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Grafton Golden Gloves boxing club established
Published by Chrislarson on 2008/11/25 (351 reads)
Grafton Golden Gloves boxing club established

By Mike Alan Steinfeldt

Freddy Narro of Grafton decided he would like to teach his eight-year-old son Louis how to box, little did he know it would grow into something much bigger.
Growing up in Dallas, Texas, Narro got into a lot of fights in school, fell in with the wrong crowd and eventually into trouble with the law.
When he grew older, boxing and the people who taught him the sport, helped him straighten his life out.
Narro is now 30 and married with two children, and is hoping to teach young people, the right path in life, not the wrong one.
In December, 2007, Narro first began teaching his son to box, a few months later, Louis’ friends found out. They wanted to learn too and told others about the boxing lessons.  
The first thing he did was to talk to their parents and get their permission. Soon 25 kids were coming  regularly to his house three days a week and the Grafton Golden Glove Boxing Club was born.
Classes are held each Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. The younger kids train from 5-6:30 p.m., and the older fighters train from 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Narro is very clear with the kids he teaches. He demands they get good grades in school, stay out of trouble (no fighting) and stay clear of drugs. He said he hopes the kids he teaches will make good life decisions.
“It’s important to have good grades,” Narro said. “If you have bad grades, you’re going to have a bad job. If you have a bad job, chances are you’re going to have a bad life and visa versa. If you have good grades, you’re going to get a good job. If you have a good job, you’re going to have a good life.”
Narro said one of the first things he teaches the younger fighters is the defensive aspect of the sport, taught to him by mentors Lupe Pena and Ed Obregon who teach boxing in Grand Forks. Obregron operates The Forks Fighters boxing club.  Both he and Pena, helped train Virgil Hill as an amateur. Hill was an Olympic silver medalist and went on to have a successful professional career winning world titles at various weight classes.
Narro started boxing at Obregon’s club three years ago. Pena comes to Grafton once a month to give instruction to the fighters. Joe Atilano, head coach of the Climax, Minn. Golden Eagles Boxing Club has also come to Grafton to help out.
“I teach these guys what I was taught,” Narro said. “Every time you throw a punch you have to keep your hands up,” He said. “The punch should always come straight from your face.”
This past Saturday, Narro and his fighters headed to the Grand Forks American Legion Club where amateur boxing matches sanctioned by the American Amateur Boxing Association  are held monthly. A number of clubs from North Dakota, Minnesota and one from Winnipeg were represented.
Obregon organized the local shows in East Grand Forks at the American Legion Club. There are a total of five through the winter months held on Saturdays, November through March.
Narro said he was hoping at least five of his pupils would be able to box, but because there weren’t enough fighters in the corresponding weight classes, only two got to fight.
It costs $35 to get licensed though the American Amateur Boxing Association. That fee also serves as insurance for the fighters should they get injured.
The Grafton fighters’ training showed through as both Grafton boxers Sergio Garcia  and Zach Brown won their matches after they were stopped via technical knockout in the first round.
Narro doesn’t charge any money for what he does and has purchased all of the equipment himself.
He’s invested approximately $2,000 in equipment including a home made ring in the garage at his home on Stephen Ave. in Grafton.
He said the only equipment prospective fighters need is a mouthpiece, a jump rope and hand wraps that costs about $17.
Donations to the program are accepted and all the money goes into a piggy bank. For example, before last Saturday’s fights in East Grand Forks, some of the money was used to take the kids swimming at the AmericInn in Grafton.

Boxing promoter got start in N.D.

May 25, 2008 - 04:06:10 CDT
The man considered one of the greatest boxing promoters of all time began his career in North Dakota.

However, Jack Hurley did not just promote fights; he also was a trainer and cornerman for many prominent boxers. He was a perfectionist with strong ideas, and when fighters followed his instructions, they usually won.

Hurley demanded 50 percent of his fighters' purse, which was extremely high, but he never found any problem attracting good boxers. Once they signed with Hurley, they stayed with him. He always took care of his boxers, and he was honest.

John Cornelius Hurley Jr. was born Dec. 9, 1897, in Moorhead, Minn., to John A. and Julia Hurley. His family later moved to Fargo.

When World War I broke out, Hurley enlisted in the National Guard, working as a shipping clerk. He was discharged on Jan. 12, 1919, and returned to Fargo.

Boxing was a popular sport in the area, and fighters could earn up to $50 a bout. Hurley saw this as a way to earn extra dollars. Not being very successful in the ring, Hurley said, "I didn't have the physical equipment," and he decided to promote fights in Fargo

Hurley went to one of the newspapers asking for publicity for his bouts. The editor looked at boxing as an "evil" and refused to promote the fights. Hurley decided to create his own newspaper and, within three days, sold $300 worth of advertising to put out his first edition.

Hurley distributed his paper at barbershops, pool halls, cigar stores and any place where people sat around.

After this, the editor of the daily Fargo paper called Hurley and promised him plenty of coverage if he would abandon his paper. Hurley agreed.

Through his promotions, Hurley's first exhibition drew $700, the second $1,600 and the third $3,200. He was now on his way as a boxing promoter. Hurley contracted for the use of a gym and began developing fighters.

He charged $2 a month for use of his facilities and soon had a stable of young fighters. If a boxer wanted to be trained by Hurley, he had to agree to turn over 50 percent of what he earned in the ring. In return, Hurley would select all of his opponents, teach him the art of boxing and manage his finances. He always brought his fighters along carefully, picking opponents whose style could be exploited by Hurley's boxers.

Late in 1922, Hurley discovered his first great boxer, Billy Petrolle, from Dilworth, Minn. Petrolle was nicknamed the "Fargo Express" and, for the next 12 years, went 120-25 with 14 draws and fought for the world lightweight crown in 1932. After losing to Barney Ross on Jan. 24, 1934, Hurley convinced Petrolle that it was time to hang up his gloves and go into business.

Another excellent boxer trained and promoted by Hurley was Russie Leroy. Leroy began his career in 1924 and won all 18 organized fights that year.

In the mid-1920s, Hurley signed one of his best boxers, Lynn Nelson from Sheldon. However, there was one problem; Nelson was also a professional baseball player in Fargo. Since Nelson's manager would never approve of him going into the ring, Hurley put a hood over Nelson's head and called him the "Masked Marvel."

Nelson had 21 fights and scored 21 early knockouts. Hurley said, "He could have been one of the greatest middle-weights ever."

Hurley told Nelson, "You gotta decide, baseball or boxing." Nelson chose baseball and, from 1930 to 1940, became one of the greatest slugging pitchers in major league baseball.

When Petrolle retired from the ring in 1934, Hurley moved from Fargo to Chicago, where he soon had another good group of boxers that he was managing, most notably Billy Marquart and Lem Franklin.

In the early '40s, Hurley managed and promoted events at the Chicago Coliseum and then performed the same duties at the Chicago Stadium.

The biggest rivalry in boxing was in the middleweight class between Tony Zale and Rocky Graziano. Zale held the title, and Hurley convinced the managers that a rematch should be held at Chicago Stadium on July 16, 1947. Through his promotions, this fight set the indoor record for the largest gate ($422,000), a record that lasted many years.

In 1948, Hurley signed a 21-year-old American Indian fighter named Vince Foster. Foster had the raw talent to become a world champ and Hurley worked on that talent. Foster scored 12 knockouts in his first 20 fights. He then told Hurley he was quitting the ring to attend Bible college. Two months later, Foster was killed in an automobile accident.

Later, Hurley moved to Seattle, where he discovered Harry "Kid" Matthews, a heavyweight whose skills Hurley perfected. When Matthews was refused a shot at the title, members of Congress spoke up and he eventually fought Rocky Marciano in a non-title fight, but Matthews lost.

In 1957, Hurley was asked to line up a challenger for heavyweight champion Floyd Patterson and promote the fight. Hurley shocked the sports world by selecting Pete Rademacher, who had never fought a professional fight. Rademacher floored the champ twice, but Patterson eventually won the bout.

In 1965, Hurley began doing promotions for the Harlem Globetrotter basketball team and signed heavyweight boxer Boone Kirkman. Kirkman fought George Foreman but never lived up to his billing. Hurley died in Seattle on Nov. 17, 1972, and was buried in the Holy Cross Cemetery in Fargo.

(Written by Curt Eriksmoen and edited by Jan Eriksmoen. Reach the Eriksmoens by e-mail at cjeriksmoen@cableone.net.)