Meet George Foreman III | Founder & CEO of Craft Boxing

We had the good fortune of connecting with George Foreman III and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi George, every day, we about how much execution matters, but we think ideas matter as well. How did you come up with the idea for your business?
Boxing has been a major part of my life for decades. I went from a kid watching my Dad make his comeback (making him the oldest heavyweight champion in boxing history), to a teenager working at our family community center teaching others to box and spending part of my twenties boxing professionally myself. After retiring as a professional fighter, I opened my first boxing gym in Boston, which quickly grew into a national multi-unit fitness brand offering over 1,000 classes per week. Craft Boxing Co. is what I see as my life’s work – the distillation of my lifelong love affair with boxing in its purest form. My goal with Craft goes beyond fitness: our mission is to deliver the mental, emotional, social and physical benefits of authentic boxing training to the largest audience possible, regardless of geographic or financial barriers. I’m proud to say that we now have the team, the partners and the passion to make it happen.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Craft Boxing is much more than a brand – it’s a movement towards making authentic boxing training available at scale. Fitness boxing, or what I like to call ‘cardio punching’, has seen tremendous growth in the past decade, but there is so much more to real boxing training that delivers benefits beyond the physical. At Craft, we pay homage to the great fighters and boundary-breakers of the past, and we are dedicated to helping everyone we come into contact with build the best versions of themselves under pressure. Our coaches are the real deal, and we recognize talent outside of our company by bringing together the world’s best boxing trainers in the Craft Boxing League. Our end goal is to help more people access authentic boxing training globally.

To get to where I am now – building the brand I’ve always had in my heart while surrounded by a talented team and supported by strong partners – it took a lot of people believing in me more than I believed in myself. I’ve always looked at leadership as supporting the growth of others, and I’ve made it a priority to see potential where others don’t. This hasn’t always made the journey easy, but my belief in others has made it possible. The same people who have seen me as a supportive leader have gone on to lead, support and help me get to where I am today.

One of the greatest lessons I’ve learned is that it is almost never worth it to burn a bridge. No matter what the perceived offense of a partner, vendor or employee might be, there is always a path forward that leaves you seeing eye to eye and maintaining your relationship. Part of being a fighter means knowing when to fight, and in business, I believe there are very rare times when it is beneficial or necessary to look at anyone as your opponent. I’ve found that it has generally always served me and the growth of my business to find consensus and put aside ego or anger to figure out how to solve problems in a way that strengthens your relationship. As I like to say, ”Get excited about conflict!” I am not a master at this yet, but this is the best lesson I’ve learned, and I’ll keep working to be better at it.

I want the world to know that I truly believe in what we’re doing. I know it may seem like a natural and easy thing for me to do given my father’s success in boxing, but for me, it goes so much deeper than that. I know that my life’s work is to teach boxing and pass on all of the mental, emotional and spiritual lessons that come with authentic boxing training to as many people as possible. Craft Boxing Co and our Craft Boxing League are a collection of people who believe just as much as I do in the power of boxing to change lives.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I have to admit that in my personal life I am a little boring! I would take my friend to Malibu where I live to enjoy a day at Westward Beach with dinner at my favorite restaurant Taverna Tony in the Malibu Country Mart. There are some great hikes and views throughout Malibu that we could enjoy. The next few days I would take them on a boxing gym tour of LA – there are so many cool gyms around, each with its own history and unique character, from Santa Monica to Hollywood and east LA. I would have to end the trip with dinner at Crustacean in Beverly Hills because it’s been my go-to night out restaurant for years.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I owe my depth of knowledge and experience with boxing to my father, George Foreman Sr. I had the privilege of watching him train as a child and, years later, he trained me for my 16 professional fights – imparting lessons from some of the world’s greatest boxers and trainers, which have been truly invaluable to me in life and business. Additionally, my sister Freeda taught me compassion, resilience, and gave me a perspective on life that has supported me in being the best father I can be. And of course my mother – she taught me to meditate when I was five years old, and this had been the best foundation I could have asked for.

Website: https://www.craftboxing.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/craftboxingleague/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/craft-boxing-co/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/craftboxingco

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCc-mhWrKY3ddsQ9P3LIsDIg

Image Credits
Brian Doherty