-- JOHNNY DUKE HALL OF FAME SHOT, courtesy of Ice.
Former amateur champion Sammy Vega, former NABF 175-pound champion Eric Magic Man Harding and former light heavyweight contender Iceman John Scully in 2005 photo with legendary Hartford trainer Johnny Duke at Duke's induction ceremony into the Connecticut Boxing Hall of Fame at the Mohegan Sun. Duke died in March 2006.
By ICEMAN JOHN SCULLY
Johnny Duke plaque ceremony is a go for THIS SATURDAY, the 24th at 11 a.m. in Hartford at the site of his former gym in Bellevue Square (now known as Mary Shepard Place).
If you need directions, you can mapquest to Wooster St. in Hartford's North End.
Several of Duke's former boxers are expected to attend including Mike-Mike Oliver, Hector Rosario, Julio Acosta, Tommy Rivera, Anthony Taylor, Herbie Cox, Robert Perez, Akwan Shabazz, Antonio and Santos Luyanda and others. I am also working on getting 1970's era Duke protege' Stevie Hilyard to attend. Members of the Connecticut Boxing Hall of Fame (responsible for a generous monetary donation to the cause i.e. payment of the plaque) will also attend.
So if you can get the word out to the public it would be much appreciated as I am sure there are many relatives of former Duke boxers/Bellevue Square residents who would see it and let the proper people know to attend.
So Saturday is the day ... see you there.
"The wait in the dressing room before a professional boxing match -- that last hour -- could be enough to strip a man who never boxed before of whatever pride, desire and heart he THOUGHT he had."
-- Iceman John Scully, April 2002
1 comment:
Andy, I will try to be there...hopefully no work that day! Johnny was a great mentor to many=Juan
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