When Chris Dundee first traveled to Miami, the city was a prosperous seaside paradise. World War II had recently ended, and the transfer of troops to South Florida, which they used as a base for their military training, left significant capital circulating. Dundee, a boxing promoter and entrepreneur seeking to distance himself from the mafia that controlled boxing in Nevada, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, and New York, saw potential in Miami and didn’t hesitate to return.
Chris Dundee began his work by organizing fights on Tuesdays at the Miami Beach Auditorium, attracting the attention of fans, the press, and major boxers. With a set schedule of fights, the next step for Chris Dundee was to create a space where boxers could train and prepare. In a modest second-floor corner at 5th Street and Washington Avenue in South Beach, together with his brother, the legendary trainer Angelo Dundee, he opened the doors of the 5th Street Gym.
An iconic image of Miami is the one where The Beatles are seen with Muhammad Ali during their visit to the gym while he was doing his exercise routine. While it’s true that Ali’s presence brought global attention to the Miami boxing scene, especially in 1964 with the epic, historic fight against Sonny Liston, which attracted over eight hundred journalists, the 5th Street Gym had already secured its place as the number one gym in a small elite group of five gyms, which included Gleason’s, Stillman’s, and Furkie’s in New York, and The Main Street Gym in Los Angeles.
No world title contender missed the opportunity to train in Miami. In total, twelve titles were born here, and its long list of prominent boxers includes Roberto “Mano de Piedra” Durán, “Mantequilla” Nápoles, Sonny Liston, Joe Louis, Willie Pastrano, and many others.
If there’s something Miami struggles to preserve, it’s history, which is why it often goes unnoticed. The Bee Gees’ recording and rehearsal studio, for example, is now an oil change shop. The stage where Jim Morrison and his band The Doors performed for the last time has been demolished. The legendary Coconut Grove Playhouse theater seems likely to meet a similar fate.
The 5th Street Gym is no exception.
The building at 501 Street and Washington Avenue, where it was located for three decades, was demolished and replaced by a parking lot. Now a CVS pharmacy operates there.
The 5th Street Gym has changed locations and owners. Although it has lost the prestige that once set it apart, it still holds charm for South Beach residents. One of them is the best selling Trainspotting author Irvine Welsh who during his seasons in Miami, spends his mornings among the forest of heavy punching bags hanging from the ceiling or in the ring.
