Iowa City’s TITLE Boxing Club joins with Thrive Gym in Coralville

TITLE Boxing Club's Iowa City location, which for nearly seven years was located in Iowa City Marketplace, on Sycamore Street, last week moved to Coralville, where it has merged its space with Thrive Gym.

The boxing club held a soft opening at Thrive Gym, at 2205 E. Grandview Dr., on Tuesday, with a limited class schedule, and plans to begin a full schedule Tuesday after the Labor Day holiday.

Though the two businesses will retain their own names and operate independently, members will be able to participate in both spaces, said IB Funmilayo, franchise owner of the TITLE Boxing location and a boxing class teacher.

'Boxing is a kind of workout that gets you in that type of zone where you can clear your mind (and) at least for the one hour you're at the club working out,” he said. 'Seeing that in my members makes me really, really happy, because that's how I felt when I first started.”

One portion of the facility will include state-of-the-art gym equipment and weights, while another section will house TITLE Boxing's classes and brand-new boxing bags. Thrive Gym already holds its own classes, including spinning, yoga and Zumba.

'It's amazing because, as a boxer, you like to cross train, and I think one think most people who do boxing or kickboxing don't do is the recovery and stretching part,” Funmilayo said. 'That's something I highly recommend for clients after a rigorous workout.”

The shared space also will feature a juice and smoothie bar, child care and in-house massage facilities.

Funmilayo said he and Thrive Gym owner Kaaren Vargas had discussed the concept of a shared gym space about three years ago, but the timing wasn't right. The two resumed talking in earnest about the idea earlier this year.

TITLE Boxing now operates more than 190 clubs in North America, with 150 additional clubs in development.

Comments: (319) 398-8366; thomas.friestad@thegazette.com