Bruce S.

Gleason's Gym, Inc., is the oldest active boxing gym in the United States.

The gym has produced 129 World Champions, 2 Olympic Gold Medalist and hundreds of Amateur champions. Gleason's Gym, Inc., has come to be synonymous with boxing. Call us today for more information. Established in 1897.

Peter Robert Gagliardi, a flyweight turned bantamweight, changed his name to Bobby Gleason in order to appeal to the predominantly Irish New York fight crowd of the era and opened the doors to the gym in 1937. Dues were two dollars a month, and the times were tough. Bobby could not meet his expenses, including the $50 per month rent, so he hacked a cab for 10 or 12 hours a night.

Things eased up after the depression. Gleason's flourished along with boxing in the 40's and 50's, but the 60's took their toll. The sport declined and two of its temples - Stillman's Gym and the Old Garden - disappeared. That left Gleason's as the last remnant of boxing's "Golden Age" in New York City.

The gym was located in the "Hub" district of the lower Bronx at 434 Westchester Avenue, near 149th Street and 3rd Avenue. Fighters from the East, West, and the World made it to the double door leading you up the one flight of stairs and into another world that was not seen by very many fans.