North End resident and famous boxer Tony DeMarco, known in the boxing world as “The Flame and Fury of Fleet Street”, will be inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in June 2019.
Among other victories, DeMarco is famous for defeating New Jersey’s Johnny Saxton in 1955 for the world welterweight championship. At the age of 86, he is the oldest living former world champion.
Tony DeMarco grew up in the North End and is honored with a statue on the corner of Cross and Hanover Streets. He also has his own street named after him, Tony DeMarco Way, that runs on Fleet Street perpendicular to Atlantic Avenue. DeMarco continues to play an active role in the community and is featured in the North End Historical Society’s film Boston’s North End: An Italian American Story.
Tony DeMarco expressed his excitement in being chosen as an inductee telling Boston Boxing, “I think of my colleagues in the New England boxing scene from the 1950s like Rocky Marciano and rivals like Carmen Basillio who are already honored there and I look forward to the recognition of being acknowledged among them in the Hall of Fame. I thank my family, friends and countless supporters who have rallied to see this moment happen.”
Induction weekend will take place June 6-9, 2019 at the International Boxing Hall of Fame headquarters in Canastota, NY.
An honor long overdue. Congrats Champ.
Tony lives one floor below me and my mom with his wife Dotty in the WE Place very nice and humble guy he is, he’s a respectable neighbor of mine’s I will happily tell him in person when I see him again well deserved good luck in June!!
I lived next door to Tony on Fleet Street.
From our kitchen window we could see him and his family in the little yard they had in back of our buildings.
The entire Neighborhood would listen to every blow on the radio when he was boxing out of town and at home we all waited after every fight for his return to Fleet Street with banners displayed recognizing our Champ.
At 7 or 8 years old I once crawled into his dressing room after a fight at the Garden, another time I stayed up late to see him on the Ed Sullivan Show. My family and I have wonderful memories because of Tony.
1955 was a different time in the North End and Waterfront and Tony is one of our Heroes.
Congratulation Champ!
I remember watching Tony Demarco being celebrated after winning the title by being driven through the streets of the NE sitting in the rear of his Chrysler Convertible with the licence plate TKO. What a great time and memory.
Tony you are still my hero 🤼♀️ Say you win at Fenway Park and climb the back fence cheering you to winning Good Luck
Desi
I first saw Tony fight Teddy “Red Top” Davis . Loved his fearless hard punching style—perfect style for a Hollywood movie.
I was there the night he knocked out the big Dane, Chris Christiansen and roared myself hoarse—-next came his one round ko
and one punch (his wonderful sledgehammer left hook) of Pat Manzi. I was there shaking in my boots the night he fought a hard banging draw with lightweight champ Jimmy Carter which won him a title fight with Johnny Saxton for the welterweight
crown. I paid half a weeks pay ($20) for a box seat and nearly fainted when he backed Saxton into that corner above me and drilled him over and over til Saxton dropped—Defeated—TONY DEMARCO CHAMPION—The Boston RECORD front page read–what a night in the North End—delirious!!!! Wanna see a true prizefighter? Watch Tony DeMarco–out on the floor against Carmen Basilio rise to his fight not knowing where he is and starts pitching that left hook hoping for one last shot—what a tiger. I close with this about Tony DeMarco—-If I was ever trapped in an alley by a gang of thugs and I could have one man standing with me for help—I would want Tony Demarco. Thanks Tony for giving this man so many thrilling moments of fierce action—Russ Williams Dover NH rrpwilliams@aol.com