TalkingBoxing News
Tommy “The Razor” Rainone: Keeping the Dream Alive
TUE April 10, CHRIS ROCHE + DANNY SERRATELLI - Tommy “The Razor” Rainone proves that dreams can become reality. Since the age of six, the Long Island native dreamed of becoming a professional fighter. Rainone is planning on keeping his vision a reality, as he prepares for his April 11 showdown with Ronny Glover at the Citadel in Charleston, SC.
Rainone, 27, is 6-0 (1 KO), and he is at a turning point in his career. After this fight, Rainone is planning on stepping up past being a four round fighter, as he feels he will be able to showcase his boxing skills in the longer fights. A win over Glover will ensure that his dream takes the next step, and he will continue carving out a name for himself. So far, the self-managed welterweight has done a solid job building his boxing career, and to keep the bills paid, Rainone doubles as a night auditor at a Hilton Hotel.
In what may seem like a reverse schedule, Rainone does his road work first thing in the morning, after work. Once he finishes his run, he gets his few hours of sleep, and then he heads off to the gym before going back to work. It is truly a hectic schedule, but Rainone knows that in order to make dreams come true, hard work and sacrifice are paramount.
Rainone, who compares his style to Paul Spadafora’s and has been compared to Corey Spinks’, turned pro three years after finishing up a very competitive amateur campaign. Rainone fought many top ten fighters and Golden Gloves Champions; he even tangled with Luis Collazo (twice) as well as Francisco Figueroa. Rainone admits that he partied a lot during his amateur career, however his long layoff (between the amateurs and turning pro) allowed for him to fully dedicate himself to his boxing career. He is confident the next stage of his career will be successful.
Rainone recently spent some time with Brickcityboxing.com, and we will be sharing the transcript of our in-depth interview.
Danny Serratelli: Tommy, tell me about your amateur career.
Tommy Rainone: I had between 33-37 or so amateur fights from 1998 to March of 2003 when I stopped boxing to take a break and basically get my life in order and go about things the right way before returning to the sport to turn pro in September of 2006.
About 10 of my amateur fights were against guys that were ranked in the top 10 in the nation and I also fought many golden glove champions and finalists as well. Some of the guys that I fought in include Luis Collazo, 2 times, Fransisco Figueroa , Leon Green, Jorge Gonzales ,Johnathan Tubbs, Kemal Kolonovic, Anthony Irons, Leon Hinds, Chris Pignone, Austin Joseph 2 times, Jason Thompson and many other top amateurs over the years, I don’t think I ever had an easy amateur fight and that prepared me for the pros.
DS: Out of some of those guys you mentioned, what are the differences in age? Also how did you make out in those fights?
TR: We are all around the same age. A couple I’m younger than a couple I’m older then. Collazo beat me on a decision both times. The 1st time I fought him it was my very 1st open class fights in the metros so it was maybe my 8th fight and he must have had over 70 fights already. He beat me easily as I went into the fight sick and not even knowing who he was and assuming I could get through it. (laughing) The second fight was in the golden gloves and it was a much better fight but again his over all experience was too much for me to over come. He won a decision after I started strong but faded late.
Figueroa who is a very good friend of mine ever since our fight was a fight in which he won 3-2 split decision. We have actually watched the fight together and we just laughed cause with both of us being southpaws with real good defense we made each other miss quite a bit but it was a good fight.
I honestly felt I won and I joke with him about that a lot but we have both improved a lot since our amateur fight and he has had great success and turned himself into a real good fighter and someone who I feel has a solid chance to win a world title at 140.
I sweat out all his fights as I want nothing but the best for him and hope I can accomplish some of the things that he has. The amateurs are tough and I was always told and felt as well that I had a style that was more suited for the pros. That has held true as I feel more relaxed and confident in the pros.
I didn't take the amateurs too serious. I partied a lot and cut corners in training. I was young and like all young people I was interested in having a good time on a regular basis but I reached the point in my life in early 2003 were I said enough is enough.
Boxing is a sport were you must prepare yourself 100 percent and give yourself the best possible chance to be victorious and I was not doing that so I decided to stop for a while. I’m decided I wanted to travel have fun, live and enjoy life and come back to the sport that I love and turn pro once I was mature enough to go about it the right way and that is exactly what I did.
Its funny cause most people that take a break or drop out of college say that they are going to go back yet most do not, its the same thing with boxing, a lot of people that stop never go back.
It involves a lot to basically start from scratch and get your mind and body back in shape and go back to living a Spartan type life style of constantly training, sacrificing and persevering, the day in and day out grind that comes along with being a fighter… but I was able to do that when most people thought I was never going to return to the sport.
Regardless of what transpires in my career I did what I said I was going to do when everyone told me that I couldn’t, I proved a lot of people wrong.
DS: How’d you get started in boxing and what made you pursue it as an amateur and eventually turn pro?
TR: I wanted to be a professional boxer since I was about 6 years old or so and 1st saw Rocky. I played little league like a lot of other kids and enjoyed baseball but I always wanted to box, and if my career ended tomorrow, I could at the very least say that I lived my dream. My childhood dream, my teenage dream, and my over all dream and that’s something that very few people in life can claim to have done
DS: Recently, you fought twice in a week or so, and I know you had to get special permission from the NY commission to do so. Tell us about that experience.
TR: As far as why and would I do it again…I did it because I was already in real good shape and in this particular case I felt that it was the right situation so I decided to do it. I don’t know if I would be willing to do it again on 5 days rest as it left me flat and I was not at my very best for the 2nd fight because of such a short rest, but it would depend on the situation. I like to stay very active like they did in the old days but it was a learning experience and one that thank God I was able to get through and triumph. I think a 7-10 day rest is about what I need to come right back after a fight and be at my best and fully rested both physically and mentally
DS: Tommy, who trains you? I know you have “Big” George Mitchell working cuts?
TR: My trainer is Jorge Gallardo who I started working with just before I turned pro in September of 2006. Jorge is a hell of a trainer who himself had a professional record of 21-3 but stopped fighting around the age of 29 due to managerial problems. Jorge trained Jake “The Snake" Rodriguez and took him all the way to the IBF Jr. welterweight championship, which he won and defended twice successfully before losing it in his 3rd defense against Kostya Tszyu.
Jorge also trained Willy Wise who won the IBO welterweight championship. Wise also defeated Julio Cesar Chavez and had himself a pretty decent career. He also trained Kathy "Wild Cat" Collins who was 1 of the top female fighters in the world in the mid and late 90's.
I also have Renson De Los who has been with me since I was about 18 years old and is very good at correcting little mistakes he might see in my form. My cut man is George Mitchell who was good friends with and worked with the great Al Gavin. George learned from the best and is finally starting to get some real attention in the sport after the great job he did with John Duddy when he fought Yori Boy Campas in a hell of a fight in which Duddy has 3 very bad cuts that did not become a major factor in the fight because George did such a great job. I haven’t been cut yet but if and when it happens I know I have the best in the business to handle the situation.
DS: What are your short and long term goals in boxing?
TR: What I want out of life is to feel content and it’s no different with regards to my boxing career. Of course like any fighter I would love to one day win a world title but I honestly never even think about that right now, as I stated earlier I am living my dream and I’m taking it 1 fight at a time, the short term goal is always the same and that is to win my next fight.
My next fight is on a KEA Boxing Show, April 11th in Charleston, South Carolina and that’s my main focus right now. Some of my long term goals include fighting at Madison Square Garden, the Blue Horizon in Philadelphia, Nassau Coliseum on long island, Atlantic City, Las Vegas and fighting outdoors weather it’s on a baseball or football field or wherever.
I want aspects of my career to have an old school feel to it, and in the old days a lot of fights were held out doors, both the Blue Horizon and MSG are legendary venues where so many great fights have taken place over the years and I want to be a part of that. The same can be said about fighting in AC and Vegas that are great fight towns. I’m a Long Island boy and fighting at Nassau Coliseum where many fights took place from the late 70's and early 80's would be incredible, there hasn’t been a pro fight there since I believe 1993 (last I could find was actually 87 but Ii believe my friend Jake fought there in 93, boxrec has it as Uniondale which is where Nassau is so I can try to confirm that) and to fight there where I grew up seeing WWF wrestling matches and rock concerts would be amazing.
I also hope to stay very active through out the course of my career and fight as often as I can. I know that once I move up to 6, 8 then eventually 10 and 12 round bouts I wont be able to stay as active as I have thus far as far more preparation both training and from a business standpoint are involved with each fight. I still plan to be one of the busier fighters around regardless. And I of course want to win the NYS welterweight title, winning a world title would be incredible but as I stated its not something I even think about and if that ever becomes a realistic possibility then great but otherwise my long term goals include fighting at the before mentioned venues, winning the NYS title and always staying busy.
One of my favorite aspects of being a pro fighter is being able to have all of my family and friends come out to support me, everyone gets to see each other and have a night out and enjoy themselves and it makes me happy to be able to provide that through my boxing- like I said its all about being content.
DS: Do you have any interesting or crazy boxing stories you want to tell us about?
TR: Well I could give you quite a few but since turning pro in September of 06 I have experienced quite a bit from the business end of the spectrum. I am self-managed so that means I negotiate every aspect of a fight for myself from my opponent, to the purse, the contract weight so on, its no secret that boxing is a shady business and always has been. So you have to look out for yourself at all times.
I am a real honest guy and I lay my cards on the table and I’m very fair, in return all I want is to be treated fair or as close to it as possible. I’m not going to name any names but I had a fight set and was offered and accepted no less than 5 different opponents. For one reason or another I was told that there was a problem with all 5 of the opponents while we were working on getting each fight done. The 4th opponent I was offered and accepted was a no go, the reason I was told was because the NYS athletic Commission said no. I thought this was a bit odd but wasn’t going to question it and we moved right on to the next possible opponent.
Once the 5th and final guy was no good I was told they tried their best and they couldn’t get me on the card. I was disappointed to say the least and I knew something wasn’t right. I find out a day or so later that the 4th opponent that I accepted is now fighting another Long Island fighter who has about the same amount of experience as I do and is a good fighter. I basically knew right then that I had gotten screwed over in favor of the other Long Islander for whatever reason. I later learned that it was financial as he was guaranteeing to move x amount of tickets. The day before the fight I got a call asking if I wanted to fight fighter # 4, it turned out that the long island fighter refused to fight fighter #4 when he came in at a heavier weight than was on the contract and even after being offered more money to take the fight refused it.
They were desperate and needed another fight to help fill the card so basically by coming back to me to fight #4 they confirmed that they were full of shit when they said the commission wouldn’t allow the fight and in this case shady business practices came back to kick them in the ass. I fought the guy that I originally should have been fighting but only this time I got a lot more money out of it.
DS: Typical stuff….Since you work nights, what is your schedule like with training and work?
TR: I work a regular full time job as a night auditor for a Hilton hotel, I work nights from 11pm to 7 am and I usually get my running done as soon as I get home from work, shower and go to sleep, I train late in the after noon around 5:45 or so and finish up at about 8 pm
DS: Did you play any other sports?
TR: I love baseball and my Yankees; I don’t follow basketball much anymore but still like to play. Besides boxing, I really enjoy running…. much more so in the summer when it’s not freezing out. I would love to 1 day run in the NYC marathon which is 26.2 miles and feel that it would be a great sense of accomplishment because running for that long a time period both your mind and body go in many different directions and to over come all and cross the finish line must be the greatest feeling in the world and its something that I want to experience 1st hand. I do a lot of running with boxing and I’m going to look into doing a couple of the shorter marathons this summer to get a taste of what it’s like.
DS: What was the toughest fight you had so far in your pro career?
TR: Are any of them really that easy when someone is trying to take your head off? (laughing) Well I would have to say my 4th pro fight against John Lipscomb. I had just fought a few days earlier in Bushkill Pennsylvania and it was a very sharp performance against a very tough and willing opponent named Jerry Kelly who really came to fight. I cut Kelly in the 2nd round, dropped him in the 3rd and shut him out 40-35 on all 3 judges scorecards but he was trying to win the fight from the second the bell rang starting the 1st round until the bell rang ending the fight in the 4th so I guess the fight took a little bit more out of me than I thought that it did because against John Lipscomb which was a fight I took just 5 days later I was very flat and my overall energy level in that fight was low.
I took the fight on very short notice as a fighter was injured just days before the fight and I was offered the Lipscomb fight and decided to take it. It was one of those fights were as soon as the bell rings and the fight begins you just know you are not at your best but I did what I had to do and got the win and it was a good leaning experience. My last fight on March 23rd was tougher than expected as well because my opponent hit me with about 6 or 7 head butts throughout the course of the fight. This really made me alter my over all game plan, as my plan was to throw punches in bunches and stay very busy using my hand speed and combination punching. But every time I opened up I would eat another head butt, whether it was intentional or just a case of our styles not meshing I cant say until I get a copy of the fight but I had to fight smart and really use my jab and stay focused cause I wasn’t just worrying about his hands I was worrying about his head.
DS: For the readers who haven’t seen you fight, if you had to compare your style to anyone who would it be?
TR: Well quite a few people have told me that I fight like Corey Spinks and I won’t argue with that as he is a 2 time world champion in 2 different weigh divisions. I of course take that as a complement. I see similarities but I have always thought I fought a little more like Paul Spadafora and related to what I saw when watching him fight a little bit more.
DS: I often watch fighters and try to pick up stuff from them and use it. If you could pick up some style from any well known fighters out there now, who would it be?
TR: I have very good anticipation and natural reflexes and the art of boxing is to hit and not get hit so I work on perfecting that every day but I have some pop as well and the more experience I get under my belt the more that aspect of my game will come out. I have been hitting harder and harder in the gym and after my April 11th fight I will be moving up to 6 rounders
I feel that a 6 round fight will give me a chance to show more dimensions and do different things through out the course of the fight. I’m a student of the game and enjoy watching guys like Ricky Hatton and Miguel Cotto who are tremendous body punchers and who also like to fight on the inside. In time ill be working more on the inside and banging to the body hard with both hands so if I had to pick up a style from any one I would add a little bit of the Hatton or Cotto inside game to compliment my boxing style.
DS: Who were your favorite fighters growing up?
TR: "Terrible" Terry Norris- was a tremendous puncher with either hand who had a very high energy level and threw with bad intentions. Mike Tyson (in his prime) there was nothing quite like him, the combination of power, speed and defense was unbelievable not just for a heavyweight but for any weight. He lived boxing and was all business out there.
Tommy “The Duke" Morrison - great puncher, a ton of heart, never in a boring fight and I feel was very under-rated because of his skin tone. If he didn’t come along during a time were there was Holyfield, Lewis, Bowe, Moorer and Mercer… among others he would have won more than just the WBO title.
Ricky "Hitman" Hatton- amazing body puncher, tough as nails with incredible stamina and a great work rate. Pernell “Sweat Pea “Whitaker" - defensive wiz, an incredible boxer, u couldn't hit him in the ass with a hand full of sand, “Pretty Boy" Floyd Mayweather, the hardest working man in boxing as well as the most naturally gifted, put that together and u get the pound for pound best who is fighting DeLaHoya attempting to win a title in his 5th weight class, the very definition of a boxer who can do it all, and somehow he makes it look so easy. Arturo “Thunder" Gatti”…. is an explanation really needed for this one?
DS: What were your personal favorite fights or basically the best fights you ever saw?
TR: Best fight I ever saw would have to be Arturo Gatti vs. Micky Ward 1, Gatti vs. Wilson Rodriguez, Corrales vs. Castillo 1, Holyfield vs. Bowe 1, Hatton vs. Tszyu, Leonard vs. Hearns 1, Hearns vs. Hagler
DS: I was ringside for all 3 Gatti-Ward fights, and I’ll tell you the first fight was the greatest fight I ever saw live. At the first one, there wasn’t a lot of press and I was in the front row. Before the fight Frank Cappuccino sat next to me and, (just to make small talk) I said Frank don’t go so hard on these guys you know they both like to bang the body, and he answered in a stern manner, saying something to the effect that he wasn’t going to let anyone get away with any fouling. Arturo ended up losing a point for low blows in that fight, and that cost him a draw.
DS: Anyway, thanks Tommy, Good Luck at The Citadel on April 11th, is there anything else you would like to say to the fans at www.Brickcityboxing.com?
TR: Thanks for helping me get on the show and for the support. I appreciate the support from my friends and fans and I am looking forward to fighting in SC and putting on a great performance.
KEA Boxing at Citadel on April 11th, features Mtagwa and prospects Davis, Rainone and Bell
TUE April 10 - KEA Boxing Promotions is coming to South Carolina ! After establishing a reputation for displaying world-class talent at top-notch venues in New Jersey for the last several years, KEA has decided to take the show on the road. The April 11 show will feature an exciting night of world-class professional boxing at The Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina . KEA plans on raising the bar this year by promoting shows all over the country.
KEA's commitment to deliver competitive fights to boxing fans for very reasonable prices will continue. When fans attend a KEA Boxing show, they will always experience value for their hard-earned dollar. Guests enjoy an impressive atmosphere and an action packed night of entertainment that the whole family can enjoy.
Former USBA Featherweight Champion and # 8 ranked IBF contender Rogers "The Tiger" Mtagwa, 22-11-2, 16 KO's will be continuing his run at a world title. In his last bout, Mtagwa lost his USBA title by a razor close split decision, in a flat-out war. His opponent from that fight may never box again.
Mtagwa took three months off from sparring, but he is back with a vengeance and has been training hard in Philadelphia . He is looking to show the boxing world that he deserves a title shot! His opponent Terrence Roy, of Covington , TN has been in with all the tough guys, and he will need to draw on that experience to hang with "The Tiger" Mtagwa.
Light-heavyweight prospect Dyah Ali Davis, 9-0, 5 KO's looks to inject some serious spark into a wide-open division. Davis, who comes from great boxing lineage, hails from Coconut Creek, FL. The son of 1976 Olympic gold medalist Howard Davis Jr ., Davis has his work cut out for him as he faces undefeated Tyrone Watson, 5-0, 2 KO's. Watson sports an impressive split-decision victory over all-time boxing great Aaron Pryor's son Stephan Pryor, in Pryor's backyard of Youngstown, OH.
Undefeated Long Island , NY welterweight Tommy "The Razor" Rainone , 6-0, 1 KO, looks to keep his perfect record intact against Durham , NC's Ronny Glover. Rainone defeated Glover earlier this year, but Glover demanded a rematch on his home turf claiming an illness impacted his performance in their first bout. Rainone, a throwback fighter who likes to stay busy gladly accepted the challenge.
Exciting 6'7" heavyweight prospect Kevin "Big Man" Barnett, 5-1-1, 3 KO's of Augusta, GA will take on hard punching Derrick Martin in what promises to be an action-packed four round rumble.
Another undefeated fighter on the card is middleweight Omar Bell, 2-0 1 KO. Bell is the younger brother of top Cruiserweight O'Neil Bell. He looks to step out of his big brother's shadow and continue the Bell 's tradition of excellence.
Rounding out the card will be cruiserweight Michael Ward who will be making his pro debut against Ronnie Glass, 1-0-1 and junior-middleweight, Anthony Young, 3-2, will take on Sean Chavis .
As an added bonus, former light heavyweight, cruiserweight and super cruiserweight champion, Bobby "Chappy" Czyz will be the ring announcer for the evening. Further information is available on www.KEA-Boxing.com and www.BrickCityBoxing.com . In between the rounds the fights will feature the beautiful girls of www.Roundcardmodels.com Tickets can be purchased on www.etix.com (search events "boxing") or by calling 843-847-1986 or 973-222-2273.
Tickets and Sponsorship Opportunities: South Carolina- Kris Kut 843-847-1986 kutk@citadel.edu , Alex Kut 973-222-2273 kuta1@citadel.edu , New Jersey- Andre Kut 973 903-2907 keaboxman@aol.com, Danny Serratelli 973-931-8812 thefightlawyer@gmail.com
"When Solis is Hit by 'Manila Ice', He'll Sink Quicker then the Titanic"
TUE April 10 - Icebergs in San Antonio? There is going to be a whopper at The Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas this Saturday night!
JUSTIN FORTUNE, trainer of boxing's pound-for-pound most exciting fighter, the reigning "Fighter of the Year" and Congressional candidate MANNY "PAC-MAN" PACQUIAO (40-3-2, 33 KOs), from The Philippines, warned undefeated top-rated contender JORGE "COLORADITO" SOLIS (30-0-2, 23 KOs), from Mexico, that he will be heading into boxing's one-man natural disaster when he faces three-division world champion Pacquiao in their 12-round WBC International super featherweight championship fight.
Promoted by Top Rank and MP Promotions, the Pacquiao-Solis title rumble headlines "Blaze of Glory!" -- a four-fight Pay-Per-View extravaganza which will be broadcast Live! from The Alamodome This Saturday! April 14, beginning at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.
"Manny is back at peak condition and he is throwing punches with more explosive power than I have ever seen from him in all the years I have worked with him," stated Fortune after yesterday's public workout. "One of Manny's best weapons is his punch we call Manila Ice. When Solis gets hit by it, it will be 'buenos noches, Jorge.' You saw how quickly The Titanic sank when it hit that iceberg? Solis is in for a hulluva night."
"Pacmania" has officially hit San Antonio in a big, big way. Projected ticket sales make "Blaze of Glory!" the second-biggest boxing event in San Antonio history. Bigger than Oscar De La Hoya's 1997 welterweight title defense against David Kamau, and even bigger than Pacquiao's 2003 knockout victory of Marco Antonio Barrera. Only the legendary welterweight title fight between Pernell Whitaker and Julio Cesar Chavez in 1993 had a bigger opening.
The strong PPV portion of the card will also feature a Mexican civil war between WBC super flyweight champion CRISTIAN MIJARES (30-3-2, 11 KOs), from Gomez Palacio, Mexico, defending his title against two-time world champion and current No. 1 contender JORGE "EL TRAVIESO" ARCE (46-3-1, 35 KOs), from Los Mochis, Mexico; former world champion and current No. 1 contender BRIAN VILORIA (19-1-1, 12 KOs), from Waipahu, Hawaii, taking on No. 2 contender EDGAR SOSA (26-5, 14 KOs), from Mexico City, Mexico, for the vacant WBC light flyweight title; and undefeated contender, JULIO CESAR CHAVEZ, Jr. (29-0-1, 22 KOs), from Culiacan, Mexico, son of Mexican icon Julio Cesar Chavez, in a 10-round welterweight bout against tough veteran ANTHONY SHULER (20-4-1, 14 KOs), from Indianapolis.
Remaining tickets for "Blaze of Glory!" priced at $300, $200, $100, $75, $50, $35, can be purchased at the Alamodome Box Office, by calling (210) 207-3663 and at www.Ticketmaster.com
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