Feet First Foundation: Excutive Director

Sean Sharkey, Our Executive Director, resides in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife Kristina, and their son Christian. His journey into combat sports began early, introduced to boxing by his father, Bruce Sharkey—a professional wrestler and boxing coach. By the early 1970s, Sean was training in Oakland, California, alongside World Heavyweight Champion George Foreman. From that point forward, his passion for combat sports was set.

In 1996, Sean founded the Fightkore Training Center, a boxing and mixed martial arts facility created to serve local underserved youth. The center quickly became a safe haven—a place where young people could not only train, but also find mentorship, purpose, and positive community role models.

Sean’s commitment to the sport and to youth development has taken him from Oakland to some of the biggest stages in combat sports, with appearances on HBO, ESPN, and Netflix. Yet, his greatest pride remains rooted in the lives he’s helped change.

Taking his vision even further, Sean established a non-profit foundation that now benefits students across California. By integrating social and emotional learning into its boxing curriculum, the foundation empowers youth with essential life skills such as resilience, discipline, and respect.

A recognized advocate for drug-free communities, Sean has always enforced a strict zero-tolerance drug policy for all athletes and students under his guidance. He firmly believes that a strong, drug-free body and mind can stand up to anything life throws your way.