The last time the Galesburg Youth Athletic Club hosted a sanctioned amateur boxing event, it was 2018.
Saturday, that changes. The club’s board — Cori Nance, Marjorie Morris and Julie Guiste — joined Galesburg’s Morning News to talk about the Carlos Duncan Classic, a USA Boxing sanctioned event honoring the club’s longtime leader, who died in July 2022.
Cori Nance, Marjorie Morris and Julie Guiste joined Galesburg’s Morning News on Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026. Listen to the full interview below.
A family legacy
The club traces back to Andy Duncan, father of Marjorie Morris and her brothers Sonny and Carlos Duncan. Andy was a three-time Golden Gloves champion in 1938, 1940 and 1942 who turned pro in 1943 before a hand injury cut his career short. He started Galesburg’s first boxing club at the old YMCA on Ferris Seminary, meeting with boxers every Wednesday night. Morris said her father charged no fee beyond “hard work and a good attitude,” and taught the young men who came through the gym to be gentlemen rather than “toughies.”
A construction accident later left Andy Duncan permanently disabled. His sons, Sonny and Carlos Duncan, carried the club forward. Sonny Duncan, a Galesburg police officer, compiled a 50-7 amateur record and was voted outstanding boxer of the 1962 Springfield Golden Gloves. Morris also credited fellow Galesburg boxers Gene Courtwright, a three-time Golden Gloves champion, and Arthur Wilburn, who compiled a 13-5 professional record, among the standouts to come through the club in that era. Harvey Wodis, a local scrap iron business owner, later promoted local boxing shows for more than 20 years and helped raise money for Andy Duncan’s medical costs after his accident.
Carlos Duncan served 29 years in the Air Force, including 19 years stationed in Holland, where he became a Dutch national champion and was ranked 10th in the world in his weight class. He later served as a USA Boxing Level 4 Elite coach at the 1996 and 2008 Olympics, and led GYAC for decades until his death.
“Carlos was actually like my father figure,” Julie Guiste said. “My second father figure, because my father still is alive.”
Cori Nance described Carlos Duncan in a word: “Truly amazing.” She said he was deeply involved in the community, supporting Carl Sandburg College students and serving on several local boards, all while never raising his voice.
Continuing the mission
Nance, who handles GYAC’s grants and finances and serves as its USA Boxing administrator, said the club runs on teamwork among an all-volunteer board. GYAC does not charge its own membership fee — participants pay only for required USA Boxing registration, which Nance said Carlos Duncan insisted stay as close to zero-cost as possible for local youth.
What to know for Saturday
The Carlos Duncan Classic is set for Saturday, Sept. 12, at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Galesburg. Weigh-ins run from 11 a.m. to noon, doors open at noon, and the 15 amateur bouts begin at 1 p.m. The event is expected to run until roughly 5 or 6 p.m., depending on intermissions.
Admission is $15 for adults 13 and up, $5 for children ages 4 to 12, and free for children 3 and under. The Knights of Columbus will serve food from its regular menu, and organizers plan a 50/50 raffle. Cash and digital payment, including QR code and Apple Pay, will be accepted.
Organizers thanked a long list of local sponsors, including the Galesburg Police Department Benevolent Fund, the Knox County Sheriff’s Office, and numerous area businesses and foundations, for supporting the club’s return to hosting a sanctioned event.
More information on the Galesburg Youth Athletic Club, including its class schedule, is available at galesburgyouthathleticclub.com or on Facebook at We Love to Box.
