Written by Ian Hest
The tall, cavernous walls echo with every strike. In this gym, the roar of the crowd is only deafening inside the mind of the two fighting. A single voice is all that’s really heard.
“Watch your feet. Step. Step.” the voice calls, a calming presence in a chaotic situation.
“Switch!”
That word, in this moment, could not be more appropriate.
The man behind the voice is Din Thomas, former fighter and world-renowned coach at American Top Team in Coconut Creek, where the next generation of fighter is being groomed.
Din Thomas training at American Top Team. Photo by Ian Hest.
But they’re not doing so in a boxing ring. They’re in an octagon. And there are no ropes, only caged wiring.
“Here you’re getting thrown right in. And if you make it you did it on your own,” Thomas says, reflecting on the exciting possibilities that so many of his fighters share in. “And then if you excel, you’re a helluva fighter. That’s just the way it is.”
In many ways, Thomas, a black belt in Brazilian Jujitsu and veteran of 36 professional fights, and his ATT gym exemplifies the switch in popularity from boxing to mixed martial arts over the past four decades. And while the fundamentals of boxing thread their way into MMA, making it a valuable tool they still coach, this gym trains some of the best MMA fighters in the world.
That rise in popularity, beginning in the late ‘90s, and coinciding simultaneously with a declining interest in boxing, has created a new wave of combat sports fans.
That progression will be fully on display Saturday, when, for the first time on a big stage, the two sports will literally go head to head, as MMA superstar Conor McGregor fights undefeated boxer Floyd Mayweather in a 12-round boxing bout.
It’s a seminal moment in the history of combat sports, which has a long and illustrious history in South Florida.
Beginning in the 1950s, boxers from around the world flocked to Miami, specifically Miami Beach’s 5th Street Gym. Names like Muhammed Ali, Sugar Ray Robinson, George Foreman, and 1976 Olympic gold medalist Howard Davis, who’s son Dyah is now the head boxing coach at American Top Team, would train there, making South Florida the soul of the sport.
American Top Team gym is known for its MMA fighters. Photo by Ian Hest.
“Back then it was the best {boxers} fighting the best,” Dyah says. “If the public demanded a fight, then usually you got to see that fight. But now it’s been a little more strategic, more business minded.”
Davis still coaches boxing, but many of his students are using his expertise to improve in MMA.
In 1992, the 5th Street Gym closed. A year later, the Ultimate Fighting Championship, or UFC, launched a fighting promotion combining elements of Brazilian Ju-Jitsu, Judo, and other martial arts, and the term “MMA” was formed. By 2001, American Top Team would open, and along with other influential gyms in the area, South Florida would turn from a boxing paradise to an MMA mecca. By the time 5th Street Gym reopened in 2009, MMA had cemented itself into the South Florida sports pop culture.
“South Florida has become a hotspot for MMA,” Thomas says. “I believe it’s become the best place in the world for it.”
Now, McGregor vs. Mayweather is set to change the landscape again. It’s a challenge of two worlds colliding: these over-the-top characters are bringing a renewed attention to one sport, and a continued evolution to the other.
Even still, most experts don’t expect a very competitive fight due to Mayweather’s legendary 49-0 professional boxing record, and McGregor’s novice status in boxing.
“I mean, anybody with two hands has a chance,” Davis says. “ But there’s nothing new that Conor [McGregor] could show [Floyd Mayweather] that he hasn’t seen and won’t be able to overcome.”
But the result is not why this matters. Rather, that same progressive history, a paradigm shift, provides a spotlight that many everyday fans haven’t seen before.
It’s another win-win for MMA.
“There’s already this underlying notion that if it’s a ‘real’ fight, Conor wins,” Thomas says, the implication being “real” equals more ways to hit your opponent other than punching.
That implication, however, depends on public perception. If McGregor loses, well, he’s supposed to. If he wins, it’s proof positive of the sport’s established pedestal in the genre.
MMA belts from professional fighters who train at American Top Team. Photo by Ian Hest.
But regardless, the attention, and the money that comes along with this fight will grow.
And in an age where hype and promotion matter more, the spectacle to be seen will be worth more than the price of admission.
Thomas says that in this age of social media and instant gratification, the thrill of a three-minute MMA fight will resonate more with younger fans than drawn-out boxing matches.
Davis and Thomas believe that while this historic fight is the first in the public sphere where boxing and MMA square off, it certainly won’t be the last.
“To be honest, I wouldn’t be surprised if out of this, the UFC creates their own promotional company for boxing,” Davis says.
“I think that something they’ve been talking about,” Thomas added, “and I wouldn’t doubt it.”
Mayweather vs. McGregor airs at 9 p.m. EST on Saturday, Aug. 26. The fight airs on Showtime pay-per-view for $100 as well as live online streaming.
Ian Hest is a Boca Raton native who has been a journalist around the country for the past 7 years. He is a University of Miami graduate and spent 2 years as a sports anchor and reporter on WPTV News Channel 5 and Fox 29. He has also worked for ESPN radio, and has covered the FIFA World Cup, NCAA Tournament, College Football Playoff, and many other high profile sporting events.
