can be.

"We have our role model, our coach," Arturo Moreno

"It keeps everybody out of trouble, it kept me out of trouble," Acero said.

For Smitty, being a coach is all about being ringside in all aspects of life.

"I'm not going to act like you don't know about drugs, alcohol, sex. I'm going to teach you what you should and shouldn't do and the safe way to do things, and to try to stay away from it, and I'm going to teach you why," Smitty said.

It's his heart for helping kids that brought Governor Greitens to the gym this week. Greitens says he knows, from experience, the power of people like Smitty.

"My coach was also an Army veteran who also boxed in the Army, but most importantly, what Earl did for me and for all of the young men who he trained, he focused on the virtues of courage, of discipline, of perseverance, of making the right choices. That's the same thing Smitty is doing here and not only is be building champions, he's building great citizens," Greitens said.

Smitty says introducing kids to a good kind of addiction will help all of the young fighters go the distance in all they do.

"Boxing just gets in your blood and you just wanna be a part of it," Smitty said.

Greitens made his stop at Smitty's Thursday after meeting with local and state leaders about combating opioid abuse in the state, but he says it's everyday people like Coach Smitty that can help stop the problem before it begins.