This was a thing, apparently. The original idea of turning boxing into a team sport, with cities having franchises, was for a pro league but I guess that didn’t work out what with professional ties, so they did amateurs instead. The New York Jolts won the first (and only?) ‘world championship’ (as near as I can tell, there were no non-U.S. cities — Chicago and I think Philly and Louisville were among the ones that had teams). AAU amateurism rules prevented fighters from getting money, but the NYC team was sponsored by a restauranteur and he had them over for steak lunches before the fights, and winners got a watch (capped at $35 value). New York team included Ray Hammond and Harold Weston, who had decent pro careers. Weston apparently won several watches and thought about pawning them, but decided not to, haha. Anyone here know anything about this obscure piece of boxing history? Here’s a thing from the online archives for those interested in more details: https://www.nytimes.com/1970/05/17/...s-jets-and-knicks-make-way-for-the-jolts.html
