1987 Greater Flint African American Sports Hall of Fame Inductee
Category: Boxing
He was called “Mr. Golden Gloves” by the people who knew him. Deyamporte “Dee” Cavette, accompanied by brother Jerry, founded the Flint Golden Gloves in the 1930s.
Cavette was born in Macon, Miss., in 1914. His mother advised the Cavette brothers to leave the Jim Crow south to head north. They first stopped in Chicago before heading to St. Louis, shortly thereafter, where a street fight between 14-year-old Cavette and his buddy Monroe Harrison led to both kids being discovered and put into a boxing ring.
However, Cavette’s time in St. Louis was brief, as he and Jerry later moved to Flint. Just four years after that street fight in St. Louis, Cavette would go on to win his first Golden Gloves boxing title in 1932. He remained unbeaten for three years at a time when amateur fighters could have as many as five fights per week.
Cavette compiled 14 titles as an amateur, including multiple Golden Gloves, Detroit Diamond Belt, Detroit Times and Tri-State. His favorite championship was the General Motors-sponsored national tournament featuring talent from across the country boxing at Atwood Stadium before a crowd of 22,000 and guest-officiated by world champion Jack Dempsey. After officiating Cavette’s final match in 1936 and seeing him KO two opponents that weekend, Dempsey advised him to consider professional boxing career.
Cavette was selected to the 1937 U.S. All-American Boxing team, later training alongside heavyweight champ Joe Louis at Detroit’s Brewster-Wheeler recreation center.
Cavette’s four-decade coaching career began working out of the Flint Interracial Community Center on Flint’s northside, and later Clifford Street on the southside before integrating Berston Field House’s staff. He founded Berston’s boxing program in the mid-1950s and led it until 1978, becoming Michigan’s winningest Golden Gloves coach.
Cavette’s reputation allowed him to forge close friendships with world champions Leon Spinks, Sugar Ray Leonard, Thomas Hearns, trainer Emanuel Steward, Jack Dempsey, Sonny Liston, Archie Moore and the great Muhammad Ali. Ali upon winning his 1960 Olympic Gold, traveled to Flint with his medal and visited Cavette’s training gym at Berston.
Notable boxers who trained under Cavette include Joe Byrd, three-time Golden Gloves champ, U.S. Olympic Team coach; Tony Burton, 1955 and ‘57 Golden Gloves champ, and actor best-known from the “Rocky” movies in his role as “Duke”; and Floyd Fielder, a 1960s Golden Gloves champion.
Cavette, who is also a member of the Michigan Amateur Sports Hall of Fame and Greater Flint Area Sports Hall of Fame, served the Flint community until his 1978 death leaving an amateur boxing legacy.
Dee Cavette, you are the true definition of being “Flint Strong”! You have made Flint proud, welcome to the GFAASHOF!
