Title Boxing Club Opens in Buffalo Grove

Buffalo Grove’s newest gym features a boxing ring, but visitors shouldn’t expect to find inner-city-style fighting contests inside.

“We don’t train boxers. We train them like boxers,” explained Terry Diegel, the owner of Title Boxing Club. The facility is part of a growing national chain which specializes in hour-long workout sessions aimed at helping participants burn calories while getting in shape.

Title Boxing Club opened early September in Buffalo Grove's Town Center. It occupies the 9,500-square-foot storefront formerly occupied by Puppy Palace.

Upon entering the facility, visitors are greeted by a bank of 60 boxing bags, which take up the majority of gym. Treadmills, weights, smaller boxing bags, the boxing ring and merchandise racks form the perimeter. The open space is decked out in Title Boxing Club’s corporate black and red; even the ceiling is painted black.

The facility’s Power Hour boxing and kickboxing classes include a 15-minute “dynamic warm-up,” 30 minutes of boxing intervals and core stretching.

“The trainer is in front and directs the class, but you get to go at your own pace,” said manager Eric Andriacco, a former amateur boxer who leads some of the classes.

“We tell them the first (class) is the worst. It’s just kind of shocking the new muscles,” Andriacco said. “The cardio, you’re going to lose your breath. You’re going to build your cardio endurance faster than anything else.”

“We tell people, ‘Don’t change the way that you diet.’ You can’t help but lose weight when you’re coming in,” Diegel said.

The boxing ring can be used for training or for monitored sparring, Andriacco said. 

Once people come in and understand how Title Boxing works, the idea of it “being a boxing gym goes out the door,” Andriacco said. 

While some clients have told Andriacco that they boxed when they were younger, “most of our people are beginners,” he said.

And, added Diegel, about 80 percent of Title Boxing Club members are women who want to tone their bodies.

“It’s not a pick-up place,” he said, referring to some suburban gyms that attract singles hoping to find dates. “It’s a 60-minute deal. We don’t have a place where you can hang out and chat.”

“We’re not for everyone, and they’re not for us,” he acknowledged.

But, he said, he expects Title Boxing Club and the Village of Buffalo Grove to be a perfect match.

Diegel, a Kildeer resident who also owns Title Boxing Club franchises in Schaumburg and other states, said Buffalo Grove “was a shoe-in for me because I know this market needs something to get excited about.” 

The Buffalo Grove facility is larger than the average Title Boxing Club location, which is typically around 6,500 square feet. “I joke around and call this the mega Title Boxing Center,” said Diegel, who said he’s leasing the larger space at a competitive price. “We’re proud of this space. This space is the new model of what Title Boxing Club wants to be.”

The facility offers standard boxing and kickboxing classes as well as special sessions for seniors and children ages 5 to 12.

Members can exercise independently or join classes. The facility currently offers 22 classes throughout the week, and Andriacco said he will add more as demand increases. He said he expects that Title Boxing will eventually hold 40 weekly classes.

“We know it’s just around the corner in getting the word out and letting people know we’re open,” Diegel said.

Title Boxing Club offers an initial class for free. Membership is $59 per month for up to six months. Those who join for six to 12 months pay $49 per month. Membership includes unlimited classes and gym access. Personal training sessions can be scheduled for additional fees.