BALTIMORE — When Good Morning Maryland paid a visit to the 'Time 2 Grind' boxing gym in January of 2024, they were celebrating their first professional champion Mack "Papi" Allison IV, winning his title in Baltimore.
A short time later, his teammate, Malik Titus came home from New Jersey as the U.S. WBC Silver Heavyweight Champion.
Being able to crown two pro champs just a month a part is something coach Allison doesn't take for granted. He's hoping now that their names are getting out there, the city will come and support his fighters.
"Baltimore should honor these guys," Allison said.
Mack "Papi" and Malik have already started inspiring the younger fighters like Deion Johnson and his cousin Collin Gomez to follow a similar path in the ring.
Johnson, who attends Parkville Middle School, spoke about how Allison motivates and mentors him.
"I love coach Mack," he said. "He's like a coach father. He pushes me to be the best and doesn't let me slip."
Titus, who's been training with Time2Grind for a little more than 15 years, is an example of how Allison can help a fighter find his or her strengths. When Titus first started training he couldn't do a push-up, but now his conditioning is something his coach can be proud of.
"My biggest strength is my will power," Titus said. "You just got to work with what you got and growing up in Baltimore, I did a lot of just working with what I got."
At Time2Grind, they expect greatness out of everyone who comes through the doors; whether you're a beginner, a pro or just simply trying to get in shape.
Watch the video to get a dose of a typical Time2Grind workout with GMM's Randall Newsome.
"If they say they want to [train] I say 'ok show me. Put the work in. Put the time in.'"
Even with all the recent success, Allison says he's most proud of the six kids who've come through his program and graduated high school in 2023.
Time2Grind's pro champions will be defending their titles at the Patapsco Arena on June 22.
If you'd like to be a part of this program, contact coach Allison at (443)-631-1663.