Chicago has always been a mecca for boxing, and the “sweet science,” as the sport is affectionately known, continues to thrive, especially on the youth level at the Chicago Park District.
Chicago has always been a mecca for boxing, and the “sweet science,” as the sport is affectionately known, continues to thrive, especially on the youth level at the Chicago Park District.
Boxing programs are active at 17 parks across the city, and Garfield Park, 100 N. Central Park Ave., recently held a boxing exposition to display the participant’s skills to the general public.
Boxers, aged 10-36, took to the ring in the Golden Dome and fought bouts of three, one-minute rounds. Sounds short, but the action that takes place in three minutes in boxing is tremendous and it doesn’t take long to see that the key to being a good boxer is to be in optimal shape. And it’s the toughness of the conditioning regimen that discourages many youngsters who want to become a boxer.
“You have to get used to running,” said head trainer George Hernandez. “You have to run three miles to participate. This will get them into some kind of shape before they come in and hit the punching bags and the rest of the things they’d like to do in the ring.”
Hernandez has been involved in boxing for several decades, with the last 20 years being spent primarily at Garfield Park. He decided to build his program on the West Side because the park had the space he needed and also because he knew there was a lot of untapped boxing potential in the young men in the area.
“I chose Garfield Park because it’s a beautiful area with a lot of space for running, and I also knew that this was an area rich in talent. And after seeing some West Side boxers in the ring, I knew they had the roughness and toughness … the stuff that I was looking for to take it to the next level,” Hernandez told the Defender.
“I knew if I could organize it and manage it that I could produce winning boxers,” he said. “I knew these kids in this community could do it.”
And he has been quite successful in building quality boxers. Many Silver Glove and Golden Glove winners have trained with him at Garfield Park, including Michael Bennett, who won the 1999 amateur world heavyweight championship, and fought in the 2000 Olympic games.
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In photos: (main photo) Ed Brown shows off his trophy for being named MVP of the Garfield Park boxing expo. Photos courtesy of Garfield Park District
(middle photos) Ed Brown versus Muhammed Wally during the boxing expo at Garfield Park Photos courtesy of Garfield Park District
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