VERNON - The Vernon Police Athletic League (PAL) Boxing program isn’t on the ropes, but it is buckling at the knees. When the Vernon PAL launched a boxing program last year under the tutelage of Tom Watson, the young boxers used the PAL gym on Church St. But because the gym is needed for basketball and other activities, the boxing program moved to the TeamBoxing facility on Sammis Rd. While the Sammis Rd. facility is brand new and a definite upgrade from the PAL gym, it’s also more expensive: the program needs to have 17 kids registered in order to pay the rent and there are currently just 12 boxers enrolled, said Watson. “I’ll cover the rest out of pocket if I have to,” said Watson. To avoid that from occurring, Watson put together a promotional event on Oct. 10 at TeamBoxing. Freddy Curiel, a Vernon resident who recently appeared on ESPN’s The Contender’ program, lent a hand in teaching the boys and girl, ages 8 to 18, some techniques to improve their footwork, jabs and body positioning. Getting a chance to learn from a professional fighter “is really cool,” says Brandon Westby, 11, who practiced his footwork before taking instruction with Curiel. The Vernon PAL boxing program, which meets at TeamBoxing on Tuesday and Thursday nights from 5 to 7 p.m., has grown from the 8 children who participated last year. But Watson is hoping to draw other would-be pugilists. “It’s a great workout for kids who are transitioning from playing football to baseball,” said Watson. “A lot of kids don’t fit in the soccer mold.” The registration fee for the Vernon PAL Boxing program is $50, with a $15 monthly fee. A typical workout includes extensive stretching, punching a heavy bag, practicing jabs, foot placement “and having fun,” says Watson. Watson hopes to begin sparring matches by the end of November. Each child is required to wear headgear, mouthpieces and oversized gloves. “This is the safest among high school sports,” said Watson. Curiel, who lost his preliminary bout on The Contender’ to Steve Forbes by unanimous decision, beat Aaron Torres on the undercard of the championship bout which aired on Sept. 26, and is currently training for his next bout. Curiel said he was scheduled to sign a contract on Oct. 13 with an as-yet unnamed opponent. Although the details still need to be worked out, Curiel said it was possible that he may be fighting on HBO Pay Per View in January. For more information about the Vernon PAL Boxing program, call 973-764-9514 or visit www.vernonpal.com. TeamBoxing in Vernon is planning on introducing a Cardio-Boxing class for women on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday mornings from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. The class, which will provide attendees with a high-intensity cardio-vascular workout, including push-ups, abdominal exercises and jump rope, will be taught by Julie Moreno, an exercise instructor at Minerals Sports Club. For more information on the class, which is scheduled to begin on Oct. 23, call 888-680-TEAM.