Joe Mesi

By John Stevens: In this series of articles I want to look at the careers of some recent heavyweights who, as the title says, never fulfilled their full potential in the ring and have left us all with a ‘ what could have been’ scenario

First up is ‘baby’ Joe Mesi. The pride of Buffalo, New York, Joe first appeared on the scene in 1997 after claiming the New York state golden gloves title. His first 18 fights were against journeymen opposition whom he dispatched with ease, scoring 16 KO’s.

By Gav Duthie: We haven’t seen ‘Baby’ Joe Mesi in the ring since 2007 after he retired with a perfect 36-0 (29) record. Even now he is only 40 years of age which is nothing for a heavyweight these days. He was 19 when the started boxing and before he turned pro boasted an amateur victory over Hasim Rahman. 

Former heavyweight contender (36-0, 29 KOs) reportedly has injured his shoulder while training, making it neccessary for him to cancel his next bout against Terry Smith on April 4th. Mesi, 34, is deeply disappointed because the bout was going to be shown on ESPN, and it would have been a good opportunity for Mesi to get some badly needed publicity for his comeback. The injury will require that Mesi take off between three weeks to a month to let his shoulder heal. No surgery will be required for the shoulder, which is one thing that Mesi has going for him.

Once promising heavyweight contender Joe Mesi (36-0, 29 KOs) is reportedly looking for his next opponent, supposedly against a tougher fighter than what he’s fought since coming back from his two-year medical suspension in 2006. Mesi, now 34, has been slow to step up his competition since making his comeback, fighting seven consecutive C-level fighters, and hoping that one of the champions might have an interest in fighting him. However, the main problem it seems is that the New York commission refuses to license him to fight, and without that, it effectively eliminates a lot of opponents for Mesi.