Eddie Melo - Revision history

John at 19:12, 19 January 2014

2014-01-19T19:12:01Z

John at 19:09, 19 January 2014

2014-01-19T19:09:27Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 19:09, 19 January 2014
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	[[file:MeloEddie.jpg\|left\|Eddie Melo]]		[[file:MeloEddie.jpg\|left\|Eddie Melo]]
	<boxer>023081</boxer>		<boxer>023081</boxer>
	~~<br clear=all>~~
	~~----~~

	''Golden Boy Meets Gory End~~''<br>~~		Trained by [[Tray Travis]] later from Summer 1979 by [[Ted McWhorter]]

			-Golden Boy Meets Gory End-
	By JIM KERNAGHAN -- London Free Press		By JIM KERNAGHAN -- London Free Press

Ric at 18:06, 1 January 2007

2007-01-01T18:06:30Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:06, 1 January 2007
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	: The Golden Boy wouldn't know it at the time and neither would I. He was writing his own epitaph.		: The Golden Boy wouldn't know it at the time and neither would I. He was writing his own epitaph.

	[[category:Boxers ~~who were murdered~~\|Melo, Eddie]]		[[category:murdered Boxers\|Melo, Eddie]]

Ric: Boxer:Eddie Melo:023081 moved to Eddie Melo

2006-07-27T17:24:56Z

Boxer:Eddie Melo:023081 moved to Eddie Melo

← Older revision	Revision as of 17:24, 27 July 2006
(No difference)

Ric: category

2006-07-27T17:24:20Z

Ric: image & boxer code & formatting

2006-07-27T17:22:49Z

image & boxer code & formatting

Unknown user at 00:00, 1 January 2005

2005-01-01T00:00:00Z

New page

Golden Boy meets gory end
By JIM KERNAGHAN -- London Free Press

Cobra-quick Eddie Melo had just been released from a 90-day sentence and was vowing he'd never "be stuck in among all those bums and losers again" after he'd finished sparring that day 21 years ago in a Toronto gym.

Well, he was. The one-time Golden Boy of Canadian boxing would be convicted eight more times for various offences involving extortion or weapons. And after the underworld enforcer was gunned down, aged 40, with another man Friday night, there'll be no more.

The two were slain, execution-style, outside a Mississauga social club in what can only be seen as a gory epilogue to what could have been glory unending. This guy, target of earlier attempts on his life, could have been one of the legends of Canadian sports.

His takeoff was sensational. As a 17-year-old pro middleweight fighting out of Montreal because he was too young under Ontario Athletic Commission boxing regulations for 10-rounders, "Hurricane" Melo had it all.

He recorded eight knockouts in his first eight pro fights, all inside five rounds, and racked up more money ($150,000 in 18 months) than the rest of Canada's pro boxers put together.

He was fast, a terrific puncher and he could take a punch. Growing into a light heavyweight (175 pounds) he was still mowing them down. Of any Canadian boxer of the past 50 years, the guy who looked like a young Anthony Quinn had world champion written all over him.

But the day the 19-year-old former street-fighter was talking about turning over a new leaf, you wondered. Around him that day in the Lansdowne A.C. were guys with conflicting lifestyles.

Joe Dinardo, just out from a six-year counterfeiting stretch, was contemplating where his career might have gone.

"If I had stuck to boxing, things might have been different," said heavyweight Dinardo, who would later testify at the London murder trial of Stephen Demeter. "Six years in the can! This kid has a shot, though, and I'm gonna make sure he gets it," Dinardo said that day.

He didn't. Nobody did.

So, what happened? What happened to this son of hard-working Portuguese immigrants, this deadly machine that seemed built for the ring, this kid driving the Lincoln Continental as a teenager?

He lost. That's the start of it. After 14 straight wins, 12 by knockout, he was decisioned in a return bout against Fernand Marcotte. He dropped another decision and then, challenging for the Canadian light heavyweight championship, he was knocked out for the first time, in the 11th round, by Brantford's Gary Summerhayes.

Defeat affects boxers differently. Some, like heavyweights Floyd Patterson and Gerry Cooney, become hermits. Melo slipped into his other persona. He was a mobbed-up enforcer.

"He was muscle but not a freelancer," a police source told the Toronto Sun. "He would look after Cotroni's problems."

That would be Vic Cotroni, a Mafia chief now doing time. Toronto police say he was tight with the Commisso crime family and also had West Coast Hells Angels connections.

That day in the gym, young Eddie Melo spoke the way he fought -- flourishes, quick counters, a feint here and there and the odd bomb -- the non-stop boxer as the non-stop talker.

"Guys used to tell me when I was a kid I was headed for trouble, to keep my nose clean, all that stuff, but as a kid you don't believe anything," he said.

"Here I am now saying the same things to other kids. I see guys hanging around bars and getting into trouble, wasting their potential."

The Golden Boy wouldn't know it at the time and neither would I. He was writing his own epitaph.

← Older revision		Revision as of 19:12, 19 January 2014
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	Trained by [[Tray Travis]] later from Summer 1979 by [[Ted McWhorter]]		Trained by [[Tray Travis]] later from Summer 1979 by [[Ted McWhorter]]

	-Golden Boy Meets Gory End-		=Golden Boy Meets Gory End=
	By JIM KERNAGHAN -- London Free Press		By JIM KERNAGHAN -- London Free Press

	: Cobra-quick Eddie Melo had just been released from a 90-day sentence and was vowing he'd never "be stuck in among all those bums and losers again" after he'd finished sparring that day 21 years ago in a Toronto gym.		Cobra-quick Eddie Melo had just been released from a 90-day sentence and was vowing he'd never "be stuck in among all those bums and losers again" after he'd finished sparring that day 21 years ago in a Toronto gym.

	: Well, he was. The one-time Golden Boy of Canadian boxing would be convicted eight more times for various offences involving extortion or weapons. And after the underworld enforcer was gunned down, aged 40, with another man Friday night, there'll be no more.		Well, he was. The one-time Golden Boy of Canadian boxing would be convicted eight more times for various offences involving extortion or weapons. And after the underworld enforcer was gunned down, aged 40, with another man Friday night, there'll be no more.

	: The two were slain, execution-style, outside a Mississauga social club in what can only be seen as a gory epilogue to what could have been glory unending. This guy, target of earlier attempts on his life, could have been one of the legends of Canadian sports.		The two were slain, execution-style, outside a Mississauga social club in what can only be seen as a gory epilogue to what could have been glory unending. This guy, target of earlier attempts on his life, could have been one of the legends of Canadian sports.

	: His takeoff was sensational. As a 17-year-old pro middleweight fighting out of Montreal because he was too young under Ontario Athletic Commission boxing regulations for 10-rounders, "Hurricane" Melo had it all.		His takeoff was sensational. As a 17-year-old pro middleweight fighting out of Montreal because he was too young under [[Ontario Athletic Commission]] boxing regulations for 10-rounders, "Hurricane" Melo had it all.

	: He recorded eight knockouts in his first eight pro fights, all inside five rounds, and racked up more money ($150,000 in 18 months) than the rest of Canada's pro boxers put together.		He recorded eight knockouts in his first eight pro fights, all inside five rounds, and racked up more money ($150,000 in 18 months) than the rest of Canada's pro boxers put together.

	: He was fast, a terrific puncher and he could take a punch. Growing into a light heavyweight (175 pounds) he was still mowing them down. Of any Canadian boxer of the past 50 years, the guy who looked like a young Anthony Quinn had world champion written all over him.		He was fast, a terrific puncher and he could take a punch. Growing into a light heavyweight (175 pounds) he was still mowing them down. Of any Canadian boxer of the past 50 years, the guy who looked like a young Anthony Quinn had world champion written all over him.

	: But the day the 19-year-old former street-fighter was talking about turning over a new leaf, you wondered. Around him that day in the Lansdowne A.C. were guys with conflicting lifestyles.		But the day the 19-year-old former street-fighter was talking about turning over a new leaf, you wondered. Around him that day in the [[Lansdowne A.C.]] were guys with conflicting lifestyles.

	: Joe Dinardo, just out from a six-year counterfeiting stretch, was contemplating where his career might have gone.		[[Joe Dinardo]], just out from a six-year counterfeiting stretch, was contemplating where his career might have gone.

	: "If I had stuck to boxing, things might have been different," said heavyweight Dinardo, who would later testify at the London murder trial of Stephen Demeter. "Six years in the can! This kid has a shot, though, and I'm gonna make sure he gets it," Dinardo said that day.		"If I had stuck to boxing, things might have been different," said heavyweight Dinardo, who would later testify at the London murder trial of Stephen Demeter. "Six years in the can! This kid has a shot, though, and I'm gonna make sure he gets it," Dinardo said that day.

	: He didn't. Nobody did.		He didn't. Nobody did.

	: So, what happened? What happened to this son of hard-working Portuguese immigrants, this deadly machine that seemed built for the ring, this kid driving the Lincoln Continental as a teenager?		So, what happened? What happened to this son of hard-working Portuguese immigrants, this deadly machine that seemed built for the ring, this kid driving the Lincoln Continental as a teenager?

	: He lost. That's the start of it. After 14 straight wins, 12 by knockout, he was decisioned in a return bout against Fernand Marcotte. He dropped another decision and then, challenging for the Canadian light heavyweight championship, he was knocked out for the first time, in the 11th round, by Brantford's Gary Summerhayes.		He lost. That's the start of it. After 14 straight wins, 12 by knockout, he was decisioned in a return bout against [[Fernand Marcotte]]. He dropped another decision and then, challenging for the Canadian light heavyweight championship, he was knocked out for the first time, in the 11th round, by Brantford's [[Gary Summerhayes]].

	: Defeat affects boxers differently. Some, like heavyweights Floyd Patterson and Gerry Cooney, become hermits. Melo slipped into his other persona. He was a mobbed-up enforcer.		Defeat affects boxers differently. Some, like heavyweights [[Floyd Patterson]] and [[Gerry Cooney]], become hermits. Melo slipped into his other persona. He was a mobbed-up enforcer.

	: "He was muscle but not a freelancer," a police source told the Toronto Sun. "He would look after Cotroni's problems."		"He was muscle but not a freelancer," a police source told the Toronto Sun. "He would look after Cotroni's problems."

	: That would be Vic Cotroni, a Mafia chief now doing time. Toronto police say he was tight with the Commisso crime family and also had West Coast Hells Angels connections.		That would be Vic Cotroni, a Mafia chief now doing time. Toronto police say he was tight with the Commisso crime family and also had West Coast Hells Angels connections.

	: That day in the gym, young Eddie Melo spoke the way he fought -- flourishes, quick counters, a feint here and there and the odd bomb --the non-stop boxer as the non-stop talker.		That day in the gym, young Eddie Melo spoke the way he fought -- flourishes, quick counters, a feint here and there and the odd bomb --the non-stop boxer as the non-stop talker.

	: "Guys used to tell me when I was a kid I was headed for trouble, to keep my nose clean, all that stuff, but as a kid you don't believe anything," he said.		"Guys used to tell me when I was a kid I was headed for trouble, to keep my nose clean, all that stuff, but as a kid you don't believe anything," he said.

	: "Here I am now saying the same things to other kids. I see guys hanging around bars and getting into trouble, wasting their potential."		"Here I am now saying the same things to other kids. I see guys hanging around bars and getting into trouble, wasting their potential."

	: The Golden Boy wouldn't know it at the time and neither would I. He was writing his own epitaph.		The Golden Boy wouldn't know it at the time and neither would I. He was writing his own epitaph.

	[[category:murdered Boxers\|Melo, Eddie]]		[[category:murdered Boxers\|Melo, Eddie]]

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:24, 27 July 2006
Line 44:		Line 44:

	: The Golden Boy wouldn't know it at the time and neither would I. He was writing his own epitaph.		: The Golden Boy wouldn't know it at the time and neither would I. He was writing his own epitaph.

			[[category:Boxers who were murdered\|Melo, Eddie]]

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:22, 27 July 2006
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	Golden Boy ~~meets gory end~~		[[file:MeloEddie.jpg\|left\|Eddie Melo]]
			<boxer>023081</boxer>
			<br clear=all>
			----

			''Golden Boy Meets Gory End''<br>
	By JIM KERNAGHAN -- London Free Press		By JIM KERNAGHAN -- London Free Press

	Cobra-quick Eddie Melo had just been released from a 90-day sentence and was vowing he'd never "be stuck in among all those bums and losers again" after he'd finished sparring that day 21 years ago in a Toronto gym.		: Cobra-quick Eddie Melo had just been released from a 90-day sentence and was vowing he'd never "be stuck in among all those bums and losers again" after he'd finished sparring that day 21 years ago in a Toronto gym.

	Well, he was. The one-time Golden Boy of Canadian boxing would be convicted eight more times for various offences involving extortion or weapons. And after the underworld enforcer was gunned down, aged 40, with another man Friday night, there'll be no more.		: Well, he was. The one-time Golden Boy of Canadian boxing would be convicted eight more times for various offences involving extortion or weapons. And after the underworld enforcer was gunned down, aged 40, with another man Friday night, there'll be no more.

	The two were slain, execution-style, outside a Mississauga social club in what can only be seen as a gory epilogue to what could have been glory unending. This guy, target of earlier attempts on his life, could have been one of the legends of Canadian sports.		: The two were slain, execution-style, outside a Mississauga social club in what can only be seen as a gory epilogue to what could have been glory unending. This guy, target of earlier attempts on his life, could have been one of the legends of Canadian sports.

	His takeoff was sensational. As a 17-year-old pro middleweight fighting out of Montreal because he was too young under Ontario Athletic Commission boxing regulations for 10-rounders, "Hurricane" Melo had it all.		: His takeoff was sensational. As a 17-year-old pro middleweight fighting out of Montreal because he was too young under Ontario Athletic Commission boxing regulations for 10-rounders, "Hurricane" Melo had it all.

	He recorded eight knockouts in his first eight pro fights, all inside five rounds, and racked up more money ($150,000 in 18 months) than the rest of Canada's pro boxers put together.		: He recorded eight knockouts in his first eight pro fights, all inside five rounds, and racked up more money ($150,000 in 18 months) than the rest of Canada's pro boxers put together.

	He was fast, a terrific puncher and he could take a punch. Growing into a light heavyweight (175 pounds) he was still mowing them down. Of any Canadian boxer of the past 50 years, the guy who looked like a young Anthony Quinn had world champion written all over him.		: He was fast, a terrific puncher and he could take a punch. Growing into a light heavyweight (175 pounds) he was still mowing them down. Of any Canadian boxer of the past 50 years, the guy who looked like a young Anthony Quinn had world champion written all over him.

	But the day the 19-year-old former street-fighter was talking about turning over a new leaf, you wondered. Around him that day in the Lansdowne A.C. were guys with conflicting lifestyles.		: But the day the 19-year-old former street-fighter was talking about turning over a new leaf, you wondered. Around him that day in the Lansdowne A.C. were guys with conflicting lifestyles.

	Joe Dinardo, just out from a six-year counterfeiting stretch, was contemplating where his career might have gone.		: Joe Dinardo, just out from a six-year counterfeiting stretch, was contemplating where his career might have gone.

	"If I had stuck to boxing, things might have been different," said heavyweight Dinardo, who would later testify at the London murder trial of Stephen Demeter. "Six years in the can! This kid has a shot, though, and I'm gonna make sure he gets it," Dinardo said that day.		: "If I had stuck to boxing, things might have been different," said heavyweight Dinardo, who would later testify at the London murder trial of Stephen Demeter. "Six years in the can! This kid has a shot, though, and I'm gonna make sure he gets it," Dinardo said that day.

	He didn't. Nobody did.		: He didn't. Nobody did.

	So, what happened? What happened to this son of hard-working Portuguese immigrants, this deadly machine that seemed built for the ring, this kid driving the Lincoln Continental as a teenager?		: So, what happened? What happened to this son of hard-working Portuguese immigrants, this deadly machine that seemed built for the ring, this kid driving the Lincoln Continental as a teenager?

	He lost. That's the start of it. After 14 straight wins, 12 by knockout, he was decisioned in a return bout against Fernand Marcotte. He dropped another decision and then, challenging for the Canadian light heavyweight championship, he was knocked out for the first time, in the 11th round, by Brantford's Gary Summerhayes.		: He lost. That's the start of it. After 14 straight wins, 12 by knockout, he was decisioned in a return bout against Fernand Marcotte. He dropped another decision and then, challenging for the Canadian light heavyweight championship, he was knocked out for the first time, in the 11th round, by Brantford's Gary Summerhayes.

	Defeat affects boxers differently. Some, like heavyweights Floyd Patterson and Gerry Cooney, become hermits. Melo slipped into his other persona. He was a mobbed-up enforcer.		: Defeat affects boxers differently. Some, like heavyweights Floyd Patterson and Gerry Cooney, become hermits. Melo slipped into his other persona. He was a mobbed-up enforcer.

	"He was muscle but not a freelancer," a police source told the Toronto Sun. "He would look after Cotroni's problems."		: "He was muscle but not a freelancer," a police source told the Toronto Sun. "He would look after Cotroni's problems."

	That would be Vic Cotroni, a Mafia chief now doing time. Toronto police say he was tight with the Commisso crime family and also had West Coast Hells Angels connections.		: That would be Vic Cotroni, a Mafia chief now doing time. Toronto police say he was tight with the Commisso crime family and also had West Coast Hells Angels connections.

	That day in the gym, young Eddie Melo spoke the way he fought -- flourishes, quick counters, a feint here and there and the odd bomb -- the non-stop boxer as the non-stop talker.		: That day in the gym, young Eddie Melo spoke the way he fought -- flourishes, quick counters, a feint here and there and the odd bomb --the non-stop boxer as the non-stop talker.

	"Guys used to tell me when I was a kid I was headed for trouble, to keep my nose clean, all that stuff, but as a kid you don't believe anything," he said.		: "Guys used to tell me when I was a kid I was headed for trouble, to keep my nose clean, all that stuff, but as a kid you don't believe anything," he said.

	"Here I am now saying the same things to other kids. I see guys hanging around bars and getting into trouble, wasting their potential."		: "Here I am now saying the same things to other kids. I see guys hanging around bars and getting into trouble, wasting their potential."

	The Golden Boy wouldn't know it at the time and neither would I. He was writing his own epitaph.		: The Golden Boy wouldn't know it at the time and neither would I. He was writing his own epitaph.