Contenders Boxing and Fitness is a Charlotte boxing gym with roots dating to 1998, when it began as Southside Boxing in a gym built off the founder’s garage. In 2005, a second gym opened on Hawthorne Avenue, and both locations were renamed Contenders. The gym is centered on boxing training and fitness, emphasizing hands-on work with tools such as jump ropes, heavy bags, and speed bags, as well as boxing as a form of stress relief. Its founder also competed in the Charlotte Golden Gloves in 1988, 1990, and 1991.