Louis Ingber (1887–1969), better known as Lou Stillman, was a legendary
boxing
Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermined ...
trainer who had a gym in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
, but whose fame transcended beyond New York and into boxing circles virtually everywhere else. He was also a private detective prior to working as a boxing trainer.
In 1919, Ingber was invited by millionaires
Alpheus Geer and
Hiram Mallison to manage ''Stillman's Gym''. When Ingber came along, the gym was actually named the ''Marshall Stillman Athletic Club''. In the late 1920s, the gym changed its name. Patrons used to think Ingber's last name was Stillman; because of this, they greeted him as ''Mr. Stillman''. Stillman, described as moody and acid-tonged, among other things, by boxing historians and writers, disliked having to correct everyone who called him ''Mr. Stillman'', so eventually he changed his name legally from ''Louis Ingber'' to ''Lou Stillman''.
Stillman was famous for keeping his gym as unsanitary as possible: He allowed the public to smoke in a closed-windows atmosphere, and he let the gym floors to go uncleaned, sometimes for years. He said: "The golden age of prizefighting was the age of bad food, bad air, bad sanitation, and no sunlight. I keep the place like this for the fighters' own good. If I clean it up they'll catch a cold from the cleanliness".
Stillman carried a gun around his waist when he was at the gym. He had two guards watching the doors, to make sure everyone paid the 25 cents price to get in and watch the boxers practice. He had a sign that read: "Anyone caught stealing will be barred for life". When
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
dancer
Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoi ...
Jeanne Lamar showed up at Stillman's to train in 1922, Stillman told her that there were "no facilities for girls" in his gym, but she stood around and used the gym to get in shape anyway.
Many famous people trained there, mainly boxers:
Jack Dempsey,
Georges Carpentier
Georges Carpentier (; 12 January 1894 – 28 October 1975) was a French boxer, actor and World War I pilot. He fought mainly as a light heavyweight and heavyweight in a career lasting from 1908 to 1926. Nicknamed the "Orchid Man", he stood and hi ...
,
Primo Carnera
Primo may refer to:
People
*DJ Premier (born 1966), hip-hop producer, sometimes goes by nickname Primo
*Primo Carnera (1906–1967), Italian boxer, World Heavyweight champion 1933–1934
*Primo Cassarino (born 1956), enforcer for the Gambino cri ...
,
Fred Apostoli
Alfredo "Fred" Apostoli (February 2, 1913 – November 29, 1973) was a rugged, accomplished body punching middleweight, who was recognized as the world champion when he defeated Marcel Thil on September 23, 1937. Statistical boxing website Bo ...
,
Joe Louis
Joseph Louis Barrow (May 13, 1914 – April 12, 1981) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1934 to 1951. Nicknamed the Brown Bomber, Louis is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential boxers of all time. He rei ...
and
Rocky Marciano were some of the famous world champions who trained at Stillman's Gym. One who refused to train there was
Gene Tunney, because he complained about the place's sanitation, saying that he would never train there unless the windows were opened. Typical of him, Stillman refused to open the windows.
Stillman retired in 1959 after selling the building, and he joined his daughter in
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
. He liked painting, and became proficient painting in oils as he spent the last few years of his life at a nursing home in
Santa Barbara. He died on August 19, 1969.
In popular culture
Stillman's Gym was featured in several motion pictures, including the
Rocky Graziano biographical film ''
Somebody Up There Likes Me'' (1956) and ''
It's Always Fair Weather'' (1955), which has a musical number set in the gym, "Baby You Knock Me Out," featuring
Cyd Charisse
Cyd Charisse (born Tula Ellice Finklea; March 8, 1922 – June 17, 2008) was an American actress and dancer.
After recovering from polio as a child and studying ballet, Charisse entered films in the 1940s. Her roles usually featured her abilit ...
.
References
External links
The University of Eighth Avenueby
A.J. Liebling
Abbott Joseph Liebling (October 18, 1904 – December 28, 1963) was an American journalist who was closely associated with ''The New Yorker'' from 1935 until his death. He was known for, among other things, the aphorism "Freedom of the press bel ...
, ''
Sports Illustrated
''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twic ...
'', 1955
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stillman, Lou
American boxing trainers
1887 births
1969 deaths