Well, they broke the first rule of fight club.
Over the weekend, deputies in the south Bronx led a massive raid into a Hunts Point warehouse, which was host to an illegal boxing ring with over 200 spectators, some of whom were carrying handguns, the NYC Sheriff’s Office announced.
The amateur boxing ring, known as “Rumble In the Bronx,” was operating out of a Coster Street building on Saturday night at around 11:15 p.m. until law enforcement threw a haymaker into the illegal gathering, officials reported.
“Patrons were also observed drinking alcohol, smoking, hookah and not wearing face coverings while failing to social distance,” the sheriffs put in a release, adding that “a significant amount of marijuana” was also seized.
Ten of the fight club’s organizers, including 32-year-old CEO Michael J. Roman, a promoter, DJ and security guard, were cuffed on charges related to two recovered and loaded firearms, holding illegal combat, serving copious amounts of alcohol with no liquor license, warehousing the liquor, having obstructed exits and violating Governor Andrew Cuomo’s emergency orders which went into effect the night before.
“They’ve been around for a while and after some surveillance…they were running fights for last month,” said Chief Joseph Fucito head of the Office of the Sheriff of the City of New York.
The chief also said there were even instances of “counter surveillance” from the fight club leading up to the raid.
Rumble in the Bronx’s organizers were issued a total of $150,000 in fines for “failure to protect health and safety” which were split into $15,000 per person plus a desk appearance ticket.
“This was illegal before, COVID-19, you cant have an illegal fight club,” Fucito added.
With reporting by Todd Maisel
