BRONX TIMES REPORTER, F BTR EBRUARY 1-7, 2019 55
BRONX SCENE
Tom Casey provided this photo of Mike Belloise who was known as the
“Bronx Spider.” The family had three brothers who were professional
prize fi ghters.
Belloise Bros. dominated boxing scene
It would be rare to fi nd an
old-time boxing fan unfamiliar
with the name Belloise.
There were ten children in
the family and three of them
would become noted boxers.
They were the pride of the
Bronx in boxing circles for
years.
Mike Belloise was known
as “the Bronx Spider” and
was born on February 18, 1911
in our fair borough. He became
the featherweight champion
and fought throughout
the country including near
home at the Bronx Coliseum.
He became a world champion
when he knocked out Everette
Rightmire on April 3, 1936.
He managed to retain the title
until October 17, 1938 when
he lost a decision to Joey Archibald
at the St. Nicholas
Arena. He had a record of 84
wins (19 KO’s), 29 losses and
13 draws and retired from
the sport in 1947. He passed
away on June 2, 1969 from a
heart attack and was buried
from St. Philip Neri Roman
Catholic Church. He lived at
193 West Kingsbridge Road
and was survived by his wife,
Florence, and two children.
He was only 58 years old.
His younger brother,
Steve, was a middleweight
contender whose career was
interrupted by his service in
the U. S. Navy during World
War II. He was sometimes
known by the nickname
“Gink” and is often remembered
for knocking down a
fi ghter three times with a
single punch. The boxer kept
getting up but then fell down
again and again. The 1946 incident
was so odd that it was
recorded in Ripley’s Believe
It or Not. He missed taking
the middleweight championship
title from Ken Overlin
at Madison Square Garden
in 1940 by a split decision. A
rematch led to the same result.
He retired from boxing
soon after being knocked out
by Sugar Ray Robinson in the
seventh round of a bout on August
24, 1949. He passed away
on February 18, 1984 at age 65
in the Bronx Veteran’s Hospital.
His record was 95 wins
(59 KO’s), 13 losses and three
draws. He was survived by
his wife, Serafi na, their four
children and three grandchildren.
Sal Belloise was also a
middleweight boxer but he
spent the least time in the
ring of the three brothers. He
won 24 of his bouts and nine
were knockouts. He lost nine
(4 KO’s) and three ended in a
draw.
REPRINTED FROM 4-1-2010