"What do we always say? E equals R," the ANBF NSW welterweight champion preaches inside the Canberra PCYC.

Effort equals reward - so fitting in a gym full of youngsters for whom boxing is an escape from the struggles of everyday life.

The message is perhaps directed towards a kid named Hayden more than anyone else - because whenever things get hard, that is the phrase he and Kapeen live by.

"That lifts our spirits and we go hard, because we are big believers in effort equals reward. That's the message we preach," Kapeen said.

That's why Kapeen (2-0) has been training three times a day, starting with 5.30am sessions which can be a shock to the system.

The reward this time is the chance to defend his NSW championship against fellow Canberran Abe Archibald (4-0-1, 1NC) in the main event of Capital Fight Show 19 on February 28.

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Yet his work in the ring pales in comparison to Kapeen's tireless efforts to make a difference for those who desperately need it.

"We've got kids at the PCYC who do quite well academically, they have good families and great upbringings, but they just lack confidence," Kapeen said.

"They're those nice kids that are easily targeted at school and they have been targeted. That weighs a heavy load on kids.

"They try so hard to do well in other areas but socially they're run into the ground and they're confidence is shot. Boxing can give them confidence.

"We've got kids from the other end of the scale, they come from difficult backgrounds and they have a lot of things on their plates not many adults can even handle.

"These young kids are carers, they've got all of these responsibilities that are hidden behind closed doors which no one really knows about because they're just a young kid and you wouldn't expect that.

"They come into the gym and they get the opposite effect, they calm down a bit. They feel a bit more self-worth. There are two ends of the scale, and you see it all with those kids.

"The kids that come to our class are all different, they come from different backgrounds and everything, but they all find a common ground in boxing and grow from it."

Even so, Kapeen says he is an extremely small part of the difference the PCYC can make. The biggest impact on those kids comes from his coaching team Dennis Arthur and Daniel Higgins.

They will be in his corner at the Hellenic Club of Canberra next month as Kapeen steps into the ring to defend his championship amid a wave of mixed emotions.

Because the unbeaten welterweight is about to go toe-to-toe with a friend and former sparring partner to open a blockbuster year for boxing in Canberra.

"I think defending it is harder than obtaining it, and I really wanted to defend it and really feel like I owned it," Kapeen said.

"There's a lot of excitement, I get to fight and that's always exciting. But [it's a strange feeling] when it's against someone who you've been invested in their career as well and always wanted the best for them because you're friends, but now you don't.

"That doesn't bother me, because it's not personal and I'm sure we will still be good friends after. That's why it's a little bit mixed but it's not going to hamper what's going on."