Tony Pappalardo

Tony Pappalardo's Boxing License

Tony Pappalardo was well liked by everyone, he was a man who cared deeply about the young men he trained, managed and promoted. His career around the ring began sometime in the 1920s with local standouts Al Zappala and Maurice Goesslin and continued through the early 1960s, ending with fighters Chris Devaney and Jimmy Reilly. At various times in his life he trained fighters, he promoted fighters and put on shows, and in his so-called retirement years he sold fight-related goods at local boxing events. He was a quiet, soft-spoken gentleman and many who knew him from his Salisbury Beach sandwich stands were stunned to find out he had been deeply involved in the gritty world of boxing.

Anthony Pappalardo was born in the Sicilian city of Catania on October 4, 1904 and came to Lawrence as a six-year old and attended the Oliver School. Little Tony was a fast learner and was double promoted before graduating the 8^th grade and entering the mills. He married a fellow Sicilian who came from Trecastagni, Catherine Babargallo, and they had three children: Catherine, Rose, and Al. Although there is no hard proof at this time, it is believed that Tony spent some time in the ring as a boxer as his AAU card has an assumed name as Tony Duffy.

His first gym opened sometime in the late 1920s, in an alleyway between Mechanic Street and Haverhill Street. For years before his name appeared in the papers for being a cornerman during the epic Sicilian vs. Neopolitian battles between Mike Sarko and Henry Janco. Along with his fellow Sicilian, former boxer-turned-trainer Louis “Kid Lewis” Laudani, the two were among a handful of men who kept the sport humming during the 1920s. The Irish trainers and promoters were beginning to move out of Lawrence and men like Pappalardo, Laudani, and Bencivenga were there to take over.

In August of 1932 Tony signed a contract as the manager of a young Al Zappala, who’d been the New England light heavyweight champion and was said to be the man who would replace the great Lowell welterweight, Al Mello. Zappala continued his rise under Pappalardo’s tutelage but soon left Pappalardo and the Lawrence area for New York City. Tony continued, moving his gym to various locations throughout the city of Lawrence and worked with many boxers of varying levels and different ethnic backgrounds. Many gyms were segregated by ethnicity but Tony’s gyms were mini United Nations. Where you came from or what language you spoke didn’t matter as much as character and the ability to work hard. In 1933 Tony signed a contract with local middleweight Maurice Gosselin and continued working with his regular stable of fighters including one young power-puncher known as Sammy Martin. Sammy, who’s real name was Salvatore Polese, eventually gave up boxing and opened an auto repair shop Jackson Street. The two men remained lifelong friends.

A part of Lawrence boxing’s inner circle, Tony was contacted by Louis Laudani when boxing great Jack Johnson passed through the city on his way up to Haverhill. Tony told his son Al how he shook hands with Johnson at the Laudani’s Capri Café. (Side note: Johnson spent a lot of time in Haverhill, MA with a friend who had a shoe shine shop downtown.)

In the early 1950s Tony trained a handsome heavyweight from Keene, NH by the name of Horace Veery. Horace was scheduled at the 1952 Lowell Golden Gloves to fight Peter Fuller, son of former Massachusetts Governor Alvan T. Fuller and at the weigh-in a member of Fuller’s entourage gave Horace a once over and said to Fuller: “don’t worry, you’ll knock this hayseed down in the first round.” Horace went on to win the fight and in fact, according to an interview with the Lowell Sun soon after the fight, Fuller claimed he was hanging up his gloves. (We now know that not to be the case, Peter Fuller donned gloves for a charity event in Boston, 1977 against a somewhat bemused Muhammad Ali.) Horace was a regular fixture at the Pappalardo’s Union Street home for Sunday dinner as there was always an extra plate for a boxer at the Pappalardo home. (It didn’t hurt that the Pappalardo girls were knockouts!)

Local boxer Peter Dugan remembers Tony Pappalardo with great fondness and said that Lowell boxing impresario Ted Coupe always had the best things to say about Tony. Ted could be cynical about the people involved in the underbelly of the sporting world, but he had total respect and affection for Tony. Peter often saw Tony at Bengy’s gym in the 1950s, selling gloves for the bags and then later, in the 1960s, selling trunks at the Frost Arena. Always, Tony would be in the middle of the circle, talking with everyone, keeping up with the local world of Lawrence boxing.

Although I knew the name Tony Pappalardo for his involvement in boxing, most Lawrencians remember him for the delicious sandwiches he served up at the beach. His best-known location was across from the Five O’Clock Club and next to the gypsy fortunetellers. Any Italian American artist performing at the beach would make a stop at Tony’s stand for some good home cooking and leave behind a personalized, autographed picture as thanks. Connie Francis and Frankie Avalon were just a few of the performers who enjoyed Tony’s food and company.

Tony made it a point to give his boxer’s AAU registration cards back to the boxer’s families. Some of the men moved away from Lawrence before growing old and theirs were the cards left behind in Tony’s son, Al Pappalardo’s garage. I had the privilege of calling some of the adult children of the boys that Tony trained in the early 1930s and they were thrilled to have validation for the stories their fathers told them about their days as young men in the rings of Lawrence with Tony Pappalardo.