Pizza, pugilists
HUBER HEIGHTS — Buddy LaRosa is back in the Dayton area again — but this time instead of boxers’ tapes and liniment under his arm he’s packing a brief case full of pizza and pasta recipes.
The man who’s generally considered the uncrowned pizza champ of Cincinnati has unveiled his latest Italian pizza/pasta spot in Huber Heights on Troy Pike.
And the longtime boxing manager/trainer and promoter, who has spent 40 years training young potentials — mainly three-year world junior welterweight champion Aaron Pryor — is ready to take on his pizza challengers.
The 79-year-old LaRosa turned the thriving company business into a family affair a few years ago and the business has expanded to 62 stores in the Cincinnati-Dayton areas, 16 of which are franchised.
“I’m always there to advise, but for the most part the family is doing a wonderful job with a large enterprise,” said the retired LaRosa, who also bottles and cans his sauces in most area grocery markets.
Family affair
The family team running LaRosa’s pizza empire are Michael LaRosa, Buddy’s oldest son, CEO; son Mark LaRosa, president; grandson Nick LaRosa, general manager of store development; daughter Denise and husband Mike Ciambrella, retail sales.
Non-family persons involved in the firm include Joe Rebusch, Dayton district manager; Sean Brown, manager of Huber Heights restaurant; Peter Buscani, executive vice-president in charge of marketing.
“We have been well-received in the Huber Heights area,” said Brown.
“I still spend a lot of time in one of my gyms,” said pizza tycoon Buddy LaRosa, who at one time was at the top of the pro boxing world with Pryor, a crowd-pleasing, whirlwind of a scrapper who spent a lot of time at the old Dominic’s Restaurant in Dayton — in between million dollar TV bouts.
Pryor had two classic and big money battles with No. 1 contender Alexis Arguello. He had one bout at Hara Arena and virtually sold the place out.
“The difference now is I am working with amateurs only and have had a couple who made U.S. Olympic teams in past years,” said LaRosa, who also has LaRosa Pizzeria locations in Centerville, Kettering, Beavercreek and Englewood.
“You get more respect from the amateurs, probably because they are fighting for pride instead of paydays.”
Amateurs vs. pros
Pryor, who at one time was sought out by film star Sylvester Stallone’s boxing stable, had a wide variety of personal problems and really hit the skids after his title reign.
“You can’t depend on most of the pros ... I’ve had some bad and costly experiences,” said LaRosa. “Aaron is a good example of that. Now he’s a preacher after a variety of low-paying jobs around Cincinnati. Last time I saw him he was walking with a cane.
“He’s at the New Friendship Baptist Church in Cincinnati ... and he’s nearly 50.”
One of the last pros managed by LaRosa was a Cincy heavyweight named Irishman Kip Kane.
“He was a good fighter with one exception. I found out fast he had no chin ... when he was stopped by Leon Spinks. I told him to retire.
“I had a couple sparring partners from Dayton that came down to work out with Pryor. They were Michael Bradley and Jingo Moody.”
LaRosa, who has bolstered Cincy’s population growth with 14 grandchildren, said “my Olympic-qualifying fighters were Billy Joiner, Rasheed Warren and Richard Williams. Joiner lost in the 1960 Olympic lightheavy finals to a ‘kid’ named Cassius Clay.”
Contact this writer at 236-6032; mickeyz@zoomtown.com.
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