[Previous entry: "Lacy to defend USBA and NABF titles against Wiggins"] [Main Index] [Next entry: "Taylor to Open the Jones Tarver PPV Card"]
10/29/2003 Archived Entry: "New England Chatta"
New England Chatta
By JD Vena
Balletto tries to get to next level
For most boxing prospects, there comes a time when he or she decides whether or not they are ready for prime time. They’ve had to put in their dues of course. They had to fight all of their 6 and 8 rounders and they’ve had to face some serious tests before they stepped into the spotlight to headline a main event on live television. Usually those opportunities were against a formidable, dangerous foe. In New England, it’s happened with greats like Rocky Marciano, Tony DeMarco, Marvin Hagler and more recently with Vinny Paz, Micky Ward, Ray Oliveira and Scott Pemberton.
When their time came they’ve had to face the likes of Carmine Vingo, Bobby Watts, Ricky Martin and Charles Brewer. Sometimes, they failed their tests but for each failure, there was a lesson learned and usually it helped make them better fighters and the fan favorites that everyone knows and loves. On Halloween (Friday) night at the famous Rhode Island Convention in Providence, Gary “The Tiger” Balletto, a resident of the city will face his toughest test in former world champion, Gregorio “Goyo” Vargas. In what’s being billed as “Haunted Homecoming, the two will headline this week’s ESPN2 Friday Night Fights.
“We like to move fighters from one level to the next,” said Balletto’s promoter Jimmy Burchfield of Classic Entertainment & Sports. “I like to analyze a fighter and khow their moving. When they reach a plateau, the fighters and the managers, myself and (matchmaker) Teddy (Panagiotis) decide whether they want to move on to the next level of fighter. Ultimately, we want to make them world champions and earn them a lot of money.”
For Balletto, 28, who has compiled a record of 29-1-2 with 25 KO’s, the decision was made among the group that he is ready for the likes of Vargas, once a former featherweight champion and owner of an exceptional record of 43-7-1 with 30 KO’s.
Balletto will hope that the next chapter of his career goes the way his career has gone for the most past. For Balletto, the story goes that he falls behind in fights because his craft doesn’t resemble that of a typical boxer. He is more of a bomber, a guy who lets his opponents know what’s being thrown at them. When or if they land, Balletto’s hands are usually raised a few moments later.
Balletto was defeated over 10 rounds for the first time a year ago by fellow lightweight contender, Michael Clark, but Clark who had been stopped before and wasn’t known for absorbing a punch well figured to be a very winnable fight for destructive Balletto. Against Vargas, Balletto will be facing a man whose chin has been hit by the fists of Floyd Maywether, Jr., Ben Tackie, Kevin Kelley, John John Molina, Carlos Hernandez and a slew of other noteworthy opponents. Though most of the aforementioned battlers defeated Vargas, none of them have been able to put Vargas away. Pitting a brave, accomplished Mexican warrior with a bone-crunching puncher like Balletto is a fight fan’s dream, but for Balletto, stopping Vargas, let alone beating him may prove to be a nightmarish task for the Rhode Islander.
“Gary is ready for this,” said Burchfield. “Vinny Paz and Gary worked their butts off getting ready for this fight. Vinny helped him work on little tricks and Monday night they sparred 8 hard rounds together. Gary worked to put himself where he is.”
Vinny Paz, himself worked pretty hard to get become a 2-time world champion and fan favorite. Burchfield would say he helped a fighter like Gary get to the position he’s in Friday night. A year ago, March 1st, underneath the Lucas-Paz WBC title fight at Foxwoods Casino, Balletto appeared in his first ever televised co-feature, a night when he stopped then unbeaten prospect Mike Di Benedetto in nine rounds. Burchfield views the development of his fighters as a team effort.
“Having guys like Vinny Paz and Ray Oliveira on our team has enabled our younger guys like Gary and Scott Pemberton the television exposure they need to become more marketable fighters,” said Burchfield. “When Gary knocked out Frank Houghtaling in his third co-feature appearance, it helped him get to this spot. Chad Dawson wouldn’t be getting a chance to fight on ESPN2 (in the Friday night’s co-feature versus Dewey Welliver) if Gary wasn’t the main event. We want to make these guys HBO and Showtime fighters.”
Burchfield added, “What really irks me is when someone says that the New England fighters can’t fight. I don’t think they’re saying it any more because that’s all they have been doing. New England boxing can be a real franchise if more came to see what these guys are really all about. I’m happy to be promoting a good number of tough fighters who are willing to fight anybody. Eventually, a De Marco, a Hagler or a Vinny Paz is going to pop up.
Whether Vargas will be the Michael Myers of the hungry Tiger Balletto’s tale or not, on Halloween night, Balletto will hope that Vargas is more of a treat than a trick in his rise to the top.
As mentioned by Burchfield, undefeated “Bad” Chad Dawson (13-0, 9 KO’s), the 21-year old phenom of New Haven, CT faces his toughest test in Dumont “Dewey” Welliver of Snoqualmie, WA. Welliver (14-5-1. 4 KO’s) defeated Dawson in the 1998 U.S. Jr. Olympic championships final. This time, Dawson and Welliver will be fighting for the vacant WBC Youth middleweight title. The winner of their duel will be in good company. Other youth champions include Juan Diaz (lightweight) and Brian Viloria (flyweight). Francisco Bojado is a former WBC Youth title holder.
In another championship match, women’s EBA light welterweight champion Jaime Clampitt (11-2, 4 KO’s) of Narragansett, RI will face hard-punching Michelle “Amazing Grace” Linden (6-3, 6 KO’s) of Pompano Beach, FL for the vacant International Women’s Boxing Federation light welterweight title.
Angel “Gee-Roc” Torres (13-2, 5 KO’s), a promising featherweight prospect from Manchester, CT will meet against Angelo Torres of Lakewood, WA. Incidentally, the two are not related to each other but both hold wins over a common opponent, Greg Piper. Piper lost the zero on his record to Angelo and lost over 8 one-sided rounds to Angel in one of Angel’s more impressive showings of his 9-fight winning streak.
In another women’s bout of local interest, Missy “The Fury” Fiorentino (7-0, 5 KO’s) of Cranston, RI will meet fellow unbeaten Talia Smith (3-0, 3 KO’s) in a six-round bout. Hard punching light heavyweight Joey “KO Kid” Spina (9-0, 6 KO’s) of Providence, fresh off of his ESPN2 victory in Las Vegas two weeks ago, faces Anterio Vines of Columbus, OH and in a battle between New England middleweights, Bobo “The Bull” Starnino (6-0, 1 KO) of Providence faces Martin “The Irish Assassin” Thornton (5-1, 1 KO) of South Boston. In the opening bout of the night Joe Gardner (3-0-1, 1 KO) of Bellingham, MA will look to get back on the winning track when he faces Philadelphia’s Keith Collier.
An additional 300 tickets will go on sale 9:00 A.M at the Rhode Island Convention Center Friday morning. For more information or to order tickets call Classic Entertainment & Sports at 401-724-2253. Doors open at 7:00 PM and the first bout is scheduled for 8:00 PM. The first ESPN2 fight will be Dawson-Welliver at 10 P.M, followed by Balletto-Vargas at 11:00. The All-Torres fight will be the swing bout.
