Plenty of people engage in sports in public parks. Basketball courts and baseball diamonds are easy to find in many a park in New York City — and in plenty of cities and towns around the country. But recently, a different competitive activity has cropped up in Washington Square Park. While the park is famously known for its chess tables, this involves another competition involving two individuals facing off. According to a new article at the New York Post, a few hardy souls have taken to boxing a short distance from the park’s famous arch.
Yes, boxing. The article, by Kerry J. Byrne and Dean Balsamini, has more details on the bouts which took place on Friday night. There were no less than 5 different matches, complete with timekeeper and referee. One of them lasted 6 rounds; another involved a fighter reportedly dislocating his shoulder.
Since the pandemic began, already-bustling Washington Square Park has become a hub of activity, some of it controversial. A number of parties have led to the implementation of a curfew; the park itself has also become an issue in the city’s ongoing mayoral race.
Admittedly, unsanctioned boxing matches in the city aren’t a new development. Last November, a fight club in the Bronx that drew hundreds of people was broken up by sheriff’s deputies. And before the pandemic, city residents might also catch sight of flyers or news of a boxing match taking place in the back room of a bar. And while there’s a long history of boxing of dubious legality happening within New York City, boxing in the park also prompts the question — isn’t fighting on asphalt particularly risky, when it comes to injuries?
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