Bernardo Boxing owner Aaron Bernardo prepares for four-day summer event

FALL RIVER — Boxing's road to the Big Mammy this year runs through nearby Fall River CYO Hall.

The Battle Belt, a Golden Gloves-style United States Boxing Association-sanctioned amateur tournament, is scheduled to take place on four consecutive Saturday nights this summer, with three qualifiers (July 13, 20 and 27) at the CYO on Annawan Street and the finals on Aug. 3 at Battleship Massachusetts.

Aaron Bernardo, owner/operator/coach of Bernardo Boxing on the first floor of the CYO Hall, helped stage the popular one-night-only show “Battle on the Battleship” two years ago, and 10 years ago hosted a boxing exhibition on the Battleship as part of its 50th anniversary celebrations.^Number It's the anniversary of Big Mammy coming to Fall River.

For this year's show, Bernardo opted for a format where boxers have to earn a spot to fight on the Battleship: they have to win qualifiers at CYO to get a spot in the big show.

Bernardo brought boxing back to the facility that decades ago, under coach Ron Comeau, produced top boxers including U.S. Olympic Trials finalists Chris McDonald (1980) and David Govan (1984).

“I've always been a little bit involved with battleships and boxing, of course,” Bernardo, 29 and a father of four, said recently at the CYO offices. “So now I'm here inside the Fall River CYO, which is a legendary building, and we did the CYO belt and a few other shows last year. We hosted the New England Championships, which is one of the qualifiers.