?It?s bad enough to have these pigeons and firecrackers but, if you don?t stop throwing things the commission will stop the show??
The players: JIMMY ARCHER, Bronx; RONNIE COHEN, New Rochelle; TONY DeCOLA, Red Hook; TONY DiBIASE, Astoria; BILL FLAMIO, Bronx; JOHNNY GORMAN, Brooklyn; FRANKIE IPPOLITO, Bronx; EDDIE JORDAN, Bedford Heights (Brooklyn); EDDIE LYNCH, West Side; AL ROCKY MILONE, Coney Island; DANNY RUSSO, East New York; GALE KERWIN, Valley Stream, L.I.; STEFAN REDL, Passaic; PETER SCHMIDT, Yorkville; ITZY WALLACH, East Side; HENRY WINCHMAN, East Side and JOEY KLEIN, East Side.
As boxing?s ethnic landscape was rapidly changing so too were the neighborhoods that these fighters came out of. This group was the last remnants of the ethnic rivalries that had been the staple for successful small club boxing in New York City since the beginning of the 20th Century.
These men boxed each other a total of 75 matches between themselves. Almost every bout was a slugfest in front of their neighborhood supporters who set off firecrackers, threw raw eggs, set loose pigeons, flung chairs and engaged in brawls between the opposing gangs. Although none of these men were top flight, world-class boxers, all were tough, rugged club-fighters with much heart and plenty of blood sacrificed in honor of neighborhood pride.
Almost all of these matches were presented at the St. Nicholas Arena, located at W. 66th St. and Broadway, under the direction of Teddy Brenner and televised over the DUMONT TV NETWORK. Previously the cards had used well known top-flight boxers who performed in front of sparse audiences but Brenner decided to stage old-fashioned club fights for the cameras using boxers with large and boisterous followings that would fill most of the seats and make for an exciting atmosphere. This formula worked well until the Dumont network folded.
The gradual decline first appeared on Feb. 7, 1955 when Chico Vejar defeated Joey Klein on a TV match from Eastern Parkway Arena in Brownsville. Little did we know Joey Klein would be the ?last Lower East Side Jewish boxer? to headline a bout on network television. Due to Klein?s crowd-pleasing, slugging style this was his ninth appearance on a network show. Other ominous warning clouds for the future appeared when Eastern Parkway lost their TV contract and folded on May 16, 1955.
Also in 1955, East Side welterweights, Henry Winchman and Itzy Wallach, both called by their fans ?Pride of the East Side? staged their rivalry for neighborhood bragging rights. In hindsight we now know the historical significance of the three slugfests that they waged would be the final chapter of the East Side Jewish rivalries in a storied tradition that started before the turn of the century.
When Brenner started showcasing these tough ethnic club-fighters on his shows many TV fans were thrilled by the frantic action these warriors provided. Boxing?s all-time greatest ?stringer,? Freddie Eisenstadt, reported some of the action under Jersey Jones? byline in Ring Magazine in this way: (5/13/57) ?Jimmy Archer, Bronx, in his TV debut and going ten rounds for the first time, edged out a split decision over Tony DiBiase, Astoria, in a free punching, hard socking brawl packed all the way with furious action.? (3/18/57) ?Stefan Redl, Passaic, survived two 2nd round knockdowns to outlast Al Rocky Milone, Coney Island, with a TKO in the eighth in a real sockfest.? (6/3/57) ?…Redl engaged in a bloodbath with Frankie Ippolito. Between them the rivals smeared each other, the referee, and the ring canvas with unholy splotches of crimson.?
Then there was (8/5/57): Danny Russo of East New York against Eddie Lynch, West Side. ?Amid as noisy an exhibition of hoodlumism by rowdy partisans?.two spectators hit by chairs, required medical attention?the bedlam was augmented by thrown [raw] eggs, exploding firecrackers, and flying pigeons.?..at one point Johnny Addie was forced to announce to the crowd ?It?s bad enough to have these pigeons and firecrackers but, if you don?t stop throwing things the commission will stop the show.? Russo was awarded a split decision.
Some other comments from Eisenstadt on the action: (2/24/58) ?A return battle between Jimmy Archer and Danny Russo resulted in another win for Archer, this time by a TKO when ugly gashes around Russo?s eyes prompted the stoppage in the 7th of a hotly contested and close battle. The referee?s action and taunts by Archer cohorts infuriated Russo?s followers and a brief but hectic free for all broke out. Police rushed in to restore order.? ((3/17/58) ?Down in the first and again in the second, Johnny Gorman staged an exciting uphill fight to edge out Jimmy Archer in an All-Irish St. Patrick?s night at St. Nicks.?
When Eddie Lynch fought Bill Flamio (7/21/58) their battle was described: ?In about as messy an exhibition of the so called ?manly art? as metropolitan fans have seen in quite a spell, Flamio was a surprise winner?Exasperated by Flamio?s rushing, mauling, butting tactics, Lynch lost his temper?Lynch was warned for holding and hitting on the breaks while Flamio was penalized the eighth round for kneeing Lynch in the groin, while his Fordham fans yelled ?c?mon ref, let ?em fight.?
When Ronnie Cohen, of New Rochelle, cut up and butchered Jimmy Archer for a seven round stoppage win he was hailed for a time as the ?New Jewish Sensation.? But as Mike Silver recalled (?well actually half-Jewish? this was discovered when some killjoy pointed out that he had the habit of crossing himself before the first bell?).
Not long after, these warriors took jobs as truck drivers, construction workers, longshoremen, Irish Eddie Jordan became a cop, Tony DeCola worked for ?The Jewish Examiner,? Tony DiBiase earned a degree from NYU in Geology, to raise their growing families and faded from the scene. Only Stefan Redl rose to be a fringe contender, meeting top opposition. Ironically, two guys that boxed frequently on their undercards became great fighters?Joey Archer and Emile Griffith! St. Nicholas Arena closed up on May 28, 1962 after 56 years in the fight racket. The last show was headlined by Tony Fortunato of the Bronx, who edged out old favorite, Stefan Redl, with only 1,177 fans witnessing this sad passing of a proud history. Now the only neighborhood club to run regularly in New York City would be Sunnyside Gardens, ?out in Queens.?
