The Boss Boxing in Zillmere has become more than just a gym since opening in 2019.

Owned by Garawa and Butchulla man with Tongan and South Sea Islander heritage, Uncle Sammy Leone, the gym has grown into a cultural and community hub.

Uncle Sammy, along side his wife Tamie, started the gym at the Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress before relocating close by 2023.

He said the move marked a new chapter, with plans already underway for another relocation in the near future.

The gym is built on what Uncle Sammy calls the three Es.

"We operate off the three Es; that's enable, empower and equip," he told National Indigenous Times.

For Uncle Sammy, boxing is the perfect tool.

"Boxing is a sport that breeds challenging, overcoming adversity and challenges and it breeds strength and discipline and self-control," he said.

"Boxing is something that gives you all of those things."

Since its beginnings, The Boss Boxing has had an impact beyond the ring.

Each year, the gym provides Christmas hampers to families, with more than 200 handed out last year alone.

It has also supported people facing homelessness and provides crisis intervention and support.

"We've actually housed a couple of homeless people over the years and we give crisis intervention and support that we fund and we self-fund," Uncle Sammy said.

The gym has youth justice programs, women's programs and mentoring for athletes, promoting culture as a core part of its training.

Uncle Sammy said athlete development was central to their work.

"We coach, we train, we mentor, we teach culture, we share and celebrate our culture and we share with many of the others in the community."

In October, the gym will host the First Nations Boxing Championships at the Hamilton Hotel, welcoming athletes from across the country.

"It's the First Nations Boxing Championships, but we operate in the spirit of reconciliation and we open it up to everyone," Uncle Sammy said.

Among the gym's rising athletes is 18-year-old Wakka Wakka woman Ella Muir, who recently represented Queensland in the Flyweight division at the Boxing Australia Selection Event.

She faced Olympian Monique Surachi in a tough bout and while Surachi came out on top, Uncle Sammy said the experience showed the pathways being created for young boxers.

Looking ahead, the gym is building its First Nations Boxing Academy to expand training, education and employment opportunities.

"At the new space that we move to soon, we're going to be doing some more training and upskilling," Uncle Sammy said.

"Working to get their qualifications in either fitness and transition them into employment as well."

The gym has already helped locals with employment, with several propped into trades and labouring roles.

"We recently put four people into jobs in the last month," Uncle Sammy said.

"The key thing that we do is we aim to make change by creating sustainable business strategies and employment strategies," he said.

Butchulla student Reuben Williams, who trains at the gym, said it had given him confidence and direction.

"I started here for the community and my family are here in Zillmere and it gives me confidence and heaps of potential for the future," he said.

Uncle Sammy said the gym's philosophy is rooted in resilience.

"Everyone's got a story and everyone's had some type of adversity that they've had to deal with and push through and come out on the other end," he said.

"By offering our programs and our services at The Boss Boxing here, we want to make sure that people know that you can push through and you can do it."