Jolene Mizzone has spent a lifetime in boxing and she will now be honored.
On Monday Mizzone was announced as a part of the 2025 Atlantic City Boxing Hall-of-Fame class.
Mizzone started as a receptionist at Main Events, which she calls “the greatest boxing internship ever”, and worked her way up to doing logistics, including making travel arrangements and ensuring everything was done economically. Mizzone would then become the matchmaker for Main Events in 2010 and worked her way all the way up to Vice President. She is now a boxing manager and is involved with Fighters First Management, a change she made in 2021. Going into the hall-of-fame in Atlantic City is extra special for Mizzone given the relationship she built with fellow hall-of-famer Arturo Gatti.
“It’s a great honor to be inducted. One of the things that’s special to me about being inducted in Atlantic City Boxing Hall-of-Fame is that I spent a lot of time in Atlantic City when I was younger,” Mizzone told BoxingScene. “Going into the Hall-of-Fame couldn’t do nothing but make me think of Arturo [Gatti]. It’s like he’s coming in with me because that’s where a lot of my roots came from. Learning the business doing all those Arturo Gatti fights down here.”
In typical Mizzone style, every answer to a question turned into stories about others reflecting her generosity. The first story was about Gatti, the beloved brawler.
“Every time we’d go down to Atlantic City, no matter what car I had Gatti and his friends would take my valet ticket and they would have my car all week,” Mizzone said laughing. “If he wanted to get a haircut or something, his friend would drive him in my car. He’d go to eat somewhere outside of the casino in my care!”
Before Gatti’s second fight with Micky Ward, he wanted a meal from a restaurant in Bally’s called, you guessed it, Arturo’s. The only problem was after the weigh-in it wasn’t open. Mizzone had to think fast.
“He said, ‘Jo, I want clams with linguine for the weigh-in,’ and I said, ‘Okay,’” Mizzone remembered. “‘But I want it from Arturo’s…’” Mizzone realized Arturo’s wasn’t open and she told Gatti. But he was resolute. He knew he could make it happen. This led Mizzone to call her contact person. In the end, the chef from Arturo’s came in on his day off, but under one condition. He said he’d come in on his day off as long as he could deliver it to Arturo’s room and meet Arturo. Mizzone told him that could happen. “The guy came in, made his pasta, and went to his room and met Arturo.”
Another great story was a travel story that occurred when Lou Savarese was set to fight Michael Grant. Savarese requested not to be flown on a certain airline because it had recently crashed.
“I remember him calling me and saying to me, ‘Jolene, please don’t put me on that airline,’” Mizzone said. “The powers that be wanted to save money, they were like: ‘We got to get the cheapest flight.’”
Mizzone convinced those in charge to book another airline because she worried the fight might not happen when hearing the anxiety in Savarese’s voice.
During her time matchmaking, she took pride in putting together Sergey Kovalev-Darnell Boone at light heavyweight. Among the many notable fighters she matched was a heavyweight named Cassius Chaney.
“When he first started, he was a little green, so you had to match him with the right guys. It’s heavyweight, so one punch could change everything,” Mizzone said.
Chaney was fighting at the Turning Stone Casino in Verona, New York. Mizzone got a call from the manager of Chaney’s opponent the day of the fight; something every matchmaker dreads.
“The day of the fight his manager called me and said, ‘We can’t fight,’” Mizzone said. “The opponent’s team claimed he was sick.”
The manager informed Mizzone that the fighter had the flu and a doctor said he was too sick to fight.
“Cassius was literally with his team walking to the arena. I had to meet him at the top of the escalator and tell him, ‘You’re not fighting,’” Mizzone said. “I explained his opponent pulled out of the fight as they were going to the arena.”
Mizzone, currently in the United Kingdom, has assumed the role of manager. Mizzone serves as President of Fighters First and actively manages fighters on their roster. Otto Wallin, whom she manages, is set to face Derek Chisora this Saturday at Co-op Live Arena in Manchester. Mizzone aims to add another memorable night to her career, now having been officially announced as being enshrined where her career began in Atlantic City.
The complete list of those inducted to the Hall of Fame are as follows.
FIGHTERS: Julian Jackson, Steve Collins, Charles Brewer, Junior Jones, Charles Murray, Curtis Parker, and Patrick Majewski Sean O’Grady {Boxing Analyst/Fighter}, Tommy Brooks {Trainer}, Joe Cortez {Referee}, Jolene Mizzone {Matchmaker/Manager} Bernie Dillon {Casino Executive} Jeff Jowett {Media}, and Nick Tiberi Sr. {Matchmaker} POSTHUMOUSLY: Bert Cooper {Fighter}, Rocky Lockridge {Fighter}, Teddy Mann {Fighter} Cash White {Trainer } PIONEERS: Young Gene Buffalo {Fighter} and Bob Botto {Manager}
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