Gleason’s Gym: Over 80 Years of Boxing:

Perhaps the most famous boxing gym in the world, Gleason’s Gym is definitely the most historic. Gleason’s 80 year plus history spans over four locations and three owners. In 1937 Peter Robert Gagliardi (Bobby Gleason) opened Gleason’s Gym in the Bronx at 149th St. and 3rd Ave. Ari Becker (second owner) strategically moved the Gym in 1974 to 252 W. 30th St. Manhattan (next to the Mecca of Boxing- Madison Square Garden). Since Madison Square Garden was where all the big fights of the day took place, the Who’s Who of boxers and boxings champions trained at Gleason’s Gym. Some of the names that have trained at Gleason’s include Jake LaMotta, Muhammad Ali (Cassius Clay), Roberto Duran, Gerry Cooney, Mike Tyson and Riddick Bowe.
Currently owner (third owner) Bruce Silverglade partnered up with Ari Becker in 1983 and started bringing in some fresh ideas of how to grow the Gym.

In the 1970’s boxing gyms were always known as a dirty and grimy place to be and when a few wealthy businessmen in Manhattan started working out at Gleason’s gym; The gym got a lot of Publicity. The businessmen it seemed had started a trend and suddenly it was cool to go to a boxing gym as a wealthy person and get a good workout. In the early 1980’s, The recession had Gleason’s Gym looking for other revenue streams as memberships where down. Women in those days were not allowed to train in boxing gyms. Silverglade saw an opportunity as many women entered the gym filming TV shows, movies or being part of Magazine shoots and other media outlets. Some of the women showed interest in becoming a member and training. Silverglade finally convinced Becker that the women’s money was just as good as the men’s.

In 1984 Gleason’s gym moved to it’s third location, 77 Front St., Dumbo Neighborhood in Brooklyn. There they built separate quarters for the ladies including their own locker room. Gleason’s used to close the gym early three nights a week just for that woman to have the Gym completely to themselves. (The evolution of womens boxing and Gleason’s role in it is remarkable and would make a great book as it was a genuine battle for women to be in amateur boxing and finally in the Olympics.) Membership started spiking up again and the women’s revolution in professional boxing came to reality. Looking back at the history of women’s boxing, Gleason’s Gym was not only the entrepreneur in Female Boxing but the whole segment in women’s boxing in it’s first 10 years before other gym’s followed suit.

Silverglade talks about how the woman have been a blessing to his gym as when they first start training, they are willing to be taught how to box, they not only work every bit as hard as the men do but they are also willing to start from zero. Often with the men, it takes a few months for the trainer to break them down and get them to the zero level because they think they know and had developed bad habit that they need to forget before they start training properly.

In December 2016, Gleason’s Gym moved for the fourth time to 130 Water Street, Brooklyn, still located in the beautiful Dumbo district, they are about 1 mile away from the new hub of boxing, the Barclays Center. Silverglade has a good relationship with the Barclays and many of the young talent training at Gleason’s aim to fight there.The new location is fitting for the 80 year old gym as the surrounding streets to the gym are all old traditional cobblestone (pavers) which absolutely inhances the beauty and history of the gym.

With over 80 years of history, over 1,200 current members (400 of those women), over 80 trainers (including legendary trainer Hector Roca), Gleason’s Gym has had countless Movies (including Raging Bull, starring Robert De Niro & Clint Eastwood’s Million Dollar Baby) and TV shows filmed on sight and most major magazines have had shoots and events at Gleason’s.

With Heather Hardy winning the Featherweight Championship live on HBO on October 27, 2018 at Madison Square Garden against tough Shelly Vincent, she became the 135th World Champion of Gleason’s Gym. Gleason’s also continues to lead the way in women’s boxing by having seven current female boxing world champions that call Gleason’s home.

Walking through Gleason’s Gym is like taking a walk back in boxing history. Memorabilia includes everything from a wall Mohammed Ali and his daughter Laila signed to the original motivational sign from over 80 years ago, to the Speed Bag Rack that Jack Dempsey used in his New York gym back in the 1920s.

Owner Bruce Silverglade told me about some of the good old days of boxing, when boxers would meet in the gym and simply agree on a championship fight with a hand shake as oppsed to now when sometimes over 20 attorneys get involved before anything can happen. One interesting fight Silverglade would like to see come to fruition in 2019 is Deontay Wilder versus Anthony Joshua.

As the most famous Gleason in American history once said, “How Sweet It Is!”