Friday, March 29, 2024

Meet the Husband and Wife Duo Behind HIT N MOVE® — As Seen in “Creed 3”

Creed 3
Sourced Photo

Training in any sport can leave one open to developing bad habits if they’re not using the right approach or equipment. Ozzie and Alaina Akcakaya, founders of HIT N MOVE®, believe this wholeheartedly. The husband and wife team both have an athletic background and are well aware of the adverse effects of developing bad habits in training. They have combined their expertise and knowledge and created revolutionary products for boxers well-positioned to disrupt the boxing world — and have already garnered some Hollywood-sized buzz.

Boxing deserves better  

When he started boxing, Ozzie Akcakaya, an internationally certified personal trainer and former pharmaceutical sales executive, immediately recognized the need for better equipment. “I fell in love with boxing,” he told On the Ropes. “When you learn and advance in boxing,you start to learn what good gear is. I didn’t really find anything good enough, boxing gloves always had something nice and bad about them, so I wanted to make a padding that gives me the compact fit but also protective and durable on the bag, and that’s where ‘boxing deserves better’ comes from.” 

The company’s motto, “Boxing Deserves Better,” speaks to the quality and technological innovation it put into each product they develop. The husband and wife team have joined forces to bring HIT N MOVE® to rings and gyms everywhere and have built a solid following among boxers along the way. 

A foundation of innovation 

“We are changing the game,” Ozzie says confidently. With the innovation placed into HIT N MOVE® boxing gloves and their Boxing Reflex Trainers, that confidence is warranted. The company’s boxing gloves were developed with comfort and movement in mind. 

Ozzie knows from experience that the 24oz gloves typically used for conditioning were massive, which made it hard for boxers to perfect the precise movements of champion fighters. This is why the company created Dr-T (aka “Dart”) Tech for both its 24oz and 16 oz gloves — a proprietary, all-day padding that enhances the glove’s feedback and protection without adding unnecessary bulk and girth. 

“Dr-T is a technique to make multilayers without bulking up,” Ozzie explains. “Dart padding is smaller and more compact than punchers’ gloves but also protective. Punchers’ gloves are small and hurts the opponent but damages the knuckles. We brought greater protection to these more compact 16oz gloves, but our 24oz gloves are totally different story.” 

According to Ozzie, Mayweather Promotions fighter Jalil Hackett was using a regular 24oz glove. When Ozzie asked him why he was using that “watermelon-sized glove,” Hackett replied, “for conditioning due to heavier weight.” 

“But he wasn’t able to hit the [punching] bag or mitts properly because his gloves were so big,” Ozzie clarifies. “That gave me an idea to make a weighted dart padding which ultimately became our innovative Dr-T padding technology using heavier padding but in the same size of the padding we use in 16oz gloves. After 6 months of trial and error, we were able to make our 24oz gloves the same size of regular 16oz ones.

This padding innovation has made the HIT N MOVE® gloves the most comfortable and durable training gloves on the market. 

The fight gloves from HIT N MOVE® are developed in direct partnership with professional boxers to best consider their needs throughout the design process. Different fighters have different preferences when it comes to gloves concerning fit, size, impact, and leather durability. 

The innovations that HIT N MOVE® have brought to the market have allowed boxers to enter the ring lighter and more agile, leaving behind the need to overwrap or gauze their hands and wrists. The gloves are favorites among famous fighters such as Gervonte “Tank” Davis and coaches such as Patrick Harris and are featured in the upcoming “Creed “sequel, “Creed 3.”

Upleveled training 

It’s the stuff of Hollywood movie montages to see a boxer using whatever they can get their hands on to train for the “big fight.” In “Creed 2,” Michael B. Jordan’s character uses every method available — from swinging mallets to rolling massive tires — to train for his upcoming match. While these scenes are great for building a compelling story, real-life boxers need practical, innovative training and performance equipment to help them level up. 

HIT N MOVE® has also developed a Reflex Trainer that offers boxers a unique training experience. Made from premium materials and designed to help fighters of all levels improve their speed and agility, the Reflex Trainer simulates being toe-to-toe with an actual opponent. It offers better stability and noise reduction than training equipment of the past and even comes with free online training videos that allow athletes to maximize their training. The Trainer is great for boxers at any level, especially beginners looking to start on the right foot with boxing without developing any bad habits through improper training. 

A joint effort 

For Ozzie and his wife Alaina, HIT N MOVE® is a family affair. “I was never involved in the boxing world until we joined a UFC gym while we were living in Chicago,” recalls Alaina. “We were just looking for something to do together. We both really enjoyed it, both the sport of it and how we felt afterward. It’s like a chess match, and it’s very strategic.” 

When Ozzie approached Alaina with the idea for HIT N MOVE® and its “Boxing Deserves Better” credo, Alaina was immediately on board with her husband’s clear purpose and vision. “There’s a million boxing companies out there, but I loved his reason behind wanting to make a product,” she explains. 

Ozzie sees his business as having a heart, a mind, and a soul — and in that equation, Ozzie feels Alaina is definitely the mind. She quickly lent her marketing and PR expertise to Ozzie’s vision, consulting on branding, website design, and other essential factors in bringing the business to life. 

HIT N MOVE® is hoping to bring back the quality of 1960s and 1970s boxing equipment, a time when, to Ozzie, the industry wasn’t just about making a quick buck with sub-par products. “We don’t make a product unless it is the best,” says Ozzie. “It has to be something amazing that is needed.” 

As HIT N MOVE® becomes a worldwide brand, the dynamic husband and wife team intends to continue making boxing better, because — as they both affirm — the sport deserves it. 

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