Rick Kogan: 100 years old, the Chicago-born Golden Gloves are continuing to mold boxers and inspire lives

CHICAGO — Have you ever watched two men or two women battle one another in a boxing ring?

I mean in person and up close, where you can smell the sweat and hear the grunts and the cheers and perhaps even sense the pride and the pain? Boxing can be brutal and bloody. It can also be beautiful.

But it has likely long been off your radar. Can you name the current heavyweight champion? Know the names of any of the others who populate the professional provinces of the sport?

The real thing has long been a fixture in Chicago. Boxing remains a significant part of the landscape, even if its reputation has been sullied over the last few decades, and its popularity challenged more recently by the flashier offerings of mixed martial arts and professional wrestling.

Right now, the city is in the midst of the latest edition of the Chicago Golden Gloves tournament. It began earlier this week and will