Charles Williams, who brought his vision for a prodigious boxing gym and his precocious son back home in the late 1980s, died on Tuesday at the Grandview Care Center in Dayton. He was 81.

Williams had been a long-established trainer, promoter, manager and coach in the boxing world on the California scene when he decided to move with his son, Jeremy, back to Fort Dodge. Williams had owned and operated Muhammad Ali’s and Charlie’s American Fitness Gym in downtown Long Beach, Calif. He then opened a new location — with support from and the friendship of Ali — in downtown Fort Dodge during the spring of 1989.

Born in Arkansas in 1944, Charles Williams lived in Fort Dodge as a youth and later became a standout athlete in boxing, football, basketball and wrestling. During his professional years, Williams locally owned and operated a maid and janitorial business and a window-washing company.

Williams would later open the Williams Boxing Gym for aspiring fighters of all age and skill levels, as well as the Williams Combination Fitness Gym — currently Onix Fitness Gym — in Long Beach.

Jeremy Williams, who was born in Fort Dodge but raised in Long Beach before the move back home in high school, became a standout football player and member of the choir at Fort Dodge Senior High while building his resume as one of the top light-heavyweight amateur boxers in the world. The Golden Gloves Hall of Fame member was the 1989 and 1990 United States light-heavyweight amateur Junior Olympics champion and the National Golden Gloves light-heavyweight champion in 1990 and 1991. He was 168-4 as an amateur competitor.

Jeremy, who graduated from FDSH in 1990, started his professional career as a cruiserweight in 1992 before joining the heavyweight division. He had a career record of 43-5 as a professional, and fought Henry Akinwande in June of 1996 for the WBO world heavyweight title.

After retiring as an active boxer in 2004, Jeremy became a trainer and occasional MMA fighter.

Charles is survived by five children: Jeremy, Eric, Jason, Dorthy and Nina Williams-McGee; an adopted son, Don Small; four stepchildren; 20 grandchildren; and 24 great grandchildren. Charles also has four living siblings: Pearl Wilson, Newton “Spoony” “Junior” Williams, Mary Ruth Bashir and Dorothy Bodady; as well as 16 nieces and nephews.