A little bit of lore and the dedication of a man who was once on the wrong side of the law launched a charity boxing event for families of fallen first responders, a St. Louis tradition for 30 years today.

Myrl Taylor got out of prison in 1969 after serving time for a concealed weapons charge. He immersed himself in the organized labor community and the amateur boxing world in which his father, Earl Taylor, was a legend. In the ring, he met fighters Jerry Clinton and Bo Holley, and the trio started planning boxing events for charities and reigniting the amateur boxing scene in St. Louis. Union and political leaders took notice, including Jack Martorelli, president of the St. Louis Port Maritime Council.

Clinton, who was a Budweiser distributor, suggested the BackStoppers Inc. as a beneficiary, and a tradition was born. It’s one now emulated across the country and carried on locally by about 300 volunteers led by Bo Holley’s son, Steve Holley, and Martorelli.

Steve Holley, 60, and Martorelli, 74, recently reflected on the event’s history.