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10:43 PM / Sunday February 9, 2025

3 Jun 2024

In memoriam: Lucille Fletcher leaves behind a remarkable boxing legacy

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June 3, 2024 Category: Sports Posted by:

By Napoleon F. Kingcade

In the world of boxing, Lucille Fletcher became known as the mother who gave birth to three boxing champions, two of them inducted into the Pennsylvania Boxing Hall of Fame.

Born a fighter — largely due to the fact that she had 11 brothers and sisters, Fletcher became interested in boxing by listening to Joe Louis fights on the radio. She was just 8 years old when a classmate taught her how to put two combinations together with her hands. By the end of the fourth grade, Lucille was stalking the hallways of Hoffman Elementary School in West Philadelphia, daring any kid to give her any problems.

Soon, the other kids were calling her “Little Joe Louis.”

According to her family, Lucille was beating up her two brothers, who both became pro boxers. She showed them how to hold their hands and move their heads against their opponents. One of her brothers, Dick Turner, had an outstanding amateur boxing record of 43-0. Once he turned pro, he racked up a record of 19-2-1 with 11 KOs as a talented welterweight contender. When Turner was a kid, Lucille once beat him up after he punched her in the face. Turner said Lucille had whipped him so bad that his nose bled and his suspenders popped off of his shoulders.

Lucille gave up fighting when she was 15 years old, when she became pregnant with her first child. Two years later, she married William Fletcher.

They had eight children together. But when William left Lucille to raise their children by herself, she taught them all how to box. She bought them boxing gloves and gave them all lessons in their basement. She became a vocal force who taught her children and those around her the value of standing up for yourself. Lucille’s driving spirit led her to become of the one of the first female boxing judges in Pennsylvania. It was an achievement that earned her worldwide recognition and fame in the sport of professional boxing.

Lucille Fletcher is no longer available for boxing lessons. She received her wings on May 9, 2024, passing away after a long illness. She was 88.

During Fletcher’s funeral service at the 46th Street Baptist Church in Southwest Philadelphia on May 18, hundreds of friends and family members, along with several community leaders, came to pay their respects to a woman who had done so much for the world of boxing and her Southwest Philadelphia community.

46th Street Baptist Church funeral service for Lucille Fletcher was filled with dozens of family, friends, and many supporters saying goodbye.
Photos courtesy Fletcher family

“I first met Lucille Fletcher through Lucien Blackwell and we worked with her in the community,” said former Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell. “We knew her through all her work on Election Day. Each year, she was always involved in her community. Any issue that affected the community affected her. Everybody loved her. I admired how mentally strong she was. She always expected people to do the right thing. She was amazing. She loved her family and supported them. She was always there for them whenever they got into trouble. She kept it all going for her family.”

During the service, Blackwell presented the Fletcher family with a City Proclamation issued by the members of Philadelphia City Council, in addition to several other awards.

Pastor Martin T. Wright talked about how much Fletcher loved 46th Baptist Church, where she served as the director of the “Voices of Joy” choir, as well as the president of the nurse ministry. Wright also acknowledged that Fletcher was a block captain on the 1300 block of South 46th Street for almost three decades. She also proudly displayed the multiple boxing championship trophies which her three sons won throughout their boxing careers inside her home.

Lucille’s oldest son was Frank “The Animal” Fletcher who beat a long list of fighters in an ESPN Middleweight Boxing Tournament in 1980 before he relinquished his USBA middleweight title to Wilford Scypion after losing to him in Atlantic City in a 12-round decision on February 13, 1983. “The Animal” was one of the most popular TV fighters of the 1980s. He finished his pro career with a record of 18-6-1 with 12 knockouts. He was inducted into the Pennsylvania Boxing Hall of Fame in 2018.

Lucille’s middle son was Anthony “Two Guns” Fletcher. He became a lightweight contender as a pro after he won the regional, national and six of seven Pennsylvania Golden Glove titles. He also became an Ohio State champion for four consecutive years. Fletcher’s final record as an amateur was 159-12.

Before he turned pro, Anthony defeated Livingstone Bramble who became the future WBA lightweight champion. He defeated future WBA lightweight champion Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini twice and defeated future IBF Lightweight champion Jimmy Paul, defeated future WBC Welterweight champion Milton McCrory and also defeated future lightweight champion Harry Arroyo. In March 1989, Anthony won the Pennsylvania Lightweight Boxing Championship. After successfully defending his state championship in 1990, his career ended one year later after two consecutive losses.

Despite his success inside the ring, Anthony battled some health issues. According to boxing promoter Russell Peltz, he suffered with Bell’s palsy.

Then shortly after that illness, Anthony was arrested for the murder of Christopher Vaughn in 1993. He claimed it was self-defense and said that it was Vaughn who pulled the gun which went off as the two men struggled for control of the weapon. Anthony was convicted of murder and sent to death row. He served 28 years in prison before being released on January 21, 2021. Anthony was found wrongfully convicted of first-degree murder by the court, and Judge Lillian Ransom ordered the immediate release of the former pro boxer.

In 2018, Anthony “Two-Guns” Fletcher was inducted into the Pennsylvania Boxing Hall of Fame while he was still on death row. He finished his pro boxing career with a record of 24 wins and four losses with one draw.

And finally, there was Troy Fletcher, who became the Pennsylvania bantam weight champion after defeating Bryan Jones in 1985. Troy went 13-1-2 in his first 16 bouts before losing nine fights in a row, which ended his career.

While Frank “The Animal” Fletcher was a rising star in the middleweight boxing ranks, Lucille would often show up at his fights and would become the loudest cheerleader in the crowd. She would often be dressed in a cream-colored suit with white ruffles. Sometimes she would carry a megaphone with animal crackers glued to its side.

At Frank’s fights, Lucille would prowl outside of the ring and give instructions to her son. She had a wealth of knowledge. Boxing commentators like Marv Albert and Howard Cosell found Lucille Fletcher to be a fascinating woman with an extensive knowledge of the sport. They would often talk about how entertaining she was in front of the television camera. There were times when NBC Sports World would give Lucille the spotlight. Whenever she thought Frank had won a fight, she would wave her right hand in the air and run inside the ring to hug her son.

When it came to boxing, Lucille knew more than the average mother. She had been a licensed amateur boxing judge for years in Pennsylvania and Ohio. Lucille became a judge when the promoters of an exhibition fight came up one official short. She was sitting in the audience. The promoters asked Lucille if she knew what to look for. She said that she sure did. When the exhibition fight was over, the promoters went to Fletcher and told her how impressed they were about her being a judge. They gave her an offer to do more fights. Memories of Lucille’s appearances at Frank’s fights will linger in the Fletcher family for many years to come.

“Lucille Fletcher’s legacy will live forever,” Jannie Blackwell said. “She was an extraordinary woman in boxing and an extraordinary woman in the community. She was a leader. She was a true fighter. She was a blessing to us all.”

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