Famous Boxing Gym Forced To Stay Closed During Coronavirus Pandemic

As New York City continues to slowly reopen during the coronavirus pandemic, certain businesses have been forced to remain closed. That includes Gleason’s Gym, which has been the training site for some of boxing's most legendary fighters.

Located in Brooklyn, New York since 1937, Gleason’s Gym has hosted the likes of Sonny Liston, Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson. It has connections to film, considering the real-life Jake LaMotta—the subject of “Raging Bull”—trained there and actress Hilary Swank trained at the gym for her role in 2005 best picture winner “Million Dollar Baby.”

But no one has been able to train at Gleason’s Gym since March because of the pandemic, much to the dismay of the gym’s president, Bruce Silverglade.

“I’ve written every politician in the state of New York. I’ve written the borough president,” Silverglade, told Yahoo Finance. “I’ve gotten zero response. Zero.”

The pandemic has been especially hard on gyms. While other establishments have been allowed to open their doors, gyms have been forced to remain closed.

“Promoters from outside New York are asking for New York fighters to compete in their shows because they know they are not in condition and not ready,” Silverglade said. “So fighters under their contract have a distinct advantage fighting a New York fighter.”

A class-action lawsuit was filed earlier this month by New York gym owners against Gov. Andrew Cuomo, the state Attorney General's Office and the state. Gyms were removed from the state’s reopening plan, and there’s been no indication as to when they might be able to welcome customers back.

“I’m not trying to get into a fight with the government, ’cause in the long run, I’ll lose. I just want to say I think that Gleason’s Gym is an exception, and somebody should give me their ear, and listen to what I have to say,” Silverglade said in June, via The New York Post.

There have been professional boxing matches in the United States during the pandemic, though fans have not been allowed to attend.