May we all leave such a lasting and powerful legacy in a community as did Mr. Jim Finley, owner of Finley’s Boxing Club and several other DC businesses. What he delivered to us was much more than his well-documented contributions to the sport of boxing; he brought true inspiration and a champion’s mindset to many. If you are unfamiliar with the legend of James C. Finley, do a web search on Finley’s Boxing Club, but also ask your fellow community members about him. Famous fighters, amateur boxers, and even people like us, have been to Finley’s Boxing Club in Northeast DC to train or to be trained in boxing, to work out, or to absorb knowledge of the boxing craft.
This humble celebration of Mr. Finley’s life is in gratitude for the hospitality he showed in September 1998 to a young “Agent 99” of Take Me Out to the Go-Go Magazine who had come to interview flyweight champion Mark “Too Sharp” Johnson. With a brief tour of Finley’s Boxing Club, he demonstrated how to motivate oneself to greatness and how to motivate others to play (and fight) together as a community. The lasting impression is evident in this piece from the archives of go-go media.
Thank you, Mr. Finley! I still write motivational posters for myself and put them on the walls like at your gym. Them jo’nts work! 🙂
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