Eye on the Prize

Most teens spend their time kicking back in summer and maybe thinking about the upcoming school year. But there is one Naples 16-year-old looking to the pros. Pro boxing, to be exact. Marco Island Boxing Club’s Dyclan Felix just came off a silver medal win at the 2024 National Junior Olympics but has set his sights higher. “Right now, I just want to rack up as much experience as I can in the amateurs – more state tournaments, maybe a couple more nationals,” said Dyclan. “After high school, I’ll start transferring into more professional workouts, a more professional schedule and start making a transition to go professional.”

It was serendipitous that Dyclan would eventually land at the Marco Island Boxing Club. A brief stint in football was replaced by an interest in mixed martial arts and boxing. This led him to a gym within walking distance of his home where he started sparring every day. He paired up with a bigger, older guy who “hit me with the hardest right hand ever,” but instead of being a deterrent, it was a motivator. Is it safe to say the boxing bug hit him? “Yeah, it hit me,” said Dyclan.

The gym he was utilizing wasn’t modeled for training a full-time boxer. Enter The Marco Island Boxing Club.

“Dyclan was recommended to us by his then-current gym,” said Richie Stoltenborg, Marco Island Boxing Club founder. The Club moved off-island in the Fall when their current location was sold. Inferno MMA in Naples stepped up for the club, letting them set up a ring and utilize space. 

“Marco Island Boxing Club is the only full boxing gym dedicated to boxing,” said Coach Jeff Knorr. “And when we say that we mean full-range training, going to fights and bringing people out and getting them recognized.”

Dyclan and his dad met with Stoltenborg and Coach Knorr to learn more. They liked what they saw, and he transitioned to the club. Keep in mind that he was 13 going on 14 – quite a commitment for a young teenager.

“He’s not a professional boxer yet, but he trains like a professional and with professionals,” said Knorr. “He’s only 16 years old, but he does his own running. He’s got a bag at the house. He practices footwork and his moves.”

But it isn’t all about boxing for Dyclan. “I do want to go to school because I have a good drawing ability,” he said. “I want to start implementing that into classes and college classes.” When asked if drawing is a calm counterbalance to the adrenaline of boxing, Dyclan replies, “Absolutely. The one different thing about fighting for me is I know a lot of people get nervous and very jittery. But, you know, as hard as I train when I start getting into the ring, it’s more calming for me. I do a moment where I start bringing my mind into place.”

“You know, we’re not only working on boxing,” Knorr adds. “We make sure his curriculum at school is set and he’s getting the classes he wants and the order that is best for him. We also have some speaking engagements that he’s going to do.”

“We’re building character development and how to be a man,” said Stoltenborg. “Any of the kids at the gym can and will look somebody in the eye, shake their hands, and thank them.”

“There are a lot of people that go into professional boxing; they want the money, and they want to have this house and so on,” Dyclan said. “But my goals are not always tangible. Some are kind of intangible. And one of those is just having my character keep developing. Because when I started boxing, when I kept boxing, my character had to fill up. I used to be a little more rowdy, a little more rude to people. But always after boxing, I've always had to feel some pain. And it always humbled me. It helped me to want to help other people.”

The Club’s move off island was needed when the building they were in got sold. “What I miss about Marco Island is we had that public support,” said Stoltenborg, “and we still have it with all the members of F Troop and Peter Donaghy of Carmen Construction. We keep in touch with all our supporters to make sure they know what we’re doing. We’re still in operation. We’re still developing kids.”

Dyclan is using his boxing training and experience to mentor his younger siblings. “I chose to be an example for them so when they do get older, they’re like, ‘My brother has done this and he wasn’t afraid to try these different things,” Dyclan said. “Then it started breaking off to other kids saying, ‘Oh, I want to be like you.’ So, I always want to keep getting better and better, you know. I never try to put on like a façade or anything like that. I just always try to come in here with the best energy I can. But not every day is a good day,” he said. “But that’s why other people, they lift me up because they know the attitude and the energy that I come up here with. They uplift me if I’m ever just a little off.”

“One thing that Dyclan benefits from is that we have another top-level professional, Bill Hutchinson, who trains with us. And they give us a lot of insight on how not to burn them out,” said Knorr. “You know what longer term goals are because each of them has been fighting for over 20 years.”

Dyclan is becoming so good that they’re having problems getting him fights in Florida. “Nobody in the state really wants to fight him,” said Knorr. “We have to travel farther. The average guys coming through, we can always find them with local clubs. But we don’t have the quality of guys locally to fight Dyclan.”

“From here, it’s just getting better,” said Dyclan. “But obviously, I have to rest very hard. And when I rest hard, I do the things that I love to do, which is drawing, which is reading, which is staying with family and trying to keep myself mentally sharp. Because when I keep my mind mentally sharp, I have no regrets when I step back into the ring. I have more of an itch, more energy to get back in the ring and I’ll do even better than before.