Joe Mesi Story

[BoztheMadman]

This guy has had a pretty dramatic life and career. It would make a good movie, no doubt. The first really good boxer from Buffalo since Jimmy Slattery in the 1930's, Joe Mesi was a promising talent whose career was cut off suddenly just as it was about to reach its' zenith. He had it all: he could punch and box, he was tough and had fast hands and on top of that-he had the looks and the charm to become a true star. He was also the first noteworthy Italian-American heavyweight since Rocky Marciano. But, a meeting with a Kazakh derailed his career and led to an injury that could have been serious and nearly ended his career for good. But, even though he came back, he was never able to regain his former status or form and retired after a handful of easy victories over lower-level opponents. Here is the Joe Mesy story!

 

Contrary to what many believe, Joe is his real name. He was born November 27 1973 in Tonawanda, a small town just north of Buffalo. He didn't get into boxing until the age of 19. He started boxing in order to lose weight and he at one point weighed up to 290 pounds. He was a New York State Golden Gloves champion and as an amateur he holds a win over Hasim Rahman. He made it to the 1996 Olympic trial finals, but lost to Lawrence Clay-Bey on points. He embarked on a professional career on November 1 1997. Standing 6'1 and with a reach of 79 inches, Joe was considered a rather small heavyweight, but his tenacity, power and handspeed soon made him the one to avoid. His first success came in 2001, when he stopped the much bigger 6'7 Jorge Luis Gonzalez by TKO4 at home in Buffalo, bombing the giant Cuban amateur star out in a one-sided fight. That was on April 27 and exactly 3 months later, he stopped Bert "Smokin'" Cooper by TKO7 after dropping him twice. Cooper turned his back to escape further punishment. On October 18 2002, Mesi fought the former Olympic silver-medallist and still game contender David Izon, in a fight televised as a part of ESPN Friday Night Fights. Mesi put Izon down in the third round and also hurt him in the eight before stopping him after only 9 seconds in round nine. He then won the NABF title in spectacular fashion, stopping Robert Davis by TKO1 on June 24 2003, but in September he was stripped for not fighting Elieser Castillo. He scored his perhaps most impressive victory on September 27 that year when he knocked out the very solid DaVarryl "Touch of Sleep" Williamson with a barrage punctuated with a left hook in only 1 minute and 37 seconds! Williamson was 18-1 before that and was stopped early on in his career. Mesi's next fight however would be tougher; his opponent was a rising contender called Monte "Two Gunz" Barrett. The fight happened December 6 at Madison Square Garden and was a true barnburner. Mesi put Barrett down in round 5 with an overhand right but was down himself for the first time in his career from a left hook in round 7. In the end, Mesi snatched a majority decision in his first true test with the scores of 95-93, 94-93 and 94-94.

 

It was then that his fateful fight would come. Just before that, he was featured, along with Audley Harrison and Dominic Guinn, on the cover of The Ring magazine with the title:"Are they the next Lewis, Holyfield and Tyson?" I guess Mesi was supposed to represent the new Tyson. On March 13 2004 at Mandalay Bay in Vegas, he took on the teak-tough Kazakh, 1996 Olympic gold medallist and former IBF cruiser champion, Vassily Jirov. Jirov had not long ago lost for the first time to James Toney in a classic fight, on points. "Baby Joe" was outboxing Jirov for the first 7 rounds, but in the 8th he was hit on the back of the head and went down. He got up but was then down once in the last two rounds, this time from legal punches. He was however hit behind the head more than once during that fight. Although he won by very close scores of 94-93, after the fight he was deemed medically unfit as two subdural hematomas were found on his brain scan. The day after the fight, his boxing license was suspended by Nevada Athletic Comission, despite Mesi pleading that he didn't really sustain any kind of brain damage. Because of this, he was absent from the ring until April 1 2006, when he made a comeback against Ronald Bellamy. He looked slow and out of shape but won easily against the journeyman Bellamy, in an 8-rounder. Also his next fight ended in a decision, but his form started to improve and he started scoring knockouts again, but he was still fighting only bums. His last three wins where all in one round and in the last fight, October 12 2007, he won the minor WBC United States belt by TKO1 against Shannon Miller. Even though he planned to fight also in 2008, it never materialized and it turned out to be the end of Baby Joe Mesi's career. His record is 36-0 with 29 ko's. He is one of the few fighters of his time, especially heavyweights, to retire undefeated.

 

He went into politics and attempted to run for the Senate, but lost the 2008 general election. Since 2002, he has been involved in Philantropy and started a non-profit organisation to provide awareness aboout organ donation and transplantation. He is generally known as a good, caring person, which is in stark contrast with his ring persona as dangerous ko artist of course. Joe Mesi was wronged by the Nevada Athletic Comission and has launched several unsuccessful lawsuits against them. Had he not been suspended, he'd most likely fight Michael Moorer, as that's what Jirov did (and got knocked out). From there on, a fight against new champion Lamon Brewster, who was of same size and fighting style, would have been plausible. We can only imagine how it would have played out, sadly.

[LondonRingRules]

--- Been thru Tonawanda Boz during my brief yr as an intercontinental truck driver.

 

Very nice country up there. As to Baby Joe, he was boxrec #1 for a few months that riled up ye aulde AOL forum. Joe could won a belt if matched right, but glad he finished unbeaten. When coming back without a license, he was forced into the backwaters and like Field, most top guys didn't want to be the one giving him brain damage or worse.

 

Good looking lucky guy who fills out a suit perfectly to make the ladies swoon.