In 1982, with only two members, Coach Beau Williford registered The Ragin’ Cajun Amateur Boxing Club with USA Boxing (the governing body in the USA for amateur boxing and the Olympics). Williford wanted to develop a sense of self worth within troubled youth that would greatly contribute to keeping them away from a life of drugs, crime and violence.

- Beau was born in Fayetteville, North Carolina. He started boxing when he was 6 years old. He won a National Amateur Championship in 1967 and was undefeated on the National Team in their Europe tour. Beau attended Wake Forest University and then moved to New York City to pursue professional boxing. Williford sparred the top heavyweights of the “Golden Era” of heavyweight boxing, some of which were; Joe Frazier, Muhammad Ali, George Foreman, Jerry Quarry and George Chuvalo. Beau retired in 1978 and graduated college with a Bachelors degree in Business from the College of New Rochelle. In 1979 Beau moved to Lafayette, Louisiana, to work in the oil industry, where he began training and managing boxers. To date he has produced an amazing seven pro World Champions. -

By the late 90’s with membership reaching almost 200, Williford’s dream to provide a premier non-profit youth organization came true when he opened an outstanding boxing facility at The LaPromenade Mall in Lafayette, LA. At this location he produced countless champions. In 1999, the club’s outstanding achievements were recognized in the official minutes of Congress after a visit from United States Representative Chris John.

However, disaster struck on September 30th, 2001 when a fire swept through the rear of the shopping mall where the gym, along with other businesses, was located. The blaze torched all remnants of the gym. To make matters worse, the club’s insurance would only pay for damages if the fire would have started in their gym. It did not.

Beau was forced to offer his home garage as the new site of the Ragin’ Cajun Amateur Boxing Club in his effort to keep kids off the streets. Back to humble beginnings with very little equipment and even less funding, Williford managed to train a large number of athletes from his garage for the years that followed.

In 2002 USA Boxing honored Williford by awarding him as the “Coach of the Year”. Don Hebert, a USA Boxing board member, presented Williford with the award saying, “Beau Williford is everything a coach should be. His first concern is for his boxers' safety and he is adamant about education. If you compete for Beau Williford you not only learn to box but you also learn about life lessons from a man who was a World Class amateur and professional boxer, and has been a world class teacher to young men and women for over 20 years."

In 2005 local attorney Glenn Armentor refused to see the club go down for the count, he and his wife Dana organized a very successful fundraiser. Supporters felt that the community was losing a valuable outlet for troubled children and desperately needed a proper facility. In January 2006, thanks to many generous donations, The Ragin’ Cajun Amateur Boxing Club proudly reopened its doors to Acadiana with an excellent 3,600 sq. ft. fully equipped gym on 303 Macon Road in Lafayette, Louisiana.

Thanks to continued support, our club can enjoy the privilege of providing our members with special events and memories that will last a lifetime. For example, in September 2006 we gave our boxers an all expenses paid trip to Ireland to gain international experience and a rare opportunity to travel overseas.

In March 2008, the Guest of Honor for our annual awards banquet was the legendary Angelo Dundee (coach of 15 World Champions including Sugar Ray Leonard, George Foreman, and, his most famous student, Muhammad Ali). Dundee spent a magical two days with our boxers, teaching them his keys to success.

In June of 2008, we brought our kids to meet their idol, Oscar De La Hoya, at a book signing in Houston, Texas. De La Hoya greeted our team with warm enthusiasm, taking extra time to chat, sign equipment and pose for photos, making this trip especially memorable.

In 2009 we hosted the first ever Louisiana Governor’s Games Boxing Championships. Open to all comers, participants from as far as New York City competed for championship belts.

For the past few years, thanks to the tenacity of board member Beldon Fox, we have hosted the celebrated Louisiana State Golden Gloves Championships following its 15 year absence from the Acadiana area.