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New 5th St. Gym In Miami Beach
Carrying On Rich Boxing History
The new 5th St. Gym is carrying on the rich boxing history
established there in 1950 by the famed Dundee brothers,
Chris and Angelo.
Known throughout boxing as the world's most famous gym, 5th
St. Gym became a major attraction for boxers, international
celebrities and tourists alike, originally due to presence
of a rising star training there, Cassius Clay, who, of
course, went on to become The Greatest, Muhammad Ali.
Hall of Famers and future inductees have trained at 5th St.
Gym over the years, including Joe Louis, Rocky Marciano,
Carmen Basilio, Archie Moore, Willie Pep, Roberto Duran,
Lennox Lewis, Ray "Boom Boom" Mancini, Mike Tyson, Bernard
Hopkins, Roy Jones, Jr. and so many other ring greats.
Others who have been part of the 5th St. Gym experience are
actor Matt Damon and comedian Dave Chappelle, in addition to
elite athletes such as Cleveland Cavaliers superstar Lebron
James, Green Bay Packers future Hall-of-Famer Julius Peppers
and former UFC great George St. Pierre. 5th St. Gym's
history also includes legendary celebrities such as Frank
Sinatra, Sean Connery, Jackie Gleason.
5th St. Gym fell on hard times at one point but a
revitalization started in 2009, thanks to new owners Tom
Tsatas and Dino Spencer, who re-opened the gym at its
original location on 5th and Washington in Miami Beach.
In 2013, 5th St. Gym moved from its original location of 63
years, off and on, when CVS took over the property and
forced the gym to move to its present location at nearby
1434 Alton Road.
"We're slowly getting back," Spencer explained. "We've only
been reopened since 2010 and in our new location since 2013.
We have new people - trainers, manager and fighters - and
offer unique opportunities for up-and-coming professional
boxers. You can't catch passes from Tom Brady but boxers can
train here every day with champions and contenders. There
are also ultra-successful people here who can teach boxers
about how to be successful outside the ring. We're creating
an environment at 5th St. Gym to give young boxers every
opportunity to succeed.
"Wildcard Gym (Los Angeles) is the No. 1 spot today but, on
this side of the country, fighters from all over the world
are coming here to train. Brian Jennings trained here for
his fight with (Wladimir) Klitschko, Manual Charr trained
here for his last fight, Anthony and Andre Dirrell have
trained here, (Sergey) Kovalev, too. They get elite sparring
here for their training camps. Some come here with their
coach, others have me train them.
"A lot of boxing managers are here every day like John Seip
and Charr's manager was hanging out here, too. In fact, he's
interested in signing a fighter he saw at our gym. People
from Warriors Gym are here a lot looking for young talent.
These people can make a difference in a young fighter's
life. Fighters are getting exposure here before they ever
get to fight on TV. We also have great weather and all the
amenities of South Beach. It's only a matter of time before
we're back on top at No. 1."
Times have changed and today the heart and soul of 5th St.
Gym beats strong once again with world-class boxers training
alongside supermodels Adriana Lima, Alessandra and Nina
Adgal, as well as Grammy winner Cedric Gervais, just to name
a few of the more notable non-boxer members working out
there on a regular basis.
Once again, 5th St. Gym is the training mecca for world
champions, top contenders and promising prospects. In fact,
Seip discovered gifted Italian boxer Daniele Marco Scardina
at 5th St. Gym and signed him to a professional contract.
Newly-crowned International Boxing Federation (IBF) super
middleweight champion James DeGale, pictured here with 5th
St. Gym owner Dino Spencer, trained at 5th St. Gym for his
recent title-winning performance against Andre Dirrell, who
has also trained at 5th St. Gym in the past, in Boston.
DeGale sparred with the gym's top amateur southpaw, Niko
Valdes, to prepare for Dirrell. DeGale won a unanimous
12-round decision over Dirrell to become the first Olympic
gold medalist from Great Britain to capture a major world
title as a professional boxer.
"Four years ago," Seip explained, "I moved my managerial
company to Miami from New York City. It had become very
difficult to find solid sparring in New York City, where
boxing gyms were closing due to the demand for high rents.
The 5th St Gym has grown back into a big time professional
boxing gym. I house all my fighters in Miami and they all
train exclusively at 5th St. Gym for boxing and
conditioning. There are pros who fly in from other countries
to prepare there for fights. The atmosphere is incredible
and professional boxers, heavyweights to featherweights,
spar there three or four days a week. Let's face it,
sparring is like a classroom and it's pivotal for pros to
prepare and learn. The teachers at 5th St. Gym -- Dino
Spencer, Guy Laieta and Louis Perez - are all top rated.
It's also a fun place to hang my hat. You cannot beat Miami
weather for training, either."
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