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By Lyle Fitzsimmons - Though he’d like to climb through the top 10 in his division and ultimately land a fight with an established pound-for-pound commodity, it’s first things first for Paul Spadafora.
The Pittsburgh native, now 37, simply wants people to know that he’s still out there.
“My manager and promoter have been working hard to make meaningful fights for me and I’ve been working hard in the gym to keep myself sharp,” said the still-unbeaten ex-IBF lightweight champ, who made eight title defenses from 1999 to 2003. “We’ve come a long way from being unranked to top 10 in three out of four belt organizations.
“I’m also hoping that an opportunity comes around for me where a top guy is willing to fight me. Many people thought I retired, so I need to keep busy and perform well and become relevant again. I think I’ve shown that in my last two fights.”
Spadafora, who fought just nine times amid myriad non-ring problems between 2004 and 2010, resurfaced last August with a unanimous eight-round decision over Ecuadorian veteran Humberto Toledo at the Mountaineer Casino Racetrack and Resort in West Virginia and returned four months later with a 10-round nod over Solomon Egberime.
The wins moved him to 47-0-1 in an intermittent career that began in 1995, and, more vitally, got him to No. 8 in the IBF rankings at junior welterweight, where he’s also ranked ninth by the WBA and WBO, and 15th by the WBC. He was hoping to boost his standing by facing off with once-beaten Vernon Paris on April 6, but that match fell through due to promotional issues and left Spadafora to instead face unheralded Robert Frankel (32-12-1) – a sparring partner of WBC lightweight champion Adrien Broner. [Click Here To Read More]
The Pittsburgh native, now 37, simply wants people to know that he’s still out there.
“My manager and promoter have been working hard to make meaningful fights for me and I’ve been working hard in the gym to keep myself sharp,” said the still-unbeaten ex-IBF lightweight champ, who made eight title defenses from 1999 to 2003. “We’ve come a long way from being unranked to top 10 in three out of four belt organizations.
“I’m also hoping that an opportunity comes around for me where a top guy is willing to fight me. Many people thought I retired, so I need to keep busy and perform well and become relevant again. I think I’ve shown that in my last two fights.”
Spadafora, who fought just nine times amid myriad non-ring problems between 2004 and 2010, resurfaced last August with a unanimous eight-round decision over Ecuadorian veteran Humberto Toledo at the Mountaineer Casino Racetrack and Resort in West Virginia and returned four months later with a 10-round nod over Solomon Egberime.
The wins moved him to 47-0-1 in an intermittent career that began in 1995, and, more vitally, got him to No. 8 in the IBF rankings at junior welterweight, where he’s also ranked ninth by the WBA and WBO, and 15th by the WBC. He was hoping to boost his standing by facing off with once-beaten Vernon Paris on April 6, but that match fell through due to promotional issues and left Spadafora to instead face unheralded Robert Frankel (32-12-1) – a sparring partner of WBC lightweight champion Adrien Broner. [Click Here To Read More]
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