“Bubhub” in the 215

Julius Rodriguez, a Philadelphia native, organized his first showcase of his amateur boxers at Presha Gardens in the Huntington Park area.

Julius Rodriguez was born and has spent a majority of his time in Philadelphia. Rodriguez was introduced to boxing at a young age by his mother, he explained how boxing defined him as an athlete. “I got into a lot of [different sports], but fighting was one of the things that stuck with me the most throughout the years.” 
With Rodriguez’s ambition and passion for the sport, It was only a matter of time until Bubhub Boxing Club would be brought into being. 

“One night me and my friends were having a night, and after coming back home we ended up putting on the gloves. One of my friends was just like, ‘Oh that was a bub.’ I like how that sounded. Instead of saying fight we would say, ‘We are about to bub.’ said Rodriguez, the founder of Bubhub215 boxing club. 

Rodriguez let his gym know plans for an upcoming ticketed event where each boxer could have it out with each other, and showcase themselves as athletes. Once this news hit the gym, fighters would train intensely almost everyday to be in their best shapes by their main event. 

Rodriguez let his gym know plans for an upcoming ticketed event where each boxer could have it out with each other, and showcase themselves as athletes. Once this news hit the gym, fighters would train intensely almost everyday to be in their best shapes by their main event. 

Bubhub’s boxers use a space underneath a church to train, spar, and record their promotional videos that are published on Instagram. “It’s free and it’s open to almost everybody, because they have a church above it. It’s a church gym. If you come in there acting crazy they kick you out, at the end of the day it is a church.” said Rodriguez, “Everyone there is nice, respectful, and generous.”

Their biggest hurdle was finding a location for the event. 

Bubhub’s hall for the event would be at Presha Gardens, August 30th 2025 “Jake Holy, came up with the whole idea of calling it ‘Bleed Fight Club.’ Jake and his team were a huge piece in seeing this happen, the location and helping us get sponsors for the fighters.” said Rodriguez 

The night was made up of five rounds from ten fighters, with breaks of live music in between with sounds by LoneBand from South Jersey and Philadelphia’s own Static Brian. The night ended with five out of the ten fighters victorious. 

Boxers focus on coordination and combinations to score the most against your match fighter. Each competitor is measured by referees based on clean punching, effective aggression, or the overall control a fighter exhibits in the ring. 

The winner of the final match up of the night was Rashon Donaldson. Donaldson, who also grew up in Philadelphia, learned boxing from a friend at 14. Donaldson explained that boxing came naturally to him, because of his inclination to already being involved in fighting at a young age. “I’d say it is definitely a struggle in Philly for most people, poverty, fights, and all kinds of stuff. You have got to find a way to push past it all and stay focused. Once I learned boxing, it definitely took me down. It taught me discipline and how to handle my emotions inside and outside the ring, and helped me evolve as a person.” 

Rodriguez’s biggest point with having a space like Bubhub is spreading that this club is promoting “Gloves up, Guns down.” “There is a lot of stuff that comes with growing up in Philly. It is tough growing up here, but it makes you who you are and that’s the best part of it. No one should go out of their way to harm somebody, it is better to just go in the gym and punch back for an hour or two.” 

“After the event I had so many people reach out from Philadelphia and other cities. To see everyone show up to get gloves up and guns down is so cool and I am so grateful.” 

This was only the beginning for Bubhub, after the overwhelming support and engagement from the community, the club would leave a large impact with plans to continue matches and possibly incorporate female boxers. 

Bubhub has rounded out their Bleed Fight Club showcase with their third installment, “Nightmare Before Christmas.” At this end of year holiday event, there will be a collection of warm clothes and food to support the Kensington area, distributed by RecoveryDoneSimple outreach in Philadelphia. In addition, Mohammed’s Mission for mutual aid for families in Gaza will be holding a dedicated collection. 

“To our opponents, definitely bring your best. Fight your best. Go all out, because it’s gonna be a show out for anybody who’s gonna fight me. I was training like Ferguson.” said Donaldson, “I felt like I could have done better with my conditioning, so I definitely didn’t feel too good, but at least I got the win.” 

There’s a natural grit that comes along with the city of Philadelphia. Rodriguez takes the cake on building a strong willed community. A passion comes with these athletes that showcases perseverance, precision, and passion. These individuals compliment the City of Brotherly Love, and as a result they learn how to keep moving forward after getting hit, and they have a good time doing it.