To the Editor,

The famed Steubenville and Weirton fight promoter and matchmaker Don Elbaum passed away on July 27 at the age of 94. He brought the squared circle to local venues, touching the lives of local fighters and fans, including mine. The New York Times bled ink bout his death, recalling his time mentoring Don King after his release from the Mansfield penitentiary, the man who went on to promote the flying fists with young Donald Trump.

Elbaum was the kid who truly ran off and joined the circus. His humble beginning included a June 4, 1960, fight card at the Steubenville Armory when Dwight “Ike” Eisenhower was still president of the United States. Among the boxers on the show was Rex Agin, who married a Wellsburg girl and later served on the West Virginia State Boxing Commission.

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