Our Story

Coach Mario Marin is a veteran Boxing and Muay Thai coach with more than 40 years of experience in combat sports. His journey began in the late 1980s at the original New York Martial Arts Academy, where he trained extensively in Boxing and Muay Thai alongside Savate, Jun Fan Kickboxing, Escrima, and Wing Chun. Over the decades he deepened his focus on the sweet science and the art of eight limbs, expanding his training across the United States and internationally, including time spent training and competing in Thailand.

Mario is also a United States Marine Corps veteran, and the discipline, resilience, and leadership developed during his service remain core elements of his coaching philosophy. After his service, he continued sharpening his craft in Boxing and Muay Thai, training with respected coaches and fighters in New York and beyond, while also developing a strong foundation in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Boxing has remained a constant thread throughout his career. He studied the craft under experienced boxing coaches and eventually brought that knowledge into his own coaching work at the historic Gleason's Gym, where his approach centers on authentic fundamentals — footwork, timing, defensive awareness, and efficient punching mechanics. Alongside this, his Muay Thai coaching draws on the same principles applied to clinch work, kicks, elbows, and knees, developed through his time training and competing in Thailand. Both disciplines are paired with the conditioning and discipline required of serious fighters.

Mario has trained and mentored hundreds of students over the years, from beginners to active competitors, and has cornered professional fighters in both Boxing and Muay Thai, guiding athletes through training camps and competitive bouts. His approach blends traditional fight training with modern coaching methods, emphasizing technical mastery, intelligent conditioning, and mental resilience.

In addition to coaching fighters, Mario has been an owner and operator of multiple martial arts gyms, most notably Red Planet MMA in Brooklyn. Through these gyms he helped build communities where people from many different backgrounds could train and grow through Boxing and Muay Thai.

Mario has also been active in community outreach through combat sports. During his time running Red Planet MMA, he helped open the gym to underserved and underrepresented communities by supporting programs such as trans boxing and inclusive fight training initiatives — including a donation-based fight training program that gave queer and trans athletes a welcoming space to train. His work and philosophy have also been highlighted in discussions about inclusive fight culture and New York's martial arts scene, where he described gyms as diverse communities built through shared training.

Across four decades of training, coaching, and mentorship, Coach Mario Marin has dedicated his life to Boxing and Muay Thai — not just as sport, but as disciplines that build character, resilience, and confidence. Whether training beginners, athletes, or professionals, his mission remains the same: to pass on the knowledge, discipline, and spirit of Boxing and Muay Thai to the next generation.