Joey "The KO Kid" Spina

Pro Record: 25-1-2 (17 KO's)
Hometown: Providence, RI
Age: 32
Born: August 12, 1977 in Johnston, Rhode Island
Hometown: Providence, Rhode Island
Pro Record: 21-0-1 (15 KOs)
Former WBC USNBC & IBF Intercontinental Super Middleweight Champion

Power-punching super middleweight Joey “KO Kid” Spina, the rugged Italian brawler from Providence, gained respect and national recognition after his thrilling stoppage of Jesse Brinkley in 2006 on ESPN2. Spina remains one of boxing’s most powerful, feared pound-for-pound punchers.

Instead of strictly being a knockout artist, as his “KO Kid” nickname indicates, Spina has become more of a boxer, moving his head and feet in the ring. Make no mistake about it, though; Joey remains one of the hardest hitting punchers in boxing, pound for pound, having knocked out 15 of 22 career opponents.

Spina had a brief but highly successful amateur career, amassing an impressive record of 18-2, 15 KO's. He also picked up several amateur championships as the four-time SNE Golden Gloves, three-time Bud Belt Champion and three-time Diamond Belt champion.

Even as an amateur Spina has worked with some of the world's best professionals, including former world super middleweight title challenger Scott “The Sandman” Pemberton and former USBA light heavyweight champion Will Taylor.

As a sparring partner and as an amateur, Spina earned a much-deserved reputation as one of the fiercest punchers around, stopping nine-fight veteran Tom Barker in the first round of his 2001 pro debut.

Joey extended his undefeated winning streak as a pro to nine via a unanimous four-round decision (40-35, 39-36, 39-36) against of Rodney Moore (5-6-3) Oct. 17 on ESPN2 Friday Night Fights live from the Orleans Casino in Las Vegas. Joey KO’d Anterio Vines Halloween night (2003) on ESPN2 in an impressive performance at the R.I. Convention Center.

Spina put Salah Zabian to sleep with a picture perfect punch, squarely landing on the chin, in the fourth round of their May 14 match in Providence. Joey was fighting for the first time in five months due to time off rehabbing from surgery by Team CES doctor, Dr. Steven Margles, to repair a ripped tendon and chipped bones in his arm. Spina went on a KO rampage stopping his next three opponents, none able to last four full rounds: William Bailey (KO2), James North (TKO4) and (17-12-2) James Johnson (KO1).

In his first co-feature, Joey faced his toughest opponent at that point, former Muay Thai champion Manu Ntoh (15-9-1), and Spina emerged victoriously after eight hard fought rounds with a unanimous decision.

Joey followed in his first main event (June 17, 2005) with a 10-round unanimous decision (99-91, 98-92, 97-94) against former world champion Carl Daniels, earning Joey the USNBC crown. Spina stopped veteran Anwar Oshana (23-4) in three rounds and fought a 10-round draw with always-tough Jose Spearman
(24-9-3).

Joey was losing by four points on two judges’ scorecards, two on the other’s going into the 11th round of his USNBC title defense against Jessie Brinkley (26-3) from The Contender, in their ESPN2 Wednesday Night Fights main event. Spina broke Brinkley down until finally a vicious body blow left Brinkley helpless and referee Mike Ortega stopped the action at the 1:50 mark.

On Cape Cod (MA) in July of 2006, Spina drilled Jay Pina (16-1) with a perfect one-two combination that left Pina literally out on his feet. Fortunately, referee Dick Flaherty halted the action at 2:34 of the fourth round before Spina, who won the vacant IBF Intercontinental title, inflicted anymore damage.

Spina’s impressive performance on national television against Brinkley set-up a high-profile showdown against cross-town rival Peter Manfredo, Jr. on a The Contender: East Coast special in their Providence hometown. Manfredo stopped Spina in the third round. Not only was it Joey’s first loss as a pro, he suffered a hand injury that sidelined him a year. Spina, however, returned to action on October 20, registering a fourth-round TKO of 69-fight veteran Shannon “Trouble” Miller in Reno.

In his last bout, Spina won a unanimous six-round decision against Henry Mayes (6-4-1) at Twin River Events Center in Lincoln, Rhode Island.

Spina, former USNBC and IBF Intercontinental super middleweight champion, is rated No. 4 by the USBA and No. 9 by the NABA. Classic Entertainment & Sports, Inc. promotes Spina who is self-managed and trained by Jose Santos.

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