50 years of excellence
Forging world champions, elite amateurs, and fierce competitors in East London since 1976.
The rooms changed, from a church hall in Forest Gate to the arches in Bethnal Green. The standard did not.
Muhammad Ali's brother is a patron of the gym.
- 1976
- Opened
- 50
- Years
- E1
- Bethnal Green
1976–1980s
The pedigree & the roots
In 1976 Bill Judd opened KO in a church hall in Forest Gate. The room was small. The idea was not: a gym that would stay, and a standard that would not slip.
The next home was the Lonsdale gym on Carnaby Street. The early squads shared those rounds with boxing greats passing through London, sparring with Honeyghan and Witherspoon.
- 1976
- Founded
- 50
- Years
- 35+
- World champions
1976 church hall archive
Lonsdale gym on Carnaby Street
Early sparring in the Lonsdale ring
1980s–2020
The Tottenham era
The gym then settled at Tottenham Community Sports Centre and stayed for two decades, through to 2020. The sessions were long, the bags were honest, and the work ethic did not bend.
Willie Bassaga trained and fought out of KO there. A world-class Muay Thai fighter from France, Bill called him an absolute beast, and he beat Winston Fraser. In 2012 the Ali family visited the amateur team, Arches ABC.
- 20
- Years
- 2012
- Ali family visit
Tottenham Community Sports Centre
Willie Bassaga in training
1990s bag work archive
2020–Present
The permanent home
In 2020 KO took a permanent home at 187 Bancroft Road, under the railway arches in Bethnal Green, steps from York Hall.
The floor is built for the work that happens there: 3 professional rings and 16 heavy bags, with the rest of the gym set around them.
- 3
- Rings
- 16
- Heavy bags
- 187
- Bancroft Road
187 Bancroft Road under the arches
York Hall, steps from the gym
The three rings on the current floor
The founder
The architect — Bill Judd
Bill Judd founded KO and still leads it as head coach. Before the gym, he was a world champion kickboxer.
He has promoted shows for Sky Sports and Eurosport. The coaching is built around what he calls the philosophy of purpose.
- Founder
- Since 1976
- Sky
- Eurosport promoter
Bill Judd coaching on the pads
The names
Training legends
Ruqsana Begum, an intercontinental champion, fights and coaches from this gym. Sak Nayagam and Kelly Berry stand in the same line of fighters who have trained here.
The Arches amateur and pro squads are the competitive wing: carded boxers, on the same floor as the everyday classes.
- Amateur
- Squad
- Pro
- Squad
Ruqsana Begum in the ring
Arches amateur and pro squad