Chicago-based photographer Erin Hooley pitched doing a multiformat story on the Golden Gloves Chicago's 100th anniversary two months ago with sports writer Andy Seligman.
During the next two months, they worked with boxing organizers and trainers to identify key boxers to follow. They spent time with several boxers, male and female, as they took their journey to this year’s finals.
Ultimately, they decided the focus would be on the story of Olympic hopeful Theon Davis, who won his championship match. It’s too soon to say whether he will achieve the greatness of other Golden Gloves Chicago champions. Sidebars on women boxers and celebrities who have competed over the years also stood out in the coverage, along with video by Teresa Crawford.
A timeline was made into an interactive graphic by Kevin Vineys that was embedded into the story, using photos tracked down by AP Corporate Archives for some of the elements.