A medalist
on the mat.
A coach on the floor.

An international medalist for India.

Praveen Raj has competed internationally in kickboxing, returning with medal honours for India. The exact event, weight class, and year of his international medal are part of his personal record — included here on his confirmation, and omitted from this draft until he signs off.

What is public is that he has been recognised by Kerala's fight community and featured by Kerala Fight World in its "Gym Stories" documentary on Black Tigers, where he speaks in his own words about the gym and the discipline that built it.

"The international circuit gave me the standard. Coaching is just paying that forward, slowly, in batches of four at a time."

An MMA referee at federation level.

Beyond competition, Praveen serves as an MMA official — judging and refereeing bouts at federation-level events. It's the part of the sport most fighters never see; the rulebook, the cage walks, the standing-eight count, the discipline of fairness.

That perspective shows up in how Black Tigers runs its sparring nights. Every contact session is officiated like a real bout — gloves checked, weight matched, rules clear, corners briefed. Fighters at Black Tigers don't get surprised by a real cage; they get exactly what they trained for.

On the floor for every batch.

Most gyms grow by hiring out — assistant coaches, sub-let batches, branded packages. Black Tigers grew the opposite way. Praveen is on the floor for every discipline batch: he opens at 5 AM and closes the floor at 10 PM, alternating disciplines through the day.

The senior team, the women's batch, the junior fighters — all of them get the same coach. Not the same brand of coaching, the same man.

"Fight is discipline before it is violence. We don't build aggression — we build composure under pressure."

The Real Fitness Solutions.

The tagline isn't decorative. Praveen built Black Tigers on a frustration he had with gyms that sold equipment-time as a fitness solution. To him, real fitness was something built — under pressure, with intent, by a person who knew what they were watching for.

That's why every Black Tigers membership includes coached programming, regardless of tier. Even a Monthly member trains with a programmed cycle, not a randomised workout. Even a Junior fighter at 9 years old is on a development pathway. The Comp Team gets cornering on a real bout — the Drop-in walks out understanding why their guard kept opening.

Full record · pending Praveen's confirmation.

This site has been built ahead of Praveen confirming his complete competition record and a list of the fighters he's currently developing. Drafted with verified language only — every claim above can be sourced from public Kerala Fight World documentation and the gym's own pages.

When the gym confirms, we'll plug in: international medal year & event; senior team current line-up; junior fighters cleared for press; any awards or federation positions to be named on the public site.