Happy Customers

Phil Han

I first met Martin 10 months ago and had no previous boxing training.  Training at the gym 4-5 days/week, I thought I was in shape until he asked me the question, “Are you gym fit or boxing fit?”.  Within the first 2 weeks, I found out what he meant!  Since last year, Martin has been training me 2 days a week and the time that I train with him are the week’s toughest but most rewarding sessions.  What I respect about Martin is that he doesn’t cheat his students.  He is always fully engaged and incredibly passionate about helping you improve your skills and fitness levels.  Martin also doesn’t cut any corners and creates training programs that push you to get maximum benefit out of each training session.  As a result, I have noticed huge improvements in my endurance, strength, physique and overall boxing skills.  Now boxing is a real passion of mine.  The boxer-teacher/trainer relationship is really important because of how challenging the training and sport is.  Because you see the total commitment that Martin has to his craft and to his students, I have put total faith and trust in Martin as a coach and trainer. Martin Dmitrov takes all of his accumulated experience in the ring, gym (and his life) and shows his students the blueprint to get the most out of boxing.

Charlie Schofield

I trained with Martin and the Square Boxing team for 5 months prior to my last fight and without a doubt they got me in the best shape of my life and I was easily the fittest fighter on the card. No stone was left unturned with Martin committing himself 100% to his stable of fighters, be it on the diet plan, sparring or cardio sessions. You can guarantee that Martin will have you fully prepared and fight-ready. Life changing experience.

Robert Wade

Training with Martin at The Square Boxing Club got me fitter and more skilful than I’d ever imagined possible. Martin has an amazing amount of experience and takes a really intelligent and thoughtful approach to your training. He has the ability to tailor everything to the individual so that he pushes you to get the absolute best from yourself.

Whether you’re a serious competitive boxer, or you just want to really take charge of your fitness, you wont find a better trainer.

Civil Servant

I first met boxing coach Martin Dimitrov when he was leading a boxing fitness class I began attending at a central London gym. The reason he came to my attention particularly is that when he took the class he used to really motivate and push us in the class. I always appreciated and enjoyed his no-nonsense direct approach.

As I got more into boxing I set myself a personal goal of taking part in a white collar boxing match. In doing so I knew I needed a disciplined coach who was going to get me prepared both physically and mentally for the task at hand. That was Martin.

If you speak to Martin only for a short period you will realise he takes his boxing, especially amateur boxing seriously. An amateur boxer himself with an excellent record, with Martin as a coach you will be getting a man who is not just teaching you from text books, he has been there and walked the talk!

Once I started getting into a training program with Martin I realised very quickly that I was going to be pushed to my limit every time I stepped into the gym door. If the class he took was structured his 1-2-1 approach took things to the next level as each session he worked with me to develop the skills it would take to stand strong on fight night. Attentive to not only my development in the gym Martin also put together a tailor made jogging, running and sprint program to support me outside the gym which was brilliant.

As part of training with Martin I was introduced to some of the other fighters operating under his stable. Martin would utilise them to support me in my development and in time they would become good friends. Together we would push am motivate each other to do better. It became clear that under Martin’s guidance I was not on my own in my quest for fight night glory I had become part of something greater, a team and boxing community.

I continued to be pushed hard and as the night of my fight got closer. By the time the night of the fight came round, although naturally nervous, under Martin’s guidance I felt confident in my abilities to perform. The success for me was stepping through the ropes, however I am proud to say that once in I had one heck of a fight. With the skills developed under Martin’s tutorship I managed to drop my opponent in the first round and win on points taking every round.

I am eternally grateful to Martin for his support as a coach and some of the life lessons and he instilled in me during this time.

For those considering Martin as a coach in the future I could not recommend him highly enough. As long you’re willing to apply yourself to the task at hand, with Martin in your corner I guarantee in time you’ll realise your own in-ring success and no doubt make some great friends along the way.

Patrick Watson

I have been training with Martin for nearly a year now, it has been extremely challenging and I have been pushed to the absolute limit but it has been fun and I have got some great results. I was always extremely active and played rugby at a good standard but due to work commitments I was forced to give up. I found myself getting out of shape and being a a big boxing fan it has always been something I wanted to try. Walking into a boxing gym for the first time could have been very intimidating  but Martin is extremely approachable and a genuinely nice guy who is passionate and very good at what he does. Since training with Martin and the other guys at the square I am in the best shape I have been in for years, have met some really good friends and due to the skills I have learnt with Martin I am looking for my next challenge and considering training for a fight. I thoroughly recommend Martin and the guys at the square!

Charlotte Cumming

I thought I knew what it meant to exercise, until my first training session with Martin. I didn’t. He pushes me to new limits and has taught me what it means to really challenge myself, physically and mentally.

I started boxing training as a way to improve my fitness. I didn’t expect to enjoy it quite so much too. Martin’s skill and patience as a trainer means I always learn something new (this almost distracts from the pain, but not quite!). His sessions are the hardest I will ever do, but the sense of achievement and results he gets make every second worth it!

As well as being trained by someone as accomplished as Martin, the strong community feel he has established keeps me coming back. Even as a beginner sometimes training alongside professionals, I’m always made to feel very welcome and encouraged. The commitment, passion and respect everyone has for Martin’s experience and the sport is inspiring, fun and infectious to be around.

Sampson, Anne

When I first decided to try out boxing as a means of keeping fit, I have to admit that the thought of walking into a boxing gym and my first ever boxing session was a bit daunting.  I’m glad I saw it through as it turned out to be a positively life-changing experience and I have now been training with Martin for about 3 years.  The Square Boxing Club is a great community and I have discovered that no matter what your ability, once you step into that gym there is support and respect from not only Martin but the other boxers.

As well as being an exceptional trainer, Martin is an excellent motivator and can keep/get you back on track even when you are feeling really low or have had a tough week.     I have gone from being extremely apprehensive about my abilities to total trust that when being pushed to my limit, Martin has the skills to get me through the challenging workouts.  The sense of achievement at the end of a hard training session is amazing.

Martin has the ability to make you believe in yourself, and has the expertise to get you to exceed your goals. I have reached a level of fitness I did not think possible thanks to him.

James Fick

“I went to Martin as a complete novice in boxing, a 6ft 5in overweight late 20’s man who had let the working London lifestyle get the better of them with bad living and unhealthy dieting. I had signed up to compete in a charity boxing match at the Oval Cricket Ground and took on Martin’s guidance to get me to a completive level of Blue Collar boxing. Over a 12 week program Martin got me in the best condition I had been in years and had got me to a standard of boxing I did not think I could get to as quickly as I did. I enjoyed every minute of the journey and could rely on Martin to advise me on all things outside of the gym from healthy living, maintaining fitness and managing and overcoming niggling injuries to remain on top of your training.

In short Martin gave me the ‘boxing bug’ and even after my first bout I wanted to continue and see how much I could push myself further. I continued on with boxing and continued to strive to compete. The Square Boxing Club is an incredible group of guys who help push each other further than you can push yourself. There is always a great comradery amongst the group and we’re all there to support each whether it’s just to get our fitness to new levels or get the others skills ready to compete. We’re always helping each other craft our key technical skills as well as pushing each other with tough sparring.

Martin tries to expose the team to as many different boxers as possible and has taken me to go and spar with some good people and taught me the skills to bash a few of them up in the ring along the way too. Martin made my right hand heaver than a stone and I’ll never forget his face the first time I dropped someone with a big right hand to the body, a great feeling. Without a doubt the two years being mentored by Martin and being part of the Square Boxing Club helped me reach the peak of my physical fitness and the enjoyment of living such a lifestyle” 

Elvis Makoda

My name is Elvis makoda 26 years old professional boxed managed by Archie Dublin and trained by Archie, Sean Tobin and Martin Dimitrov.
This is a short message about my experience training routine with Martin the co owner and director of The Square Boxing Club.
There is two phase that describe my training with Martin.
1. Hate
2.enjoy-full
The hate is more before training,few hours, few days and the minute I was told the time and the day of the training. My body automatically know that it have to give it all when training with Martin and it won’t be easy.
Then enjoy-full is just after few second when I hear from Martin well done the session is done. The feeling my body have for that day and few more days is just amazing. My mind feel so clear and my body feel like I can eat whatever even I don’t tend too but that how I feel because I know I have trained hard and I feel great.
Other feeling between session are pain, joke, Lough, respect, team work  and dedication.
Since I have been training with Martin I feel like I can’t proceed with a fight if we haven’t been training. The body doesn’t feel ready its a weird situation it feel like something is missing from inside me.
One thing that I really appreciate about Martin is how tough the training is he wouldn’t let anyone do a session that he has never done before or he can’t do. Everything we do he has performed it by himself first and know how difficult is and if it’s possible for us to achieve it
When I was young boxing is really what has helped me move forward in life and now I’m older is more about the people involve and Martin is one of them.
I’m sponsored by The Square Boxing Club. As a professional boxer I wanna look like a pro, train like a pro and feel like a pro and this is where The Square Boxing products come in.
Most important about this training clothing and products  is how comfortable there are. I can move my body freely and do any exercise without feeling uncomfortable with my training clothing.

Thank you
Elvis Makoda

Professional Boxer

Steven Loyens

My Mental Mentor

 

After a spine and knee injury, and breaking the big four zero barrier I thought my sporting days were over. It turns out that in that sentence lies the key of the problem: I ‘thought’… Whereas clearly there were physical limitations to my exercise, the main issue was the thought that it would never get better again, i.e. a mental block. 

It takes a very strong coach to get someone over a mental block: firstly, the coach has to recognise the problem. Martin has a strange way of immediately connecting with your mental state (whether you like that or not). This was his first message to me: it’s all in your head. I must admit that at first that message did’t come across terribly well because after all, I was the one with back pain here! His second message was a list of injuries that he himself has had to come back from. That was a bit of an eye-opener. There is no better mentor than one who has been through the same issues you’re working through, in his case, multiple times.

Secondly, the coach has to find a way to train you taking account of your specific injuries. In my case, he made slight adjustments to the basic exercises. As running with a spine injury isn’t a great idea, he showed me the proper rowing technique. I mean, rowing… that’s supposed to be even worse than running for your back, but he made it work.

Thirdly, and this I find the most amazing bit, the coach has to find a way to balance (i) continuously pushing you to continue improving, (ii) getting you mentally stronger so that you can continue his tough training programme and (iii) you then actually continuing with what at times can be a gruesome physical challenge.  I still don’t know how exactly he does it, but the results are staggering. I’m proud to say that I’ve signed up for a second set of 10 sessions, knowing that Martin will continue pushing me physically while helping me to accept that it will never get any easier. For that, he is my mental mentor.

Maiju Kettunen

My name is Maiju and I started training with Martin in June 2013. I had been to a few boxing exercise classes at various gyms but had never really made much progress technique-wise or with weight loss or aerobic condition. After only a few months of training a couple times a week, both I and my friends noticed development – I in my cardio fitness and my friends in my waste-line.

Martin is a very skilled and varied trainer who is well suited to coach competitive boxers of all levels. However, what makes him excellent and a great trainer for everyone is that he translates the professional training techniques to his “more ordinary clients”, such as me, who train merely for fitness and fun. Getting started with gym is hard especially for people with a few extra pounds but you won’t have any motivational issues when training with Martin as his sessions are simply so much fun that you don’t have time to be tired and you already look forward to the next time when you finish the last one.

Anyone who is either serious about boxing and needs a determined and skilled coach or just wants to learn a new sport and get into excellent shape should look Martin up – the best training I have found in London!

David Griffiths

Martin is the best coach I have had the pleasure to train with. His technical, sparring and fitness knowledge is one of the best I’ve come across in all my time boxing for fitness. His sessions are varied and he will push you to your limits and beyond (loves a Burpee or a hundred). In addition to his boxing knowledge professional and always a laugh to train with.

Paul Gill

The first time I met Martin, I was sparring in a local boxing gym.  It was very quickly apparent that he not only had superb technical skill, but an excellent ability to understand what you were capable of and how far you could be pushed – even beyond what you would think possible.  After that session I made an effort to train with Martin as often as I could.  His range of fitness exercises, together with the variation and of course a sense of humour, always meant that you feel that you have had a complete session.  I can safely say that I have never been as fit as I have when training with him, and anyone looking to learn to box or even just get as fit as possible, would be mad to look elsewhere.  Martin is simply the best there is.

Anyone who is either serious about boxing and needs a determined and skilled coach or just wants to learn a new sport and get into excellent shape should look Martin up – the best training I have found in London!

Luca Zanoni

Since I joined The Square Boxing Club I have seen great results, I am now stronger and more flexible, I have better balance and most importantly I have improved my boxing skills significantly.

Martin is an outstanding trainer, who works with the whole person: mentally, emotionally and physically. He always pushes me past my perceived limits t get better every day. He constantly encourages and motivates me to do better.

Martin is very caring and attentive to what each member of The Square Boxing Club needs, what their limits are and how to achieve his clients goals. His passion for boxing, training and fitness is utterly contagious.

Highest Recommendations!

Thomas Zsifkovits

When travelling the world (business or leisure) I always try to find a gym and work on my boxing skills.

My London base is a Bulgarian guy. Well, I thought the last person who defeated Floyd Mayweather was a Bulgarian so he can’t be that bad.

Literally I enjoy the work outs with Martin. Each and every time I get good advice of things that I also take home and can work on.

He is pushing me hard during a session which I like.

He also found me good sparring partners. In the meantime, it is always a highlight to work with him and the people around him.

In September I’ll be back!