If anyone thought that professional boxing was dead in Hudson County, guess again. The sport is experiencing a major rebirth, with two cards upcoming this month featuring local boxers and promoters – and one card taking place right here in our own backyard.
On Saturday, Oct. 16, Dignity Promotions, run by West New York police captain Mike Indri, will sponsor its first event in association with Peru Box Promotions, a card called “Los Campeones del Manana,” at the Washington School on 39th Street in Union City.
The main event will feature Peruvian sensation lightweight Jonathan Maicelo making his debut in the United States. The undercard will feature two up-and-coming Peruvian boxers who now make their home in North Bergen, namely Carlos Zambrano and Juan Zegarra.
Both Zambrano and Zegarra live in the same North Bergen apartment with former IBF junior flyweight world champion Carlos Tamara, under the guidance of Hoboken trainer Butch Sanchez.
Maicelo, Zambrano and Zegarra are all undefeated as professionals.
Union City’s own Juan “The Beast” Rodriguez, unbeaten in three pro bouts, will also be on the card and will fight in his hometown for the first time.
It should be an exciting night of local pro boxing. For further information about the card, call (201) 741-4994 or visit www.dignityboxing.com online…
Also upcoming is the latest card produced by Union City-based Pound4Pound Promotions, spearheaded by local boxing guru John Lynch and his brother, Pat, the former trainer for the late Arturo Gatti.
On Saturday, Oct. 30, Pound4Pound will have its next card, but this time, it will be held at Bally’s in Atlantic City.
This six-bout card will feature undefeated featherweight Jorge “King” Diaz of New Brunswick against former world title contender Emmanuel Lucero. The bout will also feature junior middleweight Glen Tapia, who is trained by Jersey City’s Mike Skowronski. Tapia has been training with superstar Manny Pacquiao in the Philippines to get ready for this fight and to help Pacquiao prepare for his upcoming fight.
Bayonne’s Bobby Rooney, who has been out of the ring for almost a year after the tragic death of his brother, will return to action in this card in a six-round fight.
Tickets for the Pound4Pound card can be purchased at the Bally’s ticket office or online at www.ticketmaster.com or by calling Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000…
Also, former Jersey City resident Tomasz Adamek, the top heavyweight contender who still trains in Jersey City and North Bergen, has announced his next fight, which will be held Thursday, December 9 at the Prudential Center in Newark.
The 42-1 Adamek, ranked as the No. 3 heavyweight in the world, will take on Vinny Maddalone in a heavyweight bout that night. More on that card to follow…
But as you can see, pro boxing is definitely alive and well in the area and that’s a good thing to see for an area with a rich and storied tradition and history in the sport…
Here are some gridiron observations from Week 3 of the local scene: Lincoln senior quarterback Ronald Butler continues to make his name well known, leading the Lions to an impressive 50-0 win over Hudson Catholic.
Butler, ranked as the No. 55 prospect in all of New Jersey by West New York native Dennis McCarthy’s always outstanding McCarthy Report, had 90 yards rushing and a touchdown in the game while also passing for 105 yards. He’s a dual threat that not a lot of other teams have in Hudson County…
Congrats to Memorial first-year head coach Oscar Guerrero for gaining his first win at his alma mater, defeating Ferris, 42-8. In that game, Chris Gomez had 209 yards rushing on 11 carries and scored three touchdowns, while quarterback Kenny Furlong had 104 yards passing on a perfect 7-of-7 and two touchdowns…
St. Anthony is a perfect 3-0 and the Friars have outscored their opponents by a whopping 149-20 over those three games…
North Bergen has nothing to be ashamed of in its 28-14 loss to state-ranked power St. Peter’s Prep. Although the Bruins are 1-2, they are still a contender for a Group IV playoff berth down the road…
Hudson Reporter H.S. Football Top Five: 1. St. Peter’s Prep (2-1). 2. Lincoln (3-0). 3. St. Anthony (3-0). 4. Secaucus (3-0). 5. Hoboken (3-0).
Hudson Reporter H.S. Soccer Top Five: 1. Bayonne (4-1-1). 2. St. Peter’s Prep (3-2). 3. Union City (3-2-1). 4. North Bergen (3-3). 5. Hudson Catholic (4-2).
Here’s a quick take on the NJSIAA mess with State Assemblyman John Burzichelli and the absolute witch hunt that he is conducting against the state association. If Burzichelli truly believes that he has the ability, the wherewithal and the manpower to do a better job than what the NJSIAA does in terms of governing the state’s athletic system, then he’s completely off his rocker.
The NJSIAA has been in charge of New Jersey’s high school sports for decades and there’s an old adage that says, “If it ain’t broke, then don’t fix it.”
Well, there may have been some rocky times and missteps along the way, but the NJSIAA, under the new leadership of executive director Steve Timko, has become a much more organized, a friendlier and kinder association than it was under previous regimes.
And the excessive spending that Burzichelli presented in a report last week was not under the current administration, rather prior administrations.
And now he’s become the Sen. Joe McCarthy of the current New Jersey political scene. He’s turned his assault against the NJSIAA into his own personal crusade and it’s just not right.
Because if Burzichelli’s nonsense continues to move forward and gain steam and the NJSIAA is eliminated, then we can kiss high school sports as we know it goodbye.
Leave it alone. It’s fine. This witch hunt has gone too far….
It was learned this week that a lot of local coaches and administrators were not aware of the 30-day penalty imposed on students who transferred from the two Hudson County Schools of Technology to other schools upon the elimination of the programs at High Tech and County Prep last June.
Apparently, they learned of the penalty by reading last week’s column here. Well, let’s get on the ball, because the NJSIAA is sticking to its guns, stating that it’s a transfer and not a school closure, meaning there has to be the 30-day waiting period.
One thing’s for sure: The ones who got the short end of the stick in all of this are the kids. They lost in all of this mess. No one else did.—Jim Hague
Jim Hague can be reached at OGSMAR@aol.com.