Bayanihan Boxing strives to embody the meaning of bayanihan as “a culture of solidarity,” “a spirit of collective action” and “a harvest of heroic acts.”

We intend to acquaint the world with the bayanihan spirit as a way of encouraging all colonized peoples to reconnect with, reclaim and revere their indigenous roots.

We call our participants “mga bagani” or “warriors for the people.”

We train to become warriors for the people, through martial arts, and in all possible ways. The words “bagani” and “bayani” are cognates which have historical significance in many indigenous cultures of the Philippines. They are also the root of the word “bayanihan.”

Bayanihan Boxing aligns with all movements for environmental & social justice, liberation and mass-oriented progress. We actively support campaigns that advance such causes. We are responsive to calls to action in relation to these causes and campaigns, rather than denying, deflecting or distracting from them.

While we uplift the brilliance & progressive aspects of renowned people in sports & martial arts, we challenge and create an alternative to the sports industrial complex as a profit-driven, consumerist, extractive, opulent, bureaucratic, hypermasculine distraction from issues of justice, liberation & mass-oriented progress.

We are focused on our baganis’ holistic health and well-being, especially their mental health. We offer therapeutic practices from experiences of stress, trauma, anxiety and depression. We create conditions for healthy social interactions. We aim to build community and self-actualization as a redirection from loneliness and isolation. We strive to make more attainable the conditions for exercise, nutrition, joy, rest and togetherness as antidotes to escapism, vices, poor habits and declining health.

We are committed to keeping our program affordable to anyone who wants to be part of it. We have financial needs & standard rates, but we ask our baganis to contribute what they are comfortable with, and what is within their means. We offer free or discounted programming to anyone who needs them.

We give a considerable amount of effort to learn about our baganis. We prepare our best in advance for their classes. We offer programs that support their intentions, goals and needs.

We strive to keep our program accessible to people of varying ages, body types, as well as levels of ability and fitness. We tailor our classes so that each bagani, regardless of their age, body type, level of ability or fitness, will find their time meaningful at our program. We support our baganis’ evolving intentions and goals, from the newcomers to the competitive fighters.

We are committed to our basic principles.

We create an environment that is uncompromisingly safe, meaningful, trusting and encouraging. We strive to be attuned with the needs and lived experiences of trans, queer, femme and gender expansive folks. We create an alternative to sports environments that normalize sexism, machismo and toxic masculinity.

At Bayanihan Boxing, we prefer two-hour classes. This allows us more time to build community, include holistic & mindfulness practices, and deeply teach people the language of the sweet science, as well as meaningful life skills.

We are an equity-based company, and we are exploring possibilities for future co-ownership with people who are aligned with our values, and who are invested in our vision.

Through this program, we honor the spirit of Reynaldo Timosa “Mister REY” Novicio Jr, who through Filipinx Mental Health Initiative, started a partnership with jxtheo to begin Bayanihan Boxing in 2018 at the Bayanihan Community Center. We honor Amado Khaya Canham Rodriguez, Melvin Factor, Celestino “Tino” Illustrisimo, Coltrane, Vincent Kukua, Kali Diwa “Ube” Redondiez, AJ Ibañez, Zoe Nika Reidy-Watts “Nika Killa Watts”, Arthur Scott, Luis Manuel Arguello-Inglis, Linda Steele II, Victor Chen, Mark Stephen Aquino, Láwû Makuriye’nte (Mango), Mohammed Al-Najjar, our martyrs in Falasteen, and the many more loved ones who live on with us in spirit.

Our fighting community is committed to bayanihan, to healthy relationships, to holistic wellness, to mental health, to transformative justice, to femme’s and LGBTQ+ self-defense. We are fighting for a just & liberated world. We are committed in the spirit of our new ancestors, and in preparation for our generations ahead. Free Falasteen!!!