Professional boxing returns to Portland's Cross Insurance Arena on Saturday night for the first time in 30 years.
PORTLAND, Maine — A new chapter in Maine's illustrious professional boxing history will be written Saturday night.
The Father's Day Professional Boxing Classic will be a 10-bout card that includes a championship triple-header of title fights and amateur matchups.
It will be the first time in 30 years that a professional boxing match will be held at Cross Insurance Arena.
Many local boxers stepped into the ring Saturday night, having trained last week at the Portland Boxing Club, which has produced countless champions over the past three decades.
“It's an obsession. Boxing isn't a sport, it's an obsession,” owner Bob Russo told NEWS CENTER Maine. “Someone told me that years ago and it was certainly true.”
For 32 years, Russo has helped organize events around the state and taken athletes around the country.
“People always ask me, 'You should do more shows, it's going so well,'” owner Bob Russo said. “I'd love to bring fighters across the street.” [in Portland] Rather than bring them to Chicago to play a game.”
Russo has worked with young boxers for years, many of whom never quit — some, like Portland's Casey Streeter, have been coming to the gym for more than 20 years.
Streeter will fight Jimmy Williams for the New England super welterweight championship in Saturday's main event.
“I basically grew up in this building and I have so many friends here who are like family now,” he said. “Boxing [is] This is not just a sport, it's a lifestyle. I live, breathe and eat this sport.”
Streeter's love of boxing was put to the test when he suffered serious leg injuries in a logging accident. Streeter said the grapple of a logging truck caught his leg, requiring multiple surgeries and lengthy rehabilitation.
“The doctors told me I'd never be able to walk normally again, let alone box,” he said, “so I used that as motivation throughout my time away from fighting to prove everyone wrong.”
Nearly a year after the accident, Streeter returned to the ring, his inner drive and the support of the Portland Boxing Club helping him get back into the fight.
Streeter said Russo was like a father to him, mentoring him both in and out of the ring.
“I grew up in a pretty tough environment as a child. [brought] “To go to the gym, I needed a place away from home where there was a positive environment, not a negative environment,” he explained.
The Portland Boxing Club's slogan, displayed on a sign above the front door, is “Raising Champions and Good Citizens.”
“So we're trying to teach them to be good people. In sports, you have to train and be clean,” Russo said. “We're like a family, we're close-knit and we all try to get better. Hopefully we can grow every day while we're here.”
Russo said the boxing club is essentially a youth program, helping young kids find direction in life.
For Streeter, boxing helps with his mental health, he says, and he finds peace of mind when he goes into the gym.
Auburn's Ilyas Bashir remains the reigning All-New England Golden Gloves lightweight champion. The Bates College junior will face Ashbel Abily in a lightweight bout.
At middleweight, fellow New England Golden Gloves champion Wade Faria of Portland will make his pro debut.
“It's going to be a fun night. I love dancing so I might be able to do a dance show so please come and see me dance,” Faria said.
Faria began training at the Portland Boxing Club after graduating from high school and quickly learned how much dedication it takes to be a successful boxer. He said he's also learned a lot about himself throughout his career, and the importance of never doubting yourself.
2023 All-New England Golden Gloves super heavyweight champion Zodan Holman of Westbrook, Brandon Berry of West Forks and Hunter Dickerson of Lewiston will also be competing Saturday.
The match kicks off at 6:30pm. Ticket information can be found here.
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