By John D’Onofrio
Three months and nearly 2,000 miles have done little to distance “Baby Joe” Mesi from the bitterness he feels surrounding his tumultuous two-year suspension from professional boxing.
“We struck a blow for boxer’s rights,” Mesi’s father, retired Buffalo police officer Jack Mesi, said this week as Baby Joe prepares for his first professional fight since being stripped of his boxing license by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
Baby Joe will take on journeyman Ron Bellamy on Saturday night at the Guaynabo Boxing Fest in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The bout is scheduled for eight rounds. It’s Mesi’s first pro fight since beating Vassiliy Jirov by decision in Las Vegas (March 13, 2004), improving to 29-0 with 25 knockouts.
After beating Jirov in a slugfest, Baby Joe was ranked No. 1 by the World Boxing Council (WBC). But things came tumbling down quickly after that, as he was diagnosed with bleeding of the brain and had his license quickly suspended by the NSAC.
“They can’t do that to people — even if they are boxers. It’s illegal to suspend people,” Jack Mesi said.
“They’ve been doing it for so many years and have ruined so many lives — like (Muhammad) Ali’s suspension and (Mike) Tyson going to jail. I have my suspicions about why their livelihoods were taken away illegally.
“They messed with the wrong boxer this time,” Jack Mesi added.
Soon after Baby Joe’s suspension, the Mesi camp hired a strong legal team, led by Buffalo attorney Paul Cambria, a constitutional expert. Cambria argued successfully for the right to have additional medical experts testify to answer concerns raised by doctors. After a 12-month legal battle, the ordeal finally came to an end in December, when Baby Joe’s suspension was lifted.
“I feel great,” he said Tuesday.
“This is how I should be I feeling. I’m so happy to be back and involved in this sport. I’m also happy to be fit again and to be doing what I’m supposed to be doing,” said the Sweet Home High School graduate, who weighed in Tuesday at a lean, mean 234 pounds.
“I just want to go in, get a few rounds in to see where I stand — to see how many tune-ups I’m going to need and how I look technically.”
Known locally as a champion for a variety of charitable and volunteer causes, Mesi remains confident in a big victory on Saturday against the 6-foot-4, 250-pound Bellamy — so much so that he plans to announce his own fight in a delayed Web cast with proceeds benefiting his “Fight for Organ Donation.”
“In a perfect world, after this fight, I’ll be ready to fight again in about a month,” Baby Joe said. “A month after that and I’ll have another low-key fight, then I’m talking to ESPN about another tentative fight that’s scheduled in June.
“A first-round knockout or eight real good rounds on Saturday would be perfect,” Mesi added.
Jack Mesi said the goal Saturday is, “to get the rust out” and go from there.
“Training has been going fabulously — a lot better than we expected. Joe has once again risen to the occasion,” Jack Mesi said.
“The goal on Saturday is to observe his balance, his hand-eye coordination, speed, power — all the things that got him to be the No. 1 contender in the world.”
The heavyweight division today:
- WBC CHAMPION: Hasim Rahman (United States)
- WBA CHAMPION: Nicolay Valouev (Russia)
- IBF CHAMPION: Chris Byrd (United States)
- WBO CHAMPION: Lamont Brewster (United States)
Top 10
The top 10-ranked heavyweight fighters in the world today:
1: Oleg Maskaev (Kazakhstan)
2: James Toney (United States)
3: Oliver McCall (United States)
4: Samuel Peter (Nigeria)
5: Calvin Brock (United States)
6: Ray Austin (United States)
7: Sinan Samil Sam (Turkey)
8: Shannon Briggs (United States)
9: Larry Donald (United States)
10: Monte Barrett (United States)
