To understand the fight for 140 West 44th Street, you must understand the man who built it. James “Jimmy” Lee Glenn didn’t just own a bar. He was the connective tissue of New York boxing for seven decades.
Born in 1930, Jimmy arrived in New York City in 1944 and quickly became a fixture in the ring. Though he famously went the distance in a loss to future heavyweight king Floyd Patterson as an amateur, his true genius was discovered in the corner. As a world-class cutman and trainer, he guided legends like Muhammad Ali and Michael Spinks.
In 1971, he founded Jimmy’s Corner, turning a narrow slip of a building into a sanctuary where $3 beers and boxing history lived side-by-side.
The Magic of Jimmy’s Corner
The magic of Jimmy’s was that the legend on the wall was usually the man in the room. I experienced this firsthand on January 11, 2020. My wife, Kelly, and I had just seen a Broadway play, and I was looking to catch the Joe Smith Jr. vs. Jesse Hart fight.
The natural place, of course, was Jimmy’s Corner. I had been going there for a few years and had taken several of my friends, my clients, and business associates there, in my other non-boxing life.
When I asked about the fight, and the staff realized the fight was on standard cable, they flipped the screens on. Just as the opening bell rang, Jimmy himself walked in and sat right there with Kelly and me.
For the next hour, he regaled us with stories of Ali, not as a myth, but as a friend. What struck me most was his “scout’s eye.” When I mentioned I knew Joe Smith Jr., and that he was promoted by Joe DeGuardia, he leaned in. He began speaking highly of promoter Joe DeGuardia and genuinely analyzing Smith’s blue-collar style. He was curious and asked me almost as many questions as I asked him.
I texted DeGuardia the picture, told him where I was and who I was with. He was obviously busy watching Smith take Hart apart, but he texted back immediately, “Tell him I love him.” Glenn let out a big laugh and asked me to send the same back.
Glenn was 89 years old and still a student of the game. I would dare to say that was probably one of the last times Jimmy would watch a fight in his namesake corner before he passed away in May 2020. It is a moment I cherish and will forever hold onto.
I shared the story with “Iceman” John Scully, who held one of his famous reunions near there, and Jimmy’s was a stop. Scully had a similar story of watching a fight with Jimmy’s in his office, in the back of the bar.
Future of Jimmy’s Corner Threatened
Today, that history is under threat. The Durst Organization, a real estate dynasty that owns the building, has moved to evict the bar. The legal battle centers on a “death-related clause” in the lease, a provision Jimmy’s son, Adam Glenn, alleges was predatory and ignored a half-century of handshake loyalty between the Glenns and the Dursts.
As of early 2026, a judge has granted a temporary stay, allowing the taps to keep flowing. But for Adam, the mission is bigger than a lease: it’s about ensuring the physical home of his father’s legacy survives long enough to see its greatest milestone.
This June, the boxing world will officially canonize what the regulars at 44th Street have known for decades. Jimmy Glenn will be posthumously inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in Canastota, New York, as part of the Class of 2026.
He joins the ranks of the “immortals” alongside the very fighters he once coached and protected. The induction serves as a stark reminder of the stakes in Times Square: we are currently litigating the survival of a Hall of Famer’s life’s work.
Fight to Save NYC Businesses Hits The Street April 10
The fight has now moved from the courtroom to the sidewalk. Tomorrow, Friday, April 10, at 11:30 AM, a major rally is being held right outside the bar at the corner of 44th St & 6th Ave.
Organized by Small Business United, the “Rumble for Survival in Times Square” brings together Adam Glenn and key political voices, including State Senator Julia Salazar and Assemblymember Emily Gallagher. They aren’t just fighting for one bar; they are launching a campaign for Small Business Rent Stabilization.
They argue that businesses like Jimmy’s are the community infrastructure of New York, and that without new laws to cap predatory rent hikes and guarantee lease renewals, the city’s soul will be entirely replaced by corporate chains.
Jimmy Glenn spent his life as a cutman, stopping the bleeding for fighters so they could survive to fight one more round. Now, the roles are reversed. As the city changes around it, Jimmy’s Corner stands as the last square inch of authentic New York. If it falls, we don’t just lose a bar; we lose the heartbeat of the sport. The fight continues, but with a Hall of Fame induction on the horizon and a community rallying at the door, the spirit of Jimmy Glenn remains undefeated.
Follow Jimmy’s Corner on Instagram for updated information.
A lifelong resident of Long Island, New York, Matthew Pomara, MMP, has always followed the sweet science. He caught the tail end of the Ali era, was a staunch follower of the Four Kings of the 80’s, loved the great expansion of the sport in the 90’s and has stayed with boxing through the 2000s. He has been published in The Ring Magazine and loves contributing to @NYFights. He can be found on Twitter @pomara_matt