BOXING IN HIS OWN WORDS “UNCLAIMED DESTINY” BY RUSTY ROSENBERGER

Atlantic City, NJ– Lou Duva, a famous boxing manager & promoter, and a retired, 25 year Teamster President, from the state of NJ. Since 1979, I know for a fact, he has at least one skeleton in his closet he’s kept hidden for over 30 years, me. After years, and numerous attempts to vindicate my dilemma, I’m about ready to initiate a drastic, even a criminal event/act, if need be. Finally getting the attention my story should of have created back in the day, after all, time is running out.

I’m Rusty Rosenberger, the 1979 NJ State middleweight (160 lbs) champion, and the author of my boxing autobiography titled, “Unclaimed Destiny, The Heart of a Champion,” published in 2003, by Zumaya Publications. After a very accomplished amateur career, when in 1976, fighting in the, National Golden Gloves Tournament in Las Vegas, Nevada, I was matched up in a semi-final bout against the #1 amateur middleweight in the world, Thomas Brooks. He’d competed, and beaten all the world’s top amateur middleweights. He’d won the 1975 All-Service Military middleweight championship, and beat Micheal Spinks (1976 Olympic Middleweight Gold Medallist) for the Pan-American Championship Games title.

As I waited at ringside, the winner to the previous fight was being announced, I stood facing the ring, someone walked up behind me an spoke in my ear, I listened. The person said, “Be careful Rusty, Brooks has a good right hand.” Without turning, I nodded my head, saying “Thank you,” and proceeded to the ring to fight the proven, best amateur middleweight in the world. As I crawled through the ropes, entering the ring, our eyes met. We glared at each other momentarily, and then I started dancing, loosening up. Called to the middle of the ring to receive prefight instructions from the referee, Mr. Brooks never looked directly into my eyes. Instead, he moved his head from side to side, making it appear to all the on lookers, as though I weren’t even there.

The bell rang initiating the boxing match. I danced toward him, and I when I got into his punching range, he threw a jab at me. Seeing it coming at my face, I bent slightly to my right, allowing his jab to miss it’s intended mark, my face. I then stepped back making room between us. I danced to him again, as he attempted to hit me with another jab, seeing it traveling in my face’s direction, I again bent slightly to my right, making his punch miss me, as I countered with a jab of my own, to his abdomen. While I was slipping his jab, and throwing my punch, I noticed he flinched his right hand, as though he wanted to throw it, but didn’t. Instantly, I thought to myself, I bet the next jab he throws, he’ll throw that good right hand he’s known to have. Sure enough, as I danced into his punching rage, he fired another jab, which I saw coming, and slipped it again, anticipating that right hand, I saw it coming, and slipped it also, while throwing my own right hand to his stomach. The bodypunch I threw, landed with a thud, and power, driving him back into the ropes. I stepped to him throwing four punches directly to his facial area. The force of my combination of four punches, drove Mr. Brooks deep into the ropes.

Boxing ring ropes are tightened prior to every show, giving the ropes tension. After I delivered my four punch combination, driving him deep into the ropes, I stepped back, making room between us. As Mr. Brooks came off the ropes, being propelled by the tension of the ropes, I stepped towards him. As I stepped to him. I bent my knees and looked directly at his stomach area. He saw my eyes, and my bent knees, making him believe I was about to throw a body shot. That’s when Thomas Brooks, made a fatal boxing mistake. He dropped his left hand that was protecting his chin, to cover his stomach area. In a flash, I reacted, instead of throwing my powerful right hand to his abdomen, I reverted my right hand to the tip of his chin. He went down, like right now, and didn’t move. You could have counted to 100, he wasn’t moving, or didn’t move until he was carried out of the ring, back to the locker room. I knocked out the best amateur middleweight in the world in less than two minutes of thevery first round.

I turned professional in 1978 with Lou Duva as my fight manager. By April of 1979, I’d compiled a record of 15-0-9 KOs. All of my fights had been for 6 rounds only, held in small arena’s in NJ & NY. I was known as a “Club Fighter,” never scheduled to fight more than a 6 round contest. While driving in Lou’s station wagon one afternoon, Lou told me, “If I continue winning and fighting well, and looking impressive as I have in my recent fights, I might get the chance to fight for the NJ State middleweight (160 lbs.) title against Reggie Jones.”

Lou told me, “First I’ll have to get you a couple 8, or 10, round fights, just to give you an idea of what it would be like to fight more than a 6 round fight.” He said, “The way a smart manager moves his prospect up the ladder, is to start him out fighting 4, then 6, then 8, then 10, then into a 12 round championship fight.” Less than a two week period of time, Lou contradicted himself. He advised me he’d signed a contract for me to fight for the NJ middleweight championship against Reggie Jones, boy was I in shock, and in disbelief.

April 27, 1979, was the date of my first of many I hoped would be many, professional championship boxing match. Held in Newark, NJ, at The Robert Treat Hotel, on a fight card promoted by a group of African-American’s, called Triangle Productions, of which Reggie Jones belonged. I met this group of businessmen on April 20, 1979, at a special press conference held in Reggie’s honor. A representative of Hugo Corro, (World middleweight champion), was present, also. He’d flown in from Argentina, to present Reggie with a fight contract to meet Corro. When they presented Reggie with the fight contract, I was asked to sign the contract on the witness line. The contract read, “If Reggie Jones beats Rusty Rosenberger, one week from the signing of this contract on April 27, 1979, Reggie Jones is guaranteed a world title fight against Corro.

All Reggie Jones needs to do is beat a six round club fighter, and he’s fighting for a world title. I was such an underdog, the “Bookies” wouldn’t even put odds on the up coming New Jersey middleweight championship. Guess who everyone, especially Lou Duva’s associates, (The Mob), bet all their money on? On April 27, 1979, on that date in history, because Lou Duva under-estimated my fighting ability, intensity, and heart, the “Mob” lost a lot of money, and Duva lost his respect with the organized crime in NJ, and I became the new, New Jersey champion. Lou had to make back the money lost, and his respect, by the Mob, when he advised them to bet on Jones, which Lou thought was a sure bet.

Lou Duva, had an idea to save his ass, and respect, by promoting, and matchmaking, while managing many of the fighters on the only fight card held in the NFL’s NY Giants Stadium on September 18, 1979, Lou Duva promoted this a fight card, billed as the “Cavalcade of Champions.” Featuring Rocky Lockridge-Gerald Hayes, for the New Jersey lightweight (135) championship, light heavyweight (175) champ of NJ, Mike Rossman-Ramon Ranquella, and heavyweight New Jersey champ Scott Franks-Bill Connell. I, Rusty Rosenberger, the New Jersey middleweight champion, was featured in the main event vs Mike “Nino” Gonzalez, the State’s welterweight (147) champion. I was originally to fight Reggie Jones in a title rematch, but that fight fell through.

At this point and time, I was considered the #1 drawing card in the state of New Jersey, with Gonzalez the #2 ticket seller. One day, as Lou Duva and I drove back to my hotel after a training session, Lou said to me, “We’re going to stop by my Teamsters office to pick up some fight posters to distribute to some of my business associates to display in the windows of their businesses.” As we entered the Teamsters office, the phone rang, Lou answered. He quickly became involved in an heated argument with the caller. Being just a few feet away, I heard every word Lou said. The caller was concerned about the low amount of pre-fight ticket sales. Lou promised the caller, he’d fix the problem, and hung up the phone. He immediately began to pace around his office, very fast, repeating over and over again, “Tickets aren’t selling, tickets aren’t selling, I’m going to lose my ass, what am I gonna do? I’ll end up in the East River, wearing cement shoes, what am I gonna do?”

PART II TOMORROW AT WWW.RINGTALK.COM

Gregg “Rusty” Rosenberger

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