The smell of sweat wafts through the air, past the print shop. Painful grunts and moans echo down the tight corridors of downtown Beijing's Shangdu Soho building.

Welcome to Beijing's fight club, the tiny gym that is Fight Republic.

The studio houses a small boxing ring with ropes, a kitchen area with drinks, and men's and women's showers. And that's all.

Professional fighters Rory van den Berg, Jerson Estoro and Ryan Willis opened Fight Republic to help people get into shape and promote Muay Thai in China.

"I've been back in the UK, and one of my friends who runs one of the biggest gyms in the UK has a big boot camp program, which is like a martial arts boot camp that he runs for six weeks," he says.

"When I came back to China, I thought it would really work here and that there was a gap in the market for it."

Van den Berg, an asset manager in Beijing, reached out to his friend and trainer Willis, who brought Estoro into the mix.

The establishment's gear is some boxing equipment and free weights. But trainers sculpt clients without fancy facilities.

Willis, who has trained in Muay Thai since he was a young child in the Philippines, teaches one-on-one sessions and children's classes.

"I was the shortest at school, and my coach saw that I had potential," he recalls.

"So I trained to be a fighter."

Willis has worked with various gyms and fighters, including Van den Berg, since coming to Beijing in 2010.

Estoro had trained with Willis. The Filipino pro mixed-martial arts fighter began in university and fell into Muay Thai after it became popular in his homeland.

The fighting style unlocked the world to him. He started competing around the globe, including in China.

"I fight not because I'm angry at my opponent but rather to display my skills," Estoro explains.

"This is my passion. I love this sport (Muay Thai)."

Van den Berg says the trio previously worked out of other gyms but finally found its own place.

They landed a partnership with the White Collar Boxing China organizers where Fight Republic trains amateur fighters in Beijing for a charity event.

Cat Nelson says she has been happy training at Fight Republic.

The dining editor of the news and city guide website Thebeijinger.com trained in Tae Kwondo as a child and discovered Fight Republic while training at another gym, Boxing Fusion.

"I think they do a really good job," she says.

"They're intense. But they're also very accessible. The idea is to bring people who have never done fighting or boxing before and make it (the sport) accessible for them."

Nelson signed up for the Beijing White Collar Boxing fight.

Magazine copy editor Colin Robinson has long been interested in boxing but never signed up for classes before he saw an ad for the White Collar competition.

Robinson says the trio is passionate about boxing and eager to pass on any knowledge and experience they can.

"They're always happy to take questions," Robinson says.

"They have a lot of enthusiasm."

From left: The founders of Fight Republic Gym, Ryan Willis, Rory van den Berg and Jerson Estoro, along with one of their students, pose with boxing legend Manny Pacquiao. Gilbert Choy / for China Daily

(China Daily 12/15/2013 page5)