Evolution has done very little to keep us from wanting to throw hands. Why else do we still get swept up by the hype whenever Canelo Alvarez, Dmitry Bivol, Bud Crawford, Naoya Inoue, or even the farcical Jake Paul decides to lace up? The key difference now is that we stop to consider whether our dental plan covers flight/fight incidents. And it’s always foolish to charge into battle without a strategy — which is why we’ve rounded up what we believe are the very best boxing gyms Sydney has to offer.
These days, combat sport programs are a dime a dozen, and for every OG sweat hall, there are ten schools that are more marketing than anything else (Krav Maga institutions being serial offenders in this space); hampered by tradition (in the worst possible sense); and worst of all, liable to waste precious hours with BS posturing (arguably an even greater crime than wasting our money).
RELATED: How To Punch Like A Pro (A Complete Guide)
Suffice it to say, not all boxing gyms or boxing classes are created equal, and in order to really zero in on the best boxing gyms available in Sydney, you’ll need to decide: 1. what it really is you’re after (i.e. general fitness vs self-defence vs competition), and 2. the level you’re at and your needs as a fighter (amateur, professional, and everything else in between).
Always keep in mind: authentic combat training is ego breaking and sands you down with humility in defeat early on — that’s what you should be keeping an eye out for if legitimate skill development is your priority. Because as we all know, you can burn calories doing virtually anything active. Like hitting a regular non-combative gym in Sydney.
So how does one discern the real deal from false confidence factories?
What should you look for in a boxing gym?
Similar to what we’ve outlined within our prescription for Sydney’s best MMA gyms, personal goals will invariably dictate what the “best” boxing gym is in the context of you. Generally speaking, there are a few things you should always look out for…
Instructors
Are they qualified to teach you and what are their credentials?
Not everyone needs to have claimed a world title, but win or lose, a little ring experience goes a long way. Even if you’re only after cardio boxing (those inherited bad habits might be tough to unlearn later on).
Do some due diligence and don’t be afraid to fraud check.
Hygiene
Is the gym you’re choosing well-maintained?
On a related note, don’t buy into the Hollywood cliché of grinding away in some dingey warehouse without proper building safety standards or, god forbid, a goddamn meat freezer.
Getting tetanus from rusty equipment or rolling your ankle because of poorly installed mats won’t magically make you a better fighter. Plus, nobody wants to go 12 rounds in a smelly basement.
Atmosphere
Yes, learning to get comfortable in uncomfortable conditions is part of the process, although where you train should also be a place where you genuinely want to spend time.
Are your potential teammates welcoming and kind? Do they understand you’re a beginner and ease you into the arts or are they lighting you up during what should be light drills/sparring sessions for a quick ego boost?
As with other facets of life, avoid the dickheads wherever possible.
The following list is for anyone who wants to fight (and learn to fight) within a safe and controlled environment. But we’ve also ensured there’s sufficient variety to cater towards whatever you may be seeking.
Here are our picks for the best boxing gyms in Sydney (some personally tried and tested).
Jump To:
- What should you look for in a boxing gym?
- Western Boxing
- Thai Boxing (Muay Thai) / Kickboxing Studios
- MMA
Western Boxing
Tszyu Fight Club (Tszyu Boxing Academy)
It should come as no surprise. After all, this is the gym that forged legendary undisputed light-welterweight champion Kosta Tszyu — as well as his now-prolific sons Nikita and recently-dethroned WBO junior-middleweight king Tim.
Whether you’re sharpening your skills or simply whipping yourself into fightin’ shape, with everything from boxing fundamentals and sparring sessions to advanced fighter classes on hand, Tszyu Fight Club is certainly one of the more compelling options in Sydney.
Address: 9 Ador Ave, Rockdale NSW 2216
Phone: 0423 310 658
Free Trial: N/A
Membership Cost: $100 monthly or $1,000 annually
Gairy St Clair Boxing Fitness
On the subject of championship provenance, we arrive to the matter of Gairy St Clair’s academy.
The former IBF junior-lightweight titleholder hailing from Guyana is as old school as they come (in the most complimentary sense), and brings a wealth of experience at every class. Plus some reputedly brutal fitness conditioning.
Naturally, Mr St Clair has attracted A1 talent to his Sutherland Shire-based gym throughout the years, including local boy and former WBA, IBF, WBO, and IBO lightweight champ George Kambosos Jr; as well as teen phenom and future MMA superstar Zane Martin (remember the name).
Address: 60 Gymea Bay Rd, Gymea NSW 2227
Phone: 0404 246 742
Free Trial: Yes
Membership Cost: $40 per week
Boxing Works
Tucked away in Kings Cross, Boxing Works is renowned as one of Sydney’s top boxing gyms with classes in spades.
In keeping with our established theme of namedropping, WBO welterweight champion Jeff Horn — who famously/controversially defeated Manny Pacquiao for the belt on home turf — is said to have passed through.
Kickboxing, wrestling, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, MMA, and personal training also available on premise.
Address: 83-97 Darlinghurst Rd, Potts Point NSW 2011
Phone: 0411 540 507
Free Trial: N/A
Membership Cost: $60 per week
Bondi Boxing Club
Contrary to its very name, this is a Waterloo-based fighter factory manned by a stacked lineup of trainers’ and headed by Tony Del Vecchio, who has managed to claim six world titles and 17 regional titles to date as a coach.
By all accounts, Bondi Boxing Club is the easiest way for the general public to access the same training as legit amateurs and professional competitors alike.
Address: 3 Allen St, Waterloo NSW 2017
Phone: 0419 005 345
Free Trial: Yes
Membership Cost: $45 per week
UBX (formerly 12RND Fitness)
Founded by WBA light-heavyweight, IBO cruiserweight, and WBC interim super-middleweight champion Danny Green (alongside entrepreneur Tim West), UBX is a certifiable boxing gym empire that extends beyond Sydney alone. And Australia as a whole.
What’s made them such a hit with 100 boutique locations across ANZ, Singapore, Japan, the UK, Ireland, and the US? Cost effective and incredibly accessible training.
“Our success has come from our ability to rethink boxing and rethink group training in a way that gives our members access to a unique mix of boxing and strength training in an ultra-flexible format that removes class timetables and bookings altogether,” reads the official site description.
Best of all for the time-poor folks out there, you can get a full-body workout across 12-rounds circuits in just under 45 minutes.
Sydney’s most popular UBX outpost is in Alexandria, but they also boast locations from North Sydney and Lidcombe, to Mascot and Newtown.
Address: Various
Phone: Various
Free Trial: Yes
Membership Cost: $59 per week
RELATED: The 9 Best Gyms In Sydney To Tighten Your Sloppy Rig
Thai Boxing (Muay Thai) / Kickboxing Studios
SRG Thai Boxing Gym
From its holistic approach to the traditional techniques of Muay Thai and lessons in the Thai culture to being staffed by actual Thai trainers, SRG Thai Boxing Gym is as authentic as they come.
Though don’t be spooked by the prospect of a hardcore training centre: with classes dedicated to fitness, fundamentals, and full-on fight prep, there truly is something for everybody.
Address: 2/576 Botany Rd, Alexandria NSW 2015
Phone: (02) 9667 2115
Free Trial: Yes
Membership Cost: $65 per week
SOI 18 Muay Thai
Learning a new skill can be rather daunting, much less one that involves punches, kicks, elbows, and knees. But at Caringbah’s Soi 18 Muay Thai, you can get Bangkok-ready while feeling right at home.
Established just months ago by retired fighter of 20 professional bouts, current ONE Championship official, and 1774 Muay Thai Series co-owner/promoter — Michael Green — here, you’ll receive at first-class education in the “Art of Eight Limbs” at a jaw-droppingly pristine facility. Newly-fitted, at the time of this writing.
And in terms of value for money, SOI 18 Muay Thai is virtually unbeaten in all of Sydney.
Address: 30/3 Box Rd, Caringbah NSW 2229
Phone: 0452 440 405
Free Trial: Yes
Membership Cost: $45 per week
Maneema Muay Thai
Another new kid on the proverbial block, Maneema Muay Thai has quickly cemented itself as the place to train in Sydney’s Inner West.
Headed by credentialled gym proprietor Pong, who hails directly from South Thailand and has been a devotee to the combat discipline since he was seven, it also enforces a zero-tolerance policy on toxic behaviour.
A nice reminder that everyone here is on the same team — despite the fact that you’re regularly facing off against one another inside the ring.
Address: Level 1/105 Parramatta Rd, Camperdown NSW 2050
Phone: 0422 191 468
Free Trial: Yes
Membership Cost: from $30 per week (New Joiner Pack)
Eight Limbs
Eight Limbs was inspired by a lifelong love affair with Muay Thai, boxing, and fitness training in general.
Since opening its doors in 2013, it’s grown to become one of Australia’s premier striking & fitness training facilities; fostering a fun, safe, and dynamic atmosphere for its members to flourish.
As their site reads: “We live, breathe, and love Muay Thai & Boxing.”
Address: 306 Oxford St, Bondi Junction NSW 2022
Phone: (02) 8971 5176
Free Trial: Yes
Membership Cost: $60 per week (monthly contract), $55 per week (six-month contract), or $49 per week (12-month contract)
Nitrixx
While the Bankstown Martial Arts is famed as being the whole package, as the complex’s striking department, Nitrixx is an institution in its own right.
High-quality Muay Thai and kickboxing under the respected tutelage of two-time Australian K1 champion Wahib Baki; whose brother Ryan, former King of the Ring fighter, runs the boxing classes.
Address: Unit 6/4 Brunker Rd, Chullora NSW 2190
Phone: (02) 8764 1431
Free Trial: Yes
Membership Cost: $60 per week (unlimited) + $85 single-payment registration fee
MMA
Open Sparring
“The Frustration: a lifetime of training in traditional kickboxing and jiu-jitsu academies with legacy training systems, dated cookie-cutter curriculums with unproven techniques, unkept facilities, and old-school dojo vibes. The Goal: to bring world-class training methodologies and the most current ideas in fight philosophy and techniques back to Sydney in a fresh and accessible way for everyone.”
Meet “The Solution”: a 130 square-metre padded basement with immaculately kept facilities and Sydney’s finest selection of instructors. Here, you can engage in carefully curated and beginner-friendly programs in boxing, Muay Thai (which is what OS is predominantly known for), Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, as well as modern mixed martial arts training six days a week, right in the heart of Sydney’s CBD.
Address: Lower Basement, 27 Park St, Sydney NSW 2000
Phone: N/A
Free Trial: Yes
Membership Cost: $50 per week (Striking or Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu only) or $60 per week (unlimited classes)
Cortex MMA
As far as Sydney mixed martial arts gyms go, Cortex MMA is perhaps the most “complete” given the sheer variety. Most academies in this space offer a single striking and grappling martial art with the occasional seminars hosted to make up the difference. Here, you have a choice of boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, Combat Taekwondo, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, freestyle wrestling, plus a strength & conditioning package.
Address: 32 Bowden St, Alexandria NSW 2015
Phone: 1300 092 020
Free Trial: Yes
Weekly Membership Cost: $49 Tier 1 (unlimited classes), $44 Tier 2 (single choice of striking or grappling martial art + strength & conditioning), $43 Tier 3 (strength & conditioning only)
Igor MMA
Igor MMA has produced elite names including UFC fighters Joshua Culibao and Jessica Rose-Clark (Jessy Jess), ONE fighter Alan Philpott, as well as serving as the second home/fight camp home of several other UFC fighters Mark Hunt, James Te Huna, Richard Walsh, Richie Vas, Tyson Pedro, Tai Tuivasa, Jamie Mullarkey, Rob Whittaker, Hector Lombard, Rob Wilkinson, and more.
Address: 32 Ebley Street, Bondi Junction NSW 2022
Phone: 0402 194 232
Free Trial: Yes
Weekly Membership Cost: Upon Request
For an extensive breakdown of the best MMA gyms in Sydney according to us, check out the link below (plus a few other related articles):
- The 11 Best MMA Gyms In Sydney Right Now
- The 10 Best Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Gyms In Sydney (According To Black Belt Kaine Wilken)
- This Sydney Boxing Gym Can Calculate Which Mates You Could Beat In A Fight
Also read:
- We Had Lunch With The UFC’s (Former) Pound-For-Pound King Alexander Volkanovski
- Jake Gyllenhaal’s Workout & Diet Plan To Get ‘Road House’ Ripped
- The Workout That’ll Get You ‘Gladiator II’ Ripped Like Paul Mescal
- Henry Cavill’s Workout Routine Will Unleash Your Inner Superman
- US President Theodore Roosevelt Was The First MMA Fighter
