Metro Orlando to get boxer Floyd Mayweathers fitness concept

A new-to-market fitness business created by professional boxer Floyd Mayweather plans multiple new Central Florida locations, including one opening soon.

Los Angeles-based Mayweather Boxing + Fitness plans to open gyms in Melbourne, Oviedo and Celebration. These will be among the first locations for the franchisor in Central Florida; it currently has a presence in South Florida and the Tampa Bay area. The gyms eventually will employ 10 to 12 workers, including trainers and sales associates. The gyms are known for their workout programs that include a mix of non-contact boxing moves and high-intensity interval training (HIIT).

Three franchisee groups are opening the new Central Florida locations. Here are some details:

• Melbourne: Kerry Hamilton-Gannaway and Chad Genoni are the co-franchisees for the 2,511-square-foot gym at 5555 North Wickham Road slated to open within the next few weeks, Hamilton-Gannaway said. In addition, the group is targeting a site in east Orlando’s Waterford Lakes neighborhood for late 2022, Lake Nona in spring 2023 and a future location in the Baldwin Park/downtown Orlando area. This is the first franchise ownership experience for Hamilton-Gannaway, who has more than 30 years of fitness management and training experience, including with Orangetheory Fitness. Genoni is a franchisee with homebuilder AR Homes by Arthur Rutenberg.

• Oviedo: The 2,400-square-foot gym at 2871 Clayton Crossing Way is set to open in the early spring, Oviedo franchisee Lisa Brodsky told Orlando Business Journal. This is Brodsky’s first foray into franchising after working as a lawyer. “I knew I wanted to find something that would make people’s day better, but I wasn’t sure what that would be.”

• Celebration: Franchisees Tariq Price and his wife ShaRease plan to open a 2,393-square-feet fitness center this summer or fall at 1687 Future Way in the under construction Celebration Pointe shopping center from Orlando-based developer Unicorp National Developments Inc. Price said he plans to begin operating soon after the space is built out. The couple also runs Steps Ahead Learning Center in Saginaw, Michigan. Price said he is considering opening more Mayweather Boxing + Fitness locations in the Orlando area, but has not finalized any other future sites.

Average startup costs range between $199,600 and $598,000 for a franchisee, per Roswell, Georgia-based franchise consultant Franchise Gator.

Mayweather Boxing + Fitness has more than 57 locations either open or debuting soon, according to its website. The company was founded in 2018.

Meanwhile, other fitness concepts also have targeted Orlando for franchise expansion. South Carolina-based ISI Elite Training plans to open up to 15 local gyms during the next three to four years.

Franchisee Mike McLaughlin opened the area’s first gym for the chain at 1985 S. Alafaya Trail in east Orlando’s Waterford Lakes area last October. The company has yet to lock down any future locations, but expects to invest $4.13 million and create up to 150 new jobs in the region. The franchisee is eyeing areas including downtown Orlando and its Park Lake and Thornton Park neighborhoods, as well as Altamonte Springs, ISI CEO Adam Rice previously told OBJ. “We love the Orlando market due to the match in demographics, huge migration of families to the area and the central location is provides in Florida.”

Franchise expansion can create job opportunities while also providing potential tenants to real estate owners. As franchises scale, they may add additional locations in a specific area.