Universal Boxing Gym Keeps A Community Moving

By MOHAMED FARGHALY

mfarghaly@queensledger.com

Inside a 2,500-square-foot storefront on Dry Harbor Road, the steady rhythm of gloves hitting heavy bags mixes with laughter from children and instructions echoing across a full-sized boxing ring. Universal Boxing Gym is equal parts training ground and neighborhood gathering space, drawing professional fighters, beginners and families from across Queens.

Owner Moises Roman says boxing has shaped his life since early childhood. Raised in Paterson, New Jersey, Roman grew up in a large Puerto Rican family where the sport was a constant presence.

“My brothers boxed,” Roman said. “I’ve been in the gym since I was five years old.”

After moving to New York and training locally, Roman began giving pointers to other fighters. Fellow boxers encouraged him to coach, a suggestion he said he “took and ran with,” eventually launching Universal Boxing in 2006. The gym has operated under the same name ever since, relocating over the years before settling in Middle Village about four years ago.

Roman chose the neighborhood in part because he lived nearby and wanted to build something local. With help from a fighter’s family in real estate, he found a landlord willing to take a chance on a boxing gym that promised after-school programs and youth training. The space was built almost entirely by Roman and his fighters.

“We did everything in-house,” he said. “I broke through the walls, reinforced them, put the floors down, built the desk, built the ring. It’s all out-of-pocket money. No funding, no loans.”

The gym now includes heavy bags, speed bags, double-end bags, an uppercut station and a basement outfitted for strength and conditioning with sleds, ropes, bikes and treadmills. Classes run for children as young as five, teenagers, adults and competitive fighters. On Saturdays, peewee sessions can draw dozens of kids from the neighborhood.

Roman describes the gym as a pipeline that has carried some students from childhood to professional careers.

“The amateur kids from 2007 are actually pros now, or they’re coaches,” he said. “Universal Boxing is literally a tight-knit family.”

One of those fighters, Danny Gonzales, joined at 16 unable to jump rope and unsure of himself, Roman said. Two decades later, Gonzales has fought on major cards, including at Barclays Center.

“Having a kid from 16 to now 36 — he’s been with me 20 years,” Roman said.

The gym serves a wide cross-section of the community, from professional fighters preparing for bouts to retirees looking for fitness. Roman said it’s common to see police officers, sanitation workers, students and parents training side by side.

Roman said boxing has long been rooted in blue-collar culture, a sport where working-class fighters see a rare chance to change their lives through discipline, toughness and opportunity.

“You’re not excluded,” he said. “If you’ve never boxed ever, you come in and we’re going to take care of you just like if you boxed 20 fights.”

For 17-year-old Leo, who has trained at the gym for about a year, the atmosphere made starting easier.

“It’s definitely friendly for people who want to start boxing,” he said. “I started boxing here, and it felt welcoming when I first came here.”

That sense of community was tested last summer when a four-alarm fire tore through a row of businesses on Dry Harbor Road, causing heavy smoke and water damage inside the gym and forcing a monthlong closure. Roman said the aftermath was overwhelming.

“The tiles collapsed, there was water damage, and the smoke was drawn on the floors and walls,” he said. “I’d never seen anything like it.”

He said neighbors and local businesses stepped in with donations to help rebuild. Fighters and coaches ripped out damaged materials, installed new flooring and rewired lighting themselves.

“There’s nothing like this neighborhood,” Roman said. “They held me with open arms here. I love this community.”

Roman balances running the gym with a longtime career working in a doorman building in Manhattan, relying on a coaching staff that includes retired police officers and teachers to keep classes running. Despite the long hours, he said the reward comes from watching shy children grow confident and connected.

“When you see a kid walk in shy, and by the third week he’s saying ‘What’s up, coach?’ and running with friends, it’s almost better than earning money,” he said. “You feel like you’re doing something for the community.”

Looking ahead, the gym is preparing fighters for amateur tournaments and upcoming professional bouts. But Roman says competition is only part of the mission. For many members, boxing is an outlet for stress and a path to discipline.

“You fuel your energy the positive way,” he said. “You have a stressful day at work, you burn out on that bag, you go home and feel like you averted some drastic drama.”

At Universal Boxing Gym, that release, and the relationships built around it, keep the doors open as much as any title belt.

Interested readers can visit Universal Boxing Gym in Middle Village at 64-64 Dry Harbor Rd for more information or contact the gym directly at UBGNYC@gmail.com.

Jazz And Dance Collide At Flushing Town Hall Global Mashup

By MOHAMED FARGHALY

mfarghaly@queensledger.com

Flushing Town Hall will merge ballroom swing and Afro-Latin mambo in a rare, one-night collaboration Feb. 7, pairing the George Gee Swing Orchestra with Arturo O’Farrill’s Afro-Latin Octet in a concert designed as both performance and dance party.

The event is part of the venue’s long-running Global Mashup series, known for bringing together artists from different traditions and inviting audiences to participate through dance. Organizers say the program builds on more than a decade of mashups that have drawn large crowds by blending cultures and genres in unexpected ways.

“This is a historic global mashup,” said Clyde Bullard, Flushing Town Hall’s producer-in-residence, who curated the concert. “The concept of global mashups is always having two bands, usually from different geographical locations. In this instance, we have two bands not from two different countries, but from two different musical genres. It’s ballroom dancing meets mambo.”

The evening begins with a dance lesson at 7 p.m. led by instructor Vanda Polakova, welcoming dancers of all experience levels. At 8 p.m., each ensemble will perform a set showcasing its signature style before joining for a collaborative finale that blends swing and Afro-Latin rhythms. Audience members are encouraged to use the open dance floor, though seating remains available for those who prefer to listen.

“Surprisingly enough, a lot of people come out for the dance lessons,” Bullard said. “They want to dance, and they want to understand something about these different cultural nuances in the music. If someone doesn’t want to dance, you can still just sit in the audience and enjoy the music, because the music itself will be beautiful.”

Bullard said the mashup reflects Flushing Town Hall’s mission to present music as a living cultural exchange. Authenticity, he said, is a guiding principle when selecting performers.

“We try to bring musicians to the stage that can bring an authenticity to what they’re performing,” he said. “They’re not just learning it and memorizing it. These are people who grew up in these traditions. Music is culture expressed through sound.”

O’Farrill, who leads the Afro-Latin Octet, is a multi-Grammy Award-winning pianist, composer and educator widely recognized as a leading voice in Afro-Latin jazz. DownBeat magazine has called him “one of our greatest living pianists.” Born in Mexico and raised in New York, O’Farrill began his career with the Carla Bley Band and later collaborated with artists including Dizzy Gillespie, Wynton Marsalis and Harry Belafonte.

His work blends Afro-Cuban roots with contemporary jazz composition. He won Grammy Awards in 2016 for Afro Latin Jazz Suite, in 2018 for Three Revolutions, and in 2023 for Fandango at the Wall in New York. His most recent album, Mundoagua, received a 2026 Grammy nomination. O’Farrill is also founder and artistic director of Belongó, formerly known as the Afro-Latin Jazz Alliance, an organization dedicated to preserving and expanding Afro-Latin jazz traditions.

Sharing the stage is the George Gee Swing Orchestra, led by Queens native George Gee, whose big band sound draws inspiration from classic swing masters such as Duke Ellington and Lionel Hampton. Gee traces his professional turning point to a 1979 meeting with Count Basie, after which he committed to forming his own orchestra.

After refining his ensemble in Pittsburgh, Gee returned to New York City in 2000. His orchestra has since become a cornerstone of the city’s swing scene, most notably through its long-running weekly residency at Swing 46 in Times Square. The group is known for preserving the energy of traditional big band dance music while introducing it to new generations of listeners and dancers.

The Feb. 7 concert will place roughly 16 to 20 musicians on stage, culminating in a joint performance Bullard described as a musical experiment shaped in real time.

“That’s going to produce an interesting concoction of music that we’ve never heard before,” he said.

Bullard, who joined Flushing Town Hall in 1998, said his role involves conceiving concert concepts and matching them with artists capable of bringing those ideas to life. The ballroom-and-mambo pairing emerged quickly once he began considering options for this season’s mashup.

“There’s no one better to call” for Afro-Latin mambo than O’Farrill, Bullard said, and “no one better” for ballroom swing than Gee and his orchestra. “Both of these gentlemen have been doing this music for years. It’s second nature to them.”

He hopes audiences leave with more than just an appreciation for the technical skill of the performers.

“They’re going to walk away with joy. They’re going to walk away with happiness,” Bullard said. “When you are encapsulated with music, you forget about your problems and enter into an imaginary world of sound and feeling.”

For those unable to attend in person, Bullard said the performance will be available through Flushing Town Hall’s Culture Stream platform, allowing viewers to watch online for a nominal fee.

“Flushing Town Hall is honored to provide a stage where these outstanding jazz artists can perform together for the first time, continuing our long and celebrated tradition of presenting great jazz in Queens,” says Ellen Kodadek, Executive and Artistic Director of Flushing Town Hall. “Our Global Mashups concert series provides once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to experience unique performance pairings between your favorite artists. There’s truly nothing else like it in all of New York City! Put on your dancing shoes and get ready to dance the night away and enjoy these two powerhouse bands!”

General admission is $30 for adults and $25 for members. 7 PM Dance Lessons with Vanda Polakova, 8 PM Performance. Tickets and additional information are available at the Flushing Town Hall website.