WORCESTER — When Kendrick Ball opened a boxing gym in his hometown 16 years ago, he was uncertain how long the business would last.
But he definitely knew what the mission would be.
“I just wanted people to know if they came here, they were going to learn the basics of boxing,” Ball, 52 and a lifelong Worcester resident, said.
“If you go to a 9Rounds or a Title Boxing, you don’t get to learn the basics of boxing. So, it was basically, ‘If you come here, you’re going to get right.’ ”
Camp Get Right has not only survived, it’s thrived while teaching and training the novices, amateurs and professionals who are part of a clientele that ranges in age from 5 to, well, however old one’s grandmother happens to be.
The goals have remained the same for Camp Get Right, but the location officially changed this week.
On Wednesday afternoon, the grand opening of CGR and Dee Luxe Medical, which is owned by Dee Henriquez, took place outside the renovated and remodeled building the businesses now share on West Boylston Street.
“If you have been around us, if you’ve been in our world for a while, you know that this has always been the plan, to invest in something of our own,” said Henriquez, who also hails from Worcester and has been Ball’s girlfriend and guiding light since they met in 2010.
“And even though it’s always been the goal, the transition has been a little bittersweet. Sixteen years at one location makes for a lot of memories.”
More than 200 family, friends and supporters — a fair share of them boxers and trainers — turned out for the ribbon cutting, which was preceded by a brief ceremony that began with a prayer by Arnold Cerezo, the senior pastor at TRILIFE Church.
Among the dignitaries who spoke were City Council Vice Chairman Khrystian King and City Manager Eric Batista. Representatives for State Rep. Jim O’Day and Sen. Robyn Kennedy also were in attendance.
“I know it’s challenging and daunting to take steps and start your own business after years of working with a larger system,” King said after effusively praising Ball and Henriquez.
“But you both know the city of Worcester is here to support you as small business owners and to help your businesses reach their full potential.”
Dee Lux Medical is a health and fitness center offering hormone optimization, IV therapy and injections, medical weight loss/metabolic optimization, peptide therapy, and specialized women’s health treatment.
Camp Get Right remains a boxing gym, albeit one that has undergone a transformation from gritty to, dare we say, glitzy.
“It doesn’t have that grittiness to it, but we still have good fighters and everything,” Ball said. “Nothing is going to change with the fighters or anything.”
The gym has been downsized by at least half from its previous 5,000 square feet, but upgraded in numerous ways.
It spans two floors — the second of which houses a raised ring has men’s and women’s bathrooms with showers and improved lighting, which is enhanced by windows, something the previous location had none of.
“The old gym had that ‘Rocky’ feel, and this one has the ‘Rocky IV’ feel like where the Russian trained,” said Don “Grafton Hill’s Finest Son” Docimo, a pro fighter who trains at CGR. “It’s gorgeous.”
Ball made the decision to relocate Camp Get Right from 55 Millbrook St. after, he said, the owner of the warehouse sought to double the rent. Henriquez, 41 and a certified nurse practitioner with bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the UMass Chan Medical School, bought the building on the corner of West Boylston Street and King Philip Road in May.
After five months of work, the two businesses were preparing to open when a woman drove an SUV through the front of the building on Oct. 22, causing extensive damage.
“Right when we were getting ready to tie everything up there was an accident,” Henriquez said. “Very fortunate nobody got hurt, but it did delay things in terms of opening and dealing with insurance for the repairs and everything.”
Henriquez and Ball received the certificate of occupancy a couple of weeks ago, and now they’re ready and raring to go.
“It’s very exciting,” Henriquez said. “It’s a long time coming, especially with the unexpected delays.”
Added Ball: “I have tons of memories of guys winning titles, watching the little kids grow up and go off to college or become cops or whatever — at the other place. It’s just different, but it’s a good feeling (here), and I’m excited for it.”
—Contact Rich Garven at [email protected]. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @RichGarvenTG.
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