Buckhead Fight Club, known as Atlanta’s premier boxing gym, wants to light candles to celebrate its 10th anniversary. Along with the celebrations on the 20th, the gym will host a party for the big Lomachenko/Haney matchup in Las Vegas.
Known for providing a great training venue for both professional and amateur fighters, the fight club is the only one in the US to be created, owned and operated by women, and has also hosted dozens of professional shows over the years. Popular cards featuring local, regional and national talent have made Buckhead Fight Club one of the busiest venues in boxing over the years.
MaxBoxing recently caught up with Buckhead Fight Club event producer Terri Moss to hear her thoughts on the club, past and present, and 10 years in the Hot-Atlanta boxing business.
Bill Tibbs: Hi Terri, nice to talk to you again.
Terri Moss: Hi Bill, yes nice to catch up. How are you?
BT: I’m fine, thank you. So congratulations on 10 years. What was your initial vision when you started the club?
TM: Well, I’ll manage somehow, I’ll try to do some shows, try to train some fighters. Try to stay open for a few years (laughs). I never imagined he would grow up to what he has. We started with mind boxing shows, which are some of our biggest to date. We’ve had local, national and international fighters all these years; Clarissa Shields and Devin Haney fought here.
BT: Did you always plan to turn it into a professional venue?
TM: Well, I’ve always wanted to do shows. I think club shows are the lifeblood of boxing. We’re not Top Rank or Greg Cohen or anything like that, but we put on good shows. We are a place where warriors can come, express themselves, show what they have. This is a place where many people can express themselves. When we didn’t have money for paints, we let graffiti artists come and do their job (laughs). It’s a special place.
BT: How many gigs have you had over the years?
TM: I don’t know. We give concerts here, but we also play in other places in the city. We tried to keep busy. Club shows are such an important part of boxing. Without a strong club scene, the top echelons really don’t have a development program to get their players better and better. It all starts at the club level.
BT: I remember when we talked, when you came out of the pandemic you had about 14 shows scheduled.
TM: Yes, it was a very busy time. We’ve slowed down a bit, but we’re still busy, we have concerts ahead of us.
BT: When young people see a place that could be a route to the pros, is that an incentive for an amateur to turn pro?
TM: Yes, I think it’s great. I think that could separate us from other clubs as we have a thriving amateur and professional program so a young amateur can see the way to the professional game if they are interested.
BT: Maybe we’ll see a world champion coming out of Buckhead Fight Club?
TM: That’s one of my goals. Very willingly. We have a huge space here, 25,000 square feet, and we also train mixed martial arts here. Maybe we’ll be the first gym to have a champion in every sport? But yes, I would like a world champion, maybe a couple.
BT: The grand celebration of the 10th anniversary is coming on the 20th.
TM: Yes. We are very excited about it. We’ll give out some prizes, some honors. The first member ever to join the club is still a member. We’re having a party before the Lomachenko/Haney fight in Las Vegas. It will be great fun, free for everyone to just come, celebrate 10 years and enjoy the evening.
BT: Well, congrats to you Terri and Buckhead Fight Club for 10 years, 10 more. We will talk again for sure.
TM: Yes, for sure. Thank you very much.
