| Pittsburgh Sports Report July 2008 |
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| Punching Out Champions He knows exactly where he wants to go. He's been there before. He knows how to get there, too. And this time, he's going to get there on his own terms. Ultimately, Spadafora wound up behind bars and Yankello moved on to other boxers. And despite more success in the ring, the frustrations out of it were all too familiar. Yankello was sure he had the next great local fighter in Aliquippa's Verquan Kimbrough - and most experts agreed. Kimbrough was the most decorated amateur in western Pennsylvania history, but his professional career-and his relationship with Yankello-hit rocky terrain when the fighter's battle with the eating disorder bulimia threatened his health. It wasn't even two years ago that Yankello was in the corner of Calvin Brock at Madison Square Garden, as the heavyweight contender took on world champion Wladimir Klitschko. Brock went toe-to-toe with the champ for seven rounds before being caught with a blinding right hand. Not long after, the two parted ways and Brock is now out of boxing after suffering a detached retina last year. "Sure it's frustrating, but with each guy there were specific reasons that things didn't work out," said Yankello in his Ambridge gym, where he's currently training a new crop of promising young fighters. "You move on." Fresh Start Born and bred to a boxing family in Beaver County, Yankello simply dug in deeper after the setbacks. Perhaps more importantly, he finally has some control over his situation. Yankello and his younger brother Mark formed World Class Fight Promotions with partners Chris Riskus and Bill Mistic. All the in-fighting, which occurred almost daily among Spadafora's oft-criticized camp-promoter Mike Acri, manager Al McCauley, and Spadafora himself-has disappeared. A decade ago, Yankello was a young trainer, new on the scene and open to second-guessing by Spadafora's promotion team, who often brought in other trainers in the weeks leading up to big bouts. "I've got my own thing this time. I don't have anyone poisoning my fighters like I did before," Yankello says. "My brother's part of the team - my brother's not going to poison my fighters. Now I've got the team working with me, not against me." The premier fighter in Yankello's new stable is Rankin featherweight Monty Meza-Clay, who is currently the No. 1 contender in the WBO's rankings with a 28-1 record. Current champ Steven Luevano has nine months to defend his title against Meza-Clay, so it likely won't be long before Tom Yankello is back in the corner working a world title fight. But past frustrations brought valuable lessons, so much like the boxers he trains, Yankello and his fighter will be patient, carefully waiting for an opening before taking their shot. "We want to make the strategically right moves with Monty regarding his immediate future in the ring," Yankello says. "We're going to make the right steps to fight the right guys for the right amount of money… but I truly believe Monty will win a world title." "If I were managing a fighter and needed a trainer who could take us all the way, Tommy Yankello would be on my short list," said ESPN boxing commentator Joe Tessitore. "What he does with his talent is very impressive. His passion and enthusiasm for the sport, and his commitment to his fighters, is as good as anybody's." His current partner Riskus, a former trainer whose fighters often competed against Yankello's, says, "Tommy's on a whole different level. I don't think that I could even hold a hat to what he does currently." Because of his success with Spadafora, Brock and others, Yankello's reputation has grown - as has his stable of fighters, and the talent accumulated within. In addition to Meza-Clay, Yankello trains several other talented prospects, including veteran heavyweight contender Brian Minto of Butler, and two particularly promising youngsters in welterweight Jesse Lubash and lightweight Mike Strauss. Lubash, of Munhall, and Strauss, of Carnegie, are both undefeated one year into their professional careers-they turned pro on the same day last July-and both came to Yankello for the same reason. The 24-year old Strauss trained as an amateur with his brother Robbie. "My brother came to me and said 'If you really want to be a pro fighter, you really should get with Tommy. He's a great trainer and I can only take you so far. It's time.'" It was Riskus who turned Yankello on to Lubash. Several years ago, he convinced Yankello to head to Kittanning to check out a young brawler at a regional amateur event, and the trainer came away impressed with what he saw. At the time, Meza-Clay was already a name among local fighters, and Lubash knew all about Yankello's success. "I knew if I was going to get where I wanted to be, I could do it with him," Lubash says now. Yankello is excited about their respective futures. "If I had to choose any prospects in the country to work with, I wouldn't want anybody but these two kids," Yankello said shortly after Strauss and Lubash finished a spirited sparring session. "These kids are good inside the ring and outside the ring - model citizen kids. Kids that have the potential not just to be great fighters but to be superstars because of their character and the way they carry themselves outside the ring." Their skills inside the ropes are what really gets Yankello going, however. "Jesse's as strong as they come for a 147-pounder," Yankello says. "Good puncher, very fast, good chin, big heart - all the intangibles. He's a tremendous athlete - raw hand speed, raw foot speed… He's got to work on more of his skills and the craft of the game." Strauss has more amateur experience, which shows when he's in the ring, according to Yankello. "Mike is very naturally crafty," says his trainer. "He has real good instincts in the ring. He's a real student of the game. I need to bring a little bit more strength out of him. "In the end, I feel like I've got two kids who I can work with and make the total package." As promising as the futures of Lubash and Strauss are, it's Meza-Clay who is the here and now. Born in Rankin to an African-American father in the military and a Mexican mother from Texas, Meza-Clay was raised in Washington, DC, until he was 12. He grew up on the rough streets of Rankin and has gone through the subsequent rough times. "He's come a long way, man. He's a kid who had the potential to maybe have a few hang-ups," says Yankello, his mind drifting to the troubles he watched his friend Spadafora endure. "We've gone head to head with a lot of that type of stuff outside the ring." With everything Yankello has seen, he feels it's his responsibility to help his guys in any way he can. "It's not always instruction - it's structuring," Yankello often tells Meza-Clay. "Structuring your life the right way to be a champion. It's a lifestyle - you don't just come into the gym and work hard and then leave it here, you have to have a lifestyle to be a champion. He's been developing that lifestyle." It's that attitude toward his fighters that makes Tessitore rave about Yankello's commitment. "Commitment," echoes Tessitore. "Care for his fighters at a level that crosses the line to complete commitment." Meza-Clay sees it firsthand. "I'm so grateful I got in touch with Tom," he says. "It's the little things he says that mean a hell of a lot. Boxing can be a very discouraging sport… There are times that you want to quit. Tom always makes me realize how important the little things are. That's the biggest part of our relationship." Yankello feels that Meza-Clay is getting closer to where they both want him to be - in the ring fighting for a title. Tessitore thinks it can happen. "Monty Meza-Clay is a title contender, a guy who has had a rebirth and he's matured into his status," Tessitore says. "He's not a blue-chip prospect but rather a guy who has come on late and gotten better as his career has gone deeper. There's no reason why he couldn't have a belt around his waist." Local and Loyal He's trained a champion in Spadafora, he's taken Calvin Brock to the brink of a heavyweight title, he trains a heavyweight contender in Brian Minto, he's got two promising young horses in Lubash and Strauss, and he has Clay on the precipice of a title. So why isn't Tom Yankello more of a household name, not just locally but nationally? Perhaps because most trainers with that sort of resume operate in boxing hotbeds such as Vero Beach, Las Vegas or southern California. In boxing-rich areas, trainers are exposed to more fighters. It's more competitive in those locales, but also more lucrative simply because the high level of exposure generates more opportunities. "I don't think, I know, I could be making money on so many different levels," in one of those areas, Yankello admits. "I'd definitely be able to swing some bigger names if I was in a different environment." But don't expect to see Tom Yankello in Florida, Hollywood or Sin City any time soon. His family is here, as are his fighters, and that means a lot to a guy like Yankello, whose third-floor Ambridge gym-above the Polish Falcons club-reflects his no-nonsense personality. "You know what?" asks Tessitore. "Part of what makes him special is he's not a Vegas guy or a south Florida guy or a New York guy or an LA guy. He's Pittsburgh through and through. There's a real sincerity to him." "I'm building my own thing here," Yankello says passionately. "There's a lot of stock in that." Pick up the new issue of the Pittsburgh Sports Report, with Tom Yankello on the front page, at any Dick's Sporting Goods, or any one of over 400 locations in the tri-state area. Yankello's Hits and Misses
Verquan Kimbrough
Calvin Brock
Brian Minto
Monty Meza-Clay
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It was
almost a decade ago that Tom Yankello rose to prominence as the
trainer of Paul Spadafora, who claimed the IBF lightweight crown
in 1999. But Spadafora's career-and Yankello's with it-was a roller
coaster ride, interrupted by internal disputes, trouble out of
the ring and constant interruptions from outside influences. 
Paul
Spadafora | Copyright © 1997-2008 Pittsburgh Sports Report [PSR] |