70-Something Boxing Promoter Jimmy Burchfield is Still Punching…..Literally!

Brendan Barrett, who currently hangs his hat in Los Angeles, took a lot of punches this past Saturday at the Twin River Event Center in Lincoln, Rhode Island. Most of the those punches were delivered by his opponent, Joe Cusumano, but the event’s promoter, Jimmy Burchfield, got in a few licks as did Burchfield’s associate, Richard Cappiello.

Burchfield, now commonly addressed as Jimmy Burchfield Sr., is 78 years old according to some sources, but he claims to be 73. Cappiello is just a kid by comparison, 55. They were both arrested on misdemeanor battery charges and will be arraigned on March 11.

The Barrett-Cusumano bout, a heavyweight match slated for eight rounds, was a feisty affair. There were six knockdowns in all, four by Cusumano, and a WWE-style incident that probably should have resulted in a disqualification.

Brendan Barrett is 37 years old, but like many young boxers entering the sport today, he’s versatile. A noted high school wrestler in his native New Jersey, he also competes in MMA.

In the fifth round, as the two were yoked together in a clinch, Barrett lost his composure and seemingly forgot what sport he was competing in. He picked up Cusumano and threw him out of the ring. Cusumano landed on a table used by ring officials.

Cusumano hails from Virginia, but he was the house fighter. This was his sixth appearance at the Twin River Event Center.

Referee Shada Murdaugh, imported from New York (Hall of Fame referee Steve Smoger was also in attendance, working as a judge) let the fight continue but had seen enough and stopped the bout without a count when Cusumano knocked Barrett to the canvas for the fourth time near the end of round seven.

Barrett, who had complained of Cusumano’s roughhouse tactics as early as the second round, thought the stoppage was premature and let loose a torrent of invective. That wasn’t very smart. Now there was scant chance that he could get back to his dressing room unmolested.

The first person to confront him was Jimmy Burchfield Sr. According to WPRI.com news reporter Bill Tomison, Burchfield “swung at Barrett three times with his closed fist, striking him twice in the face. Richard Cappiello also struck Barrett, before losing his balance and falling off the ring’s platform.” Police arrested a third man on a charge of disorderly conduct, but this was considered a separate incident.

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Jimmy Burchfield, born and raised in North Providence, Rhode Island, first got involved in boxing as a judge. He worked the New England circuit before graduating to bigger fights in far-flung places. He promoted his first fight on June 12, 1992, at an amusement park in neighboring Warwick. The headliner was Ray Oliveira, a junior welterweight from New Bedford, Massachusetts, who would go on to engage in several world title fights.

Burchfield, who went on to become New England’s most active promoter, recalls that he lost $28,000 on the show. He was far more successful in the restaurant business. The fondly remembered Jimmy Burchfield’s Classic Restaurant and Lounge was the “in place” in North Providence. Burchfield was the proprietor and also the head chef. His mother was Italian and the fare reflected her influence.

Hooked on boxing, Burchfield would eventually found a promotional company, Classic Entertainment and Sports. His son, Jimmy Burchfield Jr, holds the title of Vice President and Director of Legal Affairs. CES played a prominent role in the career of Vinny Pazienza.

Burchfield, who was never too proud to carry a spit bucket – one of his jobs as a young man was unloading freight cars – has been credited with keeping boxing alive in New England. “(He is) the last remnant of an old world of fight nights, ring girls and the smoke that hung over the ring in those gyms as if symbols of lost dreams,” wrote Bill Reynolds in the Providence Journal.

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Juiseppe “Joe” Cusumano, nicknamed the Sicilian Sandman, improved to 18-2 with his win over Brendan Barrett. Thirteen of his 16 knockouts have come in the first two rounds. However, it’s too soon to say that he has the potential to shake the label of a club fighter. His most notable opponent to date is Fred Latham and Latham isn’t a boxer whose name will ring many bells. Standing six-foot-four and customarily weighing about 235 pounds, Cusumano, 31, had a five-inch height advantage over Barrett, a rough customer but a heavyweight with physical limitations.

According to an article by Matt Bell in the Danville (VA) Register & Bee, Cusumano was undefeated as an amateur before turning pro where “deceptive management leeched Cusumano of much of his money.” There’s a gap in his professional boxing timeline – he was inactive from October of 2014 to October of 2016 – and during this break, says Bell, Cusumano became a heavy drinker. He cleaned up his act when Jimmy Burchfield took control of his ring affairs. Burchfield saw enough potential in him to tender him a five-year contract.

Burchfield had his back, so to speak, this past Friday in Lincoln, Rhode Island. But we would advise the septuagenarian promoter to henceforth let his fighters do all the punching. For one thing, fisticuffing at his age isn’t good for the ticker.

Having said that, we sheepishly confess that we admire his spunk.

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