The legend surrounding Maung Gyi is fading.
More than a decade has passed since he retired as a professor in the Ohio University College of Communications, and mentions of his name circulate less among students with every passing year.
He still lives in Athens, his home since he left his native Burma in 1965, but his role in the daily workings of the university has diminished. His legacy on this campus, however, will be felt as long as boxing is alive along the Hocking.
The early years
Each year, Gyi, who long coached the Ohio boxing club, taught a campaign class for which students organized any form of event to promote a theme or idea. During the 1972-73 academic year, several students
suggested raising funds for Ohio sports programs.
Gyi suggested a full boxing card, which had never been seen in Athens.
I told them
'You could put on a Friday Night at the Fights ' Gyi said. Use the OU boxers train the boxers who would like to participate and promote this event as a fundraising program.
The idea was accepted and received full support from Sports Administration. The only questions were where the event was going to be held and who in the world could bring a ring to OU.
We didn't have any boxing rings
Gyi said, so we had to go to Sam Jones to train at his ring.
Jones, current trainer and referee of FNF and owner of Sam's Gym in Glouster, was in a position to help the fledgling event and arranged for a ring to be brought to Grover Center, where the event was held before it later moved to Bird Arena.
The first time we had this was right here
in Grover
Jones said. The basketball gymnasium was here. Then we moved to Bird Arena
and we had it all those years until 1996.
Following the 1996 FNF, the event was shut down by the university, which stated that boxing was a tough sport with a high risk of injury, Jones said.
I told them
'Yes
there is. There's a chance for injury in any contact sport
' Jones said. In all these years down here
you might get someone with a bloody nose. The next year
