Mike Mollo - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Mike Mollo is a professional boxer in the heavyweight

Heavyweight

Heavyweight is a division, or weight class, in boxing. Fighters who weigh over 200 pounds are considered heavyweights by the major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation, the World Boxing Association, the World Boxing Council, and the World Boxing...

division, born in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

Background

Born into a working class Italian family in Chicago

Chicago

Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...

's south suburbs, Mollo got into numerous scuffles on the streets of his neighborhood. Already 230 pounds as a 14-year-old, he was quickly taken to the local boxing club to hone his skills, and apply his energy in a more constructive manner.

Professional career

After a brief amateur career, "Merciless" Mike Mollo made his professional debut on June 25, 2000, scoring a first-round knockout over Terry Coffin in Elgin, Illinois

Elgin, Illinois

Elgin is a city in northern Illinois located roughly northwest of Chicago on the Fox River. Most of Elgin lies within Kane County, Illinois, with a portion in Cook County, Illinois...

. Over the following years, Mollo built his professional record while also working full time as a bricklayer and tuck pointer. Wildly popular with Chicago fight fans, Mollo used his hard-punching, aggressive style to win 19 of his first 20 professional bouts. His first loss was to heavyweight contender DaVarryl Williamson

DaVarryl Williamson

DaVarryl Williamson is an American boxer originally from Washington, D.C., but later a resident of Aurora, Colorado. His ring nickname is "Touch of Sleep". He has a current professional record of 26-6, 22KO...

. On October 7, 2006, Mollo scored his biggest win, knocking out Kevin McBride

Kevin McBride

Kevin Martin McBride is an Irish boxer, who competed for his native country at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain.McBride debuted in December 1992, with a victory against Gary Charlton...

(best known for defeating Mike Tyson

Mike Tyson

Michael Gerard "Mike" Tyson is a retired American boxer. Tyson is a former undisputed heavyweight champion of the world and holds the record as the youngest boxer to win the WBC, WBA and IBF world heavyweight titles, he was 20 years, 4 months and 22 days old...

) by a TKO 30 seconds into the second round.

Influences

Early in his career, Mollo gained the support of Rocky Marciano

Rocky Marciano

Rocky Marciano , born Rocco Francis Marchegiano, was an American boxer and the heavyweight champion of the world from September 23, 1952, to April 27, 1956. Marciano is the only champion to hold the heavyweight title and go undefeated throughout his career. Marciano defended his title six times...

’s family. “I understand that Mike wants to emulate Rocky both in and out of the ring”, noted Peter Marciano, younger brother of the “Brockton Blockbuster”. Mollo remembers Marciano well. “I grew up watching fight films of Rocky Marciano. Both of our families came from Naples, Italy, so Rocky was a hero to my family. My strength and conditioning coach Joe Wright gave me a rare book written by Rocky called 'The Use of the Body'. Joe found this book in 1967 while he was somewhere in England. I’ve been reading it and it’s a masterpiece.” Mollo continued, “I can’t be Rocky, but I’m truly honored to have the support of the Marciano family. I hope to make them proud.” http://www.eastsideboxing.com/news.php?p=6648&more=1

Mollo is married with children and resides in the Chicago

Chicago

, Illinois

Illinois

Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...

area.

Boxing360

Mollo currently is signed with Boxing360, a New York-based promotional firm founded in 2009 by Mario Yagobi. With a mixture of younger and older, more established talent, Boxing360 has already begun to make an impact within the world of boxing utilizing new training techniques, establishing a solid financial base for its fighters, and bringing a positive approach to the sport.

Professional boxing record

Gary Gomez
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UIC Pavilion

The UIC Pavilion is a 6,958-seat multi-purpose arena, located at 525 S. Racine Street on the West Side in Chicago, Illinois, USA, which opened in 1982. It is home to the University of Illinois at Chicago Flames basketball team and the former home of the Chicago Sky WNBA team...

, Chicago

Chicago

, New Jersey

New Jersey

New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...

Background

Professional career

Influences

Boxing360

Professional boxing record

External links