When you first walk into the Veteran Boxers Association in the Port Richmond neighborhood of Philadelphia, you’re not sure if you’re in a bar, a clubhouse, or a museum. But after your first drink and a spin around the room, you realize this quirky venue is all three in one.

While Philly is most quickly associated with the 1976 film “Rocky,” the city’s history with the sport of boxing extends as far back as the 1880s, when bare-knuckle fighters brawled in the back rooms of saloons. After prizefighting became legal in 1884, Philadelphia fighters grew in prominence over the years, particularly in the 1920s and ‘30s.

During that period, the Veteran Boxers Association (VBA) got its unofficial start when former boxer Jimmy Love died in poverty, yet avoided a Potter’s Field burial thanks to donations from the pugilist community. Its more official formation came in 1935, when a group of retired boxers met in a taproom at 10th and Arch in Philadelphia and formed the Philadelphia Veteran Boxers Association.

As the years passed, other local chapters were established across the United States (with 'Ring 1' being the first). The National Veteran Boxers Association was later formed at the First National Convention of Fraternal Boxing Organizations in Philadelphia on October 29, 1963. The Philly chapter itself moved throughout the city over the decades, coming to its current spot (a former VFW hall) in 2007.

Though its locations have changed in the nearly 80 years since that first meeting, the organization’s mission has not; it continues to serve as a safe haven and support network for retired boxers facing hard times. As the original charter, which holds a prominent spot near the entrance, says:

“The purpose for which the corporation is to be organized are [sic] to be fostered and promote the good and general welfare of the Veteran Boxer. To take care of the sick and disabled Veteran Boxer who may be in distress by means of contribution within the means and to the best of the association’s ability. To take an active interest in the administration of all the laws that affect the sport of boxing in the state of Pennsylvania to insure that its members are given the recognition deserving their past effort and protect the active boxers to the best of the association’s ability.”