I just got back from the Mid Atlantic Tournament at Front Street Gym in Philadelphia PA. Has anyone seen or visited the area? It's a heluva gym and a heluva scene...
Philly is arguably the capitol of American boxing. It's always been known as a very tough town and has spawned many of the greats of boxing. It's got a very deep history with boxing. If I'm not mistaken 'Smokin' Joe Frazier has a gym in Philly. Two notable boxers the immediately come to mind from Philly are: Bernard 'B-hop' Hopkins and Bennie Brisco: [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6UEzA1JRMA&feature=related"]YouTube - Bad Bennie Briscoe Knockouts[/ame]
I heard he still does. Haven't seen it though... And Joe Frasier.. My coach said Marvin Hagler came through Philly to prove he was a real Middleweight. He said Philly had (has?) a reputation as being a great city for Middleweights. I didn't fight on Saturday... I think I would need to lose a good 10 to 15 pounds before I would be competitive. I have a few things in my game to work on too, but does that ever end? And yes, losing 10 to 15 pounds would make me a Middleweight... Instead I was there to watch a couple of the guys from my gym fight. One of them has been doing really well lately too, ie he avenged two losses in his last two fights, one of them against the number two in Pennsylvania in their weight class. Anyhow, this gym was a sight to behold! I don't know if it's like this in other countries, but it seems like part of the culture here is to decorate the walls of boxing gyms with posters people have accumulated (ganked from events they attended) over the years. The place looked like a mix between the gyms in Rocky and the basement in Fight Club. There's a feeling of history in a place like that, and a sense of energy that's not entirely disconnected from what's going on at the present... .. All the boxers weighing in and warming up.. Fights eventually too, and maybe a thousand people packed into the place. I don't want to speculate as to how many weapons may have been there, but I'll tell you that Pennsylvania is a right to carry state and this is in a part of Philadelphia where law isn't the most relevant thing. That said, you would be an idiot to try and start something at a place like that because you'd be likely to fail spectacularly now matter who you are... In a way that keeps everyone safe. Being in a place where everyone is assumed to know how to fight and where people may or may not be armed seems to keep people humble. I took some pictures and video I'm thinking about posting which don't really do the scene justice. Until/if I don't get to it, you can see part of the gym here. It's a different night, but still a good fight. [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hh0omG75uQo"]YouTube - LUMP Boxing P.V.DJ Services, USA Boxing/MAA Front Street Gym Championships 30 Jan 2010[/ame]
