Originally posted by The Old LefHook
View Post
Summerville was jokingly referred to as "Slummerville" (or Slummah Ville, in the vernacular of the area) back when I had dealings with allot of the gyms in and around Upstate NY and the New England area. The experience brought me into the orbit of the Petronelli brothers (Marvin Hagler, Robbie Sims, Lou Bizzarro, Steve Collins, Drake Thadzi), Al Clemente, Johnny Dunn, Jimmy Connolly, Bill Ebel and the New Garden Gym (Jack O'Halloran, Vinny Curto, Danny Long, Sean Mannion), The Whitman Gym and Vinnie Vecchione (Hurricane Peter McNeeley, Jimmy Corkum, an exceptional Jr. Welterweight who went on to graduate Johns Hopkins from a 40-3 fight career, to becoming a noted Gastroenterologist) and so many others. A gym with pros and amateur fighters working out in every large and small city back then. South Boston, Lowell, Brockton, Lynn, Attleboro, Worcester, New Bedford, Fall River, Hartford, New Haven, Bridgeport, Providence, Manchester, NH, etc., etc. Boxing is more of a foreign sport today than it was 40+ years ago. In the US, boxing was Boxing and MMA today all rolled into one - Plus some.
Even then, Norman Stone was a colorful character in a world of colorful characters. Street fighting legend, decorated Vietnam War veteran, uncontrollable temper, loved his gym and took care of his fighters.
Was he the the jerk they made him out to be on HBO? Meh. Ya, sure. Whateva!
Comment