Location Spotlight: Johnny Tocco’s Ringside Gym

The oldest active boxing gym in Las Vegas, NV is also one of the most beloved boxing gyms in the city. Johnny Tocco’s Ringside Gym originally started as the Zebra Lounge, a speakeasy that mobsters frequented (source). Johnny Tocco came to Las Vegas for the Nino Valdez vs. Archie Moore fight in 1953 and never left (source). He opened his own gym and became a successful trainer to many rising boxing stars.

Shortly before he passed away in 1997, Tocco sold the gym. It has had a few different owners over the years but always remained a historic site. The current owners, James and Elizabeth Benitez Smith, have committed themselves to the preservation of the gym and they continue to operate it with the same enthusiasm as Tocco.

One of the greatest heavyweight champions of all time, Sonny Liston, trained at Johnny Tocco’s and helped put it on the map. Some other world-famous boxers who have also trained at Johnny Tocco’s Ringside Gym include Larry Holmes, Mike Tyson, Michael Dokes, Marvin Hagler, Floyd Mayweather, Laila Ali, Muhammad Ali, and many others.

Johnny Tocco’s Ringside Gym has an office, a locker room, and two rooms with boxing rings. Its appeal has always been its stripped down, worn down, sweaty, and gritty feel, and a mural outside of the gym proclaims it to be a place that has been “training champions since 1953.” A scene from the movie Casino was also filmed here (source).

Learn more about Johnny Tocco’s Ringside Gym below:

“Inside Johnny Tocco’s World Famous Gym – TITLE Boxing – Famous Boxing Gyms” by titleboxing

If you are looking for an old-school boxing gym where many of the greats have trained, look no further than Johnny Tocco’s World Famous Ringside Gym in the “Boxing Capital of the World.” For more pictures, you can view the full Johnny Tocco’s Ringside Gym filming location details here and don’t forget to register your project!