Boxing Professor Mussachio Ready To Take Opponent To School

ByBoxing Press

It is not unusual for professional boxers to have a second job as they jump start their careers. It’s a way to put bread on the table. But it is quite unusual for a school teacher to moonlight as a prize fighter. This is the case for Chuck “The Professor” Mussachio (6-0, 3 KO’s), a grade school teacher from Wildwood, New Jersey. The 26 year old, who teaches sixth, seventh and eighth grades, has been fighting professionally for a little over a year, after amassing over 100 amateur fights. In the ring when he was 15, Mussachio says he d! ecided to give boxing a try when he “got sick and tired of playing baseball.”

The Professor, a junior middleweight, will enter the ring on his home turf on the Rumble at the Trop card presented by Duva Boxing and Star Boxing this Friday night (June 9) at the Tropicana Casino in Atlantic City. Brian “The Beast” Minto squares off against Danny Batchelder in the heavyweight main event.

Mussachio was no stranger to boxing, even as a youngster, as he recalls watching Mike Tyson KO Michael Spinks in the first round of a fight at Boardwalk Hall in the summer of 1988. “I started to realize then that I wanted to be a fighter. My father had always loved boxing, and I knew that had a passion for it.”

While Mussachio had the support of both of his parents, he admits that they were smart enough to realize that very few professional fighters end up making a successful living, and encouraged him to get his education. Not only did Mussachio graduate from Lock Haven University, he then went on to earn his Masters Degree from Northern Michigan, while trying out for the Olympics.

Mussachio now finds himself loving both the students he teaches math, reading, and writing to everyday, as well as the sweet science. “These kids are great,” says Mussachio. “At this age, they are ‘too cool’ to admit they are rooting for me, but you know that they are all pulling for you. They are all great kids.” This passion also translates to the ring, where Mussachio has won by KO in half of his 6 fights.

Trained and managed by his father, Al Mussachio, Chuck has said this training has been his best. After his last fight at Boardwalk Hall, the same place he watched Mike Tyson defeat Michael Spinks, Chuck knows he is doing two things he loves. “My first few fights I was pretty dominant, but in the last fight I was cut early on, and hurt pretty bad. But going back out there and winning that fight, I proved to myself and all my loyal fans that I can do this.”

Mussachio is eager to get back into the ring on Friday night in front of a legion of loyal fans from just down the road in Wildwood. He also expects to teach his opponent a thing or two.

The evening begins at 7 p.m. Tickets are priced at $150 for Golden Ringside, $75, $50 and $35, and are available at the Tropicana box office or by calling TicketMaster at 1-800-736-1420.