Continue walking South down Charles Street to Hughes St. about 150 ft. Turn Right on Hughes and walk for about .2 mi – cross Main and walk past the Police Gazette Corporation. The Hall of Fame will be on your right.
Welcome to the Bare Knuckle Boxing Hall of Fame (BKBHOF). This is the only hall of fame devoted to the preservation of the sport of bare-knuckle boxing. These two white buildings are the original barns owned by famed sport trainer, William Muldoon. When Muldoon owned these, they were down the street on Catholic Church grounds (Site #3). A local citizen, Scott Burt, was able to acquire these buildings in 2009 - after they had largely sat untouched for nearly 120 years though tended to by church volunteers.
Moving these barns was quite a task. The buildings were cut in half, lifted off their foundations, placed on a trailer, and towed with a tractor through the streets of Belfast. After everything was put back together, the task of building an internationally recognized Hall of Fame began.
The two large white statues located outside these barns are of athletes from the late 1800's. One is of famed athletic trainer and wrestler William Muldoon, the original owner of the barns. The other is Muldoon's most famous trainee, John L. Sullivan. Sullivan trained in Belfast, NY, immediately before securing the first bare-knuckle boxing World Champion title belt endorsed by the Police Gazette. The punching bag used by John L. Sullivan still hangs from the ceiling inside these barns.
This Hall of Fame continually attracts known fans, boxers, fighters and wrestlers to the town of Belfast. This is especially evident during the annual Induction Ceremony each summer. Many interesting folks have visited these barns: Leon Spinx, ESPN, and Rolling Stone magazine are just a few of many.
Side note: We think the shed across the street might be the old black-smith shop used by Muldoon to train Sullivan.
