International Boxing Hall of Fame

International Boxing Hall of Fame 
360 N Peterboro St.
Canastota, NY 13032

In 2014, I had the opportunity to visit the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) in Canastota, New York. This trip was one of my favorite trips to date. The IBHOF includes plaques dedicated to inductees as well as a large collection of relics from the rich history of the sweet science. Each June, the IBHOF honors a new class of inductees from across the boxing world. Hall of Fame weekends are a great time to interact with boxers and boxing personalities from both past and present. If you are a sports history fan and have not had the opportunity to visit the IBHOF, I highly recommend you do so!

Below are a few of my favorite photos that I took during my visit, along with a link to the IBHOF website:

http://www.ibhof.com/

MW

The Matt Ward History Experience Podcast - Episode #4

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

SoundCloud:  https://soundcloud.com/matt-ward-427598454/the-matt-ward-history-experience-podcast-episode-4

iTunes:  https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/matt-ward-history-experience/id1178237076

Episode #4 contains the following segment:

1. The Weigh-In - Interview with boxing promoter and International Boxing Hall of Fame Inductee J. Russell Peltz. 

You can check out Peltz Boxing Promotions, Inc. online via their website, Facebook and Twitter:

Website - http://www.peltzboxing.com/

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PeltzBoxingPromotions/

Twitter - @PeltzBoxing

Below is a photo of J. Russell Peltz and I at the office of Peltz Boxing Promotions in Philadelphia, PA:

First and foremost I would like to thank my guest J. Russell Peltz for sitting down at Peltz Boxing Promotions to talk boxing 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.

Last but certainly not least, I would like to thank all of my readers and listeners - Especially those who submitted questions for this month's segment of The Weigh In.

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:

http://onestonerecording.com/mwhistory

http://onestonerecording.com

MW

Joey Giardello

Joey Giardello Statue
East Passyunk Avenue
South 13th Street & Mifflin Street
Philadelphia, PA 19148

Joey Giardello was a champion middleweight boxer who fought primarily out of Philadelphia and other northeast cities. Giardello was born in Brooklyn in 1930, but spent most of his life in the East Passyunk Crossing area of South Philadelphia. Giardello was a top the middleweight division rankings for 15 years. He fought a number of bouts against well-known fighters such as Gene Fullmer, Sugar Ray Robinson, Dick Tiger and Rubin "Hurricane" Carter. On December 7, 1963, Giardello defeated Dick Tiger for the World Middleweight Championship. Giardello defended the title four times in less than two years. A notable defense of the title took place in 1964, when he faced Rubin Carter. This title defense is at times remembered as ending in a controversial decision because of the way in which the fight was depicted in the 1999 film The Hurricane. However, most boxing experts believe that Giardello decisively defeated Carter in this bout. On October 21, 1965, Giardello was defeated by Dick Tiger for the title.

Giardello's final fight was on November 6, 1967 against Jack Rodgers in Philadelphia, PA. Following his boxing career, Giardello went into private business and was active in charity work. Giardello died on September 4, 2008 in the Philadelphia suburb of Cherry Hill, NJ.

The Joey Giardello statue is located in the neighborhood that Giardello called home for much of his life. The statue is not only a fitting tribute to Giardello, but also to Philly's rich boxing history.

Below are three links with more information on Joey Giardello, along with some photos that I took during my recent visit to the statue:

http://www.ibhof.com/pages/about/inductees/modern/giardello.html

http://boxrec.com/boxer/10923

http://www.southphillyreview.com/news/Giardello-becomes-bronzed-legend.html

MW

Upcoming Event - J. Russell Peltz Interview

The Matt Ward History Experience will interview J. Russell Peltz on Thursday, January 14, 2016. This interview will be part of an upcoming episode of the blog's monthly podcast. J. Russell Peltz is a boxing promoter from Philadelphia, who has promoted numerous fights at the Blue Horizon, Philadelphia Spectrum and 2300 Arena. Among the fighters who boxed on Peltz promoted cards include Bobby "Boogaloo" Watts, Eugene "Cyclone" Hart, Willie "The Worm" Monroe, Stanley "Kitten" Hayward, Marvin Johnson, Mike Rossman, Billy Douglas, Antonio Tarver and Hall of Famers Jeff Chandler, Matthew Saad Muhammad, George Benton and Marvelous Marvin Hagler. Peltz was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2004.

If you have any questions that you would like answered by Russell, please post them in the comments of this blog entry, send them to me via Twitter @RevWarBuff23 or via Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/mwhistoryexperience

For more information on J. Russell Peltz, please visit the following websites:

Peltz Boxing Promotions, Inc. Official Website - http://www.peltzboxing.com/

Peltz Boxing Promotions, Inc. Facebook Page - https://www.facebook.com/PeltzBoxingPromotions/

Peltz Boxing Promotions, Inc. Twitter - @PeltzBoxing

International Boxing Hall of Fame Page -
http://www.ibhof.com/pages/about/inductees/nonparticipant/peltz.html

MW

Tommy Loughran

Tommy Loughran Marker
17th and Ritner Streets, SW Corner
Philadelphia, PA 19145

Tommy Loughran was an American boxer from Philadelphia, PA. He held the World Light Heavyweight Championship from 1927 to 1929. Over the span of Loughran's career, he fought a number of legendary boxers including Harry Greb, Gene Tunney, Young Stribling, Jack Delaney and Georges Carpentier. In 1927, Loughran defeated Mike McTigue at Madison Square Garden for the World Light Heavyweight Championship.

Following his boxing career, Loughran worked as a sugar broker on Wall Street. He retired from this profession in the 1960s. Tommy Loughran died in Altoona, PA in 1982. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1991. The marker honoring Tommy Loughran in South Philadelphia is located in front of his neighborhood church.

Below are three links with more information on Tommy Loughran, along with some photos that I took during a recent visit:

http://boxrec.com/boxer/11326

http://explorepahistory.com/hmarker.php?markerId=1-A-301

http://www.southphillyreview.com/sports/mark_of_a_legend-73708662.html

MW

Jersey Joe Walcott's Grave

Jersey Joe Walcott's Grave
Sunset Memorial Park
1605 Union Ave
Pennsauken Township, NJ 08110

First off, my apologies for the lack of posts over the last two months. I have been very busy doing research for a paper I am writing for graduate school!

In honor of the research paper I am finishing up on Jersey Joe Walcott, I figured I would put together a post on the final resting place of boxing great Jersey Joe Walcott (aka Arnold Cream).

Jersey Joe Walcott had a boxing career that spanned from 1930-1953. Walcott became heavyweight champion on July 18, 1951 when he defeated Ezzard Charles in Pittsburgh, PA. He held this title until he was defeated by Rocky Marciano on September 23, 1952. Following his Hall of Fame boxing career, Walcott was elected as Sheriff of Camden County in 1971, becoming New Jersey's first black sheriff. Walcott passed away at the age of 80 in 1994.

Below is a write up on Jersey Joe Walcott from the International Boxing Hall of Fame website, along with some photos that I took of his gravesite:

"IN THE RING, Jersey Joe Walcott was the picture of perseverance. He won the heavyweight title in his fifth try, accomplishing the feat at the age of 37. He held the record for oldest heavyweight champion until 45-year-old George Foreman won the crown in 1994.

Born Arnold Cream in Merchantville, New Jersey, Walcott took the name of his boxing idol, Joe Walcott, the welterweight champion from Barbados. He turned pro in 1930 at the age of 16 and embarked on a slow, but steady, rise to the top.

Walcott wound up a loser in his early bouts against world-class competition. He lost a pair of fights to Tiger Jack Fox and was knocked out by contender Abe Simon. But that would change in 1945 when Walcott reeled off victories against such top heavyweights as Joe Baksi, Lee Q. Murray, Curtis Sheppard and Jimmy Bivins. He closed out 1946 with a pair of losses to former light heavyweight champ Joey Maxim and heavyweight contender Elmer Ray, but promptly avenged those defeats in 1947.

Walcott, considered an excellent boxer and slick defensive fighter, challenged Joe Louis for the title in December of 1947 at Madison Square Garden. He dropped the champion twice but lost a 15-round split decision to "The Brown Bomber." The very next year, Louis defeated him again, knocking Walcott out in 11 rounds. When Louis retired, Walcott and Ezzard Charles met for the vacant NBA heavyweight title in 1949 with Charles emerging victorious via 15-round decision.

Walcott beat future Hall of Famer Harold Johnson in 1950 and would duel twice more with Charles in 1951. Charles bested Walcott again in the first match earning a 15-round decision. But in the rematch, Walcott scored a seventh-round knockout, courtesy of his left hook, to finally win the heavyweight title.

Walcott would meet Charles a fourth time, earning a decision in his first title defense. But he would meet up with Rocky Marciano in his second defense and lost the title when the "Brockton Blockbuster" halted him in Round 13. After Marciano knocked him out in the first round of their 1953 rematch, Walcott retired.

After retiring, Walcott remained active in boxing as a referee and later as the chairman of the New Jersey State Athletic Commission."
(http://www.ibhof.com/pages/about/inductees/modern/walcottjersey.html)

MW

Lou Ambers' Grave

Lou Ambers' Grave

Saint Francis Cemetery

2033 North 48th Street

Phoenix, AZ 85008

During a recent visit to Arizona, I was able to stop by the gravesite of former lightweight boxing champion Lou Ambers. Ambers, a native of Herkimer, New York, was known as the Herkimer Hurricane. He was an Italian American fighter whose real name was Luigi Giuseppe d'Ambrosio. Ambers allegedly fought under the name Lou Ambers to prevent his mother from finding out about his profession. Ambers' career spanned from 1932 to 1941, and included two well-known fights against Henry Armstrong in 1938 and 1939.

Below is a write up on Lou Ambers from the International Boxing Hall of Fame website, along with some photos that I took during a recent visit to Ambers' gravesite:

"One of the top lightweights of the 1930s, Lou Ambers built a reputation as a clever, aggressive boxer. Ambers first picked up the rudiments of boxing in a church basement gym in his native Herkimer, New York. When the Great Depression forced his family's restaurant to close and Ambers ended up working in a furniture factory, he decided to try boxing as a career. After fighting in amateur "bootleg" bouts for a few dollars a fight, Ambers entered the professional ranks with a second-round knockout of Frankie Curry in 1932. Ambers continued his winning ways as a pro, going undefeated in his first 32 fights. He earned the attention of The Ring and was named its ninth-best lightweight contender in the 1933 annual rankings.

In 1935, Ambers fought his idol, Tony Canzoneri, for the world lightweight title vacated by Barney Ross. Ambers had previously been Canzoneri's sparring partner. Canzoneri quite easily dispatched Ambers, winning a fifteen-round decision. The next year Ambers faced Canzoneri for the title again. Fighting in Madison Square Garden before a crowd of 18,026, Ambers avenged the earlier defeat to claim the title. He scored with straight lefts-cutting Canzoneri under the eye-and with right uppercuts. Ambers maintained a healthy respect for Canzoneri's slugging ability and avoided serious damage while earning a unanimous decision.

Ambers faced the sternest challenge to his title when he met the feather- and welterweight champion, Henry Armstrong, in Madison Square Garden in 1938. Armstrong knocked Ambers down in the fifth and sixth rounds. Although Ambers recovered sufficiently to gash Armstrong's left eye and mouth, Armstrong continued to fight, swallowing blood so that the damage to his mouth would not be apparent enough to force the referee to stop the fight. Armstrong won a split decision to take the lightweight title. Ambers won the title back in a rematch in Yankee Stadium the next year. It was a vicious fight in which Armstrong lost five rounds because of his low blows. Ambers delivered several telling punches to Armstrong's face and closed one of his eyes to win a split decision. A proposed third fight between these two well-matched fighters never took place.

In 1940, Ambers lost the title when Lew Jenkins stopped him in three rounds. After losing the rematch to Jenkins in seven rounds, Ambers retired. He operated a restaurant and was involved in public relations after leaving the ring."

(http://www.ibhof.com/pages/about/inductees/oldtimer/ambers.html) 

MW