Ring 44 announced the 2013
class that will be inducted into the Buffalo Boxing Hall of Fame on August 2nd
to be held at Salvatore’s Italian Gardens. Ross “The Boss” Thompson. Ray Casal
and Tony Sisti will take their place with the legends of Western New York.
Thompson was a multiple
national amateur champion from 1984 to 1992 while training at the Austin St.
PAL. He won four national PAL titles in four different weight classes from
1984-1991. He also traveled with the U.S. national team around the world. In
1992 Ross turned professional in Las Vegas and was undefeated in his first 14
fights in the welterweight and junior middleweight divisions. In 2000 Thompson
was awarded for his 24-3-1 record with world title shot against IBF light
middleweight champion Fernando Vargas on HBO. Ross would fight for 11 more
years and finished with a 27-16-3 record.
Ramon Casal Jr. is the Owner/Operator/Coach
and Trainer of Casal’s School of Fighting Arts, located at 1767 Maryland Street
in Niagara Falls, NY. Born and raised in Niagara Falls, Ray learned the
fundamentals of boxing from his father, who boxed in the army and respected
trainer Gene Tortorice. In 1996, Ray opened his own gym, then located on the
second floor on Hyde Park Boulevard. Since that time he has run, partnered with
prominent businessman “Smokin” Joe Anderson, numerous quality amateur events at
the old Wintergarden and at his new, professional class gym. Since dedicating
to the “Sweet Science” of boxing, Ray was appointed team coach in 2002 for the
National Junior Olympic Team/New York and was awarded USA Boxing “Most
Outstanding Coach” in 2003 at the Fran Jones Under 19 Championships. He also
was a team coach for the 2004 Golden Gloves Nationals held in Little Rock,
Arkansas. Ray’s Gym has produced the following Champions: 72 Male Golden
Gloves, 6 Female Golden Gloves, 28 Silver Gloves, 22 National Champs and 4
P.A.L. National Champs. He has worked the corners or participated in the
training of professionals and top amateurs such as: Meldrick Taylor, Tony
Tubbs, Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini, Bill Wallace, Billy Hackmer, Otis Grant, Kevin
Rosier and, of course, Nick Casal. Ray has been in the corner and acted as
cutman for many high profile shows, including: Gary Shaw Productions, Shelly
Finkle Management, Showtime Boxing, HBO Boxing and ESPN.
Tony Sisti was best known for
his oil paintings, drawings, and murals. From 1926-1931 Sisti studied at the
Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Florence, Italy. When he ran out of money, Sisti
arranged a boxing match in Rome winning enough money to finance his return to
Buffalo. Later, he used the winnings from another fight to underwrite the cost
a personal art show in New York City. Sisti joined the Art Institute of Buffalo
as a member of the faculty in 1932. He taught painting and anatomy at the
institute until 1938 before opening his own gallery in Buffalo on Franklin
Street. Over the years, he painted portraits of many important political and
business leaders as President Franklin Roosevelt among others. In 1981, the
City of Buffalo named a park in his honor at the corner of North and Linwood.
Sisti’s works have been exhibited in major museums including the Museum of
Modern Art in New York, the Pennsylvania Academy of fine Arts, and the
Burchfield-Penney Art Center in Buffalo. The Burchfield-Penney Art Center also
displays a number of Sisti’s paintings in its permanent collection. Sisti was
an amateur bantamweight boxer before turning professional in 1919 and ended
with a 6-3-3 record. His love for art and boxing had him painting murals of
Primo Carnera, Joe Muscato, Lou Scozza, Jersey Joe Walcott and others. His
portrait of heavy weight contender Phil Muscato, titled The Boxer, won the Gold
Medal at the 1953 Buffalo Society of Artists exhibition. (Source)
