Don't Quit Champ

Don't Quit Champ" chronicles the life of former Guyanese champion boxer Lennox Blackmoore. The film traces Lennox's rise from a young amateur boxer in Guyana to a world-renowned champion, unfolding the next five decades of his life as a pioneering figure in women's boxing, a legendary trainer at NY’s Gleason’s Gym, and his continuing and profound impact on the Guyanese and Brooklyn boxing communities. Throughout, the story highlights social, political, and economic dynamics at play in Guyana and the U.S., asking what might be learned from the lessons of the Caribbean nation and how the changes happening in Guyana are affecting the global dynamics of the diaspora at large - 60,000 of whom live in New York.

As Lennox reflects on his own journey, his immigration from Guyana to New York, his losses and victories, the shift from being a fighter to a trainer, the devastating murder of his brother, and the family that he became part of at Gleason's gym, the transformative power of boxing emerges. Interwoven into the story are intersecting themes of immigration, race, class, and expectations around masculinity and femininity, as seen through Lennox’s life and those of the fighters, such as Jill Matthews, the first woman to win the Golden Glove, who, though retired from pro boxing, still comes to the gym to spar, harnessing the power she has learned from her training with Lennox in a fight for her life against cancer; and the soft-spoken.
Elton Dharry, the West Indian Ghanaian-American lightweight boxer who Lennox at 70 years old, is training for a world championship.

"Don't Quit Champ" is dynamic and emotional, blending intimate interviews, observational footage, and archival materials. The film features rare vintage footage from the 1970s and 80s and contemporary footage shot in and around boxing gyms in N.Y., Guyana, and the Dominican Republic. Central to the film is the sense of community that emerges and the microcosm of intersecting lives in the gyms.
It is Lennox’s story, but through its grounding, it becomes a story about the strength of communities. Harmonic storylines, like tree branches, expose a kaleidoscope of insight for the viewer.

Its cinematic style captures the intensity of the sport and the patience it requires: the discipline and perseverance, and the authentic relationships between trainers and boxers. Music is an essential facet as it will feature The Mighty Canary, Ken Lazarus & the Dragonaires, and others- the same music that was playing as Blackmoore's career blossomed, primarily Ska, so integral to the soundscape of the struggle and fight for independence and respect among all Caribbean communities.