RAY SWANSON | Keystoner Walter Reno was mighty mite in ring

As a young man, Walter Reno took a lot of hits. He also dished out a lot of them.
Now 81, the Hermitage resident still looks as fit as a fiddle.
"I retired from Sharon Steel about 20 years ago," said the former amateur boxer. "I worked there for about 36 years.
One could say that Reno, a 135-pound boxer, used the fight game as a means to an end.
"I started to box in order to defend myself," explained Reno. "I was a little guy, only about 5 1/2 feet tall, so I had to learn to take care of myself."
So at the tender age of 18, Reno entered the fight game. He trained under Al Wolgast, at the F.H. Buhl Club. He wound up a stirring career with a 17-3 record after fighting in such places as Chicago, Youngstown, Cleveland, Franklin (Pa.), Monaca, and Conneaut Lake to mention a few.
At the Buhl Club, Reno trained with a number of the area boxers, including Freddie Conti, Johny Koval and Rene Coonce.
I first met Reno while enjoying breakfast at a local restaurant. He was introduced to me by Jim Carcolivio, my junior varsity basketball coach at Sharpsville High.
Knows boxing
It was evident in talking with Reno that he was a president of the famed boxing organization known as Ring 5. Reno is a walking encyclopedia. He knows all of the top fighters and has conversed with many of them. He and his wife of 45 years, Naomi, attend the Boxing Hall of Fame induction ceremonies each year in New York. There he has met and chatted with such stalwarts as Muhammad Ali, George Foreman, Alexis Arguello, Gene Fullmer and Carmen Basillio.
Most fighters talk about their wins. Reno wanted to talk about his losses.
"The one I lost in Cleveland was one I'll never forget," he said. "It was a total mismatch. I went in a substitute and this guy was just about to turn pro. I saw a lot of stars that night, but he didn't KO me."
First-round charge
In Chicago, he remembers when his opponent charged him in the first round.
"I sidestepped him, caught him flush on the jaw and KO'd him. That was a quick night for me."
Reno also talked of a fight he had in Franklin on a stage.
"The ring collapsed and we just waited until they fixed it before we started to fight again," he stated.
Reno said that seven of his 17 victories came by way of KO. He lost a bout to a 6-foot tall opponent who was just too tall for Reno. In another loss, he sustained a bad cut to his eye in the first round and the bout was halted.
His favorite fighter was Muhammad Ali.
"He was an excellent boxer. I just loved to watch him in action. He was extremely fast," Reno said.
Today's fighters
How do today's fighters stack up in comparison?
"I talked with Billy Soose [former world champion boxer from Farrell] about that, and I'm in total agreement with him. He said today's fighters are better. They have advanced training methods, better managers for the most part and most are well conditioned."
Reno said he knew when to get out of the fight game.
"I liked boxing, and like I said earlier, I wanted to learn how to defend myself. I didn't want to be a pro. It did, however, give me a lot of confidence in myself."
Reno lived during one of the greatest eras in boxing history. Joe Louis, Rocky Mountain, Sugar Ray Robinson -- he knew them all and followed their ring escapades all the way.
In his own special way, Walter Reno, Jr., helped the cause by making his own little niche in the world of boxing.