"Baby" Joe Mesi

Pro Record: 36-0, 29 KO' s
Age: 34
Born: November 27, 1973
Home Town: Buffalo, New York

The goal is clear, the stage is set: "Baby Joe" is on course to be the Heavyweight Champion of the World, a la his idol, Rocky Marciano. Like the Rock, Joe is a swarming, slugging warrior who never steps backward, not from his opponent, not from his goal, not from the price of hard work it takes to arrive there.


A Dream in Motion

Joe is on his way of making his dream of becoming Heavyweight Champion of the World. Hailing from a suburb of Buffalo, New York "Baby Joe" as his family first called him, first hit the boxing scene as New York State 1994-1996 Super Heavyweight Golden Gloves Champion. Joe also captured the Gold Medal in the 1993 Empire State Games. Joe rounded out his amateur career by becoming a finalist in every national tournament he entered.

On his way to the 1996 Olympics, Joe scored upset victories in all his international competitions. Joe completed his amateur career as the surprising finalist in the 1996 Olympic trials and box offs. Boxing as an unaffiliated and an underdog contestant, Joe overcame every boxing and political opponent on his way to the finals. One heartbreaking loss in the finals of the Olympic box offs made him the 1996 U.S. Olympic Alternate in the Super-Heavyweight Division at the Olympic Games in Atlanta. Several of Joe's former amateur victims are now very successful professionals. Since turning professional Joe has won 35 straight bouts including 28 KOs, 0 loses, and hopes to be fighting for a world title soon.

The goal is clear, the stage is set: Baby Joe is on course to be the Heavyweight Champion of the World, a la his idol, Rocky Marciano. Like the Rock, Joe is a swarming, slugging warrior who never steps backward, not from his opponent, not from his goal, not from the price of hard work it takes to arrive there.
Joe reads a story about the upcoming boxing trials for the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.

And So the Story Begins

It is January of 1995 in Buffalo, New York. Cold, snowy and wet outdoors. Perfect weather to stay in indoors.

Baby Joe Mesi is 22-years-old. He has been away from amateur boxing for almost a year. For the first time in his life, he isn't playing sports, and he does not like the feeling. He begins college and bartends on the side.

Sadly, he watches his weight balloon to 290 pounds, 60 more than when he boxed. When he passes a mirror, he despises the image. He is a competitor who grew up in a boxing family, although he never envisioned himself following that career path.

Being part of a close, large Italian family, Baby Joe and his brother Tom, were all ears when their grandfather, Thomas, and Uncle Russell would talk about their days in the boxing ring. Although Tom began an amateur boxing career early in life, Joe did not walk into a Police Athletic League (PAL) boxing gym until is 20.

He begins competing in PAL amateur matches and quickly builds a 12-2 record, by 1994. Encouraged by his dad, Jack, a Buffalo Police Detective, and supported by his brother and his friends in boxing, Baby Joe is enjoying the sport he never thought he would be in.

After his brother hung up his competitive gloves in 1994, Joe suddenly becomes bored with the sport, feels he isn't learning enough and decides to go after his number one goal — to become an elementary school teacher.
So he quits boxing and enrolls that September at D'Youville College.
Encouraged by his dad ... Baby Joe is enjoying the sport he never thought he would be in.



A New Goal

However, on that cold, January morning in 1995, Joe reads a story about the upcoming boxing trials for the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. He rereads the story a couple of times while beginning to feel his competitive juices warm up. Suddenly, he is interested in boxing again. Competing in the heavyweight division for his country now becomes a new goal for him.

Courtesy of Team Mesi

_________________________________

By MICHAEL PARENTE
Call Sports Writer
September 18, 2007
Joe Mesi had everything a young heavyweight could ask for.
Unblemished and undeterred on his path to success, the native New Yorker won his first 28 professional fights before the age of 31, rose to the top of the World Boxing Council rankings and lined up a future showdown against former champion Mike Tyson at Ralph Wilson Stadium. A shot at Vitali Klitschko’s title loomed on the horizon.
Then he heard the words no fighter ever wants to hear – subdural hematoma, the medical equivalent of the final bell.
Mesi’s promising career came to a screeching halt when he suffered a bleed on the brain during his 10-round, unanimous decision victory over Vassiliy Jirov in March of 2004, prompting the Nevada State Boxing Commission to suspend his license.
According to federal law, every state has to honor the suspension of another, so the Nevada ruling effectively ended Mesi’s career before it had a chance to flourish. By the end of October, he had fallen out of the rankings entirely and was staring at an uncertain future outside the ring.
“I was depressed,” Mesi said. “There were some days I thought I would box and there were some days I thought I wouldn’t. It was a complete emotional rollercoaster.”
Three years later, the ride has finally stopped. Armed with a clean bill of health, Mesi returned to the ring in February of 2006, beating Ronald Bellamy by unanimous decision in Puerto Rico. Since then, he’s been licensed to fight in Michigan, West Virginia, Arkansas, Quebec and Rhode Island.
Now he’s ready to take the next step toward reviving his career after signing with Jimmy Burchfield’s Classic Entertainment & Sports. Mesi – currently ranked 31st in the WBC following six consecutive victories upon his return in ’06 – will turn 34 in November, but hopes to make one last run at a world title under Burchfield’s tutelage. Mesi and Burchfield met in 2000 when Mesi fought in Cranston at the Rhodes-on-the-Pawtuxet on a CES undercard, knocking out John Rainwaiter.
“Ultimately, we decided CES and Jimmy Burchfield would be the best place for us to be,” Mesi said. “He’s the one guy in this sport that’s respected by everybody and liked by everybody. He has very few, if no, enemies and in boxing that’s completely unheard of. Being a northeast promoter and me being a northeast fighter, I think he and I will make a great fit together.
“I’m not the best boxer in the world and I don’t know if I’m the best heavyweight, but I definitely can and will become heavyweight champion.”

BEFORE HE ENTERTAINS thoughts of a world title, Mesi is focusing on his CES debut Oct. 12 at the Twin River Events Center against Shannon “Trouble” Miller (15-3, 9 KOs) for the vacant WBC United States National Boxing Championship heavyweight title.
Two or three more victories by the end of the year could catapult Mesi back into the top 15.
“I think that in talking to these organizations — the WBA (World Boxing Association) and the WBC —
they’ve said, ‘Joe, you never lost. You were No. 1 in the world and No. 2
in the world. We’re going to move you up quickly. You’ve obviously proven
yourself. Just stay busy and stay active and you’ll be a top 10 fighter
again soon,’” Mesi said.
“I’m sticking with that. Hopefully, that’ll be the case and I can be talked about with some of the best guys in the division.”
There’s hope for Mesi in a weight class that lacks a true superstar – and, for that matter, an American champion. Oleg Maskaev (34-5, 26 KOs) of Russia is the current WBC champion and has held the title since knocking out Hasim Rahman in August of 2006. Ruslan “White Tyson” Chagaev of Uzbekistan holds the WBA title while Russia’s Sultan Ibragimov currently owns the World Boxing Organization (WBO) championship. They also happen to be two of only four southpaw heavyweight champions in boxing history. Ukranian heavyweight Wladimir Klitschko – Vitali Klitschko’s brother – won the International Boxing Federation (IBF) title last April after knocking out Chris Byrd.
“There’s no one out there I’m afraid of,” Mesi said. “There’s no one that I wouldn’t want to get in with. Either one of the Klitschkos, I would like to fight them. I think I could do well against them.
“There are good fighters, but there’s no star. There’s no Tyson or back in the day with (Larry) Holmes or (Muhammad) Ali. Even (Floyd) Mayweather with as great as he is lacks a lot, too. He’s not captivating the world. There’s no complete star in the heavyweight division. There’s no (Oscar) De La Hoya.”
Mesi might have the personality and the pedigree to become a fan favorite in the heavyweight division. Before he lost his license in 2004, he skyrocketed to the top of the weight class by piecing together an impressive resume that included victories over DaVarryl Williamson, Monte Barrett and Robert Davis (a combined 87-18). In his hometown of Buffalo, fans considered him the city’s third professional franchise behind the Sabres and Bills.
“I’m not the best heavyweight in the world, but I still get 18,000 fans. Other
fighters can’t sell 300 tickets,” Mesi said. “They might be better than me. I don’t care what the reason is why, but I have something to offer. I have something to offer the heavyweight division whether it’s ticket sales, generating money — my opponents make more fighting me than they make for a world title.”
“Joe Mesi is what boxing needs today,” Burchfield added. “Joe feels that his life is incomplete until he captures the heavyweight championship of the world. Joe is what corporate America can relate to – a gentleman, articulate, handsome and he can box and punch. He has all of the right tools.”
Until he can get a shot at the title, Mesi has his eye on several potential opponents, including Brian Minto (28-2, 17 KOs), Roman Greenberg (26-0, 18 KOs) and Rahman (43-6, 34 KOs), whom he beat as an amateur.
“We have a history. He beat me and I beat him,” Mesi said. “He’s kind of on his way out, so I think that would be good timing for me and I think the winner of that fight would get a nice opportunity.”

ANOTHER REASON MESI could captivate audiences is because of his intriguing comeback story. After losing his license in Nevada, Mesi spent the next two years in and out of courtrooms applying for reinstatement and fighting a legal battle in which he claims a medical clinic released the results of five MRIs to the New York State Athletic Commission without his consent.
When his Nevada license expired in 2005, he was free to seek reinstatement elsewhere, but had trouble getting the green light until he consulted neurosurgeons Dr. Robert Cantu and Dr. Julian Bales – among others – to provide a complete diagnosis. The doctors gave Mesi a clean bill of health and concluded he is at no greater risk of suffering a brain injury than any other fighter despite his history.
In 2005, Mesi lost two bids to have his Nevada suspension lifted until a district court in Las Vegas determined the NSBC could not suspend him beyond the length of his boxing license. Five months later, he returned to the ring in Puerto Rico to begin his road back to the top.
“In the back of my head, I was literally planning on going into other things, but it worked out my way,” Mesi said. “I’m happy it did. I’m even more happy now that we’ve taken this big step in the right direction. I’ve got the tune-up fights out of the way. I’m now with a promoter and I’m heading in the right direction. The next goal is to get back into the top 10.”
Given the situations in Nevada and New York – the frequent denials and the ongoing lawsuits – Mesi has not applied for a license in those states since his comeback fight in ’06.
“We know the states to stay away from,” Mesi said. “Nevada and New York are the big states. We haven’t applied and we haven’t been denied, but we know that we would be.
“We don’t believe it’s a medical issue. It’s a political issue. These are the two states that released my medical information. There’s been a lot of animosity. They don’t want to go back and look foolish now, but, at the same time, we are very optimistic we will get it turned around in New York. To tell you the truth, I don’t really need Nevada. I’d love to fight in Nevada again, but my livelihood is in New York.”

AS OPTIMISTIC AS he is about his comeback, Mesi is realistic, too. The layoff from ’04 to ’06 derailed Mesi during his prime and cost him a shot at a championship.
“I’m out a lot of money and I’m probably out a world title by now,” he said. “I missed two opportunities to fight for a world title not only because of this injury, but because of this legal battle.
“I’m 33 now and I’m comfortable with being 33, but those were my best two years they took away.”
Upon returning to the ring, Mesi admits he wasn’t in peak physical condition, though it appears he’s regaining his form as he begins his CES tenure. After back-to-back decisions against Bellamy and Stephane Tessier in ’06, Mesi has won three of his last four fights by knockout.
“I was still chubby then,” Mesi said. “I was still out of shape, not conditioned, no timing, but now, in the last couple of fights, I’ve got my timing back, my speed back, my explosiveness — I’ve been doing a lot of strength training and plyometrics four days a week.
“That’s my secret weapon. Everyone needs something different and that’s what I needed. Those knockouts are coming back now and I have my speed back — the assets that made me No. 1 in the world before.”
He’s a bit older now than he was in his prime, but Mesi’s still got the desire and, more importantly, everything a fighter could ask for – his health and an opportunity to relive his dream.
“Oct. 12, I’ll be back here and I’m looking forward to it,” Mesi said. “I want to go again in December. Then hopefully by New Year’s, we’ll be back in the top 15 and back on the major networks.
“I still have to answer a few things at this time, but I do think that after a couple more wins and doing this move signing with Jimmy and getting a license here in the New England area, I think that will start turning things around.”


E.S.P.N.'S Dan Rafael remarks
on Mesi's return
October 2007

Friday at Lincoln, R.I.
Heavyweight
Joe Mesi TKO1 Shannon Miller
Records: Mesi, 36-0, 29 KOs; Miller, 15-4, 9 KOs
Rafael's remark: In his first fight since signing with promoter Jimmy Burchfield, Mesi blew out Miller, by far the best opponent of Mesi's comeback. Mesi rocked Miller with left hooks and dropped him before stopping him with a straight right with nine seconds left in the opening round. Mesi, of course, was a rising contender when he suffered a brain bleed in a win against Vassiliy Jirov in 2004. After a long layoff and a legal battle to get a boxing license, Mesi has been slowly making his way back. This was his seventh win on the comeback trail that he hopes will eventually lead to a title shot. Miller has dropped three of four.