The 5th Street Gym (also known as World Famous 5th St. Gym) is a boxing gym in Miami Beach, Florida. Now located in an alley on 5th Street, the gym originally operated from 1950 until its closure in 1993. [1] Founders Chris and Angelo Dundee trained many notable fighters including Muhammad Ali. [2] [3] The gym was frequented by celebrities. Today, the gym is frequented by a variety of people, including notable fighters and local residents. [4]
Muhammad Ali was an American professional boxer and activist. Nicknamed "the Greatest", he is regarded as one of the most significant sports figures of the 20th century and is often regarded as the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time. He held the Ring magazine heavyweight title from 1964 to 1970. He was the undisputed champion from 1974 to 1978 and the WBA and Ring heavyweight champion from 1978 to 1979. In 1999, he was named Sportsman of the Century by Sports Illustrated and the Sports Personality of the Century by the BBC.
Laila Amaria Ali is an American television personality and retired professional boxer who competed from 1999 to 2007. During her career, from which she retired undefeated, she held the WBC, WIBA, IWBF and IBA female super middleweight titles, and the IWBF light heavyweight title. Ali is widely regarded by many within the sport as one of the greatest female professional boxers of all time. She is the daughter of boxer Muhammad Ali.
Charles L. "Sonny" Liston, nicknamed "The Big Bear", was an American professional boxer who competed from 1953 to 1970. A dominant contender of his era, he became the world heavyweight champion in 1962 after knocking out Floyd Patterson in the first round, repeating the knockout the following year in defense of the title; in the latter fight he also became the inaugural WBC heavyweight champion. Often regarded as one of the greatest boxers of all time, Liston was particularly known for his immense strength, formidable jab, long reach, toughness, and is widely regarded as the most intimidating man in the history of the sport.
George Edward Foreman is an American former professional boxer, entrepreneur, minister, and author. In boxing, he competed between 1967 and 1997 and was nicknamed "Big George". He is a two-time world heavyweight champion and an Olympic gold medalist. As an entrepreneur, he is known for the George Foreman Grill.
Joseph William Frazier, nicknamed "Smokin' Joe", was an American professional boxer who competed from 1965 to 1981. Widely regarded as one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time, he was known for his strength, durability, formidable left hand, and relentless pressure fighting style and was the first boxer to defeat Muhammad Ali. Frazier won a gold medal at the 1964 Summer Olympics as an amateur, held the NYSAC heavyweight title from 1968 to 1973, and was the undisputed heavyweight champion from 1970 to 1973.
Donald King is an American boxing promoter, known for his involvement in several historic boxing matchups.
Earnie Dee Shaver, best known as Earnie Shavers, was an American professional boxer who competed between 1969 and 1995. A two-time world heavyweight championship challenger, he is known as one of the hardest punchers in heavyweight boxing history. He scored 70 knockout wins, including 23 in the first round, for a 76.7% overall knockout rate.
Angelo Dundee was an American boxing trainer and cornerman. Internationally known for his work with Muhammad Ali (1960–1981), he also worked with 15 other world boxing champions, including Sugar Ray Leonard, Sean Mannion, José Nápoles, George Foreman, George Scott, Jimmy Ellis, Carmen Basilio, Luis Manuel Rodríguez, and Willie Pastrano.
The two fights between Muhammad Ali and Sonny Liston for boxing's World Heavyweight Championship were among the most controversial fights in the sport's history. Sports Illustrated magazine named their first meeting, the Liston–Clay fight, as the fourth greatest sports moment of the twentieth century.
Fernando Pacheco Jimenez known publicly as Ferdie Pacheco, was the personal physician and cornerman for world heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali as well as numerous other boxing champions. He was also a long-time boxing television commentator.
Hank Kaplan was an American boxing historian and writer. Always wearing one of many of his prized boxing baseball caps, and smoking a pipe, he is widely regarded as the nation's foremost boxing historian, and was known and respected worldwide. Kaplan was known to possess the largest collection of boxing memorabilia, consisting of millions of pieces including newspaper articles, books, and photographs, stemming back from the 19th century. His expertise in boxing history helped him earn the nickname "Lord of the Ring."
James E. Smith ("Smitty") is a sports and media figure best known for his interviews with famous international boxing stars. Smith was a professional boxer for three years and has played football for University of Minnesota Tech. He is the host of In This Corner, America's only syndicated, half-hour-long boxing interview TV show, featuring interviews and in-ring demonstrations with professional boxers. Smith also has a regular commentary section on Secondsout.com, a leading boxing news website. Smith currently resides in Las Vegas, Nevada, and has three children.
Colonel Bob Sheridan was an American boxing and MMA commentator. He broadcast over 10,000 fights on radio and television.
Jim Robinson, known as "Sweet Jimmy", was an American boxer from Miami. Robinson fought Muhammad Ali in Miami Beach on February 7, 1961 as a last-minute replacement for Willie Gullatt. Robinson became Ali's fourth professional opponent. His whereabouts and status are currently unknown.
Gomeo Brennan is a Bahamian professional welter/light middle/middle/super middle/light heavyweight boxer of the 1950s, '60s and '70s who won the Commonwealth middleweight title (twice), and was a challenger for the World Boxing Association (WBA) World light heavyweight title against Vicente Rondón, his professional fighting weight varied from 146 lb, i.e. welterweight to 174 lb, i.e. light heavyweight. Brennan fought out of the Fifth Street Gym in Miami Beach, Florida, he was trained by Angelo Dundee, and managed by Chris Dundee, he was inducted into the Florida Boxing Hall of Fame in 2010.
Cassius Clay and Archie Moore fought a boxing match on November 15, 1962, in Los Angeles. The fight is notable for being Clay's first professional fight in the modern heavyweight division, and featured two iconic fighters at different ends of their careers.
Cassius Clay fought an eight-round boxing match with Texan Donnie Fleeman in Miami on February 21, 1961. Prior to this fight, Fleeman had a record of 51 fights with 45 wins including 20 knockouts. Clay won the bout through a technical knockout after the referee stopped the fight in the seventh round. This was the first time Clay had gone over six rounds in a boxing match. It was also the first time Fleeman had ever been knocked down in a boxing match. Fleeman retired from boxing after this fight.
Cassius Clay fought a boxing match with Herb Siler in Miami on December 27, 1960. Clay won the bout through a technical knockout after the referee stopped the fight in the fourth round. The fight had taken place soon after Clay had joined the 5th Street Gym.
Muhammad Ali's Training Camp or "Fighter's Heaven" was a compound and training facility in Deer Lake, Pennsylvania built by former professional boxer and heavyweight champion, Muhammad Ali. Ali trained in the facility preparing for numerous fights, such as Rumble in the Jungle in 1974, and Thrilla in Manila in 1975.
Muhammad Ali was a boxer who mastered the rope-a-dope fighting technique. He is widely regarded by many boxing commentators and historians as the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time. Boxing magazine The Ring named him number one in a 1998 ranking of greatest heavyweights from all eras. In 1999, The Associated Press voted Ali the number one heavyweight of the 20th century.