At ChokDee, we believe there is a fighter in everybody.
Cyrus “Black Dynamite” Washington, the founder of ChokDee, holds that belief as a guiding principle. It’s a belief that’s seen him through countless travails, one he hopes will see you through all your life’s struggles as well. And it’s on that belief that he’s established ChokDee, a company that aims to unleash your inner fighter, in whatever form that may take.
Cyrus “Black Dynamite” Washington is an American kickboxer and Lethwei fighter. He is a former WKA, WMF, WKBF, and PK-1 Muay Thai World Champion, a former WBC US National Champion, and a WMC and Lumpinee Stadium title contender. He’s also a third-degree black belt in WTF Taekwondo, a blue belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and trained in Savate, Jeet Kune do, Kempo, Wrestling, Boxing, and Silat.
Cyrus has accrued his titles over a life dotted with struggle — troubles with the law, experience with entrenched racism both subtle and overt, homelessness, and violence. Just recently, Cyrus survived a shooting at a club while working security, but the incident has left him with an indelible mark in the form of nerve damage in his legs.
The two ends of the spectrum — the highs of being a world champion and a lifetime of continued struggle — complement each other. Cyrus believes in accepting the highs and lows of life, to keep smiling, and keep fighting. And he brings that spirit into all his endeavors, including ChokDee and his coaching of MMA fighters.
Cyrus had been obsessed with martial arts since he was 4 or 5 years of age, though he believes the word “obsessed” doesn’t accurately capture the spiritual dimensions of his experience. His mom encouraged his love of martial arts, complementing it with her own infectious infatuation. He joined his first Taekwondo class at the age of 10 — his mom enrolled him into the class shortly after he’d been in a fight that left him with bruises.
Cyrus trained with Shandy Galloway, a 6 dan black belt who eventually became his lifelong instructor, someone whose wisdom and guidance he still relies on. Cyrus trained every day, even though beginners were only encouraged to train every other day. But a fire had been ignited within him, and it was impossible to keep him away from the lessons. He didn’t care what other beginners did — he wanted to train every day, and that’s precisely what he did for 3 years straight. Besides his official instructor, he also trained in boxing with his uncle, a pro who taught him to throw a punch.
Cyrus believes one of his formative experiences was as a black individual in a predominantly white and Hispanic neighborhood in Marshall, Michigan. He wasn’t yet 18 when his mom moved to the neighborhood. The neighborhood was a step up in strictly practical terms — it boasted a negligible crime rate, a significant improvement over his previous neighborhood. But it posed other challenges — being the only black family in the area led to a fair bit of ostracism and discomfort.
In one particularly glaring incident, Cyrus recalls waking up early one morning to his mom’s hysterical cries. An 8-feet tall wooden cross stood prominently in their front yard. His mother believed it had been planted by her ex. Cyrus believed it to have been two kids in his school who had been picking fights with him all year. He finds humor in the fact that the kids couldn’t get the cross to light on fire despite their attempts at using kerosene.
Cyrus believes martial arts helped him keep his composure and be the bigger person. As he’d soon find, martial arts would be his saving grace at multiple crossroads.
Cyrus got into streetlife shortly after his senior year of school. He had been turned out of the house by his grandma, his best friend had passed away in a car accident, and he found himself homeless. He resided in a town that was once called the murder capital of the world. And the only way he could conceive to provide for himself was to start selling drugs, which, in turn, led to a downward spiral through gang affiliations, carrying guns, and troubles with the law.
He was in and out of jail for several years for petty crimes, such as speeding tickets and marijuana possession. His master instructor helped him get a job because he was out on probation, on the condition that he get a job. But he quit the job soon after to reestablish his patterns. Eventually, he found himself in prison for 4 years. In all this time that he’d been drifting, he had lost touch with his training. And he had no intention of getting clean while he was in prison.
He got out of prison late in 2005. Shortly after, he got a TV and watched the K-1 Grand Prix on ESPN. He saw Michael Mcdonald, Remy Bonjasky, Stefan Leko, and Badr Hari fight. Instantly, he knew that nothing else mattered — he wanted to be a kickboxer.
Cyrus was released from prison in 2005. He won his first amateur boxing in early 2006 — a KO in round 1 with his mom in attendance. Buoyed by the feeling, he stayed busy all year long until he turned pro in Muay Thai. He remembers a particular match wherein he’d agreed to a kickboxing fight for a promotion named “Draka,” but he was informed at the last minute that it would be an MMA fight. He finished wrapping his hands and agreed — he’d come to compete, and that’s all that mattered. Even though he lost the match, he believes he won the respect of his peers because he didn’t back down.
He trained under several different coaches for a while, including Ricardo Perez in Chicago and Master Toddy in Vegas. Eventually, he relocated to Thailand to pursue Muay Thai training for over two years, where he’d often fight at an hour’s notice. He won his first bare knuckle title in 2010, followed by his second in 2014. He particularly cherishes his first Lethwei fight wherein he became the first westerner to win in Myanmar. This win was particularly rewarding because he had no idea what Lethwei was at the time — he merely combined what he knew about Muay Thai, TKD, JKD to strike out his opponent in his personal approximation of Lethwei.
Shortly after returning to the US as a world champion, Cyrus moved to Houston and worked security at a club. On the 21st of July, 2018, a fight broke out in the club between two men and, when Cyrus tried to intervene, he was shot in the leg. He recalls waking up soon after surgery, prepared to recover in time for his professional boxing in Mississippi on the 25th of August, 2018. However, the surgeon explained that he’d had a Popliteal artery bypass in his leg and that he might never recover completely. His leg is still partially numb from the nerve damage.
Cyrus has learned time and again that life isn’t linear and that struggles are a constant. But, through all his various struggles, martial arts has been a guiding light for him, and he hopes it can be the same for you. Cyrus is still fighting every day, and he intends to return to professional boxing, MMA, and Muay Thai. Despite his injuries. Despite his setbacks. The fight never stops. There’s a fighter in everybody. With ChokDee, Cyrus wants to help you embrace and unleash yours.