As the story has it, one day I headed to the opposite side of the globe – the Flipside. I arrived in Korea February 16th, 2005 and thought I’d do a year, then leave. I was wrong. I stayed, launched my first company, Flipside Fitness, and then opened Korea's largest boxing club, Hulk's Boxing (now called Hulk's Club).

After 11.5yrs in Korea, I then picked up one day and returned to Toronto, Canada. But then I left again.

Now I live in the Philippines where I am the CEO and head coach of Empowered Clubhouse, the Philippines' first and only boxing clubhouse exclusively just for women. I also am the founder of the Lil' Sistas Project, CEO and designer of Slay Gear and Baa Baa Black Sheep .Ph.

Friday, May 11, 2018

Happy Anniversary... Friday, May 11

A month ago today I joined Team Insider as "the new girl" -- the female pro fighter who only knew one other person here and had arrived sweaty from the walk over.  A month later and now I'm no longer that same new girl but am instead now a daily expected-face-to-see girl.

Boxing Clubs I've trained at here in the Philippines:
  1. Ala Boxing Club, Cebu
  2. Elorde Boxing Club, Katipunan
  3. Elite Boxing Club, Makati
  4. Empired Boxing Club, Makati
  5. Hernandez Boxing Club, Makati  
  6. Philippines Army Club, McKinnley
  7. Team Insider, Poblicon 
For each boxing club that I've trained at here, I definitely have my positive points to say about them but I also have my negative points, just like I have my favourites.

Ala Boxing Club, Cebu
  • Massive, outdoor boxing club that has a lot of pro fighters training out of it.
  • It's exactly what I pictured a boxing club in the Philippines would be like -- rough but tough.

Elorde Boxing Club, Katipunan
  • One of my sparring partners was a former champion.
  • Elorde is one of the biggest boxing club names in the Philippines and they host so many fight tournaments.

Elite Boxing Club, Makati
  • I love the energy of the staff here -- the coaches, assistants and even the front desk girls. 
  • Coach Bogs is definitely one of my favourite coaches that I've trained with because he always challenged me and the fact that he could switch between South Paw and Orthadox when sparring me was perfect for preparing for my fight (that got canceled).  I'd have to say that he's been the most challenging and inspiring sparring partner to have too because he excels in parts of the game that I want to improve on.

Empire Boxing Club, Makati
  • It's a 24/7 boxing club and that makes it super convenient.

Hernandez Boxing Club, Makati  
  • It's coached by Kristian Hernandez, an Aussie/Filipino fighter who was on the Australia national boxing team and I love how he's very technical with how he teaches.
  • Plenty of heavy bags to use, new equipment, and you can use the neighbouring gym too which is very modern, very clean, and loaded with great gear.

Philippines Army Club, McKinley
  • Super cheap entrance fee.
  • The coaches are former members of the Philippines amateur boxing national team.
  • You're free to blast your music and the energy there is also fun and relaxed.

Team Insider, Pobalcion 
  • It has a fully loaded weight training area that's perfect for conditioning training.
  • They always include functional training into their boxing sessions.
  • They have a sports massage therapist on hand that used to coach Manny Paquiao.
  • Most of the coaches are active pro fighters or are former pros.
  • They have a big locker rooms available for both guys and girls.
  • By far it has the most pro fighters training out of their gym compared to others in the area and it's super inspiring to be training among them.
  • They're always looking to get their fighters a fight so they're dedicated to their pro fighters.
  • They're all about hard training and pushing their fighters but they also have fun with it.
  • They socialize with their clients/fighters outside of the boxing club so it feels like family.

My favourite boxing club by far though, definitely Team Insider.  I feel that as a pro fighter, they surely best suit my needs and wants as an active fighter.  I've grown the most as a fighter training with them and it's crazy to notice my progress with them but note that I've only been with them for a month now. 

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