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MILWAUKEE, Oct. 2, 2002 -- Del Porter, long time boxing coach and proprietor
of the Ace Boxing Club here, is recuperating from abdominal surgery. But
it is a very active convalescence.
The affable coach has been running the Ace club 42 years and even although
he was told to stay home and rest after major surgery just three weeks
ago, he returned to the gym in about 10
days. His physician had suggested a six-week recovery period but the coach
had other plans. He was present last Saturday when a team from the
Waukegan (Ill.) Boxing Club was to visit the Ace club for a sparring in
preparation for an amateur boxing program this Friday, Oct. 4, at the
Martin Luther King Center, 1531 W. Vliet St. Much to the consternation of
the Ace boxers no one from Waukegan showed up.
Porter said he had been to visit his doctor the day before the planned
sparring and was told that his recovery was exceeding anything the
physician had seen in 36 years of practicing. Porter said he had
experienced no pain at all from the major operation and felt he was coming
along well. He did concede that he was only spending an hour or so at the
gym, letting his son, Frank, handle opening duties. Most believe Porter
will back full time next for the late afternoon sessions when the gym is
open.
The coach is optimistic about returning to full time duty at the gym where
he has helped hundreds, if not thousands, of young people straighten out
their lives through learning how to box. "The discipline of the sport
gives the guys something to shoot for," Porter says, "And it
keeps them off the streets". He points out that frequently the police
will bring a young man to the gym and ask Porter to work with him so he
won’t wind up in juvenile hall or even jail. Porter is proud of his
accomplishments of helping young people.
For many years Porter funded the Ace gym virtually alone spending his own
money on equipment, travel expenses for his young boxers when they went to
out of town tournaments, and sometimes gave them money so they could get a
decent meal. Over the past three years a local foundation has assisted the
club with modest financial aid making a considerable difference in the
operations.
One boxer last Saturday, Rachel Thomas, who joined the gym this past
summer, said the return of the coach had given all her fellow boxers a
lift and they had been looking forward to working out with the Illinois
boxers with their coach there to guide them. She said many were in a bad
mood after showing up at the gym expecting to spar with the visitors only
to wait 45 minutes and finding no one showing up. No one called to tell
the Ace people that the Waukegan club would be a no show. Thomas is
working hard expecting her first outing as a boxer this Friday. She has
had considerable experience as a kick boxer and muay thai fighter, but
thinks she will get more bouts
as a traditional boxer than in the martial arts.
In addition to Thomas waiting Saturday to spar at the Ace gym, was Faizah
Ami, a junior flyweight who has had about four matches winning them all.
Ami is changing jobs and will move to the Atlanta area next week. She
assisted in coaching some of the young women who work out at the Ace
gym. |
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