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Historic Boxing Gyms

Posted: 28 Apr 2021, 14:53
by Caractacus
Was just wondering if there has already been a detailed (and annotated) listing of Boxing Gymnasiums
at this site ?
Particularly Gyms that are either still around or the building they had been in is still around.
( and by "Historic' meaning such as active pre-circa 1960)
also if the gym does no longer exist the street address it had been located on
just in case you may want to visit the site.

Re: Historic Boxing Gyms

Posted: 28 Apr 2021, 15:14
by Caractacus
Newman's Gym
"Where the Best fighters train since 1924"
(such as Jack Dempsey, Jim J. Braddock, Joe Louis, Sugar Ray Robinson, Rocky Marciano,Sonny Liston, Cassius Clay, George Foreman,Gerry Cooney,Sugar Ray Leonard)

which was once located on the ground floor of the Cadillac Hotel ( built 1907)
on Leavenworth and Eddy Streets in the Tenderloin district of San Francisco
which opened in 1924 and which after the death of Billy Newman in 1983 was moved from the ground floor of the Cadillac Hotel around 1984
to a block South on Leavenworth near Golden Gate
and finally closed in 1992..
https://www.sfheritage.org/news/landmar ... lac-hotel/


and check out this link here (for better some quality film footage )

https://diva.sfsu.edu/collections/sfbatv/bundles/190440




You can see the Cadillac Hotel and the Ring-Side Cafe there (in 1978) at approx. 1:09 of this clip



Re: Historic Boxing Gyms

Posted: 29 Apr 2021, 21:38
by AntonioMartin
Bairoa Gym in Caguas, Puerto Rico

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bairoa_Gym

Re: Historic Boxing Gyms

Posted: 30 Apr 2021, 00:14
by chrisjs1985
Jordan Gym in Mexico City. Cuyo Hernandez’ gym and housed such notables as Ruben Olivares, Carlos Zarate, Alfonso Zamora, Lupe Pintor.

Romanza Gym in Mexico City ran by Nacho Beristain. The Marquez brothers, Daniel Zaragoza, Chiquita Gonzalez, Ricardo Lopez etc;

Re: Historic Boxing Gyms

Posted: 30 Apr 2021, 15:20
by Caractacus
the Repton Boxing Club (founded 1884) The Bath House,Chesire St.(East End) London (England)


Re: Historic Boxing Gyms

Posted: 01 May 2021, 06:59
by AntonioMartin
chrisjs1985 wrote: 30 Apr 2021, 00:14 Jordan Gym in Mexico City. Cuyo Hernandez’ gym and housed such notables as Ruben Olivares, Carlos Zarate, Alfonso Zamora, Lupe Pintor.

And Salvador Sanchez...right?

Re: Historic Boxing Gyms

Posted: 01 May 2021, 08:05
by f read
Buffanos Gym. It was located at 82 Beacon Ave on the corner of Oakland Ave in Jersey City NJ.
The following trained here Sonny Liston Rubin Carter. I seen Terence Alli and Buddy McGirt in early 1989. It was a legendary historic gym with a crusty old owner Dom Buffano. He was like Mickey Goldmill in Rocky.

Re: Historic Boxing Gyms

Posted: 01 May 2021, 15:19
by Caractacus
The Brewster Wheeler Recreation Centre (built in 1929) In Detroit Michigan.
This historic gym ( where Joe Louis had trained )
located just off of i-75 Service Drive
has been empty since 2005 and was slated for demolition about 6 years ago
but that was called off, the original plans were to make it into a restaurant, but
nothing has been done so far as I know.
here is some video of the building from 2012.


Re: Historic Boxing Gyms

Posted: 14 May 2021, 12:30
by Caractacus
check this place out built c. 1790 that was still around (up until 1979 anyway)
where Tom Sharkey and Bob Fitzsimmons once trained at in New Jersey.

http://nutleyhistoricalsociety.org/Nutl ... story.html

Re: Historic Boxing Gyms

Posted: 28 Aug 2024, 19:00
by Expug
Garfield park boxing gym Chicago. Fuller park gym Chicago. I’m not sure what’s going on with the old Windy City gym or the Woodlawn boys club.

Re: Historic Boxing Gyms

Posted: 19 Apr 2025, 15:52
by Caractacus
what about the various boxing gyms and clubs in the Bronx ,NYC ?
such as the Fairmount A. C where Gene Tunney had boxed back in the 1900's,
also The Apollo Boxing Club on Westchester Avenue in the South Bronx,
where Teddy Atlas took Mike Tyson down to for the Saturday Night "Smokers"
for his first amateur fight,
and he hit the tall Puerto rican dude with the huge Afro so hard,
that the sweat (jeri curl?) aginst the wall making an audible sound of SLLAAAAPP !

Re: Historic Boxing Gyms

Posted: 27 Apr 2025, 21:55
by Ric
Caractacus wrote: 28 Apr 2021, 14:53 Was just wondering if there has already been a detailed (and annotated) listing of Boxing Gymnasiums
at this site ?
Particularly Gyms that are either still around or the building they had been in is still around.
( and by "Historic' meaning such as active pre-circa 1960)
also if the gym does no longer exist the street address it had been located on
just in case you may want to visit the site.
----> https://boxrec.com/wiki/index.php/Category:Gyms

Re: Historic Boxing Gyms

Posted: 03 May 2025, 15:51
by elmersalsa
The Kronk Gym

Re: Historic Boxing Gyms

Posted: 03 May 2025, 17:01
by Caractacus
Ric wrote: 27 Apr 2025, 21:55
Caractacus wrote: 28 Apr 2021, 14:53 Was just wondering if there has already been a detailed (and annotated) listing of Boxing Gymnasiums
at this site ?
Particularly Gyms that are either still around or the building they had been in is still around.
( and by "Historic' meaning such as active pre-circa 1960)
also if the gym does no longer exist the street address it had been located on
just in case you may want to visit the site.
----> https://boxrec.com/wiki/index.php/Category:Gyms
thanks but wouldn't it be better to list those gyms that were established such as pre-1950 ?
BTW that listing appears to be missing "Grupp's Gymnasium" which was located on the corner of 116th street and Eighth Avenue in Harlem section of NYC which was pretty famous.
Jack dempsey had trained there in 1916,
and during it's time (particularly the 1920's)when Benny Leonard and Gene Tunney had trained there.

Re: Historic Boxing Gyms

Posted: 05 May 2025, 13:36
by Caractacus
another famous gym that is not on that listing would be
Kid Howards Gymnasium that was in operation from around 1909 to 1933
which was located in the Loup section on the West Side of Chicago.
( in the Jewish 'ghetto" area)
Kid Howard had once been a professional boxer.
Doc Kearns had Jack Dempsey train there,
and when Barney Ross first took up boxing as an amateur in 1926 he had trained there too.
check out this interesting article from 1934 when the gymnasium had to close

https://books.google.com/books?id=L3pYA ... &pg=PA4&dq

Re: Historic Boxing Gyms

Posted: 05 May 2025, 14:14
by Caractacus
The Salem-Crescent Athletic Club located on 129th Street and Seventh Avenue in NYC
opened in 1911 and most famous for producing Sugar Ray Robinson.
here is an article from 1934 about it's history.

https://books.google.com/books?id=7uRfA ... pg=PA19&dq

Re: Historic Boxing Gyms

Posted: 06 May 2025, 16:03
by Caractacus
I decided to move the post about the Sharkey Athletic Club (NYC)over to the "Venues' thread,
because haven't be able to confirm yet, that any fighters actually trained in Tom Sharkey's saloon.
So maybe this thread should just concentrate on actual gymnasiums were no bouts were held
(either amateur or professional)
BTW I think the real reason that Kd Howard's gym in Chicago had to close in 1934 was because a lot of gangsters
had hung out there to watch fights and may have been more involved(particularly Al Capone)
who was in prision by that time.
Also Kd Howard opened another (brand new)gymnasium on Randolph Street , Rialto just a few years later in 1939.

Re: Historic Boxing Gyms

Posted: 06 May 2025, 19:38
by goose 5
Great article about Salem Crescent. When did it close ?

Re: Historic Boxing Gyms

Posted: 07 May 2025, 16:40
by Caractacus
the Salem-Crescent Athletic Club had been in the basement of the church
which was pretty big having a basketball court and a strip to run the 30 yard dash in too.
I'm not sure when the original gymnasium in the basement closed and then used for storage,
but it would seem to be around the early to mid-1960's, when the Salem Church Community
Center was built nearby.


https://www.historic-structures.com/ny/ ... al-church/

Re: Historic Boxing Gyms

Posted: 08 May 2025, 13:39
by Caractacus
check out this short article by Damon Runyon concerning the Sharkey Athletic club
(what was left of it in 1939) which was located at 127-129 Columbus Avenue Lincoln Square in NYC.
BTW the Jim Buckley mentioned in it had also been the manager of Gunboat Smith and later Jack Sharkey.
( article on far right of newspaper page)

https://books.google.com/books?id=0ExGA ... &pg=PA3&dq

Re: Historic Boxing Gyms

Posted: 08 May 2025, 16:15
by Caractacus
speaking of "Historic Gyms" has anyone here have a T-Shirt from this seller ?
If you could buy one shirt from which Historic gym would you get one of ?

https://xxivvii.com

Re: Historic Boxing Gyms

Posted: 26 Jun 2025, 15:55
by Caractacus
Izzy Kline 9who had trained Max Baer)also had a boxing gym in Chicago.
(however it just may have been part of the Trafton gym as the two were partners at one point)
At one time he was in Barny Ross's corner as a pro in the early 1930's.
(Barney Ross originally trained at Kd Howard's gym (which was over a barber shop)as an amateur then when he turned pro he
trained at Mullen's aka Trafton gym.

Re: Historic Boxing Gyms

Posted: 26 Jun 2025, 16:24
by Caractacus
Johnny Coulon's gym opened the gym in 1923 and was on the third floor of a building on 63rd street on South Side of Chicago.
(he had ran it for 50 years until he died in 1973)

Re: Historic Boxing Gyms

Posted: 26 Jun 2025, 20:36
by Caractacus
I had read that Clarence Griffin had purchased the gym from Johnny Coulon in the early 1970's.
and it became known as "The Windy City Gym".
He became a trainer (and was the father of Montell Griffin)
Been trying to find the address to see if the building is still there.

Re: Historic Boxing Gyms

Posted: 27 Jun 2025, 14:54
by Caractacus
The Windy City Gym-closed in 2008