How Antonio Compton made history owning Rumble Boxing franchise in Nashville despite the odds

Meet Antonio Compton, he is the co-owner of Rumble Boxing Gulch in Nashville. He became a franchise owner of Rumble due to his passion for the health and fitness industry. Prior to investing in Rumble Boxing, he was a franchise owner of another fitness brand.

It was during his time at his first fitness brand that he met Noah Neiman, who is one of the founders of Rumble. He exited from his first fitness and wellness brand after seven years. According to him, he and his team were presented with an opportunity to exit with a corporate buyout.

Following the buyout, he then decided to look for a new franchise to invest in. This was when he heard about Rumble being acquired by Xponential Fitness brands, which influenced him to make a stake. 

“We heard about Rumble being acquired by Xponential Fitness brands, which is what led us to buy the Nashville market,” he said to Black Enterprise. “We signed on to open six studios, five of which will be in the Nashville area and one in my hometown of Evansville, IN.”

Compton said his mother’s battle with weight loss influenced his decision to venture into this field. He grew up in the urban area of Evansville where there were not many opportunities or resources to get into fitness. Thus, it would have been easy to get into an unhealthy lifestyle, he said.

“As I grew up, I wanted to change that narrative and bring about a safe space and opportunity for people to work on their health. I started with myself, getting into fitness and trying different workouts. Then I had the opportunity to franchise with a fitness brand, and now it’s Rumble,” said Compton.

Since acquiring Rumble, Compton said he feels he has made the right decision because boxing is a very accepting and diverse sport. He noted that the value of the sports aligns with who he and his partner are.

“We are always asking members and instructors, ‘What are you fighting for?’ in the studio. For us, that is inclusion, diversity, and empowerment, and I feel the Rumble leadership team is also fighting for those things as they grow the brand and introduce more people to boxing for fitness. Xponential Fitness also has pretty diverse ownership across its brands, so we felt good about taking the leap with Rumble.”

Compton attributes the success of his wellness center to how intentional they are about business. First launched in 2022, he noted that the brand seeks diverse trainers and members. What is more, they ensure there is a bond between the company and its members.

Achieving success with Rumble did not come easy for Compton. According to him, he had to overcome personal challenges. He had to file for divorce while on a journey of self-reflection and discovering who he really was.

He eventually came out of the closet and moved to Nashville where he met his life partner Blake Baskin, and together, they now own the first Rumble Boxing franchise in the city.