Phil Anselmo Raising Funds for Detroit’s Legendary Kronk Gym

Phil Anselmo spent his 42nd birthday on June 30 in the most selfless fashion. He was fundraising for the legendary Kronk gym in Michigan. Any Pantera/Anselmo fan worth his or her salt knows knows that the singer is a die-hard boxing fan.

"Kronk Gym is legendary gym in the world of boxing and has produced so many world champions," Anselmo told Noisecreep about his efforts and endeavors to help preserve the gym. "I am a tremendous boxing fan. I am talking back in the country and western days when covered wagons and cowboys and Indians were slinging arrows and bullets, I was tape trading ... in the late '80s and all the '90s. I've acclimated over 20,000 or more fights on video and DVD. And when you meet these people, one person knows the next guy, who knows the next guy, who knows big shots, and big wigs that I see on TV are showing up to our shows. "

He continued, "At Pantera and Down shows, we had fighters come out and I got to meet all these f---ing awesome people. One thing led to another and [I] befriended the head trainer, Emanuel Steward. We had a phone camaraderie. He is an HBO analyst and he loves to talk boxing. Fast forward a couple and I found out the Kronk gym was closing, but that they were taking donations. I figured Emanuel has been good people to me, so I scribbled my name, sent a check, and apparently, was the first guy to offer any money." The gym's original location closed in 2006 but an alternate locale opened.

Anselmo is on the board of the Kronk Gym foundation and spent his birthday at the second annual fundraiser, rubbing elbows with the likes of Aretha Franklin and champs like Miguel Cotto. "I can't say how many of my old time favorites -- and they'd slap me for saying 'old time' -- like Cave Man Lee, Thomas Hearns were there," Anselmo beamed.

Proceeds from the tickets went to the foundation and there were raffles for boxing memorabilia. "I raffled off some personal items, some boxing magazines that I had written for and records and stuff like that. I was amongst 50 other people donating raffle items and all cool s---," he also said. "It was dinner, open bar, live fights, and then there is Aretha eating right next to you. I spoke to her ... briefly. She has more security guards than Metallica." But then again, what would you expect from the Queen of Soul? Perhaps the seeds of a Aretha-Anselmo collaboration were born? Probably not.