If you’re looking for a boxing gym to train at in San Jose, CA – look no further. While my experience has been exclusively at Dreamland, I’ve been at enough tournaments to see the familiar faces and programs that have successful (and long-lasting) boxing programs. Below are the top boxing gyms in San Jose if you are looking to compete.
Dreamland Boxing: Dreamland Boxing is a 501c(3) non-profit boxing gym in San Jose, CA. Originally founded in 2004 by the late David “Sarge” Neeleman and his wife Maria Neeleman, the gym was named after “Dreamland Auditorium”, which is where Maria’s grandfather used to fight. Dreamland Auditorium is a historic boxing venue that hosted fights every week. Legendary fighters such as Joe Louis and Filipino sensation Ceferino Garcia have fought at the venue. As you can imagine, Dreamland Boxing is an old-school type of gym with an appreciation for the rich history of the sport.
In July 2015, Jesse Huerta took over as the President of Dreamland Boxing, as the gym continues to be home to many of the top professional and amateur fighters, including Chris “The Warrior” Washington, “King” Ali Ahmed, Sandra “La Torita” Magallon, and “Victorious” Vicky Zhao. Over the years, Dreamland has established itself as one of the top boxing gyms in San Jose. The gym also hosts many amateur boxing events, and has even hosted the Dreamland Masters World Championships in 2018 and 2019 for those 35 and older.
What makes this gym special is the friendly environment where everyone, of all backgrounds, can come to learn boxing. I have been a member since 2004 and both competed and coached for the gym. The gym is run by all volunteers, and it speaks volumes that many of the coaches have been here for 10+ years.
Dreamland Boxing is located in the Cambrian Area of San Jose, on 2047 Woodard Ave.
San Jose PAL: San Jose PAL is run by Candy Lopez, a very experienced boxer and coach. Candy has run the San Jose PAL Boxing team since 1980, and has trained a number of collegiate and amateur champions. The San Jose PAL gym is located at the San Jose PAL Sports Center and is currently not taking any new members.
Cali Boxing (San Jose Boxing): Cali Boxing is another gym that comes by Dreamland for sparring quite frequently. Coach Jessie Sanchez is a former San Jose State Boxer who heads up their program, and is currently training a few amateur fighters for competition. Most notably, I see Angel Mangosing, a rising amateur prospect, at tournaments. The gym is located at 3469 McKee Road, San Jose, CA, 95127.
Legendz Boxing: Legendz Fitness is another boxing gym in San Jose, but also has options for bootcamps, kids classes, yoga, and more. Legendz boxing team is coached by CJ Ruvalcuba and they put out a number of high performing amateur fighters, such as Jonathan Ruvalcuba, Miggi Valencia, Jonathan Trevino, and more. The gym is located in South San Jose at 1603 Almaden Road, San Jose, CA, 95125.
The rest: 9Rounds, Checkmate, and all the other gyms that show up on Google’s search results are either fitness boxing or MMA gyms. I have yet to see any of the other gyms at competition.