[1] El gimnasio Bairoa, as it is known in Spanish, is the most famous boxing gym in Puerto Rico because of the list of world champions and top contenders who have trained there.
On March 4, 2005, Bairoa boxer Joseph Serrano, a gold medalist at Central American and Caribbean Games competition as an amateur and 1-0 prospect, was standing near the gym's front door, when he was shot three times by an assailant.
World champions and well known boxers who have used this facility include Alfredo Escalera, Héctor Camacho, Julian Solís, Henry Bruseles, Juan Cruz, Alberto Mercado, Jesus Rojas, Javier Garcia, Jose Miguel Cotto, Juan Carazo, Miguel Cotto, Daniel Rosario, José Rodriguez, and many more.
[citation needed] The gym was managed since 1976 (year when it was inaugurated) by Cuban trainer Julian Delgado, until Evangelista Cotto replaced him during the late 90s.
Cotto built a career that included various world titles and fights with Antonio Margarito, Sergio Martinez, Manny Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Saul Alvarez.