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Mike N. MAGGIO

5/19/2020

Erie fighter won four state Golden Glove titles, went 15-1-1 as a pro and befriended boxing great Duran
By Mike Copper § Erie Times-News
Mike Maggio found himself temporarily paralyzed after a 1994 operation. The 1988 Strong Vincent graduate was briefly unable to move following surgery to reattach torn cervical muscles in his neck and back. While it was the most severe procedure Maggio has ever experienced, it was far from the only one.

There were operations on his shoulders. On his ears. On an eye. “You should see some of my crazy scars,” Maggio said.
Each of Maggio’s garish-sounding surgeries were due to an amateur and professional boxing career. A career, he said, that’s left him with zero regrets.

It’s also a career that voters for the Metropolitan Erie Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame felt was worthy of induction. Maggio, still proudly known as “Mighty” Mike Maggio, was one of hall’s 12 new members when this year’s class was recently announced. Because of the coronavirus, he will be formally enshrined in 2021.

Maggio, with his natural sense of confidence, said he’ll absolutely be there in person. “It’s a great honor,” Maggio said. “I never thought when I started boxing at age 10 that I’d be in three different halls of fame.”

Maggio, now a salesman at Dave Hallman Chevrolet, was formerly inducted into the Lower Eastside Sports Center Hall of Fame in 2013 and the Pennsylvania Golden Gloves Hall of Fame in 2015. Those honors were based on his four state Golden Gloves titles over a five-year span between 1988-92.
The one year Maggio didn’t win one, 1991, was because he competed in an amateur tournament in Sweden. That was when he was briefly a member of the United States Olympic boxing team ahead of the 1992 Summer Games in Barcelona, Spain.

Maggio turned professional shortly after the last of his Golden Gloves championships. He made his debut on September 30, 1992, at the former Memorial Auditorium in Buffalo. It was there, with some vocal Erie fans on hand, that Maggio knocked out Ohio opponent Tim Moore in the first round of their super lightweight (140 pounds) bout. That fight was on the undercard for the main event, which featured the legendary Roberto Duran.

Maggio has either met or trained with some of the Who’s Who in boxing over the 1980s and 1990s. Hector “Macho” Camacho, Oscar De La Hoya and “Sugar” Shane Mosley are the most notable. But none held more influence over Maggio than Duran, a world champion in four weight classes during a career that spanned five decades.
Meeting the 2007 International Boxing Hall of Fame inductee was a rare instance that left Maggio tongue-tied. “I can’t really explain that moment at all,” he said. “There I am with the greatest lightweight who’s ever lived. But we started getting closer as friends and he started giving me lessons, like how to step certain ways and different (punch) dimensions.”

Maggio retired from the ring with a pro record of 15-1-1. Ironically, his lone loss came in his last fight, which was held November 15, 1994, at the then-named Erie Civic Center. Troy Crain of Pensacola, Florida, recorded a technical knockout of Maggio in the seventh round of their eight-round super lightweight bout. That result, combined with the surgeries previously mentioned, made it easier for Maggio to retire at that point.

Maggio said the confident demeanor he carries to this day was passed down from his father. Joe Maggio long ago told his son to be the best in whatever he did, no matter the sport or endeavor. Train to be the best and the dedication will show in your results. “My dad is a weightlifter who still hit the gym every day before (the coronavirus),” Mike Maggio said. “He’s 76, but he’s probably more (physically) ripped and shredded than I am.”

Also guaranteed to be at Maggio’s hall induction will be his wife, Lynette, and daughters Selene, Nyla and Gianna. Maggio referred to his wife as his “world title.” “She and my three daughters,” he said. “They’re the best, and I’m so blessed.”

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12/28/2016
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Erie's "Mighty" Mike Maggio was known for his willingness to slug it out in the ring and his colorful bravado outside it.

The latter trait made it ironic that the former boxer was briefly left speechless when asked about his upcoming induction with the 2015 class for the Pennsylvania Golden Gloves Hall of Fame.

Maggio, 45, learned of his honor during Sunday's Golden Gloves tournament at the Holy Trinity Social Center.

"Blown away," said Maggio, who's now a car salesman for Dave Hallman Chevrolet. "What an honor to be selected. It was a huge surprise, and thank God most of my family was there to learn about the honor with me."

Maggio will inducted April 19 in Pittsburgh. He was cited for winning four Golden Gloves state titles.

Maggio finished with a record of 57-5 as an amateur and then went 15-1-1 with 10 knockouts over a three-year professional career that ended in 1994.

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