Jittu Estate in Raiwaqa is an area linked to crime and unemployment and a settlement that often conjures up more negatives images than positive.
One shining light that is emerging from this densely populated area is a boxing club which has started to build a reputation for developing talented young fighters.
The Jittu Boxing Stable which picked up momentum four years ago, has given youths from the area a chance to channel their natural athleticism into a sport that many feel has experienced a downward slump in recent years.
The idea of forming a boxing club in the area is not new, with a group of boxers having initiated a similar move back in the late 1980s.
"That was when this area had so many good boxers like Mataiasi Tagicakibau, Tevita Tui, Asesela Dekle and middle weight champion, Kuliniasi Vasu,'' said Marika Yalimaiwai, Jittu Boxing stable coach/trainer.
The area is also where Joy Ali grew up before he went on to cement a place for himself as a champion middleweight.
Yalimaiwai was part of the original group of boxers from the area who later moved to the salvation Army Boxing Club, in the early 1990s.
The re-establishment of the club has given many youths from the area a new purpose in life, with training being conducted on a daily basis for practically anyone who is interested.
Yalimaiwai, a 38-year-old native of Tovu, Totoya in Lau, has been an amateur boxer all his life, and has dedicated much of his time in trying to assist youths from the area embrace boxing as a way out of idleness and a pathway to success.
A unique aspect of the club is its ethnic diversity, with 5 Rabians, two Rotumans, two Part Europeans, seventeen Indians and indigenous Fijians forming its core membership.
But Yalimaiwai feels that like other sports, progress can only come with more funding from government, the corporate sector.
"The problem we are facing here is lack of equipment and funding to help the sport grow,'' he said.
The club is assisted by a number of corporate companies and interested individuals like former Chief Magistrate David Balram, who grew up in Jittu Estate.
The visiting Australian Aborigine boxing team that visited the country recently donated much needed boxing equipment to the gym including gloves and punching bags.
Mohammed Ali, Avinesh Kumar, and Amlesh Narayan, who all hail from the club, won bronze medals at the South Pacific Games in Samoa.
Despite being without proper facilities, the club managed to win seven gold, eight silver and two bronze medals during the National Boxing Club Championship which was held earlier this month.
Yalimaiwai said the boxers in the stable had trained consistently for two weeks in camp for the event and their hard work paid off.
"For my boys, the five that lost were the ones that didn't attend camp, which really showed in the poor performances,'' he said.
One boxer that has shown promise is 24-year-old Mathew Michael, a middleweight from Toorak who is being eyed for the Oceania Boxing Championships in Australia in April next year.
Michael won his first outing against an International opponent last year during a tour by a visiting Australian team and lost on a split points decision to a member of the Australian Aborigine team.
The quite spoken Rotuman, said was looking forward to proving himself in the coming months in efforts to get a place in Fiji Olympic Boxing team in Beijing China next year.
"My aim is to make it to the Olympics just like any other aspiring amateur would want to do but I realise it will take a lot of hard work to achieve this but I am working towards it,'' said the government clerk.
The Toorak lad credited Yalimaiwai with identifying his talent and honing his skills, after he had taken a liking to the sport years ago, but never really made much progress.
"As his coach and trainer I know that he should have been in the squad a long time ago. It's unfortunate that he never got selected,'' Yalimaiwai said.
He said he would rather see boxers hone their talents at amateur level before they decide to join the big boys in the professional arena.
"Because there are not much amateur bouts these days boxers are losing interest that's why they want to jump into the professional ranks early. I believe there should be fortnightly competitions introduced to help engage these boxers before their become disillusioned,'' he said.
Yalimaiwai in the meantime, is content with nurturing talent young and old at the Jittu Estate in his effort of giving back to the community. The humble boxing gym is attracting youths from the area many of whom attracted to the fight training program for simple reason like self defense.
"So many youngsters come over to us and want to learn and we even give tips to young girls in self defence. This is important for them with so many offences being committed against women and girls now, and particularly because Jittu estate can be a dangerous place," Yalimaiwaihe said.
At the same time he is preparing a group of boxers with clear intentions of forging successful careers in the sport.
"I do believe boxing can get something in the next Olympics and I think its just a matter of plain sacrifice and commitment,'' Yalimaiwai said.