Boombox’s Story
Boombox, the home of Recreational MMA
In 2023, after ten years of providing expert martial art instruction to everyday people from every background, the MKG Detroit Martial Arts Group created Boombox as a safe space to welcome our community to Kickboxing, Grappling, Boxing, and more! The vibe was designed to be friendly and social, the environment safe, and the space filled with fitness, music, art, culture, and camaraderie.
Upon opening, Boombox Founder Kurt Cornwell met professional fight Coach Shamal Freeman. After many months of working together on various projects, the two decided to collaborate on building a new Grappling Program at Boombox, and as such, Boombox BJJ was born! Coach Shamal brings with him great expertise in Coaching and Fighting in Jiu-Jitsu, Catch Wrestling, Muay Thai, Kickboxing, and Mixed Martial Arts. These impressive qualifications, mixed with Coach Kurt’s technical expertise in Striking and Muay Thai, and lifetime of experience in the Martial Arts, gave rise to the creation of the BMBX Pro/Amateur Fight Team in January 2025!
MKG Detroit continues their legacy of inclusivity and community building through the Martial Arts Lifestyle through Boombox’s Recreational Mixed Martial Arts Program, a perfect fit for Ferndale.
Training mixed martial arts at Boombox is a healthy lifestyle practice that is great for fitness, self defense, athletic improvement, stress relief, and team building. Opportunities are available for those interested in competing on a local, state, or national level. Boombox is unlike any other Martial Art or Functional Fitness experience in Metro Detroit. Stop by and see what makes this community so unique.
Teen + Youth classes also available.
Our Vision
At Boombox, we believe that martial arts and combat sports should be accessible to all people, regardless of experience or lifestyle. That’s why we’ve created a welcoming environment where our community members can have the time and space to master these transformative life skills, and discover inner strengths they never knew they had.
Similar to Yoga, Martial Art has been a personal and tribal practice for centuries. Used not only to keep one’s self, family, and community safe during times of turmoil, Martial Art has also been consistently used during peacetime to maintain the physical and mental health of people from all cultures. Boombox gives equal priority to all of these motivations.
Our Story
2013 — Midtown, Detroit, MI
MKG Detroit Martial Arts Group founded by Boombox co-owner, Kurt Cornwell
2015 — Corktown, Detroit, & Southfield, MI
MKG Detroit begins running multiple weekly sessions in Southfield MI and the historic Corktown neighborhood in Detroit.
2016 — Ferndale, MI
MKG Detroit puts down permanent roots at the first full-time MKG studio in the state of Michigan, MKG Detroit: Martial Arts & Functional Fitness, on Hilton Rd in Ferndale.
2020 — Ferndale, MI
MKG Detroit is forced to close its doors permanantly due to COVID-19 lockdown
2020 — Ferndale, MI
CrossFit HCS leadership team graciously hosts MKG Detroit for a rebirth of programming, making a comeback possible despite the difficulties of COVID-19.
Classes quickly grow from 2 weekly training sessions to 17 weekly classes
Requiring a larger space, the vision for a community wellness center where movement arts and martial arts can co-exist begins.
2023 — Ferndale, MI
Boombox is born! Largely the vision of Kurt Cornwell, Amariah Houseknecht, and Tim Clark, Boombox is created as a welcoming community center with a mission to introduce everyone to the powerful life practice of the Martial Arts. Along with this is the creation of our two BMBX Youth Programs.
2024 — Ferndale, MI
Coach Shamal creates Boombox BJJ, the first fully-comprehensive Jiu Jitsu and Catch Wrestling program in Ferndale history. Coach Kurt expands the MKG Muay Thai Program, launching Origin, Ferndale’s first fully-comprehensive Thai Boxing Training Program.
2025 — Ferndale, MI, Wayne, MI
Coach Shamal and Coach Kurt create the Boombox Pro-Amateur Fight Team. Cortex-CSG begins representing Boombox in multiple Grappling tournaments, winning multiple gold and silver medals.
2026 — Ferndale, MI, Des Moines, IA
In only it’s second year of representing Boombox at the TBA National Muay Thai Tournament in Des Moines, Iowa, the western hemisphere’s longest-running Thai Boxing tournament, Origin Muay Thai fighter John Langdon brings home the championship belt in his division!
Team Cortex continues to win multiple gold and silver grappling medals at tournaments like NAGA and Grappling Industries.
Boombox grows to the point of needing more training space, and absorbs the commercial space next door, over-doubling our footprint, making our area’s only 4,000 sq ft MMA training facility.
