Boxing Champ Jermell Charlo Denied Gym Entry, Claims Racism

Boxing champ Jermell Charlo claims he and his crew were denied entry to a fancy NYC gym Thursday night because he's black ... and he captured the standoff with the front desk staffers on video.

Charlo (the light middleweight champion of the world) and 5 people hit up Life Time Athletic gym in Manhattan to see his brother Jermall Charlo (who's fighting at Barclays Center in Brooklyn this weekend).

Problem is ... Charlo claims he was stopped at the front desk because staffers claimed he "smelled like weed."

Charlo insists neither he nor anyone in his crew had smoked and the allegation was just a bogus excuse to keep a group of black guys out of the gym.

During the exchange, Charlo continued to challenge the front desk staff about why they're turning him away -- and at one point, a staffer tells the group she's calling 911.

Charlo eventually left -- but shot video of police cars in the parking lot. Sources tells us police were called and did respond to the gym, but no report was taken.