From Broke to 4,000 Members: How Boxing Saved My Business Career | Matthew Attalla DSH #988

Summary

Digital Social Hour Podcast Summary

Episode Title: From Broke to 4,000 Members: How Boxing Saved My Business Career
Host: Sean Kelly
Guest: Mateo Attalla, Founder of Boxer Gym
Release Date: December 17, 2024

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Introduction

In episode #988 of the Digital Social Hour, host Sean Kelly welcomes Mateo Attalla, the visionary behind Boxer Gym, a flourishing fitness and boxing facility in Miami. Mateo shares his transformative journey from a struggling individual to a successful entrepreneur with a membership base of nearly 4,000 members. This in-depth conversation delves into how boxing not only shaped Mateo’s personal life but also became the cornerstone of his thriving business career.

Mateo's Early Life and Boxing Beginnings

Mateo’s introduction to boxing began at the tender age of 12, instilled by his father who recognized the sport's potential to foster discipline and resilience. Hailing from Australia, Mateo became one of the top amateur boxers in the country, amassing over 200 amateur fights. His dedication saw him compete internationally, representing Australia in world championships and national competitions.

Mateo [03:12]: “I started at 12 years old. One of the top amateurs in the country with about 200 amateur fights.”

Despite his passion, Mateo faced significant challenges, including being the only child in his family, a hearing impairment, and frequent bullying at school. Boxing became his sanctuary, offering him a sense of purpose and a way to defend himself.

Mateo [09:19]: “Boxing was just something that saved my life.”

Challenges and Personal Growth

Growing up without siblings and struggling to make friends, Mateo found solace in the boxing ring. This environment honed his ability to survive and adapt, fostering a mindset that would later prove invaluable in his entrepreneurial ventures.

Mateo [04:22]: “Boxing brought something out of you that makes you a survivor. You learn to rely on yourself.”

However, the financial strain of pursuing boxing at a high level eventually led Mateo to abandon his fighting career. Feeling left behind as his peers advanced financially, he ventured into various endeavors, including online selling and drop shipping, none of which resonated with his true passions.

Building Boxer Gym

Amidst these struggles, Mateo found himself back in Miami during the COVID-19 pandemic. With gyms closed and the economy in turmoil, he pivoted from aspiring to return to the ring to teaching boxing. Starting with informal sessions in his condo, Mateo's authentic approach quickly attracted a diverse clientele, including high-profile athletes and artists.

Mateo [24:57]: “We built the environment and the culture. High-profile clients like football players and artists started coming in.”

Leveraging his extensive boxing background, Mateo transformed his small condo into a comprehensive boxing facility. With the support of his designer partner, Boxer Gym was born, combining top-tier boxing training with a welcoming community atmosphere.

Philosophy and Community Building

Central to Mateo’s success is his philosophy of serving others and building a strong community. He emphasizes the importance of relationships over revenue, often accepting "nickels and dimes" from clients to foster trust and loyalty. This approach not only sustains the business financially but also creates a supportive environment where members feel valued and motivated.

Mateo [39:45]: “We are servants to the people first. We enjoy being that person even though we're leaders in our industry.”

By focusing on member satisfaction and community, Mateo cultivated a culture where individuals from various backgrounds feel comfortable and inspired to achieve their personal and professional goals.

High-Profile Collaborations and Impact

One of the standout moments in Mateo’s journey was welcoming Floyd "Money" Mayweather to Boxer Gym. Instead of accepting financial incentives, Mateo prioritized building a genuine relationship, reinforcing his commitment to community over profit.

Mateo [42:23]: “Floyd wanted to use my gym. I was honored to have him, and I chose not to take the money. This was a sign that what I’m doing is working.”

This gesture not only solidified Mateo’s reputation but also attracted other high-profile individuals, further elevating Boxer Gym’s status in the industry.

Evolution of Boxing and Market Changes

Mateo discusses the evolving landscape of boxing, highlighting the shift towards entertainment and the significant role of social media influencers like Jake Paul. He acknowledges the impact of these changes, noting how they democratize the sport by allowing individuals with strong personal brands to enter the boxing arena, regardless of their traditional boxing pedigree.

Mateo [36:05]: “Jake Paul has really changed the boxing landscape. He’s taken it to another level, merging entertainment with the sport.”

Mateo praises this evolution, recognizing the new opportunities it presents for aspiring boxers and entrepreneurs alike.

Business Growth and Future Plans

From a modest beginning, Boxer Gym rapidly expanded, achieving 4,000 members within a year and ten months. Mateo attributes this growth to his relentless reinvestment into the business, enhancing facilities, and recruiting top-tier coaches.

Mateo [32:41]: “We own 100% of the company now. We’re expanding into multiple locations and developing a management company and promotional fight nights.”

Looking forward, Mateo envisions Boxer Gym not just as a fitness center but as a comprehensive brand encompassing apparel, events, and digital platforms. His plans include launching an app to further engage the community and organizing high-profile fight nights to cement Boxer Gym’s position as a leader in the industry.

Conclusion

Mateo Attalla’s story is a testament to the transformative power of passion, resilience, and community-oriented entrepreneurship. From overcoming personal hardships to building a successful gym with thousands of members, Mateo exemplifies how dedication and a servant mindset can lead to remarkable achievements. His journey offers invaluable insights for aspiring entrepreneurs and professionals aiming to thrive in today’s dynamic digital and business landscape.

Mateo [47:08]: “Sometimes what you want in life diverts into a direction you least plan, but if you put in the work, doors open without you even realizing which doors they are.”

Mateo’s emphasis on staying true to oneself, fostering relationships, and thinking creatively serves as an inspiring roadmap for those looking to make a significant impact in their chosen fields.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps:

• Mateo [09:19]: “Boxing was just something that saved my life.”
• Mateo [04:22]: “Boxing brought something out of you that makes you a survivor. You learn to rely on yourself.”
• Mateo [24:57]: “We built the environment and the culture. High-profile clients like football players and artists started coming in.”
• Mateo [39:45]: “We are servants to the people first. We enjoy being that person even though we're leaders in our industry.”
• Mateo [42:23]: “Floyd wanted to use my gym. I was honored to have him, and I chose not to take the money. This was a sign that what I’m doing is working.”
• Mateo [36:05]: “Jake Paul has really changed the boxing landscape. He’s taken it to another level, merging entertainment with the sport.”
• Mateo [32:41]: “We own 100% of the company now. We’re expanding into multiple locations and developing a management company and promotional fight nights.”
• Mateo [47:08]: “Sometimes what you want in life diverts into a direction you least plan, but if you put in the work, doors open without you even realizing which doors they are.”

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Where to Find More:

• Boxer Gym Website: BoxerGym.com
• Mateo’s Instagram: @MateoBoxer

Join Sean Kelly and Mateo Attalla as they explore the intersections of personal passion and entrepreneurial success, providing listeners with actionable insights and inspiring stories to fuel their own journeys.

Transcript

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[Mateo]

Best race car drivers in the game coming in and we were able to implement boxing to help them on the track. Because of eye coordination, speed and fast switch movements, teach them the boxing fundamentals in order to help them in areas where they were lacking. So, for example, footballers will come in, they need fast hand movement. Boxing would help. I bent a lot of rules to be able to create what we created today.

[Host]

All right, guys, we got Mateo from Box Surgeon. Thanks for coming on today, man.

[Mateo]

Thanks for having me.

[Host]

Yeah, you got one of the biggest gyms out here, right?

[Mateo]

Probably the biggest boxing gym in the world. Damn. Probably the biggest overall facility in Miami.

[Host]

Wow. So has Miami always been big with boxing gyms?

[Mateo]

Believe it or not, it's got some, Some. Some great historic boxing gyms because Muhammad Ali actually used to do his training camps down here.

[Host]

Really? Yeah.

[Mateo]

He did it because of the. The heat. The heat here is just on some. It's on another level if you're not used to it, you know. So fighters have been coming here for quite some time to be able to do their camps, prepare for big fights whatsoever. But yeah, it's. It's a city that's well known for boxing.

[Host]

Dude, When I landed here, I was drenched.

[Mateo]

Crazy, right?

[Host]

I flew in a hoodie and sweatpants. And that was a huge mistake.

[Mateo]

Yeah. Yeah. Even like I was just telling you earlier on, I went to Vegas. I got so used to the weather here that when I went to Vegas and it was so dry, I was like, wow. Like the change is just completely different from the. From the east to the west.

[Host]

Oh, yeah, your lips were probably chopped.

[Mateo]

For the first time. I was bleeding from the nose, I.

[Host]

Was like, vegas is big in boxing too, though, right?

[Mateo]

Vegas is that boxing hub. That's. That's the entertainment capital when it really comes down to boxing fights. A lot of big fighters do their camps down there. It's always been, you know, the. The city for that, for the fight world, the combat sports world right now as we speak. You know, as far as boxing, when we get into it, you know, we're going to turn this into the next capital on this side. Boxing.

[Host]

That's awesome.

[Mateo]

It's going to be good.

[Host]

You're going to flip it from Vegas. And how was boxing in Australia where you grew up?

[Mateo]

Yeah, boxing was great, man. Like, I. I fell into the sport. My father took me to the gym. One of the biggest names from prehistoric boxing was Costa Zoo. He was the guy that actually defeated Zab Judah. If you know Zab Judah is in the boxing world. It was a big upcoming name. Started at 12 years old. One of. One of the top amateurs in the country. Came up, had about 200amateur fights, and then after that flew back and forth to the usa, competed in world championships, national competitions, stuff like that. And boxing in Australia is not as at a high level like the USA and other countries like Cuba and the amateurs and then Russia, you have a lot of. We're very behind when it comes to the boxing side of things, but we are great in other sports like rugby, cricket.

[Host]

Right.

[Mateo]

So those sports, they are very dominant when you're at a very young age. But for myself, it was. It was actually very challenging because we had to leave the country in order for me to perform at a very high level, to be able to bring the best out of me.

[Host]

Wow. And that's expensive in Australia.

[Mateo]

That's expensive. So my father invested some time into myself to be able to travel back and forth and to be able to get that experience so I could reach the goals that I wanted to reach.

[Host]

Yes, you were like an outlier growing up. You were doing a sport that no one else was really. Yeah.

[Mateo]

I come from a family of just. I'm an only child, so I don't have brothers, sisters, didn't have many friends. I found boxing to be really. It was like my best friend. Wow. And I found it to be just very challenging where I could just challenge myself all the time, you know, so.

[Host]

Yeah, that's deep. That's relatable. I'm an only child, too, and everyone in my town had a brother or sister and it was. Yeah, it's hard. It was lonely, dude, for real.

[Mateo]

But you know what it does, it really just brings something out of you that, you know, you become a survivor, right? You become, you become a person of knowing yourself more because you're always alone. And then you start to realize and go, damn, you know what? I can really survive in environments no matter where you take me, no matter where you put me, because I got no one to depend on. I got no one to talk to, you know, and, and I think only being an only child is like, it's not a bad thing. It's a good thing. Some, some people think it's like, I wish I had a brother or sister. But at the same time it's like, nah, this is, this is a good thing. This is a blessing.

[Host]

I think so too. It could go one of two ways. There's that stigma that you're spoiled and stuff, but you can really lock in if you, if you have the right mindset.

[Mateo]

100. Yeah.

[Host]

Yeah. But it was, it definitely was tough, but I mean, look at us now. So it paid off.

[Mateo]

No, it works. It does work. It takes you on, it takes you on journeys that you, you least expect it too. You know, it's just like, it's funny, you know, I don't know about you, but in my case, it was like, it was hard to make friends, for sure.

[Host]

Yeah, yeah, bounce friend groups all the time.

[Mateo]

Yeah, bounce friend groups. Not understanding, you know, who to depend on, who to rely on. You know, at times you'd be at home and you, if you're like me.

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[Mateo]

You'd look to your father or your mother for things rather than siblings or brothers and sisters, you know.

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[Host]

Give it a try.

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[Host]

H-E-L-P.comDSH People are probably scared of you too, since you were boxing.

[Mateo]

Believe it or not, I was the one that got picked on. Really? Yeah.

[Host]

As A boxer?

[Mateo]

No. Before I got into boxing, I was getting picked on a lot in school.

[Host]

Oh.

[Mateo]

And then. And then when I got into the boxing side of things, you know, I would get into fights here and there, but it was something that. I was the smallest kid in the school. I. I had a. I had a hearing impairment, so I had a problem with hearing.

[Host]

Wow.

[Mateo]

And obviously, coming as an only child into the family and no brothers and sisters, hardly got along with my cousins. There was no family. So I was like, you know what? It was challenging. I would just say it was challenging most of the time, but I was just deep into my own thoughts. And like I said, boxing was just something that. It saved my life.

[Host]

Damn. So was that a big reason you got into it because you were getting picked on?

[Mateo]

It was. And at the same time, I used to be a tennis player before, so solo sports. You know, I found sports to just be challenging overall. And my father was just like, you know what? You need to learn discipline. And he thought, you know what? It would bring me up to be a stronger man. As I grew up, it taught me discipline. It caught me to be. It taught me to be focused. It taught me to find another outlet that I could focus on other things rather than getting into problems or stuff like that or even getting picked on. But I learned to know how to defend myself. And I hardly went to school, so I ended up just focusing in the ring. I was fighting, like, nearly every weekend or the second weekend. I was sparring all the time. I was in camps. So I just really loved what I did. And I love the sport of boxing.

[Host]

Yeah, you have over 200 fights, right?

[Mateo]

200Amateur fights.

[Host]

That's insane.

[Mateo]

I never got an opportunity to turn pro just because I sort of fell off a little bit. We can get into that after if you want, but, yeah, having that record and having that experience, it was something that at a time in my life, I was like, damn. Really went through all this and I was training that hard, and I had these many fights at this amount of, you know, in this time frame, it was just like, damn, a lot of guys in a lifetime don't even get that chance. But it was all the experience, you know, And I just. I love getting in the ring.

[Host]

Yeah, that's the most fights I've ever heard.

[Mateo]

No, there's guys, I got 320. 360. 350. There's a lot of fighters out there and that are champions up to today that have had that experience, and there's champions that don't even have that experience. But when you're in the amateurs and you're forced to fight at such a young age, at 12, 13, like a lot of kids from Mexico and stuff have had 300amateur fights. You got some guys at 400, dude. Yeah, it's crazy. It's crazy.

[Host]

I feel like the damage of that is. Is pretty massive at that.

[Mateo]

Yeah, it is, but it isn't because in the amateurs, you got four rounds, and you're doing two minutes at four rounds. So it's in and out. And more so in the amateur. It's all about a point system. It's not about knocking each other out. It's about, you know, how skillful you are in the ring and how you can really dominate on a point system where you have to be fast, you got to be slick. And even if you get a knockdown in the pros, it's a little different. When you get a knockdown, it gets you ahead of the. Of the point system and winning the rounds. But in the amateurs, you. You get dropped and you come back up. That's only one point. But you could be leading throughout the whole fight just by outboxing someone.

[Host]

Right.

[Mateo]

You know, so that's how it sort of worked.

[Host]

Reminds me of that one fight where the guy Ashton just was winning the whole fight and then got knocked out.

[Mateo]

Yeah, yeah.

[Host]

Like it's. It's an unforgiving sport.

[Mateo]

Like, unforgiving sport. And, and, and, you know, people mistake the amateurs for the pros. It's like two different sports. You know, going into the pros, you're a prize fighter. It's a different strategic plan. You know, when you go in and even when you.

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[Mateo]

Yes.

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[Mateo]

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[Host]

Really?

[Mateo]

Yeah. It's just crazy. And even on the pro side, there's. There's always going to be that political side to it. But wow, in the amateurs, especially when it comes to even the Olympic Games, I don't know if you've seen what's going on.

[Host]

Oh, with the guy girl, it's just.

[Mateo]

You know, like, that was a weird.

[Host]

One because she was born a girl.

[Mateo]

Yeah. It's crazy.

[Host]

But she has testosterone or something, right?

[Mateo]

Yeah, yeah. They. They change the rules all the time, but this is how it is in the Olympic Games, you know?

[Host]

Yeah.

[Mateo]

I guess they got their own agenda on how they run their sport.

[Host]

Do the best boxers participate in the Olympics? Because I know with basketball, a lot of them do. Oh, they do.

[Mateo]

A lot of them do. A lot of them, like Floyd Mayweather, Antonio Tarver, good friends of mine, Roy Jones Jr. Another good friend of mine, a lot of these guys have actually competed in the Olympic Games. The thing is, a lot of fighters these days have not competed in the Olympic Games and they've become the best in the world. And now, because boxing's just evolved, it's not as hard as before to get in because before you would have to have a strong, dominant amateur background in order to get signed up to a great promotional company to be able to get in these days is very different. If you're marketable and you have a good following on social media and you may not be a great boxer, you have a shot of actually, like, getting in.

[Host]

Wow.

[Mateo]

Because of what's happened with Jake Paul, changing the game and the demographic of boxing, and it's all based off that now, right now, at the same time, if you got a good boxing pedigree and you have a good social media platform and you're marketable and you could put people on seats, that's where, you know, you could be the star of boxing.

[Host]

That's crazy, because that means you could have been in that position.

[Mateo]

Could have. But you know what? I'm. I'm super happy for where I am today. I actually don't regret it.

[Host]

Oh, wow.

[Mateo]

I don't regret not being a world champ, like, even though that was a dream, because what I'm doing right now is something that I probably wouldn't be able to do the same as what I did back then.

[Host]

Interesting.

[Mateo]

I think I gained the tools and values that I've acquired today to be able to be the person I am and do the things that I did. And even so, you know, boxing was a part of my life for such a long time. From the ages of 12 all the way up to like 21, 22, I left the sport, fell off and then I came back in. But on a different side of the spectrum, rather than being in the ring, I support fighters, I give people opportunities. Now I've been able to make a huge impact in the sport of boxing that most people would not be able to do. I have my foot in the door on a high level now. I have relationships that, you know, it's just, it's a dream for a kid. So I actually reached my dream. But on the other side of the spectrum where I'm actually getting respected more than maybe when I was a fighter.

[Host]

Wow.

[Mateo]

Yeah.

[Host]

That's crazy.

[Mateo]

It's crazy to think it like that. And, and I'm. And you know what, the skill set that I developed through this time frame has put me in a position today where I can support and help others and I become that person where I'm a giver and I can help and support in many different aspects rather than, yeah, I could become world champion, I can inspire. But a lot of the, but a lot of athletes, they can't do what I do. A lot of fighters can do what I do. Right now, even on that level, we see a lot of high level athletes that their goal is to become champ. But what's after that? Do they really support the people? Do they really help the people? Do they really move the multitudes? Yeah, but do they really give back? That's what it really comes down to. And it's not. You know, I've spoken to a lot of my fighters about this and I said, it's great that you're doing it for you. But then after that, what's next? Mmm. Who. Who you gonna change next? Because in the end of the day, you can make an impact by. But by making that impact. How do you do it?

[Host]

Wow.

[Mateo]

You know, yeah, that's. How do you really do it? How do you change the world and the industry in what you do to make a positive change?

[Host]

Right.

[Mateo]

There's kids out there that need help, there's fighters out there that need direction. There's. There's guys that are in the game that I've seen that are so talented, but guess what? They're not marketable or they don't know how to market themselves. So this is where I sort of slot myself into the industry, and I get myself and my team to be able to help these fighters and these young athletes and to be able to show that it is possible to create something for yourself, but to have the right mindset behind it.

[Host]

Right.

[Mateo]

Don't just think about yourself. Think about how many people you impact in a positive manner. So when you get in that ring and you fight, say, teach him that it is possible you came from nothing, that you did these things in order to get to where you're at, you know, go outside the box a little bit. You know, when you do your. You know, when you do your training, talk to the camera and teach people about why you do what you do, why you do specific things, why you do, why you have a routine on this level. What do you think about when you fight? All these things make sense. To be able to pass it down, because straight after you finish your career, you want to be able to pass that down, create that legacy for yourself, rather just than just being a champ and then potentially being forgotten. Because even the people these days, you know, we ask random people, you know, who Mike Tyson is? Most people will say, yeah, right. But if I ask you right now, do you know who Shakur Stevenson is? No, you have no idea. That's a. That's a world champion right now. And that's what I mean, right now, here. Yeah. Yeah. Wow. But that's what I mean, like, you, you know, these guys, they. They want to make the money, they want to make the bread, they want to become champ. But are they really leaving a legacy behind just like the others, when we go back 10, 15, 20 years ago?

[Host]

Right. You know, yeah, that's a good mission. So was that the vision with the company with Boxer?

[Mateo]

Yeah, the company with Boxer. You know, it started with my partner and myself. Started out of our condo in Covid. I decided to take a risk where back was against the wall and had to make money. So I decided to go back to the boxing side of things. Before that, like I said, I sort of fell off. I ended up with the wrong group of people.

[Host]

That's easy to do in Miami.

[Mateo]

Well, not in Miami. Back in Australia.

[Host]

Oh, in Australia, Yeah.

[Mateo]

Yeah, yeah. And to be honest, I'm not proud of some of the things that I did, but, you know.

[Host]

Oh, it was that bad?

[Mateo]

Yeah, it was that bad. I did. I didn't want to. I felt as though that through my boxing career as an amateur, everybody else was working and making money. I was not making money. I was not Growing financially, I felt as though that everyone's ahead of me of the game. And so I felt some type of way. And then I sort of fell out of the love of boxing because of the pressure. So by that time I was like, you know, I'm going to go back to Australia. I was here in the us, in la. I was training, I was competing. Then I go back, I see some of my friends, I was like, damn, they're driving nice cars. I see, I see friends making moves in there in their fields and stuff. And so I wanted to be around that, I wanted to follow that, you know, and it felt good and it felt right at the time. And I thought, damn, this is my break, you know, boxing getting me nowhere, believe it or not, it did not get me anywhere, except I did acquire street smart details and that's what helped. And then I realized, okay, I need to change completely because this shit ain't working out. I'm going to move. So I went to Colombia. Wow, random. My passport and left. And I lived in Colombia for about a year, year and a half, trying to figure out what I'm going to do. I had, you know, my money and I ended up landing up in Miami. When I got to Miami, I met my partner at the time and we, we ended up getting stuck in covert. Go fast forward to the apartment, the condo. She said to me, she goes, why don't you get back in the ring? Why don't you do what you love? You love boxing. Because realistically, I didn't know anything else except how to box or learn what I learned on the streets. Right?

[Host]

Yeah.

[Mateo]

So that's really it. So coming in, trying all these different. So I did, I tried, I tried making, Tried doing some stuff from China, doing online selling, drop shipping, but that's not, that's not my, like, that's not me, you know. And so I had a few contacts and people offered me to get back in the ring. So I was like, you know what? Yeah, why not? Let's get back in the ring and I'll. I'll start my pro debut. I gotta, I got a good boxing background. So Cami, my, my partner, she, she basically pushed me. She said, all right, so let's do it. I started training, started getting ready. Boom. Covid hits. We stuck. What are we gonna do? So I decided to think to myself, well, okay, well, if I can't fight right now, I never thought about teaching, but let's give it a crack. So I started teaching and I had a client in the building. I don't know if you guys know of Chris Harrier. No, he's the calisthenic king on YouTube. He's huge. His brother lived in the building, and he was my first client. He said, man, teach me how to box. I was like, all right, Nora. So I taught him in the building through Covid. And he was going, am I picking up the fundamentals from you, man? Like, you teaching this stuff, like, accurately? He goes, what? I owe you? I go, bro, I don't even know. And, okay, you give me whatever you think. And he's like, all right, okay, just tip me, bro. Don't even. I'm not even charged you. I enjoy doing this. Let's just see how you progress. One thing led to another. Other people heard. So I started training him in the building, and it was for nickels and dies. It was for like 20, 30 bucks, just tipping me to try and survive. And then obviously through that time frame, I couldn't afford to pay the rent because there was no money coming in.

[Host]

Right.

[Mateo]

Covid hit whatever. Anyway, so moving forward, I was training people in the parking lots outside because gyms were closed. And then we had a. A house gym. And then people in the buildings around started noticing me training them on the mitts. Shadow boxing. You could hear the sound and be like, it gravitated people. And then they were like, yo, how are you? Where you from? This and that. And then they heard my accent. They're like, oh, you're from Australia? Yeah, yeah, I'm from Australia. And that's where it sort of kicked. Wow, that's legendary. It started. And it started with two mitts. It started with my partner pushing and supporting and. And then from there on, it was like. There was a time where I saved up money in such a small period of time, and I was able to get our condo and turn that into a boxing facility. I built a ring, bags, an ice plunge. I created a whole experience.

[Host]

Wow. In your apartment?

[Mateo]

In my apartment. And this is where we came up with a brand, me and my partner. You know, she. She comes from a designer background, so she actually created the boxer logo.

[Host]

Oh, nice.

[Mateo]

And then boxer originates as my fight name back in Australia. So we put the two together. We put our heads together, and this is what you see today.

[Host]

Dude, that's a crazy story.

[Mateo]

And then from there, I just ran it, and. And. And then it started to attract. From what I created within the facility, it. It gravitated high profile, clientele base. So, for example, I started attract football players. I started attract artists, producers, people of that genres to come in and do it. And I didn't realize that they were really into boxing like that. But then it made me realize and go, damn, this is an opportunity to really make an impact with different clientele bases. Not just boxes, not just regular people. You know what? Nah. I could hit major targets here. And I still kept it at the same. I was like, you know what? You tip me and you let me know what my value is worth. I'm not gonna put a price point. I'm gonna just show you the value. I'm gonna show you the results. I'm gonna give you that. And so through that time frame, the relationships that I built, I didn't even realize how powerful these people were until later down the track, until we started to create that rapport. I was like, wow, we got some powerful people. And I'll drop some names right now, like Steve Stout, he's the owner of United Masters.

[Host]

Wow.

[Mateo]

One of the biggest producers in history. He put mob deep, Jay Z, all these people on the map. We talk about Deebo Samuel plays for the 49ers. I just, yeah, I realized and I had this Rolodex of clients. I'm like, wow, you know what, I'm gonna keep them good. I'm not gonna charge them. Like what I would, I'll just say, give me whatever you think. But I'd rather keep the relation than take their money. Because what will happen is I know it will attract, it will attract the rest of the people. Now I went from private training to doing classes to now going to another facility and growing within three months. There was a facility next door and they had space. So I spoke to the owner and said, hey, look, I can bring a sense of value to this space and we could, I could build something with my partner here where nobody's doing, which is a boxing facility, infused into an area space where it was just a bodybuilding gym so that you got the bodybuilding culture, but you ain't got the boxing culture. And then I can bring in all these high profile client base that could attract everybody else from different spectrums because they have their own platform. So if they see me working with them, they're going to attract their own these people to come in and sign up.

[Host]

Right.

[Mateo]

So I went from being private one on ones to classes to now a membership base. And so we started at $99 and that included unlimited amount of classes.

[Host]

Is that a month?

[Mateo]

That's a month.

[Host]

Got it.

[Mateo]

And that was in a 3,000 square foot space. So in that 3,000 square foot space. We're able to build up 450 members actively over eight months.

[Host]

Damn.

[Mateo]

Which is not bad for a boxing gym.

[Host]

45K a month.

[Mateo]

But boxing gyms don't even have those amount of members. Boxing gyms usually have their fighters coming. They're open from a certain period of time, from morning to the afternoon. They shut the gym and then they open. We opened all morning, all day. It was just me and my partner running it.

[Host]

Wow.

[Mateo]

I was doing the classes, taking care of clients, and she was running the operational side and making sure people were meet and greeted well. And it was just an overall good experience to come into boxer now. Through. Through that time frame, I attracted fighters. Fighters came in, I prepared them. The first line of fighters that we were able to train were. Were bare knuckle boxes. Bkfc.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Mateo]

I had five fighters. I had a female and I had four males at that time. We were getting ready for the Hard Rock. They were fighting at the Hard Rock. We had five fights, five wins, four knockouts. It was like this and it went crazy. And then we got two. Two world titles. For me, like, being. Being as young as I am, coaches at my age are. You don't really hear him. A lot of coaches come in at an older age.

[Host]

After they retire.

[Mateo]

Yeah, after they retire. And this was it for me. I didn't think about that. I was like, man, I could take in what I Learned from the 200 fights and all these coaches all around the world, and I could infuse my knowledge and experience into these guys because it just became natural. Now at that present time, I realized that I just developed skill sets that taught me how to become a teacher rather than a fighter now. And from the teaching aspect, I liked it more. I preferred it more than actually getting in the ring and writing.

[Host]

You were more fulfilled.

[Mateo]

I was way more fulfilled because I could see the results. And it came out just naturally and organically with me, with people. And then from there, my business knowledge started to go up. So I'm infusing all these different things in such a small period of time, the growth was just like, boom. And I was like, damn, okay, okay, I'm liking this. But in the end of the day, you know, as far as. As far as where I was, we still weren't making good money. Like, it was just. It was going back into the business. I was reinvesting all the money back into equipment, back into the. Back into staff, back into coaches. I recruited some of the best coaches in the country. I didn't just get Anyone just put it on? Indeed. I. I called up and I brought one of the best coaches in the game. His name is Jason Ing Walson. They call him the Faith fighter. He actually trained Ryan Garcia.

[Host]

Wow.

[Mateo]

He trained David Benavides. He actually trained Dana White for a little bit. And I brought him out from Vegas where he wasn't doing well. And I said, man, I'm gonna bring you out. I'm gonna use my money, bring you out. I want you to check out what you see. If you don't like it, it's cool. But I know you're gonna like it, and you're gonna like what I'm doing, but I really need the help. So I flew him out. He stayed for a week. He went back, and I was like, damn, this guy's not gonna come back. Two days later, he calls me. He's like, man, I'm packing all my stuff and I'm coming, and I'm come and help you, bro. I was like, damn. And then that. I recruited him. I didn't go on the computer and just say, hey, I need these coaches for that. No. Like, I was looking for specific individuals to be part of this brand. And I think that was, like, one of the most important key aspects. And all these coaches are still with me today. Since the very beginning.

[Host]

Damn.

[Mateo]

They've all stuck with me. Their lives have completely changed. They make bread, they have growth. Their clientele base is on another level. And when I see that and my partner sees that, we realize that this is what we're meant to do. We're here to make an impact, and we're here to give opportunity with what we've built in such a small time frame. It's only been three years.

[Host]

That's crazy.

[Mateo]

You know, so it's. It's crazy. Three to four years. Yeah. And so we went from the condo after eight months, close that down, went to the new facility, we opened that up. That was eight. Another eight. Eight to nine months. And then I realized that we're just outgrowing, and we needed a bigger space, and we needed to take things to another level. But at the same time, I was like, no, I'm comfortable with what we have here. I got pushed out of the gym because the lease was running out, and I had to figure out what to do next. Otherwise we lose all our members, we lose our business. We don't know what to do. So I went out there and I went for a walk, and I was with my friend Chris Harrier, and I saw a building with four lease sign on it. And it was an abandoned building that's been there for a long time. It's right near Club 11 in downtown.

[Host]

Okay.

[Mateo]

And we made the call, and guy came out, he showed us. I walked in and I saw the vision, and I was like, damn. And I just. I saw the whole layout within moments, because I'm very visual and I'm very creative in the mindset. And then I brought my partner as well, and she looks. She went crazy over it, too, because she's very creative, visual. We're on the same wavelength when it comes to this, with the vision. And we executed, and gratefully, I was able to get, you know, some good people on board to be able to support it. And now, you know, we own. We own 100 of the company now. And through that time, I was like, if we're going to go and just do the boxing side, that's not going to. That's not going to work. We need to go big. So I tapped into every different type of fitness demographic you could think of, and we built it out into a facility that you don't need to leave, where it's like, you have 92 pieces of bodybuilding equipment. You have two official rings, you have 27 bags. You have cardio area, you have a yoga room, you have a cycling room. You have an MMA program with a cage.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Mateo]

You have a CrossFit area. Got a basketball corner. We have a basketball hoop. We actually. Big shout out to hoop. So we have one of. We were the first to have the first interactive hoop in the world.

[Host]

Interactive.

[Mateo]

Yeah, it's called hoop. And you take shots on it and it scores. It scores how many shots you got. And if you miss, it shows you on the board that it misses. And then you could actually put games on. You could put live basketball games. You could play somebody on the other side of the world if they got the same backboard, and you could take shots and.

[Host]

No way.

[Mateo]

It's crazy.

[Host]

Awesome.

[Mateo]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's crazy. So we were one of the first to put it in, and part of it was like anything that was coming out, that was like the first. I wanted to jump on it. I wanted to have stuff that was different in the gym that no other gym had. We had a car racing simulator that was one of four in the world.

[Host]

Damn.

[Mateo]

And I had. Actually, I don't know if you follow the ufc, but Izzy Adesanya was one of the. Yeah, he was the first to jump on it.

[Host]

I think I saw that video.

[Mateo]

Yeah, he was on it. And it Was like you're in a full race, race, race car cockpit and the whole thing simulates and it moves. And you could go on all the different tracks in the world because the reason for putting that in was we had some of the best race car drivers in the game coming in and we were able to implement boxing to help them on the track, really because of eye coordination, speed and fast twitch movements.

[Host]

Wow.

[Mateo]

And so we, we were able to get other athletes to come in, teach them the boxing fundamentals in order to help them in areas where they were lacking. So for example, footballers will come in, they need fast hand movement.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Mateo]

Boxing would help, you know, use different body, use different parts of the body to be able to help them be at their best level. So changing it up was, was important. Breaking the rules was important. Doing those types of things was like, I bent a lot of rules to be able to create what we created today. But that also came from experience from the past.

[Host]

Yeah, dude, you and Jake Paul have really changed the boxing landscape.

[Mateo]

Yeah, Jake Paul, man, like, he's really, he's really taking stuff to another level. And you know, people could talk shit about him, but I actually respect him for what he's done for the game. He's become that guy where it is possible in the marketing space and also in the boxing space. He can box, you know, he can box. You know, it just comes down to, obviously we all want to see a great challenge between him and someone big in the boxing game because he's fighting MMA fighters.

[Host]

Right.

[Mateo]

But you gotta give him respect for what he's doing. He makes, you know, he works hard for his money. He's come from, you know, being a Disney character to now, like, I wouldn't even say he's a YouTube boxer anymore. He's become that guy in the space of boxing because now the space of boxing has become entertainment now. Yeah, it's a whole new, it's a whole new thing. It's entertainment.

[Host]

Yeah. And it gives a lot of hope to upcoming boxers.

[Mateo]

Can you convince somebody like Mike Tyson to get in the ring? That's like, that's huge.

[Host]

Yeah, I hope that fight happens, actually.

[Mateo]

That's huge. You know, but it's entertainment now. It's not about boxing, boxing, it's about entertainment. You know, kids these days are able to go and pay or watch to see Mike Tyson just step in the ring, to even see the build up to stuff. Like, for me, I like to see the build up. I like to see how these guys train. I like to see how they prepare before they get in, because that's what excites you, right? And then obviously you see the. The finale fight, and it's just great to witness how things have evolved, because then it gives people like myself and others opportunities to be able to, like, have a hand in the game and to take part in it and to be able to get these guys that are either YouTubers or athletes and to be able to convert them. And that's what has been able today to done today. It paves the way for you to be able to do it if you have the right mindset to know how to do it.

[Host]

Absolutely.

[Mateo]

So for the position where we're at right now, like, I'm. I'm grateful for it.

[Host]

How many members you at now, man?

[Mateo]

In a year and 10 months, we have nearly 4,000.

[Host]

Holy crap. 99. A month?

[Mateo]

Yeah, a year. In nine months, we have 4,000.

[Host]

That's insane. Your gym can fit that many people.

[Mateo]

Yeah, they don't come all at the same time. So you have different times where people come in. But you got from, you know, athletes to artists to world's best boxers, you name it, they all come in. I've. I've. I've been able to, like, interact with some. Some people that will be like, damn, how'd you meet this guy? How do you meet this guy? How? And. And to be honest, I don't go out looking for them. They come to me. They come to us.

[Host]

Because you built the environment.

[Mateo]

We built the environment. We built the culture. The most. The hardest thing to, you know that to build a gym and to build an environment space for people to really enjoy and love and to keep coming back is building that culture. Building community is everything. Making sure that people are feeling comfortable and happy when they come into the gym, from the moment they walk in to their experience, the way they leave, you really don't know what people are going through in their daily lives. And it's funny, because when you develop those relationships with people at a very high level, they. They. They tend to open up at a time frame, and you listen to what they got to say, and you're. Damn, they're really going through it.

[Host]

Wow.

[Mateo]

And they find this place to be that fulfillment where it fills in that void. So I get. I sort of get a little excited over it because I'm like, man, I'm serving the people. I'm a servant before anything else. Me and. Me and my woman, we're servant to the people first. And then we enjoy being like that. We enjoy being that person even Though we're leaders in our industry, we like serving the people.

[Host]

I love that.

[Mateo]

And you got to be like that in order to keep growing and you got to keep your feet on the ground and you got to stay humbled where it's like, just keep doing what you love and keep preaching what you do and what you've developed and what you learn and you automatically attract the people that you want to attract and people that you would never attract. Like, I'll give you a perfect example. Floyd Money Mayweather, right? This is one of my, you know, as a kid growing up, one of my favorite fighters of all time. I met him when I was 14 at one of the biggest fights, which was Roy Jones Jr. Antonio Tarver back at MGM. It's gone back a long time ago. And I saw him in the crowd, I took a photo, my father was there and I was like, hey, Floyd, one day I'm going to meet you, going to meet you in the ring. Fast forward now. Three years ago, I get a call, I meet one of his bodyguards. He says, man, Floyd, Money Mayweather wants to use your gym. I was like, oh, okay, yeah, of course I'll open up. It was 1:00 in the morning. So when it comes to Floyd and you want to open up the gym, you open up the gym. Like, it's an honor to have him there because he is one of the greats. And he came into the gym one day and he was like, man, this is a cool gym. I'm training, I'm alright. So I'm standing there, I'm taking it all in, but it's not hitting me yet, you know, And I'm watching him train, he goes to the bag and he pulls out cash. He's got a duffel bag full of cash. Gets his bodyguard, they come to give me the cash, I said, nah, I don't want the cash. And he looked at me and he's like, no, take it. And then his bodyguard was done. Take it. I'm like, honestly, nah, I'm not going to take it. I go, I'm just honored to have you here in this gym. And it gives me assurance with whatever I'm doing right now, it's working. This was like a sign. This was a sign having the greatest, one of the greatest of all time to work out in my gym, to be able to witness this and get that close where people pay tickets to get go to his fights, to even get close to him, because it's very hard. And he wants to train in my gym. So I was like, nah, you keep the cash. Floyd, your money's no good in here. This is your home today. I have a very good relationship with him and, and, and the TMT team.

[Host]

Wow.

[Mateo]

And they, they come through whenever they come to Miami. That's his gym in Miami.

[Host]

That's amazing.

[Mateo]

And we've witnessed sparring, we've witnessed him train early hours of the morning. Members have witnessed him during the day. He'll walk through the gym, do a sparring session in front of all the members.

[Host]

Damn.

[Mateo]

And he doesn't usually do that, but he's comfortable because he loves the gym and the relationship with Bill. So something I learned from that is even if it was to give me the money and you see it, you see a duffel bag, it may have been like, it's tempting, it's tempting. But you also got to look at it as like, nah, what's more important? That relationship's more important because I was able to have the opportunity to be part of something big where when it came down to it and they were having his fight here in Miami against John Gotti Jr. When he had the exhibition, I was heavily involved on the sponsorship side. We did the logistics, we built the rings.

[Host]

Wow.

[Mateo]

You know, we put it all together. So me being, being able to have that opportunity was like, it was a big deal.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Mateo]

And so I knew from that day onwards, in that 3,000 square foot space, having Floyd Money, Mayweather, there's it, it made me realize that my dream did come true as a child. But more importantly, it's better than just meeting him in the ring and saying, what's up? I have a relationship with him.

[Host]

That's such a crazy story because everyone else that he probably offered money to probably took it.

[Mateo]

And it's not just with him. It's not just with him. It's with like multiple different individuals that are high level in the game where I can call him up now and be like, hey, you want to catch up for a coffee? Hey, you want to come in, do a podcast with me? Hey, I got this guy, this fighter, come and train with him. Is just casual now. It's not, it's not that trainer client relationship anymore.

[Host]

Right.

[Mateo]

It's a solid relationship where I can call these people at any time.

[Host]

Incredible. And you were broke three years ago, bro. I was broke, completely broke.

[Mateo]

I had nothing. I still look at it as like, I don't have the money. And all the money that comes in today, it's, it goes into, back into the business, I reinvest it, it's all about growth. Right now, we're looking at multiple different locations. The gym is just a gym, but more importantly, it's a brand. Right now because we have a management company. I just got my promoter's license. Our plan is to put on big promotional fight nights here in, in Miami. We also, we have an app that's coming out. We hear there's just multiple different aspects that line up to the business itself, the core of the business. And we call it a brand. It's not a gym. And the reason for that is, is because of the community and the culture of the people. Those people. Anything that we bring out, which, whether it's clothing, whether it's boxing gloves, whether it's a big class that I'm putting on today, I'm hosting a huge class, One of the biggest classes. After this, people gravitate to the brand. And so to myself and to my partner, we just inject into the brand, we fuel it, we feel it as much as possible. Where our goal is to impact as many people's lives worldwide and to be able to bring that community together wherever it is.

[Host]

Powerful, because most gyms fail. So like you said, you built a brand.

[Mateo]

Yeah. And the thing is with the brand is it requires time, it requires dedication, it requires hard work, and it also requires you thinking outside the box. A gym is a gym. So it's like if you think gym, you think of equipment in a big space, but if you think outside the box and you go, hang on, I'm going to tap into so many different things. Even if I'm not a bodybuilder, man, I'm going to do things different. And I'm going to get some of the best bodybuilders to come in and we'll do our own show, or we'll do this or we'll do that. You have to think outside the box when it comes to the brand. You have to get creative.

[Host]

Right.

[Mateo]

You have to infuse things that you would not. You would not do. Like, I randomly just went to Power Slap to see. To see Power Slap. I'd never been to and I just heard of it, but I got invited by, by a good friend of mine. Steve will do it.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Mateo]

And I traveled with him and that was an experience. And when we went over, man, it was electrifying and all the different types of people that, that I was able to meet. And then that in itself, by me being present in a space like that, wearing my brand. And I didn't go out as usual, but lately I've started to come out of the, out of the cave.

[Host]

I've noticed that about it.

[Mateo]

I realized I got damn by doing this. It actually like it's working. And then people were coming up to me, yo, Mateo, Hawaii. I don't know a lot of these people, but they know the brand and they support it.

[Host]

Dude, you're talked about in Vegas. Yeah, that's across the country.

[Mateo]

I, I hear of it from, from yourself and people saying that to me. But realistically, like right now I'm just coming out here and there. But by going out to Power Slab and representing the brand, I'm representing the people. So when the people see it, they go, yo, this guy's making moves. What's he up to next? You know, it's part of putting time into it.

[Host]

Yeah, you've crushed it, man. I can't wait till you build one in Vegas.

[Mateo]

Yeah, that'll be great.

[Host]

I'll definitely be coming. Where can people find you, man? And where can people sign up for the gym?

[Mateo]

Yeah, you can find us. You can find me on my personal ig, Mateo Boxer. And you can find us on the gym. Boxer Gym. Basically, I would just have to say, you know, in the end of the day sometimes, with what you want in life, it's not necessarily always going to be working for you. Sometimes things in life divert into a direction where it's like you least plan it, but if you put in the work, God's always got something in store for you. That may be better. My goal was to become world champ. But I've become great at what I've become in my industry where I become world champ in my industry. So if you put it like that, you just stick to the. You stick to what you're good at, you stick to your passions, you fuel them. You stick to being a hard working man or woman and you stay dedicated and you be true to yourself. And once you do those things, before you even know it, doors open without you even realizing which doors they are. Because in the end of the day, you could be locked out, but kick the door down and see what's behind it.

[Host]

I love it. Bars. We'll end off there, dude. Thanks for coming on. That was awesome.

[Mateo]

Thank you, man. Thank you.

[Host]

Absolutely. Thanks for watching. Guys. Check out Boxer Gym. See you next time.