As a dedicated mental health crisis responder, Marathon Boxing Studio co-founder Dwayne Ellis recognizes that the Middle Keys need additional active avenues for teens to vent their emotions. For the past two years, he’s highlighted the necessity of such an outlet not solely for vigorous physical activity, but also for its mental health benefits.
“We (didn’t) have boxing here at all,” said Ellis. “They have it in Key West, but they (didn’t) have anything from Marathon to Key Largo. With what I do for work, I’ve noticed that it’s a really big help with coping strategies. Getting frustrations out on the bags are so good mentally for people.”
In creating the studio, Ellis and co-founder Rolando Oliva wanted to establish an outlet for kids and adults alike – “people that not just want to box, but could use it for mental health, and help keep kids out of trouble. So (Rolando) 100% told me, ‘You know what, I’m all for it.’ So that’s basically how we got started.”
The program is crafted to enable boxers young and old to cultivate self-assurance and assume command of their mental well-being. The studio believes that boxing serves as an important means to divert troubled youth from the streets, offering them a nurturing and uplifting haven within the Florida Keys.
“The program is designed to help boys and girls, women and men, that want to just better themselves,” Ellis said. “It’s mental, physical, just everything. … It’s a safe place for people to be, and that’s what we want to introduce, and hopefully what we can get the community to support. We need donations, to be able to hopefully get a permanent place, a set location or storefront. That way, these kids can have something to count on.”
Based on Marathon’s response to the studio’s most recent event, that support may already be growing. Less than a month ago, the studio staged a fight night at the Marathon Elks Lodge, where guests were enthralled by a groundbreaking spectacle in the Middle Keys. The charitable boxing exhibition, in partnership with Spar Wars Entertainment, attracted about 300 attendees and 250 pay-per-view enthusiasts, who were treated to 10 bouts pitting local Keys fighters against mainland Miami foes.
The studio seeks to offer a diverse array of classes, including classic boxing, contemporary workouts, vigorous strength and conditioning and intense interval training. Marathon Boxing Studio prioritizes inclusivity, Ellis said, an ideal he backs through scholarships for those who struggle to afford the monthly fee.
“I want the community to know that mental health is a real thing here,” he said. “Drug abuse is a real thing here too. I believe this studio teaches these kids discipline. It teaches them friendship, it teaches them to communicate.
“I think boxing with us in a gym with a small group of guys, or sometimes a large group of guys and girls, can help with all aspects of life. It can help with certain skills that they don’t get out there in the real world.”
Ellis said the studio is constantly in search of new sponsors and members as it works toward a larger brick-and-mortar location. For more information, email marathonboxingstudio@yahoo.comen, call 786-933-0096 or look up “Marathon Boxing Studio” on Facebook.
