Fondly remembered in the boxing world, longtime Weyburn resident and Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Famer Henry "Hank" Hartenberger passed away last week at the age of 92.

Hartenberger was a boxing organizer and coach in Weyburn for over 40 years, running the Soo Line Boxing Club until the mid-1990s.

Former Regina Mayor Pat Fiacco was a longtime friend and boxing colleague of Hartenberger. He said people in the boxing world will always remember Hank as someone who cared about boxing and Weyburn, and especially the young boxers he trained.

"He was someone that loved our sport and loved the athletes and wanted to make sure that they were successful, many times in the ring, but also outside of the ring."

Many of Hartenberger's boxers won provincial championships and won medals at the national level. In 1975, he coached the Saskatchewan boxing team at the Canada Winter Games, where six of the nine boxers won medals. Hartenberger himself competed in the Olympic boxing trials in 1956, and that same year was the Saskatchewan Middleweight Champion.

Fiacco said Hank was a good friend of his former coach, Ken Goff, who founded the Regina Boxing Club in 1947. They still host the Ken Goff Memorial Boxing Classic in his honour.

The funeral service for Hartenberger will be held Thursday at 1 p.m. at the Royal Canadian Legion in Weyburn, where Hank was a proud member. More information can be found HERE.

 

Photo of Hank Hartenberger courtesy of the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame.