Inducted on June 14, 1970
MICHAEL DEL BAGNO WAS BORN JAN. 28, 1895 IN NEWARK’S FIRST WARD. MICKEY STARTED FIGHTING AS A PROFESSIONAL AT THE AGE OF 15 AND WAS ACTIVE AS A FEATHER, LIGHT AND WELTERWEIGHT CONTENDER UNTIL 1922.
DELL WAS A RING ARTIST, FAST AND CLEVER, WITH A GOOD JAB AND POTENT LEFT HOOK, SCORING 60 KNOCKOUTS IN A CAREER TOTAL OF ABOUT 150 RING BATTLES. MICKEY WAS NEVER KNOCKED OUT, WITH RING VICTORIES OVER BURK KEYES, PAUL DOYLE, BATTLING HURLEY, ALL TOP CONTENDERS IN HIS CLASS.
MICKEY BOXED FOUR WORLD’S CHAMPIONS DURING HIS CAREER BUT WAS UNSUCCESSFUL IN HIS ATTEMPTS TO BECOME A CHAMP.
MICKEY BOXED MEXICAN JOEY RIVERS, THE FEATHERWEIGHT CHAMP; JOE GANS, THE LIGHTWEIGHT KING; AND JACK BRITTON THE WELTERWEIGHT TITLE HOLDER, BUT HIS MOST MEMORABLE BOUT CAME AGAINST BATTLING NELSON, THEN THE LIGHTWEIGHT CHAMPION.
IT WAS A 20-ROUND TITLE BOUT I N LAS VEGAS BACK IN 1913 ON JULY 4. THE TEMPERATURE HIT 110 THE AFTERNOON THEY FOUGHT. BOTH FIGHTERS WERE KNOCKED DOWN DURING THE BOUT, BUT NELSON MANAGED TO RETAIN HIS CROWN.
AFTER RETIRING FROM THE RING, MICKEY OWNED AND OPERATED HIS OWN SERVICE STATIONS IN NEWARK, UNTIL THE DEPRESSION IN ’29 WIPED HIM OUT.
MICKEY HAS BEEN MARRIED TO THE FORMER FILOMINA MAURO OF NEWARK SINCE 1912 AND HAS 5 CHILDREN RESIDING IN NEWARK. MICKEY TODAY, WHITE HAIRED, HALE AND HEARTY, 75 YEARS YOUNG, IS STILL GAINFULLY EMPLOYED AS A MAINTENANCE SUPERVISOR, A~D LIVING IN NEWARK, N. J.
WELCOME INTO THE NEW JERSEY BOXING HALL OF FAME, MICKEY. CONGRATULATIONS AND GOOD LUCK!