By Marc Raimondi
Will Rosinsky felt the difference between an amateur boxing match and a pro one right away. A few seconds into his professional debut against Valentine Fontanelly, the Richmond Hill native knocked his opponent back with a straight jab. The smaller gloves gave him a sensation he never felt before.
“I hit him with a jab and I felt his whole face in my glove,” Rosinsky said. “Oh, forget it. It was a great feeling.”
It wasn’t long after that the feeling got even better. Rosinsky got Fontanelly against the ropes and pounded him with a barrage of lefts and rights – including one left cross to the body that left Fontannelly wincing in pain. Rosinsky knew then the fight was over and at 2:10 of the first round the Archbishop Molloy graduate was victorious, courtesy of a technical knockout Aug. 6 at B.B. King’s in Times Square on a DiBella Entertainment Broadway Boxing card.
“It was exactly what I pictured,” said the 23-year-old Rosinsky, who fought at 172 pounds.
His entrance was almost as long as the actual fight. Before Rosinsky’s bout, there was a palpable buzz. For a boxer making his debut and fighting on a card with more famous names, a majority of the 500 people at the Midtown club were there to see him. He helped sell more than 200 tickets to friends and family before the fight.
When he entered the ring from the stage with Jay-Z blaring over the speaker system, Rosinsky was met with one of the loudest ovations of the night. He certainly didn’t disappoint — and that was something he worried about the most. Rosinsky has been known almost as much for his uncanny marketing ability as he is his four Golden Gloves titles and national championship.
“It’s not even so much about winning and losing,” he said. “It’s about looking good and not letting the fans down. I don’t wanna look sloppy. That’s part of the sport. You get fans, you get the butts in the seats, you make money.”
Rosinsky, who is working on his degree at Queens College and hopes to be a physical education teacher, is still in search of a promoter. He calls Lou DiBella of DiBella Entertainment the “main guy,” but Rosinsky has other suitors like Irish Ropes, which promotes Middle Village resident and Ireland native John Duddy.
Sitting ringside at B.B. King’s were Rosinsky’s parents, Alfie and Jimmy. Last year, when Will wasn’t sure about turning pro, it was actually his mother who pushed him.
“I was the one who was disappointed when he first decided not to go pro,” Alfie Rosinsky said.
There wasn’t a hint of disappointment when her son finally made his professional debut. Not for Rosinsky and not for the hundreds of people who chanted his name after the referee stopped the fight.
“I want 1,000, 2,000, 10,000, 100,000 (fans watching),” Rosinsky said of his boxing future. “That’s what I’m hoping for.”
On a roll. In his third fight since taking on former heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield in March 2007, Bayside native Vinny Maddalone defeated Joe Stofle (11-13-2) by technical knockout at the 2:47 mark of the first round Aug. 6 at B.B. King’s in Times Square. The 34-year-old Maddalone (30-4), a former pitcher at Holy Cross HS, has won three straight fights since falling to Holyfield.
Middle Village resident James Moore, who is originally from Ireland, won via unanimous decision against Christian Lloyd Joseph (12-6-3). The bout was scored 78-74, 78-74, 79-73 by the judges. Moore (16-1) rebounded nicely after taking his first pro loss against Gabriel Rosado in June.
Reach Associate Sports Editor Marc Raimondi by e-mail at mraimondi@timesledger.com or call 718-229-0300, Ext. 130.
