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NILES — A boxing gym owned by Golden Glove-winning boxers now calls Niles home.

Clare Morris Ramirez and her husband Dayan Ramirez have relocated Boxing House International from St. Joseph to the LevelUp Athletics sports complex, 1720 Terminal Rd., Niles. The gym will start with a full schedule starting Tuesday.

BHI offers a wide range of boxing classes for all ages and levels, including amateur and professional training. 

“We’re really excited to be in the area,” she said. “It’s such a great program. Boxing creates a stable, connected and supportive environment. It’s just a really good thing to have in the community and we’re excited to be here.” 

From boxing classes for beginners and the fitness-minded to training for elite athletes and competitors, BHI has garnered an international following.

“We have people that come from every country,” she said. “We have drawn people from all over. Boxing drew out all of these interesting and passionate people from all over the world to come train with us. People fly in from Canada. My boxing coaches are now in London and Dubai. We unintentionally created a global community through boxing.”

Clare met Dayan while training professionally in Cuba and has since learned to speak Spanish. Clare, who has decades of experience as a professional boxer, decided along with her husband to relocate their Olympic-size boxing ring to Niles after having a conversation with LevelUp owner Gary Marshall. With their bilingual gym, the Ramirezes aim to support the Latino community through boxing.

“We’re excited about the opportunity in Niles,” Clare said. “It’s more centrally located with it being closer to Notre Dame and Indiana. I think it’s time to grow and I think this move will help us find more competitive athletes.”

“We don’t have anything like this out in this area,” Marshall said. “At LevelUp, our goal is to not just have programs for kids, we want to have parents involved too. The goal is to implement classes for parents and Boxing House International will do all that and more.”

In just a few short years, BHI has been able to cultivate a family dynamic with its boxers. While the Ramirezes were thankful for the boxing community they were able to create in St. Joseph, they believe the transition to Niles is what is best for the gym.

“It has such a cool energy,” Clare said. “We are aligned with Gary in serving the community. We are philanthropists at heart. LevelUp is flooding with athletes of all different sports. It’s really fun to be in that environment. It’s like a little library of knowledge to work with different coaches. I think it can be an amazing advantage for athletes who come through.”

For more information regarding classes at BHI, follow LevelUp Athletics on Facebook.