Dave Brunelli

Name: Dave Brunelli
Hometown: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Stance: Orthodox
Height: 191cm
Pro Boxer: Record

Brunelli was said to be 18-0, with 16 knockouts as a toughman fighter.

Most recent article about Brunelli from the Northeast Times

Brunelli no longer just a tough man

By Joe Mason Times Sports Editor

If Dave Brunelli was a professional wrestler, there’s a very good chance he’d have been fired by now. Brunelli, a Mayfair resident, is a professional boxer. And the 30-year-old pug has fought four career bouts, and each time he entered the ring, he was a severe underdog. And in most cases, he was supposed to be a stepping-stone for his opponent. That was the case when he took on former Philadelphia Phantom enforcer, Frank "the Animal" Bialowas, last year. And it also was the case on June 10 in Atlantic City, when he took on Jamie Campbell on the undercard of the Bernard Hopkins-Antonio Tarver fight. So please excuse Brunelli and his manager, Mike Murphy, if they’re a little proud of Brunelli’s 3-1 professional record. "I think I’m supposed to lose, but I just win, it’s pretty satisfying," said Brunelli, a 1994 graduate of Abraham Lincoln High School. In his latest bout, Brunelli battled Campbell, who came into the heavyweight bout weighing a massive 268 pounds, more than 50 pounds heavier than Brunelli. Campbell also stood 6-feet-6, or 3 inches taller than Brunelli. It didn’t matter that much. Brunelli won the four-round bout, outscoring Campbell, 39-38, on one scorecard and 39-37 on another. The final scorecard had the fight even at 38-38. "What he’s done is pretty amazing," said Murphy, a lifelong friend of Brunelli’s and a fellow Mayfair resident. "He keeps ruining careers, and it’s great. "In every bout so far, he’s gone out and willed his way to wins," he said. "The last fight, if you look at the two guys, Dave has some bumps and bruises and the other guy didn’t get hurt. But Dave kept coming and coming and coming, and he refused to quit. That’s the reason he won." While Brunelli is no stranger to fighting, he’s been involved in boxing for only four years now. During his days growing up, he was a standout wrestler at Lincoln and he also did his fair share of fighting in the street. And shortly after he graduated from Lincoln, Brunelli’s behavior caught up with him and he ended up spending three years in Albion prison for aggravated assault. The three-year sentence was long, but it was a wake-up call and something that Brunelli turned into a positive. Now he’s a family man. He has a fiancée, Angela French. The couple have a 2-year-old son, Arturo, and they are expecting their first daughter. Brunelli uses his days to spend time preparing for his boxing career. He works nights as a bartender and bouncer at McNoodles, Vagabond Club and Tacony Billiards. "It’s great because it gives me my days to train and be with my family . . . it’s really worked out well," said Brunelli, who now lives in Oxford Circle. "And I work in the neighborhood, and it gives me enough time to train." Brunelli’s boxing career came about in an odd way. He started off on the "Tough Man Contest" circuit. That consisted of getting in the ring with fellow brawlers who were tough but lacked the knowledge of actually boxing. "It was just get-in-the-ring-and-brawl," he said. But two years into his tough man stint, the circuit moved out of Pennsylvania. So Brunelli had two choices: He could leave the ring or he could become a professional. He decided to become a professional. And even that didn’t start out the way he planned. His first bout came against an experienced opponent; Brunelli was knocked out. Shortly after, he was signed to take on Bialowas, who at the time was just ending his hockey career. On the ice, Bialowas was a cult hero in the Philadelphia area, having spent more time in the penalty box than on the ice while he was a member of the Philadelphia Phantoms from 1996 to ’99. "When I found out I was fighting him, I didn’t really know him but my friends were telling me about how tough he was," Brunelli said. "That fight was supposed to make his career. But I just went out and knocked him out. It was a huge win." So was his most recent win. Fighting in nightclubs and small venues is nice, but there’s nothing like the big fight atmosphere of boxing in the Atlantic City Boardwalk Hall. "I was the second fight, so a lot of people weren’t in their seat yet, but it was cool," he said. "I have a pretty big following at most of my fights, but this one, the tickets were really expensive. "I still had a good following, and I guess it was one of my career highlights so far," he added. "It was another fight, another fight where I was supposed to lose. So it was another fight where I went out and beat a tough opponent." So how much longer will his career keep him punching other guys, if not a time clock? Does Brunelli aspire to reach heavyweight champion status or is he content with what he’s accomplished in the sport? "I’m going to fight for as long as I can, as long as I keep improving," he said. "It’s fun, it’s something I enjoy. It’s a great way to get out your aggression, and so far it’s been a very positive experience. "I’ll keep doing this for as long as I can." •• Sports editor Joe Mason can be reached at 215-354-3035 or [email protected]