I didn't read a lot of the posts, just the original. . .but here's my two cents. I think you really have to clearly determine where you want to go with the sport of boxing before even approaching a coach/trainer. Do you want to just stay in shape? Do you want to compete on the amateur level? Professional level? How much time are you willing to commit to this goal? Most of the good coaches are apprehensive about taking on new boxers because of a number of factors. You have to understand too that there is a difference between amateur and pro. In the amateurs, good coaches train boxers who want to compete and win. They don't take boxers who want to just stay in shape or plan on getting a few fights under their belts and quitting. Good coaches put too much time and energy into training a boxer for that. Even after deciding it's worth it, good coaches still have a lot of boxers (good and bad) who decide to leave boxing for a number of different reasons. It becomes really draining, especially in the amateurs where the fee that you are charging boxers to train is nowhere near what you should be charging. Coaches hear all the time from people about how good they are and how much they train and other sports and accomplishments they have-- all to prove (in theory) that they are going to do anyting and everthing the coach wants. Then reality sets in and work, women and everything else becomes more important. If I sound a little salty it's only because I've seen people waste talent (national champions walking away from boxing) and waste time (people that have zero chance of becoming a good boxer) more times that I can count--and I've only been in boxing for 7 years or so! If you want to go pro, a lot of the same things apply, but if the trainer isn't getting paid, they aren not training you. So, that becomes pretty evident quickly for professionals. However, the same rule applies to coaches who are picky. Here's the thing, GOOD COACHES CAN BE PICKY. THEY USUALLY DON'T NEED ANY MORE BOXERS!! This is what a lot of people don't get. If a coach is a good coach, they can afford to pick boxers that they want to work with, they don't have to take everyone that walks in the door. Trainer/Boxers is a very personal relationship more so that most other sports and that relationship will have a lot to do with the success of that combination. I think that the number of gyms is declining because more and more people fall into the category of boxing as an activity and not a lifestyle. There may not be a lot of boxing gyms, but there are still a lot of great trainers and coaches that are around and willing to train. However, there are ten times as many people who call themselves trainers that aren't very good. For me the proof is in what have your boxers accomplished. If you are considering a trainer and they have proven to be able to get boxers where you want to be--that is a big factor IMO.