Joe Botti, the former founder, director, and head coach of the Union City Boxing Club, is celebrating his induction into the latest class of the Hudson County Sports Hall of Fame.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“This is a great honor. Not many boxing personalities have been selected for this honor,” Botti said in a statement.
A retired Union City Police Captain who was born in Jersey City, Botti founded the club in 1989 in the basement of his apartment building in Union City.
Then-Mayor Bob Menendez and city Commissioner Bruce Walter helped Botti move into the Doric Temple on 9th Street & Palisade Avenue in 1992 where the program flourished into one of the premier boxing gyms in the country.
Botti trained dozens of Golden Glove champions and over a hundred junior champions while bringing home seven first place team trophies.
Several of Botti’s students went on to have successful professional careers with his boxers performing in main event fights on HBO, Showtime and ESPN. Botti worked in camps with multiple world champions and world ranked fighters.
In 1994 Botti pioneered the first female amateur boxing contest in the tri-state area after USA Boxing changed the rules allowing female competitions. The program ended in 2013 after no locations in the city were available to house the gym.
Botti was inducted into the New Jersey Boxing Hall of Fame in November 2023 and the National Boxing Hall of Fame this past April.
Besides being a boxing trainer and manager Botti has also written two boxing books; Joe Jennette: Boxing’s Ironman and Lightning & Thunder: The Fighting Gatti Brothers.
While it’s a pure coincidence, both of the subjects of Botti’s books, Joe Jennette and Arturo Gatti, are also enshrined in the Hudson County Sports Hall of Fame. Botti has also worked as an amateur boxing official.
Only 17 boxing figures have been selected since the Hall of Fame was created in 1991. Those inductees include James J. Braddock, Arturo Gatti, Emile Griffith, Joe Jennette and Chuck Wepner.
Botti credits retired teacher Ira Wolfe and former boxer Hugh Holguin for spearheading his induction nomination.
Inductees also being enshrined with Botti on October 2nd at St. Peter’s University in Jersey City, including basketball legends Danny Hurley and Bobby Hurley, along with 14 other inductees.
“Being inducted into the Hudson County Sports Hall of Fame is about more than statistics or records, it’s about the impact that these remarkable people have had on those who loved them and the sport that they are a part of,” Hudson County Executive Craig Guy said in a statement.
“For me, the greatest joy of coaching is when a kid walks into the gym with no self-confidence, direction or discipline and watching that kid grow into a contributing member of society,” Botti added.
