Best Amateur Boxing Clubs in London: An Honest Guide

Choosing a boxing club in London isn't like choosing a gym. You can't just pick the closest one with the nicest changing rooms. Boxing clubs have their own cultures, specialities, and standards. The right club for an 8-year-old getting into the sport is different from the right club for a 35-year-old who wants to get fit, which is different from the right club for a 16-year-old with competitive ambitions.

This guide covers the most notable amateur boxing clubs across London. We're one of them, so take our opinions with appropriate seasoning - but we've tried to be honest about what each club does well.

East London

Repton Boxing Club, Bethnal Green

Repton is the institution. Founded in 1884, it's one of the oldest boxing clubs in Britain and has produced an extraordinary number of professional fighters and Olympians. The gym sits in a converted Victorian bathhouse on Cheshire Street, and the atmosphere is unlike anywhere else.

Best for: Serious amateurs and aspiring professionals. Repton's track record for producing competitive boxers is unmatched.

Consider: The club's reputation means it can be busy, and the culture is very much geared towards competition. If you're looking for casual recreational boxing, it might feel intense.

Volume: "Repton boxing club" - 2,900 monthly searches. People know the name.

We wrote a more detailed piece on Repton's history and famous boxers.

All Stars Boxing Gym, Harlesden

All Stars is legendary in north-west London boxing circles. The club has a strong focus on youth development and has produced several professional fighters. It's a proper community gym with deep local roots.

Best for: Youth boxers in NW London, particularly those with competitive ambitions.

Islington Boxing Club

One of London's most active amateur clubs with a strong programme across age groups. Islington regularly produces boxers who compete at national level and has a welcoming atmosphere for newcomers.

Best for: North London boxers looking for a well-run club with both recreational and competitive pathways.

South London

Fitzroy Lodge, Lambeth

Fitzroy Lodge is the Repton of south London - a historic club with genuine pedigree. Based under the railway arches near Lambeth North, it's produced multiple national champions and international representatives.

The club has a particularly strong reputation for its coaching staff and its ability to develop technical boxers rather than just fighters.

Best for: South London amateurs who want high-quality coaching in a traditional boxing environment.

Consider: Like Repton, the focus is heavily on competitive boxing. Recreational sessions are available but the culture leans towards competition.

We covered Fitzroy Lodge in more detail here.

Dale Youth Boxing Club

Dale Youth holds a special place in London boxing. The original club was based in the Grenfell Tower area and was devastated by the 2017 fire. The club has since rebuilt and continues to serve the North Kensington community.

Best for: Youth boxing in west London, with a strong community mission.

Read more about Dale Youth's story.

Honour & Glory Boxing Club, Kidbrooke

That's us. We're based at the Samuel Montagu Youth Centre in Kidbrooke, SE3 - serving Greenwich, Lewisham, Eltham, Woolwich, Blackheath, and the wider south east London area.

We're newer than the clubs listed above (founded in 2020), but we've built something we're proud of: an ABAE affiliated community club with BBBofC licensed coaches, running sessions six days a week for every age group.

• Infants boxing from age 5 (Tue/Thu, £5)
• Recreational juniors aged 10-16 (Mon-Fri, £5)
• Junior and senior amateur programmes for competitive boxers
• Adult recreational sessions (Mon-Fri evenings, £10)
• Women's boxing (Saturday mornings, £10)
• Open sessions at weekends for all levels

What makes us different: We're a charity, not a business. Prices are deliberately low because we believe boxing should be accessible. Our coaches are here because they care about developing people, not because it's a commercial venture.

First session is always free. Book a trial or just turn up.

How to Choose the Right Club

Visit First

Every boxing club feels different. The coaching style, the people, the atmosphere - you won't know if it's right until you've been through the door. Most clubs offer a trial session, so try a few before committing.

Ask About Coaching Qualifications

All coaches should hold at least an ABAE Level 1 qualification. For competitive boxers, look for clubs with Level 2 and Level 3 coaches. Every coach at Honour & Glory holds a minimum of ABAE Level 1 and is DBS checked.

Consider the Culture

Some clubs are heavily competition-focused. Others cater more to recreational boxers. Neither is wrong, but going to a competition gym when you just want to get fit can feel uncomfortable, and going to a fitness-focused club when you want to compete can feel limiting.

Think About Logistics

The best boxing club in London is no good to you if it takes 90 minutes to get there. Training consistently matters more than training at a prestigious address. Look at clubs within a reasonable distance - our area pages show travel times from across south east London.

Check the Timetable

Make sure the club runs sessions at times that work for you. There's no point joining a club with amazing coaching if the only sessions are at 6am and you can't function before 9.

Our full timetable is here - we run sessions every day except rest days, with weekday sessions from 5pm and weekend sessions from 8:30am.

Getting Started

If you're in south east London and want to try boxing, Honour & Glory is a good place to start. If you're elsewhere in London, the clubs listed above are all worth visiting.

The hardest part is walking through the door the first time. After that, boxing tends to take care of itself.