We are a 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Organization operating the only free, youth-focused boxing gyms in NYC.
Our gyms in Brooklyn and Staten Island have been open for over 14 years, and we are opening a new Bronx location in 2025!
Our mission is to provide a safe and supportive environment for underserved youth in the five boroughs to learn and practice boxing, do their homework, and develop valuable life skills such as discipline, respect, and self-confidence.
Our free boxing gyms offer structured training, tutoring, and mentorship from experienced coaches, as well as access to fitness equipment and educational resources. By empowering underserved youth with the physical and mental tools necessary to succeed in and out of the ring, we aim to create a healthier, stronger, and more
connected community.
Our New Home in The Bronx
Working with the support and guidance of local community stakeholders, the Bronx Legends, Cops & Kids team has leased a 13,000-square-foot space in a central location in the Bronx. The gym has a target opening in the Spring of 2025!!!
Discipline, Respect, and Self-Confidence
Discipline Through Structure
Structured training programs instill discipline, teaching youth the value of commitment and perseverance in both sports and personal endeavors.
Cultivating Mutual Respect
A culture of respect fosters positive relationships, encouraging youth to appreciate diversity and develop essential communication skills for life.
Building Self-Confidence
Skill mastery and achievements in boxing enhance self-esteem, empowering youth to tackle challenges confidently in all areas of their lives.
The History & The Problem
Since the early 1900’s the Police Athletic League was the staple inner-city community boxing gym. Muhammad Ali, George Foreman and Mike Tyson were all introduced to boxing by cops. These gyms offered youth a place to get off the streets and train.
For some, the gyms gave them a real shot at a career in the sport, and for others, these gyms were simply a safe place to go after school. In 2009, the PAL (Police Athletic League) shut down their boxing programs due to donor preferences.
Today, the Bronx remains entirely unserved, with NO FREE BOXING GYM FOR KIDS.
A Proven Solution
In 2011, Sergeant Pat Russo, director of the PAL boxing program, started Cops & Kids, a new program in Brooklyn & Staten Island,
filling a portion of the void.
Cops & Kids has provided thousands of NYC youth structure, purpose, and a place to train. It has connected them with role models and has produced 3 Olympian boxers, 9 national
champions, and several professional Champions of the World. Their story was featured in the Emmy-nominated Netflix documentary Counterpunch, directed by Bronx Legends Co-Executive Director Jay Bulger.
Our Champ Building Legends
Working with the support and guidance of Cops and Kids Boxing and local community stakeholders, the Bronx Legends Boxing team has leased a 3,000-square-foot space a few blocks from Yankees Stadium where they will open a free, boxing after-school program. Construction has begun. Everlast, which was founded in the Bronx in 1939, has so kindly generated its equipment and services. The gym has a target opening in the fall os 2023.