Opened in 1937 by bantamweight boxer Bobby Gleason, this Dumbo gym is a temple of blood, sweat and tears. The original Gleason’s was located in the Bronx, and represented the hub of activity during the golden age of boxing in New York City. Bobby Gleason, and his army of well-respected trainers and employees, trained some of the most famous boxers of the 40’s, 50’s, and 60’s at his sweatshop. In the 50’s, Gleason’s Gym was the training ground of controversial Italian middleweight fighter Jake LaMotta. LaMotta’s story was later immortalized in the Martin Scorsese film, Raging Bull. In 1964, an underdog heavyweight named Cassius Clay trained at Gleason’s Gym to prepare for his fight with heavyweight champion Sonny Liston. His training paid off as he shocked the world by defeating Liston and claiming the heavyweight title for the first time in his career. In 1974, at the tender age of 82, Bobby Gleason left the Bronx to open his historic gym in Manhattan. Toward the end of his life, Gleason sold his gym to New York businessman and boxing aficionado Ira Becker. Gleason’s continued to thrive under Becker. In 1984, the gym moved to its current location in Dumbo. It still trains the best and the brightest that come out of New York. For just $80 per month, Gleason’s gyms will make you eat lightning and crap thunder.