Joey DeJohn, who was inducted into Ring 44's Boxing Hall of Fame this past August, passed away on May 9th at the age of 81.  DeJohn, a middleweight, was born in and boxed out of Syracuse for most of his career.  He had 17 fights in Buffalo, all at the Memorial Auditorium.  During his 11 year career, DeJohn took on some of the top boxers of his era including Jake LaMotta and Lee Sala.  Always considered to be one of the most exciting boxers of his time, DeJohn was knocked out by Pete Mead at the Madison Square Garden in February of 1949 in a fight still considered by many to be one of boxing's all-time greatest bouts.  DeJohn retired from boxing in 1955 with a record of 74-14-2.

Rochester Democrat and Chronicle link here:

http://www.democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080513/SPORTS0101/805130329/1007/SPORTS

On Friday August 3rd, six new members were inducted into the Ring 44 Buffalo Boxing Hall of Fame.  The ceremonial banquet was once again held at Salvatore's Italian Gardens in Depew.  Buffalo's own "Baby" Joe Mesi and several other local celebrities were on hand for the memorable evening.

Brian LaSpada, who was born in Buffalo, boxed in the cruiserweight division between 1993-2002.  As an amateur, LaSpada trained under Ring 44 Hall of Famer Jimmy Ralston.  As a professional, he was trained by Roger Mayweather and promoted by Buffalo's Rick Glazer for much of his career.  In 1995, he won the NABF cruiserweight title over Art Jimmerson in Las Vegas.  He finished his career with an impressive 28-8-2 record with 13 KOs.

Paul Wielopolski is one of the most accomplished amateur boxers in Buffalo history, winning five consecutive open division Golden Gloves titles between 1967-1971.  In 1979, Wielopolski began a coaching career at the Austin Street PAL that lasted until 1990.  In 1988, he sent six fighters to the National Junior Olympic Championships in Chicago.  The Austin Street Boxing Club won three gold medals and two silver medals that year, more than any other city or state in the U.S. 

Also inducted were middleweight boxer Joey DeJohn, manager Bert Finch and lightweights Steve Halaiko and Jake Schiffer.  Businessman Dennis DiPaolo was named Ring 44 Person of the Year.  Congratulations to all those honored!