"Baby" Joe Mesi (born November 27, 1973) is an American retired

boxer Boxer most commonly refers to: * Boxer (boxing), a competitor in the sport of boxing *Boxer (dog), a breed of dog Boxer or boxers may also refer to: Animal kingdom * Boxer crab * Boxer shrimp, a small group of decapod crustaceans * Boxer snipe ee ...

and

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

politician from

Tonawanda, New York Tonawanda (formally ''City of Tonawanda'') is a city in Erie County, New York, United States. The population was 15,130 at the 2010 census. It is at the northern edge of Erie County, south across the Erie Canal (Tonawanda Creek) from North Ton ...

. During his career, he defeated former world champion Vassily Jirov as well as former title challengers

Bert Cooper Bertram Cooper (January 10, 1966 – May 10, 2019), nicknamed Smokin' Bert Cooper, was an American professional boxer who competed between 1984 and 2012. He fought Evander Holyfield, George Foreman, Riddick Bowe, Michael Moorer, Chris Byrd, Ray ...

Monte Barrett Monte Barrett (born May 26, 1971) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1996 to 2014. He challenged once for the WBA heavyweight title in 2006, and fought many top heavyweight champions and contenders during his career. Am ...

DaVarryl Williamson DaVarryl Jerome Williamson (born July 25, 1968) is an American former professional boxer. A highly-touted amateur, he challenged once for the IBF world heavyweight title in 2005. Early and personal life Williamson was raised in poverty in th ...

, and

Jorge Luis González Jorge is a Spanish and Portuguese given name. It is derived from the Greek name Γεώργιος ('' Georgios'') via Latin ''Georgius''; the former is derived from (''georgos''), meaning "farmer" or "earth-worker". The Latin form ''Georgius'' ...

Early life

Joe grew up in

, a suburb of Buffalo. He attended

Sweet Home High School Sweet Home High School may refer to: * Sweet Home High School (New York), located in Amherst, New York *Sweet Home High School (Oregon) Sweet Home High School is a public high school in Sweet Home, Oregon, United States The United States ...

Amherst, New York Amherst () is a town in Erie County, New York, United States. Amherst is an inner ring suburb of Buffalo. As of 2020, the town had a total population of 129,595. This represents an increase from 122,366 as reported in the 2010 census. The second ...

. He did not start his boxing career until he was about 19 years of age.

Boxing career

He was a New York State

Golden Gloves The Golden Gloves is the name given to annual competitions for amateur boxing in the United States, where they are awarded a belt and a ring. And the title of nations champion is awarded. The Golden Gloves is a term used to refer to the Nation ...

champion, and as an amateur boxer he defeated future two-time Heavyweight champion

Hasim Rahman Hasim Sharif Rahman (born November 7, 1972) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1994 to 2014. He is a two-time world heavyweight champion, having held the unified WBC, IBF, IBO and lineal titles in 2001; and the WBC t ...

. Mesi made it all the way to the finals in the 1996 Olympic Trials, but lost to eventual US heavyweight representative

Lawrence Clay-Bey Lawrence Marvin Clay-Bey (born December 14, 1965) is an American former professional boxer who fought at heavyweight. As an amateur he was a two-time winner (1995 and 1996) of the United States National Championships as well as a bronze medalis ...

. In Buffalo, for a brief period, Joe was once considered by some to be the city's "third professional franchise", with the

Buffalo Sabres The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. The Sabres compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team was established in 1970, along w ...

and

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. ...

being the other two. Joe is still often seen at Bills and Sabres games and also supports many local charities.

Philanthropy

In 2002, Mesi started a non-profit to raise awareness about organ donation and transplantation upon finding out his cousin was in need of a kidney transplant, and to help others in the Upstate New York area who needed such surgeries. His cousin, Ganelle Shanor, died in an accident before she was able to receive the operation. In January 2004, Mesi donated $7,500 to the Golisano Children's Hospital in Rochester, New York as a way of giving back to the Rochester community and to promote an upcoming fight at the Blue Cross Arena, with kidney transplant recipient Dillon Gonzalez and his family in attendance. The foundation was funded in part by admission fees to victory parties.

Injury and suspension

Mesi's promising boxing career was set back greatly when an MRI indicated he had suffered at least one, perhaps two

subdural hematoma A subdural hematoma (SDH) is a type of bleeding in which a Hematoma, collection of blood—usually but not always associated with a traumatic brain injury—gathers between the inner layer of the dura mater and the arachnoid mater of the meninges ...

s The injuries came from a 2004 bout with former cruiserweight champion

Vassiliy Jirov Vassiliy Valeryevich Jirov (russian: Васи́лий Вале́рьевич Жи́ров; born 4 April 1974), sometimes known as Vasily Zhirov, is a Kazakhstani former professional boxer who competed from 1997 to 2009, and held the Internationa ...

. In round 9, Mesi was knocked down from a right hook and in the tenth round he was knocked down two more times. Mesi managed to finish the fight on his feet and the bout was scored 94-93 for Mesi by all three judges. In June 2005, Mesi, along with his attorneys and three doctors supporting his reinstatement, went before the

Nevada State Athletic Commission The Nevada State Athletic Commission (also known as the Nevada Athletic Commission or NSAC) regulates all contests and exhibitions of unarmed combat within the state of Nevada, including licensure and supervision of promoters, boxers, kickboxers, ...

to argue Mesi's hematomas had healed, and, he was, "in no more danger than any other boxer." Mesi's appeal was denied by a 5-0 vote. In response to Dr. Julian E. Bailes, chairman of the department of neurosurgery at the

West Virginia University School of Medicine The West Virginia University School of Medicine is the professional school for the study of medicine and other health professions at West Virginia University in Morgantown, West Virginia. The medical school was established in 1902 as the first ...

, opinion that: "Football players and other athletes who had even more severe head injuries than Mesi were allowed to continue their careers without further harmful effects." Dr. Tony Alamo, one of the board's commissioners, replied, "You play football, you don't play boxing." The suspension effectively

blacklist Blacklisting is the action of a group or authority compiling a blacklist (or black list) of people, countries or other entities to be avoided or distrusted as being deemed unacceptable to those making the list. If someone is on a blacklist, t ...

ed him from boxing anywhere in the United States under the premise of the

full faith and credit clause Article Four of the United States Constitution, Article IV, Section 1 of the United States Constitution, the Full Faith and Credit Clause, addresses the duty that U.S. state, states within the United States have to respect the "public acts, rec ...

. He launched several ineffective lawsuits against parties they claimed had leaked news of his health, while also appealing to Nevada representatives that he should be allowed to box. The suspension was officially lifted when Mesi's Nevada boxing license expired at the end of 2005. However, he was unable to renew the license due to the concerns of Nevada boxing officials. In 2006, Mesi was again licensed by boxing commissions in Puerto Rico, Louisiana, Arkansas and Michigan, with a handful of other states to follow suit in 2007. Over that time, Mesi won all of his handful of fights, though effectively retired from boxing in 2007. Joe Mesi had one of the longest active undefeated professional boxing records in the world for a heavyweight. Ranked #1 heavyweight contender by the WBC prior to his two-year layoff, Mesi was #16 in the December 2007 rankings. In 2018, Mesi was inducted into the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame and the New York State Boxing Hall of Fame.

Politics and life after boxing

On February 14, 2008, Mesi publicly expressed his interest to run for the

New York State Senate The New York State Senate is the upper house of the New York State Legislature; the New York State Assembly is its lower house. Its members are elected to two-year terms; there are no term limits. There are 63 seats in the Senate. Partisan com ...

. He attempted to fill the 61st District seat vacated by

Mary Lou Rath Mary Lou Rath (née Schmitt) (born June 17, 1934) is an American politician who served as a member of New York State Senate from 1993 to 2008. A Republican, she represented the state's 61st district, which consisted of parts of Erie County and ...

. He won the Democratic primary for the seat on September 9, 2008. Mesi lost the general election to Republican

Michael Ranzenhofer Michael H. Ranzenhofer (born August 15, 1954) is an American politician from the state of New York. From 2009 until 2020, Ranzenhofer was a Republican member of the New York State Senate from the 61st district. Education Ranzenhofer earned a ...

. Most recently, Joe has taken a position with the Democratic Senate Majority heading up a local Buffalo liaison office. Mesi's name was circulated as a potential Democratic candidate to replace the retiring Jim Hayes in the

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Assem ...

. The assembly seat was won by Raymond Walter. Professionally, Mesi is a medical supply salesman with Abbott Medical. Mesi and his wife, Michele, have three children.

Professional boxing record

, - style="text-align:center; background:#e3e3e3;" , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Result , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Record , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Opponent , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Type , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Round , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Date , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Location , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Notes , - align=center , Win , 36–0 , align=left, Shannon Miller , TKO , 1 , , align=left, , align=left, , - align=center , Win , 35–0 , align=left, Ron Johnson , KO , 1 , , align=left, , align=left, , - align=center , Win , 34–0 , align=left, George Linberger , TKO , 1 , , align=left, , align=left, , - align=center , Win , 33–0 , align=left, Jason Weiss , UD , 4 , , align=left, , align=left, , - align=center , Win , 32–0 , align=left, Dennis Matthews , TKO , 2 , , align=left, , align=left, , - align=center , Win , 31–0 , align=left, Stephane Tessier , UD , 6 , , align=left, , align=left, , - align=center , Win , 30–0 , align=left, Ron Bellamy , UD , 8 , , align=left, , align=left, , - align=center , Win , 29–0 , align=left,

, UD , 10 , , align=left, , align=left, , - align=center , Win , 28–0 , align=left,

, MD , 10 , , align=left, , align=left, , - align=center , Win , 27–0 , align=left,

, KO , 1 , , align=left, , align=left, , - align=center , Win , 26–0 , align=left, Robert Davis , TKO , 1 , , align=left, , align=left, , - align=center , Win , 25–0 , align=left, Jason Curry , KO , 2 , , align=left, , align=left, , - align=center , Win , 24–0 , align=left,

David Izon David Izonritei (born 29 April 1968) is a Nigerian former boxer. Also known as David Izon, Izonritei won the Heavyweight silver medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics. During his professional career, he defeated world title challengers D ...

, KO , 9 , , align=left, , align=left, , - align=center , Win , 23–0 , align=left, Talmadge Griffis , TKO , 5 , , align=left, , align=left, , - align=center , Win , 22–0 , align=left, Keith McKnight , TKO , 6 , , align=left, , align=left, , - align=center , Win , 21–0 , align=left, Derrick Banks , TKO , 1 , , align=left, , align=left, , - align=center , Win , 20–0 , align=left,

, TKO , 7 , , align=left, , align=left, , - align=center , Win , 19–0 , align=left,

Jorge Luis Gonzalez Jorge is a Spanish and Portuguese given name. It is derived from the Greek name Γεώργιος ('' Georgios'') via Latin ''Georgius''; the former is derived from (''georgos''), meaning "farmer" or "earth-worker". The Latin form ''Georgius'' ...

, TKO , 4 , , align=left, , align=left, , - align=center , Win , 18–0 , align=left, Joey Guy , TKO , 3 , , align=left, , align=left, , - align=center , Win , 17–0 , align=left, Matthew Green , KO , 2 , , align=left, , align=left, , - align=center , Win , 16–0 , align=left, John Rainwater , TKO , 3 , , align=left, , align=left, , - align=center , Win , 15–0 , align=left, Gary Winmon , TKO , 1 , , align=left, , align=left, , - align=center , Win , 14–0 , align=left, Anthony Green , TKO , 8 , , align=left, , align=left, , - align=center , Win , 13–0 , align=left, Rowyan Wallace , KO , 2 , , align=left, , align=left, , - align=center , Win , 12–0 , align=left, Brian Sargent , KO , 1 , , align=left, , align=left, , - align=center , Win , 11–0 , align=left, Dwayne Hall , TKO , 1 , , align=left, , align=left, , - align=center , Win , 10–0 , align=left, Rodney McSwain , TKO , 3 , , align=left, , align=left, , - align=center , Win , 9–0 , align=left, Jihad Abdulaziz , UD , 4 , , align=left, , align=left, , - align=center , Win , 8–0 , align=left, Martin Lopez , KO , 3 , , align=left, , align=left, , - align=center , Win , 7–0 , align=left,

Kevin Rosier Kevin Rosier (January 6, 1962 – April 14, 2015) was an American kickboxer, boxer and mixed martial artist. He had much success as a kickboxer, winning a number of titles, but did not transition particularly well into the world of boxing and ...

, TKO , 2 , , align=left, , align=left, , - align=center , Win , 6–0 , align=left, Art Bayliss , KO , 1 , , align=left, , align=left, , - align=center , Win , 5–0 , align=left, Mike McGrady , TKO , 2 , , align=left, , align=left, , - align=center , Win , 4–0 , align=left, Darryl Spratt , KO , 1 , , align=left, , align=left, , - align=center , Win , 3–0 , align=left, Calvin Smith , UD , 4 , , align=left, , align=left, , - align=center , Win , 2–0 , align=left, Jim Brackney , KO , 2 , , align=left, , align=left, , - align=center , Win , 1–0 , align=left, Dwane Cason Allen , KO , 1 , , align=left, , align=left, , - align=center

Accomplishments

*1993 –

Empire State Games The Empire State Games are a set of annual Olympic-style competitions for amateur athletes from the state of New York, encompassing several divisions and allowing athletes of all ages to compete. It was a member of the National Congress of State ...

Gold Medalist *1993 – New York State

Champion – Super Heavyweight Division *1995 – New York State Golden Gloves Champion – Super Heavyweight Division *1996 – New York State Golden Gloves Champion – Super Heavyweight Division *1996 – United States Olympic Alternate – Super Heavyweight Division *1999 – New York State Heavyweight Champion *2003 –

North American Boxing Federation The North American Boxing Federation (NABF) is a not-for-profit regional sanctioning body that awards regional boxing titles. It is a boxing federation within the World Boxing Council (WBC). History The WBC established the NABF in 1969 as part of i ...

Heavyweight Champion *2007 –

World Boxing Council The World Boxing Council (WBC) is an international professional boxing organization. It is among the four major organizations which sanction professional boxing bouts, alongside the World Boxing Association (WBA), International Boxing Federation ...

USNBC Heavyweight Champion

References

External links

BabyJoeMesi.com
– Official website of Joe Mesi (Currently Down) *
Vacates {{DEFAULTSORT:Mesi, Joe Living people 1973 births Heavyweight boxers Italian male boxers American boxers of Italian descent SUNY Erie alumni People from Tonawanda, New York Sportspeople from New York (state) New York (state) Democrats American male boxers