Monday, December 25, 2017

The Weigh-In: Season's Greetings!

The Weigh-In: Season's Greetings!: Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Happy New Year!  The Weigh-In Dudes   (Matt Ward) (Dustin Johnson, The People'...

Thursday, November 23, 2017

The Weigh-In: Henry Hascup Interview

The Weigh-In: Henry Hascup Interview: Henry Hascup of the New Jersey Boxing Hall of Fame joined me for a Bonus Round interview this evening. Henry and I discussed the New Jerse...

Friday, October 13, 2017

The Weigh-In: 10th Annual Briscoe Awards

The Weigh-In: 10th Annual Briscoe Awards: John DiSanto of Philly Boxing History recently announced that this year's Briscoe Awards will be held on October 15, 2017 at Xfinity...Publish Post

The Weigh-In: John DiSanto of the Briscoe Awards and Philly Boxi...

The Weigh-In: John DiSanto of the Briscoe Awards and Philly Boxi...: In the second installment of my interview with John DiSanto of the Briscoe Awards and Philly Boxing History.com , we discussed this year...

Wednesday, September 13, 2017

The Weigh-In: Matt Farrago Interview

The Weigh-In: Matt Farrago Interview: I recently interviewed former professional fighter and current president of the Veteran Boxers Association - Ring 10 , Matt Farrago . Matt a...

Friday, September 1, 2017

Thursday, August 24, 2017

The Weigh-In: Throwback Thursday - Randy "Commish" Gordon Interv...

The Weigh-In: Throwback Thursday - Randy "Commish" Gordon Interv...: Check out my October 5, 2016 interview with with former Editor-in-Chief of The Ring Magazine , former New York State Athletic Commissioner ...

The Weigh-In: Throwback Thursday - Wallace Matthews Interview (J...

The Weigh-In: Throwback Thursday - Wallace Matthews Interview (J...: Check out my June 2, 2016 interview with sports journalist, Wallace Matthews! The Matt Ward History Experience Podcast - Episode #7 Notes ...

The Weigh-In: Throwback Thursday - J. Russell Peltz Interview (J...

The Weigh-In: Throwback Thursday - J. Russell Peltz Interview (J...: Check out my January 31, 2016 interview with International Boxing Hall of Famer and Philadelphia area boxing promoter , J. Russell Peltz ! ...

The Weigh-In: Throwback Thursday - Darren Maciunski Interview (D...

The Weigh-In: Throwback Thursday - Darren Maciunski Interview (D...: Check out my December 16, 2015 interview with New Jersey Boxing Hall of Famer and former IBF Inter-Continental Middleweight champion ,  Dar...

The Weigh-In: Throwback Thursday - Henry Hascup Interview (Novem...

The Weigh-In: Throwback Thursday - Henry Hascup Interview (Novem...: Check out my November 6, 2015 interview with New Jersey Boxing Hall of Fame president and historian, Henry Hascup ! The Matt Ward History ...

Tuesday, August 22, 2017

Monday, August 21, 2017

Sunday, July 30, 2017

The Weigh-In: Bulletproof Affiliate Program!

The Weigh-In: Bulletproof Affiliate Program!: Support The Weigh-In Boxing Blog and Podcast by Purchasing Bulletproof Products! We are proud to announce that The Weigh-In Boxing Blog an...

Friday, July 28, 2017

Tommy Loughran's Grave

Tommy Loughran's Grave
Holy Cross Cemetery
626 Baily Rd.
Yeadon, PA 19050
(Plot: Section 23, Range 6)

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to visit the grave site of Tommy Loughran at Holy Cross Cemetery in Yeadon, PA. Tommy was a professional boxer who fought professionally from 1919 to 1937. He held the World Light Heavyweight title between 1927 and 1929.

Tommy is buried in a plot that also contains the remains of other members of his family. You can locate the Loughran family plot by looking for the yellow, rock, section marker with a black 23 painted on it. The Loughran marker is visible from the adjacent road.

Below are links to two previous posts from my blog with more information on Loughran and his boxing career:

Tommy Loughran Marker

Article - Saint Monica Parish and Tommy Loughran

MW








Support your healthy lifestyle and The Matt Ward History Experience by shopping Bulletproof products! 

Monday, July 24, 2017

Article - The Legendary Blue Horizon: Philadelphia’s Mecca of Boxing

An article I wrote for PhilaPlace.org on the history of the Legendary Blue Horizon, a North Philadelphia boxing venue, was recently published on their website. 

You can check out the article via the below link:


Enjoy!

MW 




Sunday, July 9, 2017

The Weigh-In: Call for Support!

The Weigh-In: Call for Support!: Greetings!  I am posting this message to request your continued support of The Weigh-In Boxing Blog and Podcast and The Matt Ward Histor...

Friday, May 26, 2017

Article - Police Athletic League

An article I wrote for the The Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia on the history of the Police Athletic League in the greater Philadelphia area was published on their website yesterday.

You can check out the article via the below link:

"Police Athletic League" by Matthew Ward

Enjoy!

MW


(Joe Frazier and PAL kids)

Monday, May 15, 2017

Wednesday, April 19, 2017

Petticoat Bridge Skirmish (December 23, 1776)

Petticoat Bridge Skirmish Marker 
Petticoat Bridge Road
Springfield Township, NJ 07081

A historical marker dedicated to the 1776 Petticoat Bridge Skirmish is located on Petticoat Bridge Road in Springfield Township, New Jersey. This little-known skirmish had a significant impact on General George Washington's attack on the Hessian garrison in Trenton on the morning of December 26, 1776.

The marker reads:
Petticoat Bridge Skirmish 
December 23,1776 
On orders from General Washington to pull Hessian troops southward from positions of support near Trenton, 600 Americans, stationed at Mount Holly under Colonel Samuel Griffin attacked a Hessian outpost here on December 21. When the 3,000 Hessians quartered in Burlington County retaliated by marching against Petticoat Bridge on December 23 they were met with a barrage of gunfire. Following a sharp skirmish, the Americans withdrew to Mount Holly luring the Hessians still further from Trenton.
MW











Tuesday, April 18, 2017

Tuesday, March 28, 2017

The Weigh-In: The Weigh-In Boxing Podcast Episode #5 (Curtis Par...

The Weigh-In: The Weigh-In Boxing Podcast Episode #5 (Curtis Par...: The Weigh-In Boxing Podcast Episode #5 The Weigh-In Episode #5 on SoundCloud   The Weigh-In Episode #5 on iTunes The fifth episode o...

The Weigh-In: Lou Esa Interview

The Weigh-In: Lou Esa Interview: I will interview former professional boxer and New Jersey Boxing Hall of Famer Lou Esa on Monday, April 10th. The interview will be feature...

Tuesday, March 14, 2017

Tuesday, February 28, 2017

Sunday, February 19, 2017

Sunday, February 5, 2017

Thursday, January 12, 2017

The Weigh-In Podcast Preview

My new show The Weigh-In will debut on February 1, 2017. This biweekly show will give listeners an inside look into the sport of boxing both past and present. The series premier will feature my interview with former middleweight boxing contender Frank Savannah who fought professionally from 1991-1997, and retired with an impressive record of 15 wins, 1 loss, and 1 draw. On December 14, 1994, Savannah fought Dana Rosenblatt for the WBC Continental Americas Middleweight Title. This bout was the only defeat in Savannah’s six year boxing career. Frank is currently a boxing coach and trainer at Nick Catone MMA & Fitness in Brick, New Jersey.

The second episode will air on February 15th, and will feature my interviews with two of Arizona's boxing gym owners Artur Petrosyan and Sonny Gutierrez. Artur was an Armenian National Boxing Champion who fought professionally as a lightweight from 1999 to 2003. Artur runs Camelback Boxing Gym in Phoenix. Sonny is a former amateur and professional boxer who runs Sonny's Boxing Gym in Goodyear.

These two episodes will be followed up with episodes in March featuring my interviews with Randy Neumann and Steve Peacock. Randy captured the USA New Jersey State Heavyweight Title on December 9, 1971 with a victory over Chuck Wepner. He worked as a professional boxing referee from 1983 to 2014, and refereed hundreds of matches featuring boxing legends such as Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield, Wladimir Klitschko, and many others. Randy currently serves as a certified financial planner (CFP) at Randy Neumann Wealth Management in Upper Saddle River, New Jersey.

Steve Peacock is a professional ring-announcer, voice talent and writer. For the past three years he has been the announcer for Global Proving Ground and Fight Club Champion, and during that time has also announced several USA Boxing-sanctioned tournaments and combat-sports events for promoters including Dead Serious MMA, Cage Fury Fighting Championships, and World Class Kickboxing Championships. Last baseball season he also successfully auditioned for a PA announcer slot for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, a AAA affiliate of the New York Yankees. He is available for ring/cage/stage announcing and emcee gigs as well as for voice-over recording productions. Separately, Peacock is putting the finishing touches on his novel PLAY DEAD, ROLL OVER, a fictionalized account of his ill-fated pursuit of a career with NYPD, which was cut short after getting shot by a retired New York City cop.

Fear not... I will continue to post photos and write ups from historical travels on this blog! I truly hope that fans of the MWHE Podcast will join us for this exciting new show! 

You can check out and subscribe to The Weigh-In Blog and Podcast via the following links:




MW


Thursday, January 5, 2017

Thomas Ward Custer's Grave

Thomas Ward Custer's Grave 
Fort Leavenworth National Cemetery
395 Biddle Boulevard
Fort Leavenworth, KS 66027
(Plot: Section A, Site 1488)

Thomas Ward Custer was born on March 15, 1845 in New Rumley, Ohio to Emanuel and Marie Custer. He was the younger brother of George Armstrong Custer. At the outbreak of the American Civil War in 1861, Custer enlisted in the 21st Ohio Volunteer Infantry. He served in this unit until October 1864 when he was mustered out as a corporal. During his time with the 21st Ohio Volunteer Infantry, he saw action at a number of major battles including Stones River and the Atlanta Campaign.

Custer received notoriety when he joined his brother George Armstrong in the 6th Michigan Cavalry. Thomas was commissioned as a second lieutenant in Company B, and eventually became his brother's aide-de-camp until the end of the war in 1865. Thomas became the first Soldier to receive two Medals of Honor in 1865 at the battles of Namozine Church (April 3, 1865) and Sailor's Creek (April 6, 1865). Thomas received these honors for capturing a Confederate regimental flag at each battle. These flags helped to identify a unit on the battlefield, and the loss of such flags was seen as a sign of disgrace to the losing command. By the end of the war, Custer had received a brevet as a lieutenant colonel.


Following the American Civil War, Custer chose to remain in the Army with his brother George Armstrong. He was appointed a first lieutenant in the 7th Cavalry, and served at the Battle of Washita in 1868, where he was wounded in battle. He also served in South Carolina, the Yellowstone Expedition (1873), and the Black Hills Expedition (1874). Thomas again served as George Armstrong's aide-de-camp during the June 25, 1876 Battle of Little Bighorn. During this battle, Thomas and other members of the 7th Cavalry were killed by a combined force Lakota, Dakota, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho warriors under the leadership of Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse.

Thomas and a number of other 7th Cavalry troops were initially buried on the battlefield where they were killed. His remains were later exhumed and re-interred at Fort Leavenworth National Cemetery. Thomas is buried close to other officers of the 7th Cavalry who were also killed at the Battle of Little Bighorn.


Below are two links with more information on Thomas Ward Custer, along with several photos that I took of his grave site last summer:

https://www.nps.gov/libi/learn/historyculture/capt-tom-custer.htm

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?GRid=6793225&page=gr

MW








Sunday, January 1, 2017

The Matt Ward History Experience Podcast - Episode #12

Check out the twelfth edition of The Matt Ward History Experience Podcast!



Episode #12 contains the following segment:
  1. Let's Talk History - Interview with historian and author David Petriello.
You can check out David Petriello online via the following website:




First and foremost I would like to thank my guest David Petriello for sitting down to talk history with me. 

This episode would not have been possible if it had not been for the technical support of my good friend Peter Lloyd of One Stone Recording and Mastering. Pete mixed and cleaned up the original recordings into the great episode that you can stream on SoundCloud and iTunes.

Last but certainly not least, I would like to thank all of my readers and listeners - Especially our friend JP Favara who supports the MWHE on Patreon


The Matt Ward History Experience is brought to you by One Stone Recording and Mastering in New Brunswick, NJ. Check out One Stone Recording and Mastering for all of you mixing and mastering needs. Go to onestonerecording.com/mwhistory and receive 10% off your first session!

One Stone Recording and Mastering:



THANK YOU for your support over the last year and a half for the MWHE Podcast!

Matt Ward will return on February 1st with the series premier of an all-new biweekly boxing podcast called The Weigh-In! 


MW