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More Than a Fight: The Rise of Malachi “Mali” Ross and the Revival of Boxing’s Soul
June 3, 2025 - By Wesley Phillippe, Los Angeles, Sports, Entertainment, Boxing, Culture & Impact
I hadn’t been on Facebook in a couple of years.
Then May 2025 came around, and for whatever reason—call it curiosity or divine timing—I logged back in. A few scrolls in, a video caught my eye. It wasn’t just the speed or the precision of the young boxer in the clip—it was the presence. The focus. The fire. His name: Malachi Ross. But those close to him just call him “Mali.”
I hit play. Then replay. Then I hit “message.”
That click became a conversation. That conversation became a connection. And now, that moment has become something more: a chapter in boxing’s next wave of history.
Out of curiosity, I opened MSN.com to see how boxing was being covered. There wasn’t even a tab for it—just one for UFC/MMA. In that moment, the urgency of this piece crystallized. Boxing isn’t just underrepresented. It’s under threat. And if the sport is to survive, it won’t be because of contracts or politics. It’ll be because of fighters like Mali—fighters with grit, vision, and roots
Malachi Ross as a toddler, training for reigning. Video Credit: Micah Ross
Born in Kansas City and raised in Grandview, Missouri, Malachi Ross didn’t start in a state-of-the-art gym. His first training ground was his own driveway. His father, Micah Ross, was his first coach—teaching fundamentals under streetlights and summer heat. Those driveway sessions were more than father-son bonding; they were blueprint moments. The type that define character before careers.
By eight, Mali was in real rings. By his teen years, he was feared for his footwork, speed, and focus. In 2023, he dominated the USA Boxing National Championship—winning every round, every fight, without compromise. No flash. Just facts. Now, as a 13-time national champion, Mali’s dominance isn't up for debate—it's being documented, and redefined.
But scroll through the images from his journey, and the essence of who Mali is comes alive.
MALI X MICAH ROSS
MALI X TERENCE "BUD" CRAWFORD
LEGENDARY GOALS...
The photo above shows a young Malachi, glowing with pride, sitting on his dad’s lap with a championship belt across his chest. The next equally powerful photo—shows Mali side-by-side with boxing icon Terence “Bud” Crawford, the undisputed world champion across multiple weight classes and widely considered one of the greatest pound-for-pound fighters of this era. In that moment, Mali wasn’t just meeting a legend—he was staring into a mirror of possibility.
That image says everything. Crawford represents what’s possible. Mali represents what’s next.
And today, that future is quickly becoming the present.
What’s kept him grounded? His faith. His family. His vision.
“I balance it with prayer and hard work,” he told us. “God keeps me grounded. My family keeps me focused.”
At the center of that family is Micah Ross—not only a coach, but a mentor, a barber, and a builder. Micah taught Mali the art of cutting hair when he was just a teen, continuing a legacy passed down from Malachi’s older brother, Ryone Winters, a former Division I football player at Wyoming who now runs his own barbershop.
“I got my first clippers at 13,” Mali recalls. “My pops handed them to me like, ‘Here you go.’ I was like, ‘What do I even do with these?’”
He figured it out. And today, he’s cutting hair for Team USA teammates during camp, using his hands not just to throw punches—but to shape identity, craft, and connection.
But that’s only part of the story. The same hands that box and barber also build wealth—and homes.
Malachi has been flipping houses with his father, learning real estate as a long-term game plan. And it’s not just talk.
Video clips and behind-the-scenes photos show Mali in action—loading materials, hammering frames, painting walls—channeling the same discipline he uses in the ring into the foundation of homes.
“I started a promotion company to promote myself in boxing. I want to use the proceeds to invest in real estate and other businesses,” he shared. “It’s not just about today—it’s about building something that lasts.”
This branding mentality shows up everywhere—from the now-iconic "MR" logo on his shirts and shorts, to the way his family rocks matching gear in and out of the ring. It’s cohesion. It’s clarity. It’s brand, purpose, and promise.
One of the most striking images in Malachi’s journey isn’t even in the ring—it’s backstage. Wearing “TEAM ROSS” on his back, braids tight, gloves wrapped, surrounded by his team, Mali prepares with a quiet fire. That moment—one foot in the ring, one foot in legacy—captures everything he’s fighting for.
But even champions face humbling moments.
“There was a guy I didn’t think was on my level,” Malachi admits. “I wasn’t in shape. He gave me a fight. I still won. But it reminded me—never take anything lightly.” That humility isn’t weakness. It’s wisdom.
Looking ahead, Malachi isn’t just thinking about medals. He’s thinking about movements.
“If I could build something for the youth,” he says, “it would be boxing or barber training. Even carpentry. Anything that gives them tools to build.”
Because Mali isn’t just building a résumé. He’s building a blueprint.
Ask him what success looks like, and he won’t hesitate.
“A relationship with God. Financial freedom. Being a world champion.”
And when it’s all said and done?
“I want to be remembered as a God-fearing man. A world champion. A leader. A good person who gave back to his community.”
That’s what makes this more than a sports story. It’s a spirit story.
In a world where boxing is often pushed aside for flashier content, fighters like Malachi Ross force the conversation back to the center. Not with noise. But with substance.
He’s a boxer. A barber. A builder. A believer.
So, while MSN may have forgotten boxing exists, NOVELCITY News didn’t. Because this story—Malachi’s story—isn’t just about fighting in the ring.
It’s about fighting for presence. For purpose. For the future.
And Malachi Ross—“Mali” to those who know what time it is—is doing all three.
Stay tuned to NCN for updates on upcoming fights, exclusive content, and sparring highlights—especially as we scout top-tier 154 lbs weight division boxing talent matchups in Los Angeles and across the country. Who's ready?
Let’s connect: news@novelopers.com
Because this isn’t just a sport.
This is survival.
Malachi “Mali” Ross is leading the fight—and NOVELCITY News is telling the story.
Writers. Teams. Visionaries. Join the Movement.
We’re looking for contributors, brand collaborators, and editorial partners who believe that what’s happening in LA and cities around the world isn’t just a local story—it’s a global signal.
Let’s show the world how sports can regenerate cities, anchor equitable growth, and inspire generations.
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Note: By 2027, NCN will expand to 43 cities across the globe, activating a global storytelling network to map the new economic landscape and spotlight the cities building what’s next.
First stops: Los Angeles, Kansas City, Miami, New York, Washington DC, Denver, Houston, Seattle, Phoenix, Bay Area, New Orleans, Orlando, Boston, Austin, and
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From Relief to Regeneration: How LA’s Teams Are Laying the Groundwork for the Next Great Collaboration Era
May 2, 2025 - By Wesley Phillippe, Los Angeles, Sports, Entertainment, Community Impact
Los Angeles, CA | January 17, 2025 — On a day marked by urgency and unity, the Los Angeles Rams joined forces with the city’s 11 other professional sports teams for a landmark donation event at The Shops at Hollywood Park, rallying in response to the unprecedented wildfires that displaced thousands across Los Angeles.
What took place was more than a charitable drive. It was a blueprint for something bigger.
Over $3 million in goods were distributed through Fanatics, alongside vital resources—from mental health care and legal guidance to groceries, clothing, and school supplies—contributed by team partners like Uber, Cedars-Sinai, Albertsons/Vons/Pavilions, and Call Jacob. With Aaron Donald, Todd Gurley, and front office staff on-site, the Rams activated not just star power, but system power. Three city-wide venues—SoFi Stadium, Dodger Stadium, and BMO Stadium—served as hubs of hope.
It was a powerful testament to what happens when LA’s sports ecosystem aligns around purpose.
But that was just the start.
From Recovery to Regeneration: May 2025 and Beyond
Now, five months later, as Los Angeles begins to shift from emergency response to long-term renewal, the question isn't just how we rebuild—but who tells the story of how it's being rebuilt.
NOVELCITY News (NCN) is launching a new Sports & Entertainment Column to chronicle this exact moment—where teams, players, brands, and neighborhoods are forging the future together. With global events approaching, including FIFA 2026, the 2028 Olympics, and the city’s expanding sports infrastructure boom, now is the time to document the movement—not just the milestones.
This new column doesn’t just capture moments—it catalyzes them.
Introducing the NCN Sports & Entertainment Column
Where Sports Culture Meets System Design
Built from the ground up in Los Angeles, this column will track the evolution of sports as a force for regenerative impact, civic imagination, and cross-sector collaboration. Think of it as part pulse check, part blueprint, part megaphone for what the world needs to see in sports leadership today.
What We Cover:
This is not sideline reporting. This is storytelling as civic infrastructure.
Why NCN is Calling on LA's Teams and Partners
To the Rams, Dodgers, Sparks, Lakers, Clippers, Galaxy, LAFC and every franchise shaping the city’s future—we believe your role is bigger than game day.
You’re not just tenants in the LA story. You are architects of it.
By partnering with NCN, your organization becomes a central narrative anchor in:
What Our Column Offers
Writers. Teams. Visionaries. Join the Movement.
We’re looking for contributors, brand collaborators, and editorial partners who believe that what’s happening in LA isn’t just a local story—it’s a global signal.
Let’s show the world how sports can regenerate cities, anchor equitable growth, and inspire generations.
Contact Us:
Note: By 2027, NCN will expand to 43 cities across the globe, activating a global storytelling network to map the new economic landscape and spotlight the cities building what’s next.
First stops: Los Angeles, Kansas City, Miami, New York, Washington DC, Denver, Houston, Seattle, Phoenix, Bay Area, New Orleans, Orlando, Boston, Austin, and
Las Vegas
Stay tuned. Subscribe. There’s a novel story in your city—and we’re here to tell it.
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#NovelCityNews #NCN43x27 #InnovationJournalism #NextEconomy
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BUILDING NOVEL CITIES. FOR THE CULTURE. FOR THE FUTURE.
This ain’t your average city-building campaign. This is Gen-N turning streets into strategy, block by block, borough by borough, blueprint by blueprint.
43 Novel Cities by 2027. From South Central to South Bronx. From Kansas City corners to Miami rooftops. We’re transforming hoods into hubs. Culture into capital. Vision into value. This is the urban regeneration era.
We’re calling on:
Innovators turning pain into prototypes
Community builders who can flip abandoned lots into learning labs
Storytellers who make the mic a movement
Organizers, educators, architects, artists, and real ones ready to help rewrite the system—not patch it
From SoFi to South Side, we’re lighting up cities with new energy—rooted in equity, powered by purpose, and built to last. Whether you’re a councilmember or a corner visionary—you belong in this movement.
We’re not here to fix cities. We’re here to flip the script and build future ones. Together.
Partner up → novelcities@novelopers.com
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43 Cities. All Culture. All Future.
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A New Era in Innovation Journalism Begins — Welcome to NOVELCITY NEWS
April 21, 2025 - By Wesley Phillippe, Los Angeles, Novel Cities
A bold new voice in global innovation media has officially launched: NOVELCITY NEWS (NCN). Born out of Kansas City’s rich legacy of entrepreneurial grit and visionary storytelling, NCN is a next-generation media platform focused on identifying, tracking, and celebrating the people, ventures, and cities shaping the future of business and society.
With the philosophy that “There’s a NOVELCITY in every city,” the platform takes a hyperlocal-to-global approach—connecting grassroots ecosystems with global capital, talent, and opportunity.
From deep-dive features on startup traction and corporate reinvention, to immersive reporting on urban transformation, legal innovation, and new approaches to wealth creation, NCN is not just reporting stories—it’s building the archive of the next economy.
Coming soon:
Annual Lists & Rankings, including Top 100 Novel Professionals, Most Investable Ventures, and the NOVELCITY Index.
High-impact editorial verticals like TRACTION, NEW 2 NOVELCITY, NOVEL PROFESSIONALS, and NOVEL VENTURES.
Cross-sector intelligence from media, research, education, legal, and financial innovation perspectives.
And this is just the beginning. By 2027, NCN will expand to 43 cities across the globe, activating a global storytelling network to map the new economic landscape and spotlight the cities building what’s next.
📍First stops: Los Angeles, Kansas City, Miami, New York, Washington DC, Denver, Houston, Seattle, Phoenix, Bay Area, New Orleans, Orlando, Boston, Austin, and
Las Vegas
Stay tuned. Subscribe. There’s a novel story in your city—and we’re here to tell it.
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Examine This: Why NCN Needs an Innovation Column Built on Systems, Not Just Startups
A new space for Gen-N to decode how innovation really works—across products, processes, systems, services, and organizations.
Published: April 20, 2025 | By Wesley Phillippe | NOVELCITY News | Opinion
Innovation is the most overused word in media—and the most misunderstood.
Every tech press release promises it.
Every startup pitch invokes it.
But here at NOVELCITY News, where we operate inside a 12-environment storytelling architecture designed to reshape systems, we’ve realized something critical:
Innovation deserves its own infrastructure.
It’s time for NCN to launch an Innovation Column—not as a buzzword showcase, but as a deep-dive platform that decodes the actual architecture of breakthrough change.
We’re Not Just Covering Innovation. We’re Constructing It.
Innovation isn't a pitch deck or a press release. It's a structure.
That’s why this proposed NCN Innovation Column would spotlight the five essential forms of innovation drawn from thought leaders like Dr. Nam P. Suh, the former head of mechanical engineering at MIT and a global systems design pioneer:
“Innovation is not invention. It’s the integration of function and form, often through the reconfiguration of constraints.”
– Dr. Nam P. Suh
Based on Suh’s axiomatic design thinking and expanded Gen-N contextual analysis, we propose that the column explore innovation across five dimensions:
Gen-N to California: Thanks for the AI Policy Blueprint—But We’re Not Here to Protect the Status Quo
Why Governance Must Keep Pace with Creativity—and Why Gen-N Isn’t Waiting on Big Tech, Big Regulation, or Big Talk to Lead Responsibly
Published: April 13, 2025 | By Wesley Phillippe | NOVELCITY News | Opinion
Let’s make one thing clear: regulation is no longer optional.
But let’s make another thing even clearer: regulation must be reimagined.
California’s recent AI policy framework—backed by Governor Newsom’s expert panel—is a meaningful step forward. It seeks balance: innovation on one hand, accountability on the other. That’s the sweet spot where most think tanks love to camp out.
But here’s the truth: balance isn’t what Gen-N is after.
We’re after transformation.
The Rebirth of Journalism: 3 Urgent Shifts for the Media Architects of the Future
Rethinking the 2024–2025 World Press Trends Through the Eyes of Gen-N
Published: April 13, 2025,
By: Wesley Phillippe | Los Angeles, NOVELCITY News | Media Trends
The media industry isn’t just changing—it’s undergoing a profound identity crisis. According to the World Press Trends Outlook 2024–2025—curated by global journalism expert Damian Radcliffe—we’re witnessing a pivotal moment where old models break down and new ones must emerge.
For Gen-N—the Novel Generation—this isn’t a disruption to fear. It’s a blueprint to rewrite. Below are three transformative shifts reinterpreted for innovators, storytellers, and system-builders determined to shape the future of civic voice and public trust.
Beyond the Survey: 5 Research Trends Fueling the Insight Economy of 2025
Reframing the Future of Market Research for Gen-N and the Novel Economy
Published: April 13, 2025 | By: Wesley Phillippe | NOVELCITY News | Research Trends
The world no longer moves in quarters—it moves in moments. For researchers, that means the traditional ways of gathering, interpreting, and applying insight are no longer enough. As we push deeper into 2025, insight has become infrastructure—a core engine for responsive business, civic innovation, and cultural design.
At NOVELCITY News, we’re tracking the evolution of the insight economy as part of the foundational toolkit for builders, educators, investors, and policymakers shaping novel cities and ventures. Based on the latest signals from the field—including thought leadership from Bulbshare’s Nina Glynn—here are five seismic shifts in market research every Gen-N innovator should understand.
From Balance Sheets to Build Mode: The Future of Finance is Fluid
The KPMG “30 Voices on 2030” Report—Decoded and Reimagined for the Builders of the Next Economy
Published: April 13, 2025 | By Wesley Phillippe | NOVELCITY News | Financial Trends
Let’s be real—finance used to be slow, stale, and gated.
Then Gen-N pulled up with a different mindset: money isn’t just capital—it’s a catalyst. Today, we’re not waiting for the old system to evolve. We’re rewiring it with APIs, DAOs, smart contracts, micro-loans, tokenized assets, AI underwriting, and embedded everything.
KPMG’s 30 Voices on 2030 confirms what we already knew: the system isn’t broken. It’s been reborn.
Here’s the drop—from the top floor of institutional finance to the street-level tech where Gen-N lives and leads.
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