From history to the ring: Baltimore prepares for a night of championship professional boxing

The legacy is written all over the walls of The Mack Lewis Gym, where boxing's history is on full display. There is a very rich history of boxing in Baltimore.

Joe Gans was the first African American World Boxing Champion. Vincent Petaway, Hassim Rahman, who trained at the Mr. Mack Lewis Boxing Gym, and boxing champion Gervonta Davis are just a few of the legends from Baltimore.

Championship Pro Boxing is returning to Baltimore, packed with homegrown talent. Fight night is set for April 25 at the Hilton Baltimore Inner Harbor, with the main card starting at 7 p.m.

Find fight details and tickets here. 

"When you come to fight me, you're going to get Baltimore," said boxer Tyler Langer. "You're going to get hard work and grit. It's going to be a tough fight."

The biggest fight of boxer's career

Langer says this will be one of the biggest fights of his career. He and his competitor are undefeated, and their records are on the line.

Langer says boxing has made him who he is today, along with the support of Coach Warren Boardley.

"The man that people know and love today," Langer said. "The father that people know and love today is because of boxing and because of my coach, who is like my father."

And he's not just fighting for a win. He's fighting with purpose.

Taking place during National Autism Acceptance Month, this fight carries extra meaning. He's fighting for his son, who is autistic.

Boxing foes to friends

For those in and out of the ring, boxing is about purpose, friendships, history, and, of course, winning.

For coaches Marvin McDowell and Warren Boardley, it's more than Baltimore's place in boxing history. What started in a boxing ring back in 1976 turned into a lifelong friendship for the coaches.

They met at the gym. Warren said they fought, and he went home with a busted nose and mouth. He came back for a rematch and never left the gym.

Coach Marvin McDowell, of Umar Boxing, and Coach Warren Boardley Sr., of Mack Lewis Gym, are both in the Boxing Hall of Fame. They know Baltimore's boxing history.

But while they honor the past, their focus is on the future and preparing the next generation for a fight right here in Baltimore.