Boxing has had a long and storied history in Niagara Falls, dating back to 1894, when the legendary John L. Sullivan fought an exhibition match here, and continuing into the 21st century with future state senator Joe Mesi's convincing victories over Jorge Luis Gonzales and Bert Cooper at the old convention center. Still, in the intervening century-plus, an actual championship fight has always eluded the Cataract City.
But on Nov. 15, Falls boxing will be taken up a notch, as former NABF heavyweight champion and No. 1 contender Michael Grant (44-3-0) takes on Buffalo southpaw Paul "The Italian Hit Man" Marinaccio (24-3-3) for the vacant NABA title at the Seneca Niagara Casino and Hotel.
The payoff for whichever fighter wins the bout will be huge. For Grant, the NABA title will propel him back into the Top 10 rankings established by the various sanctioning bodies, while Marinaccio looks to shed the journeyman tag he acquired following losses to top heavyweight contender Timor Ibragimov in 2005 and former world champion Chris Byrd last year.
The loss to Byrd was especially galling, as Marinaccio had dislocated an elbow in training prior to the fight, but passed the physical and didn't want to miss his chance against such a respected fighter. Byrd, also a southpaw, sensed Marinaccio's right-side weakness and pounded away with his strong hand. After six rounds of a scheduled 10-round bout, Marinaccio was unable to continue.
The 1998 New York State Golden Gloves heavyweight champion has fought three times in the past 12 months, knocking out Ron Johnson, fighting to a draw against Gabe Brown and winning by a TKO in the second over Marcus Rhode six months ago in Oklahoma.
Michael Grant has his own demons to quiet. With few amateur fights, he quickly compiled a 31-0 record and climbed up in the rankings. In 2000, he got his title shot against Lennox Lewis and was knocked out in the second round. He lost his next fight by TKO a year later to Jameel McCline, before putting together a string of seven quick victories that had him once again fighting a big-name opponent, this time Dominick Guinn. Grant suffered his third loss in the 2003 bout.
Since then, Grant has fought six times, most recently outpointing Demetrice King this past summer in Philadelphia.
The big question surrounding the Nov. 15 bout, dubbed "The Brawl in the Falls" by promoters, is how much the home field advantage will help Marinaccio, who will be giving up the advantages of height, weight and reach to his better-known opponent.
"I try not to worry about that," the affable boxer told the Reporter. "I've had a lot of what you might call 'unsanctioned' fights, and you never know who's going to show up. I'm going in there in the best shape I can be in and stick to my game plan."
Members of Marinaccio's family are well known in Buffalo as both successful restaurateurs and building contractors, and getting the chance to fight in front of family and friends for the first time in his six-year career will provide him with all the inspiration he needs, he added.
"I am so excited about this, really it's like a dream come true. I've always tried to make something happen so I could fight here, but for some reason or another it always fell through."
Marinaccio did get home often enough do some sparring with Mesi, who prior to launching his political career was also frequently mentioned as an opponent for Grant.
"Paul's a tough fighter and he's got a real shot," Mesi said. "I've studied Grant quite a bit and think there are some weaknesses there that a smaller guy can capitalize on."
Clearly, Marinaccio's the kind of guy who's seen a lot, both inside and outside the ring. He has been involved with the fight against ALS, Lou Gehrig's Disease, since the death of a boyhood friend, Mike Skipper.
"Mike was a true champion," he said. "He was just a regular guy, went to work every day and took care of his family, and he faced it with a real strength and courage like I've never seen before."
Since Skipper's death, Marinaccio has done what he could to raise both money and awareness of the disease.
"I watched him die, and there was nothing I could do about it," he said. "It changed something in me."
Nick Garone, who manages Grant, said his fighter will show up ready for business.
"Everybody knows, Michael knows, that he's going into hostile territory," he said with a smile.
Perhaps the smile was for Garone's wife, the former Holly Sanoian of Niagara Falls. The couple divide their time between a home on the river in Youngstown and another on Long Island.
"I've been approaching people for a while now about the possibility of doing an important heavyweight fight in Niagara Falls, and with the help of Ross John of Iroquois Promotions and the people at the Seneca Niagara Casino we've finally been able to pull it off," Garone said.
For Niagara Falls natives, the six-round undercard will be highlighted by a return to the ring here of the talented welterweight James Ventry, who is a far better fighter than his 7-5 record would suggest. He's dealt with bad luck and a couple of bad decisions, but he is 5-2 in his last seven fights and favored to win in front of the hometown crowd over Jamar Saunders, a young up-and-comer from Atlanta.
A light heavyweight bout between two-time world champion Byron "The Slama from Bama" Mitchell and top contender Etienne "ET" Whittaker will precede the main event.
For the Buffalo-born Marinaccio, the night represents the chance to show his family, friends and the world the kind of stuff he's made of.
"He's coming to my town, in front of my people," he said. "That's what I'm really excited about."
Tickets are available through Ticketmaster and in the Eight Clans Gift Shop at the Seneca Niagara Casino and Hotel, and are priced at $30, $55 and $90. They're going quick.
| Niagara Falls Reporter | www.niagarafallsreporter.com | October 28 2008 |