Before you step into a boxing class, it's worth knowing who you're learning from. Credentials in fitness are inconsistent — the industry has no universal standard, and the gap between a self-trained instructor and a genuinely qualified coach is enormous.
Coach Hafiz is the founder and head coach of Sweat Science Studio. This is his story.
The Record
Hafiz's competitive record speaks for itself:
• 🥇 3x Singapore National Boxing Champion
• 🥇 Hong Kong City Cup Champion
• 🥇 2x Pesta Penang Champion
This isn't a list of participation medals. These are the highest competitive achievements available to a boxer in Singapore. Winning a national championship once takes exceptional talent and dedication. Winning it three times is a different order of achievement entirely.
This competitive experience is what separates Hafiz from the large majority of fitness coaches in Singapore. He has been on the receiving end of elite coaching, competed at the highest level, and developed an understanding of boxing technique that is simply not available to someone who has only ever trained recreationally.
The Road Here
Hafiz's path to opening Sweat Science Studio was not straightforward. During the COVID-19 lockdowns, with gyms closed and income gone, he was doing GrabFood deliveries. For most people, that kind of setback ends the story.
For Hafiz, it became motivation. The period of uncertainty deepened his conviction that boxing — the discipline that had defined his life — was worth building something around. He opened Sweat Science Studio with the goal of creating the kind of gym he wished had existed when he was developing as a young boxer: technically rigorous, genuinely welcoming, and built around real skill development rather than aesthetic marketing.
His Coaching Philosophy
Hafiz's approach to coaching is built around a few principles that become clear within your first session.
Technique before everything.
A class at Sweat Science Studio always prioritises correct mechanics over intensity. He would rather you throw twenty perfectly executed jabs than two hundred sloppy ones. This is how real boxing is taught — and it's the approach that produces lasting improvement rather than just fatigue.
Everyone improves.
Hafiz genuinely believes that every person who trains consistently will improve, regardless of their starting point. He coaches with patience toward beginners and higher expectations toward those who've been training for a while. The level of attention he gives to a first-timer is the same as the attention he gives to a member who's been training for a year.
The sport is for everyone.
Hafiz's class draws beginners, seasoned athletes, women, men, children, and CBD professionals who've never thrown a punch in their lives. The culture he's built is inclusive by design. There is no hierarchy in the gym — a three-time national champion coaches everyone with the same level of respect and care.
Outside the Studio
Hafiz is married with a daughter and five cats. He's a self-described fan of K-dramas — Itaewon Class in particular — and the story of an underdog building something meaningful from nothing resonates with him personally. It's not a stretch to say the spirit of that show influenced the vision for Sweat Science Studio.
Why This Matters for Your Training
When you choose a boxing gym, you're not just choosing equipment and a schedule. You're choosing a coach. The person who teaches you fundamentals in your first month shapes your technique for years. Learning from someone who has competed at the highest level, who understands excellence from the inside, gives you a foundation that a less experienced coach simply can't provide.
