Meet the Mentors.
Two coaches. Two temperaments. One shared belief: what a student learns in the ring should make them a better person outside of it.
Fred "Pops" Pereira.
Every coach in this gym stands on his shoulders. Pops taught that the sport was never really about the sport — it was about the person you became because of it. That lesson is still the foundation of everything we do.
Started at ten.
Never stopped.
Coach Mike put on his first pair of gloves at ten years old. He grew up in the ring — as an amateur boxer, then as a kickboxer — trained under the late, great Fred "Pops" Pereira, who taught him that the sport was never really about the sport.
What Pops gave him wasn't just technique. It was a way of carrying himself. A code. A responsibility to the next kid who walked through the gym door.
"I don't coach fighters. I coach people. If we build the person right, the fighter takes care of itself."
The steady hand
in the corner.
If Coach Mike is the intensity, Coach Paul is the balance. He's the one who catches the kid who almost quit and reminds them why they came. The one who sees the small win the rest of the room missed.
He believes progress isn't loud. It's the quiet stack of days you kept your word to yourself. His job — as he tells it — is to make sure every student knows someone is in their corner.
"Everyone here matters. Nobody trains alone."
You Already
Belong Here.
Whether your goal is confidence, discipline, fitness, competition, or simply belonging to a positive community, Westside Striking welcomes everyone.
- ✓ Confidence
- ✓ Discipline
- ✓ Respect
- ✓ Leadership
- ✓ A Family That Has Your Back