WHY PHILADELPHIA BOXING HISTORY?

Every time I searched the Internet for the names of any of my favorite Philly fighters, I was always disappointed with the results.  There was a ton of boxing information on the Web and many great sites that I visited everyday – several times a day.  But there seemed to be a real lack of specific info regarding Philadelphia boxing.  I was surprised by how little I could find.  Really, only the Peltz Boxing site offered any real focus on the subject. 

For a long time, I wished for a comprehensive source for all things Philly Boxing – records, stories, memorabilia, details, photos, lists, and something that put it all into context.  So, I decided to begin this site with the hope that it will become exactly that – a record of Philadelphia’s great boxing past – the characters, events, venues and legends. 

The site is a work in progress and has a long way to go.  However,  I am dedicated to developing it into something great.  Then when a fan searches a name like 'Bennie Briscoe', they will find some real information about him as well as additional data on his contemporaries, his place among them, his era, his importance, and more.  I want Philly Boxing History - everything that took place - to be remembered by all and I want it to be easily accessible.  

As a teen in the 1970’s, my brother would take me to the Spectrum fights.  We saw Jeff Chandler, Matthew Saad Muhammad, Jerome Artis, Curtis Parker, Alfonso Hayman, Youngblood Williams, and many others.  The first title fight I attended in person was Mike Rossman vs. Aldo Travesaro at the Spectrum in 1978.  Those nights really made an impression.    

As I continued to follow boxing in the 1980's, one of the best-ever boxing eras, I saw many, many excellent matches on broadcast TV, cable TV, closed circuit TV, and live.  But those nights at the Spectrum Fights always stood out.  I came to realize how special they really were.  For me, nothing came close to Saad Muhammad vs. Richie Kates or the other bouts I attended in Philadelphia.    

After many years as a boxing super-fan, it is Philly Boxing that has become most important to me, and it is this history that I want to help preserve.  So, pursuit of this project is a natural.  The Website has become my method for collecting and compiling the details of this topic that I love so much.  In time, it will become the definitive resource for Philadelphia boxing information. 

RELATED PROJECTS

I hope that publishing this site will help me to develop other related projects, such as a broad-based general boxing history Web site and a printed Philadelphia boxing history reference.  In addition, I am currently conducting interviews with the legends of Philly Boxing - committing their memories, voices, images and stories to video.  The information gathered in these interviews will eventually find its way onto this Web site in the form of written bios, narratives, and various fight reports.  However, expanding the footage into a documentary film series is a longer-term goal.  Such a production would be the ultimate record of this extraordinary subject, and would be a great aid in preserving this important history forever. 

If you participated in Philadelphia's boxing history, in any way - even as a spectator - and are willing to be interviewed  please send an e-mail. 

Finally, if you have information on this topic that you'd like to share, or if you are interested in helping to advance any of the projects described, please contact Philly Boxing History.  Your assistance, interest, and support is needed, and would be appreciated.  Thank you,  John DiSanto

BERNARD FERNANDEZ:

Web site is all about Philly Boxing

Philadelphia Daily News - February 22, 2005

John DiSanto was a kid, scouring magazines for stories about his favorite baseball players. But in the process of expanding his knowledge of Pete Rose, he discovered athletes who were even more pugnacious than Charlie Hustle, whose grit and determination were exemplified not by headfirst slides but by mouth-bloodying punches exchanged in the prize ring.

"I was always a baseball fan when I was growing up," said DiSanto, the 42-year-old behind www.phillyboxinghistory.com, a terrific Web site. "In reading as much as I could about baseball, I came across articles and photographs about boxers.

"I really got drawn in. My first attraction to boxing was in the sport itself, not specifically to boxing in Philadelphia. I remember seeing that famous photo of [Rocky] Marciano hitting [Jersey Joe] Walcott with a huge right hand. It just piqued my interest.

"So I started watching fights on TV. That was the time of Muhammad Ali and Roberto Duran, a great era for boxing. I began buying The Ring magazine. But it was when I started attending Russell Peltz-promoted fights at the Spectrum as a teenager, with my brother, that I got really hooked. Jeff Chandler and Matthew Saad Muhammad were my favorite Philadelphia fighters back then."

DiSanto, a marketing manager who 2 years ago moved from Center City to Mantua, N.J., transformed his adolescent avocation into a labor of love, and phillyboxinghistory.com went online in May 2004.

"I'm pretty happy with where it is and where it's going, although it's still a work in progress," DiSanto said. "A year from now, I'd still consider it a work in progress. But as time goes on, it keeps coming together. I'm certainly not embarrassed by it now."

Nor should he be. DiSanto's site includes photos, records, highlights and other fascinating tidbits about Philadelphia fights, fighters, trainers, managers and promoters. Even cutmen, referees, ring announcers and media members draw mentions.

Oh, sure, you'll find Joe Frazier, Bernard Hopkins, Chandler and Saad in there, but also lesser-known guys who never quite strode the world stage but are no less a part of this city's rich boxing mosaic.

"My initial goal was - is - to create a record of Philadelphia's great boxing history so people can find this information," DiSanto said. "I don't want these guys to be forgotten.

"For a lot of them, their legacies are set, they're in the Hall of Fame, they've got much broader-based recognition. But there are many others who have really good stories and were there doing it in Philadelphia when it was earning the reputation of being the best boxing city in America, and maybe the world."

HELP DOCUMENT PHILLY'S GREAT BOXING HISTORY

Are you a Philly fight fan?  Are you or a member of your family a boxer, trainer, manager, promoter, historian, collector, or some other type of participant in the boxing world?  Philly Boxing History needs your help. 

This web site relies on photographs, memorabilia and other visual elements to tell the story of Philly boxing.  If you have any items that you are willing to share, please contact us.  Some of the best elements of this Web site have been contributed by the families of former boxers, who have opened their personal archives to us. 

We need photos, programs, posters, ticket stubs, flyers, handbills, newspapers, magazines, equipment, or any and every other type of relic that is connected to Philly boxing.  We would like to scan, photograph, copy or purchase any item you may have. 

Further, we need to hear your stories and personal accounts of Philadelphia fights and local boxers.  We would love to include your experiences and memories in this Web site.  We accept written submissions and content suggestions.  We also are interested in interviewing anyone with a story to tell. 

To get involved, please contact us using any of the e-mail links that appear on this site.  Any help would be greatly appreciated. 

FAIRHILL STREET PRODUCTIONS

Philly Boxing History .com was designed and produced by Fairhill Street Productions, LLC, a freelance marketing communications company. 

Fairhill Street Productions is focused on the development of a variety of projects and creative materials including printed marketing and sales collateral pieces, Web sites, ad copy for print and video, technical documents, training materials, graphic design, market research, and marketing plan development. 

We have a great deal of experience in a variety of industries, with large corporations and small businesses, and we are available to assist you with all of your marketing needs. 

For more information about Fairhill Street Productions, or to discuss an upcoming marketing project that you are planning, please contact John DiSanto via this e-mail link.  We would appreciate an opportunity to meet with you about your needs.  Fairhill Street Productions offers free estimates, competitive consulting rates and personalized service.