UBX Boxing + Strength Plots US Expansion Amid Global Growth
Partnership
Sponsored By UBX
The boxing-inspired group fitness franchise is on pace to have over 500 locations by 2028. Much of that growth is expected to happen in the States
It has been a huge year for the boxing and strength fitness franchise UBX, with launches in four new countries, an exciting partnership with Warner Bros Pictures and Universal for the release of “Creed III,” a global deal with Adidas Combat Sports and now plans to reach 1,500 locations across the U.S.
Following its success in Australia, New Zealand and Singapore, UBX (pronounced You-Box) has brought its boxing and strength concept to New York, Tokyo, Manchester and Dublin this year alone and is on track to hit over 500 locations by 2028. Looking ahead, the brand plans to achieve at least half of its overall global footprint in the US.
“1,500 gyms in the U.S. and 1,500 gyms rest-of-world is the current goal. Currently, we have over 500 gyms contracted to open, which makes us, on paper, 3 times larger than the biggest boxing provider in history,” says Tim West, Co-Founder and Managing Director of UBX.
The UBX team is confident their unique model will succeed in the U.S. market through the brand’s ability to offer members access to one-on-one boxing padwork within its group training format that also offers flexible start times where no bookings are required and removes the need for a class timetable altogether.
“Boxing as a sport is massive,” West notes. “Boxing as a fitness modality has and always will be here. It’s popular, it’s effective and UBX is making it more accessible than ever. We strongly believe that there is infinite scale for our product in the market.”
Franchise interest has been strong to date, with the UBX team actively recruiting across fitness professionals ready to step into an owner-operator role through to business investors looking to add a low-capital, high-return boutique gym concept to their portfolio.
The UBX model came to life when West and Co-Founder Danny Green, a former professional boxer with four world championship titles, saw a gap in the fitness landscape and sought to re-imagine how boxing could scale as an uber-flexible, disruptive challenger in the marketplace. The idea was to achieve a boutique format that offered group training and an authentic boxing experience combined with a science-based strength program that was suitable for all fitness and skill levels; those new to fitness as well as seasoned fitness enthusiasts.
In 2016, the first location launched in Brisbane, Australia and through the overwhelming advocacy of the product, the brand grew to 60 locations in under three years, with many of the first territories bought by existing members, or friends and family of members.
Today, the brand has expanded on the value offering, placing co-founder Green as Head of Boxing alongside Brad Harrington, former strength and conditioning coach for Australia’s national rugby union team, the Wallabies, to lead programming of the workouts, which change daily. The boxing and strength workouts are also via an app, with a selection of body-weight and equipment-based exercises that members can access whenever and wherever they want.