RIP THE ORIGINAL IRON MIKE PUSATERI

Posted on | November 11, 2011 | 2 Comments

By: Rich Bergeron

Mike Pusateri, a professional middleweight boxer who fought all over the world, died recently. He passed suddenly, leaving family and friends with a huge hole in their lives. Pusateri’s legacy may not be as large as the late, great “Smokin'” Joe Frazier, but he certainly impacted the local boxing community and quietly revolutionized the boxing world from behind the scenes after his career in the squared circle ended. For instance, Pusateri taught many youngsters the Sweet Science. One of them was none other than World Class Boxing Coach Freddie Roach:

YouTube is a place where Mike’s legacy will always live on. A large collection of highlights from his career are hosted on the site, including a series of videos Pusateri narrated himself. The leading video in that series describes Pusateri as follows:

Mike Pusateri was a professional boxer from the years of 1961-1972 out of Dedham and Brockton, MA. The original “Iron Mike”, he was a Fierce competitor who fought and beat some great fighters. Through his career he amassed a record of 30-24-4. Don’t be fooled by the record many of these fights could have gone either way and several were stopped by cuts. Mike was trained by the same man who trained Rocky Marciano, Mr. Allie Colombo. In these clips you’ll see Mike up against the likes of Ted Williams, Joe Denucci, Bobby Young and Jose Gonzales (Ranked #3 in the world). Highlights of his career included wins against Doyle Baird (#5 ranked middleweight) and Willie Ludick by K.O. in S. Africa (#3 Ranked welterweight). On this film you’ll see clips of Mike and Allie in S. Africa prior to the fight. Mike loved S. Africa and made some great friends there. Mike also fought Terry Downes in England (former Middleweight champ) and Denny Moyer (former Jr. middleweight Champ).

Here is the first video in the above-described series (The others are in the related videos section on YouTube):

I had the good fortune of meeting Mike and spent some time talking to him about his good friend and trainer Allie Colombo. He always had a wide grin on his face and greeted me with a firm handshake. He was sharply dressed whenever I saw him, looking natural in a suit. Friends flocked to greet him when he entered a crowded room. He was a modest, humble man who was nonetheless extremely proud of his career as a boxer. One of my best moments with Mike was when we stood at the corner of a bar in Brockton (Joe Angelo’s) where pictures of Mike from his boxing days hung on the wall. He told me all the stories behind the snapshots, including one about how he charmed a group of admiring young ladies on a beach in South Africa. He was a man’s man who seemed to have no regrets. He maintained a love for the sport of boxing and general physical fitness until his untimely demise.

Unfortunately, I was unable to find much written anywhere online about Mike’s passing. Mike died around the same time the boxing community lost Joe Frazier, so that obviously had something to do with the lack of coverage. Still, Mike deserves more of a hero’s salute on a more national stage, so that inspired me to pen this tribute piece. He touched the lives of so many athletes and average, everyday people. He will be greatly missed and should serve as a perpetual role model to young boxers everywhere.