All photos by Matt Cohn.
The Long Beach United Boxing Club is a new gym on 4th Street that, on the outside, appears to have been transported from the past, making it the perfect fitness spot to open right next to Retro Row. Owners Doug MacKinnon and Erik Sandin, both veteran punk-rock drummers, have created an inspiring environment that combines an old-school vibe with state-of-the-art fitness training.
“You don’t have to be a boxer to train like one,” says MacKinnon, a native of Boston who came to Long Beach in the mid-’80’s to partake of the thriving punk scene here. Two weeks after his arrival, he received a life-changing West Coast welcome; a punch in the face from the leader of one of Long Beach’s most notorious punk bands. “That’s when I realized that L.A. punk rock was definitely not for the weak,” says MacKinnon. Within a few months, MacKinnon had landed a gig with The Vandals, was witnessing regular and random punk violence, and had become committed to increasing his own toughness.
MacKinnon began training at a boxing gym on Long Beach Boulevard run by Charles Williams, father of professional heavyweight Jeremy Williams. “The first time I sparred there, I got the beating of my life,” says MacKinnon. “Jeremy literally chased me down the street and encouraged me not to quit.”
Driving down Anaheim Street months later, MacKinnon got a glimpse of a roomful of Cambodian refugees practicing Muay Thai kickboxing. Intrigued, he visited the small Long Beach Kickboxing Center and met the teacher, the legendary Muay Thai master Oumry Ban, former kickboxing champion of Cambodia whose professional record includes 200 victories by knockout. Under Ban’s tutelage, MacKinnon acquired the skills that enabled him to kickbox professionally and receive an invitation to train celebrity clients in Miami’s South Beach.
In Miami, MacKinnon would hang out with his old Long Beach buddy and drumming comrade Erik Sandin whenever Sandin’s band NOFX was in town. MacKinnon missed Long Beach and told Sandin (who holds a blue belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu) that if he ever moved back, they’d open a gym together. Sandin, originally from Glendale, had his own scrappy punk-rock past. “I was in a ‘group’ called the Dogpatch Winos,” he says. “We’d go to shows, get drunk, and get in fights.” His 30-year stint with NOFX has elevated him to exalted status among punk drummers.
In early 2012 MacKinnon moved back to Long Beach seeking a stress-free chapter in life, but his new gig training high-profile clients in Hollywood didn’t provide the tranquility he’d envisioned. He vented this to Sandin while they were surfing together one day, Sandin reminded him of the gym venture they’d discussed in Florida, and within a few weeks they’d secured their prime location on 4th Street just west of Cherry Avenue. “Erik, believing in me, made a dream come true,” says MacKinnon.
Long Beach United Boxing Club owners Doug MacKinnon (L) and Erik Sandin (R) with boxing instructor Liz Q. Parr.
Business at Long Beach United is booming. During the day, parents line the mat watching their kids learn boxing and conditioning from MacKinnon, and at night a roguish collection of locals comes to the gym to get sharp and hone some pugilistic skills. “Sometimes it looks like a tattoo convention,” says MacKinnon.
The gym feels airy and spacious but is packed with fitness gear, including a boxing ring, 20 full-length heavy bags, and enough kettlebells and dumbells to train a hipster army. Punk, metal, and old-school hip hop from a top-quality booming system keep the gym’s energy high. MacKinnon and his staff are tough as nails: Liz Q. Parr, boxing instructor, is a pro fighter from South Gate who has been duking it out since age 14. Mixed Martial Arts instructor Ashlee Evans-Smith is an up-and-coming pro MMA fighter, and her fellow MMA instructor Emanuel Newton is in the semi-finals of the Bellator Pro MMA Tournament.
To MacKinnon, drumming and fighting are “very similar. To the outside eye, they both look like complete mayhem, but on the inside there’s so much technique involved,” he explains. “They’re both positive releases of aggression.”
MacKinnon gets a bemused expression when asked to explain the importance of self-defense. “I like to call it ‘self-offense,’ “he says. “Once you make the decision to fight, you can’t let up. You’ve got to finish it. You’re at a high risk if you don’t.”
The toughness and artistry of LB United make it a great fit for 4th Street. “We’re doing this at a scale that suits our personality,” says MacKinnon. “It’s a place where like-minded and open-minded people can come and get fit.”
Long Beach United Boxing Club is located at 1936 E. 4th St. For information about day passes, classes, and memberships, please visit longbeachunitedboxingclub.com and facebook.com/longbeachunitedboxingclub
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