In this Korner… Killeen, boxing writer and friend of the sport, dies at 82
By Rick Wright / Journal Staff Writer Jun 1, 2025
Life, Austin Killeen wrote, “is all about risk versus reward.
“Whether it’s putting your entire wealth into a turbulent stock market, risking your perfect social existence to capture the heart of another or gambling your perfect record in a boxing match against seemingly insurmountable odds.”
Killeen, a gifted and prolific writer who captured the heart of the New Mexico boxing community with the power of his pen and his personality, died May 15 at his home in Albuquerque. He was 82.
Though Killeen is gone, his work lives on in the form of his “Killeen’s Korner” archive. This East Coast transplant covered boxing cards — pro or amateur, he didn’t discriminate — whenever and wherever they took place in his adopted home state. When not covering boxing itself, he wrote eloquently about the people who engaged in it.
This, writing about Santa Fe boxing promoter Pat Holmes and his sons Brandon and Patrick Jr., both boxers:
“The English are noted for their sailing skills, using the stars to guide them over the ocean blue. When Englishman John Holmes left port in the 1890s, his voyage ended in the city of Santa Fe with a population of a little over 6,000. Laying eyes on a beautiful Spanish girl named Paulina Rivera, he knew he had reached his destination.
“… The young couple … had no idea that one day the name Holmes would become synonymous with boxing in the state capital.”
Killeen’s bio that accompanies “Killeen’s Korner” indicates the Massachusetts native and longtime New Hampshire resident came to New Mexico in 2011. The earliest stories in the archive are dated 2015.
Josh Torres doesn’t remember when he first met Killeen. He’s just grateful he did.
“He just started coming around, and we just clicked,” said Torres, an Albuquerque welterweight. “… He had a good personality, he was always funny, always had a good attitude.”
In December 2017, Killeen visited Torres’ home and wrote a Christmas-themed feature on the boxer and his family. Two years later, he did the same with Albuquerque boxer Jason Sanchez.
“Austin was about more than showcasing us as boxers,” Torres said. “He was willing to showcase us outside the ring as well, and he always made it a point to come to the house and hang out with the kids and always check in.
“… It was an honor to be considered a friend.”
Born in Springfield, Massachusetts, Killeen was a successful distance runner and later a track and cross-country coach — finding time to become a competitive chess player as well. His skills in chess, perhaps, helped him successfully ply the stock market in future years.
Though he’d been a boxing fan from the age of 8, he had only one boxing match as a youth — losing by second-round TKO after suffering a cut as a 19-year-old against a young man named Armand Beliveau.
“Killeen,” reported the Republican of Springfield, “was all heart and seemingly wanted to continue.”
After entering the military, Killeen did a little boxing while stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Back in Massachusetts after his discharge, he made his pro debut in Fitchburg at the age of 34 — knocking out Phil Hart in the first round.
He went on to compile a 5-1 record over the next three years while working as a schoolteacher and coach, all five victories coming by knockout or TKO.
It’s not clear why he stopped fighting at that point, though work, family (two sons and a daughter) and his relatively advanced age likely played a role.
In covering fights, Killeen wrote in detail that perhaps only a fighter like himself could have seen so clearly. He never hesitated to call out what he saw as a subpar performance or a bad decision.
Of one bout he covered in 2015, he noted that one fighter was throwing five-punch combinations while his opponent was countering with two-punch combinations.
“Since I started grade school,” Killeen wrote, “five has been a bigger number than two.”
Killeen was quick to bridle at perceived injustices, wielding sarcasm like a sharp left jab.
In 2019, Albuquerque boxer Abraham Perez won the U.S. Olympic Trials in his weight class. Yet, USA Boxing, the amateur sport’s governing body, passed him over in favor of a boxer Perez had defeated not once but twice during the trials.
“You can’t blame USA Boxing for their actions as we (the U.S.) have won over a dozen gold medals in the last three Olympics thanks to their eye for talent.
“Oops, I’m sorry. That happened in a dream I had last Friday night.”
Ultimately, though, it was Killeen’s actions, more than his words, that made him an esteemed and beloved figure in the New Mexico boxing community.
Each St. Patrick’s Day, Killeen — who essentially wore a map of Ireland on his face — would throw a party open to all.
Killeen, teaming with former boxer Daniel Perez — whom he’d profiled in a 2015 story — often provided blow-by-blow commentary on cards staged by Albuquerque’s Legacy Promotions.
“He was a pretty special guy,” said Legacy’s Aaron Perez. “Just his love of boxing, for the sport, the dedication he had for it.
“He wanted to be there for the sport.”
The last story filed in the Killeen’s Korner archive appeared in March 2020.
After suffering a stroke that affected his eyesight, Killeen continued to attend boxing cards until, finally, he was unable to do so.
Perez and members of his family visited Killeen during his final days.
“He still had that sense of humor,” Perez said. “He was still talking, cracking a smile and cracking jokes.”
Torres recalled visiting Killeen in the hospital. Boxing was never far from his friend’s mind.
“He’d say ‘I still want to make a comeback,’” Torres said.
Still all heart, still wanting to continue.
Photo courtesy of Josh Torres