sports 267 S Lightner Road Port Clinton, OH 43452 All About Joe Only 20 minutes west of Cedar Point! 1-800-521-2660 Steve Stein Contributing Writer I S tuart Kirschenbaum did a double-take when he read the emailed invitation asking him to be a guest speaker. The invitation came from the Detroit Drunken Historical Society. The group wanted him to talk about the history of boxing in the city during one of its monthly meetings. The meeting was at a bar, of course: Thomas Magee's Sporting House Whiskey Bar in Detroit's Eastern Market. The former Michigan boxing com- missioner (1981-1992) and boxing historian took up the group on its offer, even though he was scheduled for hernia surgery the next day. It was a wise decision. "That was the best audience I've ever had for a talk about boxing in Detroit:' he said. "I was supposed to speak for 30 or 40 minutes, and it ended up being an hour-and-a-half. I didn't prepare any- thing. I just told stories, talking about my relationships with people like Joe Louis, Sugar Ray Robinson and the Kronk Gym family. It was like come- dian Alan King giving a speech. "People in the group come from all walks of life, and they're passionately interested in the history of the city. They just happen to meet at bars and restaurants:" Kirschenbaum said Thomas McGee's was crowded and noisy when he got there on a Thursday night earlier this month. His speech was a sellout, with 150 attending. "I thoroughly enjoyed the experi- ence. And they want me to come back:' he said. Kirschenbaum was thrilled to find other people who share his passion for the history of boxing in Detroit. "There are too many people who live in our area who think Joe Louis is the name of the arena, not a boxer:' he said. "It's the same for the Lodge Freeway and Cobo Arena. These places were named for real people who are part of our history:' Did you know the Detroit Naval Armory on East Jefferson Street is where Louis had his first amateur fight in 1934 at age 17? He was knocked down seven times in two rounds by 1932 Olympian Johnny Miller from Los Angeles. Kirschenbaum can fill you in on the Feed the animals and enjoy fun shows! Stuart Kirschenbaum wearing his "Bomber" jacket. details of that bout. Even though the Palace of Auburn Hills isn't in Detroit, Kirschenbaum will tell you that was where George Foreman began his second comeback with a fight Sept. 10, 1988. It was the first event held in the facility built by the late Bill Davidson. A former light-heavyweight amateur boxing champion, Kirschenbaum has judged more than a dozen title fights, and he won the 1993 Sports Illustrated Joe Louis Award and 2010 Joe Louis Brown Bomber Jacket Award. He became the caretaker for Martha Louis, Joe Louis' widow, after find- ing her in an area nursing home. Her family didn't know where she was. She died in 1991 at age 78. As founder and president of the Michigan Boxing Hall of Fame, Kirschenbaum continues to work on providing it with a permanent home. He was inducted into the Michigan Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 2009 and was president of the Michigan Jewish Sports Foundation. It's been a little more than a year since Kirschenbaum, a podiatrist, lost his office on Grand River Avenue in Detroit to a fire that was set after a murder-suicide in the building. A man burned down the Park Medical Center and killed himself in April 2013 after killing his ex-girlfriend. Kirschenbaum had worked there for 30 years. The unmatched collection of Joe Louis memorabilia he stored there was destroyed. The collection included the left box- ing glove Louis wore when he scored a first-round TKO of Nazi Germany poster boy Max Schmeling in 1938 at Yankee Stadium. The right glove still exists. It's part of the Brown Bomber collection at Cobo Arena. Kirschenbaum now has an office in the New Center area in Detroit and is still involved in boxing as the state's boxing commissioner emeritus and spe- cial adviser to the governor on boxing issues. He was appointed to the post in June 2013 by Gov. Rick Snyder. ❑ Please send sports news to sports@thejewishnews.com . African Safari Wildlife Park ' ®.~ $2 00 Off $49.95 Carload Adult Ticket (7 years+) Children's Ticket (4-6 years) JCN3 JCN2 I I I I I I I I I I I I I 1111 Up to 6 people) I I I I I I I I I JCNc Provide e mai address to redeem th s coupon Valid for up to 6 people with coupon May not be used in combination with any other offer. africansafariwildlifepark.com ANNOUNCING OUR 22ND ANNIVERSARY & 7T11 ANNUAL CUSTOMER APPRECIATION PARTY! SATURDAY, JULY 26TH FROM 8-9 SUNDAY, JULY 27TH FROM 8-6 EVERYTHING 20% OFF IN THE STORE INCLUDING FOOD AND TREATS!!! Natural Foods & Treats for All Animals. All Supplies with a Boutique Feel. 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