DORAVILLE, Ga. — After growing up in a family that frequently followed the greats in the sport like Muhammad Ali and Sugar Ray Leonard, Marty P. Hill decided to take up boxing in his late-20s. He started competing in the sport in his mid-30s and ultimately took the leap to open his own boxing gym in 2009. He called the venture Sweet Science Boxing Club.
"Sweet science is a term that was dubbed probably around the 1800s," Hill said. "The sport of boxing, there’s a science behind it: where you punch, how you punch, the fitness and mechanics of it, it’s a science. People don’t understand how one cause can have one effect, and one effect can have another cause. That’s why we call it the sweet science.”
As the owner, operator, head trainer and coach, Hill started his business in 2009, during the Great Recession, and focused on working with white collar professionals to give them a "Rocky" experience. Over time, Hill transitioned into offering fitness boxing and training kids, amateurs and professionals in the competitive arena. Hill is also a pro-boxing promoter.
"I absolutely, unequivocally love the sport of boxing, not just what it does for the body but what it does for the mind," Hill said. "I think it’s the ultimate chess game. I teach my clients, kids and pros that what goes on in the boxing ring is what translates into real life.”
Hill had to pivot his business strategy during the pandemic when lockdown began. According to U.S. Census data, over 40-percent of Black-owned businesses shut down in the early months of the pandemic in 2020. Hill was determined he would do whatever it took to stay open. He said as a minority business owner, he had to have faith, tough skin and mentors to get through a challenging period.
“I still came in the business everyday alone and shot virtual workout videos and did social media videos to make sure clients at home were still staying active and healthy and having something to do," Hill said. “I worked harder during COVID, during that period of time, to make sure I retained, ascertained, kept my current clientele, went after other clients harder probably than I had done prior to, because we really had to dig in. It kept us going."
The City of Doraville issued a proclamation last month, honoring Hill during National Black Business Month for his business's staying power.
Joan Servin plans to go pro one day. The 13-year-old said he has gotten faster and become more confident since picking up boxing.
“The way coach [Hill] puts us through hard work and he tells us lots of stuff, like don’t give up," Servin said.
Evelyn Servin uses Sweet Science to let out her anger. The 16-year-old credits boxing classes with helping her graduate early and assisting her family through tough personal times.
"It’s more like a family, so it improved a lot of myself," Evelyn said. "There are ways you need to calm yourself. You don’t always have to rush into things.”
Tanaesja Milligan recently won a USA Boxing Elite National Championship. Three years ago, Milligan got her start at Sweet Science, where she continues to teach aspiring boxers how to stay balanced, committed and passionate along the way.
“Coach is real, and for me I needed someone who was going to be real with me, and I knew he would be able to push me," Milligan said. "I like showing people you can be anything you want to be as long as you put your mind to it, you keep trying and keep working at it. You can do the things that you probably never thought you could do.”
Hill said he keeps his business open because of his passion and love for what he does, along with seeing people transform and reach their goals.
“You watch them gain a personality, you watch them become tougher, you watch them become confident," Hill said. "You watch them develop these traits they don’t have coming in the door. They’re already a rock, or they’re a piece of granite like our Stone Mountain right? And you’re chiseling away certain pieces of that granite to make it a beautiful statue."
Hill remarked that boxing is like an artform of its own right.
"It’s like a Jackson Pollack or a Leonardo DaVinci," he said. "You’re creating a piece of art and watching that art develop right in front of your eyes. There’s no greater gift.”