By: Christopher Roche: The proud history of Hudson County, NJ boxing received a shot in the arm last Thursday, as the ribbon was cut on the new Union City Boxing Club. James J. Braddock, who did most of his training in Union City, would have been proud of this Cinderella story.
“The most important thing is that these doors remain open!.”
Those were the words of Joe Botti in his emotional dedication speech, which he delivered from the center of the new ring. Botti, who is one of Union City’s Finest, also doubles as a boxing trainer and mentor, and he was one of the driving forces behind opening the new gym. Nearly 100 onlookers, many of whom were energetic children and young adults, helped Botti celebrate the grand opening.
Also in attendance for the main event were IBF Junior Welterweight Champ Paulie “Magic Man” Malignaggi, IBF #7 ranked welterweight Roberto Garcia, Jose Rosario of USA Boxing, Henry Hascup of the NJ Boxing Hall of Fame and John Lynch of Pound for Pound Promotions.
The key guest for the evening, however, was Union City Mayor & State Senator Brian Stack. The Mayor worked closely with Botti throughout this process of keeping the gym in Union City, and together they ensured the boxing program’s survival.
“If it was not for this one man (Stack), this program would not be alive today,” Botti said.
Mayor Stack’s efforts were memorialized with a championship belt, and Botti called him “our champion”. The new location came about after months of searching and negotiating. The old gym was in the basement of a building marked for gentrification and is currently being torn down. Fortunately, the new and much improved location came to fruition, and as the Mayor proudly donned his new belt for pictures, a new chapter in the history of North Hudson boxing was started.
Another title belt that made its way around the gym was the IBF Junior Welterweight World Championship strap. Team Malignaggi made the two-river jump from Brooklyn to Union City, and the fans were thrilled to see him, especially the youngsters who got to take pictures with his belt. There were so many young fans lined up to take pictures with the Champ, that he almost missed the ribbon cutting ceremony. Malignaggi briefly stepped away from the picture line, helped cut the ribbon, and then hopped right back in the ring for more snapshots.
Malignaggi was very generous with his time, and he explained his motivation for making the appearance at the gym.
“Someone like me, showing up, I can be a prime example, a reason why kids can take up their time in a positive way,” explained Malignaggi. “I do not want to say I am the best example (laughs) but I am a world champion. I remember being their age and looking up to guys like me, so if I can give a positive image to them, then I am all for it.”
Malignaggi grew up in a similarly rugged neighborhood in Brooklyn, and it is well documented that boxing turned his life around. The children and young adults of Union City, NJ can certainly relate to Malignaggi, and seeing him in person will reinforce the positive impact that boxing can have on their lives. Further, holding the world title belt is a thrill for anyone, and those memories will surely last a lifetime for those youngsters.
One young man who met Malignaggi is light-heavyweight Jason Escalera, who will be the first member of the new boxing club to turn professional. Escalera is expected to make his pro-debut on February 9 in Union City. The card is being produced by the aforementioned Lynch, who is also Union City attorney and brother of Arturo Gatti’s manager Pat Lynch.
Escalera’s opportunity to train and turn pro in Union City is like something out of the 1920’s, when boxing ruled neighborhoods and fight cards were plentiful. Lynch said he hopes to restore some of that glory, and Escalera will be a beneficiary of Lynch’s vision by debuting in his home neighborhood.
Union City, NJ is the most densely populated City in the United States, twice the density of New York City. Seventy thousand residents are crammed into the 3.8 square mile land-locked burg. Upon traversing Union City’s narrow, winding roadways, one finds the blocks bursting with children and young adults in search of activity. With the grand opening of the new boxing club, the youngsters of Union City will have an additional outlet to expend their energy in a positive way, and, who knows, the next “Bulldog of Bergen” could walk through the doors at 2700 Bergenline Ave. tomorrow!