PHILADELPHIA’S BOXING HISTORY SCRAPBOOK 1843 to 2020
By Chuck Hasson
Description
This isn’t Hemingway or Liebling nor is it Silver, Toledo, Peltz or Oppenheim. Its just the pedestrian’s tour through Philly’s boxing past from the beginning to the present. A fight on a barge. Then watch two fighters squaring off in a makeshift ring pitched in a clearing in the woods along with 80 other onlookers. Stand outside the Cambria waiting for the show to start. Or be there for opening night under the stars for the inaugural show at the beautiful new Toppi Stadium ….Zip up the three flights of stairs to see the action at Passyunk Gym.
Meet ALL the fighters from the champs and contenders to the hundreds of local gladiators who battled in the gyms and the small clubs in exciting slug fests to move on to the next level and for the enjoyment of the loyal spectators in the smoky atmosphere of a true Philadelphia fighting environment. This is the story of the Philly area warriors who gave their all inside the most savage rings in the world. -Chuck Hasson
About the Author
Chuck Hasson is from Chester, PA and born Dec. 9 1946. First started watching boxing on TV as an 8 year old in 1955.
Chuck got his first taste of Philly boxing in January 1956 when channel 12 started televising fights regionally from the Cambria in Kensington section of Philadelphia and the Adelphia at 39th and Market Streets. The atmosphere and excitement generated from the fight fans had him hooked, forever, to the Philly boxing environment.
He watched his first live pro boxing card on Dec. 6, 1960 with his Dad and brother, Terry, at Convention Hall and started going to the fights every chance he could. He has watched boxing at the Arena, Blue Horizon, Spectrum, Wagner’s Ballroom and 2300 Arena in Philly. He has witnessed boxing at Shea Stadium, Madison Square Garden and Felt Forum in New York. Chuck has also been a spectator at the “Rhodes on the Pawtuxet” in Rhode Island, Exposition Center in Portland ME, Revere Beach in MA, Atlantic City, Totawa, Vineland, Trenton and Camden in NJ, Baltimore MD and Miami Beach FL.
Authored the “Delaware County Boxing Record and Capsule History” and co-authored, with Tracy Callis and Mike Delisa, “Philadelphia’s Boxing Heritage 1876-1976.” He has written a 12 page article “The Philadelphia Story” for BOXING ILLUSTRATED magazine and has Compiled the complete history of Philadelphia Boxing with tens of thousands of news clips.
Chuck was inducted in to the Pennsylvania Boxing Hall of Fame in 2013
Book Details
- Book and Page size 8 1/2″ by 11.” Covering 177 years with over 750 images.
- 201 pages of the capsulized history of Philadelphia-including Philly’s JEWISH BOXNG BRIGADE, pages 67-84 (60 pictures); “ITALIANO PHILLY” pages 123-137 (with 82 pictures); BLACK HISTORY runs through the whole text and a generous smattering of the “FIGHTING IRISH.”
- Philadelphia’s Amateur Boxing History: 23 pages, 202-222, including (86 snapshots).
- Delaware County Boxing History 20 pages, 227-247, (74 photos). Wilmington DE. Fight History 10 pages, 247-757, (28 pictures).
- “Boxing, A Leader in Racial Fair Play.”
- “Before Casino Boxing, Atlantic City’s 1st Golden Age. 4 pages, 264-267, (5 photos).”
- Resources pages, 268-769.
- VBA RING One.
- Interesting stories.
How to Order
For anybody interested, the book is $45.00 and $49.00 by mail. (check and money order only). Contact: Chuck Hasson, 8 Winifred Ct., Ocean View, Delaware. 19970. And thank you for your interest and patience.