Lifelong resident Paul Pleticha Sr. passed away April 14 at the age of 78, and while his family and friends mourn his passing, his loss is also being felt by the many individuals he has helped over the years.
That’s because Pleticha was the owner and head coach of the Villa Park Boxing Club, which he ran for 17 years—a man who “touched so many lives and was such a pillar of the community,” according to his daughter, Amanda Mulay, who spoke of her father’s impact on area youth, as did her mother, Donita Pleticha, who also played an integral role in making the boxing club a success.
As Pleticha tells it, the club originally started out in 1992; it was launched by Carol Salas, who wanted to keep her son out of trouble, and away from any possible gang influence.
The nonprofit club started out as United Together Against Gangs, or UTAG, she narrated, saying, “Carol was a single mom raising a son and daughter. Her son was getting in with the wrong crowd.”
Salas thought to herself, “I can’t be the only mom” concerned about their child’s well-being, and the seeds for creating an after-school boxing club were planted, according to Pleticha.
Salas got support from the DuPage County Crime Commission, she continued, and was able to start the club for two hours a day, three days a week.
“It developed into boxing because she needed a sport that was year-round,” Pleticha explained.
The first coach was Mike Lansu, but “shortly after they opened, Carol got transferred to Michigan,” she recalled.
Pleticha’s son, Daniel, joined the club and “I would go down there when they were open,” she mentioned, noting that the club met in the basement of Trinity Lutheran Church in Villa Park.
“My husband Paul checked it out, and then he got involved,” she described, and at one point Coach Mike asked if Paul would be interested in buying the club.
When asked what Paul knew about boxing, Pleticha responded that he had boxed in the Army, and also, she emphasized, “He loved boxing!”
So Paul took over the club in 1995, and it became the Villa Park Boxing Club.
“We lived strictly on donations,” Pleticha recounted, adding that membership was $25 a year, including basic equipment.
Along the way, Mulay joined the club as did her late brother—also named Paul—who became a coach as well. Pleticha kept the books and also served as a coach.
The boxing club had the support of the Villa Park Police Department, Pleticha said, visiting the club so members could get “a good feel about the police department.”
Former Villa Park Police Officer Robert Harvey recalled that back in the 1990s he became part of a newly formed Gang/Tactical Unit.
“Villa Park, like other surrounding communities, was experiencing gang problems ... Paul’s experience and his whole family’s dedication to the community did have a very positive effect,” he said.
Pleticha said the club had only a few rules: “Keep your grades up and be respectful”—to parents, teachers, adults and others.
She added that in the event a member’s grades were slipping, the club would even help get that individual a tutor.
Mulay echoed that as a club member, she learned “respect for law enforcement,” adding that when she learned boxing, “We were not allowed to fight—only self defense.”
Club members have gone on to become Golden Glove contenders, state of Illinois novice champs and more, and several members ventured out to become boxing coaches themselves.
Comments about Coach Paul poured in, including those from former members:
Melissa Santiago: “It was a great short experience for me and I truly looked up to him. Something about him brought me comfort about his coaching and guiding me. He also taught me that if I fought outside of the ring, I can have some serious legal trouble, so don’t do it.”
Mark Mazman: “He kept me on track while I figured things out. I cannot tell you how many times I saw him intervene when other people needed help. He never said no. The world was a better place with him among us.”
Niles Joseph: “He was a big influence in my life. I would not have the successes in my life if not for being one of his students at the club. He taught me to always be open and welcoming. He taught me about community, he tried to make sure to encourage all the kids there, and if he could not, his family would step in to give guidance.”
Josh Burrell: “Coach Paul will be missed, and seeing his family again is a reminder that he’s still here, living and breathing through them.
“I’m grateful to have known him—to be embraced as a fighter, as a person and as a kid who eventually found his way because Coach Paul was part of his life.”
Willy Martinez, who went on to form his own boxing club in downstate Carbondale, said, “I honestly wouldn’t be the person I am today had Paul Lee Pleticha not set me straight 28 years ago. ‘If you are going to box in this club, you can’t gang-bang, no drugs, and you have to straighten up your grades’—words I will never forget and changed the trajectory of my life. I am eternally grateful to have known him.”
After 17 years, Paul Pleticha, who had also worked for United Airlines, turned over the reins to club member Tony Logun, who commented that “I took over the club because I couldn’t let it close. At one point in my life, the club was there for me when I needed support, structure and guidance. It gave me discipline, purpose, and a path forward.
“So when the opportunity came, it wasn’t really a choice—it felt like a responsibility to give that same opportunity to others.”
He said the boxing club is in a kind of “limbo” for now, while looking for a permanent home (the club no longer meets at the church). But once that happens, the goal will still be the same: “continuing to serve the community the same way the club was always intended to—as a place for kids and young adults to stay focused, disciplined and away from negative influences.”
Logun also commented that Martinez’s boxing club “was able to come alive because of the Villa Park Boxing Club.”
In taking over the club and planning for its future, Logun said that “We’ve had athletes go on to compete at high levels, including Golden Gloves and national competitions, but for me, the biggest success is when someone stays out of trouble, finds purpose and builds a better future.”
For more information, visit villaparkboxing
club.org.
