Who We Are

Bay Breakers Boxing Gym Founders and Owners Daniel and Abbe first met in a boxing gym in 2017. As they grew to love the sport and the benefits of practicing boxing, they both developed a desire to challenge the often excluding narratives of the typical boxing gym environment. They saw a need for a boxing gym that was light-hearted, inclusive, family-friendly, and community-oriented. Bay Breakers Boxing Gym was designed to fill this need, and the time has come to open our doors!

Located at 2001 Van Ness Ave. San Francisco, CA 94109, Bay Breakers Boxing Gym is a boutique boxing and fitness gym that provides authentic boxing and strength & conditioning training for all fitness levels. We offer boxing technique classes, boxing bootcamps, strength & conditioning classes, personal training, open gym hours, youth boxing and camp programs, on-site childcare, and a membership financial sponsorship program. We believe in boxing as an empowering, engaging, and sustainable way for our community to pursue strength in both mind and body. 

Bay Breakers Boxing Gym owners Abbe and Daniel bring a complementary set of skills and experiences to run a thriving small local business. Daniel is born and raised in San Francisco and has been employed in the boxing gym environment since 2017. Daniel worked his way up from front desk staff to management, and has managed three different boxing gyms in the past four years. Daniel also has over 10 years of experience in sales, and was the top sales representative for his most recent employers. Abbe was formerly an educator in our San Francisco classrooms for 7 years, including opening her own private preschool program as a sole proprietor in 2020. Abbe then became a certified personal trainer/certified boxing coach and launched her fitness career in 2022. Together Daniel and Abbe are experienced and highly qualified in business ownership, management, sales, administration, education, and fitness and boxing training.

With your contributions to our startup expenses, Bay Breakers Boxing Gym will be able to open our doors with a gym full of equipment, a joyful and safe childcare space, and a roster of highly-qualified trainers and staff ready to lead our community in their boxing journey!

What We Need & What You Get

There are many costs to opening a new gym space, including a security deposit on our beautiful new commercial space, insurance, gym equipment (heavy bags, gym flooring, boxing gloves, jump ropes, dumbbells, barbells, medicine balls, kettlebells, resistance bands, TRX suspension bands, squat rack, cardio machines, etc.), materials for our active childcare space, and furniture for our reception area. We are utilizing a generous loan from local non-profit Main St. Launch and several investors to fund many of these costs, but are seeking an additional $50,000 in donations for our working capital needs (payroll, rent) while we get our business off the ground. Any funds raised beyond $50,000 will be used to purchase additional equipment and materials to complete our gym space (including getting our sauna up and running!), and to hire additional staff to complete our team.

We want you to be part of our community. Our perks include recognition on our virtual donor wall, tickets to our grand opening party, naming rights to our space and equipment for yourself or a loved one, and opportunities to try out our services.

The Impact

Boxing training improves cardiovascular health, strength, agility, mobility, flexibility, balance, coordination, promotes weight loss and/or muscle gain, increases confidence, decreases stress, and so much more! At Bay Breakers Boxing Gym, we seek to bring boxing to more people in our community by alleviating some of the common barriers to pursuing this incredible sport:

Community support: We will intentionally build a safe, welcoming, and authentic community environment so that more people can step out of their comfort zone to pursue a stronger version of themselves in our gym.

Childcare/Youth Programs: Our high-quality on-site childcare program and our youth programs will allow adults with children to utilize our facilities while their children are safe and engaged on site.

Affordability: Gym membership can be expensive. We are excited to offer a membership financial sponsorship program that makes our gym a viable option for our lower income community members.

The Owners

Bay Breakers Boxing Gym was founded by a community builder and an educator who both found a sanctuary in boxing. Daniel Rodriguez-Mendez previously managed 3rd St. Boxing Gym and Hit Fit SF where he developed a love for the sport and a talent for teaching it. Daniel has a reputation for being authentic, professional, accommodating, kind, and helpful in his management roles. Daniel’s management experience includes scheduling, staffing, personnel training and supervision, membership services, customer service, sales, payroll, advertising, event planning, and gym maintenance. Daniel is a certified USA Boxing Coach, and teaches boxing classes, youth classes, and boxing personal training sessions. Daniel does it all!

Abbe Skinner is an educator and entrepreneur who discovered through boxing that educating the body is as important as educating the mind. Abbe taught Special Education in our public schools before becoming a sole proprietor and founding a small private preschool program in her home. Abbe’s professional, organizational, and business skills translated into her preschool being fully enrolled within the first 6 months of opening. Abbe then transitioned into the fitness field full-time as a personal trainer and boxing coach. Abbe’s experience includes teaching and curriculum creation, administration, customer service, hiring/training/supervising employees, payroll, taxes, client recruitment, and advertising. Abbe is a Certified Personal Trainer with the National Federation of Professional Trainers (NFPT), and a certified boxing coach with USA Boxing.

Other Ways You Can Help

Donating is only one way to support Bay Breakers Boxing Gym. Spreading the word is another! Help us get the word out and make some noise by sharing our campaign and our posts on your social media and with friends and family. We want people to know about us and consider us as an option for their fitness needs. We are deeply grateful for any and all support!