JOE MUSCAT()
HEAVYWEIGHT
1941-1949

Joe Muscato, the oldest of the trio boxing brothers (Phil & Sam) was born November 22, 1919, in Dunkirk, New York and was one of Western New York's more illustrious heavyweight contenders. Joe got-hit by the boxing bug at the age of 18 to help support his family, and seemed to have every physical qualification. However Joe didn't strike Guy T. Sulpizio, (Sulpy) veteran Bison handler, as the type to be a fighter. And to the end Sulpy tried to discourage him.

Unable to talk Muscato out of the sport Sulpy fixed it with Tony Tozzo, brother of former light-weight champion Rocky Kansas, to knock it out of him. Tozzo, a deadly left hook puncher, tried to oblige, putting Muscato in dreamland in their first workout. But the soft spoken Italian lad was back for more the next day, and the next. Finally, Sulpy decided that kind of determination couldn't go un-rewarded.

Muscato had 55 amateur bouts between February 1938 and April 1941, losing two at the start of his simon-pure career, but knocked out both his tormentors in rematches. While an amateur, Muscato won the Niagara District light-heavyweight Golden Glove title, and by 1941 had racked up the Diamond Belt, Western NY and New Jersey heavyweight titles, before turning pro that September.

It was Joe's undefeated record after 13 outings, and his first round KO victory over 2nd ranked Lem Franklin in the "MacArthur Bomber Fight Show" in Cleveland, Ohio on June 23,1942, that convinced Sulpy to match Muscato against Jimmy Bivins one month later, where Muscato suffered his first defeat. A fight that many criticized Sulpizio, for not allowing Joe more time to train for. But Muscato loved boxing so much he even offered to give up his share of the purse, in his efforts to get Bob Pastor to sign on the dotted line.

Answering the call during WWII, Muscato entered the U.S. Army and served as a boxing instructor at Camp Hood and Ft. Dix before being sent to the S. Pacific. While in the S. Pacific Joe won the 44th Division and the S. Pacific heavyweight crown, and had some forty-five bouts most of them exhibition. Muscato returned home from the war a hero after being struck in both legs by shrapnel and awarded the purple heart. Many were convinced his fighting days as a G.I. and a heavyweight boxer were over. However, within a year after D-Day, Muscato was making his post-war boxing debut.

He went up against many formidable opponents, Arturo Godoy, Lee Oma, Pat Comiskey, Bill Weinberg, Mellio Bettina, Teddy Randolph, Enrique Felpi, Johnny Shkor, Johnny Flynn, Buddy Knox. Abe Cestac & Joe Matisi.

Joe finished his boxing career in 1949 and made his debut in professional wrestling in 1950 campaigning for seven years as a grappler. After leaving the ring, Joe was active for many years as a referee, judge, & timekeeper for boxing and wrestling matches in the WNY area. Muscato was also very active in recruiting and training area youngsters in the Golden Gloves, and worked for the City of Buffalo Recreation Department as an instructor teaching boxing,

basketball and table tennis in some of the city's toughest neighborhoods for fifteen years. Joe Muscato, one of Buffalo's most popular boxers died on December 8,1977 of a heart attack while in the Buffalo VA Hospital awaiting open heart surgery.