Ashley Kalus’ announcement of her candidacy for governor of Rhode Island as the Republican “fighter Rhode Island needs right now,” included this unusual validating claim: “Ashley Kalus is a Golden Gloves boxing champion.” Skeptical of all politicians, I sought to confirm Ms. Kalus’ assertion.

Google searches and a brief call to New England Golden Gloves turned up no confirmatory information, so I returned to a more familiar tried and true research strategy—the newspaper search engine, Newspapers.com. Immediately upon entering the terms “Ashley Kalus,” and “Golden Gloves,” this Boston Globe story by Vanessa F. Jones appeared, dated June 7, 2001, pp. D1 and D7, “Local women boxers aren’t pulling punches about the hyped Ali-Frazier fight” (page D1; page D7).

We learn of a then 18 year-old “Ashley Kalus of Scituate [Massachusetts] who trains 3 hours a day, 6 days a week, with the goal of becoming a professional boxer.” Later, confirming current gubernatorial candidate Kalus’ announcement claim, the Globe report states,

“Kalus, an 18 year-old who began fighting seven months ago, (and) won the Golden Globes in Lowell [MA] in February.”

The last thing Rhode Island needed was a prevaricating pugilist politician.

Kudos to Ashley Kalus for entering the political ring, and governor’s race as claimed: with a valid Golden Gloves Champion pedigree as a fighter.