The late George Foreman, famously known for his skills inside the boxing ring, still has his fists on Central New York. 

“George was beloved by everybody. He was a great fighter in the ring and a great human out of the ring. He did so much for the sport, heavyweight champion, he fought around the world, everybody loved his style, he was dedicated,” said Ed Brophy, executive director of the International Boxing Hall of Fame in Canastota. He says outside of the boxing ring, Foreman was devoted to young people. 

“Helping them out because he had help when he was young and he was directed in the right way. He would always do that to the young ones of today,” Brophy said. 

Foreman was inducted into the Boxing Hall of Fame in 2003. 

“We try to teach the young ones his great career that he had, so the young ones growing up know about George Foreman. And of course, those who lived during his time recall the memories of George,” Brophy said. 

The most historic boxing ring now resides in Canastota. 

“Every fighter’s dream was to fight in the United States, fight at Madison Square Garden. This ring was there since the early 20s all the way to 2007,” Brophy said. 

Brophy says George Foreman’s first professional fight was in this ring but this isn’t the only boxing ring that holds sacred ground. 

Just a short trip down the New York State Thruway is the Wilson’s Cops and Kids Boxing Gym in Utica. 

“This ring was the boxing ring used in the Scott Le Doux v. George Foreman boxing event here in Utica, N.Y. in 1976,” said Bill Rossi, the former president of the Utica Boxing Association, which ran from 1996 to 2012. 

He says they found the boxing ring buried in the basement of the Utica Auditorium. 

“We ran about 5,000 kids through that boxing program in inner city Utica,” Rossi said.

“Then this ring went into storage really until 2023 when we did our first event. It was like pulling out a piece of history, dusting everything off, making sure we had all the right pieces, nothing was missing and to our knowledge, everything was there," said Chris Evans, president of Wilson’s Cops and Kids, a non-profit organization that provides free boxing for at risks youth. 

“A boxing ring really is a sacred place. You learn a lot about yourself and what you’re able to do and what you’re able to endure. Having such a historic thing be the center of our program, you can’t replicate this," Evans said. 

“A unique, great gift for the kids of the community and the community in general. It’s a fantastic thing,” said Rossi.