History

The timeline

1. 1932

   Maurice “Kid Sharkey” Sposato's boxing career begins at the YWHA in White Plains. He goes on to a 58-9-1 record, fights through World War II (Battle of Tarawa, Purple Heart), and later trains Larry Holmes, Jose Torres and more.

   Source: Kid Sharkey page

2. 1996Club opens

   Nick Delury opens Westchester Boxing Club. He has owned the gym ever since.

   Source: About WBC page

3. 2013

   The club's own News page shows Nick with Kid Sharkey, Spike Lee, Mark Breland, Emile Griffith, Willie Pep, Freddie Pendleton, Dana Rosenblatt, Francois Botha, Carl King and Jake LaMotta, plus Golden Gloves champions Melissa Salmone and Denise Lutrick. The photo wall starts here.

   Source: Club News page, 2013 (westchesterboxingclub.wordpress.com/history/news)

4. Years laterNo exact date on file

   Nick hosts “In The Ring: The Nicky Knuckles Show” on Cablevision, ten episodes with trainers, boxers and historians. Fairfield County Business Journal runs “KO Your Troubles” on the club. A local paper tells his story: “Boxing Club Owner Proves He Can Roll with The Punches.”

   Source: Talk shows page, owner feature

5. 2015

   Dec 5: Luis “El Leon” Garcia knocks out Willie Williams in round 1 at the Barclays Center, Brooklyn, Nick in his corner. Same month, the club's first reviews on Yelp: “World class facility and an outstanding group of professional trainers.”

   Source: Pro boxing page, Yelp

6. 2016

   Jun 25: Garcia knocks out Demetrius Walker in round 1, Buffalo Run Casino, Oklahoma. A parent writes that her 14 and 11 year old have trained for four months and “the trainers are all great with kids.”

   Source: Pro boxing page, Yelp

7. 2017

   May 22: Nick speaks at the Graham School Career Day in Mount Vernon. Jun 3: Garcia knocks out Felipe Romero in round 1 at Foxwoods, Mashantucket, CT. Three fights, three first-round knockouts.

   Source: Motivational speaking page, pro boxing page

8. 2018

   The club's website goes up. Larry Barnes, former welterweight world champion and NJ Boxing Hall of Fame member, is head boxing trainer. The club announces it is continuing the Westchester Community College boxing program that Steve Acunto founded, with Nick as head coach. April: the autism and Parkinson's program page goes up. September: the club starts raising money for single parent assistance.

   Source: Live site pages dated Mar to Sep 2018

9. 2019

   March: the online store opens. April: the FAQ goes up. The home page reads “More than boxing, more than a workout.”

   Source: Live site, Wayback export

10. 2020

    Sessions stay one on one while cleaning and scheduling protocols tighten. New gear: coffee mugs, zip hoodies, and the black and gold WBC art.

    Source: Live site, media library

11. 2021

    New tees and hoodies: “Since 1996” on navy, “Keep On Punching” on grey.

    Source: Media library, store

12. 2022

    January: the anti-bullying page and the first responder support page go up. May: a wave of new five-star reviews.

    Source: Live site, Yelp

13. 2023

    Hours posted: 7 days, 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. Personal training copy rewritten. New hoodies and tees in the store.

    Source: Wayback export, live site

14. 2024

    New floor photo goes up on the home page.

    Source: Live site

15. 2025

    Dec: new monthly memberships announced to members.

    Source: Club email, Dec 2025

16. 2026

    Feb: featured in a CBS project. Mar: the page for renting the club for film and media shoots is updated.

    Source: Club email, live site

Dates come from the club's own pages, review dates on Yelp, and club emails. Where a page has no date, we say so.

Legends

From the club's 2013 News page: the people who walked through the door, or stood next to Nick for a picture.

• Kid Sharkey
• Spike Lee
• Mark Breland, Olympic gold
• Emile Griffith
• Willie Pep
• Freddie Pendleton
• Dana Rosenblatt
• Francois Botha
• Carl King
• Jake LaMotta
• Melissa Salmone, Golden Gloves champion
• Denise Lutrick, Golden Gloves champion

See the full wall of friends and champions