Anthony ‘A1’ Marsella fell into the sport by chance, “boxing was never part of the plan” says the 22 year old Rhode Islander. It began as a desire to be able to defend himself. He went to the gym a couple of times but wasn’t really interested. After going to a local show he was inspired to try again and agreed to enter a local tournament, “I said yes for no other reason than I have too big an ego” says Marsella who has had a competitive streak from the outset.

It was an inauspicious start. With no real training and no fitness, a young Marsella lost his first bout. A loss was all it took for the ultra-competitive genes to kick in and he started taking the sport seriously. It was the start of a quick rise to prominence: he won all the local tournaments, winning regionals and picking up several medals at nationals, although he never won a title which he says haunts him to this day.