We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Roshawn Jones a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Roshawn, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

At the Miles Jones Foundation, alongside our Soul City Boxing nonprofit, our mission is rooted in healing, empowerment, and transformation—especially for underserved youth and families in Toledo, Ohio.

We operate out of a property dedicated to community development, where we run year-round programs that combine sports, mental health, mentorship, and life skills training. This space isn’t just a gym or foundation—it’s a safe haven, a second home, and a launchpad for a better future.

Why is this mission so meaningful to me? Because I’ve lived it. I’ve lost close friends and family members to violence and incarceration, and I’ve seen what happens when kids don’t have support or direction. I made a vow to break that cycle—by creating a space where young people could be coached, counseled, protected, and prepared for life.

Through Soul City and the Miles Jones Foundation, we offer:
• Boxing, wrestling, and team sports to build discipline and resilience
• Mental health support for kids with anxiety, behavioral issues, trauma, or bullying
• Life and job readiness programs that teach responsibility, self-respect, and entrepreneurship
• Hands-on training in real estate, construction, and community development
• Free food, transportation, and access to mentorship, thanks to key partnerships

Everything we do is about saving one life at a time—and giving kids a chance to rewrite their story. This isn’t just work. It’s legacy. It’s purpose.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is Roshawn Jones and I am the founder of Soul City Boxing and Wrestling Gym, the Miles Jones Foundation, and several other nonprofits and businesses that serve the community of Toledo, Ohio. I come from a place where resources were limited, where many of my peers were lost to violence, prison, or poverty. I used those experiences to fuel my mission to give back and create a structure for others to succeed, especially youth who come from hard situations like I did.

I got into this work by living it. I was a coach, a fighter, a mentor, a landlord, and a counselor all before I had a title. Over time, I turned those roles into businesses and nonprofit organizations. Today, I operate programs that offer youth sports training, mental health services, job and life skills training, and housing assistance. My goal is to build a complete support system—mentally, physically, and economically—for kids and families who need it most.

At Soul City Boxing and Wrestling Gym, we train athletes in boxing, wrestling, basketball, football, and more. We help them compete at the highest levels while also teaching them discipline, confidence, and structure. Many of our students become city champions, state qualifiers, national athletes, and even Olympians. Some go on to be leaders in business or return to give back.

Through the Miles Jones Foundation and our other initiatives, we offer mental health counseling, behavioral support, community service projects, and a summer program that keeps kids engaged through sports, library trips, art, building repairs, and real-world learning. We also run events that support suicide prevention, social anxiety awareness, and trauma recovery. Many of our kids are bullied, anxious, angry, or shy when they join us. We teach them how to protect themselves, express themselves, and believe in who they are becoming.

I am also a real estate investor and business owner. I provide affordable housing, renovate distressed properties, and teach others how to build equity and credit. I believe that owning something and learning how to maintain it builds pride and purpose. I am currently developing a carry-out food business and multiple community spaces to provide jobs and services in underserved neighborhoods.

What sets me apart is my approach. I do not just offer one program or one solution. I build full pathways that lead from survival to success. I do this work not because it is popular but because I made a promise to save at least one life at a time. I understand the streets, I understand the pain, and I know how to build something real from the ground up.

I am most proud of the lives we have changed and the kids who now believe in themselves because someone gave them a shot. I am proud of my children who inspire me to stay focused and build something lasting. And I am proud of staying true to my purpose through it all.

If you follow my work, support my brand, or join one of our programs, just know you are a part of something rooted in love, truth, resilience, and legacy. This is not just business. It is a mission to restore hope and create champions—in life and in the ring.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

One story that truly reflects my resilience is from the very beginning of my professional boxing career. I had little amateur experience and jumped into the deep end by fighting someone four weight classes above me. Most people thought I was crazy. In the first round, I got knocked down. At that moment, everything I had been through in life flashed in front of me—the struggles, the doubters, the losses, the people I had already buried way too young. But I refused to quit.

I got back up.

Not only did I keep fighting, but I came back in that same round and knocked my opponent down. That moment wasn’t just about boxing. It was about life. It was about getting hit hard and still standing up, still believing, still swinging. That’s how I live. That’s how I lead.

Since then, I’ve faced countless challenges—building nonprofits from the ground up with no grants, losing loved ones to gun violence, navigating legal threats, raising kids, coaching athletes, fixing up houses with my own two hands, and helping others through their darkest moments. I never stopped moving forward.

My resilience doesn’t come from comfort. It comes from pain, purpose, and a promise I made to myself a long time ago—to never give up and to always help others do the same.

Have you ever had to pivot?

One major pivot in my life came when I realized that boxing alone wasn’t enough. I had built a strong reputation as a coach and trainer, helping youth become champions, even Olympians. But I started to notice something deeper—many of the kids walking through my gym doors weren’t just looking for a place to train. They were dealing with trauma, anger, anxiety, broken homes, and emotional pain. Some were being bullied. Others were on the verge of giving up.

That’s when I knew I had to pivot.

I expanded my vision from just building fighters to building whole individuals. I partnered with mental health professionals and formed nonprofit programs like the Miles Jones Foundation. I started offering behavior support, therapy access, summer camps, job readiness, and real-world skill building. I created safe spaces not just for athletes, but for humans—kids, parents, returning citizens, and struggling families.

I even pivoted into real estate so I could provide affordable housing and create hands-on learning spaces. I opened my properties up to community use, not just for profit but for purpose. I transformed broken-down homes into classrooms and healing environments.

This shift didn’t come with a blueprint. I had to learn by doing, investing my own money and time. But it saved lives. It gave purpose to pain. That pivot is what turned my work from training into a true mission. And I wouldn’t change a thing.

Contact Info:

• Other: Website:
  https://tubbsllc.wixsite.com/rjenterprisesllc

  https://milesjonesfoundation.co/

  Instagram:
  @soulcityboxing
  @roshawn_jones

  LinkedIn:
  Roshawn Jones (

  Twitter:
  @SoulCityBoxing @roshawn_jones

  Facebook:
  Facebook.com/SoulCityBoxing

  YouTube:
  https://www.youtube.com/@soulcityboxinggym

  SoundCloud:
  RoShawn jones )

Image Credits

RoShawn jones