Washington Square Park again home to unlicensed boxing bouts
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Washington Square Park once again transformed into a scene from “Fight Club” Friday night when another round of boxing matches was held in the beleaguered Greenwich Village landmark.
The Post witnessed hundreds of bloodthirsty spectators cheering on five unlicensed matches near the park’s triumphal arch, including one contest that lasted six rounds.
One amateur park pugilist screamed in agony as another man, apparently one of the organizers, helped him reset what appeared to be a dislocated shoulder.
On Saturday, park neighbors were knocked out by the constant mayhem.
“Civility is pretty much lost in this city. People are so indifferent to the impact they have on each other,” said Andrew Levas, 62, a consultant who says he has lived in the area his entire life. “The knuckleheads in the park are just gonna keep pushing the envelope until something bad happens.”
Added Bob Gill, 90: “The police should stop the craziness that goes in the park. I can’t imagine what it’s going to be like 10 years from now. If it’s worse I won’t be around to see it so it won’t be my problem.”
The boxing matches — which feature a time keeper and referee — are just one of several unlicensed or unlawful activities that have consumed Washington Square Park in recent months, including wide-spread crack and heroin use.
And Friday night was explosive too — with yet another round of illegal fireworks being set off to cap a night of chaos.
Still, not everyone who uses the park was bothered by the fisticuffs.
“I’m not against it. It’s consensual. It’s not like somebody mugging somebody,” said Chung Park, 52, who visits the park on his lunch breaks. “It’s better than taking out the aggression on innocent people in the park. If anything, they are only hurting themselves.”
Meanwhile, a man was arrested at Washington Square South Friday and charged with two counts of menacing for allegedly threatening two Parks Department employees with a wine bottle and a brick.
Cops said Tayvon Turner, 28, of Brooklyn was squabbling with the workers and allegedly picked up a wine bottle and threatened one, a 50-year-old woman. He then threatened to hit the other worker, a 47-year-old woman, with a brick. No one was physically harmed.
Turner was also charged with vandalizing the park with graffiti, cops said.
Additional reporting by Dean Balsamini
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