Macon-Bibb renames boxing arena at Freedom Park to honor Bishop Frank Ray, Montgomery brothers
Macon-Bibb County officially re-dedicated the Boxing Arena at Freedom Park as the Ray-Montgomery Boxing Arena on Friday in honor of local boxing champions Michael, Maliek and Mikhail Montgomery.
MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Macon-Bibb County officially re-dedicated the Boxing Arena at Freedom Park as the Ray-Montgomery Boxing Arena on Friday in honor of local boxing champions Michael, Maliek and Mikhail Montgomery.
The ceremony, held at the facility on Roff Avenue, was live-streamed on Facebook.
“We are so proud of the work and ethic these boys have put into boxing,” Miller said in a news release. “Throughout their careers, they have represented Macon very well. There are a lot of kids out there now that are going to follow in their footsteps, and this dedication will help their legacy continue for many generations.”
Bishop Frank Ray in 2012
The arena was originally named after local boxing legend Bishop Frank Ray, who managed the Macon Boxing Club and trained numerous young boxers, including the Montgomery brothers, who began their careers at the Bay Street Middle Georgia Boxing Gym.
“When you’re angry, and you’re here fighting those bags and punching those bags, out of all that anger that you’ve got in your mind, or how your heart feels, and just that person that you want to just beat to a pulp, just get on that bag and just beat it until you get tired,” Ray told 41NBC in 2012.
Since its opening in 2014, the Freedom Park Boxing Gym has been the Montgomery brothers’ training ground. They’ve now competed successfully regionally, nationally and internationally.
“We have a lot of great talent in our community, and a lot of times it goes overlooked,” Miller said Friday. “Today gives us a chance to recognize some of our hometown heroes that have made us proud.”
Photos: Macon-Bibb County
The renaming resolution was originally introduced by former District 3 Commissioner Al Tillman and later sponsored by District 8 Commissioner Virgil Watkins.
“This is a big opportunity for us in Macon to celebrate the history of modern boxing in our community by honoring two families that’s played a big role in pushing the sport and our knowledge of the sport forward in Macon, Georgia,” Watkins said Friday.
