BUILT IN THE RING. UNITED IN PURPOSE.
From an idea to a thriving organization, our foundation was built on the belief that boxing can transform lives and strengthening our community for generations to come.
OUR HISTORY
HOW WE CAME TO BE...
Pictured (L→R): Jeff Poritz (11 y/o) & Steve Collazo (Amateur Trainer)
Bay to Bay Youth Boxing Education Foundation, Inc. was founded in 2022 in Sunrise, Florida...
By lifelong boxing professionals Jeff Poritz and Steve Collazo. Our Official nonprofit status followed in early 2023, formalizing a shared vision rooted in more than three decades of experience in the sport they love. That vision: use boxing as a vehicle for youth development, mentorship, and personal growth.
Jeff brings a lifelong history in competitive boxing, with experience at the national amateur level and as a traveling member of multiple professional championship teams. Steve contributes decades of elite coaching experience, having trained both amateur and professional fighters of the highest caliber, along with more than 20 years of service within South Florida Police Athletic Leagues, where hundreds of young athletes passed through his guidance and mentorship.
Together, Jeff and Steve have built an impressive private training stable for top amateur and professional athletes, working hands-on to guide not only athletic performance but long-term career focus. As their success grew, so did their desire to give back to the community and to the sport that had given them so much. The creation of the foundation was a natural result of that purpose.
Both founders recognized boxing as far more than a competitive sport. When taught with care, structure, and heart, boxing becomes a powerful life tool, one that builds discipline, confidence, emotional control, and resilience. It offers a unique platform for youth who are underserved, less fortunate, or facing personal challenges. It provides opportunities for personal growth that may not exist in traditional team sports. Boxing demands accountability and self-discovery. It strengthens the mind and body, refines character, and teaches individuals how to confront adversity beyond the ring. When paired with proper mentorship, boxing becomes a catalyst for transforming and empowering the youth.
Pictured (L→R): Jeff Poritz, Steve Collazo, & Jared Michaeli of Bay to Bay Professional Boxing Team on Top Rank's ESPN
OUR ORGANIZATION
HOW WE DO IT...
Pictured: Board Advisory Committee meeting in late 2025
In early 2024, Jeff & Steve assembled a dedicated team to help expand their vision...
A structured, community-focussed force for good was needed. By mid-2024, the foundation officially launched its private programs, turning a small, passion-driven idea, into a growing organization committed to meaningful impact. BTBYBF entered its transition into public nonprofit status phase in late-2025. After 15 months of private work, it was tine to establish an expert board of directors and key leadership roles to ensure sustained momentum and public stays readiness.
In January 2026, public status was granted and the future of BTBYBF had taken root in the community. The youngest members of our community who need a safe outlet, consistent mentorship, and/or a place to grow with purpose had fully blossomed. Our focus is not solely on the ask-risk youth, but with any youth in our local community. Through boxing, education, mentorship, and guidance, BTBYBF is committed to helping the youth to build a stronger futures, both inside and outside the ring.
DIRECTORS & STAFF
An introduction to our team
Jeffrey Poritz
Founder / VP / Treasurer
Born on February 20, 1988, in Tampa, Florida, Jeffrey Poritz moved to Broward County at just three years old. By age 11, after struggling in school, he was introduced to the Police Athletic League boxing program, a moment that would change the direction of his life. Growing up in a single-parent household, Jeff found structure, mentorship, and consistency inside the boxing gym.
Steven Collazo
President / Director
Born and raised in Brooklyn, Steven Collazo found boxing at just 10 years old. He competed throughout his youth, but by 18, family responsibilities took priority, pulling him away from the ring. Even then, boxing never left him. Rather than stepping away from the sport, Steven shifted his focus to training and mentoring, determined to stay connected to the values boxing had given him.
LISSETTE MEDINA
Secretary
Lissette Medina is a single mother of four boys whose life has come full circle through boxing and community involvement. At 12 years old, she joined the Pembroke Pines Police Athletic League boxing program in 1998, an experience that left a lasting impression. Years later, as a mother, she returned to the PAL program to give her sons the same positive environment that once shaped her.
Sabrina Chishti
Grants Specialist
Sabrina Chishti holds an Executive MBA and has over 18 years of experience teaching and leading after-school educational programs. She is BTBYBF’s grant writer and nonprofit strategist. She is a strong community advocate and supports BTB Youth Boxing Foundation by strengthening its position for funding, partnerships, and youth programming.
DICK ORTEGA
Director / Counsel
Dick Ortega is a business attorney and advisor with more than a decade of experience working alongside business owners, and nonprofit organizations. His career has spanned complex transactional work, high-stakes litigation, and strategic advising, giving him broad exposure to how organizations grow, operate, and navigate risk over the long term.
JARED MICHAELI
Marketing / Operations
Jared Michali is a marketing professional who specializes in broad corporate marketing and consulting, with a focus on sales-supporting marketing initiatives. With a deep experience is field sales and sales leadership, which transitioned into marketing, he is known among successful businesses as an impeccable source of bridging the gap between the two.
CONNECT WITH US
For general inquiries and to con next with BTBYBF's directors & staff, please fill out the contact form below. For specific requests, please visit our Contact Page to select an array of specific topics and request so we can handle your inquiry better.
