Daily Inspiration: Meet Paolo Parente

Today we’d like to introduce you to Paolo Parente.

Hi Paolo, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I was born and raised in a little town near Milan, (Pavia) Italy. It was at the young age of 16 that i began pursuing my passion in sports and fitness. It may be hard to believe, but i weighed approximately 350 lbs when i was a teenager. i decided to start practicing boxing casually to see if he could lose some weight. And that’s when something magic happened: in one year, I managed to drop 150 lbs. I was able to achieve this magnificent result only because my motto of  “Hard work beats talent” which became a guiding principle from then on.

My childhood dream was to become champion of the world and that s why I moved to the US to Boxe professionally . My daily job was being a fitness specialist in Miami Florida, working with most luxurious south beach hotel and celebrities clientele while training to become a professional fighter.

My Professional Athletic career then, started at the Hollywood Florida based Private Gym “The Heavyweight Factory”. Here, fighters of value such as Shannon Briggs, Jarrell Miller, Trevor Bryan, Evander Holyfield, Guillermo Jones, Anthony Joshua, Peter Quillin and Ukrainian Champion Wladimir Klitschko have done their most important training preparations and training camp.

But it wasn’t easy to walk in the main door… In October of 2015 I went to The Heavyweight Factory looking for some hope: World champions of the past Evander Holyfield, Michael Moorer, and Riddick Bowe among legendary Mike Tyson’s trainer Stacy Mckinley asked me what i was looking for. I wanted to be a professional fighter, and he was looking for the best manager and trainer. All I wanted was to have an opportunity, but at that moment they did not gave me any opportunity.

Despite this, my desire and determination were bigger than anything else. In fact, i slept outside the gym seeking and waiting for my moment. That’s when Michael Moorer and Riddick Bowe finally gave him a chance to step in the gym and train. They put him on the ring right away, asking me to spar with WBA Champion Trevor Bryan. Boxing Legend Evander Holyfield also was watching his sparring bout and seeing Paolo’s determination and aggressive grit immediately gave him the nickname “Rocky”. I managed to establish a good relationship with Evander Holyfield, showing him how driven I was to become a professional. In fact Evander Holyfield said to Paolo: “I’ve never seen anybody hitting the bag so hard.”

I then got entrusted under Detroit Kronx gym Former Coach Jessie Robinson, with who i turned Pro; winning my first fights at the MGM and Motorcity Casino Detroit. After becoming professional I also trained under the Don King Productions, “King Kong” Boxing Management ending up under the guide of Freddie Roach in Los Angeles.

As today successful private trainer , After turning Professional, winning and losing rounds, training and sparring with many World Champions, I realized that my real title is having created a network of friends, who over the years I’ve not only trained but also helped become happier with their lifestyle goals.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
my motto of hard work beats talent always helped me to achieve. as an athlete, I have done anything it takes to help me turn professional, from working doors in nightclubs to meet people and potential sponsor back in the days, to work as a trainer from 5 am in the morning till late at night and manage to drive 100 miles on a scooter to get me to the gym to train myself as a boxer. as in business, I use the same persistence and motto , I am very consistent and I always show up to do the work , no matter what.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a former professional boxer and today successful fitness specialist. I have decades worth of experience as a Trainer and as a Pro Athlete and I specialize in: Fitness, Boxing , Strenght&Conditioning, Rehab, Functional Movement and Mental Training. My client-portfolio is very exclusive: from private clientele to celebrities and athletes, I only train a limited number of people in order to guarantee the best results and performance.

What are your plans for the future?
work in movies

Contact Info:

• Website: https://thefitspecialist.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefitspecialist_/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paolo-parente-a79212261
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@anespressowithrocky

Image Credits
Evander Holyfield (only the first picture)