bobby covino lost 4/12/71

[bob stevenson]

BoxRec shows Bobby Covino undefeated in some 13 fights yet he lost in Boston 4/12/71 to a fighter named (best guess) Mike Pawlaski (not Pusateri). Covino was manhandled; his opponent used dirty tactics such as wiping his laces roughly and repeatedly in Covino's eyes, punches to the back of the head, elbows; the slow-moving ref evidently had other things on his mind as the crowd booed constantly; finally the bout was stopped around the eighth with Covino an exhausted mess. The promoter of this card was quoted in a local paper as saying Pawlawski (?) had "the style the fans love" while nothing could have been further from the truth. I doubt the guy ever fought in Boston again. The undefeated middleweight Johnny Coiley was the main event this night, beating a Canadian named Luigi Aprile (sp.?). None of these fighters ever amounted to much; Covino, chunky and never in the best of shape, nevertheless had a very aggressive and fan-pleasing style; thought he wasn't strong enough or smart enough to prevail this night. Let's set the record straight, though; he did lose. Anyone else there that night; anyone know the correct spelling of that crowd-displeasing opponent's name?