RING MASTER
Foreman son’s gym is a boxer’s 1-stop-shop
He’s got a famous name and a knockout approach to running a boxing gym.
EverybodyFights, founded in 2013 by George Foreman III — son of two-time heavyweight champion George Foreman Sr. — allows boxers and gymgoers to get all their training done “under one roof ” in Midtown.
Foreman created his gym concept with his father as his mentor and his personal experience in 16 professional fights.
“Boxers — they run, do recovery, yoga, Pilates (invented by a boxer), strength training — they do all these things … but they have to go to different places,” Foreman said. “I wanted to create a place where I could have my training camp without leaving the building.”
Known as the “King of Boxing Gyms,” EverybodyFights opened on E. 41st St. in July of 2017.
The facility includes designated rooms for circuit-training classes, heavy bags and endurance training, and has two full-size boxing rings.
“It’s not about boxing, it’s about the attitude you take towards life,” the 35-year-old Foreman said. Classes aim to teach patience and push gymgoers past what they thought was the limit.
The gym features artificial black turf, marquee light letters spelling inspirational words, bright lights above the ring, and a surprisingly refreshing aroma — it doesn’t smell like your typical boxing gym.
When describing the aesthetic of the gym, Foreman said it all stems from Archie Moore’s training of Foreman Sr. in 1974 to prepare for his “Rumble in the Jungle” fight against Muhammad Ali.
“The first thing he did before he trained my dad, is he cleaned the whole gym,” Foreman said. He learned if the gym was clean, it would help bring a “type-A attitude to what you do in the ring.”
Also located in Boston, Chicago, Kentucky, and coming soon to Philadelphia — the gym was designed by Maho Abe and Rina of Zen Associates to be a comfortable place with a luxury feel that captures “the journey of a fighter from the street to the private jet — without losing who you are,” Foreman explained.
Music plays a huge role in the authentic gym atmosphere, which offers 120 to 140 classes a week.
“James Brown, Al Green, Marvin Gaye — my dad used to teach me how to punch on rhythm — if you can find rhythm in a fight, you’d never get tired,” Foreman said.
“The idea was to never stop the music. We’re in the business of movement — the music carries you.”
EverybodyFights trainer Hernan Santa has been working at the Midtown gym since opening day.
“We go back about 80 years in boxing history and pull the exact same combinations that the fighters throw and put them in a workout,” Santa said.
According to Foreman, the benefits of boxing extend far past the physical component.
“It’s the idea that you’re comfortable under pressure, you get better under pressure — that’s where you want to be when everyone is looking for a way out. That’s what makes boxing special,” Foreman said.