ALBERT J. COUNTRYMAN Jr.
Gloucester City News
For Joe De Benedictis, boxing is a fraternity of mentors who help young boxers gain confidence and get through difficult times in the ring, and in life.
“My mom had passed away in an accident. I had no parents. Carmen Graziano, the brother of middleweight champion Rocky Graziano, took me in at Archer’s Gym in Clementon. Carmen was my mentor during a difficult time. I lived at his boxing camp,” said Joe Benedictis, 54, a graduate of Gloucester Catholic High School, Class of 1985.
“There are a lot of good, kind people in boxing. Carmen took me in under his wing. He helped a lot of young boxers, turning them into young men,” said Joe, a cruiserweight, who boxed at Archer’s Gym and the Front Street Gym in Philadelphia made famous in the movie, “Rocky.”
His son Jack De Benedictis, 22, a graduate of Gloucester City High School, Class of 2018, works as a hazardous material specialist for Miller Environmental.
He also trains with his dad Joe, a truck driver, and together they formed Holy City Boxing, which it had its grand opening Saturday, July 3, in its new digs at a church on 301 Nicholson Road, Gloucester City.
“We are working together to bring boxing to the mainstream. We are a no-head contact gym with no live sparring. We teach balance, leverage, foot work, head movement, pivots and slips,” Joe said. “It’s for everybody – men, women and children can get in shape and learn self-defense tactics.”
“We want the average person to learn what a fighter does during a workout,” Jack said. “I want to take everyday people and train them.”
“It is beneficial both physically and emotionally, and it reduces stress,” said Joe, whose boxing career ended when he shattered his hand after posting a 16-0 record. “I would like to thank Vince DiGiacomo for donating this space in the church to us. Before we were training people in the Gloucester Catholic parking lot across from our house.”
“I bought the church with the intention of helping out young people and the homeless,” Vince said. “Somehow, it is my way of giving back. I am an ordained minister, aka ‘The Punching Pastor.’
“I hope to have free turkey dinners and counseling services in the future,” added Vince, who is a well-known businessman in his hometown of Gloucester City. “If any organization needs meeting space, we can help. All our services will be free of charge.”
“Vince has been great to us,” Joe said. “Over the past 10 years, I was tired of seeing the drug addiction and the suffering. We needed to create something else for the kids.”
During his time at Archer’s Gym, Joe got to know professional boxers like lightweight Calvin Grove. “I got the experience to work with world class boxing trainer Chino Rivas, along with some of his professional fighters, such as Tevin Farmer and Jason Sosa.”
Joe became friends with heavyweight Carl Williams and Joey Farrell, who both passed away within the past 10 years.
“They were a part of our boxing family. I would like to extend my condolences to both of their families,” Joe said, adding that “the stigma against boxing should be lessened when everyone realizes there are good people involved in the sport.”
