Off the Clock: Elizabeth Martelli throws punches—for a good cause

Elizabeth Martelli, PhD Writing and Rhetoric ‘19, first arrived at George Mason in 2014 as a PhD student. Now an associate professor in the English Department, Martelli teaches ENGH 302 in the Composition Program, working with students across majors as they develop as researchers and writers in their disciplines.

Martelli loves helping students find their way through the writing process—especially those who have an aversion to writing or see it as a challenge.

“I love breaking the research and writing process down into smaller, more manageable steps and helping students see that writing is not something you either ‘can’ or ‘can’t’ do,” said Martelli. “It is a practice.”

Martelli brings the same mindset to her activities outside work. Surprising even herself, Martelli is training as an amateur boxer and will compete in a boxing match this fall to raise money in support of cancer research and awareness with Haymakers for Hope. Her boxing efforts will fight against the disease that has become the fight of many people’s lives, including some of her loved ones.

We asked Martelli to share more about what inspired her to enter the ring. 

Share a bit about Haymakers for Hope and its mission. 

Haymakers for Hope, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, gives everyday people the chance to train like fighters, step into the ring for a USA Boxing-sanctioned amateur boxing match, and raise money for cancer research, care, awareness, and survivorship programs. 

Their motto is, “This fight is bigger than any of us,” and that captures what drew me to the organization. I learned about Haymakers for Hope about three years ago. I had been boxing for fitness for years, but I had never competed. The idea that amateurs could go through a serious training camp, fight in a real sanctioned event, and use that experience to raise money for cancer immediately stayed with me. 

The cause is deeply personal. Cancer has touched many people in my life, including my grandmother and uncle, and I lost my mother to cancer in 2008. So, this is not just about checking off a personal goal. It is about doing something difficult and meaningful in honor of people I love and so many others affected by cancer.

Have sports and exercise always been big parts of your life?

I started boxing when I began my PhD program at George Mason. At first, it was just a fitness class and a way to manage the stress of graduate school. I was not training to fight. I was trying to survive the pressure of reading, writing, teaching, researching, and figuring out who I was becoming. 

But boxing stayed with me because it gave me something I did not always get from academic life: a reminder that growth comes through repetition, correction, humility, and practice. 

I did not grow up as a competitive athlete, and I certainly did not imagine that I would be training for my first boxing match in my 50s. That is part of what makes this so meaningful to me. At 52, I am entering the ring for the first time, and I am currently in a pro-fighter-style training camp. For 16 weeks, I am training six days a week, balancing conditioning, boxing, roadwork, strength training, and recovery. It is intense, humbling, and honestly sometimes terrifying. But it is also a reminder that we are allowed to keep becoming. We are allowed to start something hard later in life. We are allowed to surprise ourselves.

Have you learned any lessons through this experience?    

Boxing has taught me that progress is built through consistent practice, feedback, setbacks, and perseverance. That is also why I see such a strong connection between boxing and writing. Neither one is about being perfect. Both require you to show up, do the work, make adjustments, and keep growing. 

It has also taught me that confidence often comes after action, not before it. You do not wait until you feel brave to do the hard thing. You do the hard thing, and that is how bravery grows. 

Training for this fight has reminded me that we can use our bodies, our stories, and our communities in service of something larger than ourselves. I am stepping into the ring as a first-time fighter, but I am also stepping in as a daughter, a teacher, a colleague, and someone who knows what it means to lose people to cancer. This experience has reminded me that it is never too late to challenge an old story about who you are or what you are capable of becoming.

Martelli will compete in Haymakers for Hope’s Beltway Brawl on Wednesday, September 16, at The Anthem in Washington, D.C.