By David Weinberg
Atlantic City, once regarded as the “Boxing Capital of the World,” is going to relive those glory days again this weekend.
Many of the fighters, trainers, promoters and other officials who were part of that special era will be gathering at Hard Rock Casino Resort for the eighth edition of the Atlantic City Boxing Hall of Fame induction ceremony.
The official induction ceremony will be Saturday, when 21 of the sport’s most influential and successful figures will be honored.
The list includes nine former fighters, many of whom competed in the 1980s and ‘90s, when boxing hit its peak on the boardwalk.
The heyday was a four-year span from 1982 and 1985, when the resort hosted an amazing 521 fight cards, including 139 in 1982 and 143 in 1985. Virtually every Atlantic City casino hosted boxing shows. Tropicana owned “Tuesday Night Fights” while other venues such as Bally’s, Caesars, Resorts, Sands, Trump Plaza, Trump Castle and Trump Taj Mahal held cards on the weekends either at their properties or Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall.
Sometimes it spilled over into the week. One fun fact about the epic Mike Tyson-Michael Spinks heavyweight bout at Boardwalk Hall in 1988 was that it was held on a Monday (June 27).
Former heavyweight Gerry Cooney, who is being inducted Saturday, was part of that special chapter in Atlantic City boxing history.
Cooney had memorable fights with Michael Spinks and George Foreman in Atlantic City in 1987 and 1990, respectively. His final fight was a second-round loss to Foreman at Boardwalk Hall on Jan. 15, 1990. Both Spinks and Foreman are in the Atlantic City Boxing Hall of Fame.
The Hall of Fame boxers also include Mark Breland, James “Buster” Douglas, Tyrone Mitchell Frazier, Mario Maldonaldo, Sergio Martinez, Sharmba Mitchell, Paul Williams and Eva Jones-Young.
Jones-Young is believed to be the third female fighter to enter the Hall of Fame, joining Kathy Collins and Jamillia Lawrence.
Martinez and Williams staged two epic fights at Boardwalk Hall. Williams won the first meeting via majority decision in 2009. Martinez scored a stunning, second-round knockout in the rematch a year later.
In between, Martinez won the WBO and WBC middleweight belts with a unanimous decision over A.C. Boxing Hall of Fame member Kelly Pavlik there and also scored an 11th-round knockout over Darren Barker in the same ring in 2011.
When it comes to choosing fighters for induction, Atlantic City Hall of Fame president Ray McCline and his crew do a great job of nominating world champions from various eras while also providing an outlet for local fighters to be considered.
One of this year’s inductees, Vineland resident Mario Maldonado, is a great example.
He was never a world champion, yet used an aggressive style to enjoy a degree of success and also become a fan favorite.
Half of his 42 professional fights were in Atlantic City. He was a staple on the casino circuit in the mid-80s, then incredibly returned after a 20-year hiatus in 2005 at age 45 and posted a respectable 2-1 record before retiring for good.
Two other local boxing figures – trainer Bruce Blair of Egg Harbor Township and local boxing writer Guy Gargan from Ocean City – are being inducted in the special contributor category with trainer James “Buddy” McGirt, manager/promoter Sampson Lewkowicz, matchmaker Eric Bottjer and media member Randy Gordon.
Blair worked with a number of local fighters in his career, including former junior-lightweight and lightweight contender John Brown of Atlantic City, who is in the ACBHOF.
Gargan, a longtime writer for the Press of Atlantic City, covered bouts with fellow Hall of Famers and Press writers Dave Bontempo and yours truly.
McGirt has the rare distinction of earning acclaim in Atlantic City as both a fighter and trainer. He fought 14 times there in the ’80s and ’90s, then later served as Arturo Gatti’s trainer during his memorable bouts at Boardwalk Hall.
Olympic gold medalist Howard Davis, longtime Showtime Boxing executive Jay Larkin and referee Eddie Cotton will be honored posthumously.
Boxers Joey Giardello, George Godfrey and Eric Seelig will be inducted in the new Pioneer category that was created last year.
Giardello won the world middleweight title with a 15-round decision over Dick Tiger at Atlantic City’s Convention Hall on Dec. 7, 1963.
Eagles earn last-minute win
It wasn’t pretty by any stretch. Then again, the NFL doesn’t award bonus points for aesthetics.
The Eagles (2-1) took over sole possession of first place in the NFC East with a 15-12 victory over New Orleans last Sunday.
You can thank running back Saquon Barkley, tight end Dallas Goedert and the defense for the win. The defense stymied a Saints offense that had put up 91 combined points in its first two games. Barkley and Goedert delivered big plays that helped the Birds overcome some questionable decisions by coach Nick Sirianni.
Barkley, the NFL’s leading rusher, gained 147 yards and scored two touchdowns. Goedert stepped up 10 receptions for a career-high 170 yards.
Their efforts compensated for Sirianni’s puzzling penchant for eschewing field goals in favor of going for it on fourth down. He did it twice at New Orleans and both attempts came up short.
Winning no doubt eased the pressure, but while he may not be on the hot seat, that chair is at least lukewarm.
David is a nationally recognized sports columnist who has covered Philadelphia and local sports for over 40 years. After 35 years with The Press, he has served as a columnist for 973ESPN.com and created his own Facebook page, Dave Weinberg Extra Points.
Send comments to weinbergd419@comcast.net.
