Marco-Dean Davis opens youth boxing camp to boost fitness and self-belief

Marco-Dean Davis once struggled with his weight and self-image growing up. Today he is channeling that history into a drive to get Jamaican youngsters fitter in body and mind through boxing.

The offspring of dancehall stars Moses ‘Beenie Man’ Davis and Michelle ‘D’Angel’ Downer opened a three-week boxing programme on Monday with veteran fighter Kemahl Russell at H.I.I.T Box on Shortwood Road in St Andrew.

Already a Taekwondo black belt, Davis told The Gleaner he has spent the last five years focused on fitness and now wants peers and younger Jamaicans to make stronger choices sooner, while leaving a constructive mark on his generation.

Sessions run Monday through Friday until August 3 and welcome boys and girls between 10 and 18. Campers will pick up boxing skills and healthier routines. Davis said the course aims to strengthen fitness alongside confidence, self-esteem, coordination, balance, focus, discipline, strength, respect and teamwork. He traced the idea to what he faced as a teen.

“When I was younger, the same age as the kids we are seeking to help, I was overweight and had confidence issues, and so I started this camp to push and build confidence in young people. I want to show them perseverance and mental strength.”

Russell, his coach and mentor and among Jamaica’s top boxers, is directing the workouts, supplying the know-how for a genuine boxing atmosphere while keeping drills appropriate for younger learners.

Davis, who trusts his own boxing ability, wants to share the sport’s basics with the next cohort.

“I do consider myself a good boxer because I have the necessary stamina, the footwork and indomitable spirit ... I have built my skills, and I know what I’m doing in both the fighting and training worlds.”

He stressed that the camp reaches beyond punches alone. “My advice to prospective campers is to come with an open mind. I would also say that they can come and expect change, both physical and mental, because, in the end, you will be more disciplined and well-rounded. In getting fit, you are also learning how to defend yourself, so that’s a great combination. Just bring yourself and be ready, because the training is not a cakewalk.”

Davis is also telling parents summer need not mean hours of television or gaming when children can pick up a new craft instead. “Kemahl has been training me ever since I was 15 and knows way more than me, so parents will get two for the price of one. We want to grow the young minds in a positive direction and shape their thought processes on a different level. So, for the ones that see me as a role model, I’m just going to teach them all that I know.”