Even when Beau was not engaged in ring combat himself, he cherished being in the gym working with amateurs and young professionals. After Beau initially retired in 1951, he began utilizing his experience training boxers.1 Simply put, Jack believed that every man has the same things inside him that he did, but that the trainer has got to get it out of him. His young stable of fighters included Aman Peck of Hartford, Connecticut; Eddie Green of Kannapolis, North Carolina; Claude Chapman of Boston, Massachusetts; and Augusta product James Bussey. He continued to stay connected to boxing, working in the gym and giving back to the sport that gave so much to him, until the day he died.
Aman Peck was a middleweight boxer initially from Tampa, Florida. The winner of only four of his first 13 professional fights (4–8–1), the Tampa club fighter was quick and aggressive, but his punches didn’t pack much power. His best performance came on January 13, 1953, when he went ten rounds in a tune-up bout for the welterweight champion, Kid Gavilan. Following his bout with Gavilan, Peck arrived in Augusta to train under Beau Jack. Under Beau’s guidance, Peck won his next three fights over mediocre opponents. Sensing the opportunity, in late May, the Augusta Athletic Club issued an offer to Kid Gavilan to fight Peck in a rematch at Jennings Stadium on June 27. To sweeten the pot, the proposal included a $2,500 guarantee for Gavilan, but Gavilan rejected the offer. Aman Peck would end his fourteen-year career with a record of 25–60–6.
Eddie Green (1926–2013) was another pupil of Jack’s. Hailing from Kannapolis, North Carolina, Eddie fought mostly in the middleweight division. Beau traveled around the southeast with Eddie, working his corner at the Asheville Auditorium, as he battled out a unanimous decision over Jackie O’Brien (58–12–7) in the feature welterweight bout on April 12, 1954. He was also in his corner on April 29 when Eddie battled to a victory over Gene Burton (54–20–10), a former number one welterweight contender, at the Armory in Charlotte, North Carolina. Eddie Green, of course, was the first opponent Beau met in his final 1955 comeback attempt. Green retired in 1955 with a record of 33–14–1.
Augusta middleweight James Bussey, aka “Young Joe Louis,” or the “Georgia Kid,” trained under Jack throughout his seven-year career. The 164-pound Bussey won seven of his first eight bouts, including his TKO victory over Richie Rhodes (16–6–7) of Miami on May 21, 1954. Jack was also in the Bussey’s corner when he fought Billy Kilgore at the Lake Worth, Florida arena on February 2, 1956. Bussey retired in 1961 with a record of 15–19–4.
Light heavyweight Claude Chapman (1928–2009) also received instructional training from Beau. On May 22, 1954, Beau and 20-year-old Chapman were at the Armory in Charlotte for a bout against Leo Johnson in the light-heavyweight division. Chapman, weighing 186 pounds, defeated Johnson on points. Winning 23 of his first 25 bouts, Chapman went on to earn a 29–8–0 record and the New England heavyweight title over his 12-year career.
Golden Gloves—Moore Park—Kid Gavilan
Beau had a “sweet spot” for young amateur boxers. “I tell a kid,” Jack said, “If you want to box, it’s got to be your whole life. You can’t smoke, you can’t drink, you can’t do narcotics, and you got to beat your brains out to be any good.”2 Jack savored working with amateur boxers through the Golden Gloves program. Sanctioned by USA Boxing, the Golden Gloves program provides young amateur boxers a chance to qualify for local, regional and national tournaments, while developing conditioning, sportsmanship, self-confidence, and character. In 1980, Beau worked alongside former welterweight champion Luis Manuel Rodriguez as a cornerman and instructor at the Sunshine State Golden Gloves Tournament at Dinner Key near Coral Gables, Florida. At least three of the competitors developed into professional fighters.
The following year, in 1981, Beau began volunteering as a boxing instructor at Moore Park in Miami. Located at 795 N.W. 36th Street, Moore Park had a strong renowned amateur boxing program for youngsters twelve years and older. Its boxing program was operated by Jimmy Mackey, a former welterweight fighter. An outstanding amateur boxer, Mackey racked up a record of 25–16–4 between 1957 and 1966. A significant figure in Florida’s Golden Gloves program, he excelled at working with amateurs. He was also instrumental in the development of amateur boxing in the Bahamas.
Volunteering alongside Beau was former welterweight champion Kid Gavilan (1926–2003). In May 1951, at age twenty-five, Gavilan won the welterweight title when he defeated Johnny Bratton. He fought for 15 years between 1943 and 1958, amassing a record of 108–30–5, and breaking the jaws of seven men in the ring. Like Beau, Gavilan featured a signature windup bolo punch and was a furious fighter. He reigned as champion for three years, was never knocked out, and only tasted the canvas three times in his career.
After Gavilan retired from boxing, he went back to Cuba before returning to the United States in 1968 on a Freedom Flight. He worked in Tampa as a caregiver for twelve years and then moved to Pennsylvania, where he was employed as a boxing instructor. When that position ran out of funding, he ended up in Miami in March of 1980, where he began selling sausages on the streets.
Boxing was a staple of life for both Jack and Gavilan. They had met once in the ring during their careers when Gavilan battered out a unanimous decision over Jack in 1949. As the two former champions worked with the amateurs, they developed a long-lasting friendship. Similar to Jack, Gavilan won a lot of money in the ring, estimated at $3.5 million, but was virtually penniless. Gavilan apparently spent his money on fast cars and jewelry. He enjoyed buying expensive suits and even had a chauffeur to drive him around. Although he had lost his earnings and suffered three strokes, he was still full of life. “Life is beautiful,” stated Gavilan in 1980. “I feel terrific, like a little boy.”3
Taking a personal interest in the youngsters, Jack expressed the importance of living right. “I tell the boys if you want to get in the limelight and have people love you and come and see you and talk about you, you’ve got to give them everything you got and that means staying away from drugs,” declared Jack. “I want to keep the boys out of trouble and let them enjoy boxing like I did. I don’t let ’em have an easy tick around me.”4 A taskmaster, Beau conveyed parental life messages through his training. He practiced what he preached, jogging every morning from 51st Street to 36th Street. “I think that helps me stay in good shape,” said Jack. “I come by the gym and do a lot of things with these kids.”5
Beau Jack’s All-Star Boxing Gym
The year was 1985 and Beau was 64 years old. He had been shining shoes for the past 20 years while training boxers during his free time. Beau’s full-time shoe shining job was about to end. In 1985, Stu Kaufman, an attorney by trade, was building and developing a new boxing gym located at 616 N.E. 8th Street in Hallandale, Florida, near Hollywood Beach. Originally from New York, Kaufman remembered Beau fondly from his fights at Madison Square Garden and sought him out to be his head trainer. Respecting Jack’s work ethic and love for the sport, Stu hired Beau as his head trainer in May 1985. In his honor, Kaufman named the gym “Beau Jack’s All-Star Boxing Gym.”
Exhilarated, Jack was back doing what he cherished. He had been separated too long from his sport and was thrilled to be back in the ring. “This is beautiful. I can’t think of anything that could make me happier,” Beau exclaimed. “You could give me $50,000 to be with boxers again and I’d give you back the $50,000 if you let me stay with the boxers. I’ve got what I want.”6 Beau would have worked for free, but Kaufman paid him a nominal salary. He also gave Beau use of a small room adjacent to the gym and free meals at the Ocean’s 11 Sports Lounge and Grill, Kaufman’s restaurant across the street.
Jack praised Kaufman for the opportunity. “Nobody else gave me a chance but Mr. Kaufman,” he said. “The man has given me an opportunity to prove to the world it could be done, that I could train good. This is my whole life, and I’m back in it. I’d rather be in this than be rich.”7 Beau was stepping up from a part-time volunteer to become a full-time head trainer of a boxing gym.
Jack was a harsh but fair trainer. He trained fighters like he trained—mercilessly. When Beau was boxing, he woke up at 3:30 a.m. every morning to run ten miles at the crack of dawn. Conditioning was imperative. “The only thing that made me win,” Beau declared, “was my conditioning. You have to be in shape with your mind, with your strength and will all your energy.”8 After observing Beau in the gym, Bob Hill of the Fort Lauderdale News described Beau’s training style. “Jack works his boxers the same way General Motors builds cars,” wrote Hill. “He lines them up and has each work on one thing at a time, one right after the other.”9
Boxers trained by Jack attest to his mercilessness and fairness as a trainer. Mark Sanford, an ex–Marine, was one of those boxers. Even after fighting in over thirty amateur bouts, Sanford said, “He’s tougher than anything you’ll find in the ring. If you can take what Beau Jack gives you, you can handle anything.”10 Jack made it a point to teach his pupils to deal with fear in the ring. “You get a little jittery about a fight,” he said. “Don’t let anyone ever tell you they’re not afraid. If they say that, they’re nuts. You can’t help feeling fear. It comes over you.”11
Equality in the gym was imperative. Jack treated everybody equal no matter their status. Jon Ruiz, another one of Beau’s trainees, was adamant that Beau treated everyone, whether they were a talented fighter or just a beginner, with equal dignity and respect. It didn’t matter if you were a professional boxer or a young boy trying to learn the ropes. You did not receive special treatment. Future heavyweight champion Trevor Berbick found out the hard way. At the time, Berbick was the WBA’s seventh-ranked heavyweight contender. When he refused to get in line with the other boxers at the gym, Beau declined to let him work out. Less than a year later, Trevor Berbick became the WBC Heavyweight Champion, defeating Pinklon Thomas on March 22, 1986. Although Jack was tough, he was well-liked by his students.
His students treasured his insightful guidance. Junior middleweight Rick Fisler summed up his purpose for training with Beau. “I’ve trained with a lot of trainers, but he’s the best. No question.”12 Another one of Beau Jack’s pupils, Bob Tumminia, concurred. “He’s the main reason I came here. I figure the only way to be a champ is to be trained by a champ.”13
Beau’s position at Kaufman’s gym did not last long, but Beau was able to bounce over to Fifth Street Gym in Miami Beach. Fittingly, the world-renowned Fifth Street Gym would be Beau’s last hurrah.
The 5th Street Gym
Above its entrance hung a sign stating, “Miami Beach 5th Street Gym, Nationally Known Boxers.” The 5th Street Gym was the brainchild of brothers and Boxing Hall of Famers Angelo and Chris Dundee.14 Angelo and his wife, Helen, along with his older brother Chris, started the gym in 1951, putting Miami in the center of the boxing map.
Chris Dundee (1907–1998) was a fight promoter, promoting hundreds of bouts, including eight world championships. He staged matches for Kid Gavilan, Sugar Ray Robinson, Archie Moore, Jake LaMotta, George Foreman, and Sugar Ray Leonard, to name a few. He also organized the Miami Beach fight in which Muhammad Ali stole the heavyweight title from Sonny Liston in 1964.
Angelo Dundee (1921–2012), on the other hand, was a legendary trainer. Learning his trade at Stillman’s Gym during the late ’40s, Angelo trained fifteen world champions. His first champion was Carmen Basilio, who won the welterweight and middleweight titles during the 50s. Angelo also trained light-heavyweight champ Willie Pastrano; heavyweight champion Jimmy Ellis; welterweight champion Luis Rodriguez; welterweight champion Jose Napoles; and champion of five weight divisions, including the welterweight division, Sugar Ray Leonard. When George Foreman defeated Michael Moorer to become the oldest heavyweight champion at age 45, Angelo was working his corner. Angelo, however, is best known for training a skinny teenager named Cassius Clay, aka Muhammad Ali.
Angelo Dundee’s integrity made him one of boxing’s finest ambassadors. The late sportscaster Howard Cosell once said of Dundee, “He is the only man in boxing to whom I would entrust my own son.”15 One reason Angelo was so effective as a trainer was his ability to motivate his fighters. Angelo was one of the best motivators the game has ever seen. Promoter Bob Arum remarked on Angelo’s skills. “He was wonderful. He was the whole package,” Arum said. “Angelo was the greatest motivator of all time. No matter how bad things were, Angelo always put a positive spin on them. That’s what Ali loved so much about him.”16 In a 1981 interview with the New York Times, Muhammad Ali esteemed Angelo, “You come back to the corner and he’ll say, ‘The guy’s open for a hook, or this or that.’ If he tells you something during a fight, you can believe it. As a cornerman, Angelo is the best in the world.”17
Following their arrival in Miami Beach, the Dundee brothers opened the 5th Street Gym in 1951 on the corner of Fifth Street and Washington Avenue above the Miami Beach Drug Store and Howie’s Bar & Liquor Store. Three blocks from South Beach, it looked dilapidated and had the feel of the slums. There was no air conditioning and it smelled like sweat. Termites had eaten on the wood floors so much that when heavyweight Sonny Liston jumped rope, “termite dust fell in the liquor store on the ground level.”18 Sounds of boxing permeated the air. You would hear the endless pounding of gloves battering speed bags and every three minutes the sound of the bell signaling the end of a sparring round.
Boxing historian Hank Kaplan (1920–2007) revered the Dundee brothers and their celebrated gym. “The Dundees may have been the best twosome in boxing history,” said Kaplan. “Angelo developed 12 world champions, and during the days Chris was promoting, the Fifth Street Gym was the best, most active gym in the country. Every great fighter of the ’50s, ’60s, ’70s and even ’80s came here to train.”19 More than 30 world champions trained at the landmark during its 43-year history. Some of the clientele included names such as Jake LaMotta, Sugar Ray Robinson, Sugar Ray Leonard, Sonny Liston, Willie Pep, Ike Williams, Kid Gavilan, Joe Louis, Roberto Duran, Floyd Patterson, Emile Griffith, Alexis Arguello, Jimmy Ellis, Muhammad Ali, and Aaron Pryor. When Ali was training for his first fight with Joe Frazier in 1971, celebrities would stop by to see him train and spar. Like the legendary boxer training at the gym, the list of visitors was astonishing. The Beatles, Burt Lancaster, Jackie Gleason, Jim Brown, Robert Duvall, and Frank Sinatra all observed training sessions on the second-floor gym. Actor Mickey Rourke also trained at the 5th Street Gym when he was working with trainer Freddie Roach to prepare for his second bout in 1992. Rourke managed to compile a 6–0–2 record in the light heavyweight division.
It was commonly said that the 5th Street Gym “contains more good fighters per square inch than can be found anywhere in the land.”20 According to boxing analyst Ferdie Pacheco, the gym was like “the Note Dame and Yankee Stadium of boxing rolled into one.”21 The champs came to train alongside the upstarts. “It had a kind of grimy romance,” wrote Matt Schudel of the Sun Sentinel, “built of spilled sweat and blood and the dreams of a thousand hungry kids.”22 Next to Stillman’s Gym in New York, it was probably the most well-known boxing gym in the world.
In the late 1970s, Angelo Dundee left Miami Beach and moved up north to train his stable of boxers. Roosevelt Ivory, a Miami promoter, took over the business and hired Dr. Cool to manage the gym. Along with Beau Jack, Dr. Cool was the best-known bootblack in the country, having shined shoes for more than 40 years. He could make the brush sing and the rags pop, making calypso music with his shines. Dr. Cool, however, preferred show business over managing the gym. When the management position became available at the gym in 1987, Beau was a natural fit. Ivory quickly hired Jack to operate the renowned Fifth Street Gym.
Immediately, Beau became the soul of the place. Jack praised the rugged atmosphere. “Everybody gets sick when they first come here. You’re nothin’ if you can’t stand this. If you wanna fight, you gotta get in shape.”23 Needless to say, Beau invited his good friend, former welterweight world champion Kid Gavilan, to join him at the gym as an assistant trainer.
Alex Daoud, the mayor of Miami Beach from 1985 to 1991, came to the Fifth Street Gym when he was a kid afflicted with polio. “What the 5th Street Gym did when I first started training was it gave me an introduction to fighters who were predominantly black, predominantly poor and overwhelmingly nice,” professed Daoud. “Not once did the fighters ever pick on me or cause me any problems.”24 Daoud recalled that he used to meet other boxers at midnight to run several miles around a nearby golf course. One night, three police cars surrounded the boxers and demanded Daoud explain why they were there. “I said, ‘I’m a fighter. I’m training with my friends,’” Daoud says. “And the guy said to me, ‘But you’re white.’ And Muhammad Ali, with a straight face, looked at the police officer and said, ‘It’s not his fault. He’s been sick lately.’”25
Years later, when Daoud was serving as the mayor of Miami Beach, he returned to the gym and met Beau Jack, who had taken over operations from Dr. Cool. He and Beau got to know each other quite well and became close friends. One evening after questioning Beau about his apartment, Alex was invited to visit his flat. It was quite an eye-opener. “He lives in one room, without air conditioning, without a kitchen, without loved ones around him,” sadly stated Daoud afterward. “He doesn’t have much money. I know that for a fact.”26 Beau essentially lived in a one-room shantytown apartment. The roof leaked. There were rats and cockroaches. Beau had to walk down the hall to use a community bathroom. Alex cried when he saw where the former champ was living. Fortunately for Beau, Daoud helped him relocate to an apartment at Murray Gillum Senior Citizen Housing. Jack was humbled and thankful. He embraced Alex and warmly said, “Thank you Alex. I love you.”27 Daoud later tried to have the Fifth Street Gym designated as a historical site but was unsuccessful.
As time went by, the gym began to die a slow death as more and more kids became involved in drugs. Drugs were an easy way to make money. Beau explained, “Boxing used to be the only way some young men could rise up from life in the streets. Today they have less demanding alternatives. They don’t have to work, they don’t have to sweat, they can just sell dope on the corner.”28
Unfortunately, the landmark was demolished in May 1993. During the gym’s final weeks, all the punching bags and other equipment were removed. One man, with the aid of his cane, however, continued to climb the stairs and sit looking out the corner window. His teeth were gone. Skin dropped over his left eye. That man was Beau Jack. He was losing his source of solace.
1. After retiring from the ring, Beau trained numerous boxers in Augusta and at several gyms in Miami, most often the Fifth Street Gym. a partial list of people Beau Jack trained and/or worked with include: heavyweight Trevor Berbick, heavyweight Gerry Cooney, lightweight Freddie Pendleton, James Brown (The Godfather of Soul), Johnny Sellers, light heavyweight, Leroy Hester, junior middleweight Ricky Fisler, Jon Ruiz, middleweight Raymond Jones, middleweight Leon Stewart, welterweight Jerry Cayard, Bob Tumminia, Mark Sanford, super welterweight Angelo Gray, cruiserweight Richard Brown, super lightweight Aaron Pryor, Keith Kelly, and Mike Vaughan. He also trained female boxers, Bonnie Levin and Diana Sambuceti.
2. Tom Tiede, “Drug Culture Has Been Real Drag on Once Energetic Boxing World,” Lancaster Eagle-Gazette, February 2, 1990, 16.
3. “One-Time Champion Now Broke,” Palm Beach Post, April 1, 1980, 27.
4. Tom Archdeacon, “Beau Jack: At Age 61, the Spirit Is Still Strong,” Miami News, May 24, 1982, 25, 28.
5. Charlie Nobles,”Buoniconti Leads the Keep-Fit Parade of Miami’s Ex-Jocks,” Miami News, July 8, 1981, 15–16.
6. Bob Hill, “Beau Jack: Legend Back Where He Belongs,” Fort Lauderdale News, July 7, 1985, 38.
7. Ibid.
8. Matt Schudel, “The Ballad of Beau Jack No Fighter Was Tougher Than the Man Who Went from Shoeshine Boy to Champion and Back Again,” South Florida Sun-Sentinel, October 9, 1988, 6.
9. Bob Hill, “Beau Jack: Legend Back Where He Belongs,” Fort Lauderdale News, July 7, 1985, 38.
10. Matt Schudel, “The Ballad of Beau Jack No Fighter Was Tougher Than the Man Who Went from Shoeshine Boy to Champion and Back Again,” South Florida Sun-Sentinel, October 9, 1988, 6.
11. Robert Seltzer, “Fear in the Ring: A Second Opponent for Fighters,” Philadelphia Inquirer, June 27, 1988, 19, 22.
12. Matt Schudel, “The Ballad of Beau Jack No Fighter Was Tougher Than the Man Who Went from Shoeshine Boy to Champion and Back Again,” South Florida Sun-Sentinel, October 9, 1988, 6.
13. Bob Hill, “Beau Jack: Legend back Where He Belongs,” Fort Lauderdale News, July 7, 1985, 38.
14. The Dundee’s last name was Mirena, but they adopted the name Dundee after their brother Joe chose it when he was a fighter so that their parents wouldn’t know he was boxing. Both brothers were inducted into the Boxing Hall of Fame.
15. “Hall of Fame trainer Angelo Dundee dies,” ESPN.com News Service; http://www.espn.com/boxing/story/_/id/7530790/muhammad-ali-legendary-trainer-angelo-dundee-dies-90; February 2, 2012, accessed Jan. 7, 2018, 1:11 pm.
16. Ibid.
17. Richard Goldstein, “Angelo Dundee, Trainer of Ali and Leonard, Dies at 90,” New York Times; http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/02/sports/angelo-dundee-trainer-of-boxing-champions-dies-at-90.html, February 1, 2012, accessed January 5, 2018.
18. Hal Habib, “Heaven on 5th St.: A Once Dank Gym, Where Boxing Legends Grew, Is Set to Reopen with a Flood of Memories,” Palm Beach Post, September 16, 2010, 1C.
19. Matt Schudel, “The Final Bell for 40 Years, the Greatest Fighters in the World Came to Miami Beach to Ply Their Hard Craft,” South Florida Sun-Sentinel, May 16, 1993, 16.
20. George Diaz, “Boxing’s Basic Elements Remain the Same Across the State,” Orlando Sentinel, July 8, 1990, 16, 36.
21. Hal Habib, “Heaven on 5th St.: A Once Dank Gym, Where Boxing Legends Grew, Is Set to Reopen with a Flood of Memories,” Palm Beach Post, September 16, 2010, 1C.
22. Matt Schudel, “The Final Bell for 40 Years, the Greatest Fighters in the World Came to Miami Beach to Ply Their Hard Craft,” South Florida Sun-Sentinel, May 16, 1993, 16.
23. Brian Doogan, “Prize Fight,” Sunday Times, February 13, 2005, 25.
24. Hal Habib, “Heaven on 5th St.: A Once Dank Gym, Where Boxing Legends Grew, Is Set to Reopen with a Flood of Memories,” Palm Beach Post, September 16, 2010, 1C.
25. Ibid.
26. Matt Schudel, “The Ballad of Beau Jack No Fighter Was Tougher Than the Man Who Went from Shoeshine Boy to Champion and Back Again,” South Florida Sun-Sentinel, October 9, 1988, 6.
27. Hal Habib, “Heaven on 5th St.: A Once Dank Gym, Where Boxing Legends Grew, Is Set to Reopen with a Flood of Memories,” Palm Beach Post, September 16, 2010, 1C.
28. Tom Tiede, “Drug Culture Has Been Real Drag on Once Energetic Boxing World,” Lancaster Eagle-Gazette, February 2, 1990, 16.