FIGHTING SINCE 1937
You can’t understand the heart of the G&S brand without understanding the heart of the man who founded it.
In 1937, a scrappy boxer named Izzy Zerling wasn’t impressed with the gear out there. So, he took matters into his own hands—literally—and started making gloves and gear for himself and his fellow fighters. What started in a small shop on New York’s tough Lower East Side quickly grew into something bigger. Before long, legends like Ali, Marciano, and Frazier were trusting G&S gear to take them through the toughest fights of their careers.
As the business grew, so did Izzy’s calling to serve his country in World War II. In 1943, the 29-year-old Izzy volunteered to join the U.S. Navy, serving oversees aboard the USS Booth and as a boxing trainer. When he returned from the war in 1945, he went back to selling boxing gear. He bought the building at 43 Essex Street, where the ground floor became the G&S retail location until its closing in 2014. The best fighters in history visited the store and wore the gear. Legends such as Rocky Marciano, Sugar Ray Robinson, Big George Foreman, Roberto Duran, Muhammad Ali, Emile Griffith, Joe Frazier, Sonny Liston, Marvin Hagler and many others all proudly wore the gear.
Even after he started to have some business success, Izzy never forgot what it was like to be a hungry kid on the Lower East Side. He had a fighter’s desire to do something beyond just making a living and wanted to have an impact on his community. Izzy dedicated himself to helping underprivileged youth stay off the streets. In 1968 he opened The Izzy Zerling Youth Recreation Center, a non-profit gym where, even while managing the store, Izzy would spend five hours every weekday afternoon running athletic programs for neighborhood youngsters.
At its height, the center was a go-to refuge for more than 200 kids and produced countless amateur fighters, Golden Gloves champs and professional boxers. Izzy trained and managed many of the fighters, including the first female New York State Athletic Commission licensed professional boxer, Flory “Non Stop” Goldberg.
We take pride in our roots, but, like Izzy, our focus is on the fighters of today and tomorrow. From the ring to the gym, and even the streets, G&S is about more than just gloves and trunks. It’s about fighting the good fight, pushing limits, living with purpose, and carrying a legacy with every punch you throw.
