Through the years the Carolinas has produced many outstanding boxers; men such
as Heavyweight Champions Joe Frazier, Floyd Patterson and James "Bonecrusher"
Smith; Olympians Bernard Taylor and Calvin Brock and World Bantamweight Champion
Kelvin Seabrooks; National Champions Billy Bridges and Pappy Gault to mention
only a few.
But it is the garden variety of boxers, trainers, officials, promoters and
managers that made the sport particularly in the forties and fifties, when
literally hundreds of clubs abounded in such places as Belmont, where
outstanding boxers were produced in a gym literally under the jail; Sumter,
S.C.; Lou Kemp's dark but feisty North Charlotte emporium on 36th street; Chick
McCurry's gym in the lower part of Lincolnton; the military bases at Ft. Bragg
and Camp LeJeune as well as many other historic houses of toil in Charleston,
Florence, Kingstree, Gaffney, Mt. Holly, Gastonia, High Point and others.
It was a day when poor textile workers' sons went to war with those who picked
cotton, dug ditches, shrimped, back hoed and pounded nails in such places that
ranged from barns to armories to the fabled old Charlotte Coliseum where 11,000
filled every seat for the Carolinas Golden Gloves.
We are proud to announce that the fabulous memorabilia of the Hall of Fame will
be moved to the greatest boxing shrine of the Carolinas that very same old
Charlotte Coliseum which has been renamed Bojangles Coliseum. We have Mike Crum
and Eric Scott to thank for this. Great thanks also go out to Brent
Elmore, Glen Ivey, Carl Holt, Red Tillman and Mike Bivens for their help in the
move.
The CBHOF seeks to recognize the outstanding athletic achievements/contributions of the many gifted and dedicated athletes who have participated in the sport, along with those individuals who have advocated, supported and promoted the sport of professional and amateur boxing.