About perennial Boxing + Fitness

My odyssey on becoming a boxing coach, personal trainer, nutrition coach, and founder of Perennial Boxing + Fitness™ was practically fueled by tragedy, courage, and my lifelong search for finding my true purpose. As far as obtaining a professional career, boxing and fitness wasn't in my initial game plan. Despite growing up with a deep passion for boxing, martial arts and strength training with weights and calisthenics, I never sought after a career as a boxing trainer or fitness coach. As far as sports is concerned, my first love was basketball. My appreciation for boxing was a close second. Other than watching boxing matches with my late father and a few of my uncles who passed away, my first real exposure to boxing was when my parents signed me for the Marine Cadets of America around the age of 13 years old. We would practice basic boxing technique, self-defense, and closely-monitored sparring drills. I had thoughts about competing in amateur boxing, but my parents considered the sport too dangerous. So for the time being, I made playing organized basketball a priority and used boxing and weight training for my overall physical fitness. For a while, I had hopes of playing in the NBA (National Basketball Association) one day. The difficulty in making it in the NBA is that you can be super talented, but a number of factors plays a part in it. You have to choose the right university/college. You need to be playing in the right organizations such as the AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) for maximum exposure. Then it basically boils down to who you know and the connections that they possess. After bouncing around at a few different colleges, I ended up graduating from Monroe College with a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) degree in accounting. After working up the career ladder to senior accountant for a number years, I caught an epiphany one day. Outside of becoming a loving and dedicated father, I began questioning myself, what was my purpose in this world? There was some life experiences that helped me discover the answer to that question. A relationship that went sour. I lost a close cousin to cancer. A combination of drug abuse and diabetes claimed my father's life. There was a lot of pain and internal conflict. I needed an outlet. I was already working out 4-5 times a week. I was constantly praying to God for clarification and peace in my heart. Then one day it just hit me. I rediscovered my love of practicing boxing and I leaned heavily on it. I was refining my skills almost every day. After a while, whenever I would be training at a local gym or any of my favorite NYC parks, people would ask me to teach them boxing lessons. This was the start of something special for me. I finally found my calling that I was tirelessly searching for. So I decided if I'm going to do this, I'm going to step out on faith, continue to train hard, become a knowledgeable presence and be the absolute best that I can be at this amazing career that I now have.