By Lindsay Walker
Mail | Twitter: @AzNewsmedia

A brand-new workout concept has made its way to Arizona, and Tempe is its first stop of many in the Valley. 

Rumble Boxing Gym recently opened the state’s first gym at the Watermark in Tempe, located at 430 North Scottsdale Road, Suite A-115. The gym, one of hundreds across the country, is nestled near giants like WeWork and Opendoor, as well as restaurants and retail stores in the newly-developed building.

Jake Flaherty, owner and operator of the location, said he’s bringing his experience working for tech startups in the Bay Area to his new role as a franchisee for the concept. 

“I think franchises are sort of like startups that have a leg up on things because they have a really great support system,” he said. “In that time, I was able to be a manager, I was able to be managed, I was able to do business development to work on code, everything across the board. I think just having that diverse range of experience really helped me take on my own business here in the Arizona area.”

Flaherty first experienced Rumble’s high-energy, boxing-infused group workouts when he lived in San Francisco and knew he needed to bring the concept back to his hometown in the East Valley. Originally from Scottsdale, he graduated from Notre Dame Preparatory before attending the University of Arizona for college. 

“I think it's the perfect combination of our clientele,” said Flaherty. “It's a lot of young professionals. You still are able to tap into the Scottsdale, Arcadia markets. Obviously you get the nice bonus of students, which love the brand and love how fun it makes working out.”

He said Rumble makes boxing more accessible to the masses with its dark, nightclub-esque atmosphere and the ability to go at one’s own pace. It’s also great for strength training, according to Flaherty. 

“In general, boxing can feel intimidating for people, and I think what makes Rumble so special is it makes boxing super simple. It makes it to where everybody can box. If you’ve got two hands, you can box. I think the music and the energy, the vibes in the classroom, in the studio room really set it apart and it’s something that makes working out really fun. I think it's hard to find places like that. And obviously, the results and the calories you burn are a huge bonus. We’re seeing an average of about 600 to 650 calories burned in class.

Just weeks after its grand opening, Rumble is pushing over 300 members. The membership model means anyone interested in taking a class can either pay $27 to drop in for the day, $89 for four classes, $139 for eight classes and $179 for an unlimited monthly membership. 

Flaherty hopes the success of the first Valley location can be replicated elsewhere; he recently broke ground on a Gilbert location and hopes to have a new one every six months for the foreseeable future. 

“We're absolutely putting more locations in the Phoenix area,” he said. “The third one will be coming either in north or mid-Scottsdale in very early 2023. My goal is to get one of these open every six months until I have at least seven.”