PHILLY BOXING HISTORY STAFF

• DiSanto is a life-long boxing fan with a particular affection for all things Philly.  Tired of waiting for the ultimate reference on the topic to be produced by someone else, John set out to tackle the job himself.  He founded Philly Boxing History.com in 2004 with a passion for the sport AND its heritage.  DiSanto applies his experience in marketing, research, writing, film & web to the quest to create the definitive guide to the history of the prize ring in the City of Brotherly Love. John is a member of IBRO, the Veteran Boxer's Association, and is on the selection committee for the Pennsylvania Boxing Hall of Fame. DiSanto was also named the Ring One / Veteran Boxers Association Man of the Year in May of 2007.

CHUCK HASSON - ASSISTANT EDITOR

• Widely regarded as the ultimate expert on Philadelphia boxing history, Chuck is the keeper of the Philadelphia boxing archives and has studied and written about the subject for many years.  He is the co-author of the book Philadelphia's Boxing Heritage, along with Tracy Callis & Michael Delisa.  Chuck is also a member of IBRO and a voting member of the IBHOF.  As the Assistant Editor of this Web site, Chuck offers his wealth of knowledge and passion for Philly Boxing History, working to provide records, articles, photos, lists, and many other items.  If a really tough question comes in, it is surely Chuck who comes up with the answer. 

KEY CONTRIBUTOR

• J Russell Peltz is a Hall of Fame boxing promoter who has made Philadelphia boxing history for almost 40 years.   In 1969, he stepped away from a budding career as a journalist to launch Peltz Boxing Promotions.  Quickly, he became the premiere matchmaker & promoter in the city.  Russell developed scores of top-notch contenders like Cyclone Hart, Willie 'The Worm' Monroe, & Bobby 'Boogaloo' Watts, as well as great champions such as Jeff Chandler and Matthew Saad Muhammad.  Russell has been a great help in the development of this Web site.  He has offered his vast boxing collection, his archives, and his encyclopedic knowledge as resources, and is always quick with the answers to my many questions.  Russell regularly reviews the information posted on this site and offers critical corrections and missing details.  In addition, he has allowed me to lift numerous images from the great Peltz Boxing Web site. 

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER

JIM ROGGE - Jim is a long-time boxing fan who as a young man saw every local show at the Cambria, Arena, Blue Horizon, Alhambra, et al, from 1958-1963.  After he married and while raising his family, he watched boxing on television and mixed in a few live shows whenever possible.  In the 1980s, in a comeback of sorts, Jim became a season ticket holder at the Blue Horizon and didn't miss a card for ten or more years.  Back in the late 50s and early 60s with camera in hand, Jim often camped out at Champs Gym (33rd & Dauphin) to watch and mix with some of Philly's all-time greats.  He photographed Sonny Liston, Harold Johnson, Len Matthews, Garnet Hart, Ike White and many others.  Rogge shared his excellent photos with this website and we have used them throughout our pages.  Jim's contribution is greatly appreciated as it has added much to our content.  To the left is a sample of the shots Jim contributed - Rogge then 18-years old proves that Sonny Liston was really a sweetheart. 

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

• Frank Lotierzo - Frank in a member of IBRO and has written for many boxing Web sites including Boxingranks.com, & Boxingscene.com.  He contributed articles to Philly Boxing History on Jimmy Young, Joe Frazier, Curtis Parker, & others. 

• Greg Smith - On line boxing scribe, Greg Smith contributed articles on Tyrone Crawley & Gypsy Joe Harris.  Greg is a staff writer for the Web sites boxingranks.com & hardcoreboxing.net. 

• Henry 'Toothpick' Brown - Bryant Brown, son. 
• Pete Byron - Pete Dooley, grandson.
• Mike Evans - Dennis McClernand, nephew.
• Tyrone Everett - Doris, Mike & Eddie Everett, mother & brothers.
• Tommy Forte - Christian LaGrossa, grandson.   
• Gypsy Joe Harris - Tony Molock & Arenta Miller, siblings.   
• Johnny Jadick - Michael Bizik, grand-nephew. 
• Richie Kates - Dennis A. Cesare, friend.
• George LaRover - Bill Prosper, son. 
• Tommy O'Toole - Tom O'Toole, grand-nephew. 
• Jimmy Riggio - Rocco Riggio, son. 

• Billy Abel, Jr. - Former Philly Lightweight prospect, and fellow member of the Veteran Boxer's Association, lent me his personal collection of Spectrum & Flash Gordon fight programs. These items help to further complete the relics section of this site. 

• Emily Delaney Ward & Eleanor Ward - Born in 1913, Emily Delaney grew up in West Philly and eventually went to work for Philadelphia promoter Herman Taylor.  For most of her working life, she was a fixture at the promotional company and assisted Taylor throughout an important stretch of boxing history.  She was a boxing fan and an integral cog of the operation.  Eleanor Ward, born in 1920, was Emily's sister-in-law.  She lived with Emily & Charlie Ward (her brother) in West Philly, and for many years was an employee of the Globe Ticket Company, the Philadelphia firm that produced boxing and other event tickets for decades.  After their deaths - Emily in 1989 and Eleanor in 2003 - their family discovered a precious collection of vintage, mint-condition boxing tickets kept in a box in Eleanor's closet.  The majority of that set is now in the collection of this web site, and several of the tickets were contributed by the family for free.  We are not sure which of the two ladies' careers or interest in boxing is most responsible for this legacy, but it is safe to say that together Aunt Emily and Aunt Eleanor are vital contributors to our efforts and will be remembered very kindly for it. 

• Krister Palais - Krister was born and raised in Sweden, lived in France and currently lives in Norway.  He is an artist, journalist, musician, and an editor for the Boxing Records Archive.  Also a collector of fight memorabilia, he has provided the site with photos and fight details that have helped make the information presented on this site more accurate.  In addition to his contributions here and at BoxRec, Krister is working to develop an art exhibit inspired by his interest in boxing. 

• Robert Snell - A boxing historian and researcher especially interested in the 1920's and 1930's, Robert has supplied me with many newspaper articles and photos of fighters from those eras, including Tommy Loughran, Midget Wolgast, & George Godfrey. 

• WHYY TV12 - Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson - The spectacular film by Ken Burns premiered January 17 & 18 2005 (locally on WHYY TV12 at 9PM).  The film is also available on DVD.  WHYY was good enough to add this Web site to the Philadelphia-related boxing links on their Unforgivable Blackness Web page.