The Ring Boxing Club

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Chuck Norris Would Never Carry A Yoga Mat

Our Members

Who doesn't want to say they're a boxer?

  • At The Ring, you're just as likely to be training alongside an artist or accountant as you are a professional fighter. Everyone has a different motivation to walk through the door, but let's face it, who doesn't want to say that they're a boxer?
  • Our members are 40% female and 8 to 80 years old.
These folks are everyday city types…accountants and managers, lawyers and teachers…..they want a challenge that goes beyond the monotony of lifting weights or treadmills….
— Boston Globe

Shawn Thornton

  • “I had a lot to learn when I first got here, but Tommy [McInerney] has been a great teacher. Sparring for three minutes straight is tough, but it’s conditioned me to the point where a one-to-two minute hockey fight isn’t a big deal anymore -- it doesn’t take as much out of me as it used to. Boxing uses your whole body, and it’s just a better workout. I lost seven pounds in one day in here. And who the f@*# wants to run on a treadmill? It makes me feel like a hamster.”

  • Boston Bruins,
    Left Wing, #22

Tiffany Ortiz

  • “I discovered The Ring after a group of the Red Sox wives came in for lessons and told me that I had to try it. Boxing here helps me so much with stress, and it makes it more fun to mix up my workouts like this. I love the old-school boxing environment. I hope I can last three minutes in the ring one day.”

  • Wife of Red Sox
    slugger David Ortiz

Bertha Lowell

  • “If there’s a way to cheat an exercise, I’ll find it – I’m lazy – so I love that the coaches put you through the workout here. I love the intensity. I think that’s hard to find in a normal gym situation. You don’t get the same attitude, same passion anywhere else. It’s about getting sweaty here. I love that.”

  • Wife of retired Red Sox
    third baseman Mike Lowell

Lindsey Maratta

  • “I saw a ‘Bored of the Elliptical?’ ad and I said, “Yes, I am.” I was going to my school gym and it felt like a daily chore. I was taking spinning and aerobics classes where I just kinda zoned out, slacked off and waited for it to be over. But it’s the opposite at The Ring – I literally can’t wait to get here. It’s like a hobby that I can’t wait to do. I think that’s the best way to get a workout – you’re having fun and you don’t even realize you worked even harder then you ever did at your old gym. You’ve got to do it.”

  • Student, Northeastern University

    Assistant interior designer

    Competitive ballroom dancer

Dave Andelman

  • “I eat out almost every meal for my job. After about a year of coming here, I completely changed physically – I’d lost weight and put on muscle, so much that I needed new business suits. I’m not planning on competing or going pro but I’ve sparred with pros and Golden Gloves winners and I was pleasantly surprised to see how I managed to keep up. It’s a weird and great thing that I’ve discovered about myself – that I can take a punch and not be afraid of it. If you come in here and just do the training, not even to spar, you’ll be in the best shape of your life, guaranteed.”

  • CEO, Phantom Gourmet

O'Ryan Johnson

  • “I quit smoking the day after my trial lesson. I had been a pack-a-day smoker for 15 years, so let’s just say that the free trial didn’t go well. I think I actually made it three minutes before I had to run to the bathroom to throw up. I wasn’t in exactly what you would call fighting shape.”

    “When you’re young and healthy you don’t say to yourself I better go to the gym today because if I don’t I’m going to have some health problems when I’m 60. The goal is too far away. It’s too easy to skip a workout. Boxing at The Ring gives you a reason to come back -- you want to get better at it. You feel better mentally and walk around with more confidence and that can be addicting. Some people go to the bar after work – I go boxing.”

  • Boston crime reporter

    amateur boxer

Brittany Staples

  • “It’s totally addicting, the adrenaline rush that you get when you connect and have a clean punch, and I think if anything it only adds to a woman’s femininity. We have just as much competitiveness and aggression as men do. Just because we wear lipstick and high heels, doesn’t mean that we can’t get in a ring and throw punches. I would say just go for it and don’t be afraid.”

  • New England Golden Gloves Champion

Janelle Browning

  • “At the end of last year I got mugged and the whole thing scared me so badly, so I wanted to do something that would make me feel more prepared as far as self-defense went. I was going to the gym and doing the StairMaster which was boring and felt like it prepared for exactly nothing. So I came here and was hooked the first day. I’m physically stronger now. There are things I can do that I couldn’t do before. I absolutely attribute my new-found strength and confidence to what I’ve been doing at The Ring. Now I feel like I’m in control.”

  • Director of Marketing

    Berklee College of Music

Cara Thompson

  • “I had been a runner all my life. I ran all through high school, college, and even completed six marathons. Before The Ring I had to do a lot of weight training just to make sure that my form stayed strong during the marathons. Now I realize that boxing is the ultimate workout. You’re able to get intense cardio plus strength training at the same time. I don’t have to lift anymore.”

  • Lawyer

Lynn Miczek

  • “I came in for the trial class and thought, I’m really out of shape, I’ll never be able to do this. I did some punching with the bags and thought this is pathetic. I don’t think I’m ever going to be able to punch a bag even once or twice, but I went through all the routines, and said I like this, I actually like this. I will never be a fighter, but I feel better and I want to take better care of myself after being here. It’s amazing. I get a lot of personal attention and a lot of encouragement. I have biceps now!”

  • Nurse

    Children’s Hospital, Boston

Arick Bell

  • “I was going through the motions at my old gym because I thought I should. I’m a dude, and dude’s workout, but I was intrigued by the science of boxing – it looked so simple, until I tried it. This is a sport that humbles you. I don’t call myself a boxer – I still consider myself a student of the sport, but the classes are crazy. You work out your whole body in one package deal and the exercise is disguised, just like it says on the website. I didn’t even realize what good shape I was in until I was playing basketball one day with some friends and everyone was out of breath except me.”

  • Amateur boxer

    Student nurse, Bunker Hill Community College

    Stand-up comic
    Bouncer

Greg Agganis

  • “I started boxing eight years ago and I’ve stuck with it because it’s enjoyable and exciting, unlike a regular workout where you’re just waiting for it to be over. I’m an avid golfer, and boxing is similar to golf in that there’s a real art to it. I love putting the pieces of the puzzle together – the intellectual challenge of boxing. You’re actually accomplishing something. Boxing is my sport.”

  • Real estate developer

    CEO, Akron Aeros baseball team – Double A Affiliate of The Cleveland Indians

Shelley Wanamaker

  • “When I first came in to The Ring it was a super emotional time for me. My older brother had died in a car accident and I was in a huge rut. Hitting something and the physical challenge of boxing – working up that kind of sweat is very therapeutic. It’s a complete stress release. Your mind has to be so focused on the boxing that you can’t think of anything else. The Ring gave me something to work for and care about. There’s a real sense of community here -- it’s more intimate than a regular gym. When I leave The Ring I feel ready for the world.”

  • Student, Simmons College, Biochemistry major

    Bartender

Eric Tosi

  • “I’ve tried everything from weight lifting to yoga, but boxing at The Ring is the only workout I’ve stuck with. There’s so much variety in the classes – it’s continuously fresh, and I’m never bored. You get a full-body workout in the shortest time, which is important to me because I travel a lot for my job. When I tell people I box they think you just jump right in the ring, but there’s a real progression here. I started out as a complete beginner, and now I’m able to spar as part of my workout. Having a coach push you through another two rounds when you’re totally exhausted is priceless. My shirt’s so wet when I leave here I feel like I just jumped in a pool.”

  • Manager of Media Relations, Boston Bruins