1997 Dana White Interview

[BIel Casen]

This was allegedly part of a Las Vegas Review Journal article in 1997. Its not on their website anymore, but you can still find it on Google's cache:

Its not the complete article, but it still gives you an idea where he was ten years ago.

"When Dana White first tried to sell local fitness clubs on the concept of box aerobics, he was met with considerable resistance.

'I called every club in town, and they told me they had no place for a class like this,' said White, a Bishop Gorman High School graduate and former amateur boxer.

Now, a year later, both White and box aerobics are in demand.

On Thursday and Saturday he teaches classes at the northwest 24-Hour Fitness on Rainbow Boulevard. The rest of the week he trains people privately.

'It's just exploded in popularity,' said White, 31, a boxing and fitness trainer who is licensed with the Nevada State Athletic Commission and USA Boxing. 'It really is the ideal way to lose weight.'

White claims that one hour of box aerobics burns more than a thousand calories, compared to 450 in a traditional aerobics class.

'It's all natural body movements that burn fat, build cardiovascular endurance, speed, coordination and flexibility,' he said

White's classes at 24-Hour Fitness, where boxing techniques are taught in an aerobic format and last anywhere from 60 to 90 minutes, regularly attract between 130 and 140 people.

'It's not boring,' he said. 'People are getting bored with the health club scene.'

White's classes don't involve sparring, and the majority of his clients don't want to fight competitively.

'The key is not boxing,' he said. 'Learning how to box is just one of the benefits. It's about the workouts.'

For those who wish to spar, White holds a boxing clinic every Sunday.
'I actually get out there with my clients,' White said. 'We go easy and have fun.'

White trains clients at United Champions Inc., a converted warehouse in the Southwest.

'The private lessons are for people who want to focus more on technique and want to be pushed harder,' White said.

White's clients are put through a rigorous one-hour workout that includes shadow boxing, jumping rope and hitting the heavy bag.

Among his clients are Steve Cavallaro, Hard Rock Hotel chief operating officer, attorney Edward M. Bernstein and 1995 American League Rookie of the Year Marty Cordova of the Minnesota Twins.

For five years, beginning in 1987, White was an amateur boxer.
His career ended prematurely when, while preparing for a Golden Gloves bout, he suffered injuries to his elbow and nose while sparring.

'I was a little discouraged,' said White, whose record as a middleweight was 33-10. 'I love boxing more than anything.

'After that I went to the gym and started training other fighters.'
He still trains fighters, but he said 95 percent of his work revolves around fitness training.

Inside United Champions, 22-year-old Melissa Rogers has just finished shadow boxing and is busy hoisting a 12-pound medicine ball up and down a flight of stairs.

'That works the back of the legs and butt, where women like to hit,' said

White, who has been training Rogers for more than a year.

An aspiring model who works at Canyon Gate Country Club, Rogers said she has lost nearly 30 pounds as a result of box aerobics.

'It's a tough workout,' she said. 'But his routine is fun. It's like no other aerobics class I've ever taken.'

White, who hopes to open his own gym someday, said 20 lessons are all it takes for him to get someone into excellent shape.

'Boxing works the entire body,' he said. 'Once someone learns how to shadow box, it's almost like meditation.' "

[warriorfan808]

I think cardio kick box had him beat. Good read though, seems like Dana always was into making it big.

[TyroneSlothrop]

so he was a boxercise instructor. so what. nothing new.

and hey BI, aren't you the loser that was sending threating PMs to guys, saying you'd choke them in ten seconds?

way to go being a consistently pisspoor poster. can't believe i am bumping this shit.

[BlazinSkunk]

Originally Posted by TyroneSlothrop

so he was a boxercise instructor. so what. nothing new.

and hey BI, aren't you the loser that was sending threating PMs to guys, saying you'd choke them in ten seconds?

way to go being a consistently pisspoor poster. can't believe i am bumping this shit.

Now THATS how you call someone a loser and expose them for who they really are in one fell swoop.

Nice work!

[Porn King 707]

Cool, so this proves that even 10 years ago Dana had a vision of something that he thought would be big and saw it come to life due to his persistence and hard work.

[BIel Casen]

I wonder if he hit that model he was training...

[francis_kreuer]

rags to riches, this just like a ufc story from being bankrupt to becoma a multi million business

[pimptight]

Are you guys really giving Dana props for being a aerobics instructor? I really thought sherdog was more witty than this. I am highly dissapointed in all of you!!!

[SAIPULTURA]

waaaa.

[jaykool666]

Good read, but who cares about Dana once being an areobics instructor. Doesn't change the fact that he's a Grade A moron.