Stephane Kelly and Jesiah Cartwright spar during the grand re-opening of the Quail Street Boxing Gym on Tuesday, June 30, 2026, in Albany, NY. (Jim Franco/Times Union)
Jim Franco/Times Union
Mayor Dorcey Applyrs throws a left while sparring with boxing coach and former world champion Tony Marshall during the grand re-opening of the Quail Street Boxing Gym on Tuesday, June 30, 2026, in Albany, NY. (Jim Franco/Times Union)
Jim Franco/Times Union
Coach Tony Marshall stands with young boxers during the grand re-opening of the Quail Street Boxing Gym on Tuesday, June 30, 2026, in Albany, NY. (Jim Franco/Times Union)
Jim Franco/Times Union
Haad Syed and Anas Alawlauqi spar during the grand re-opening of the Quail Street Boxing Gym on Tuesday, June 30, 2026, in Albany, NY. (Jim Franco/Times Union)
Jim Franco/Times Union
Mayor Dorcey Applyrs spars with boxing coach and former world champion Tony Marshall during the grand re-opening of the Quail Street Boxing Gym on Tuesday, June 30, 2026, in Albany, NY. (Jim Franco/Times Union)
Jim Franco/Times Union
City Recreation Department Commissioner Jahmel Robinson speaks during the grand re-opening of the Quail Street Boxing Gym on Tuesday, June 30, 2026, in Albany, NY. (Jim Franco/Times Union)
Jim Franco/Times Union
Young boxers hang out on the ring during the grand re-opening of the Quail Street Boxing Gym on Tuesday, June 30, 2026, in Albany, NY. (Jim Franco/Times Union)
Jim Franco/Times Union
Mayor Dorcey Applyrs listens as Boxing Director Jerrick Jones speaks during the grand re-opening of the Quail Street Boxing Gym on Tuesday, June 30, 2026, in Albany, NY. (Jim Franco/Times Union)
Jim Franco/Times Union
City Auditor Sam Fein speaks during the grand re-opening of the Quail Street Boxing Gym on Tuesday, June 30, 2026, in Albany, NY. (Jim Franco/Times Union)
Jim Franco/Times Union
Tony Marshall, boxing coach, and Jerrick Jones, boxing director, during the grand re-opening of the Quail Street Boxing Gym on Tuesday, June 30, 2026, in Albany, NY. (Jim Franco/Times Union)
Jim Franco/Times Union
Cory Landy, an aide in the city Recreation Department, works on technique with young boxers during the grand re-opening of the Quail Street Boxing Gym on Tuesday, June 30, 2026, in Albany, NY. (Jim Franco/Times Union)
Jim Franco/Times Union
Mayor Dorcey Applyrs declares victory after sparring with boxing coach and former world champion Tony Marshall during the grand re-opening of the Quail Street Boxing Gym on Tuesday, June 30, 2026, in Albany, NY. (Jim Franco/Times Union)
Jim Franco/Times Union
ALBANY — Jaylen McMillan and Alex Carlos Rivera circled each other in the ring. The popping sound of their gloves making contact meant that Quail Street Boxing Gym was back in business.
A reopening ceremony was held Tuesday evening for the gym that houses the city’s boxing program that began in the early 1970s. The gym had been closed since February because of renovations to the bathrooms, the latest in $500,000 in capital improvements to the facility through a state and municipalities grant secured by then-Assemblywoman Patricia Fahy, who is now a state senator.
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“This reopening of this specific facility comes at a very critical time, as our community deserves safe spaces and safe places for our young people, especially as we are seeing our schools close for the summer,” said Albany Mayor Dorcey Applyrs, who took part in Tuesday’s event. “This is a perfect opportunity and time (to) reopen this facility because this program has supported so many youth and families throughout the years, and has improved so many of our youths’ lives since its debut.”
Applyrs said the program has served approximately 1,000 youths and adults every year.
She put on a pair of gloves for a brief training session with retired champion boxer Tony Marshall, head coach of the program.
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After moving from his native Guyana at 14 years old, Marshall began training in the city program when it was still run at St. Joseph’s Gym on Swan Street. He said it was his escape.
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“A lot of times, you’ve got friends on the street who want to call you and suck you into that street life,” Marshall, 54, said. “I’d go to the boxing gym and it kept me out of every trouble. Boxing was my friend.”
Marshall finished his pro career in 2005 with a record of 37-13-6. In 1997, he won the International Boxing Council and North American Boxing Federation junior middleweight titles.
He fought world champions Aaron Davis, Julio Cesar Vasquez, Winky Wright, Javier Castillejo and Kassim Ouma. He split a pair of fights with Davis and lost to the other four while going the distance against all of them.
The program moved to Quail Street Boxing Gym in 2000 under the supervision of director Jerrick Jones. Albany super featherweight Abraham Nova, who lost a decision for the WBC super featherweight title two years ago, trained at Quail Street. There’s a mural of Nova on one of the gym’s walls.
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Jones has trained Ornella Sathoud, a woman’s middleweight who has represented Ghana in international competition.
A photograph of former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson on one wall reminds visitors of Tyson’s history in the Capital Region. He trained in Catskill and fought many of his early bouts in Albany and the surrounding area.
Jones was happy to see the recent improvements to Quail Street Boxing Gym with grant money over the past several years, including fire-rated safety doors with electronic entry for enhanced security, energy-efficient windows, LED lighting, a new roof and new rooftop HVAC units.
During the recent closure, the boxing program was temporarily moved to the Arbor Hill Community Center.
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“A lot of kids come in and it feels good being back at home,” Jones said. “It’s a safe place for them to be — second family for them.”
While success could be measured by champions coming out of the gym, Tuesday’s ceremony noted smaller victories with several this year’s boxers graduating from Albany High School.
Jahmel Robinson, the city’s Commisioner of Recreation, said Tuesday was more than a gym reopening. After the ceremony, local youths took part in one-minute sparring exhibitions.
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“This space represents our commitment to strengthening our neighborhoods and creating safe, welcoming places where people of all ages can grow,” Robinson said. “Every heavy bag, every jump rope, every training session, and every encouraging word from a coach has the power to build confidence, shape character and change the direction of someone’s life.”