Boston boxer Callum Johnson achieves dream with star name set to open new gym
Boxing personality 'Big' Joe Egan is to perform the official opening of Boston's new Elevate Fitness gym on Saturday, 9th May.
Irishman Egan is the former sparring partner of Mike Tyson who once dubbed him 'the toughest white man on the planet' and a legend in boxing circles.
The new gym is the brainchild of Boston professional boxer Callum 'The One' Johnson and business partner Vaughan Dent.
Johnson, 40, continues his final comeback in the ring on Saturday, 25th April at Notts County FC's The Nest.
But he admitted opening his own gym had long been a dream and was his future after his eventual retirement.
“The idea came when I was on a drunken boat trip with Vaughan in Ibiza,” smiled Johnson.
“This is essentially for the rest of my life and it has been at the back of mind for the last 20 years that I would have my own gym one day.
“Vaughan has also had this in his head for a long time too – 10 years ago he was looking to open a gym. So it's nothing new but it just came about in Ibiza that we were going to do it together.
“I have always wanted to open a boxing gym here and train fighters myself.
“But I must stress it is not a boxing club. It is a public gymnasium which offers pretty much everything fitness-wise.
“There will just be a combat area upstairs with a lot of boxing going on.
“There are obviously other gyms about in Boston. But this will be everything under one roof.”
Egan, who will perform the gym opening at the plush new Marsh Lane premises, won the Irish Heavyweight Boxing championship seven times
He initially stopped his promising professional career in 1990 due to serious injuries sustained in a car accident just after his second professional fight.
After returning in 2004, he retired again with a win, stating he had nothing left to prove
“A good friend of mine is a good friend of a good friend of Joe! That is how that came about and it's quite a random one, but Joe is a real character and a very likeable one too,” said Johnson.
The public are invited to pay a visit anytime over that opening weekend to try it out for free.
Street artist Nathan 'Nyces' Murdoch has decorated the walls with some famous faces.
Founding Memberships are on sale which locks you in at £33.99 a month for life – no future price rises.