Recently the writers were sent a letter from the Executive Director of the International Boxing Hall of Fame, Edward Brophy, advising that the election process for the Class of 2009 would begin on October 1. Electors are requested to make their selections, return the completed ballot back to the Hall of Fame, and an independent accounting firm will then tabulate all of the ballots. A press conference in early December will announce the new class of inductees.
The 20th annual induction weekend will take place on June 11-14, 2009 in Canastota, New York.
Reading the letter made me think of someone who has possibly been overlooked by the Hall up to this point, Lorraine Chargin. Lorraine met husband to be Don Chargin in 1957 and has been in the boxing business in one role or another ever since. The two have been married 48 years now and they’re so closely meshed as a team that you can’t help but associate them as one.
Don, a 63 year boxing veteran, was inducted by the IBHOF in 2001. In his induction speech he said, “Everyone knows that I’m a terrible, terrible details person. I love to make the matches. But my wife Lorraine does all the work. She does everything. I’m not saying anything that everybody doesn’t know. She’s been doing this for 40 years and I think we have a great, great team. I wish Lorraine would stand up…”
Don doesn’t deny that he would like nothing better than for Lorraine to have a plaque next to his.
“We are a team. When I went in in 2001 it would have been great if she could have come in with me,” Don said this week.
The two were honored jointly by the Boxing Writer’s Association of America in 2001 when they received the James J. Walker Award for Long and Meritorious Service.
But the Hall is another matter. Lorraine doesn’t believe that there’s a glass ceiling, however the evidence indicates otherwise.
In the 20 year history of the IBHOF, the only female member has been promoter Aileen Eaton. Eaton died in 1987 and was inducted in 2002, well past the time that she might have felt any sense of pride in the accomplishment. But, such as it is, she now represents all of the women in boxing history.
Ironically, it was Eaton who served as Lorraine’s mentor.
Don was the matchmaker for Eaton at the Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles from 1964 to 1984, filling the seats with fans to enjoy high quality boxing on a weekly basis. He became known as “War a Week Chargin” for the tremendous battles he put together.
Meanwhile Lorraine assisted Eaton in the trenches, doing it all from working the ticket office to managing the building. Lorraine has a mind like a steel trap and absorbed it all. She couldn’t have received better training.
I’ve been to a few Chargin boxing shows and was privileged to have seen them operate on an up close and personal level. No matter the pitfalls that might come their way on a promotion, every obstacle is handled coolly, calmly, and quietly. By fight time it is a well oiled machine from all appearances, and the fans get their money’s worth.
The couple still promotes cards throughout the country. Don is still the matchmaker; Lorraine still does the “grunt work” in the trenches, running the business side. In addition, they serve as consultants for Golden Boy Promotions.
It would be a hectic pace for a couple half their ages. Don just recently turned 80 and Lorraine is 77 and they can still run circles around their competitors. Lorraine still retains the beauty of a short lived modeling career in her teen years. But the lady is no pushover; she speaks what is on her mind and is more than capable of putting people in their place, particularly if it involves defense of Don.
Then there’s the other Lorraine, a softer, gentler version who you’d want for your adopted mom. In any event, what you see is what you get and don’t try to pull any fast ones because she knows the business better than you do.
During the years of success with Eaton at the Olympic, the Chargins maintained their own boxing club with their own shows, particularly in Sacramento, where they’ve always found great success. When Don’s work with Eaton made him unavailable, Lorraine would handle events on her own. Informed boxing insiders are well aware of Lorraine’s capabilities as a businesswoman.
So why isn’t she in the Hall? Is it as simple as sexism?
Well, one possible reason is that as the spouse/business partner of the legendary “War a Week Chargin” Lorraine’s actual contributions are grossly underestimated. Neither is a practitioner of self promotion and being in the trenches as part of the “Don Chargin Promotions” team adds to her anonymity.
I asked Lorraine what her feelings were about entering the Hall.
“I never really thought about it until Don was inducted,” she said. Subtly changing the subject, she added, “I always look at the people they forget like Jack McCoy, a great manager who had five champions.”
Pressed on the issue, Lorraine said simply, “I get embarrassed talking about it.”
The Chargins are on a very short list of boxing people whose word I would accept without question. When Don Chargin tells me that the reason why he would like to see Lorraine in the Hall is because she deserves it, he is not merely speaking as an advocate. If Don had his preference, the couple would have been inducted as a team in 2001.
Anyway, it’s the 21st Century and long overdue to have another woman standing alongside Eaton in the Hall of Fame. If not now, when?