CHARLIE
TAYLOR

CKO KICKBOXING JERSEY CITY

Photos & interview by Matt LeGrice

Charlie Taylor is a Jersey City based martial artist, group class coach, and personal trainer known as much for his intensity in the gym as his heart outside of it. He’s got plenty to brag about from his fighting days, but what really matters to him is the community he serves.

In class, he’ll push members for those extra reps and call them out by name if he thinks they need it. It’s always done out of tough love, and that’s exactly what keeps members coming back.

Outside the gym, Charlie doesn’t slow down much. He’s usually working on projects at home or finding new outlets for his energy. These days, though, his biggest focus is building a life with his wife in Bayonne and preparing to start a family.

Now more than a decade into coaching, Charlie is still focused on finding new ways to give back to his community.

A man with dark hair and a beard smiling in a dark gym with hanging punch bags labeled "CKO kickboxing."

Alright, Charlie, who are you?

My name is Charles Benjamin Taylor. I’m 38 and I was born in Jersey City, and raised in Hudson County.

Favorite place outside the gym or your home in Jersey City?

It depends. Back when I was younger, in my 20s, I used to bar hop a lot. Frankie’s, Skinners Loft, Taqueria — those were my spots. I lived across the street from Taqueria so I was there almost every day. These days it’s more restaurants and hanging out.

And what part of JC do you live in now?

Bayonne. I bought a house there with my wife. We just hit our first anniversary living there. We got married in Puerto Rico, and it was perfect.

Why Puerto Rico for the wedding?

I wanted an outdoor wedding that felt like more of a friendly cookout, not something formal in a church. I have a big family and my wife, she has a big family. I called Venues around here and they were quoting me $80k and I was like, are you serious? Puerto Rico gave us mountains, a horse farm, and we had food like pork, rice, beans… not the typical steak and fish. No ushers, no formal lines. My best friend married us. It just felt like a party, which is what I wanted.

Growing up here, how different is Jersey City now compared to when you were a kid?

When I was a kid, I didn’t really spend much time in downtown Jersey City. It had its rough edges back then, and since we lived in West New York, I usually found myself going over to Hoboken instead.

But since I’ve been working here continuously since 2013, I’ve seen it grow into itself. It’s like a little Manhattan now. More corporate, yeah, but safer. I do miss some of the old bodegas, little bars, Spanish spots I’d go to with my dad. That’s more nostalgia, but that’s what I miss.

Tell me a little about your family.

My dad is Irish and Puerto Rican, and my mom is Cuban. She came here from Havana when she was six. My grandfather worked in a factory and saved to bring his wife, my mom, and all my aunts and uncles over little by little.

Have you ever been to Cuba?

No. My mom has gone back, but I haven’t. She tells me I should, but I struggle with it because when you spend money there it doesn’t go where it should. I have friends who put care packages together with health supplies, feminine products, stuff like that, and they send them. That feels better to me. But one day I’ll go. I’d love to see Cuban boxing live, just to watch the footwork up close.

  • Man practicing boxing in a gym, mid-punch, focused on a punching bag.
  • Man training in a gym, performing a knee strike while wrapping his hands.
  • A woman lifting a small dumbbell during a workout session in a gym, talking to a trainer.
  • A fight training session at a boxing gym with a male trainer holding focus pads and a female boxer wearing boxing gloves practicing punches in front of punching bags.

How’d martial arts come into the picture for you?

I was the class clown, always hyper, ADHD, couldn’t sit still. In Catholic school, we were playing dodgeball, I got hit out, and instead of walking off like you’re supposed to, I went full tyrannosaurus-rex-Power-Ranger and drop-kicked a kid. I got detention for that, but my gym teacher, who happened to be a world champion taekwondo Olympian, handed my parents his business card and said, “Send him to me, he needs an outlet.” That’s how it started.

“I went full tyrannosaurus-rex-Power-Ranger-mode and drop-kicked a kid.”

And did you mess around with other martial arts?

Yeah. My instructor trained under Paul Vizio, a 13-time kickboxing champion out of Union City. So even though taekwondo was my base, I trained boxing and kickboxing too. Eventually I had to decide: do I want to get punched and kicked, or just kicked? I stuck with taekwondo because that’s what I was better at.

From the time I was six until I was about 23, taekwondo was my life. I trained nonstop. I got my black belt, I competed at nationals and internationally, and I medaled multiple times. But the thing I took away most wasn’t the fighting. What I loved most was the discipline and the humility.

My instructor was old-school. He had us reading The Art of War, he made us stand up and give speeches, he drilled us on how to carry ourselves with respect in and out of the gym. He pushed us hard but it was never just about kicks and punches. It was about becoming someone who could handle life.

Looking back, it changed me from an emotional kid who wasn’t super tough into someone who could be more resilient and steady.

More than anything, I was more interested in making people laugh, than trying to be the strongest kid on the block.

How’d your parents feel about you training like that? Were they supportive?

Oh, definitely, yeah. My mom loved that I came home tired, that it burned off some of that hyper energy. My dad even signed up and tried it with me. He got to yellow belt, and I remember being so proud training next to him.

Then one day in sparring he took a kick straight to the stomach (Charlie laughs). He dropped to the mat, gasping, and looked over at me and said, “I’m never doing this again.” And that really was the end of his training.

His pride was hurt, but he still showed up. He never missed my tournaments, always yelling from the stands, always cheering me on. He supported me even more after he quit.

“That stuck with me — that even if you can’t do something yourself, you can still show up and be all-in for the person you love.”

Two martial artists engaged in a Taekwondo match, one executing a high kick at the other, with several spectators watching in the background.
A young boy sitting on the back of a white vintage car with a 'V6' emblem, wearing a Mickey Mouse hat, a black Mickey Mouse sweatshirt, and decorated sneakers. A woman stands beside the car, smiling, dressed in a denim jacket and skirt, with a headset around her neck. They are outside a store, with luggage and shopping items in the background.
A woman and a young man are smiling at the camera, with the young man wearing a medal around his neck.
A young boy in a white martial arts uniform kicking a red padded target held by someone else, indoor setting, another person in martial arts uniform in the background.
A young man smiling, wearing a red bandana with white flower patterns, a black sweatshirt with a US flag patch, and a thick chain necklace, sitting in an indoor setting.
A man practicing a yoga pose on rocks near the water with a city skyline in the background.
Three people lifting barbells in a gym, with the main person in the foreground and two others in the background.
Two young taekwondo practitioners in white uniforms and protective helmets practicing a sparring move in a training facility.
Group of athletes on a winners' podium with an American flag and international flags in the background, inside a gymnasium or sports hall.

Photos provided by Charlie Taylor

What kind of work were you doing before coaching full-time?

I did corporate security for ten years. I started as a door guard checking receipts, then went undercover catching shoplifters, then internal investigations. By 27 I was head of security at the Manhattan Mall. No degree, just grinding.

What I miss most about corporate is the constant learning. Meetings, conferences, hearing how leaders talk. It kept me sharp. In fitness, once you’ve mastered the basics, it can feel repetitive.

Side-by-side photos of a man before and after a transformation, showing a change in hairstyle and appearance, with the right photo depicting the man smiling and wearing a black shirt with a kickboxing logo.

Photo provided by Charlie Taylor

So how did you end up leaving corporate and going into coaching?

When I left my position at JCPenney, I thought, let me go back to my roots. I tried a few combat gyms in the area, but nothing felt like home. Too much ego, too much about who’s the best fighter. I wanted community. I wanted people who were just there to kick, punch, sweat, and have fun.

That’s when I found CKO in West New York. It clicked. Regular people, no belts, no egos, just work. I loved it.

I got certified, started working in West New York CKO, then started working at the CKOs in Hoboken and then Jersey City. That’s where I met my partner Joe. We opened in 2013. The gym grew as the city grew. At our peak, we had hundreds of members. I went from front desk to head trainer to opening Bayonne.

“It wasn’t about money. I just loved waking up and training at the gym every day.”

What was running Bayonne like for you?

I owned and managed that location until last year. We were open for 10 years. During COVID, the building got sold to a development company and that development company didn’t maintain the building well as we rode our lease through.

Eventually, we had to make a decision to either buy a building and move the gym or just close our doors and we had to make the financial decision to close our doors even though the gym was profitable we just didn’t have enough money to move the entire gym.

Eventually the building shut down. It sucked, but it gave my people opportunities. One of my managers now runs two Rumble locations, another trainer opened her own gym. That meant more to me than keeping the doors open.

Put yourself in your members or team’s shoes. How would they describe you?

Intense. People always say I’ve got a ton of energy. I don’t really mess around, no BS, but it always comes with love. I’ll push you hard in class, I’ll call you out if I think you need it, but it’s because I care just as much.

That word “intense” has followed me forever — whether it’s in workouts, in my relationships, or just life in general. Some people get overwhelmed by it, but others thrive off it. That’s who I am.

  • Man practicing a high kick in a gym, with punching bags hanging in the foreground.
  • A gym or workout space with a view of a dining area with a wooden table, black chairs, and a sofa. The background features a kitchen area with dark cabinets, a countertop with various items, and a brick wall. There is gym equipment in the foreground.
  • A woman holding a playful dog while a man lifting a kettlebell in a gym with brick walls.
  • A man and woman practicing boxing in a gym, both wearing boxing gloves and focused on their training, with gym equipment in the background.

What’s been on your mind outside the gym lately?

Starting a family. I’m 38, we got married later, so that’s the focus. I want to be healthy and consistent so I can be a good dad. My parents had me super young. Now it’s the opposite. But that’s the goal that keeps me on track.

Got any new business ideas cooking, or are you chilling for now?

Not right now. I’ve done gyms, juice bars, side hustles. Some worked, some didn’t. Right now I just want family and health. I own a couple rental properties, but I’m done with people-heavy businesses for a while. It takes a lot out of you, and when you don’t get that energy back, it’s rough.

Last question, if you were to disappear tomorrow, what do you hope people would remember about you?

I hope that what I gave people is... love yourself and be confident within yourself. It doesn't matter what you look like, what background you've been through, you have to learn to love yourself.

And I'm tough on people, but I shower them in love afterwards, because I believe that's how you build resiliency to self love, that you're gonna encounter things that are frustrating, that are difficult, but you have to have the wherewithal and triple down on yourself to get through it.

Website
https://www.ckokickboxing.com/nj-jersey-city/

Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/charlie.ko

Visit CKO
157 1st St, Jersey City, NJ 07302