A local boxing coach who touched the lives of many passed away earlier this month.

Donald Fain passed away at 71 years old on May 3.

He was a man who did a lot in his time.

He was a veteran, mechanic, firefighter, and in retirement set out to not only be a coach, but an example to young kids.

"I was kicking it with bad people, bad crowd," said Brandon Galvez, a boxer who was trained by Fain. "He took me out of that element and was teaching me things that those people weren't showing me in life."

"I don't think I would be where I am today," said Jessica Galvez, another boxer trained by Fain. "I would be on drugs or in jail or something."

Fain's boxers say they could count on him for anything.

When traveling anywhere, he always took them to their fights when they needed him.

While he was very hard on his boxers, they knew he would always be in their corner.

"He was hard on us when it came to training," said David Marfil, another boxer Fain trained. "I always hated as a young teenager and I would complain too, but you know looking back it was like I appreciate it. He was hard on us, but he always looked out for us for the best."

Fain also had a huge passion for cooking and hunting.

Over the past few years, his health started to decline.

He was diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which makes breathing very difficult.

After a few falls he developed a sepsis infection.

Fain passed away at his home with his wife, and his boxers say they're still trying to process it.

"It's been hard. I actually work for the funeral home that picked him up and I was the one to cremate him so it was very hard," Jessica Galvez said. "It comes in waves."

"I still think that he's still here when I'm training," Brandon Galvez said. "When I'm training I still hear his voice and it pushes me to go harder."

Fain is survived by his wife Rosie, three daughters, two sons and seven grandchildren.

His fighters say they always looked up to him like he was their father, and they'll miss having that rock to teach them lessons that go outside the ring.

"He's my best friend," said Oscar Vasquez, Head Coach at Chapito's Gym. "I'll forever do everything for him."

Fain and Vasquez's relationship goes back 19 years.

A 16-year-old Vasquez was running on a mountain when a stranger started drilling him to go harder.

"He was on me so hard that day," Vasquez recalled. "It made a mark on me. It made a mark in my life as far as how hard he was. I felt like he was like my dad and I just fell in love with the sport."

From there the bond grew as tight as a knot.

Fain would go on to be his mentor and best friend.

"He was special man, he's different," Vasquez said. "I love my father and my mother, but Don was special."

Three years ago, Fain was struggling to keep the gym open during the pandemic.

He and his wife Rosie approached Vasquez to take over the gym.

"He said that if he could give it to anybody in the world it would be me," Vasquez said. "I was very honored. I made Don a promise that I would take it for as long as I could."

However, the most important thing with Chapito's Gym, is taking care of the kids and training them hard, but with tough love.

"If they didn't care it would be whatever and I can't be like to my kids because Don engraved that in me so that's what I do," Vasquez said.

Vasquez found Fain had died while he was out of town.

"I woke up to that message that he had passed away," he recalled. "So, I mean, men shouldn't cry but I cried."

Fain only passed away a few weeks ago.

Vasquez says it's been hard on him, but he appreciates the time they got to spend together.

"I hugged him all the time, I kissed him all the time, I always thanked him for everything, so I don't regret anything with Don, I don't," he said.

He says he will make sure Fain and his legacy will not be forgotten.

"He will forever live in my heart," Vasquez said. "He'll forever live in my mind. I will forever talk about him with my wife and kids. I will forever say the jokes that he would say to me to other people. I would tell him he just doesn't know how much he means to me."

Fain's celebration of life will be on June 2.

Vasquez says he's at the gym almost every single day.

He's going to train the kids and follow in the footsteps of the 30 years of groundwork that Don Fain laid down.