Here's a little Post 54 trivia that we didn't know. This news clipping is from May 1924 and tells of a benefit boxing show "under the auspices of the Freehold American Legion Monmouth Post No. 54..." which was held at the Freehold Driving Park (later Freehold Racetrack).
The last paragraph says "As an extra added attraction Gene Tunney, contender for Jack Dempsey's world's heavyweight championship will put on the gloves with "Bobby" Williams, his sparring partner, for a few rounds."
Gene Tunney, also known as "the fighting Marine," went on to beat Jack Dempsey to become the heavyweight boxing champion of the world from 1926 to 1928. In that championship fight there was a crowd of 120,557. It was the largest paid attendance ever for a boxing match. The record stood for nearly 67 years, until February 1993.
A Post 54 connection to a world famous heavyweight champion boxer... who knew?
