Mike Mollo pugile

Mike Mollo (born February 11, 1980 in Oak Lawn, Illinois) is an American former professional boxer in the heavyweight division. A fan favorite for his aggressive style in Chicago, Mollo is perhaps best known for his bouts with Polish fighters Art Binkowski, Artur Szpilka, Andrew Golota, and Krzysztof Zimnoch. He was managed by Darnell Nicholson.Born into a working class Italian family in Chicago's south suburbs, Mollo got into numerous scuffles on the streets of his neighborhood. Already 230 pounds as a 14-year-old, he was quickly taken to the local boxing club to hone his skills, and apply his energy in a more constructive manner.After a brief amateur career, "Merciless" Mike Mollo made his professional debut on June 25, 2000, scoring a first-round knockout over Terry Coffin in Elgin, Illinois. Over the following years, Mollo built his professional record while also working full-time as a bricklayer and tuckpointer. Wildly popular with Chicago fight fans, Mollo used his hard-punching, aggressive style to win 19 of his first 20 professional bouts. His first loss was to heavyweight contender DaVarryl Williamson.On October 7, 2006, Mollo scored his biggest win, knocking out Kevin McBride (best known for defeating Mike Tyson) by a TKO 30 seconds into the second round.After a second-round TKO of Art Binkowski, Mollo faced 40-year old former world title challenger Andrew Golota. Mollo lost via unanimous decision.One of more Mollo's more high-profile matchups was his two bouts against then-undefeated and future WBC world title challenger Artur Szpilka. Despite being a heavy underdog in the first fight and not having competed for two years prior to the bout, Mollo was able to knock down Szpilka before being knocked out in the sixth round. The two faced off again six months later, with Mollo again knocking Szpilka down early in the match before being finished in the fifth round via TKO.