Baltimore and Maryland have a rich history of amateur and professional boxing and its recorded in pictures with comments in Arcadia Publishing's "Images of Sports:Baltimore's Boxing Legacy 1893-2003" by Thomas Scharf. This is a great book and would make an excellent gift to any of your friends who like boxing.Baltimore has had seven world champions starting with Joe Gans, the first Baltimorean and African American to win a world championship.
On page 109 there is a picture showing lightheavyweight champion Bobby Foster signing for a June 27, 1970 title defense at the Baltimore Civic Center against Mark Tessman, in the picture is the greatest chairman the Maryland State Athletic Commission has ever had the late D. Chester O'Sullivan.
Sugar Ray Leonard is shown before his first pro fight that was held at the Baltimore Civic Center on February 5, 1977. He earned a six round win over Luis Vega. Leonard went on to win World Championships and was named the "Fighter of the Decade for the 1980's."
There are so many great pictures and comments I could go on forever.
Mack Lewis the great trainer and manager is covered in this book. Other boxers pictures appear in the book, fighters like Leo "Kid" Saenz, Vince Pettway (a great fighter and champion), Buddy Boggs, Al Flora, Archie Moore, Holly Mims, Henry Jeffra, Earl Bayne, Jack Portney (considered Baltimore's best Southpaw fighter) and the fighting Dundees.
There is a great picture on page 44 showing Jack Dempsey on March 3, 1926 as he boxed at Baltimore's Fifth Regiment Armory.
Fights were held at Carlins Park, Memorial Stadium, the Gayety Theater (Terry Maher, John Pavlides, Don Saccardi and I went there but not to see boxing), Lyric Theater, the Coliesum, Eureka Athletic Club, Steelworkers Hall, Oriole Park as well as the Fifth Regiment Armory and the Civic Center. I love this book and strongly recommend it to you!
