No Charge for Champions at Brockton’s Shrine to Rocky and Marvelous Marvin

Published

6 years ago

January 13, 2019

An Italian joint is changing hands in the City of Champions, but this ain’t just any old restaurant, it’s the venerable George’s Cafe at 228 Belmont Street. At this famous Massachusetts eatery, established in 1937 by patriarch George Tartaglia, there are several decades worth of boxing history riveted to the walls in the form of photos, press clippings, and other signed memorabilia devoted to champions Rocky Marciano and Marvelous Marvin Hagler.

Each get their own shrine at George’s.

According to the Brockton Enterprise which reported the 2.4 million dollar transaction on Monday, January 7th, George’s will still be called George’s and will still serve the same classic menu items including veal parmigiana and pan style pizza. The seasoned waitstaff and kitchen employees will be retained, and most importantly to some people, the boxing stuff is staying put.

“They’re keeping all the photographs,” says 83-year-old Charlie Tartaglia of new group owner Hamilton Rodrigues’ nostalgic desire to buy more than just a hole in the wall for hungry people to eat. “They want it authentic. They want it Brockton,” Tartaglia told his hometown newspaper.

“But there is one thing I’m keeping,” Tartaglia told me. It’s a piece of authentic hand drawn boxing art, penned and signed by the greatest. “Muhammad Ali sat down with me in a booth,” he recalled. “And on a paper placemat he drew a boxing ring with two stick figures inside. He named them Ali and Frazier. He said, ‘I love Frazier, we made a lot of money together.’”

Why is Tartaglia selling his family owned and operated business? Having lost two of his children in the late 2000s and with his own health now failing, he knows the restaurant business is incredibly hard work. He’s not sure any of his eight grandchildren are up to the task of taking over.

Located exactly one mile from a massive twenty-two foot tall statue of Marciano on the grounds of nearby Brockton High School, George’s is a classy portal to the city’s rich boxing history. How would I describe it to somebody who’s never been there? Ever gone to Jimmy’s Corner in Times Square? It’s similar but much bigger with better food. It’s a lot like Graziano’s in Canastota, New York if the International Boxing Hall of Fame were situated in Brockton, Mass.

When they’re not serving Basilio sausage sandwiches to uninitiated locals, Graziano’s exists to honor the memory of Canastota’s two homegrown world champions Billy Backus and Carmen Basilio. The biggest difference between the two boxing themed restaurants is that Graziano’s has the IBHOF’s annual Induction Weekend festivities to help keep the business afloat.

There hasn’t been a world champion or even a very good contender from Brockton in a long time. It’s all about the Rocky statue now. It’s becoming quite a tourist attraction. A beautiful brick wall was recently constructed at its base, surrounding Marciano in a squared circle of red rocks that now includes a section commissioned in remembrance of Allie Colombo, Rocky’s trainer.

If you came to Brockton when ‘The Rock’ was unveiled in 2012 on the 60th anniversary of his 13th-round KO of Jersey Joe Walcott to win the title in Philadelphia, George’s was the go-to hot spot for those celebrating the life and times of boxing’s only undefeated heavyweight champion.

There was a fiesta in the boxing community that September 23rd with George’s walls of fame serving as inner sanctum. If you wanted to see a tipsy Larry Holmes singing his heart out into a silver spoon in praise of the 49-0 Marciano, George’s dimly lit dining room was the place to be.

I know because I was there. Holmes, a formerly fierce critic of Marciano’s accomplishments, acted as goodwill ambassador for boxing, earning respect and forgiveness from Brocktonians for his below the belt comments about Rocky.

As Holmes sipped red wine and dined on authentic Italian fare, all that hate melted away like so much pork fat. George’s is where Holmes made amends to the people he’d hurt with his words. All those memories are memorialized on the walls and in the stories told at the two bars.

Marciano, reigning heavyweight champion, was a regular customer during his time in Brockton though I know for a fact that he never had to pay for a meal. Rocky and his trainers used to analyze all his fights in the dining room over dinner: spaghetti and meatballs with orange soda.

When former heavyweight king Muhammad Ali came to the City of Champions in 1995, he famously visited George’s twice; dining with local politicians and meeting with eager fight fans hungry for his valuable autograph. Ali’s pilgrimage to the birthplace of the real Rocky remains one of the greatest events in Brockton sports history and a highlight of George’s VIP guest list.

Put it on your bucket list.

Nothing less than boxing royalty has passed through George’s doors and into their old world. You’ll love it. Newly elected boxing Hall of Famer Tony “Nardo” DeMarco, Vinny Pazienza, and Irish Micky Ward are just a few fighters from New England who’ve crossed the threshold.

One of the most interesting items on display inside is a boxing license application for Sugar Ray Robinson. It’s dated March 5, 1955. It’s signed by Robinson and features a note typed up by the Boston doctor who examined him with three images taken from Sugar Ray’s electrocardiogram.

Talk about the heart and soul of boxing.

Other notable guests at George’s include Willie Pep, Paul Pender, Kenny Norton, Riddick Bowe, James Toney, Emanuel Steward, Lou Duva, Don King, Teddy Atlas, Vito Antuofermo, Leon Spinks, and the late WBC President José Sulaimán who the Tartaglias credit for Rocky’s statue.

Without the WBC’s generous funding, there is no statue. “I’ve got a pizza named after José on the menu, double cheese and ham. He’s one of the nicest gentlemen I ever met,” says Tartaglia.

If Brockton ever gets around to erecting a tribute statue for its all-time great middleweight champion Marvin Hagler, rest assured the Marvelous One will make the long trip home from Italy where he’ll find George’s Cafe waiting for him—a time machine to his championship past.

Will that day ever come to pass?

The city doesn’t seem interested in paying for it and the WBC hasn’t offered to fund it. If Hagler wants a statue of his own, it sounds like he should consider paying for it himself. That’s what Tartaglia did when he recently put up a bronze plaque in honor of Hagler at Brockton’s Massasoit Community College. “Nobody ever did nothing for Marvin,” Charlie reminds me.

In a rapidly changing world where what’s old and white isn’t necessarily what’s loved anymore, George’s will remain an oasis of greatness devoted to the good old days of Brockton, Rocky and Marvin; the good old days of a proud city many no longer recognize. New owner Hamilton Rodrigues plans to modernize the establishment—but he promises not to change a thing.

“I’m not rocking the boat.”

I’ll raise a glass to that. Salud!

Boxing writer Jeffrey Freeman grew up in the City of Champions, Brockton, Massachusetts from 1973 to 1987, during the marvelous career of Marvin Hagler. He then lived in Lowell, Mass during the best years of Irish Micky Ward’s illustrious career. A new member of the Boxing Writers Association of America, Freeman covers boxing for The Sweet Science in New England.

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Ringside at the Fontainebleau where Mikaela Mayer Won her Rematch with Sandy Ryan

Published

21 hours ago

March 30, 2025

Arne K. Lang

Ringside-at-the-Fontainebleau-where-Mikaela-Mayer-won-her-Rematch-with-Sandy-Ryan

LAS VEGAS, NV — The first meeting between Mikaela Mayer and Sandy Ryan last September at Madison Square Garden was punctuated with drama before the first punch was thrown. When the smoke cleared, Mayer had become a world-title-holder in a second weight class, taking away Ryan’s WBO welterweight belt via a majority decision in a fan-friendly fight.

The rematch tonight at the Fontainebleau in Las Vegas was another fan-friendly fight. There were furious exchanges in several rounds and the crowd awarded both gladiators a standing ovation at the finish.

Mayer dominated the first half of the fight and held on to win by a unanimous decision. But Sandy Ryan came on strong beginning in round seven, and although Mayer was the deserving winner, the scores favoring her (98-92 and 97-93 twice) fail to reflect the competitiveness of the match-up. This is the best rivalry in women’s boxing aside from Taylor-Serrano.

Mayer, 34, improved to 21-2 (5). Up next, she hopes, in a unification fight with Lauren Price who outclassed Natasha Jonas earlier this month and currently holds the other meaningful pieces of the 147-pound puzzle. Sandy Ryan, 31, the pride of Derby, England, falls to 7-3-1.

Co-Feature

In his first defense of his WBO world welterweight title (acquired with a brutal knockout of Giovani Santillan after the title was vacated by Terence Crawford), Atlanta’s Brian Norman Jr knocked out Puerto Rico’s Derrieck Cuevas in the third round. A three-punch combination climaxed by a short left hook sent Cuevas staggering into a corner post. He got to his feet before referee Thomas Taylor started the count, but Taylor looked in Cuevas’s eyes and didn’t like what he saw and brought the bout to a halt.

The stoppage, which struck some as premature, came with one second remaining in the third stanza.

A second-generation prizefighter (his father was a fringe contender at super middleweight), the 24-year-old Norman (27-0, 21 KOs) is currently boxing’s youngest male title-holder. It was only the second pro loss for Cuevas (27-2-1) whose lone previous defeat had come early in his career in a 6-rounder he lost by split decision.

Other Bouts

In a career-best performance, 27-year-old Brooklyn featherweight Bruce “Shu Shu” Carrington (15-0, 9 KOs) blasted out Jose Enrique Vivas (23-4) in the third round.

Carrington, who was named the Most Outstanding Boxer at the 2019 U.S. Olympic Trials despite being the lowest-seeded boxer in his weight class, decked Vivas with a right-left combination near the end of the second round. Vivas barely survived the round and was on a short leash when the third stanza began. After 53 seconds of round three, referee Raul Caiz Jr had seen enough and waived it off. Vivas hadn’t previously been stopped.

Cleveland welterweight Tiger Johnson, a Tokyo Olympian, scored a fifth-round stoppage over San Antonio’s Kendo Castaneda. Johnson assumed control in the fourth round and sent Castaneda to his knees twice with body punches in the next frame. The second knockdown terminated the match. The official time was 2:00 of round five.

Johnson advanced to 15-0 (7 KOs). Castenada declined to 21-9.

Las Vegas junior welterweight Emiliano Vargas (13-0, 11 KOs) blasted out Stockton, California’s Giovanni Gonzalez in the second round. Vargas brought the bout to a sudden conclusion with a sweeping left hook that knocked Gonzalez out cold. The end came at the 2:00 minute mark of round two.

Gonzalez brought a 20-7-2 record which was misleading as 18 of his fights were in Tijuana where fights are frequently prearranged. However, he wasn’t afraid to trade with Vargas and paid the price.

Emiliano Vargas, with his matinee idol good looks and his boxing pedigree – he is the son of former U.S. Olympian and two-weight world title-holder “Ferocious” Fernando Vargas – is highly marketable and has the potential to be a cross-over star.

Eighteen-year-old Newark bantamweight Emmanuel “Manny” Chance, one of Top Rank’s newest signees, won his pro debut with a four-round decision over So Cal’s Miguel Guzman. Chance won all four rounds on all three cards, but this was no runaway. He left a lot of room for improvement.

There was a long intermission before the co-main and again before the main event, but the tedium was assuaged by a moving video tribute to George Foreman.

Photos credit: Al Applerose

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William Zepeda Edges Past Tevin Farmer in Cancun; Improves to 34-0

Published

22 hours ago

March 29, 2025

David A. Avila

William Zepeda Edges Past Tevin Farmer in Cancun; Improves to 34-0

No surprise, once again William Zepeda eked out a win over the clever and resilient Tevin Farmer to remain undefeated and retain a regional lightweight title on Saturday.

There were no knockdowns in this rematch.

The Mexican punching machine Zepeda (33-0, 17 KOs) once more sought to overwhelm Farmer (33-8-1, 9 KOs) with a deluge of blows. This rematch by Golden Boy Promotions took place in the famous beach resort area of Cancun, Mexico.

It was a mere four months ago that both first clashed in Saudi Arabia with their vastly difference styles. This time the tropical setting served as the background which suited Zepeda and his lawnmower assaults. The Mexican fans were pleased.

Nothing changed in their second meeting.

Zepeda revved up the body assault and Farmer moved around casually to his right while fending off the Mexican fighter’s attacks. By the fourth round Zepeda was able to cut off Farmer’s escape routes and targeted the body with punishing shots.

The blows came in bunches.

In the fifth round Zepeda blasted away at Farmer who looked frantic for an escape. The body assault continued with the Mexican fighter pouring it on and Farmer seeming to look ready to quit. When the round ended, he waved off his corner’s appeals to stop.

Zepeda continued to dominate the next few rounds and then Farmer began rallying. At first, he cleverly smothered Zepeda’s body attacks and then began moving and hitting sporadically. It forced the Mexican fighter to pause and figure out the strategy.

Farmer, a Philadelphia fighter, showed resiliency especially when it was revealed he had suffered a hand injury.

During the last three rounds Farmer dug down deep and found ways to score and not get hit. It was Boxing 101 and the Philly fighter made it work.

But too many rounds had been put in the bank by Zepeda. Despite the late rally by Farmer one judge saw it 114-114, but two others scored it 116-112 and 115-113 for Zepeda who retains his interim lightweight title and place at the top of the WBC rankings.

“I knew he was a difficult fighter. This time he was even more difficult,” said Zepeda.

Farmer was downtrodden about another loss but realistic about the outcome and starting slow.

“But I dominated the last rounds,” said Farmer.

Zepeda shrugged at the similar outcome as their first encounter.

“I’m glad we both put on a great show,” said Zepeda.

Female Flyweight Battle

Costa Rica’s Yokasta Valle edged past Texas fighter Marlen Esparza to win their showdown at flyweight by split decision after 10 rounds.

Valle moved up two weight divisions to meet Esparza who was slightly above the weight limit. Both showed off their contrasting styles and world class talent.

Esparza, a former unified flyweight world titlist, stayed in the pocket and was largely successful with well-placed jabs and left hooks. She repeatedly caught Valle in-between her flurries.

The current minimumweight world titlist changed tactics and found more success in the second half of the fight. She forced Esparza to make the first moves and that forced changes that benefited her style.

Neither fighter could take over the fight.

After 10 rounds one judge saw Esparza the winner 96-94, but two others saw Valle the winner 97-93 twice.

Will Valle move up and challenge the current undisputed flyweight world champion Gabriela Fundora? That’s the question.

Valle currently holds the WBC minimumweight world title.

Puerto Rico vs Mexico

Oscar Collazo (12-0, 9 KOs), the WBO, WBA minimumweight titlist, knocked out Mexico’s Edwin Cano (13-3-1, 4 KOs) with a flurry of body shots at 1:12 of the fifth round.

Collazo dominated with a relentless body attack the Mexican fighter could not defend. It was the Puerto Rican fighter’s fifth consecutive title defense.

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Avila Perspective, Chap. 319: Rematches in Las Vegas, Cancun and More

Published

2 days ago

March 28, 2025

David A. Avila

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Rematches are the bedrock for prizefighting.

Return battles between rival boxers always means their first encounter was riveting and successful at the box office.

Six months after their first brutal battle Mikaela Mayer (20-2, 5 KOs) and Sandy Ryan (7-2-1, 3 KOs) will slug it out again for the WBO welterweight world title this time on Saturday, March 29, at the Fontainebleau in Las Vegas.

ESPN will show the Top Rank card live.

“It’s important for women’s boxing to have these rivalries and this is definitely up there as one of the top ones,” Mayer told the BBC.

If you follow Mayer’s career you know that somehow drama follows. Whether its back-and-forth beefs with fellow American fighters or controversial judging due to nationalism in countries abroad. The Southern California native who now trains in Las Vegas knows how to create the drama.

For female fighters self-promotion is a necessity.

Most boxing promoters refuse to step out of the usual process set for male boxers, not for female boxers. Things remain the same and have been for the last 70 years. Social media has brought changes but that has made promoters do even less.

No longer are there press conferences, instead announcements are made on social media to be drowned among the billions of other posts. It is not killing but diluting interest in the sport.

Women innately present a different advantage that few if any promoters are recognizing. So far in the past 25 years I have only seen two or three promoters actually ignite interest in female fighters. They saw the advantages and properly boosted interest in the women.

The fight breakdown

Mayer has won world titles in the super featherweight and now the welterweight division. Those are two vastly different weight classes and prove her fighting abilities are based on skill not power or size.

Coaching Mayer since amateurs remains Al Mitchell and now Kofi Jantuah who replaced Kay Koroma the current trainer for Sandy Ryan.

That was the reason drama ignited during their first battle. Then came someone tossing paint at Ryan the day of their first fight.

More drama.

During their first fight both battled to control the initiative with Mayer out-punching the British fighter by a slender margin. It was a back-and-forth struggle with each absorbing blows and retaliating immediately.

New York City got its money’s worth.

Ryan had risen to the elite level rapidly since losing to Erica Farias three years ago. Though she was physically bigger and younger, she was out-maneuvered and defeated by the wily veteran from Argentina. In the rematch, however, Ryan made adjustments and won convincingly.

Can she make adjustments from her defeat to Mayer?

“I wanted the rematch straight away,” said Ryan on social media. “I’ve come to America again.”

Both fighters have size and reach. In their first clash it was evident that conditioning was not a concern as blows were fired nonstop in bunches. Mayer had the number of punches landed advantage and it unfolded with the judges giving her a majority decision win.

That was six months ago. Can she repeat the outcome?

Mayer has always had boiler-oven intensity. It’s not fake. Since her amateur days the slender Southern California blonde changes disposition all the way to red when lacing up the gloves. It’s something that can’t be taught.

Can she draw enough of that fire out again?

“I didn’t have to give her this rematch. I could have just sat it out, waited for Lauren Price to unify and fought for undisputed or faced someone else,” said Mayer to BBC. “That’s not the fighter I am though.”

Co-Main in Las Vegas

The co-main event pits Brian Norman Jr. (26-0, 20 KOs) facing Puerto Rico’s Derrieck Cuevas (27-1-1, 19 KOs) in a contest for the WBO welterweight title.

Norman, 24, was last seen a year ago dissecting a very good welterweight in Giovani Santillan for a knockout win in San Diego. He showed speed, skill and power in defeating Santillan in his hometown.

Cuevas has beaten some solid veteran talent but this will be his big test against Norman and his first attempt at winning a world title.

Also on the Top Rank card will be Bruce “Shu Shu” Carrington and Emiliano Vargas, the son of Fernando Vargas, in separate bouts.

Golden Boy in Cancun

A rematch between undefeated William “Camaron” Zepeda (32-0, 27 KOs) and ex-champ Tevin Farmer (33-7-1, 8 KOs) headlines the lightweight match on Saturday March 29, at Cancun, Mexico.

In their first encounter Zepeda was knocked down in the fourth round but rallied to win a split-decision over Farmer. It showed the flaws in Zepeda’s tornado style.

DAZN will stream the Golden Boy Promotions card that also includes a clash between Yokasta Valle the WBC minimumweight world titlist who is moving up to flyweight to face former flyweight champion Marlen Esparza.

Both Valle and Esparza have fast hands.

Valle is excellent darting in and out while Esparza has learned how to fight inside. It’s a toss-up fight.

Fights to Watch

Fri. DAZN 12 p.m. Cameron Vuong (7-0) vs Jordan Flynn (11-0-1); Pat Brown (0-0) vs Federico Grandone (7-4-2).

Sat. DAZN 5 p.m. William Zepeda (32-0) vs Tevin Farmer (33-7-1); Yokasta Valle (32-3) vs Marlen Esparza (15-2).

Sat. ESPN 7 p.m. Mikaela Mayer (20-2) vs Sandy Ryan (7-2-1); Brian Norman Jr. (26-0) vs Derrieck Cuevas (27-1-1).

Photo credit: Mikey Williams / Top Rank

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