By Joe Bachman
Editor

WISCONSIN RAPIDS — Many people don’t think ‘boxing’ when they think of the Wisconsin Rapids area, but after 40 years strong, the sport has hung around, and will feature a widely attended show on Jan. 20.

Ametuer boxers throughout Wisconsin, Iowa and Minnesota will be stepping into the ring at the Wild Horse Saloon in front of crowds as large as 400-plus, according to Wisconsin Rapids Boxing Club Founder Ken Hilgers.

“We’ve been around for 40 years, and we’ve trained over 1200 boxers, and over 20 state-champions.” said Hilgers, who founded the club in 1975. “We hope to have up to eight local boxers from the area.”

A.J. Van Meter, a Nekoosa native, will likely main event the show as a veteran heavyweight boxer in the sport for over half a decade. Perhaps unbeknownst to some residents is that the club is actually quite well-known in boxing circles, and could be seen as one of Wisconsin Rapids’ best kept sporting secrets.

“Because of the number of boxers we’ve worked with throughout the years, we are quite well-known.” said Hilgers.

You can catch the action at the Wild Horse Saloon on Jan. 20 at 7:00 p.m.Tickets are $20 for ringside, $10 for regular seating, and $5 for students. Wild Horse is located at 9033 County Rd. WW.