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The event will not be an official part of Steamboat Days, but will take place during Steamboat Days from June 18-22. The card is not set yet, but it will probably feature four or five professional matches and five or six amateur matches.
"I kind of feel honored to be able to come down here for a match," Moore said. "I've been on the road a long time and it would be good to have a fight close to home.
Moore is the WBO 10th boxer and he owns a 29-1 record with 27 knockouts. He is from Philadelphia originally, but he has lived in Rochester, Minn., for the past 13 years. He trains in Rochester and in Winona, and when training in Winona he works out at Sylvester's Total Fitness. Lorie Mueller, who may also be on the fight card, trains with Moore.
"I'm from Onalaska and they are from Rochester, so it really helps that we can meet half way. Otherwise I would be spending more time traveling than working out," Mueller said. "A lot of my support is around here. I'd like to have a fight in Winona and one in La Crosse. I know that Winona was really a big boxing town at one time and I think there is a lot of interest in the sport."
Mueller is 1-0 as a professional boxer and is just getting back into fighting shape after a six-month break. Both her and Moore have the same trainer, Fred's father, Joe Moore.
Joe Moore said the boxing matches and Winona will help generate interest in the sport of boxing in the area and there are many benefits to that.
"The biggest thing for the pros is to give the kids something positive," Joe Moore said. "What we really want to do is to try and bring some excitement to this area. I think we can really do some good things with Winona, Rochester and La Crosse so close to each other.
"I think Steamboat Days is a good opportunity for people from Winona and La Crosse to come down and see what boxing is all about."
Sylvester's has training equipment for boxers and will be expanding its boxing opportunities by featuring a more complete line of training equipment and a full-sized boxing ring.
"Mostly, I just wanted to help promote the sport," said Jason VanGundy, who owns Sylvester's Total Fitness. "I plan on expanding the boxing opportunities of the gym in the future."
"I'm just glad that Jason is letting us use this place," Fred Moore said. "You need people like Jason in the community and you have to appreciate the people in the community that are willing to do that."
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