Not surprising, family ties are what drew Tiberi back to the sport that for so long had been stashed in a part of his heart he was hesitant to revisit. One of the fighters in Friday's lineup is his 19-year-old nephew, cruiserweight Dominick Tiberi, son of his brother Tony, who'll be making his pro debut in a four-rounder against fellow newcomer Dan "Bada Bing" Biddle. Oh, and the show's matchmaker is another of Tiberi's brothers, Nick.
Actor-singer Frank Stallone, brother of Sly, will appear at the event to present a $100,000 check toward the construction of a 5,000-square-foot PAL gym in Tiberi's hometown of New Castle, which was another reason why Dave ended his boxing exile.
"Initially, I was talking about my nephew about managing him," Dave said. "I had done some pad work with Dominick. He's a good athlete - 195 pounds, runs a 4.6 40, bench-presses just under 350 pounds. He graduated from Middletown High in 2006 and played in the Delaware All-Star football game.
"Working with Dominick was a lot of fun. It was exciting for me to be involved in boxing again. But it's not just my nephew now. It's much bigger than that. I was approached by some people about promoting this particular card, and from there it sort of took off into my doing a series of eight that would showcase young fighters from Philadelphia, Delaware and New Jersey.
"I'm amazed by how much work is involved in putting on a boxing card. But you know what? Even though I was discouraged for a number of years about what was happening in boxing, seeing the enthusiasm these kids have for the PAL and Golden Gloves programs reminded me of how it was for me when I was their age. There was no way I could remain on the sideline any longer when I looked at the situation in those terms.
"There has to be an avenue for these young people to continue their involvement in boxing, and I know I can help. This time, I'm able to do things the right way."
