This boxer trains Cowboys, NFL stars. Now, he’s joining an upstart boxing league
Former professional boxer Tony Mack spends this time of year training some of the NFL’s biggest stars.
Players like four-time Pro Bowler Micah Parsons and veteran wide receiver Amari Cooper spend their offseason at TMack Elite Training, Mack’s gym in Allen, throwing punches and getting in shape for the upcoming season.
Mack says he doesn’t take the opportunity to train Parsons and Cooper, along with others, lightly.
“These guys came into my life literally out of nowhere,” Mack said. “And once I trained them, all the knowledge I had in boxing, everything I had gone through in life helped me help these guys out.”
Mack says that imparting his knowledge and keeping it professional and authentic are the main reasons his clients keep coming back.
“I don’t charge them extra,” Mack says. “Whatever I charge my clients, that’s what I charge them. I treat them just like a regular client. And I think that’s why these guys gravitate to me and they tell their friends about me. I think it’s just me being as authentic as possible and bringing my best. They gravitate to it.”
Mack says he makes it a point to train the players like the fighter he was.
“They love boxing,” Mack says. “And when I’m training these guys, I’m training these guys like they’re actually fighters. I don’t cater to them because of who they are. I treat them like they’re one of my fighters, like human beings.”
Team Combat League
Mack began boxing at the age of 20. In 10 years, he competed as a member of the USA National Team as an amateur and went on to have a professional record of 13-1-1 before retiring due to injury.
Mack pivoted into entrepreneurship with the opening of his gym and has been training ever since. However, a proposal by a fellow coach from a new boxing league opened up a lane to use his expertise like never before.
The Team Combat League has taken the boxing world by storm and puts a unique spin on the traditionally individual sport.
The league is made up of 12 teams, with 24 boxers on each team. In each event (there are 68 in each season), all 24 boxers on each team compete head-to-head in three periods. Each period consists of eight rounds that last three minutes each.
The first period, rounds one through eight, are considered Launch Rounds. Rounds nine through 16 are the Middle Rounds and rounds 17 through 24 are the Money Rounds. Each round is scored individually, and the total score of each team determines the winner.
Mack says Sam Arnold, coach of fellow TCL squad, the Atlanta Attack, recommended him for the coaching position for a new team, the Dallas Enforcers, and the rest is history.
“At first I didn’t understand much about the league,” Mack said. “I didn’t understand how the one-round system works because it’s not traditional boxing. But then once I got to this league, I saw the potential. I saw the growth, and it’s here to stay. I think it’s going to take over boxing.”
The team recently came off of a split-decision loss against the defending champions, the Philadelphia Smoke. However, the Enforcers are still second in the entire league with a 4-1 record behind the Las Vegas Hustle.
Mack says the strategy behind the success of his team is focusing on his fighters’ strengths.
Dallas Enforcers
“It’s tough to just train the fighters the way you exactly want them to train because they’re coming from different backgrounds,” Mack said. “So you gotta develop that relationship with the fighter and understand what they’re weak at and what they’re strong at and you gotta put it all together for only one round.”
It’s especially important, Mack says, due to the stark variations in experience and skill levels his team can meet on any given day.
“As long as you are 18 years old and you’re a licensed professional fighter, you could compete in this league,” Mack said. “You could have an amateur just turning professional or a current world champion competing in the league.”
The team is back home on July 11 against the LA Elite at Gilley’s Arena, and Mack encourages D-FW boxing enthusiasts to show up and support the Enforcers.
“We just had our last two home fights in Dallas and it was a really good showing,” Mack said. “We need every fan in Dallas to show up.”
Fans can purchase tickets to all matches on the official Team Combat League website. Fans can also stream all of the matches for free on Dr. Phil’s Merit TV app or on YouTube.
This story was originally published June 10, 2025 at 4:42 PM.
