The tough old boxing priest with tattoos and no teeth turned to the Mercury's then editor-in-chief Peter Cullen, desperate for someone to take action, after his pleas to the Catholic Church fell on deaf ears.

Father Maurie Crocker, who was as dedicated to training young boxers as he was to the church, gave Cullen details of the stories he was hearing of boys being assaulted.

A massive investigation was subsequently launched and the rest is now history.

Brother Michael Evans committed suicide in 1994 after he was exposed as a paedophile and Father Peter Comensoli was jailed for his involvement in the sex scandal.

The Wood Royal Commission was expanded to expose extensive paedophile activity in the Wollongong area.

And while the unconventional priest who made national headlines when he died is long gone, his work in training and protecting the region's youth continues, thanks to his star fighter Vito Gaudiosi and his lifelong buddy Jo Lopez.

At Crocker's Gym, a not-for-profit boxing centre at Dapto, they teach young people invaluable lessons for life.

"What we are doing here is keeping Maurie Crocker's memory alive and reminding the Catholic Church of everything he stood for and what he uncovered," Gaudiosi said.