Hearn: In that gym we’re all the same!

Hot on the heels of their first community event of the day at Columbia Park Clubhouse, Eddie Hearn and the Matchroom team made the short trip across town to attend 3rd Street Boxing Gym, a thriving melting pot of all ages, ethnicities and boxing abilities – providing the perfect showcase of recreational boxing at grassroots level in the USA.

Eddie was joined by Super Lightweight star, Jack Catterall, as club members were put through their paces in a series of boxing activities – before coming together for junior and senior editions of the notorious plank challenge.

Our partners at Everlast provided the prizes, with lucky winners taking home boxing gloves, hand wraps and a whole host of apparel – with a special #ASportWithoutBoundaries video collaboration also being filmed while on site.

The gym was packed from start to finish, with a total cross-section of society present enjoying the benefits of boxing under one roof. Regardless of age, gender, ethnicity or background – everyone was having a great time, making new friends and becoming fitter, more confident versions of themselves. It was truly a joy to behold – and testament to the hard work and dedication put in by the club’s coaches on a daily basis.

Alumni Director at USA Boxing, Chris Cugliari, who also coaches at 3rd Street Boxing Gym, was full of praise for Matchroom’s commitment to developing boxing at grassroots level.

“Matchroom understands the important role boxing can play in the development of people of all ages,” advised Cugliari.

“Boxing gyms are a true melting pot, where people of all backgrounds can speak a universal language and strive for self-improvement,” he continued.

“Matchroom’s visit to 3rd Street Boxing Gym not only celebrated the diversity that makes our sport so great, it also sent a message to our youth that through hard work and discipline, any of them can be champion one day.”

In 2001, Head Coach, Paul Wade, celebrated a Golden Gloves title win. Following that, he began to focus on training and developing fighters, producing numerous Golden Gloves champions, but boxing in San Francisco had seen better days, and there was a pressing need for an authentic gym.

A space on 3rd Street opened up, and with its concrete walls, iron piping, and low ceilings, it had the look and feel he wanted: a hard space for hard workouts. Sold. 3rd Street Boxing Gym opened its doors in September of 2003.

Today, 3rd Street is home to aspiring amateurs and local pros alike. With a friendly atmosphere and classes designed to teach boxing to the masses, they’ve become home to a growing number of people who recognise the unparalleled benefit of the boxer’s workout.

School teachers, mothers, stockbrokers, dentists, artists and lawyers all come to experience and reap the benefits of their expertly guided classes and training – with some of the city’s most talented up and coming junior boxers also training under the same roof.

The gym has developed an incredibly loyal following over the years, and the community within personifies the grit and dedication it was founded to cultivate.

Matchroom Chairman, Eddie Hearn, reiterated the same sentiment as Cugliari before him, highlighting boxing’s unique role in breaking down barriers and transforming lives.

“The great thing about boxing is everybody’s welcome,” said Hearn.

“You walk into an amateur boxing club and there’s so many different types of people – from different communities, different backgrounds, there’s no barriers to entry. Anyone can walk through those doors – and when you do, I believe it will change your life,” he continued.

“Boxing continues to grow and for us it’s about developing from the grassroots to the elite level of the sport; to make sure we create role models and ambassadors and to drive grassroots numbers, getting kids in the gym. Parents need to realise it’s a great place for them to be, physically, mentally – and understanding the disciplines of life.”