Remembering when Philly boxing got off the ropes and thrived

Russell Peltz, five years after leaving Temple with a journalism degree, sat on the apron of a boxing ring and eyed a crowd of trainers and managers.

The sport was in danger in Philadelphia.

The Spectrum — which had hired Peltz a year earlier to run its Monday Night Fights program — threatened to stop hosting boxing matches after Peltz’s fights lost $50,000 in 1973.

But Peltz, who became a Hall of Fame promoter after opting for the sweet science over newspapers, had an idea. It was one last punch to keep the fight alive. And that’s why he called every boxing mover and shaker in the city to Joe Frazier’s Gym on North Broad Street.

“There were five or six rows of chairs in front of me. About 50 or 60 managers and trainers,” Peltz said. “I said, ‘If you guys aren’t going to fight each other, then we’re going back to the Arena. The Spectrum doesn’t need us. They have ice hockey and basketball and the Ice Capades and the circus.’ It worked.”

No one wanted to return to the Arena, the dilapidated, no-frills building at 46th and Market Streets. The dressing room was one open space with hooks on the wall to hang the fighters’ clothes. The Spectrum was new and beautiful.

Everyone agreed to match their fighters against one another and the first neighborhood slugfest — North Philly’s Stanley “Kitten” Hayward vs. Germantown’s Perry “Li’l Abner” Abney — rocked the Spectrum in January 1974.

We were up there with Madison Square Garden.

Philly boxing had bounced off the ropes and a golden era was underway.

“We were up there with Madison Square Garden,” Peltz said.

It’s been 50 years since that first Philly vs. Philly fight changed the course of the city’s boxing scene. The Spectrum is gone, Peltz is no longer promoting, and many of those fighters are now deceased. It’s almost unimaginable that Philadelphia was a boxing hub, regularly drawing over 10,000 fans to the Spectrum.

Now, the Wells Fargo Center is out to give it another try, attempting to revive the sport just like Peltz did that day inside Frazier’s gym.

Jaron Ennis, the Germantown native nicknamed “Boots” with the talent to be a superstar, will defend his IBF welterweight title on Saturday night at the Wells Fargo Center. His opponent — David Avanesyan — feels less significant than the venue, as the arena has hosted just two boxing cards since opening in 1996.

It will be the first world title fight in South Philly since Bernard Hopkins defended his middleweight crown in 2003 at the Spectrum. Saturday is a chance for Philly boxing to return to its old part of town.

“We’re kind of hitching our wagon to Boots Ennis and hoping that he takes off,” said Michael Sulkes, a senior vice president at Comcast Spectacor and general manager of the Wells Fargo Center. “We want to be his home venue. We hope he has a handful of championship fights over the next few years at the Wells Fargo Center. That’s what we’re hoping for.”

A month after Abner and Hayward, Peltz scheduled Willie “The Worm” Monroe against Eugene “Cyclone” Hart. More than 10,000 people came to see the two North Philadelphians square off as “The Worm” won by decision.

“Then we were on our way,” Peltz said.

Every middleweight who wanted to go somewhere had to come through Philly.

Hart lost later that year at the Spectrum to Bobby “Boogaloo” Watts before returning to South Philly in November 1975 to face “Bad” Bennie Briscoe, the sanitation worker who became the city’s top draw because of his vicious punches. Briscoe and Hart fought to a draw in front of 11,021 fans. Two of Philly’s all-time punchers pummeled each other all night, even firing off shots after the bell rang. The crowd loved it and Ring Magazine ranked the fight as the second-best that year behind Frazier and Muhammad Ali’s “Thrilla in Manilla.” Philadelphia boxing was back.

“That’s what always made Philly a great fight town, the neighborhood rivalries,” Peltz said. “Remember, there weren’t 37,000 world champions in those days. Philadelphia was the middleweight capital of the world in the 1970s. Philly and Paris. Every middleweight who wanted to go somewhere had to come through Philly.”

Marvin Hagler was nearly a decade away from facing Thomas Hearns when he traveled from his home in Brockton, Mass., to face Watts at the Spectrum. Hagler wasn’t a champion yet, so he decided to test himself against the gauntlet of Philly middleweights: Boogaloo, The Worm, Cyclone, and Bad Bennie.

Hagler lost a decision in January 1976 to Watts — “It was outrageous. I don’t think one sportswriter at ringside voted for him,” Peltz said — and dropped a decision to Monroe — “Willie The Worm had one of those career nights,” Peltz said — two months later.

The Petronelli brothers, who managed and trained Hagler, cornered Peltz outside the Spectrum dressing room.

“They said, ‘Russell, you’re working with all these middleweights. Briscoe, Watts, Monroe, Hart, Abner. Why don’t you take us on? We’ll cut you in for a piece,’ ” Peltz said. “I said, ‘If you can’t beat the guys from Philly, what can I do?’ That’s how I turned down 10 percent of Hagler for free. It wasn’t going to cost me anything.”

Hagler returned to the Spectrum in September 1976 as a late replacement to face Hart after Vinny Curto backed out days before the fight. Hagler won by eighth-round stoppage. He came back again in August 1977 to avenge his loss to Monroe and then topped Briscoe a year later in South Philly. The Briscoe-Hagler fight drew 15,000 fans, setting the state record for the largest indoor crowd to watch a non-title fight. Philadelphia was a boxing hotbed and the local fighters helped Hagler become a star.

“We were just making the right fights. That’s all,” Peltz said. “I believed in what I was saying because I knew the history of Philly and what made Philly tick. You had to climb your way up the ladder.”

Wells Fargo Center officials did not know how many tickets they would sell for Saturday’s fight. Their last boxing card was more than 20 years ago. They sold 4,500 in the first few days and have since sold out the arena’s lower bowl. They’re now selling tickets on the second level and believe there’s a chance the arena could be filled. A win on Saturday night will be another statement to prove Ennis is ready for bigger fights. And the crowd could be a statement that a boxer can still sell tickets in Philadelphia.

“I think Boots can bring boxing back to the forefront of sports fans,” Sulkes said. “I think the city of Philadelphia needed a fighter to get behind. We absolutely want to be the home for boxing again.”

The undefeated and often untested Ennis has recorded 28 of his 31 wins via stoppage. He seems to be nearing a star turn and has the makings to be Philadelphia’s next great boxer.

I think the city of Philadelphia needed a fighter to get behind. We absolutely want to be the home for boxing again.

“You’re talking about a fighter who might be the best fighter in the world, pound for pound,” said Eddie Hearn, Ennis’ British-based promoter and one of boxing’s power brokers. “Sometimes when I’m selling it to the city, it’s like, ‘Come on and watch this guy. He’s good.’ But this is, ‘Come and watch this guy. He could be the best there is.’ ”

Ennis is promising another quick finish on Saturday. If so, he could be back at the Wells Fargo Center later this year. Hearn said he wants to position Ennis for a title unification fight in the fall. If Saturday’s crowd is as lively as expected, they won’t have to look far for a venue.

The sport may never take over South Philly the way it did 50 years ago when Peltz promoted monthly cards at the Spectrum and fans flocked to see guys from the neighborhoods. Eventually, those fight nights faded away because of the rise of boxing in Atlantic City. But Saturday night could have the energy that has not been felt in South Philly in quite some time. A local fighter will defend his title in front of a buzzing crowd. It could be the start of something. Philly boxing has another chance to come off the canvas.

“We need more fights in Philly. Hopefully, I’m a trendsetter,” Ennis said. “I feel like I can be that guy and bring boxing back to Philly. I have a fan-friendly style. Everyone loves [it] when I fight. It’s always action. It’s entertainment. I have fun and I get the knockout. That’s what everyone wants to see. They want to see knockouts and they want to see me look good.”