Boxing has changed Kwame Ritter's life.

The sport taught the 24-year-old discipline and dedication, which ultimately led him to open his own gym: Elite SFN (Shared Fitness Network) in Columbia. Ritter now hopes to pass those lessons on to younger generations through his boxing and fitness classes, he said.

Ritter will be making his professional boxing debut at the Baltimore Boxing Renaissance event tonight at Royal Farms Arena (7 p.m.; $30-$260). The light heavyweight will face Devon Mosley at the event.

The goal is to "bring boxing back to Baltimore," he said.

Before his bout, Ritter discussed why boxing is so important to him and what he looks forward to at the Baltimore Boxing Renaissance.

How did you get into the sport of boxing?

Through my family. My uncles used to box and I always used to watch boxing. I would get in fights and stuff and I thought, "What better way to get into it?" So I was introduced to a couple coaches and from that point on, I definitely loved it.

You teach boxing classes for inner city youth. Why is that something you offer at your gym?

Growing up in that atmosphere … I said how a lot of things would change if you had somebody to kind of show you the way. And even though you want to surround yourself with good people, you always want to help the community out, you always want to give back. When I look at these kids, I see myself. That's exactly how I used to be growing up and I want other kids to be like me.

Why do you box and what do you love about it?

Boxing is such a beautiful sport and boxing has taught me so much about myself in life, on the personal level and physical level: how to get through things, how to endure through pain, how to really get yourself that discipline that most people growing up in my position could never get. …To work out three times a day, be physically strong, mentally strong and giving yourself something to kind of keep you out of trouble and keep yourself motivated in life. The fight doesn't just start in the ring — it starts outside the ring.

What can people expect from the Baltimore Boxing Renaissance show?

In terms of the fight card, you've got action-packed fights. You're going to have a world championship belt on the line with Tyrieshia Douglas taking on Christina Ruiz. That's a great fight, that's a title fight. You've got James Stevenson, you've got Francisco Figueroa. … A pure boxing fan would love this card and someone who knows nothing about boxing would love this card.

What part of the event are you most excited for?

I consider myself a boxing fan as a whole so I want to see a lot of the fights on the card. I want to see a lot of these guys. I've trained with these guys, I remember a lot of these guys as amateurs. … I consider a lot of these people to be like family to me, and I want to see everybody do well, and I want them to represent Baltimore and show everybody that there is a huge fan base for excellent fighters in Baltimore City.