Cageside was never meant to be a company—at least not in the traditional business-school sense. It grew from Boomer’s hustler DNA, forged long before he ever stepped on a mat. While working full-time as a funeral director in Durham, he was raising a young family, training at East Coast Submission Academy, and grinding side money through weekend yard-sales and eBay flips. What changed everything was a simple wholesale catalog and the realization that fight gear—gloves, wraps, shin guards—offered better margins than supplements. From the shed behind his house stuffed wall-to-wall with gear, local fighters began showing up. That tiny shed became the unofficial first home of Cageside, a place where the community literally pulled into his driveway when there was no other local source for gear.
The Rise — Built by Hustle, Held Up by Community
What makes Cageside important is not just that it sold equipment—it answered a need the NC martial arts scene didn’t even realize it had yet. At a time when MMA and BJJ were still small pockets scattered across the state, Cageside became the connective tissue. Fighters like Chris Luter, Detroit, Blasian, and gym owners like Adam Song were some of the earliest supporters. Word traveled through US Grappling tournaments, Pendergrass events, and the early Carolina fight circuit. When Boomer quit the funeral home in 2008 to go all-in, Cageside wasn’t just a brand; it was a grassroots hub. It provided affordable gear at a time when big companies weren’t looking at North Carolina at all. And it grew through real human relationships—fighters showing up at his house, ideas flowing from martial artists like Jeff Shaw, and the countless gym owners who trusted him because he was one of them.
The Culture — Cageside as a North Carolina Institution
Today, Cageside and Toro aren’t just companies; they’re institutions baked into the DNA of North Carolina combat sports. The shop is literally run by the community—black belts, blue belts, Muay Thai fighters, grapplers, and long-time scene veterans. It’s a family business in every sense: Boomer’s wife, his son Joe, close friends like Anthony, Katie, and Alex—all training, all printing, all building. Every day at noon the operation stops so the entire staff can train Jiu-Jitsu together. That culture—authentic, grassroots, unapologetically martial arts. Cageside became important because it represents the heart of NC martial arts: hustle, community, loyalty, and the belief that you can build something meaningful if you care about people first.