Girard's DeFrank fights to a Toughman crown

"The Big Deal" matched his brother's pace.
By JOHN BASSETTI
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
GIRARD -- For you boxing fans, what do "The Redneck," "The Preacherman" and "The Science Man" have in common?
Rocky DeFrank of Girard beat them all to win the 2006 Original Toughman superheavyweight championship last month at the Canton Memorial Civic Center.
The event, sanctioned by the Ohio Boxing Commission, was scheduled for Warren's Packard Music Hall on Jan. 13-14, but it changed sites and was moved back a week due to box office problems at Packard.
DeFrank, 29, won three bouts over the weekend of Jan. 20-21 to secure the title won by his half-brother, Ricco Acevedo, a year ago at Packard.
DeFrank, nicknamed "The Big Deal," was told that he and Acevedo were the first brothers to win back-to-back Original Toughman superheavyweight titles.
DeFrank, like Acevedo, is a Boardman High School graduate.
The 6-4, 235-pounder received a jacket and $1,000 cash.
On Friday, DeFrank faced "The Redneck," a professional logroller who cuts down trees for a living, DeFrank said.
He beat the 6-1, 250-pounder from West Tuscarawas by unanimous decision over three, one-minute rounds.
Second round
The next night, "The Preacherman," a 6-9, 275-pounder from Canal Fulton, was DeFrank's first opponent.
"That's probably the hardest I've been hit in my life," DeFrank said of shots he took before beating the pulpit out of the preacher of 13 years.
DeFrank dropped the taller opponent in the second round with a left hook. "The Preacherman" took a standing 8-count, then continued to fight and went the distance.
Again, DeFrank won by unanimous decision.
Only one-half hour later, DeFrank was back in the ring for the championship bout against "The Science Man," a science teacher from of West Lafayette.
"It was an all-out war," DeFrank said of the split decision against the 5-10, 240-pounder, whose real name is Rusty Black.
Blood spilled
Against the Redneck, whose name is Robert Anderson, Rocky said he had a bloody nose.
"I made a mistake backing up instead of going forward and I got pinned in a corner. But that's when I think I did my best fighting. We went all-out. It was punch after punch. I got the best of him, but, if I didn't win [the championship bout], I'd say Redneck would have."
To beat "The Preacherman," a.k.a. Jason Bowman, DeFrank bobbed his head and moved side to side and threw straight punches.
"The Science Man" was well-built, but didn't pack the same punch as Rocky's other two opponents.
"As ripped as he was, he couldn't hit for nothing," DeFrank said of his championship bout.
"I beat the tar out of him in the first round, but, in the second, he wrestled me and tried to bend me over the ropes. I pulled it off because, everytime he held, I threw punches and hurt him. In the third round, I stuck him with the jab and ran. In the end, he was dead tired. I guess my treadmill training came in handy. That round went fast."
Family affair
After Acevedo won his Toughman belt back in January 2005, he is 1-0 as a pro. He has another fight March 4 in Akron.
Acevedo is now 27 and is two years apart from his half-brother. They have the same mother.
"We grew up in the same house," DeFrank said of their household in Boardman at the time.
Rocky, a part-time cook at Mahoning Country Club where his father is manager, will use the $1,000 earnings toward his wedding on April 2.
"I'm a southpaw and Italian," DeFrank said in describing his style and heritage, both of which may work to his benefit if he turns pro.
As an amateur in the Golden Gloves in the mid-90s, DeFrank was 1-1.
"I could do better and make more money," DeFrank said of his ring aspirations.
"I'm good with my hands, but, the older I get, I just want to get out and have a chance to do something else. I'll fight anybody for the right amount of money."
bassetti@vindy.com