Featured Boxing For Fitness Member Interview with Malissa Smith
How did you hear about Boxing For Fitness, Inc.?
I was introduced to BoxingForFitness.com on instagram. We actively follow each other to show support.
What do you enjoy most about Boxing For Fitness?
Gosh, that’s a tough one! I love it all! Working hard, the elation I feel when I actually sink a jab, the constant striving for minute improvements in my game, the banter with my trainer, the comeraderie of the boxing community—all are incredible inducements to get myself to the gym three mornings a week, come rain, shine, sleet or snow (yep, postiviely postal). Most of all, however, is the empowerment I feel from the discipline of the sport—and the look of pride on my face when from time to time I catch a giimpse of myself actually looking a bit like a boxer.
What Gym do you train at and what do you like most about training there?
I’ve been training at the storied Gleason’s Gym in Brooklyn, New York for almost 22 years. It’s difficult to state what I like most, but if I’m pressed it’s the sense of commitment engendered by everyone, boxers and trainers alike, coupled with the absolute acceptance I’ve felt since the day I walked into the gym.
Being a part of the Boxing For Fitness community you now have access to Gyms around the country. Are you excited about the possibilities of trying out other Gyms while away on vacation or business travel?
Yes! I love boxing in other gyms and slipping into the community of boxers when I travel. Having the opportunity to go through the paces with another trainer always provides a new perspective that one can bring back to one’s work with one’s own trainer, not to mention the instant feeling of gaining entry to the heart of whereever one is visiting. I’ve trained in other places and have been able to connect with new folks and conversely have had a blast with folks who’ve come to Gleason’s to train from far flung places.
What would you tell somebody that was thinking about becoming part of the Boxing For Fitness community, like you?
Boxing is neither an easy sport to master nor forgiving of errors—but it’s the greatest workout you’ve ever had! Women in particular who cross through the vaunted ropes of a boxing ring should also feel proud to know they are members of a sisterhood that dates back to the modern “invention” of boxing by James Figg in the 1720s. Women have boxed as professionals and for fitness ever since, and believe it or not, boxing for fitness became a craze in the United States in the late 1800s/early 1900s.