Tag Archives: Muhammad Ali

Chuck Premiere in Bayonne May 12th 2017 is All Smiles and All Pride

 

Chuck Wepner and Linda Wepner with Stallone Impersonator
Chuck Wepner and Linda Wepner with Stallone Impersonator at Bayonne’s premiere of CHUCK at Frank’s Theater on May 12th, 2017 

 

By Joe Calamito 

Photos by Steve Mack 

I am certain that audiences all over the world are going to fall in love with the movie CHUCK  starring Liev Schreiber as Chuck Wepner and Naomi Watts as Chuck’s wife Linda. 

This movie is a tough, gritty, “other side of the tracks,” love story.

It combines boxing with romance, personal pain and triumph. 

It’s also about, loss, human error, redemption and pride.

CHUCK lets you see Wepner with his goodness (Never knew he wrote poetry), and his human frailty,  his run in with the law, his partying, his coming to grips with the man he should become.

Schreiber in his performance also makes you really like Chuck Wepner and what’s not to like, in real life Chuck Wepner is a likeable guy.

I first met  him  right after he fought Muhammad Ali in the mid- seventies and have run into him on many occasions  through the years, he always offers a big smile and a hello to  everyone  he meets.

So that is why at the Premiere of CHUCK at  Bayonne’s Frank Theater on Friday, May 12th family, friends and fans  of  Chuck Wepner joined together in his honor, and were proud of Bayonne’s favorite son.

Chest busting proud, wide smiles proud, back slapping proud.

 Bayonne  loves Chuck Wepner and perhaps after you watch the movie CHUCK  you will too, and feel  proud that Chuck Wepner got the shot  to fight Muhammad Ali and  the recognition he deserved for being the inspiration for the movie Rocky.

In reality, CHUCK the movie is letting the world know  “Chuck Wepner is the real Rocky.” The Everyman who beats the odds.

And that is a cause we all can get behind.

Here are some photos by Steve Mack from May 12th Premiere event of the movie Chuck in Bayonne 

Front Row Ray Greeves, Bruce Dillin, Chris Patella ,(Back Row )Bayonne Mayor Jimmy Davis far left with Linda Wepner, Stallone Impersonator, Champ Chuck Wepner, Assemblyman Nicholas A. Chiaravalloti at the Premiere of CHUCK at Frank’s Theater on May 12th, 2017 
Chuck and Linda Wepner
Chuck Wepner and his Wife Linda arrive for the premiere of CHUCK at Bayonne’s Frank Theater on May 12th, 2017
Chuck Premiere
Chuck Wepner with wife Linda addresses the audience at the premiere of CHUCK
also in photo Chris Patella
Family, friends and fans wait for the premiere of CHUCK to begin
Premiere of Chuck
Pirates greet Chuck Wepner with Bayone Mayor Jimmy Davis and Bruce Dillin at Otaiko Restaurant before the premiere of CHUCK
Chuck Premiere
Audience at Fank’s Theater Bayonne for premiere of CHUCK

To see more photos and read more about the movie Chuck go to: 

www.facebook.com/riverviewosbserver 

The Champ -Jersey City Hosts Golden Gloves; Young Boxers Duke for Title

 

RIVERA BOXER
Jersey City’s Tony” Show Time” Rivera
fighting in the 2014 Golden Gloves

By Sally Deering

Early on in his amateur career Muhammad Ali won the title of Golden Gloves Heavyweight Champion of the World with champs like Sugar Ray Leonard, Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield and Floyd Mayweather following in Ali’s footsteps. The Golden Gloves was their training ground, the place where they learned to “float like a butterfly and sting like a bee”.

The Golden Gloves is still training future champs and its franchise, the NJ Golden Gloves continues to provide amateur boxers the opportunity to shine in the ring and take home the title. This year, Jersey City became the first city to host all NJ Golden Gloves tournaments on its turf, and the tournaments, which began on Saturday, March 1 will be held every Saturday at Dickinson and Ferris High Schools and Elementary Schools No. 7 and 17. The location for the championship bout on April 12 is still to be decided.

“With a brand new boxing program and a progressive agenda to promote health and fitness, we couldn’t think of a better partner for the Golden Gloves than Jersey City,” Dan Doyle, President of the NJ Golden Gloves says.  “With its great location and many outstanding amenities for visitors, Jersey City is the perfect place to host the tournament. Golden Gloves boxing has found a home in Jersey City, which has a rich history in boxing.”

Continue reading The Champ -Jersey City Hosts Golden Gloves; Young Boxers Duke for Title

Boxing Legend Chuck Wepner “The Real Rocky” interview with Sally Deering of the River View Observer


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The Real “Rocky”

  Bayonne Boxing Champ Chuck Wepner – the real Rocky Balboa – Star of ESPN Documentary

 By Sally Deering

In this steveamack.com photo Chuck Wepner poses in front of a photo of his 1975 match with Muhammad Ali at the recent pre -screening at the Philadelphia Film Festival for his documentary "The Real Rocky."

At 72, Chuck Wepner of Bayonne stands 6’5”, weighs 250 lbs, has biceps like ropes of steel, and looks like he can still go a few rounds in the ring – even though it’s been 36 years since his match with Muhammad Ali for the World Heavyweight title.

In 1975, Wepner boxed 15 rounds with Ali and lost with a broken nose, cuts over his eyes and a bruised ego. But what the Bayonne boxer didn’t know was that an unknown named Sylvester Stallone was watching the fight on his TV set and three days later would write “Rocky” based on underdog Wepner. The film became a major hit in 1976 winning three Academy Awards and earning Stallone fame and fortune. Yo! Let’s not forget the sequels, too.

On Tues, Oct 25 at 8 p.m., “The Real Rocky” a documentary about Wepner’s life as a championship boxer and the story behind his bout with Ali airs on ESPN. (It also airs Wed, Oct 26 at 11 p.m. and Sat, Nov. 26 at 7:30 a.m. on ESPN2.)  And a film based on Wepner’s amazing story is in pre-production and will star Liev Schreiber as Wepner.

The one-hour documentary is directed by Jeff Feuerzeig, an award-winning director whose feature film “The Devil and Daniel Johnston” won top documentary directing honors at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival.  On ESPN.go.com, Feuerzeig, who grew up in New Jersey, explained his inspiration for making the Wepner documentary.

“ I’ve been a Chuck Wepner fan ever since 1975, when I was 10 years old and my father took my brother and me to Sports Night at the Raritan High School gymnasium in Hazlet to see Chuck, aka ‘The Bayonne Bleeder,’ just months before he was set to go up against Muhammad Ali for the heavyweight title,” Feuerzeig told ESPN. “There were no figures who loomed larger in this 10 year-old’s imagination than Evel Knievel, Andre the Giant and, especially, Muhammad Ali – “The Greatest” – and here was a 6-foot-5 behemoth (Wepner) in a full-length fur coat…and ridiculous amount of jewelry leading us in a chant of ‘Who’s gonna beat Ali? WEPNER!’ And in that instant, Chuck Wepner became a real-life mythological figure — as real to me as the Jersey Devil that haunted the local Pine Barrens.” Continue reading Boxing Legend Chuck Wepner “The Real Rocky” interview with Sally Deering of the River View Observer