years — these included Jack Dempsey, Gene Tunney, Jim Braddock, Joe Louis, Sugar Ray Robinson, and Muhammad Ali." Ali would often use the gym to keep himself toned during his exile years. Coulon managed junior welterweight champion Eddie Perkins and light-heavyweight contender Allen Thomas. Coulon often travelled to find Perkins fights even into his 70s. Ernest Hemingway visited Coulon's and insisted on sparring with the local pugs. LeRoy Neiman sketched boxers working out. A cult movie of the sixties, Medium Cool, filmed scenes at the gym, where Coulon briefly appeared, a tiny old man captured forever on celluloid. Coulon was not only a topnotch trainer, but living boxing history. He was a close friend of Jack Johnson, had frequented Johnson's restaurant, the "Café de Champion," and served as a pallbearer at the great champion's funeral. He knew every heavyweight champion since the Great John L. Sullivan, trained hundreds of fighters and was a revered celebrity in Chicago during the 1960s. At 76 he could leave a ring by jumping over a top rope, landing softly on his feet. He celebrated a birthday by walking the length of the gym on his hands. He died at 84 in 1973 in Chicago and was buried in St. Mary's Cemetery along with his wife. His gym was later torn down. In 2016 all rights to the boxer was given to a relative by the name of Brenden Wirth. Achievements and honors Coulon was inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame in 1955 (Sport: Boxing; Theme: Strength & Science), was installed in the Catholic Youth Organization's Club of Champions for his contributions to amateur boxing in 1971, and into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1999. He was elected to New York's Boxing Hall of Fame on January 6, 1966. Professional boxing record All information in this section is derived from BoxRec, unless otherwise stated. Official record All newspaper decisions are officially regarded as “no decision” bouts and are not counted in the win/loss/draw column. Unofficial record Record with the inclusion of newspaper decisions in the win/loss/draw column. See also List of bantamweight boxing champions References External links Johnny Coulon - CBZ Profile |- 1889 births 1973 deaths Bantamweight boxers Boxers from Chicago Canadian people of American descent Canadian male boxers Canadian emigrants to the United States Boxers from Toronto United States Army personnel of World War I American male boxers