Another heavyweight fight for Tony Ventura
Aug. 11—Tony Ventura has been in more than his fair share of fights throughout his life.
The Lockport native and former heavyweight boxer had several brushes with several notable heavyweights during his eight-year professional career that spanned from 1966 to 1974.
Twelve years ago, Ventura was thrown into the midst of a different fight: kidney cancer.
The disease has advanced to stage 4, and on Saturday night some of Ventura's closest friends are hosting a fundraiser to help offset his medical expenses.
Ventura's wife, Lorraine, said the support that his friends and the community have shown is "heartwarming and overwhelming."
"The community in Lockport is just like that. He has a very dedicated group of friends," she said.
The Venturas and their two sons, an infant and a toddler, left Lockport for Miami in 1966, when Ventura turned pro. Ventura trained at the famous Fifth Street Gym under Angelo Dundee, who trained several other notable fighters including Muhammad Ali, and boxed in various locales including Miami and Buffalo, as well as Canada and England.
One of the biggest fights of his career came on September 25, 1973, when he was slated to face off against five-time Canadian heavyweight champion George Chuvalo at Twin Rinks in Cheektowaga. By that time Chuvalo had already fought some of the biggest names in the sport including Ali and George Forman.
It was the second meeting between the two; about three years earlier Chuvalo had bested Ventura in a fight that went four rounds at The Forum in Montreal, Quebec.
Lorraine realized shortly after meeting Chuvalo that the 1973 fight would be no easy task.
"The only thing I remember about meeting George Chuvalo was when he shook my hand and I went, 'Oh my God. What is (Tony) in for? His hands were massive," Lorraine recalled.
Ventura's son Anthony said that if his father had beaten Chuvalo in that second fight, the win could have propelled his boxing career further.
"I think if my dad would have beaten Chuvalo, he might have got a shot at (fighting) a top heavyweight," Anthony said.
Unfortunately for Ventura, he met a similar fate in the rematch and lost in the third round.
Despite the losses, Ventura has always been one to roll with the punches. Anthony recalled one of his dad's fights in particular that he was in attendance for at Memorial Auditorium, Buffalo, in 1972.
"He was winning relatively easily and then he started losing during the middle of the fight. He said that he saw me in the crowd... he just got extra inspiration, and ended up winning the fight," Anthony said.
The family returned to Lockport permanently after Ventura retired from boxing in 1974. Ventura was inducted into the Ring 44 Buffalo Veteran Boxers Association Hall of Fame in 2005.
Now nearly 50 removed from his boxing career, Ventura still has his family and friends by his side as he fights cancer. He's not able to leave the house much these days, but those who are closest to him still see him regularly at his home.
"It's been like a revolving door here," Lorraine said. "One will come in, then when they leave, another one comes."
Saturday's fundraiser at Short Street Patio Bar, 1 Short St., will start at 5 p.m. Tickets for the event are $20 each.
