Aram Davtyan: Mohammed Ali made boxing a business, our business is to continue it

In the world of amateur and professional sports, Aram Davtyan is known from different sides. Some talk about him as an organizer of boxing fights from Punch Boxing Promotions. Others follow his company A3 Retail Group and the development of Nike’s flagship store on Kuznetsky, Stride Running Store, Vans skater store and many others. There are also those who know him through running, cycling and Aram’s personal transformation through amateur sports.

We can only add that he is an innovator, a businessman who is not afraid to set the highest bar and goals, while remaining true to himself and his ideals. This year another project of Aram Davtyan appeared in Moscow – boxing studio “The Corner”, which is located near the gastronomic project “Depo Moscow”. On the occasion of the club’s opening we met with Aram to talk to him about business in the sports niche, ambitions and bringing a potential new project to the market. Read more about this and many other things below.

– How did sports come into your life?

– It has always been in my life. Ever since I was a child, I have been fond of running. You know, even in high school, when it was difficult for everyone to wake up before school, I got up and went jogging. I guess it was partly thanks to my neighbor. He was very athletic and motivated me the whole time.

– How difficult was it to pull your love for sports into adulthood? After all, it takes a lot of time to exercise regularly.

– It was probably a bit easier until the collapse of the USSR. Back then, in the 90s, people were busy earning money for bread, there was no time for that. I was no exception. And at some point I discovered that my weight had already passed 100 kilograms, and I started wearing size 58 suits. Of course, health problems began to arise as well.

– How did your transformation begin?

– I decided for myself that the moment had come where only sport would save me, I went for a run and realized that running 500 meters with my weight had become a problem. Everything that happened next became a real challenge. I decided to run in the park every morning, starting with 100 meters. And every day I’d slowly increase the distance.

Then I found the nearest fitness club through an ad in the newspaper and went there. There I met my coach Evgeny Bogdanov. He is a very disciplined man, and I asked him to help me. I just came and said: “See me? I don’t want to look like this and I’m ready to do whatever you say.” He prescribed me regular exercise and eating on a schedule. I lived like that for a couple years and from 106 I lost weight to 74 pounds. On top of all the exercise was always cycling.

– What about boxing?

– Boxing has always existed somewhere in parallel. I never practiced it, but you know, there is a sport that was in my life and there is one that has always been in my heart. Boxing has been in my heart since I was a kid. When I came back to it as an adult, I made the decision to become a professional boxing promoter. My global goal was to change the attitude towards professional sports in our country. Then I thought about why not to open a boxing club where real champions could be cultivated.

A dream should be turned into something bigger. Now I want it to be a real profitable business that can give people everything they want.

– What was the impetus for the realization of the idea?

– I lived with this idea for a long time, until I met people who brought great changes in my life with their charisma and energy. I had an understanding of the concept of a boxing club. I was supported by my English partners and my friend Stas Pisigin, and we decided to set ourselves the task of making a network. That is “The Corner”. Now it’s one club, but I really hope it’s not a local story. The club we are in is exemplary, we have invested a lot of money and effort in it in the hope that it will become a flagship and a pioneer in promoting the brand all over the world.

– What country’s experience have you taken as a model?

– It’s hard to say, we have our own style and there was no aim to imitate anyone. In preparation for the opening of “The Corner” we discussed and studied boxing clubs around the world and their experience. Often it is American clubs that are exemplary, but here we are a few steps ahead. And it’s not because we are so cool, but because they have a completely different concept. There boxing clubs are simple and not flashy. The gyms themselves are very small, they can be located on the basement floors. Can you imagine, a boxing club may not have a locker room and everyone will change clothes right in the hall. This approach is not bad, it’s just different.

We wanted to make a change in this segment and say that boxing is not just a sport, and boxing clubs can be comfortable and accessible to everyone. It doesn’t matter if you’re a girl or a guy, pro or beginner, black or white. If you love boxing, you can come here and work out. Boxing has the power to bring us all together in one place, to be the nucleus for an entire community. After training we can sit together, drink beer, socialize, discuss TV fights. Is it possible to write about beer at your place?(Laughs.)

After thinking that we could get a lot more out of boxing and give a lot more to people, we took it up. We are not saying that we will make a professional boxer out of a person, although we can do that. We’re talking about our concept of “sex, boxing and rock ‘n’ roll”. It’s specifically about the atmosphere.

– Would you say you bring a European aesthetic?

– I wouldn’t say that. Have you seen boxing clubs in Europe? They’re not bad, but they’re different. You could say boring. Our goal is to create a new one here in Moscow, and from here we can export it all over the world.

– So this is a new product?

– I would say it’s both a new product, an approach and a vision.

– How has boxing evolved since the 1920s?

– I think it’s not so much the sport itself that has evolved, but the people. As far as boxing is concerned, it remains one of the most sought-after sports. But now it is also growing into a new direction – boxing-fitness. Now every person can do boxing with a coach or in a group, regardless of training, and develop themselves physically and mentally, learn to think. After all, boxing is primarily tactics, the way your brain works.

– Is it possible to pump some psychological aspects in training?

– Tyson also said that he won the fight before entering the ring. It’s a whole art. The science of defense, offense, thinking. You don’t have an extra minute to make a decision in the ring. It has to be practiced beforehand. Through sweat and tears. Speaking of which(laughs), we’re going to have one and a half hour training sessions on Fridays called “Boxing, Sweat and Tears.”

– Boxing for you – what is it about?

– Of course, it’s about respect. And that’s what it teaches not only in boxing, but in any other sport. I have rarely seen two opponents fighting openly, hating each other outside the ring. In 99% of cases it’s a fair fight, and that’s why the sides start to respect each other. It’s still a sport, a competition, not a fight in the street.

– Who are the iconic figures in boxing for you?

– If we talk about what a boxer did in the ring, it is, of course, Mike Tyson. In terms of competent boxing, technique, tactics – Floyd Mayweather Jr. He is incredibly cunning and in most cases just leaves his opponents fooled.

And if you look from the contribution side of boxing as a sport in general – it’s Mohammed Ali. He was probably the first to make boxing a business, our business is now to continue (smiles). Of course, there was such a thing before: fights for which people made bets, won money. But it was with the arrival of Mohammed Ali that the real intrigue appeared. He knew how to heat up the fight, how to make the public hungry for the meeting of the two fighters.

– Can you remember a fight that kept you in suspense from the beginning to the end?

– I was very nervous during the fight when Kostya Tszyu and Zab Judah fought. I even competed with my friend to see who could better portray Kostya Tszyu’s knockout and his opponent’s fall(laughs). My friend is a real professional at it, he did it very well.

– What is the main message of your project? Have you realized your dream by making boxing a part of your life?

– Partly I have realized my dream. But you can’t stop there. A dream must be turned into something more. Now I want it to be a real profitable business that can give people everything they want. Until I am recognized and known in every part of the world, I cannot say that I have realized my dream completely.