East London is the home to many Boxing world champions and soon to be the location of many more in the future. I sat down with The Origin gym owner Kevin Reynolds to discuss his best experiences in boxing, why his gym is so unique, and the boxer he believes will win the highest honours in the sport.
Can you tell us a bit about yourself and what the Origin offers?
KR:” I have been a personal trainer for 35 years, started out when there was no such thing as a PT. Started in a small gym in Hornchurch and progressed to The Origin where we have been here for 24 years.
Covid was a tough time for us, but without it, we would not have been able to regenerate the place, and we have come back a different beast.”
What makes you different to the other gyms in the area?
KR: “The main thing that makes us different is that we have everything under one roof, we offer Brazilian Ju Jitsu, MMA and professional and amateur boxing clubs. We have world-class trainers Mark Tibbs and Jimmy Tibbs, as well as World Champion Ebonie Bridges and up-and-coming boxers such as Johnny Fisher, Johnny Hedges and Tommy Fletcher. Sometimes I will look out of my office and see Joe Joyce in the ring. It’s great.
Another main thing that makes us different is that we a family-run and fully staffed. So even if you come into the gym at 3 am someone will be there to help you out.”
With mental health being the biggest killer for men under 35 do you believe the gym makes you feel more positive?
KR: “Most definitely, that was the biggest problem with lockdown as you were not able to go into the gyms. If I had a bad weekend and go on the treadmill Monday morning and work really hard, I will feel twenty times better after. “
With the famous Rainham Boxing Club here at the Origin, what boxers are there to look out for ?
KR: “There’s Johnny Fisher; he’s 23 years of age, big, powerful heavyweight who got a massive following, and if he makes it to the top, he could sell out Wembley.
There’s Johnny Hedges, 6 foot 5 inches light- heavyweight who’s a lovely man and proper gentleman who’s going to do well.
Tommy Fletcher is the hardest-hitting boxer I have ever seen, when you get hit by Tommy you stay down. Since he’s been here, we have renamed the cameras ‘Tommy Cam’ so we watch back all of his knockouts in the gym. I can see Tommy becoming a world champion one day.“
What have been your best memories while being at the gym?
KR: “I like Jimmy Tibbs being here because when I was boxing, he was my hero, and now he will sit down next to me and tell me his stories. There have been other good memories as I have met Billy Joe Saunders, Frank Bruno, Kevin Mitchell and Michael Watson. Michael (Watson) came into the gym not so long ago and I class him as a friend. To have these types of people come into my gym is amazing, and now it seems like another day in the office.”
