Meet the founder

Jeremiah “The Proof” Hinton didn’t come into this work from a textbook or a boardroom.

He came into it from real life.

Raised in Maywood, Illinois during the early 2000’s when the streets were shaped by real consequences, real violence, and real survival, Jeremiah grew up navigating the same pressures, contradictions, and instincts that many young people from urban communities still face today. Violence wasn’t theoretical. Poverty wasn’t abstract. Stability wasn’t guaranteed.

Mentorship existed, but it didn’t come in neat packages. It came from who was around: drug dealers, factory workers, hustlers, and men doing what they knew how to do to survive. From that environment, Jeremiah learned early that excuses didn’t protect you. Accountability did. Awareness did. Mastery of self-did.

What existed, however, was a choice.

Jeremiah chose to break cycles, not by pretending the environment didn’t shape him, but by mastering himself inside of it. That discipline later carried him into boxing, where he would become an undefeated professional fighter. Boxing didn’t save him; it sharpened what was already there. It became a structure where preparation, emotional control, and responsibility were non-negotiable.

Over time, Jeremiah realized boxing wasn’t the destination. It was the door.

As a father of three, his focus shifted from personal survival to generational responsibility. Staying close to his children meant staying close to the community and building something that allowed young people to grow without having to leave home to do it. He saw too much talent with no structure, too much energy with no direction, and too many young people paid attention only when they were in trouble.

That’s where Be The Proof Foundation was born.

Jeremiah founded the organization not as a charity but as a system.

In Be The Proof, youth don’t just train. They work. They earn. They save. They learn how to show up, how to be accountable, and how to move through the world with discipline and confidence. Boxing is the entry point—but not the destination. The program integrates workforce development, media, entrepreneurship, community service, and exposure to industries like construction, real estate, fitness, and business operations.

The philosophy is simple, but uncommon: If young people are expected to act like adults, they should be trained and compensated like future professionals.

Jeremiah’s work is deeply personal. His decision to stay rooted on the South Side and build locally is intentional. He believes proximity matters, that mentorship works best when it’s consistent, visible, and grounded in lived experience. His leadership extends across parks, schools, parent councils, faith-based institutions, and civic partnerships throughout Chicago.

He’s known for his directness, his intensity, and his refusal to perform respectability for systems that haven’t earned trust-but also for his ability to collaborate across lines of race, class, and background when the mission is real.

Today, Jeremiah is a USA Boxing certified coach, undefeated professional boxer, community organizer, and nonprofit founder working across Chicago to build pipelines, not temporary programs, where youth can train, earn, save, and grow.

Be The Proof isn’t charity. It’s accountability with support. Structure with heart. Discipline with vision.

Jeremiah doesn’t ask young people to be perfect. He asks them to show up—and then gives them the tools to rise.

Because somebody has to be the proof that where you come from doesn’t get to decide where you end up.

And he chose to be that proof, first for himself, then for his children, and now for the community