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Mean Streets: The Tragic Tale of Paul Spadafora

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Jan 7, 2003 By Brent Hedtke

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Born and raised on the dangerous streets of an east coast ghetto, boxing served as a form of salvation. The loss of a mentor and surrogate father at 22, a champion at 24. Struggles with drugs and alcohol and faced with a lengthy prison term that could end his career. No, this is not the story of Mike Tyson, though you would not be faulted for thinking so. This is the tragic tale of “The Pittsburgh Kid”, Paul Spadafora.

Boxing has always been an outlet for the anger and frustration of impoverished youth. A positive outlet for the violence that brews inside the hearts of young men who have been forced to fight in order to survive. But how does the old saying go, you can take the fighter out of the streets, but you can’t take the streets out of the fighter. From Sonny Liston to Tony Ayala, JR. fighters have digressed to the nature of their youth and found it hard to resist the temptations of the life they have tried to escape. Spadafora (36-0-1, 14 KOs) is no exception and this past August things may have finally come to head in the life of this extraordinarily talented young man.

Born in Pittsburgh in September of 1975, Spadafora has been exposed to the rougher side of American life since childhood. Drugs, guns and crime were everywhere and Spadafora was no stranger to any of them. Like Tyson though, boxing stepped in at the right time and saved him from an almost certain future of incarceration or death.

As a young teen, Spadafora began working out at local Pittsburgh gyms where he fell under the tutelage of P.K. Pecora. Under Pecora, Spadafora developed the slick style that has made him one of the best defensive fighters of his era. Pecora taught the young Spadafora the importance of boxing instead of brawling. He eventually amassed an amateur record of 75-5 and in 1991, at age 15, he won the 125 lb championship at the Ohio State Fair. Later that same year he dropped out of High School at Sto-Rox high.

Showing a remarkable talent for boxing, Spadafora was getting set to turn pro. At the same time he was fighting a different battle between loyalties to his friends and trying to resist the temptations of his old neighborhood. He was not always successful and on Christmas Eve of 1994 he was shot in the leg by a Police Officer while trying to flee. The bullet was not meant for him and he was not the target of the chase, but the bullet in his leg would serve as an omen to the perils of his lifestyle and the friends he chose.

After the shooting, he was told he’d never fight again. After months of light training and sparring though, Spadafora felt he was ready to finally turn pro. Just weeks before his debut he was arrested in his hometown of McKees Rocks for underage drinking. It was another setback in his ongoing fight with alcohol and would not be the last time the bottle would get him in trouble with the law.

In October of 1995 he turned pro with a four round decision over Steve Maddux. After that he never looked back. He fought at a rapid pace and continued to hone his elusive style. Not regarded as a strong puncher, he managed to win 8 of his first 12 fights by knockout with five coming in two rounds or less.

His appeal as a blue collar fighter was immediate. His tattooed upper body made him noticeable inside the ring, but his generosity and caring outside it made him a working class hero and gained him the nickname “The Pittsburgh Kid” after another hometown boy, the great Light Heavyweight Champion Billy Conn.

For the rest of 1996 and early 1997 he continued winning and was trying to get in place for a title shot. He continued impressing boxing experts with his well rounded arsenal of boxing skills and was regarded as one of the most talented up and comers in the sport. On July 27th though, his life would change forever. Pecora, his trainer and mentor passed away from a heart attack. Pecora helped mold Spadafora’s boxing style, but he also helped to shield him from the allure that life on the street offers.

With Pecora gone, Spadafora’s lifelong problem with alcohol became much worse. “When he's drinking, he can't quit," said an ex-girlfriend of Spadafora. His binge drinking resulted in massive gains in weight and a lack of focus and preparation.

His first fight without Pecora in his corner was in August of 1997 where he won an 8 round decision over Bernard Harris. He hired trainer Tom Yankello to pick up where Pecora left off. As his success in the ring continued his personal insecurities seemed to increase. He became wary of strangers and was hesitant to make new friends. These personal fears may have been responsible for Spadafora’s reluctance to leave behind the troubles of the neighborhood and friends that he’d known since his youth.

In 1999 Spadafora finally got the title shot he’d been waiting for. After 12 one sided rounds against Israel “Pito” Cardona, Spadafora was crowned the IBF Lightweight Champion of the World. With it, he inherited all the jealousy and backstabbing that comes with a championship belt. With a heart as big as his, it was clear that Spadafora’s friends would benefit as much from his victory as he would.

The Pittsburgh Brewing Company signed him to a sponsorship deal that served to elevate his title of “The Pittsburgh Kid” to a whole new level. He was the most beloved fighter in his city since his namesake Billy Conn and the fame that he came along with it was scary yet intriguing to him.

Spadafora suffered another personal tragedy in 2001 when his grandfather died. Having lost his father when he was four years old, his relationship with his grandfather was that of a father and son. “He looked at me as the son he never had,” Spadafora said of his grandfather. The loss would not affect his success in the ring, but after losing the two most beloved figures in his life, the emotional bruises were taking their toll.

With victories over Victoriano Sosa, Billy Irwin and Angel Manfredy, Spadafora’s record remained unblemished into the new millennium and his star continued to rise in the boxing world. His out of the ring problems were becoming more apparent though.

In June of 2002, he postponed a fight with Dennis Holbaek saying that he had a stomach ulcer. The story from an inside source was much different. Spadafora apparently suffered a concussion after falling down a flight of stairs while intoxicated. A month later he helped bail out a friend of his that was an alleged crack dealer. That same friend was later arrested at Spadafora’s house. Thought he was not charged with any crime, his lifestyle was coming under more scrutiny from boxing insider’s that were predicting his downfall.

In May of 2003 that downfall almost came. In a controversial decision that most felt was a gift, Spadafora was awarded a draw with WBA champion Leonard Dorin. Dorin had found a hole in Spadafora’s defense that few other fighters had and many feel it was due to his out of the ring activities and lack of conditioning.

A month later, he vacated the lightweight title that he held for nearly four years and decided to move up to the jr. welterweight divison. He was still undefeated and was putting himself in line for possible matches with Arturo Gatti, Zab Judah or Kostya Tszyu. Then suddenly in August of 2003, he fired long time trainers Tom Yankello and Jesse Reid. Spadafora was hesitant to sever ties with trainers, but his handlers felt that it was time for a move up and they decided on the legendary Emmanuel Steward.

Two months later, Spadafora was arrested for public intoxication when he was found urinating on a street in downtown Pittsburgh. He claimed he was not drunk and that he was just heeding nature’s call, but it was apparent to everyone that his personal life was heading down the wrong street.

That street finally came to a dead end in the early morning hours of October 26th, one day before he was to start training with Stewart in Detroit. The actual events of the night are unknown but the results are very clear. Spadafora was arrested for attempted homicide for allegedly shooting his girlfriend, 20 year old Nadine Russo.

Russo apparently drove Spadafora’s Hummer over a median and popped two of the tires. Witnesses say they saw the couple arguing and minutes later they heard a gunshot. Russo was shot once in the chest and when onlookers tried to assist the couple Spadafora was apparently very uncooperative. One witness tried to call police on his cellular phone, but reportedly was instructed not to by Spadafora.

When police arrived they searched Spadafora’s vehicle and found a .38 caliber revolver with one bullet missing. He was arrested and released on bail. Russo told authorities that it was not Spadafora that shot her, but they have decided to press charges anyway.

Spadafora is in for the toughest fight of his life. This time there is no title involved and it is his life that hangs in the balance. The evidence against him looks pretty damning, but that is for a jury to decide. Whether he his guilty or not, the saddest part of this story is how avoidable it all was.

For years Spadafora talked of moving to Las Vegas in order to escape the problems of the McKees Rocks streets on which he was raised. He sought safety in a place called Sin City. With the right guidance Spadafora could have left it all behind and finally found the happiness that he so frequently searched for in alcohol and drugs. Who knows what the future holds for Paul Spadafora, but with so many fights left in the ring, let’s hope his next tattoo is not a jailhouse one.


Email questions or comments to Brent at: kentuckyheatwagon@hotmail.com

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