Steve Badgley, a former Poughkeepsie resident who learned to box in Beacon, will be inducted on Oct. 6 into the Dutchess County Sports Museum Hall of Fame.
What got you into boxing?
My family loved boxing and followed it, and my Uncle Joe did pretty well as a boxer. I wasn’t the best kid. I got in trouble at school and thought I was a tough guy. When I was 16, I walked into Five Star Boxing in Beacon on a whim and met Bob Schlegel, who became my first trainer. I sparred with Zuri Lawrence, a big old professional heavyweight from Poughkeepsie. I fell in love with boxing and kept going there until I joined the Army after 9/11.
What was Beacon’s boxing gym like?
It was run by a former Beacon mayor, Vincent “Jim” Fredericks, in his converted garage at 19 Mead Ave. It was like every other boxing gym: dark, slightly damp, muggy. The ring took up most of the room. There were heavy bags and a desk for the trainer. But it impressed me. I had played sports but always in a team and “jock” environment. The fight gym was different. There were usually four or five boxers there, at most, people from different areas and backgrounds. Everyone got along and helped each other out. They seemed like tough guys, but they were all helpful and supportive. You went there to fight, to spar, but there was no hostility.
How did Beacon’s Melio Bettina factor into your boxing?
I met Melio, the 1939 world light heavyweight champ [and 1977 Hall of Fame inductee], when I was 10. I think he was a distant relative on my mom’s side. He was such a great guy. I heard from Bob Schlegel and my uncle about how people would take the train down to New York City to see him fight. He was an inspiration.
What was boxing like in the Army?
When I first joined, I forgot about boxing. I wanted to hit the reset button. But in 2003, during my first deployment to Iraq, there was a smoker — an unsanctioned match — in Ramadi, and leadership pressured me to fight. It was my first bout since joining the Army, and I did extremely well. For my second deployment in 2008, my coach at Fort Drum gave me boxing equipment to take to Iraq. We began training up to 30 boxers a day. I organized a smoker in Kirkuk and 600 spectators showed up; Pentagon TV was there.
After Iraq I was stationed at Fort Carson in Colorado, home of the Army boxing team, led by a four-time Olympic coach. The fight of my life was before a huge crowd at the tournament to pick the team. I was on the team for two years, sparred with some tremendously talented people and had high-profile fights. It was one of the best periods of my life.
My only professional fight was as a light heavyweight in 2010 just before being deployed to Afghanistan. I knocked Angel Gonzalez down in the first 30 seconds! I lost, but walking into the ring at Madison Square Garden before a crowd of 10,000 people was overwhelming. I retired from the Army in June. I’m stationed in Alabama with the Army Corps of Engineers but still coach boxing and teach self-defense, mostly to civilians.
How do you feel about joining the Hall of Fame?
I’m absolutely amazed; it’s a huge honor. I was 81-16 as an amateur and trained seven state champions. I love New York but didn’t leave the state under the best circumstances. I got kicked out of school, was arrested several times and spent five years on probation. At times, it seemed hopeless. Joining the military gave me a fresh start. Twenty-two years later, full circle, I’m returning to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
