Michigan nonprofit · 501(c)(3) application pending

Every boxer in Michigandeserves you in their corner.

The Michigan Boxing Foundation supports collegiate and amateur boxers across the state — with equipment, coaching, travel to tournaments, and the resources a team needs to compete.

Support a boxer Why we exist
Our story

Built by coaches who wouldn't let the program die.

Boxing at the University of Michigan was a club sport from the 1980s until 2020, when the university stopped supporting it. The coaches kept it going anyway — training moved to a gym on Ann Arbor's south side, and the team kept competing under the banner of Michigan College Boxing.

Michigan College Boxing has become one of the winningest programs in intercollegiate boxing.

The Michigan Boxing Foundation was formed so that what the coaches built could outlast any one of them — and so the same support could reach boxers at other Michigan schools, in Golden Gloves gyms, and on the long road toward a national team.

Dues keep the lights on. Travel to a national tournament, equipment for a new season, a coach's time — that takes a community behind the team. Why the Foundation exists
What we fund

Where the money goes.

The Foundation funds boxing as an educational and developmental activity — travel, equipment, coaching, and grants to programs across the state.

Travel & tournament costs

Entry fees, lodging, and transport to regional and national competitions — the trips that decide a season and that many Michigan boxers currently can't afford.

Equipment

Gloves, headgear, wraps, bags, and ring time. The basic kit that lets a program take on new athletes safely.

Coaching & clinics

Funding for qualified coaches, clinics, and instruction so more Michigan boxers have someone in their corner who knows the sport.

Program grants

Direct support for collegiate clubs and amateur programs across the state. Donors can tell us which program they'd like their gift to support.

Who we support

Collegiate. Amateur. Olympic hopefuls.

Collegiate boxers

Michigan College Boxing and club programs at other Michigan universities competing in intercollegiate boxing. This is where the Foundation started, and where the need is most immediate.

Amateur & youth

Golden Gloves competitors and developing athletes in gyms around the state, along with the coaches who train them.

The long road

Fighters who win locally and want to keep going — regional tournaments, nationals, and the path toward a national team.

Board of directors

Three people. All volunteers.

The Foundation is governed by a volunteer board serving staggered three-year terms.

President

Eric T. McGuire

Longtime Ann Arbor boxing coach and gym owner, hosting Michigan College Boxing's training for years. Eric McGuire is co-owner and head coach of A-Square Fight Club, a nonprofit boxing gym in the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti area focused on training youth, mentoring at-risk kids, and enforcing strict academic discipline. Under his guidance, the gym has produced multiple national and regional Junior Olympic champions.

Secretary

Rama Mwenesi

Head coach of Michigan College Boxing and a former University of Michigan boxer. Dr. Rama Mwenesi Musalia (RMM) is an Assistant Professor at the University of Michigan Medical School and Clinical Adjunct Professor in the School of Nursing. He earned the university's highest leadership honors as an undergraduate, graduate, and professional student, including three “Student of the Year” awards and two “World Leader of the Year” awards.

Treasurer

Theron Tingstad

Assistant head coach of Michigan College Boxing and a former “All-American” collegiate boxer at the University of Michigan. Theron served as an infantry officer in the 82nd Airborne Division of the U.S. Army. An Army veteran, advertising executive, and entrepreneur based in Ann Arbor, he now brings that experience in leadership, discipline, and building organizations to the club's work.

Give

Put a Michigan boxer in the ring.

Every dollar goes to the sport — travel, equipment, coaching, and program grants. If you want your gift directed to a particular team or gym, tell us and we'll honor it.

We're a small, new foundation, and right now the simplest way to give is to reach the board directly. We'll get back to you within a few days with the details.

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