When Irish Fists Are Landing
IRISH WEEKEND got off to a smashing start on Thursday night, September 18, when the Irish boxing team from Holy Family in Belfast, North Ireland, invaded the big white tent in the old Moore’s Inlet parking lot and walked off with eight of ten amateur bouts from the Harrowgate squad from Philadelphia in front of a standing-room-only crowd.

The fistic festivities got off to an apropos start when Maura McKinney, the lovely and talented daughter of the late, sainted Jack McKinney, one of the great Philadelphia Daily News writers, sang the national anthems of both teams. She was introduced by the tuxedoed Nino Del Buono, he of the Del Buono bakery family, who handled his ring announcer chores with a highly spirited and very knowledgeable flair.

Between bouts, Del Buono introduced boxing celebrities like North Wildwood’s Vic Cappuccino, veteran referee Joe O’Neill, and current contender and former world junior middleweight champion Kassim “The Dream” Ouma, who is the subject of a recently released documentary feature film “Kassim the Dream,” whose executive producer is Oscar winner Forest Whitaker, and which debuted at the prestigious Tribeca Film Festival, cofounded by Robert De Niro.

Two local fighters appeared for Harrowgate, both in losing causes. Wildwood’s Josh Mercado, 2008 intercollegiate 139-pound titlist at Lock Haven University, went down to Holy Family’s James Ferrin, who boasted 113 amateur outings, and Somers Point’s John Cunningham, a student at Cape May Vo Tech, was bested in the 26- pound class by Anthony Upton, one of three Upton brothers on the Irish team.

Another localite, Al Mussachio, cofounder of the Wildwood Boxing Club and father of Wildwood’s undefeated professional light heavyweight Chuck “The Professor” Mussachio, acted as a judge for the evening’s card. The show benefited North Wildwood’s Volunteer Fire Company Number One and, hopefully, will become an annual event for Irish Weekend. The tent was a perfect venue for the fights with clear sightlines and provided a very sociable, intimate setting for an evening of boxing, which could be summed up in one word – Slainte!

Josh Mercado & Trainer Conn McMullen	John Cunningham & Trainer Kevin Brady
The Belfast, Ireland boxers at a welcome dinner of ham & cabbage hosted by the Knights of Columbus
Paul Moore (PaddysWell), Jim McKee and Nino Del Buono helped organize the premier event
Wildwood’s Josh Mercado squares off with Ireland’s James Ferrin