Gleason's Gym
Gleason's is a boxing gym located on the Brooklyn waterfront. The gym was founded by Peter Gagliardi, a former bantamweight, who changed his name to Bobby Gleason. It moved to Manhattan and then to Brooklyn. Gleason's is now owned by Bruce Silverglade.[1]
There is a sign on the wall at Gleason's, posting an invitation from the poet Virgil: "Now, whoever has courage, and a strong and collected spirit in his breast, let him come forward, lace on the gloves and put up his hands." (Aeneid 5.363-364) Prizefighters have long answered this call at Gleason's and some still do.[2]
There is an illustrated book called At Gleason's Gym.[3] Owner Bruce Silverglade and Gleason's trainer Hector Roca co-authored the book The Gleason's Gym: Total Body Boxing Workout for Women, with a foreword by actor Hilary Swank (she famously thanked Hector Roca when she received her Oscar for her role in the boxing movie "Million Dollar Baby").[4] There is a book called White Collar Boxing: One Man's Journey from the Office to the Ring, in which John E. Oden describes Gleason's Gym in Chapter 6.[5]
In 2015, part of episode 18, season 4, of the television comedy show "Impractical Jokers" took place at the gym.
The
References
- Village Voice. 2008-11-25.
- ^ ""And in this Corner the Insurance Broker"". Wall Street Journal, Aug. 21, 2002 (retrieved from author's website). Archived from the original on 2008-01-24. Retrieved 2007-10-10.
- ISBN 1-59643-231-4. Published by: Roring Book Press, New Mildford, Connecticut. United States.
- ISBN 978-0-7432-8687-9. Published by: Fireside (Simon & Schuster, Inc.), New York, NY.
- ISBN 1-57826-207-0. Published by: Hatherleigh Press, Long Island City, New York. United States.