William W. "Bud" Bell, Jr. began boxing in 1946,  when he and a group of his boyhood friends formed a boxing team and competed in several team matches in the area. They eventually organized and entered the Gastonia Silver Gloves. From there, Bell boxed in many amateur tournaments. In a career that spanned over 160 fights, amateur and professional, Bell won well over 100 and was knocked out just once. Bell, considered a boxer with good punching power, won most of the events he entered. He boxed as a welterweight during his years in the ring.  Bell was a football and baseball player in high school and signed a professional baseball contract after graduation but was injured in spring training and never played. He served over three years in the U.S. Army and boxed on the Ft. Jackson team. Most of Bell's service time was spent in Korea.  After being discharged he went to Detroit to being a successful boxing career. Returning to the Carolinas, Bell began phasing out his boxing career to become a minister. He has been a pastor at many churches in the Carolinas and Georgia. Bell is married to the former Mary Grace Horton. They are the parents of four children. Rev. Bell and his family presently reside in Rossville, Georgia.

Jerry Dodgen began his boxing career in the early 50's. Before he was finished, he compiled an enviable record as an amateur and a professional fighter. Dodgen won 56 bouts and lost 13 and was victorious in 14 of his 15 professional matches. He represented the Carolinas at the nationals in New York on two occasions having won the Carolinas Golden Gloves as a lightweight in 1955 and a featherweight in 1956. His loss in 1956 to the eventual champion was a disputed decision. Dodgen had good power in both hands and was noted for a hard left jab and as an expert counter-puncher. He was an all-around athlete in high school and excelled as a pitcher on the baseball team. Dodgen played a couple of years in the semi-pro ranks before deciding to become a pro boxer. Dodgen's early success as a professional earned him a feature article in Ring Magazine who labeled him "an up and coming" young fighter in 1957. He has served several communities as a boxing, football and baseball coach.  After finishing his boxing career, Dodgen became a successful hospital administrator in Gastonia, Taylorsville and Sparta and later owned a business in Gastonia. Now retired, he turned over his fence business to his son after 26 years.

Kertis Mingo participated in his first amateur boxing tournament with a win in 1980. After that he picked up another 14 championships and along the way represented the Carolinas in several regional, national and international events. Mingo was a middleweight with an abundance of ring savvy. He was a stylist in the ring and a heavy hitter. Mingo won the Carolinas Golden Gloves four times. He was the N.C. State ABF champion in 1983 at 156 pounds and the New Jersey State ABF runner-up in 1985.  Mingo is now employed in the landscaping business.

A native of Rock Hill, South Carolina, Willie Taylor grew up in Charlotte. He began boxing in the late 1960s and compiled an impressive won-lost record. Taylor fought 115 times as an amateur and won 105. During his eight years as a professional, he won 32 and lost 6. At one time, Taylor was ranked as high as number two in the middleweight division. He won the Carolinas Golden Gloves a total of six times and picked up a total of 23 amateur championships. Taylor was a classic boxer who moved well and hit with authority. He won AAU championships in 1967 and 1968 in Charlotte, High Point in 1974 and Virginia in 1976.  Taylor was employed by the City of Charlotte for 26 years and presently works for Crowder Construction Co. He and his wife Lula are the parents of 12 children.

Russell "Crit" Keeter began boxing in Cramerton as a 75 pounder in the late 1940's. He fought in most of the amateur tournaments in North and South Carolina compiling a record of 59-7 before entering the U.S. Army. Keeter's service record stands at 26 wins and no defeats. He won the Army middleweight title in Europe. Keeter was a skilled ringmaster. He was fast and used both hands effectively. Although not a knockout type fighter early in his career, as he developed Keeter did win many of his service bouts via the KO route. He lost his only professional fight and gave up boxing after hurting his back while training with Lou Kemp.  Keeter was a top flight football player in high school and later in life became a renowned handball player winning the Canadian National Golden Master's Handball tournament in 1987 and was runner-up in the U.S. Golden Master tournament.  After his boxing career Keeter became a well-known artist whose work has been exhibited throughout the U.S. He trained at the famous Ringling School of Art in Sarasota, Florida and taught for a while at Central Piedmont in Charlotte.  Keeter collapsed playing handball and died of heart failure on December 23, 1991.

Chris Hitopoulos spent over half a century associated with boxing in one way or another. He was a good amateur fighter in the early 1940s,  but spent most of his life organizing, training or coaching. Hitopoulos worked with the USA Boxing team for several years and accompanied the team to Canada and Russia in 1980. He was chairman of the South Carolina Golden Gloves for over 30 years and served as the Chief Athletic Commissioner for the South Carolina Athletic Commission from 1984 until 1996. Hitopoulos coached the University of South Carolina boxing team in 1976 and served as an assistant coach for the team from 1949 until 1953. He fought for the U.S. Army Air Corps boxing team from 1942 until 1948. Hitopoulos was instrumental in bringing the first professional championship match to the state of South Carolina, a bout between Mark Breeland and Martin Starling which was nationally televised. He worked as a volunteer during the 1996 Olympics held in Atlanta. He later described the Olympics work as one of his most unforgettable experiences.  Chris Hitopoulos passed away in 1988.