LYNN — Following the death of Lynn boxing great Danny Avery last week, friends and former colleagues have all come out with glowing things to say about the Lynn native. A stud in the ring as an amateur and a young pro, Avery was also a fun-loving person outside the ring.
“Danny was a mainstay in Lynn, everyone knew him and we saw him all over town in those days,” said Gus Martins, who grew up a few blocks away from Avery’s Timson Street home. “He was such a lively, festive guy. Everywhere he went, laughter followed. He was quick-witted, funny and creative, and that never left him even after he started becoming big in boxing. He had such a big circle of friends from all across the spectrum. He just had a certain energy about him.”
As an amateur boxer, Avery — a Lynn Classical graduate — won six Golden Gloves titles and went to Nationals five times. Eventually, Avery worked his way through the ranks to have a potential shot at a place in the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow before the United States opted to boycott the Games and not attend.
“This was a guy who had the gift,” said Gene Clements, who grew up boxing with Danny at the Boys Club under the tutelage of Lynn icon Tony Pavone. “Danny was a bit younger than me and I hung out with his older brother David a lot, and Danny would come along with us to box at the Boys Club. He just kept sticking with it and really became an incredible fighter.”
As a professional, Avery trained with the Petronelli brothers out of Brockton, who were also the trainers of International Boxing Hall of Famer and fellow Massachusetts native Marvin Hagler.
Avery, a southpaw, finished his professional career with a 7-4-1 record. He won his debut fight against Leo Costello on June 19, 1980 at the University of Puget Sound Fieldhouse in Tacoma, Wash. He fought several fights in New England, earning wins against Pedro Torres in Hartford, Conn., Mike Thomas in Providence, R.I. and Jeremiah Santiago in South Yarmouth.
Even closer to home, he fought once in Lynn at the Deja Vu Motel — earning a win over Clyde Rooney in August 1982. Four months later in December 1982, Avery defeated Manuel Madera at Revere’s Wonderland Ballroom.
He closed out his career with his final four fights coming in Atlantic City, N.J. His final fight, on January 20, 1985, was against International Boxing Hall of Famer and four-weight world champion Pernell Whitaker. Staged at Harrah’s Marina Hotel Casino in Atlantic City and broadcast on ABC’s Wide World of Sports, Avery lost via technical knockout in the fourth round. It was the second fight in Whitaker’s Hall of Fame career.
“That was such a big deal in Lynn,” said Clements. “We all gathered at people’s houses and everyone was watching it on Wide World of Sports. Nobody even cared that he lost the fight, everyone was just talking about how this kid from Timson Street had made it to ABC’s Wide World of Sports. It was a big deal for everyone.”
One of the darker aspects of Avery’s life was his issues with drug abuse, which hampered his promising boxing career.
“It was heartbreaking to see that happen to a guy like Danny,” said Martins.
Following his career, Avery remained in Lynn and mainly kept to himself. A private person, Avery would teach boxing in private to family friends and kids on the street. Close to the end of his life, Avery was planning to start working along with Clemens to teach boxing at the newly renovated Lynn Boys & Girls Club.
“Danny would ask about the Boys Club all the time,” said Clements. “I actually talked to him about it a couple of weeks ago. Our idea was to just give back to the place that gave us so much, and Danny was all about it. He just wanted to see what he could do to give back to the community.”