First and foremost, anyone who dares throw on boxing gloves and headgear to step into a ring deserves all the respect in the world. It doesn’t matter if you’re sparring in a boxing gym, going three rounds as an amateur, or fighting a sanctioned match. It’s the kind of moxie you can’t help but admire.
Second of all, I won’t lie to you and tell you that my boxing journey began inside a hot and humid boxing gym, like the ones Rocky Balboa trained in during Rocky and Rocky II; far from it. I was 6 years old when I saw my first fight: Julio Cesar Chavez vs. Meldrick Taylor for the WBC light welterweight championship of the world in 1990. I became obsessed with the sport thanks to Oscar De La Hoya’s marvelous run in the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, where the Golden Boy from East Los Angeles won the gold medal. I told Oscar as much when I interviewed him at length in 2023.
But as obsessed as I became with the sport, it wasn’t until my early 20s that I threw on my first pair of boxing gloves —in the backyard of my best friend’s house in Compton, California, where we gathered to watch boxing almost every weekend, no matter who was fighting; pay-per-view, or free on HBO or Showtime. It was usually around midnight, after everyone had more than a few drinks, when my best friend Ronnie, a former boxer himself, brought out the gloves and headgear. This was essentially backyard brawling, but with gloves and Ronnie as the ref. He never allowed low blows or any rounds past the 1-minute mark.
In the decade that ensued, my workouts consisted of hiking Runyon Canyon, walking/jogging the Rose Bowl, trying P90X at home, and joining a fancy gym in downtown Los Angeles. Every now and then, Ronnie and I would get together, and he’d put me through one of his boxing workouts, but our busy schedules, which included lots of travel for me, never allowed for a consistent workout schedule.
Eventually, I moved to Austin, Texas, in June 2021, where suffocating summers and blistering winters make it unbearable to work out in a home gym inside a garage. Finally, in June 2024, I joined Rumble Boxing, where I’ve attended 220 classes to date.
What Is Rumble Boxing?
Rumble Boxing, which started in 2017 in New York City’s Chelsea neighborhood and has expanded to 90-plus studios in the U.S. and nearly 400 globally, offers a 10-round, 45-minute HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training) workout class that is half boxing and half weights.
It was finally in 2024 when I bought my first pair of boxing gloves: a pair of black RDX’s weighing 16 ounces. This purchase, it turns out, was an amateur move. The gloves are coming apart, with the lining inside spilling out with literally every punch. The next purchase will come from RING KONG, which caters to true combat athletes searching for quality equipment.
At Rumble, you can pick from a range of classes offered throughout the day, from a full-body workout to lower body and upper body, or boxing only. The studios are super viby: dramatic lighting and heart-thumping music blasting from a curated, mash-up list unique to Rumble. There are rows of stationary benches for the floor exercises and rows of water bags for boxing. The trainer is part motivational speaker and part DJ; they control the music from their perched set, like Michael Tomas (AKA MT) at my South Austin location.
The studio caters to beginners, and it proudly touts that “it’s not uncommon to see first-time boxers next to professional or amateur fighters.” I never worked out next to a pro fighter, but there were definitely regulars who knew how to throw a punch. Others learned the basics, and some even mastered the craft. I thought I was somewhere in between.
And then I went to Mexico City.
Training at Boxing 777 Studio
I found Boxing 777 Studio organically: searching Google after arriving in Mexico City for a one-month stay in 2025. I met my trainer, Gerardo (a lot of us call him Gerry), at his gym in the popular Roma Norte neighborhood. Gerry’s not only a noted boxer himself who studied the craft as a kid, but also a master at being patient with newbies. He carefully guided me as I adapted to the high elevation here. Mexico City is a whopping 7,350 feet above sea level. You feel its effects (headaches, shortness of breath, fatigue) after a short sprint, walking up a flight of stairs, or, in my case, within 10 minutes of warming up for my first session.
The warmup consists of 20 jumping jacks, 20 high knees, 20 butt kicks, and five burpees for three rounds. Then three minutes of jump rope, followed by three minutes of shadow boxing and three minutes of shadow boxing with a resistance band.
Then the boxing workout begins.
Weekday sessions consist of a mix of boxing and conditioning. One day you’re hitting the bag for several rounds and doing heavy mitt work. The next day you’re running a circuit that includes using TRX bands.
There’s also heavy boxing days with intense conditioning. Once, I was strapped with a glove on my left hand throwing jabs, crosses, and hooks while holding a 10-pound weight in my right hand covering my face — for three minutes straight. This is not daunting to your everyday boxer training for a fight. But for someone whose sole proper boxing training comes from Rumble, training in Mexico City with real boxers proved how much I had to learn.
On Fridays we spar at Boxing 777 Studio, which has expanded to a second studio offering Muay Thai and MMA training; there’s a third boxing studio currently in the works. During Friday sparring, I was often the lone student in class, meaning it was go-time with Gerry, whose speed was intimidating enough without having to watch him pop his mouthguard. I reluctantly threw on my headgear for the first sparring session: three 3-minute rounds. The objective is to hit and avoid getting hit. I mastered neither.
After my one-month stay had come and gone, I vowed to come back. And I did. I returned in mid-May of this year and signed up three days later. I’m here until at least October. I try to attend boxing class at least four days a week, with each class burning an average of 750 calories, according to my WHOOP. Tuesdays and Thursdays have become a great rumble session of sorts, with a full class of guys in all sizes training and sparring together.
I’m not saying training at Boxing 777 Studio in Mexico City is better than Rumble Boxing. But I’ve learned that my body responds to the training style here, where if I fail to protect myself, a sudden jab to the head is not unheard of. The intent isn’t to hurt anyone. It’s to build discipline and execute technique, which is still a work in progress for yours truly.
My summer time in CDMX is quickly coming to a close. The plan’s to soak up every minute of boxing on Calle Guanajuato. If and when I head back to Austin, Texas, yes, you’ll find me at Rumble, bobbing my head to Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” before unleashing havoc on those water bags for class No. 221 at Rumble Boxing.
