Milo Gutierrez was a young man on his way to trouble. Growing up in Herriman, he got in fights at school, was suspended, expelled and even went to jail twice. But at 20 years old, after battling his own demons, Gutierrez found a new path through boxing. 

When he was released from jail the second time, his brother-in-law took him to the Fullmer Brothers Boxing Gym where he met Gene Fullmer, a World Middleweight boxing champion. On his very first day, Fullmer put Gutierrez in a sparring match. It didn’t go well.

“I literally only lasted one round,” he said. “I was so gassed. I remember I was wearing a white T-shirt and it was all bloody. My mom’s like, ‘You’re still getting in trouble? I knew you wouldn’t change.’ And I said, ‘No, mom. I started boxing.’”

That was 10 years ago. Now, at 30, Gutierrez is a three-time Golden Gloves state champion (2016, 2017, 2018), a two-time Golden Gloves regional champion (2017, 2018) and was ranked sixth in the nation. Although he retired from competitive boxing, Gutierrez is now training the next generation of fighters at his gym, Deorum Boxing in Bluffdale (2796 W. 14000 South). 

Gutierrez worked as a personal trainer before renting a 400-square-foot space where he started his first boxing gym. He moved to Butterfield Park in Herriman for a few months to continue training his boxers before he and his wife, Alejandra, bought a house in Riverton and converted the garage to a boxing gym in October 2021. 

“Within a year and a half, I probably had about 50 students in the gym. And I just didn’t want to be that neighbor,” he said. “Everybody was cool with it and we had the permit from the city, they loved the idea of me doing that in my garage, but we started getting really packed.”

He opened his 3,500-square-foot Bluffdale location last October where his father, Rene Gutierrez, works with him as a head trainer. The first 20 years of their relationship was rocky, but now, Gutierrez calls his dad his best friend. 

“My mom had given up on me, too, but now she works at the front desk,” he said. “She has her own office and she’s just amazing. I kind of went all full circle. It’s just crazy how things work out in life.”

Gutierrez has turned his passion into purpose by offering a place to train that is a sanctuary for those in need of discipline and community. He said boxing can be a lonely sport, but the diversity and opportunities found at his gym have opened new doors for the people he works with. 

Jody Tuft, a 74-year-old Bluffdale resident, has trained with Gutierrez for seven years. She met him when he worked as a personal trainer at VASA Fitness. She watched him teach a man with visual impairment how to box and thought, “If he can teach a blind man to box, he can teach me boxing.”

She was the first woman trained by Gutierrez and she likes to remind him that, historically and chronologically, she is his oldest female student. Tuft is inspired by his story and believes Gutierrez is in it to help people become the best version of themselves.  

“He really wants to help people,” Tuft said. “He went through a rough patch when he was younger and now he wants to give back. He really got his head on straight and knows what he wants to do.”

Tuft said boxing has helped with her eye-hand coordination, her balance, her fitness levels and her confidence. She’s enjoyed watching Gutierrez’s progress over the years and can’t wait to see what happens next. 

Gutierrez is already looking to expand Deorum by purchasing land near the current location to offer more boxing and wrestling opportunities. He wants his three children to see his work and be inspired to follow their own paths and dreams. 

“I want them to find it for themselves, just like I did, without the going to jail part,” Gutierrez said. “I want the gym, or boxing or wrestling, to teach them that it’s all just a way of life and how you perceive things. That’s part of the journey, too.”