A Rich History: Amateur Boxing in Tennessee
Tennessee has a strong history of amateur boxing. There are currently more than 700 amateur boxers in the state, and more than two dozen clubs registered with USA Boxing, the national governing body for amateur boxing in the United States. Our boxers represent all parts of the state, participating in Club Shows in Tennessee, our seven surrounding states, as well as regional, national, and international competitions.
Some of the most notable amateur boxers to come out of Tennessee include:
- Memphis Pal Moore — Kenton & Memphis — a bantamweight who boxed with the U.S. Navy, Moore is known for his more than 200 professional fights in the early 1900s. In 2010, Moore was selected into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
- Joe Hadley — Jackson — a middleweight who won the 1971 National Championships by winning seven fights in nine days. In 1973 Hadley knocked out future world champ Leon Spinks on his way to making the All-American AAU boxing team where he was also named top middleweight amateur boxer in the nation.
- Clint Jackson — Nashville — a welterweight who won multiple AAU national championships in the mid-70s, and went on to win the 1975 Pan American Games. Jackson made the Olympic Team in 1976 where he defeated Zbigniew Kicka (Poland) and Wesly Felix (Haiti) before losing to Pedro Gamarro (Venezuela) in the quarterfinals.
- Jerome Coffee — Nashville — a flyweight and bantamweight with more than 200 amateur bouts, Coffee won multiple national championships, including AAU, PAL, and National Golden Gloves. Coffee was a bronze medalist in the 1979 Pan American Games, beating Gilberto Roman (Mexico) and Jorge Hernandez (Cuba), before losing to Pedro Nolasco (Dominican Republic). Currently, Mr. Coffee coaches boxers here in Nashville.
- Christopher Downs — Knoxville — a light-heavyweight who won a bronze medal at the 2007 PanAmerican Games. At the 2007 World Championships, Downs won his bout against Ismail Sillakh (Ukraine), before losing to Tony Jeffries (Great Britian). At the age of 32, Downs became the oldest boxer in U.S. history to attempt to qualify for an Olympic Games, defeating Julio de la Cruz (Cuba) in the first qualifier, before falling short of qualifying for the 2008 Games when he lost to Luis Gonzalez (Venezuela) and Julio Castillo (Ecuador). SFC Downs is currently an assistant coach with the U.S. Army boxing program.
- Caleb Plant — Ashland City — a light heavyweight who won the 2011 National Golden Gloves, and was a training partner with the 2012 Olympic team in London. Plant fought in AIBA’s semi-pro league World Series of Boxing, before catapulting his pro career under promoter Al Haymon. Plant is now undefeated as a pro boxer, and is the current IBF super middleweight champion.
All of these boxers benefited by amateur boxing and boxing programs in their area — from their opponents along the way, to their coaches and coaches of opponents, to the referees and judges, and people willing to put on local club shows. Boxers work as hard as they can but they don’t do it alone. It takes a community of people, working together as people who believe in the sport, to make boxing happen.
Throughout Tennessee you will find dedicated coaches, officials, and administrators who volunteer time and resources to support amateur boxing. Boxing clubs are always looking for help with coaching and officiating. If you’re not already part of the amateur boxing community as a boxer, go online and join USA Boxing today, and follow the USA Boxing instructions for online certification as a coach and/or official. Then you can reach out to a registered club in your area and find ways to connect.
