This is not an obituary
Fred Ryan, father, longtime son of the St. John’s neighborhood, beloved boxing mentor and manager, and loyal Portland Hibernian died on September 14. He was 83. This is not Fred’s obituary. His daughter Marey’s working on that. This is about Fred Ryan as many of us knew him. And about the Fred Ryan we didn’t know enough about.
He joined the Ancient Order of Hibernians in the early 2000s and as Marey reminded me, “Fred helped dig and plane the ground for the Irish memorial cross, up on Mt Calvary, and I was the only lady digging it too. Memories...”
Fred was a writer and a scholar and an Irish citizen. He once talked about writing a memoir called “Growing Up Irish in St. Johns.” He was proud of his collection of books about all things Ireland and he revered “the Illustrious Irish writers of The 'Shanty Irish' of which I myself identify. I include; Brendan Behan, Jim Tully, and others. And yes, John F. Kennedy generated and progressed from that stock of Poor Irish.”
Fred Ryan in an undated photo from the Facebook page for the Grand Avenue Boxing Club..
In July, 2015 I invited Fred to share some Celtic knowledge at an AOH meeting upstairs in the Republican Room at Kells. Here’s his email reply. After 15 yrs in meat packing, 15 yrs in the Swan Island Ship yards, and 15 years as a boiler operator/ Stationary Engineer, I am deaf as a dog's ass. This is not to say I am uninterested in Irish history as I am incredibly interested in our Irish Legacy.. Question, Did you know that the original Zorro was an Irishman by name of Lambert... Meanwhile, thank you very much for all you do for our Race of Portland Gaels. Freddy Ryan
Fred did eventully agree to speak to a meeting on his favorite topic and one which he knew as well as anyone then alive: Portland boxing.
I really enjoyed giving that presentation.. Yup "Nobody likes Boxing except the People".. I wonder if anyone noticed that I never used the word "fight" or"fighting".. Not once..
Fred
Fred Ryan ringside. Also from the Grand Avenue Boxing Club Facebook page.
Fred’s early days
If everyone who has ever made a positive connection with Fred Ryan shows up for his memorial on November 21 (see below), Holy Cross Catholic Church and the North Portland Eagles Lodge won’t be big enough. Among his other activities before becoming one of Portland’s top boxing managers, Fred was a member of Portland’s community of motorcycle clubs. The Oregonian published his letter to the Editor in September of 1973.
“Why, why is the cyclist not given any breaks in this time of fuel crisis? The cyclist is the only motorist doing anything for our environment. We don’t pollute, we don’t congest, and you don’t see anybody throwing beer bottles out of a motorcycle.” FRED RYAN, Gypsy Jokers Motorcycle Club, 3942 SE 28th Ave.
Local boxing is his legacy
“We have a bit of a social mission. It's a lifesaver to some of these kids." Fred Ryan 2007
It was only when a four-alarm fire in 2019 nearly destroyed the gym Fred had run since 1989, that his contribution to Portland boxing came into focus.
If Grand Avenue Boxing were to close its doors forever, that loss would be felt throughout the Northwest’s boxing community. The gym is known for its hard-nosed, working-class approach to training that helped mold the careers of future champions like Steve “2 Pounds” Forbes and Molly “Fearless” McConnell. And through 2008, owner Fred Ryan helped fund regular Golden Gloves tournaments, until they became too expensive to manage. Portland Mercury– Sept. 2019
Five years after Fred and Jess Sandoval took over the Grand Avenue Gym (known as just “the Grand”), Ken Wheeler of the Oregonian paid a visit. He wrote,The Grand Avenue Gym doesn't do background checks, and no one asks a lot of questions. It's $20 a month and behave. Those, and no spitting on the floor, are the rules. Rene Denfeld is one of the women regulars here. ``It's my kind of gym,'' she says, ``a no-nonsense kind of place. I come here to learn a sport, to work out -- and it's cheap. You could call the place Spartan. It's the kind of gym that was around before exercise became fashionable.'' Ryan, one of the co-owners, lets his eyes roam the L-shaped room and allows, ``It's kind of a gladiator works, not big on flash and chrome.''
In 2003, John Nolen from the same newspaper stopped by the Grand. He wrote, Joe Gusman had cut his boxing teeth on a handful of amateur matches that included wild "tough-man" brawls in Alaska featuring Russians making a quick trip across the Bering Strait in an attempt to win a few bucks in the ring. "Very brutal affairs that were not very supervised," said Fred Ryan, who runs the Grand Avenue Gym off Northeast 82nd Ave.
In 2004 it was Abby Haight’s turn. She interviewed Fred about the legendary Portland boxing promoter Mike “Motor Mouth” Morton. She wrote, My first impression of this guy was he was living and breathing boxing," said Fred Ryan, who runs the Grand Avenue Boxing Club and helps organize the Oregon Golden Gloves championships. "Geez, the way he'd talk, you'd think he had some Irish blood because he could make his eyes twinkle.”
Which is something Fred Ryan knew all about.
Credit where credit is due. The Oregonian and other local newspapers were a source for what I could dig up on our friend Fred Ryan. And all those emails he sent me over the years. Marey Ryan and the rest of the Ryan family invite you to join them on November 21st.
