Frank cappuccino
Encyclopedia
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
matches in history.
History
Cappuccino was born in Philadelphia and grew up in the neighborhood known as Kensington. Both Frank and his brother Vito (Vic) were accomplished boxers. Fighting as a lightweightLightweight
Light-weight is a class of athletes in a particular sport, based on their weight.-Professional boxing:The lightweight division is over 130 pounds and up to 135 pounds weight class in the sport of boxing....
(130 lb. class), Cappuccino fought more than 130 amateur bouts in the early 1950s. He participated in the Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
state championships and was a finalist in both the Diamond Belt and Golden Glove
Golden Gloves
The Golden Gloves is the name given to annual competitions for amateur boxing in the United States. The Golden Gloves is often the term used to refer to the National Golden Gloves competition, but it also can represent several other amateur tournaments, including regional golden gloves...
Tournaments. Leaving the amateur ranks in 1955, Cappucino turned professional under the management of George Katz. Though undefeated in six professional matches, Frank Cappuccino retired early. Asked why he didn't continue with his professional career, Cappuccino told Northeast Times
Northeast Times
The Northeast Times is an American newspaper, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that primarily targets the Northeast Philadelphia community. After being owned by The Philadelphia Inquirer parent company, it was sold to a newly formed company, Broad Street Media.-External links:* *...
reporter Joe Mason, "I decided that I had to either get out or get knocked on my heels. But I loved the sport and I wanted to stay involved."
Cappuccino received his referee's license in 1958. Over the past half-century, he has been the third man in the ring for over 25,000 bouts, including an estimated 10,000 professional matches. He has officiated 94 world championship bouts in North America, Europe and Asia.
Boxing experts tend to praise Frank Cappuccino's work in the squared circle. He typically allows a boxer in trouble to try to fight his way out of it, rather than calling an abrupt (and unpopular) technical knockout (TKO). This was best evidenced in the memorable 2002 Mickey Ward vs. Arturo Gatti
Arturo Gatti
Arturo "Thunder" Gatti was a Canadian professional boxer. Born in Cassino, Italy, and raised in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, Gatti relocated to Jersey City, United States as a teenager...
fight. That said, there has never been a recorded incident of a serious injury in a match Cappuccino presided over. Asked about having Cappuccino as a referee, boxer Mickey Ward replied, "Frank was great and still is. He's an old guy but he does his homework and lets you fight your fight. I'd love to get Frank again. He does everything with his voice. I have a lot of respect for him." Cappuccino was enshrined in both the Pennsylvania and New Jersey Boxing Hall of Fame.
Memorable fights
- Mickey Ward decisioned (10 rounds) Arturo Gatti, May 19, 2002, Uncasville, Connecticut. It is considered by many boxing purists as "The Fight of the Century." Cappuccino played a prominent role by masterful refereeing this tight and savage battle. In the fourth round, Gatti blasts a low punch into Ward's groin sending him down in pain. Cappuccino calls it a slip and takes a point from Gatti for the low blow. In the ninth round, Ward and Gatti landed an incredible 110 total punches—102 of them power shots. Late in the round, Gatti was enduring a severe beating from Ward; but the seasoned Cappuccino still saw some fight left in Arturo. It was a seminal moment; knowing the monumental nature of this fight, Cappuccino will not end this brawl on some technicality. Indeed, Gatti responded and fought back as the bell sounded. After the round, ring announcer Jim LampleyJim LampleyJames "Jim" Lampley is an American sportscaster, news anchor, movie producer, and restaurant owner. Lampley has anchored a record 14 Olympic Games U.S. television broadcasts, most recently the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China....
told a national audience, "The fight is being stopped!" Ward raised his arms in victory and both fighters approached the center of the ring. Cappuccino tells the world, "The fight ain’t over!" The fight resumed for the tenth and final round as people rushed back into their seats. The fight was ruled a majority decision for Ward. Had Cappuccino not penalized Gatti for the punch below the belt, the fight would have ended in a draw. However, the deduction was just as he warned Gatti about punching low several times before.
- Lennox Lewis TKO (5th round) Shannon BriggsShannon BriggsShannon "The Cannon" Briggs is an American heavyweight boxer and actor. He is the former Lineal and WBO heavyweight champion.-Early life:...
, for Lewis’ WBC HeavyweightHeavyweightHeavyweight is a division, or weight class, in boxing. Fighters who weigh over 200 pounds are considered heavyweights by the major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation, the World Boxing Association, the World Boxing Council, and the World Boxing...
Title, March 28, 1998, Atlantic City, New Jersey. In the fifth round, Briggs was beaten repeatedly by Lewis and was knocked down. Briggs got up on his feet and convinced Cappuccino to let him continue. After tasking more punishment from Lennox Lewis, Shannon Briggs launched a wild left hook that misses Lewis. The momentum of the errant punch fells the weakened Briggs to the canvas. Cappuccino had seen enough and justly ended the fight.
- Bernard "The Executioner" Hopkins TKO (11th round) Carl DanielsCarl DanielsCarl Bryant Daniels , is a professional boxer in the Light Middleweight division.- Amateur :Southpaw Daniels won the junior world championships 1987 and the Golden Gloves at flyweight....
, for Lewis’ Undisputed WBC, WBA, and IBF MiddleweightMiddleweightMiddleweight is a division, or weight class, in boxing. Early boxing history is less than exact, but the middleweight designation seems to have begun in the 1840s. In the bare-knuckle era, the first middleweight championship fight was between Tom Chandler and Dooney Harris in 1897...
Title, February 2, 2002. The fight marked Hopkins’ 15th consecutive successful title defense - breaking the 25-year-old middleweight championship defense record held by Carlos MonzónCarlos MonzónCarlos Monzón was an Argentine professional boxer who held the undisputed world middleweight title for 7 years, during which he successfully defended the title 14 times....
. Cappuccino stopped the bout on the advice of Daniels' corner.
- Mike TysonMike TysonMichael Gerard "Mike" Tyson is a retired American boxer. Tyson is a former undisputed heavyweight champion of the world and holds the record as the youngest boxer to win the WBC, WBA and IBF world heavyweight titles, he was 20 years, 4 months and 22 days old...
KO’d (1st round) Michael SpinksMichael SpinksMichael Spinks is a retired American boxer who was a world champion in the light-heavyweight and heavyweight divisions...
, for Tyson's Undisputed WBC, WBA, and IBF Heavyweight Title, June 27, 1988, Atlantic City, New Jersey. In a battle of undefeated fightersMike Tyson vs. Michael SpinksMike Tyson vs. Michael Spinks was a boxing match which took place on 27 June 1988. Both men were undefeated and each had a claim to being the legitimate heavyweight champion; Tyson held the WBA, WBC and IBF belts, while Spinks held the Ring Magazine belt and was considered the lineal champion.Held...
, Tyson knocked Spinks out in 91 seconds. Cappuccino is prominently featured in Sports IllustratedSports IllustratedSports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
magazine. Cappuccino considered it the greatest moment of his referee career. He commented, "I remember thinking here I am, a guy from Kensington, and I’m in the ring, looking out in the crowd, and I see people like Charlie SheenCharlie SheenCarlos Irwin Estevez , better known by his stage name Charlie Sheen, is an American film and television actor. He is the youngest son of actor Martin Sheen....
and Jack NicholsonJack NicholsonJohn Joseph "Jack" Nicholson is an American actor, film director, producer and writer. He is renowned for his often dark portrayals of neurotic characters. Nicholson has been nominated for an Academy Award twelve times, and has won the Academy Award for Best Actor twice: for One Flew Over the...
and Martin SheenMartin SheenRamón Gerardo Antonio Estévez , better known by his stage name Martin Sheen, is an American film actor best known for his performances in the films Badlands and Apocalypse Now , and in the television series The West Wing from 1999 to 2006.He is considered one of the best actors never to be...
. It was really something special. And people like Oprah WinfreyOprah WinfreyOprah Winfrey is an American media proprietor, talk show host, actress, producer and philanthropist. Winfrey is best known for her self-titled, multi-award-winning talk show, which has become the highest-rated program of its kind in history and was nationally syndicated from 1986 to 2011...
and Frank SinatraFrank SinatraFrancis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
missed the fight because it only lasted ninety-one seconds." Cappuccino and the oft-maligned Tyson have a unique relationship. Frank has refereed six of his bouts. When asked about Tyson, Cappuccino replied, "I can't say a bad thing about Mike Tyson. He's always been very good to me."
Other Biographical Information
Frank Cappuccino has also served as a boxing judgeBoxing judge
A boxing judge is responsible for judging the results of a boxing match, with as many as three judges typically present at ringside to score the bout and assign points to the boxers, based on punches that connect, defense, knockdowns, and other, more subjective, measures.A boxing match that has not...
for several fights. The most notable bout he arbited was the Michael Spinks vs. Dwight Muhammad Qawi
Dwight Muhammad Qawi
Dwight Muhammad Qawi is a former world boxing champion in the light heavyweight and cruiserweight divisions...
for the undisputed Lightheavyweight Championship, fought on March 18, 1983 and won by Spinks on a unanimous decision.
Outside the ring, Frank Cappucinno was a supervisor for the Keebler Company
Keebler Company
The Keebler Company is the largest cookie and cracker manufacturer in the United States. Founded in 1853, it has produced numerous baked snacks. Keebler has marketed its brands such as Cheez-Its , Chips Deluxe, Club Crackers, E.L...
. He also served as a sanitation control inspector for the School District of Philadelphia
School District of Philadelphia
The School District of Philadelphia is a school district based in the School District of Philadelphia Education Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that includes all public schools in the city of Philadelphia. Established in 1818, it is the eighth largest school district in the nation.The School...
. He resides in Yardley, Pennsylvania
Yardley, Pennsylvania
Yardley is a borough in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The small community of Yardley is bordered by the Delaware River and Ewing, New Jersey on the east, and by Lower Makefield Township on the north, west, and south...
.