'King Pit' was an Austin boxing icon. His grandsons are trying to follow his legacy.
Cedric GoldenNate Bonner-Yett and Isaiah Cason-Yett are biological cousins who were raised like brothers.
If you know anything about brothers, the good ones protect one another and have each other’s back no matter what.
Nate and Isaiah — the latter is nicknamed Jojo by family and friends — were brought up as boxers and taught the sweet science by the biggest man they knew.
Dwight Yett was known in East circles as King Pit or by others as Coach Pit for his work teaching youngsters the sport at his Pit Boxing Gym.
He grew up idolizing Muhammad Ali. There are photos of The Greatest at different places in his Northeast Austin home, along with trophies and medals his boys have won through the years.
The Yetts are one of 12 local families who are part of the Statesman’s Season for Caring holiday campaign, which has aided dozens of families during the last 25 years through partnerships with local nonprofit organizations. They were nominated by Meals on Wheels Central Texas.
Read more:12 families featured in the 25th Season for Caring program. Here's how you can help.
Dwight Yett — who passed away at 65 on Oct. 11 from the effects of a debilitating stroke he had in 2019 — was actually Nate's and Isaiah’s grandfather, but he was in so many ways their father because of the guidance, mentorship and love he gave to two of his favorite pupils.
Eighteen-year-old Isaiah now trains at Title Boxing in Cedar Park. A veteran of more than 52 amateur fights, the 132-pounder has had to adjust to new coaches and the absence of the man who taught him the sport. His growth in the sport came despite the fact that he is legally blind in one eye.
“Some things you can’t worry about,” Isaiah said when asked about fighting with a disability. “Sometimes you have to take control of things in your own life and make the best of it.”
Nate, 20, turned pro in 2021 after a long amateur career. The lightweight (135 pounds) lost his pro debut in Austin and hasn’t fought since. He isn’t in the gym as much these days due to his job as security guard, but even when he was boxing, it had become different to work under other trainers since Dwight’s stroke.
"I think about him when I’m training, but it’s different because I don’t have that familiar voice in the back of my head,” he said. “Some of these trainers are different. They may teach us to do something new, and we’re thinking, ‘We didn’t do that with him.’”
Certain lessons will stay ingrained in these young men for the rest of their days. The matriarch, grandmother Bonnie Yett, taught them about faith, the value of hard work and dedication to one’s craft. From working in family janitorial service as preteens — “If they could empty a trash can, they could work,” said Bonnie — to their time in the gym with their idol, Nate and Isaiah will continue to fight the good fight, for their family and especially for their old man.
Read more:Austin grandmother tries to hold family together after twin tragedies | Season for Caring
Bonnie Yett is also raising her youngest grandson, 9-month-old Sire, after her daughter died June 1 from a stroke just six weeks after having Sire.
This Christmas the Yetts have many things on their wish lists, including boxing gloves and boxing shoes; clothing; bikes; and a crib for Sire.
To find out more about the Yett family or to give an item on their wish list, contact Meals on Wheels Central Texas at 512-476-6325, mealsonwheelscentraltexas.org.
About Season for Caring
The Statesman will be sharing the stories of all 12 Season for Caring families throughout the holiday season. Find more stories and information at statesman.com/seasonforcaring. You can donate online or use the coupon on Page 2B and mail it to Austin Community Foundation, c/o Statesman Season for Caring, 4315 Guadalupe St., Suite 300, Austin, TX 78751. Make checks payable to “Statesman Season for Caring.” Now through Dec. 25, all monetary donations will be matched up to $500,000 by the Sheth family.