Boxing Back in the Bronx at the Paradise

Boxing tradition is rooted in the Bronx.During the first half of the 20th century, small fight clubs dotted the borough. Yankee Stadium played host to the most important prizefight ever when Joe Louis knocked out Max Schmeling in 1938. Jack Dempsey, Gene Tunney, Sugar Ray Robinson, and Muhammad Ali all fought in a ring erected over the infield in baseball’s hallowed shrine. Jake LaMotta, Mike Belloise, Frankie Genaro, Al Singer, and Iran Barkley brought world championships home to the Bronx.But in recent years, boxing has languished in the Bronx. There haven’t been many fights.Enter Joe DeGuardia.DeGuardia was born and raised in the Bronx. He was schooled in the borough and, between 1989 and 1993, served as an assistant district attorney under Bronx District Attorney Robert Johnson.Star Boxing (DeGuardia’s promotional company) has 20 boxers under contract, most of whom are credible club fighters, a few of them world-class. More significantly, Star Boxing has brought boxing back to the Bronx in the form of a series of fight cards at the Paradise Theater.The first installment of “Punchin’ at the Paradise” took place last December. DeGuardia is on track to promote six fight cards at the venue this year, and 12 in 2008. In many respects, the theater itself is the star of the show.The Paradise Theater opened on the Grand Concourse at 188th Street in 1929 on the eve of the Great Depression. Designed by John Eberson, it had an ornate 17th-century baroque interior featuring marble fountains, Greek and Roman statues, and towering columns that rose to a dark-blue ceiling with small lights that simulated stars. Palatial for its time, it cost $4 million to build and seated 4,000 patrons.The Paradise quickly became one of America’s premier vaudeville and movie houses. The first film to show there was “The Mysterious Dr. Fu Manchu.” Vaudeville stars like Bob Hope, George Burns, and Milton Berle graced its stage. Later decades saw performances by the likes of Chuck Berry and Buddy Holly.But times change. The Bronx suffered an economic downturn. The Paradise was eventually divided into a multiplex movie theater with four screens. By the early 1990s, it had fallen into such disrepair that neighborhood residents said it resembled a haunted house.In 1996, the Paradise closed and was slated for demolition. But before it could be torn down, the exterior was designated a New York City landmark. Thereafter, the theater was renovated and reopened in 2005. Its interior also now has landmark status.Last Thursday witnessed the fourth installment of “Punchin’ at the Paradise.” Reigning IBF 140-pound champion Paulie Malignaggi was in the crowd. So were former world title-holders Iran Barkley, Junior Jones, and Tracy Harris Patterson.Irish junior middleweight James Moore was the only fighter with world-class potential on the card. Moore hails from County Wicklow and is 29 years old. He represented Ireland in international competition 44 times and won a bronze medal at the 2001 World Games. Two years ago, he turned pro and moved to New York.Moore entered the ring at the Paradise sporting an 11–0 record with eight knockouts. His opponent was Christopher Overbey, a club fighter from Ohio with an 8–6 ledger.Moore’s strength is body punching. “You can do all the training in the world,” he says. “But it goes out the window if you get hit with a good body shot.” Early in round three, Moore knocked Overbey out with a body shot.As for the rest of the card, DeGuardia’s matchmaker is Ron Katz, one of the best in the business. There are times when Katz’s assignment is to dig up six dead bodies as opponents for young fighters under contract to Star Boxing. But Katz has a compulsion to make competitive fights and can’t always control his lust for combat. Thus, two of the five fights on the undercard ended in upsets.Meanwhile, as the night wore on, the crowd was enjoying itself. Between fights, patrons stood three-deep at the large oval bar in the theater lobby. It appeared to the casual eye as though a few of them were ladies of the night, who had filtered into the theater to ply their trade.“I’m a Bronx boy,” DeGuardia said when the show was over and fans were filing out. “These are my people. This is home for me.”

Boxing Back in the Bronx at the Paradise

Boxing Back in the Bronx at the Paradise

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