LANSING, Mich. - Following the path behind an old industrial building, past the barbed‑wire fence and the seven‑step wooden patio leading to a permanently locked door, a visitor turns right and climbs a few concrete steps to an unassuming door that when opened leads to what feels like a time capsule of boxing history.
Crown Boxing Club, established in 1976, is one of the oldest boxing gyms in Michigan. It’s also home to one of the largest boxing programs in the nation and is entirely volunteer‑run, a place powered by those who give their time, energy and patience to the gym. They hope that Crown Boxing becomes more than just a room full of bags and gloves.
Every week, a revolving door of boxers visit Crown, from kids learning the basics and adult beginners hoping to get into the sport, to experienced fighters looking for competition and a team to compete with. Crown Boxing coaches and volunteers cater exactly to where each boxer is personally in their boxing journey.
Ali Easley, Crown Boxing’s coach and Michigan State faculty member, helps teach the classes offered by Crown Boxing.
The program lineup also includes Rock Steady Boxing, a national program offered by Crown Boxing that helps those with Parkinson's better manage their symptoms through boxing.
“That’s something we offer to the community. Individuals that have Parkinson's can come in, go through this process, and it really helps them,” Easley said.
He sees the benefits of the program firsthand.
“It helps them socialize. A lot of individuals that have that disease may become isolated or not comfortable going out,” Easley said. “It also provides a lot of benefits to mobility and self‑confidence and staving off the disease.”
Outside of his work at Crown Boxing, Easley also teaches at MSU, allowing college students the opportunity to take boxing classes for credits along with using the Crown Boxing facility.
Easley, a Pittsburgh native, brought his love for boxing with him when he came to the Lansing area for work, teaching at both Lansing Community College and MSU.
During his 28 years at MSU, Easley says he was able to carve out a space for boxing classes to be offered through the university.
“I kind of carved out a niche to where we have several boxing courses now through the university,” Easley said.
MSU offers many boxing courses through Crown Boxing, with each course once again tailored to meet students at their boxing experience level.
“Giving students the opportunity to exercise and fitness using the boxing equipment with a little bit of training sprinkled in, and then we've had the higher‑level boxing conditioning courses which are designed to move students toward competition,” Easley said.
One of the students who found their way into the sport of boxing through these university courses is MSU senior Eric Miles.
“I liked MMA growing up, so boxing has always been something I was interested in,” Miles said.
Easley hopes students get much more than just perfect footwork and an uppercut from these classes.
“The discipline that it instills, getting to class on time, respecting your teammates, respecting the gym time. Now, those are all big things that are successful for people not only in boxing, but in life,” Easley said.
The discipline Easley describes is noticeable the moment someone steps into Crown Boxing. The walls are plastered with pieces of boxing history and photos of legends. Through the framed opening into the gym itself, students jump rope and work on footwork drills. Just past them, rows of heavy bags absorb combinations from students, each heavy bag row separated by a row of double‑ended speed bags. To the left, students bob and weave past swinging bags, expertly moving in and out of the bag's path.
Every noise within Crown Boxing accumulates in a symphony of chains rattling to the repeated thump of gloves striking heavy bags. The thunderous and constant war between glove and bag is only interrupted by the sharp beep of a timer as students drop to the ground, do pushups, then continue on their workout.
In the back of the building are two boxing rings, where after the workout circuit two students spar. One of these students is Alex Ziouras, a member of the Crown Boxing team and a student at MSU who is preparing for his first amateur fight.
“I recently just joined the team for Crown Boxing. We have a fight next week in Milwaukee on Feb. 6,” Ziouras said. “I’m really looking forward to it.”
The nerves are also there.
“Very excited, very nervous. There’s a lot of mixed emotions. In reality, I just hope I don’t lose, man,” Ziouras said.
The bell dings. Ziouras and his sparring partner stop and fist‑bump through their gloves, take out their mouthpieces, and share a smile through blood‑stained teeth, one last reminder of the community built at Crown Boxing.
“I wanted to be able to create that same sort of atmosphere where kids that maybe had some trouble at home, or didn't really have anybody to talk to, could always talk to myself or another coach. Everybody in our organization has done really well with that.” Easley said.