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CANASTOTaINEW YORK

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U. S. A

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OfAmerica!

DEDICATION

This booklet is dedicated to the sport of boxing. We hopethat its contents will convey the Idea that Canastota, NewYork is the ideal site for the international Boxing Hall ofFame.

We've attempted to capture the essence of the sport ofboxing as a way of life in our community, a vital part of thesocial and economic fabric of Canastota.

We have gathered some pictures and stories that portraythe importance of boxing in our town from the 19th century,thru the teens, the roaring twenties, the depression years,the post WWII era, the Carmen Basiiio and Billy Backus championship eras, the present resurgence of boxing and into thefuture where our legacy of boxing may be shared with therest of the world.

In preparing this brochure, we were ably assisted by a number of people who did the digging. Mike Milmoe, Ed Brophy,Frank Eitman, Peter Finn, John DeJohn, Barbara Jones and

others. We thank you for helping with your time and effort.

We appreciate your help.

Sincerely,

Bill LeMon, Editor

Canal and Circus madeCanastota

EarlyFight Town

W

CANA-TOTA BOB

In the early'fO'mid 1800's, Canastotaen/oyed q degree of prosperity provided by the Erie Canal. It is notdifficult to imagine iron-muscledbargemen docking at Canasfofaand wagering a pint or two over theSaturday fights. When the circusmade one of its frequent visits tothe town, the roustabouts oftentangled with the canalers, and theghosts of those bareknucklebrawls probably still linger inCanastota on warm, summer nights.One of those early pugilists was

an immigrant from Tipperary,Ireland, one Paddy Ryan who settled in Watervliet and ran a saloon.He fought an 86-rounder to win theheavyweight title from a Joe Goss,then lost the title to one John L.Sullivan, the first "official"

heavyweight champion of the worldin accredited record books. PaddyRyan, the King of the Erie Canal,most probably fought in Canastota.Some historians feel that the roots

of the Canastota boxing connectiongo way back into the 19th century,and it requires fust a touch ofimagination to substantiate theirtheories. The real beginnings ofboxing as an organized sport camebefore the turn of the century andCanastota's Involvement is a

matter of well documented record.

First Motion PistoreProgestionCanastota BoxingMatch!One of most significant events in the

history of boxing and motion pictures tookplace in Canastota, The first motion pictureprojection was shown in Canastota and thesubject was a boxing bout,it was in August of 1895 that the forerunner

of the Friday Night Fights was born. Thephotographic process was known as theBiograph and its inventor was W,K,L,Dickson, a frequent visitor to Canastota, Onthe fifth of August that year Dickson used hisnew invention to record a sparring match atnoon behind a machine shop on West CenterStreet In Canastota. The stars of this historic

match were Prof, Al Leonard and his pupil,Bert Hosley, According to a report in theCanastota BEE, "For more than one minutethey went at each other In a scientific man-

3

ner and both received i. j li ,.. ^ „ ^^veral hard blows inthe encounter."

Remember, this was lona ,^ ' , "5 before the era ofthe instant replay, and ,t wasn't until

Navember that DicksonS pro/ee/»on machinewos ready and the very projected fightfilm was shown to a small ^ .AA L. t MM Lj eL Bothering outsideMohan's Machine Shop, Th^^,. j *

I projector was setup inside the shop with.r L . j pointingthrough a window onto a uixlautside the building. '""keshift screen

For the next decade the Blr.^ uKeith-s Theatre in New "cansidered one of the telZ^ "Zthe warld. Now America . ^ " rrecardingrightsandshowinaVt. "of peaple. Baling was g"!beast, it all began in CanZstl" ""

Mahan MachineOn West Center Street

OS of November, J963. The"j "f'• '895 sparring matchond tho November, J895

pro/ec/lon bath accurred athe rear offhis building.Photo byvvw Sharpe.

rUMBEIi.

cote C4AAL

MAHAN

MACHINE

SHOP

W. CeNTCR.

CANASTOTABoxing Hotspot

of theTwenties!

by Mike

When Canastota folks think obout thegolden days of boxing in the community theygenerally relate to the Carmen Basilio yearsof the 50s or the Billy Backus years from themid 60s to mid 70s when the communityspawned two world champions.But there were some very other exciting

times for the boxing buffs in Canastota, Thevillage has been a boxing hotspot fordecades.

We've been doing some research on ourcommunity boxing heritage as part of aspecial project the Carmen Baslllo MemorialCommittee Is embarked on. Boxing andCanastota are intertwined. Remember the

Canastota High School boxing teams of thelate 20s and 30s?

On Saturday we got engrossed in the 1925Issues of the Canastota Bee-Journals,

That Is the year that there were boxingshows all over the village and In surroundingcommunities. Canastota seemed to be a hub

for much of the activity, providing the sparkand the fighters,Eddie Kelber was a catalyst for much of the

activity. The former New York Giantsbaseball pitcher who had been gassed andlost a lung In World War I, had come toCanastota for marriage to a Canastotawoman and became caught up in the boxingaction. He was Commander of the American

Legion that year and the legion promotedfights all over - In Newkirk Hall of CenterStreet, In Woolsey Hall on Center Street, onMoose Field at the Helntz farm near the

Miimoe

Thruway entrance and In the Hubbard Canning Factory on Diamond Street. There werefights nearly every month and on the alternate weeks there were shows in Oneida,

Sherrill, Sherburne and Syracuse,The biggest name locally in boxing at the

time belonged to Jimmy DeCapua whofought as a middleweight andlightheavyweight. He had boxed In Floridabefore coming home to Canastota, At onetime he was welterweight champion ofMichigan, His career in boxing came in between his regular job as a policeman, Jimmyeventually had a bout withlightheavyweight champion Mike McTigue, about that Jimmy won. McTigue was championin 1923-25 with the bout between the two

coming In held In Bennington, Vermont inthe late 20s,

There were lots of other local boys whowere Into boxing at the time. DannyGarofalo, now living in Utica, was fighting in1925, He remembers it well, "I got out. Therewasn't any money In it. They'd promise you'60 for a main bout and after it was over put'20 on the table and say that was It, Oncewhen Jimmy DeCopuo wos my second we gotour '60, Jimmy was a cop and he took out hisgun and said we were going to be paid in full.They paid the '60,"Another fighter of the time from Canastota

was Red Johnson, There was Dominick Bruno,Nick DeBalso, Johhny Beach, Danny's brotherSeraflne, There was Pete Baltusnik, Freddie

Lumbrazo, Mike Costanzo,

KO Chappie moved from Binghamfon toConosfofo to be in the thick of things. Asreported in "Kelsey's Ken" the B-J sportseoiumn of the day... "KO Chappie has locatedin Conostoto. He appears to be a nice boyand con sure fight up a storm. He wiii be owelcome addition to our excellent crop ofboxers. The addition of Chappie means thatConostoto without o doubt will lead anyCentral New York village or city in thecaliber of its boxers." Even then, we were adrawing cord for young men getting involvedin boxing.Another of the fighters who come on the

scene a bit later was Eddie Gordy, one ofConostoto's oil'time strong men.Eddie used to ploy hardball barehanded. He

carried pianos up and down stairs. He boxed,he wrestled, he did it all. He hod morestrength than finesse and would often endup hitting himself with his round houserights, but he was a crowdpleoser.Former Conostoto mayor Ernie Emmi

remembers hiking himself up the fire escapeto the Woo/sey building as a youngster towatch the wonderful fights.DeCopua and Beach and Gus Gustafson

finally drifted away from Conostoto andrelocated In Bath, Maine where Jimmy con

erican LegionArena

2300 SEATS UNDER ROOF

ICSematis St. at R. R.-West Palm Beach

tinued as a policeman and boxer.Base Spadter tells about the McTigue fight.

"Jimmy told me that in the 8th round hethrew a punch and went into a clinch and McTigue said, "Give an old man a chance." Jimmy beat him In the 10 round non title fight.Base thinks Johnny Beach could have been a

champion had he put his mind to it. "Therewas this good Syracuse fighter, Joe Galnorfrom Syracuse who was the best around,Johnny put him out under the Hubbard shedin five rounds." Said Kelsey in the Bee-Journal, "How Johnny put Canastota on theboxing map. Through five rounds Galnornever landed a single, clean blow...In thisbattle Johnny Beach fought the best battlethat has been fought by any boxer in a localor neighboring town ring. He showed boxingclass, which if he takes care of himself, maycarry him high in the world of fisticuffs."So it isn't all Basilio and Backus when you

think of Canastota boxing. There were thosebefore and after who carry a rich boxingtradition for Canastota. The Canastota

Boxing club is the longest established clubpromoting fights west of Albany in the stateand the most active Syracuse club right nowin operated by another Canastotan, EdBrophy. The tradition continues...

TJUESDAYSeptember IQth

8:30 P. M.

JIMMY

DeCAPUArM>T. HJi ft lix POI SDh

EIWIE

SAGUESiiryG.vfA-tf:*'' j*.: nn SV9 lo

t VERNON SEELEY vs.. "RED" HOOKSwr .f vwM nrtrB

MnrMQAfTA YOUNG LUCIUS vs. JIMMY FOUNTAINMl a rvi.M at. AOt

TWO HTHFR T.nnn PRFI IMINAriF<; •auni itxioiB

Canastota High SchoolKeeps BoxingFlame Alive

From the exciting professional boxing matches of the 1920's, the history of Canastotaboxing moves Into the depression years ofthe thirties while the sparks of the sportremained glowing hotly. The next move inthe community's love affair with the sporfbecame a high school romance and Canastotahigh School put together Its first boxingteam In 1934. The initial program was held atthe school on Valentine's Day as seven boutsof three, two-minute rounds against a teamfrom Fulton, N.Y. were staged. Boxing onthat first team to carry the banner ofCanasfofa High were Art Robinson, SfonDunfey, Bun Sykes, Paul Kimball, Andy Plnaand William Fine.

Until America's entry in World War 11,Canastota High School turned out some of

11"THE TOOT

I

the finest boxing teams in the state. PinkySchmidt coached these teams and the

school's top athletes competed for positionsin every weight class. Among the scholasticboxers of the pre-war era were Benny Sgroiwho later became an intercollegiate boxingchampion at Syracuse University, the threeMontalbano brothers, Casper, Fred and Tony;Louie and Frank Fiore and even the greatCarmen Baslllo who boxed a few matches

before departing for the U.S. Marines.With the war came the end to all high school

boxing programs and it was never resumedfollowing V—J Day. But for one goldendecade boxing played as big a role in the lifeof a Canastota teenager as did bobbysox andboogie woogie. High School boxing kept thelong chain in the Canasfofa connection unbroken.

The Canastota High BoxingTeam won three of the four

matches they fought. Theydefeated the SkaneatelesHigh team twice. The firsttime by a score of 8 to 3, the

second time by a score of 8.5to 1.5. They won the firstagainst Oswego by a score of7 to 4, and lost the second

against the same team by ascore of 6.5 to 5.5. The team

consisted of the followingboys.

F. Patane 95 lbs., P. Ellis 95

lb., H. Fiore 100 lbs., A. Farnach100 lbs.. A, Veschussio 105 lbs.,F. Mariano 110 lbs., A. Basilio

? 10 lbs., C. Tornatore 115 lbs,,J. Russitano 115 lbs., G. Sor-

bello 120 lbs., J. SagnettI120 Ids., R. Hamlin 120 lbs., E.LeBlanc 125 lbs., L. Nichols 130lbs., V. Hall 135 lbs., S. Guifre140 lbs., P. Hamlin 145 lbs., C.Cretaro 755 lbs., C. Moore 165

lbs.

Mr. Schmidt expects to havea league next year. This year,he put on a novice tournament for boys who hadnever been out for boxing.The boys were matched asequally as possible accordingto age and weight. The winners were aworded medals.

Canasfota High Sciioef CARMEN BASILIOBoxing Teams

Above: These Canasfofa High boxers will metNorwich High at Canastota in the final homemeet of the season on Friday night. They are, I tor, V. Masucci, Warrington Austerman, Ray Bar-tholomay, Joe Cerio, Sammy Tornatore, WilliamFine, Patsy Pugliano, Andy Pino, and Dan Garaf-fola, former professional fighter, who is helpingAthletic Director William Schmidt in training theCanastota squad.

Right - S.U.'s Ben Sgroi, Intercollegiate BoxingChamp from Canastota helped carry Orange toNCAA Title.

1941 BOXING TEAMist Row - (/ to r) Frank Mariano, EddieLeBlanc, Joe Russitano, Leonard Nichols,George Sorbello.2nd Row - Charlie Moore, Bug Mali, Ben Sgroi,Bill Tanner, Jim Rinaldo.3rd Row - Ray Hay, Tony Montalbano

The Canastota Ciouterby FRANK ELTMAN

Dispatch Sports EditorCANASTOTA — Pinky Schmidt had to keepchasing him out of the Canastota High Schoolgym. He only weighed about 85 pounds andthe weight classes didn't go that low in highschool boxing competition.Schmidt, the coach of the Canastota boxing

team, could take only so much pesteringbefore he relented and let the scrawny kidbox. After all, the match against Cato-Meridian was the last match a Canastota

team would ever have.

What difference would It make anyway?It made plenty of difference to that son of

immigrant farmers who nourished that loveof pugilism until it grew into two differentworld boxing championships and a lifetimeof dedication to that sport.Carmen BasiUo, the Canastota Ciouter as

Ring Magazine once referred to him, hascome a long way since the day Pinky Schmidtlet him box.

His neighbors, the people of Canastota,want to make sure no one forgets the markBasilio made on the boxing world.Dozens of BasiUo's friends are planning to

erect a building honoring the boxing iegendopposite the New York State Thruway exit inCanastota.

"Naturally I couldn't be nothing but happyabout this, i really appreciate what thepeople of Canastota are doing. And I have totell you, I'm a little bit nervous about thewhole thing," said Basilio.

"This is something that never even enteredmy mind, it's a great honor that people thinkthat much of me," he said.Although BasiUo's love of boxing grew

when he was a youngster, he didn't actuallystart taking the sport seriously until afterbeing discharged from the U.S. Marines: heserved in Guam and Pearl Harbor duringWorld War 11.

in 1948, both Carmen and his brother, Paulwon the Adirondack competition of theGolden Gloves. But someone had to work onthe farm back In Canastota, so only one

brother could make the trip to the nationalchampionships in Boston.Paul agreed to stay home and Carmen went

to the finals before getting beat by CharleyCotton, It was that loss that convinced

Basilio to turn professional, said Paul.Basilio was largely known as "just a club

fighter," in his early professional days. Healso gained a reputation as a rugged, lion-hearted fighter who dished out as much as hetook.

After battling some of the greats of his day,including Kid Gaviian, Chuck Davey, and BillyGraham, Basilio finally won the worldwelterweight title on June 10, 1955, when heknocked out Tony DeMarco in the 12th roundin Syracuse.He later went on to beat Sugar Ray Robin

son for the world middleweight title in 1957.That accomplishment won Basilio the HickokBeit, symbolic of the professional athlete ofthe year.The Robinson fight earned Basilio nearly

*200,000, which was a huge purse for any non-heavyweight bout in 1957. Basilio explained,"Well there was never any love lost betweenme and Robinson. There was a little friction.

There was a lot of public interest and closedcircuit TV. I was the welterweight championand he was the middleweight champion. Andhe was five years older than I was. A lot ofpeople wanted to see whot would happen."What happened was one of boxing's more

memorable matches. Basilio and Robinson

battered each other for 15 rounds before a

large Yankee Stadium crowd. And Basiliowon the title.

CARMEN'S

BOXING RECORD

WON _

LOST _

DRAWS

79 FIGHTS

-26KOS- 56

16

7

BASILIO: The Canasfofa ClouferBATTLE OF WELTERWEIGHT COWTEWDEBS

MAD. SO. GARDEN-Fill SEPT. 1ILM AVE. 4Stti TO Skh srs. 1. T. CRT

CARMEN BASOJO

AUSHLQ or OrrSNATIONAL BOZDfC CLITB OF HEW TOK.

MAIN EVENT 10 ROUNDS

BASILIOLEADING CONTENDER FROM CANASTOTA,N.Y. HAD KID GAVILAN ON THE FLOOR

vs

CARMINE

BOUTS START AT >20 P. M.

CARMINE nORE

HtOOKLYNS GREAT LEFT HOOKER. ONE OF THE MOST DANGEROUS PUNCHERS IN BOXING

IP! BELL n IE CHIHARUM-5 CLASSY FEATHERWEKKT SDemiAL • BOUMDB

E^TNUTHARLEM PUNCHER

IIIWIN SCHULZ VSYuHKVlLLE RETURN BOUT BY POPULAR DEMAND, B ROUNDS

BILL TAITCHICAGO

RESERVED - *2 - »3 - H - *5 • «6 & »8 inc. taxBuy tickets DOW at MAD. SQ. GARDEN BOX OFFICE, 8th AVL, 49tti to 50th STS^ Tel. COIumbus 5-6815

emism kJminv..^.'

CANASTOTA

'GOOD LUCK, CARMEN!'This 1952 photo showsCanastota Po//ce Chief

Freddie Verro, ConostotoHigh School boxing coachPinky Schmidt and MayorAlex DeBrucque wishingCarmen Boslflo good fortuneOSthe fighter waited for atrain to take him to Chlcogofor his July T6fight withChuck Dovey.

DICKIEDiVERONICAAnother Canastota Contender

Still another Canastotan is a frequent entryinto the boxing record books. He Is DickDIVeronica, a welterweight contender whowas ranked as high as eighth in the world atone point in his career.DiVeronica's idol and first manager was

Carmen Basilio and he is built along the somelines as the champion. His promising careerwas interrupted in 1961 when he was draftedInto the Army during the Berlin crisis. He hadbeaten Jay Fullmer, Tommy Tibbs andseveral other top welterweights. He fought

Emile Griffith, a middleweight champion,Don Jordan and was a frequent star of theFriday Night Fights on T.V. Dick began hiscareer In 1958 and worked under Carmen

Basilio's former manager Johnny DeJohn. Healso worked with Angelo Dundee, EllHanover, and Lenny McMillen. He attendedCornell on a wrestling scholarship and was athree-year high school wrestling champ witha record of 81-4. DIVeronica boxed until 1967and compiled a career record of50-10.

BOXINGBALTIMORE, MARYLAND

FIRST BOUT 8:30 P. M.

SPORTS ACnVITlES, Inc. EU HANOVER, Promoter EDDIE HRICA, Matchmaker

MAIN EVENT TEN ROUNDS

^ Sweet Herbie•uTun-t taTOflmir dumi - im lui KiTcaffain w nc nmi

-vs.-HeHeie LIE

Dkk mVIRONICASUUnT*. 1. Y • iuhM CtitiiMr • Frvuge «( Ctrau MHi*. Fonwr RtRtn«fU t H.MmlfH Cka^iM H tki VwU.

- OTHER ACTION PACKED BOUTS

RksgsSde $6.00 # MexzonSne $6.00

Rear RIMSIDE $4.00 • Rear MEZZANINE $4.00LOWER COMCOURU

Genmral Admission $3,00

TKRiTi

ON

SALE

BALTIMORE, MD.Chrk C*Ml«r • Jmwmc A«Micy • PImm 6SS • 72B2>T«w*r Bwrfc*. flupa224 i. BmHImm* St..PlM«M MS-7977-Lo«bT.SmHb Sp«Ht»« Owde

S12 CMOiiing St.-Phoiw 475 >2123P.C.

SuiMr Muk City • 1344 F St. N. W. • PImm IkrikmM 8 - 679B t.vEd Murfrfiy'* ^pper Club 2227 G*»r9la A««. N. W.•Pb—> 234.2617.

..A A,

Can the Hard'Punching DIVeronica Slop Harris' Unbeaten Streak?

ARENA15th & MARKET STS.

BOXING MON 1QFEB. lu

riRST BOUT 8.30 P K.

Promoter LOU LUCCHCSE Presents10 • ROUN DS -10

HARRISPHILMEIPHIA'S UNDEFEATED No. 1 WELTERWEIGHT CONTENDBl 23-0] CAN HE GH BY DiVBtONICA?

.entalional Protegt of CARMEN BASIUO frna CANASTOTA. K. Y. -MjO

we- PLUS AN ALI

TICKETS ON SALE NOW; ARUIA ASIA & Market S

& ALL GYMASIUMS . FOR RESERVATIONS

PETE TDRO, JAY FllLLMHt (36-8)

ARD!

^^py Grazlano keeps track ofBoxing Greats.

Ticket Office; 1422 Ckeetoot St:

Eart}! Avoid Tk Ust Uintt teh!«.i_ .« «|Rn, al 7 P. M,

Promoters, ChampionsFrequent VisitorsTo CanastotaAn authentic Who's Who of Boxing coufd he

compiled by listing the occompflshmenfs andcontributions of the many promoters andfighters of championship calibre who havevisited Canastota throughout the years.Manager-promoter Tony Grazlano recalls

greeting these king-makers in Canastota:Norm Rothchild, Don King, Bob Arum,George Parnassus, Don Ozbaum, MurrayGoodman, Sam SHverman and Lou Messina.

Tony Graz's guest hook of fighters includesthe names of Willie Pep, Rocky Marciano,Floyd Patterson, Jose Napoles, HedgmonLewis, Saul Momby, James Braddock, andGene Fullmer.

BILLY BACKUStMemories of Boxing twinklein Backus' eyes

by FRANK ELTMANDispatch Sports Editor

CANA5TOTA — The fire that once burned In the eyesof BillyBackus has been reduced to a twinkling flame.But the warmth and love of boxing that allowedBackus to wear the world welterweight title belt In1970 still glows."I still watch the film of that fight. I eon give you a

blow by blow description if you want," gleamedBackus, allowing himself a brief moment of modestback-patting.Backus, who retired in 1978 after a devastating eye

inlury and 75 professional fights. Is loined by his uncle, Carmen BasUio, in being honored by the villagersaf Canastota who want to pay tribute to their cham-

'̂ Staties of the champions are being made and abuilding on North Peterboro Street that will housethe likenesses is planned. Backus is honored by theattention. "I'm happy they thought about me, saidBackus, referring to the committee that Is planning

*BaIint"w'ho Is 16 years older "Z'̂ york^rs'the driving force behind many Central New Workersattempts at boxing fame, says Backus. Carmen wasthe leader. Most anyone who came from thisaslugger, not astylist. Many people wanted to follow

I96S But two yeors later, times turned rough. He wasfrom h/s construction lob and got In shape''"^ll!!'l°s7lr!ed again In 1967. the title was the for-thest "-'IIS lX7sstXl7etts. Now Jor-

afo; o7 -.p.now onoo«. wo. ohot boxing town a No. S ranking Ingy '970. Bock« workod championJoseNapoZl was looking father than*g:X77.wh:t!ZtlTwhot seemed to be auulneroble15-7 record.

What they didn't know was i hadn't lost since I started boxing again. Those seven losses came before1965. They were probably looking for an easy fight,but they quickly found out It was going to be a war,"Backus said.

The first two roundswere typical of many championship bouts. Each fighter tried "sizing up" his opponent. In the third round, Napoles told his handlershe had enough and was ready to put awaythe scrapper from Canastota."In the third round he came out flying. He was

dynamite. Hekept moving; he wason his toes. Hewasreally sharp as can be. He had every intention that hewas gonna put me away. He hit me with his best shotand I was still there," grinned Backus.The fourth round was different, though. After

discovering that he could take the best the championhadto dish out.Backus was readyto brawl. Acut over

HgXXortZ

?hohl « ''"""P'O" «""< three viclouc left hooks.Tho beating opened ogosh In Napoles eye that forcedthejgdoctor to stop tho «ght and award Backus tht

Hnuod to flght untnZ:y goy,XZ7:X:"- ""another shot at the crown hi II' uCoevos. then-champion Pepino

BuTu"o7d"ZZZy''"T' 'H-" "•- """""p-

clu^h^tho^^o'Xfo^s wg'h'r^^ "r^ 'T-'ended the fight and Backus'otso his career. With 50 wins onT " ott^mpt, butBockushung up his

I

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In

BILLY'S BOXmGRECORD73 FIGHTS

Won 48

f-OST _PtfAWS

21 KO's

20

Discuss January Non-Ti+le Bou+ - ^

Welter Title Back InA week ago the boxing ex

perts outside of Gentnl NewYork wondered who BlUy Bae-kus was?

Now they know. He is wciter-wolght boxing champion of thoworld. And. his uncle Is CarmenBosillo, Idmself a former worldwelterweight champion. And thetwo of them were bom In Can

astota, the only community thisslcc that can claim such a singular honor.

There Is also a oommunltydinner at the COsa Mia on Jan

uary 21 to toast the new Champion on his recoit victory.

Pictures, story, comment onthe Backus - Napoles Plghl ohPages 2, 10, 11.

Canastota attorney MichaelPcrretta Is serving as generalchairman of the dinner and program. An Italian smorgasbordwill be served starting at S P.M. Tickets wUl soon be available.

Billy returns to the gym today (Titursday) the first limeas champion, havii^ walked outlost Wednesday a contender.He's no richer, having drawnabsolutely nothing In the 222,-000 loss ^talked up by the pro-nwting Canastota Boxing Club.

Napoles took home most ofthe receipts In the form of his(02.000 guarantee. But the titlestayed here.

Present plans call for at leastthree non-Utle fights beforemeeting Napoles in a title rematch on the West Coast. Madison Square Garden has blockedout January 22 for Billy If asuitable opponent can be foxmd.

For seven years, and Intensively for the last three, Billyhod t>een working his way upthrough the welterweight rankings and finally Thursday hegot his shot at the title. Fewoutside this area thought hehad a chance at dethroning JoseNapoles, but he dU it by aTKO — and now Billy, uncle-tralncr Carmen Basllto andTony Graaiaivo are out to reapthe profits and show the restof the world What BUly conreaUy do.

English promoter Jack Soii>mons ha.s offered (tOO.OOO andTV money for a title fight InEngland against lightweightKen Buchsmon of Scotland.Canadian promoters want to seeBackus against Donato Pa-duano. There is a (28.000 guarantee and TV money for a non-title fight agaln-sl Bed L<opeion the West Coast. There areTV guest appearances to consider; the possibility of a CBSfilm about Canastota — Baslltoand Backus In themuch much more. And.thequestion of whether Wfl^htla Syracuse or not?

The hard declstons arc onlyhcS^lngfortho^mp^.^

QTmsnOM OF THE8o vrtw do you

after the llgW.

. the lAST UttJOH

Still Number OneSport for Canastotn!

With such a rich tradition of boxing in thepast, it wouid notbe difficuit to overlook thetremendous enthusiasm for the sport thatexists in Canastota today.We have several gyms, one of the oldest

fight clubs in the state, young amateurboxers and promoters. One of thesepromoters is Bd Brophy. and if ever a youngman had boxing in his blood, it is Bd Brophy.Fan, fighter, promoter, trainer, preacher ofthe Gospel according to Boxing, he's done italk

*^sns

Ed has been a boxing fan since he was fiveyears old. He began clipping articles and pictures from magazines and newspapers In theearly I960's and has put together a collectionof boxing memorabilia that Is the envy ofmany collectors throughout the country. Infact, his scrapbooks, photo albums, postersand signs were Included In Brophy's fights atthe War Memorial,

In 1973 Ed tried the gloves himself, thenwent into coaching teenage amateurs fromCanastota. He still maintains a gym In hisgarage. In 1982, he began to realize his

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BOXINGNOTICE

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Brophy has demonstrated a unique obilitYto combine boxing savvy wif/i skillfulshowmanship. His SEARCH fights featurespecial effect lighting, stirring music on th^PA system, a glamorous Round Card girl andmany other trappings that have spelledsuccess In his first two ventures. His most recepfpromotion offered free champagne andcigars to top-price ticket purchasers. At 2^years of age, Brophy has gained more experience Inmore phases of boxing that manYof us do In a lifetime. He Is one reason whYthe sport of boxing Is alive and well IPCanastota today.

CHAMPION

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8 REASONS WHYTHE IMTEHHATIOMAL BOXIMO

HALL OF FAME SHOULD BE

ESTABLISHED IN CANASTOTA, H.Y.1. The BoxingBoxing has been part of the fabric of Canastota'slifestyle since the 19th century. It Is the home of thefirst projection mofion picture equipment, and thefirst movie projected wos In Canastota of a sparringmatch filmed In Canastota.

3. The Community Spirit...Our people have just completed the Carmen BasllloMemorial, a project worth approximatejy *100,000featuring bronze statues of Carmen and Billy Baclcus.The project Is completely paid for and our next goal Isthe Hall of Fame. It's something we want.

5. Near Other Halls of FameIn a single day a family could visit the Basketball Hallof Fame In Springfield, Mass., the Baseball Hall InCooperstown, the Soccer Hall of Fame in Oneonta andthe Boxing Hall In Canastota. A few hours more andIt's the Football Hall of Fame In Canton, Ohio.

••

7, A Boxing Hotbed•••Central New York Is enjoying a Renaissance of boxingwith Canasfotan Ed Brophy promoting his SYRACUSEIN SEARCH OF A CHAMPION series at the War

Memorial, national promoters using the WarMemorial for title fights, and the presence of theCarrier Dome which can seat up to 60,000 for an Indoorfight, one of the few facilities to make such a boast.

CANASTOTA, N^yT|

2, The Boxing People.Conostoto Is the hometown of some of America's bestknown boxers, managers and promoters. CarmenBaslllo, Billy Backus, Dick DIVeronIca, Tony Grazlano,Benny Sgrol are just a few of this elite group ofCanastotans who have made their mark In the boxingworld.

4. The Location•••Canastota Is perfectly situated for the Hall of Fame.The site we have chosen Is ringside to the New YorkState Thruway Exit 34 In the heart of the State. We'rewithin an easy one-day drive of 40% of the populationof the nation and 70% of the population of Canada.We're close to Syracuse, another great boxing community, with Its War Memorial and Carrier Dome, twoof America's great sports facilities.

6. Media Center...Proximity to Syracuse means top notch mediaavailability for wire services, two excellent dallynewspapers, all major radio and TV network affiliates, an aggressive cable TV operation andstringers for national magazines.

8. Hometown Flavor•••People like the feeling of Hometown, U.S.A. andCanastota lives up to the Image with tree-linedstreets, neat, comfortable homes, prosperousbusiness district and a pace not quite as hectic as mostvacationers are used to keeping during the other fiftyweeks of the year. Canastota Is a far cry from theflash and glitter of America's gambling capitals, andthat charm Is the unique benefit we have to offer theInternational Boxing Hall of Fame.

CANASTOTAToday and Tomorrow

The All-American Community!!The Carmen Baslllo Memorial which will be

opened to the public this summer is morethan a monument honoring one of our mostfamous citizens. It Is a tribute to a com

munity spirit that says "CAN DO" - and DOES!With the same enthusiasm and leadership

that made the Baslllo Memorial a reality, weare actively seeking establishment of the International Boxing Hall of Fame In our community, We have the land available adjacentto the New York State Thruway Entrance,We have the means of raising the dollars

necessary to build the Hall of Fame, A highly

attractive program encouraging commerce.Industry and governmenf to participate inthe Hall will soon be In place.We have the special appeal of a small town,

the same quality of life that has modeCooperstown so successful as the site of theBaseball Hall of Fame,

If you wish to help our cause, WELCOME, Wehope you will talk about us, write about us,support us, criticize us, and possibly even saya little proyer for us, for we fee/ thatCanastota Is Indeed the Ideal site for the IN

TERNATIONAL BOXING HALL OF FAME,

Aerial view of land available for Hall of Fame location.

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The CemmittteeOFFICERSJoe Bonaventura - Chairman

Charles Sgroi - Vice PresidentCharles Bidinger - SecretaryEd Brophy - Treasurer

MEMBERSDonald Cerio - Mayor of CanastotaMike Perretta - Attorney

Anthony Pulverenti - President, Canastota Office, OneidaNational Bank

Case Mulford - Real Estate Broker

Peter Finocchiaro - Town Councilman

Mike Milmoe - Editor-Owner, Canastota Bee Journal

Fred Davis - Genesee

Rocky Altamero - Contractor-Owner, CanastotaConstruction Company

Joe Eppolito - Aide to Sen Martin Auer; CountyRepublican Chairman

Paul Basilio - Owner Food Processing Company

Joe Paone - District Public Relations, Niagara Mohawk

John Emmi - Motel Owner i

Joe Rinaldo - Restaurant Owner

Dave Beach - Owner of McDonald's Franchises

Bob Arnold - Audio/Visual Technician

Grace Rapasaddi - Town & Village ClerkFelix Montalbano - Business Owner

Jack Rogers - Office Supply Corp. OwnerRich Rinaldo - Pabst Beer Sales Representative

FOR FURTHER DETAILS ON THE PROGRESS OF THE

INTERNATIONAL HALL OF FAME,

Contact Ed Brophy 315-697-7835