Baby Joe Mesi
First Honorary Inductee into Boxing Hall of Fame Event in Belfast, New York!
"This is incredible, just incredible..."
was stated time and time again by Joe Mesi as walked through the barns and viewed the equipment of John L. Sullivan and William
Muldoon. "I've stood where Ali and Foreman have stood, I've fought in Madison Square Garden, but this is different
altogether. To stand where Sullivan stood, where it all began, is just an undiscribable feeling. Both this place
and Scott Burt need national attention. The boxing world is in for a treat when they come here, and need to support
Scott's project in every way. This is a true treasure, a true time capsule, beyond what I ever thought it would be."
“As
our biggest local boxing hero, it is an honor to induct Joe into our Hall of Fame. He came to our May 16th event not
knowing we were going to induct him. Obviously not a bare knuckler, Joe will be our first honorary inductee," so
said Scott Burt, Hall of Fame Coordinator. "There will be a tribute to modern boxers upstairs in the barn, in Sullivan"s
documented "rub-down" room, and this is where there will be a display honoring local hero Joe Mesi. Having
Joe attend our May event gives me the feeling that the Belfast folks must have had in 1889 when they heard that John L. Sullivan
was coming to town. We are very pleased that Joe and and his wife Michelle could be with us. Joe
graciously spent the entire evening signing autographs, posing for pictures, and enjoying both the people of Belfast and the
barns. The fundraising event, entitled "The Birth of the Bare Knuckle Boxing Hall of Fame" drew over 250 people
for a walk-through of the barns before the restoration process was to begin.
Mesi, known in the fight world as “Baby”
Joe Mesi, carries an undefeated 36-0 (30 by KO) World Heavyweight record and was the 2004 Number 1 ranked WBC Contender of
the World. Mesi's
promising boxing career was setback greatly when injured in a 2004 bout. Since then Mesi has been re-licensed
by several state boxing commissions.
Joe Mesi has one of the
longest active undefeated professional boxing records in the world for a heavyweight. He grew up
in Tonawanda, New York, a suburb of Buffalo, and attended Sweet Home High School in Amherst. He did not start his boxing
career until he was 19 years of age, but quickly became known as a force to be reckoned with as he became a New York State
Golden Gloves champion. Mesi’s father, Jack, is his manager and is familiar with the Belfast
area. “I can remember bringing Joe down for the Belfast Boxing Tournament back in the 1990’s.
We also like to hunt in the area, so we know Allegany County quite well." Plans are to move the barns after the event to a more accessible location within Belfast, and to open the Bare
Knuckle Boxing Hall of Fame. The barns have remained virtually untouched for over a century and are just
the way they were left by Sullivan and his trainer William Muldoon in 1889. Sullivan trained in Belfast
for his epic 75-round bare knuckle fight against Jake Kilrain. Sports Illustrated recently coined
the fight as “The Outlaw Brawl That Started it All”. Sullivan was the last Bare Knuckle Champion
of the World. His presence in Belfast, New York, is legendary.
Also honorarily inducted into the Hall of Fame
was Belfast's Bill Heaney. "Because of Bill Heaney, so said Burt, these barns are still standing. He has
put endless hours into their preservation. All through the 1990s Bill organized the John L. Sullivan Boxing Tournament
here in Belfast. When the words boxing and Belfast are mentioned together, three names come to mind.... William Muldoon,
John L. Sullivan, and William Heaney. We are honorarily inducting Bill Heaney into our Hall of Fame in the area of Boxing
Promotion."
