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Adonis Frazier brings Minneapolis boxing pedigree to Paris Olympics

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Adonis Frazier brings Minneapolis boxing pedigree to Paris Olympics


One Minnesotan headed to the Paris Olympics might never appear on camera.

That fits his style.

Adonis Frazier, the fitness director at the famed Minneapolis gym that produced WBA welterweight champion Jamal James, is serving as an assistant coach on the USA boxing team.

On the phone from the USA’s training camp in Saarbrucken, Germany, Frazier pauses while a few of his cohorts walked by, loudly commenting on the “S” pendant he wears.

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“It’s supposed to represent Superman,” he said. “But sometimes I think it stands for ‘Stress.’”

The Frazier family tends to bite off as much as it can chew. Adonis’ father, Sankara, is the founder, executive director and head coach at the Circle of Discipline gym, which uses boxing to teach life skills, and engages in other forms of community service.

Sankara coaches James, the former champion who is trying to get another shot at a title.

“Jamal is still working at the Circle, still giving back,” Adonis said. “My father always told us, I don’t care if you guys become champion of the world, if I get a sense you’re not giving back, I’m not dealing with you.”

Adonis is a former boxer whose career was altered by a car accident. He, like his father, went into coaching, and now he states as his goal bringing the USA its first men’s boxing gold since 2004 and first women’s gold since 2016.

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“I’ve been a part of Team USA since 2017 and worked with the youth team and with the elites,” Adonis said. “We’ve been to the Pan Ams, the Netherlands, Thailand, Italy, Columbia, Guadalajara. I’ve been out to Colorado Springs quite a few times working with the U.S. team. We’ve done a lot of traveling, we just haven’t said much about it.”

That’s boxing’s lot in the modern sports world — every shred of attention must be earned. James recently threw out the first pitch at a Twins game, and the people at the Circle were surprised that it went unmentioned. They’re also proud of three young boxers from their gym who have made it to national silver and golden gloves tournaments — Luis Ortiz, Demarcus Murphy and Stevie Gomez.

The COD also runs a training camp in Barnum, Minn. that serves children, and which has received support from the Armory Foundation and MEI Total Elevator Solutions.

“I was hesitant about taking on Olympic coaching, because making the Circle great is always our family’s primary objective,” Adonis said. “But my whole family — my mother, my wife, my father, everybody — were like ‘Hey, man, go do it.’ It’s part of the legacy of the Circle and everything else in the Frazier name. So I thought, let’s go ahead and do this.’”

That legacy is growing. James won a title. The Fraziers are renowned coaches and role models. Former North High standout Omar Brown played safety at Nebraska and signed with the Denver Broncos. “He’s one of our cousins and he grew up in the Circle, as well,” Adonis said.

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Adonis’ son, Dasan, is a popular social media influencer and actor. “Which is funny, because when I was growing up, you never wanted people to know what you were doing,” Adonis said. “I don’t get social media, but he does. He just had his first role call with Tyler Perry. He’s going to meet me in Paris.”

Adonis’ daughter, Nia, boxes, and another product of the Circle, J.T. Baker, attended Cornell and works for J.P. Morgan.

Jamal James is 35, and still looking for high-level fights. Adonis said he had to pass on a couple of opportunities recently when Sankara was ill, but that “at 35, these days, he still has time.” Boxing may never return to its glory years, but the Fraziers have proved that it has its place, at least in Minneapolis.

When Adonis was coaching his daughter in a national tournament, he took a picture of her, and later saw a motto on a shirt behind her.

“It said, ‘Once you try boxing, everything else is easy,’” Adonis said. “I love that. My youngest son is fighting now. We’ve got five generations of fighters. I’m in Germany today because of the drive that my father instilled in me.

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“My wife works at the Circle. My mother’s there. My father’s there. Everybody’s putting in the work, and we’re working with The Link.”

The Link, a charitable organization, was founded in 1991 by Vikings Jim Marshall and Oscar Reed.

Asked his goals for Paris, Adonis said, “I would say ‘Make history,’ but I think it’s important to say ‘Make history in a positive way.’ That’s the kind of history we’re after.”



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Minneapolis, MN

Minneapolis Ranked Among U.S. Cities With The Most People In Financial Distress

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Minneapolis Ranked Among U.S. Cities With The Most People In Financial Distress


MINNEAPOLIS — Minneapolis is ranked among the American cities with the most people in financial distress nationwide, according to a recent analysis by WalletHub.

The personal finance website, which defines financial distress as having a credit account in forbearance or with deferred payments, looked at the country’s 100 largest cities without data limitations across nine metrics, including average credit score, change in bankruptcy filings year-over-year, and share of people with accounts in distress.

Minneapolis came in 44th on the list, between Stockton, California, at 43rd and Fresno, California, at 45th, according to the ranking.

Nationwide, the cities with the most people in financial distress were Chicago at No. 1, Houston at No. 2 and Las Vegas at No. 3, the ranking said.

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“Getting out of the downward spiral of financial distress is no easy feat,” according to WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo.

“You may get temporary relief from your lenders by not having to make payments, but all the while interest will keep building up, making the debt even harder to pay off. People who find themselves in financial distress should budget carefully, cut non-essential expenses, and pursue strategies like debt consolidation or debt management to get their situation under control.”

Read more from WalletHub.





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Minneapolis, MN

Whitefish council creates proclamation in solidarity with city, citizens of Minneapolis

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Whitefish council creates proclamation in solidarity with city, citizens of Minneapolis


The Whitefish City Council in February presented and signed a proclamation expressing solidarity with the city and citizens of Minneapolis.

The proclamation states that Whitefish mourns the loss of life that occurred in Minneapolis and stands in solidarity with its residents.

It reaffirms the city’s commitment to equal treatment under the law and emphasizes that peaceful protest is a fundamental American right.

The proclamation was supported by five of the six council members.

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Mayor John Muhlfeld said the action was meant to reaffirm the city’s values.

“A mayoral proclamation that is supported by five of six City Council members supporting solidarity with the city and citizens of Minneapolis, Minnesota, and reaffirming our supportive, just, equal and welcoming community,” Muhlfeld said. “I think this is somewhat overdue. Our town’s been through a lot over the years, This is more importantly to reaffirm our values as a council with our community because we care deeply about you.”

Over the last year, Whitefish has faced criticism amid rising tensions surrounding the Department of Homeland Security.

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View the full proclamation below.



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Minneapolis, MN

City officials report less speeding at corners with traffic cameras in Minneapolis

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City officials report less speeding at corners with traffic cameras in Minneapolis


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