Gleason’s Gym was opened in 1937 in the South Bronx by bantamweight boxer Robert Gagliardi, who changed his name to Bobby Gleason to appeal to the predominantly Irish boxing community. In 1987 Gleason’s Gym moved to DUMBO, Brooklyn, the neighborhood where it currently resides. Gleason’s Gym is the oldest active boxing gym in the United States and has been home to 136 World Champions.

In 2015 I stepped into Gleason’s Gym for the first time and was immediately captivated by the gym’s atmosphere. The energy that I witnessed in my initial visit motivated me to begin training. Today I am no longer an outside observer, but an active participant in the sport. This work seeks to document the many characters both past and present that have shaped Gleason’s Gym.