After Hurricane Katrina pushed the reset button on New Orleans, some commercial streets have come roaring back. Others remain decimated. And then there’s Claiborne Avenue. Despite drainage repairs and beautification, the street remains a mismatched mix of new development and old New Orleans.

A combination of both these elements can be found at Le Boxeur gym. It’s a new business that’s an old school boxing gym. And the home of a new invention called The Flex Mitt that is changing how fighters train across the country. 

Matt Nussbaum is a recovering economist, a born again boxing trainer trainer, manager of Le Boxeur gym, and inventor of The Flex Mitt.

Barrett Cooper is COO of New Orleans company, ERG Enterprises. You may not know the company but you definitely know its half a billion dollars worth of investments – from the Windsor Court Hotel downtown to Tipitina’s uptown. And you might have seen the Hollywood movies they’ve financed. 

Photos in the wine room at Commander’s Palace by Alison Moon.