DUMBO — Professional and amateur boxers, trainers, officials and fans crowded the sidewalk in DUMBO on Wednesday as the oldest — and most famous — boxing gym in the continental U.S. was honored with a street co-naming. 

A street sign reading “Gleason’s Gym Way,” now stands at the corner of Water and Adams streets. 

Gleason’s Gym, called the last remnant of boxing’s “Golden Age” in New York City, opened in 1937 and moved to DUMBO in 1987. The gym, with four boxing rings and one wrestling ring, has trained greats including Jake LaMotta, Muhammed Ali and Gerry Cooney, and has served as a home-away-from-home for champions including Larry Holmes and Michael Spinks.  

Gleason’s has also launched female champs including Heather Hardy and Sonya Lamonakis, and trains dancers and actors (Jennifer Lopez, Wesley Snipes and Hilary Swank, to name a few). 

Owner Bruce Silverglade threw a party at the gym for the unveiling — and Wednesday also happened to be his birthday. The co-naming was facilitated by Councilmember Lincoln Restler (D-DUMBO, Greenpoint), who emceed the ceremony.

‘This tops the cake’

“It’s such a thrill,” Silverglade told the crowd. “I’ve owned the gym for 42 years. I’ve seen many, many great champions, we’ve done movies up here, politicians have come through, we’ve done so many things that are fun and exciting — but this tops the cake. This is number one.” 

“It’s not Bruce Silverglade, it’s Gleason’s Gym and the champions and the clients who come to this gym, that’s who makes it great,” he said. “The people who come through here, the camaraderie, the melting pot. We have no disputes at this gym. We train hard, we learn the same thing, and everyone gets along. My only suggestion is everyone in the world should join a boxing gym and learn to get along with everybody, and there will be no problems.”

He thanked Restler for being instrumental in the co-naming, along with David and Jed Walentas “for putting up with Gleason’s Gym.” He also thanked his wife Jo Ellen Van Ouwerkerk, “Who gets me up in the morning every day, and who trains at the gym and helps make this place work.”

‘Blood, sweat and tears’

“Gleason’s is boxing and boxing is Gleason’s,” Restler said. “Since 1937, this gym has done an extraordinary job training the best fighters in the United States. Bruce has dedicated almost his entire life to making Gleason’s great. He is here early into late every single day pouring his blood, sweat and tears into making this such a special place.”

Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso was in Chicago as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday, but his Deputy Chief of Staff Alexis Rodriguez presented Silverglade with a Proclamation to honor the occasion.

Daniel Heredia, legislative liaison for Councilmember Farah Louis (D-Flatbush, Canarsie), also honored the institution’s “enduring legacy.” 

Audrey Kitagawa from Kaka’ako Boxing Club in Honolulu (five years older than Gleason’s) attended the ceremony to extend her institution’s congratulations to Silverglade. Kitagawa said she felt privileged “to be here at this historic moment.” The values of “commitment, community, good will and sportsmanship” are inculcated to all who walk through Gleason’s doors, she said.

‘Changed lives’

Silverglade has changed lives, champion Lamonakis told the Brooklyn Eagle. “Boxing is a journey, and Bruce has created opportunities for everyone who comes here. I’m very happy for him.”

Amy Bridges, who developed the first ABA-inspired Autism Boxing Program, has been training kids at Gleason’s since 2021.

“The fact is this ceremony honors a community center that’s like the United Nations — every nationality, every language, neurodivergent, Parkinson’s, veterans, inner-city youth, and corporate boxers who need an outlet,” Bridges said. “In today’s world, this is where people need to go.” 

While streets can’t be co-named for living persons, Bridges wants people to know the distinction honors Silverglade. “He’s a man with a work ethic bar none. He’s the cleanest thing in boxing and he makes sure the kids’ contracts are good. The level of blood and guts this man has given to this institution is beyond compare.”

A second home

Gleason’s clients don’t think of the hallowed institution as merely a gym, but as a second home.

Amateur boxer Philip Maier has trained with former pro boxer and prolific author David “Awesome” Lawrence, known as “The King of White Collar Boxing,” since 1997. “The last century I’ve been with this guy,” Maier joked.

Coming to Gleason’s “is like coming to a family event,” Maier said. “I see people I haven’t seen for years; it’s like, ‘Hey, how you been?’ You come here, you see people that you’re not in touch with but you care about … We beat each other up occasionally, but it’s still a family.” 

Amateur boxer Rebecca Brown has been training at Gleason’s for six years. She formerly worked with legendary trainer Hector Roca, who died in 2023. 

“Hector was like my father,” she told the Eagle. “He was my trainer, he was the toughest guy on earth, he was my cheerleader when I was pregnant with my little boy, and then he became my little boy’s surrogate grandfather. He was the best. He’s still with me here every time I train.”

Now she works with Martin and Roger Gonzalez. “When Hector traveled to Panama, he would have me work with Martin. Martin was in my corner for my first fight. And it was the right fit after Hector passed away. 

“Gleason’s is a home away from home,” Brown said. “It’s a true meritocracy where you put in the work, you get respect. And as Bruce mentioned, if everybody got in the ring with one another, I think the world would be a better place.”

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