HAMMOND — Jack Callahan's parents weren't thrilled he was taking up boxing.Â
"They didn't want me to fight," he said. "I told them I'll do five fights and then I'll quit."
Five fights turned into five more fights, which turned into an Indiana welterweight championship, which turned into an illustrious boxing career that has earned him a place in the Indiana Boxing Hall of Fame.
Callahan, who's been training the next generation of fighters at the Hammond Boxing Club, is being inducted into the 2024 class of the Indiana Boxing Hall of Fame along with Ray Jones Jr., Julian Jackson, Rudolph Clarke, Murad Muhammad, Deborah King, Tim Austin, Dave Hyatt, Gilberto Mendoz, Bud Taylor, Gary Guiden, Ken Snider and Altus Allen.
They'll be inducted in a ceremony on May 18 at the Delta Hotel by Marriott Indy Airport in Indianapolis.
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"I'm excited," he said. "There's a lot of big names in there. It's not just guys who were from Indiana but also guys had had a fight in Indiana in there. There are some really big names."
Inductees include Tony Zale, Michael Nunn, Randall Bailey, Angel Manfredy, Tom "Boom Boom" Johnson, Colion "Champ" Chaney, Don King, Antonio Tarver, Leon Spinks, Buster Douglas, Sarge Johnson and Norman Goins.
Callahan trained under the legendary Indiana Boxing Hall of Famer Dennis Hardesty, with whom he later co-founded the Hammond Boxing Club in 2009. Hardesty trained many fighters in Northwest Indiana like Gary Kirkland and had encounters with George Foreman, Angelo Dundee and Randall "Tex" Cobb over the years.
"He was the best trainer there was," he said.
Hardesty, who ran the Whiting Boxing Club at the time, got Callahan signed up for the Chicago Golden Gloves. The former Hammond Tech High School wrestler ended his amateur career with a 21-6 record. He then went professional, where he amassed a 31-3 record despite getting off to a late start.
"I didn't turn pro until I was 25 years old," he said. "Some 16- and 18-year-olds today already have 40 to 50 amateur fights.
Callahan went pro in 1984 and won the Indiana state super welterweight championship in 1986, holding it for four years.
He squared off in a world title bout against the unbeaten Matthew Hilton for the International Boxing Federation light middleweight title in Atlantic City, on the undercard of the Mike Tyson vs. Tyrell Biggs' Clash for the Crown.
"He got me a chance to fight for the world title," he said. "He told me to get a suit and tie because we were leaving in the morning for New York to fight on the undercard for Tyson and Biggs."
"It was stopped on cuts," he said. "But I fought a terrible fight."
He fought mostly in local venues like the Hammond Civic Center, Club Dimensions in Highland and Star Plaza Theatre in Merrillville but also fought in Australia. He took on Lonnie Horn for a regional title in Davenport, Iowa and went 12 rounds but lost the decision.
"I had a few title chances," he said. "I could have had a lot of breaks but worked hard for everything I've done."
He's already been named to the Hammond Sports Hall of Fame and the Evansville Sports Hall pf Fame, which includes athletes from across Indiana like Bobby Knight, Larry Bird, Damon Bailey, Steve Green, Bob Griese and Jay Cutler.
He's since passed on his knowledge to the next generation as a trainer at the Hammond Boxing Club.
"I love helping kids," he said. "I love working with them. We have one of the best teams in the Midwest. I enjoy what I'm doing."
He encourages his fighters to train harder than their opponent, putting them through their paces while they run stairs or shadowbox.
"You want to train harder than him and kick them out of the gym," he said. "You might be friends out here but you're not friends in there during the fight. You can't be Mr. Nice Guy."
He had 14 knockouts during his career, which he attributed to his stamina in the ring.
"I mostly just wore them down with my conditioning until they got tired," he said. "I liked inside fighting, working the body and head."
Callahan trained hard, saying a 12-round fighter was harder to ensure than the marathons he ran later in life.
"You get tired in the later rounds," he said. "It's harder than running 26 miles. It's much more one-on-one."
After retiring from boxing, he went on to become a firefighter. But he remained involved with boxing not only as a trainer but also as a referee and promoter. He for instance organizes the annual 911 Slugfest between cops and firefighters at the Hammond Civic Center.Â
He wouldn't have ended up with such a distinguished career in the ring if his parents got their way.
"After five fights I was 5-0 and my dad asked if I was ready to quit," he said. "I told him just let me get to 10 fights and he said not to get too carried away with this. Only at the point where I was 10-0 and won the state title did my parents start coming to my fights."
A look back at Northwest Indiana businesses that closed in 2023
A look back at Region businesses that closed in 2023
Beer Geeks, one of the Region's first, most beloved and most influential craft beer bars, closed after more than a decade and is being reimagined as a new concept.
The landmark 88-year-old castle-shaped White Castle in Whiting is coming down to be replaced with a newer, larger, more modern White Castle restaurant.Â
A longtime staple in downtown Crown Point poured its last drink.
The longtime Westforth Sports gun shop is closing.
The Silver Line Building Products plant at 16801 Exchange Ave. will be shuttered permanently.
Brewfest in Highland will close in what's been called "an end of an era."
David's Bridal filed for bankruptcy and could close all stores if no buyer emerges to save it.
The 88-year-old Whiting White Castle will be remembered with displays at museums in two different states.
For years, the "millionaire's club" met every morning in the corner booth of the historic 88-year-old White Castle at Indianapolis Boulevard and 119th Street in downtown Whiting. The landmark restaurant served its final slider Tuesday.Â
One of Northwest Indiana's most popular and enduring hobby shops is looking for a buyer after the longtime owner died.
J&L This N That Consignment Shop, a popular thrift store, closed in downtown Whiting after a run of several years.
A Calumet Region institution, Calumet Fisheries on the far South Side of Chicago, is temporarily closed after failing a city health inspection.
Just days after reopening after city health inspectors shut it down, Calumet Fisheries suffered a major fire.
Pepe's Mexican Restaurant is no mas in Valparaiso.
Beer Geeks in Highland rebranded as B-Side Bar & Lounge and then closed within a few months.
Troubled retailer Bed Bath and Beyond will permanently close its Valparaiso location as it shutters more stores nationwide as it looks to restructure and shrink its footprint to save the struggling business.
Peoples Bank has shuttered its branch in downtown Hammond.Â
Viking Artisan Ales will soon pour its last craft beer at its Merrillville taproom.
Old Chicago Pizza & Taproom is closing after 15 years at one of Northwest Indiana's most prominent highway interchanges.
The Chicago Auto Show, the nation's largest auto show, returns to McCormick Place Saturday, running through Feb. 19.