Mayorga gives up ring, gets another

What do boxing and Parkinson's disease have in common besides Muhammad Ali?
How about Art Mayorga?
He's a former area resident who has been around the sport most of his life, yet has worked outside the ring to help bring suffering under control.
Before graduating from Austintown Fitch in 1988, the son of Peg Mayorga and the late Art Mayorga grew up in a home with a boxing gym in the basement.
Art's father was a former North High football player who became a respectable pro heavyweight, then boxing trainer.
It was no coincidence that, starting at age 16, young Art (A.J.) got his ring experience in local amateur shows. That lasted for a few years until he left for Duquesne to study pharmacology.
Got doctorate
He spent a year in Florida before getting his Ph. D. from the University of Connecticut.
It was there that he worked on his thesis: "Parkinson's Disease Research."
Since retiring from the ring, Ali has been afflicted by the disease.
Mayorga worked for Purdue Pharmaceuticals in Stamford, Conn., for three years and recently took a job with Johnson & amp; Johnson in the company's drug research and development department in Lawrenceville, N.J.
He's now concentrating on Alzheimer's disease.
"It's what I always wanted to do," the 33-year-old Mayorga said of the position that culminates nine years of post-boxing education.
A.J. said his father didn't twist his arm to try boxing.
"He was the most laid-back guy. He didn't pressure me one way or another. He was just happy to have me around, but I don't think he would have minded me turning pro, either. He understood that school was the way for me to go."
Mayorga got married this past weekend in Connecticut, with his mother and sister, Lisa Bezzarro of Austintown, taking part.
A.J. married the former Margaret Condon of Brookfield, Conn.
Peg Mayorga said that, before her husband died in December 2001, he told her: "Just think. There will always be an Art and Margaret in the family."
Following a honeymoon to North Carolina's Outer Banks, Mayorga will be back on the job doing research for the treatment of Alzheimer's.
Mayorga's work involves, basically, how drugs work in the body.
He said that progress toward a cure for Alzheimer's has been slow but there will definitely be more.
For a guy who was on the giving and receiving end of head blows in boxing, Mayorga is using the contents of his cranium to help stop others from helplessness.
Weddings
On the subject of weddings, I recently attended my first bridal shower.
It's kind of like a women's bowling banquet: there aren't many men when you show up, then you eat, listen and leave.
The only difference is the awards ceremony: instead of handing them out, they open them in front of you at the head table -- and the same lady wins them all!
Speaking of bowling, the field for the Fifth annual Akron Women's Open is set for Aug. 15-17 at AMF Riviera Lanes in Fairlawn.
The Professional Women's Bowling Association-sponsored tourney will include Hall of Famers and past event champions. It brings together 50 of the nation's best competing for the $2,500 top prize. Admission is free.
Three-time champion Cindy Coburn-Carroll, from Williamsville, N.Y., will be looking to regain her crown. She last won the Akron Women's Open in 2001. The defending champion is Jackie Mitskavich of DuBois, Pa.
The Adult Pro-Am entry fee is $40, or $140 and includes an Ebonite ball. The Youth Pro-Am fee is $20, or $120 and includes the Ebonite ball. To register, contact AMF Riviera Lanes at (330) 836-7985.
XJohn Bassetti is a sportswriter for The Vindicator. Write to him at bassetti@vindy.com.