| Pittsburgh Sports
Report June 2005 |
 |
| A Fighting Chance “It’ll be remarkable if Paul succeeds…because
not many people think he will.”
First, he relinquished his title out of health concerns after a controversial draw against Leonard Dorin at the Petersen Events Center in May 2003. Then, in October 2003, he was arrested twice, once for public intoxication after urinating on a city street and, just three days later, Spadafora was charged in the attempted murder of his girlfriend, Nadine Russo. He now sits in jail. RISE AND FALL Spaddy’s appeal as a blue collar fighter in a blue collar town was immediate. His tattooed upper body made him noticeable inside the ring, but his generosity and caring outside it made him a working class hero. He was the people’s champion, signing autographs for kids, taking care of his brothers, buying groups of random fans rounds at the local watering hole. “The Pittsburgh Kid” became the first world boxing champion from Allegheny County in more than a half a century. And he was slowly but surely becoming much more than just a local attraction. Spadafora drew national television audiences and staggering crowds to Duquesne’s Palumbo Center, the Petersen Events Center and his home away from home, Mountaineer Park in Chester, West Virginia. Rocky Marciano, Rocky Graziano, Boom-Boom Mancini (and, of course, Rocky Balboa) were other Italian-American boxers whose skill and charisma built a fan base with the sporting public, just as Spadafora had. But Spadafora’s life, especially his youth, was anything but the stuff of Hollywood. He was raised in tough neighborhoods and dropped out of school at age 13. Drugs, guns and crime were everywhere and Spadafora was no stranger to any of them. While other kids snacked on chocolate chip cookies, Kool-Aid, and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, Spaddy was drinking beer and becoming addicted to alcohol. But he found boxing as a 13-year old, and like Mike Tyson, the sweet science stepped in at the right time and saved him from a future of incarceration or death. “I known Paul since he was 13 and I have never seen him drink alcohol,” Jimmy Cvetic, Executive director of Iron City Boxing, said. “All I ever seen him do was come to the gym and work harder than anybody.” The ring was a release for Spadafora, a place to be free of the dreadful reality of the streets. And so he stayed in the ring for hours, days, weeks and years until he became a champion. Whenever he stepped off the canvas, his demons were there waiting for him. Over time, the demons caught him. As his prowess as a boxer grew, so did his addiction to the bottle. It proved to be a thirst Spadafora could not quench. “People love to see the pedestal kicked over,” said Cvetic. “Maybe Paul kicked his own pedestal over.” FACING THE MUSIC “It’s not going to be an easy ride,” said Judge Jeffrey Manning, who sentenced Spadafora. “Other inmates will be gunning for him; maybe even corrections officers. He’s going to have to keep his hands in his pockets, his mouth shut and toe the line.” “Prison does two things to you, “said former NABC cruiserweight champion Rayco “War” Saunders. “It makes you harder or it makes you softer. You never come out the same – ever.” Saunders was stabbed in the back at age 15 and shot in the chest at 21. He was arrested six times between 1994 and 1997, and received a sentence for shooting at a police officer that earned him 36 months behind bars in Graterford Prison in eastern Pennsylvania. Saunders is never at a loss for words, yet he keeps quiet about the things that went on while he was locked up. There is, however, little doubt that at some point during his stretch, he had a long talk with himself. During the 1,000-plus days that he spent among killers, rapists, drug dealers, and other violent offenders – men who kept doing what they did best behind bars – Saunders began his plan to change his patterns for good. “You can’t know where you’re going if you don’t know where you came from,” Saunders said. “Paul will get a second chance and it will be up to him to take advantage of it.” ESPN boxing writer Dan Rafael also foresees a second chance. “It’s not like he’s old,” Rafael explains. “He’s not going to come out of jail as a 37 year-old boxer who hasn’t fought in several years. He’s still a young man. If he wants it, I think he will be able to give it another go.” Precedent is on Spadafora’s side. In 1987, George Foreman ended a 10-year absence from the ring and in 1994 recaptured the heavyweight title. Other notables who experienced long absence from the ring include Sugar Ray Robinson, Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard, Felix Trinidad, Mike Tyson, Roberto Duran and Bernard Hopkins. In 1942, Joe Louis began a period of service in the army and it would be four years before Louis again returned to the ring. Before he can even think about facing another pugilist, however, McCauley says his fighter has another opponent to defeat. “He has to defeat the alcohol. Until he defeats the alcohol, he can’t fight again in my opinion. I won’t let him,” McCauley says. “It’s going to be a long process, but once we see a progression of two or three months where he can go without drinking at all, then that will be a good sign. “ Manning, who says this is “make or break time” for Spadafora, notes that two things – potential earnings and being surrounded by people concerned with his well being – give Spadafora a chance that most others in his situation do not have. “They have got to be enormous carrots for him,” the judge says. “He has the potential to make a lot of money. For someone coming out of prison that opportunity is rare…most people, when they come out, are on their own.” McCauley seems to have a solid grasp on what will be most important for Spadafora. “Money has to be secondary. I could bring him back in an incorrect manner and make money, but I am not. I wouldn’t do that to him. He is like a son to me.” PICKING UP THE PIECES “Once he comes out of jail, boxing is not a problem,” said McCauley. His former trainer Tommy Yankello agrees – sort of. “Paul only needs one non-title fight to knock off the rust. If Paul comes back with me, he can beat anybody in the world.” During Spadafora’s reign as champion, he was known as very good technical and defensive fighter. While ESPN’s Rafael believes those things will not change, he notes that he’ll be fighting at a higher weight than he did before. He also was never a big puncher at the lower weights, so the adjustment to a higher weight class will be a challenge. “I don’t know if he can be a champion again, but he can definitely resurrect his boxing career,” Rafael said. “I think a lot of guys that are looking for a name will think maybe he is vulnerable, and every top fighter likes to get a good name on his record. I think there is opportunity for him.” THE TOUGHEST FOE “Paul Spadafora is a fighter and that’s what he does,” says Rafael. “When he gets out, it’s not like he is going go work for IBM or be the president of a company. He’s going to do what he has always done in his life and that’s box. “He’s wasted a lot of time, but it’s not over. There is still a chance to maybe get a little bit back.” Cvetic, loyal to the fighter he has known for so many years, does not believe any boxer can beat his man. “Everybody they have put in front of him, he has beaten,” said Cvetic. “Nobody’s beaten him yet. Nobody has beaten Paul Spadafora.” Only the bottle can make that claim. Tony DeFazio contributed to this story. |
On
Monday, September 5, 2005, former International Boxing Federation
World Lightweight Champion Paul Spadafora will spend the 30th
anniversary of his birth locked in the Pennsylvania state correctional
institution at Camp Hill. Unblemished in the ring at 38-0-1, Spadafora,
with troubles fueled by a severe drinking problem, has taken a
beating out of the ring the last few years. | Copyright © 1997-2005 Pittsburgh Sports Report [PSR] |