No, that's my only knowledge of him :conf DePaula the brawler. I can't think of another boxer who's name rhymed with his fighting style
There is a book about him called Jersey boy. It's a good read. Sounded like a real character. Had part of the ingredients toward becoming a good fighter. Ron Lipton raved about his power. Seems like he was a bit too wild, a bit too old by the time he got his act together ...and then the street caught up with him in any case.
I know Frankie was a bit of a wild man and I always think about this one result. Check it out: 1969-05-26 : Don Fullmer 166 lbs beat Juarez De Lima 159ΒΌ lbs by SD in round 10 of 10 Location: Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, USA Referee: Barney Smith 5-4 Judge: Al Berl 6-4 Judge: Joe Armstrong 4-6 "Don Fullmer of West Jordan, Utah, left-jabbed his way to a split 10 round decision over Juarez DeLima, Brazil, Monday night in a battle of middleweight contenders at MSG. There were no knockdowns and neither fighter was in trouble. Fullmer caught DeLima with a left-right combination in the 5th round and drew blood from the bridge of DeLima's nose, but cornermen quickly stopped the bleeding. Fullmer had too much poise and savvy for DeLima, keeping the South American off balance and out of range for most of the fight with a stinging left jab." -United Press International DeLima was a last minute substitute for Frankie DePaula, who had his license suspended the previous Thursday after being arrested by the FBI on charges of stealing $80,000 worth of copper wiring.
1st saw him when he fought and KO'd Freddy Williams. Immediately liked his style. He put his punches together very well. Met him after the fight and was a really nice charismatic type guy. Always wore a red hat. Next, I made sure I was at his fight with Jimmy Mc Dermitt which he won via 2nd round KO. When I spoke to him about the Tiger fight, he was so modest about it that he was a little in awe of Tiger. Like he could hardly believe he would be in the same ring with him. He wasn't afraid of Tiger or anybody for that matter, Frankie was one tough individual. Frankie could punch and like I said, he put his punches together real good. His combination were exceptional. Very heavy handed guy. As we know, the Tiger fight for the 1st couple of rounds, was an absolute war. Both guys down twice each ( and voted fight of the year). The Foster thing was a case of getting caught cold in the 1st round by one of the greatest punchers ever (Foster). Still, Frankie decked Foster only to get stopped himself. The last time I saw him alive, I travelled from Brooklyn to Scranton PA, to see him KO Rudolph Bent. I went to his wake and it was real sad. He was only a shell of himself. They said he was down to under a 100lbs. I remember seing Chuck Wepner there and Al Braverman etc. I knew Frankie a little bit. He was a really nice guy. Very easy to talk to and very appreciative of his fans. Always reminded me a little of Tony Bennett in appearance.
Anybody have any thoughts on the Foster fight? Teddy Brenner, the Garden matchmaker, called it the biggest mistake he ever made.
