Today we’d like to introduce you to Johnny Murray.
Hi Johnny, so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My name is Coach Johnny Irish, I’m a former Irish Boxer and the owner and founder of Back Bay Boxing. Back Bay Boxing was originally founded in Boston, MA and due to the pandemic, like a lot of other small businesses, we hit hard times. It was especially hard for the gym and fitness industry as we could not host group classes indoors, could not meet In-Person and for a boxing gym we could not do our partnered mitts workouts. A 6-foot socially distant workout pretty much sucker punched us. I transitioned all my classes to the online workout world before relocating and reopening in Charleston SC. Now we are Back Bay Boxing on King. Our new home is 484 King Street, Suite 207, Charleston SC.
While in Boston my gym received a number of accolades including ‘Best Workout on ClassPass in the Back Bay 2019’ and ‘Best Boxing Gym in Boston by Boston Magazine 2019’. All this before the unfortunate onset of the pandemic in early 2020 which required a transition of the business to an online boxing workout. But one of the greatest reviews I received for my online workouts was that they were ‘too hard’. As a boxing coach, you got to love that!
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
The Covid-19 pandemic, the shutdowns, the transition of workers to remote working, the nervousness to return to group classes, the migration of people to the suburbs, covid-dogs and covid-babies…you name it, it’s hit us in the last 2 years. The return to group classes ‘post’-pandemic was slow. So slow in fact that we remained closed until we could commence workouts outdoors after the Boston winters had eased off. That’s right, March in Boston is still usually about 35-45 degrees but we headed out in it and coached whoever turned up. Unfortunately, being a downtown gym, we struggled as most of our member base was a post-work office crowd and if they don’t come downtown for work, they won’t brave the downtown traffic for an evening workout. It was a tough realization to see that everything you’d worked hard to build wasn’t returning.
The transition to online workouts was a big challenge. One of the main disappointments with it was how many people didn’t give it a go. They just kinda figured it wasn’t going to work for them without even trying it. Or they went for something more flashy and commercial but within that transitional challenge came some great workouts, the building of a great On-Demand Boxing platform, and one of the greatest compliments I ever received. ‘Your online classes are too hard!’ It was just me, a camera and hard work. It motivated me knowing everyone was working out with me so I pushed as hard as I could to help push them harder.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Back Bay Boxing Gym?
Back Bay Boxing is a Boxing Gym that is centered around learning and community. It’s not a heavy bag room or cardio boxing class. It’s a gym where you come to learn the art of boxing and how to box correctly. Without good technique and the fundamentals, you simply can’t build. We’re all about tuition and coaching everyone how to box correctly, how to move correctly, how to punch and counter, all while getting the best workout you can get.
What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
Trust your own instincts. You get a lot of people giving you unsolicited advice on how you should run your classes, run your business, etc. In the beginning, sometimes you wonder how valuable these tidbits of info are but over the long run they are mostly just noise. Trust your own ideas. Run your business how you want to run it, that’s why you started it in 1st place!
Pricing:
- $25 Drop-In (Includes everything you need for class – Boxing gloves and focus mitts rental + handwraps)
- Our ‘Intro Month for Newbies’ is $100. This includes all your equipment needs plus a month of classes. It’s the best deal you’ll get! Boxing gloves, focus mitts, and handwraps are all yours with this deal! You’ll never need anything else!
Contact Info:
- Email: info@backbayboxing.com
- Address: 484 King Street, Suite 207, Charleston, SC 29403
- Website: www.backbayboxing.com
- Instagram: backbayboxing
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/backbayboxing/
- Twitter: backbayboxing
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheBoxingCoach
Image Credits
jimbrueckner
rachelg_photography
