Joseph Hadley is a retired boxer from Jackson, Tennessee, who competed in middleweight division in the 1970s, one of a few trained by Cus D'Amato, and also one of the first documented U.S. mixed martial artists.Tyson, M., Sloman, L. (2017). Iron Ambition: My Life with Cus D'Amato. United States: Penguin Publishing Group. pp. 355, 464. ISBN 978-0399177033 He was selected a member of the All-American AAU boxing team for 1973, and was named the top middleweight amateur boxer in the nation by the National AAU Boxing Committee in 1973.Boxing Results (UPI,) Cumberland Times, March 11, 1973, p. 41. Hadley drew attention of the press and public by carrying a Bible into the ring, hence his nickname "Preacher," which reflects he actually was a minister.Hadley Blends Boxing, Bible, The Troy Record, 28 May 1971, p. 24. For that reason Hadley refused to pose for a picture with Muhammad Ali, "because Mr. Ali does not live tip to my principles according to the Bible."Reggie Jones & Mates Meet 11 British Boxers, Daily News from New York, January 10, 1973.

Amateur career

Joey Hadley took up boxing in 1966 while still living in Tennessee, stating that he was inspired to box after seeing musician Elvis Presley in the film Kid Galahad. When training with D'Amato, Hadley lived and trained in D'Amato's mansion in Catskill, New York. Hadley won various awards as an amateur boxer, being a six-time Golden Gloves of the Memphis and Mid-South, three-time Southeastern AAU champion, and United States and North American champion. Fighting for the middleweight at the 1971 National Championships, he won seven fights in nine days, all against regional champions, five by knockouts, knocking down every fighter he faced.North American Boxing Championships Tonight, The Troy Record, May 31, 1971, p. 24. Hadley also knocked out future world champion Leon Spinks as an amateur in 1973. He used D'Amato's style prominently in these fights.

Highlights

Mid-South Golden Gloves, novices (147 lbs), Union University Gymnasium, Jackson, Tennessee, February 1967: 1/2: Defeated Joe Graziano by unanimous decision, 5–0 Finals: Defeated Earl Coggin TKO 1 Tennessee Championships (156 lbs), Fairgrounds Coliseum, Nashville, Tennessee, November–December 1968: Defeated Bruce Whitehorn Defeated Don Morgan National Golden Gloves (165 lbs), Las Vegas, Nevada, March 1970: 1/8: Defeated Paul Stephens 1/4: Lost to Lamont Lovelady by split decision, 2–3 National Championships (165 lbs), New Orleans, Louisiana, April–May 1971: 1/32: Defeated n/a KO 1/16: Defeated n/a KO 1/8: Defeated Wilbert Crews by decision 1/4: Defeated n/a KO 1/2: Defeated Vince Fagan Finals: Defeated Zachary Page by unanimous decision, 5–0 North American Championships (165 lbs), Colonie Coliseum, Latham, New York, May 1971: Finals: Defeated Jim French (Canada) by split decision, 3–2 Pan Am Trials (165 lbs), Chicago, Illinois, May 1971: Lost to Jerry Otis Mid-South Golden Gloves (165 lbs), February 1972:

National Golden Gloves (165 lbs), Minneapolis, Minnesota, March 1972: 1/16: Defeated n/a KO 1/8: Defeated n/a KO 1/4: Defeated Robert McAlpine KO 2 1/2: Lost to Marvin Johnson by decision Olympic Trials (165 lbs), Fort Collins, Colorado, June 1972: Lost to Marvin Johnson USA–England Duals (165 lbs), Felt Forum, New York City, January 1973: Lost to Frank Lucas (England) by decision USA–USSR Duals (165 lbs), Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada, January 1973: Lost to Vyacheslav Lemeshev (Soviet Union) TKO 2 Midstate Golden Gloves (165 lbs), Nashville, Tennessee, February–March 1973: n/a National Golden Gloves (165 lbs), Memorial Auditorium, Lowell, Massachusetts, March 1973: 1/4: Defeated Johnny Johnson KO 1 1/2: Lost to Vonzell Johnson by decision Southern Golden Gloves (165 lbs), Nashville, Tennessee, January 1974: Henry Johnson National Championships (165 lbs), Knoxville, Tennessee, June 1974: n/a International Police Olympics (178 lbs), Nassau Community College, East Garden City, New York, August 1980: 1/4: Lost to Jim Krtinich KO

Professional career Hadley turned professional under Cus D'Amato and had his first fight on October 29, 1974, in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, beating boxer Gene Orten by knockout in the first round. Hadly would then have his next fight less than a month later on November 25, 1974, beating Pepe Ortiz by first-round knockout at the Felt Forum (now known as the Infosys Theater) in Madison Square Garden.

Hadley would go on to win his next five professional fights, winning all of them by knockout. Hadley would have his last professional fight on September 6, 1977, in West Memphis against Earl Thomas, winning by knockout in the second round in Hadley's first and only scheduled eight round fight.

In one of the earliest examples of a cross-discipline, mixed martial art match, Hadley fought a karate champion from Arkansas by the name of David Valovich on June 22, 1976. The latter was permitted to strike with his fists, feet, and knees, while Hadley was restricted to using only his fists. Hadley was forced to adapt his style to compensate fighting a karateka.Bren, J. (2025). The History of Mixed Martial Arts. pp. 89-90. ASIN B0CW1G6W27 Despite the apparent rule disadvantage, Hadley secured a first-round knockout victory.Kelley, Steve. Karate's Prestige Takes a Nosedive, (June 22, 1976). Press Scimitar Sports

Professional boxing record

ResultRecordOpponentOpp RecordTypeRound, timeDateLocationNotes7Win7-0 Earl Thomas0-1KO2 (8)6 September 1977 6Win6–0 John McClendon0–4KO1 (4)26 Apr 1977 5Win5–0 Phil Wade0–1TKO4 (4)29 Mar 1977 4Win4-0 Earl ThomasdebutTKO1 (4)1 March 1977 3Win3-0 David ValovichdebutTKO1 (4)25 June 1976 2Win2–0 Pepe Ortiz0–1TKO? (4)25 Nov 1974 1Win1–0 Gene Orten0–3TKO1 (4), 29 Oct 1974 Cove Green0 (4)24 Sep 1974 Carl Harden? (4)13 Aug 1974

Mixed martial arts record

|Win |align=center|1–0 | David Valovich |TKO (punches) |Mid-South Pro Boxing | |align=center|1 (4) |align=center|1:38 |Memphis Blues Baseball Park—Fairgrounds, Memphis, Tennessee, United States |Special feature

Retirement and later life Hadley's career ended after an eye infection while working in New York. He had multiple occupations afterwards, including becoming a radio and television traffic reporter, as well as being a Deputy Sheriff of Shelby County for 29 years.

As a former student of D'Amato, Hadley is one of the few boxing coaches to train people in the peek-a-boo style of boxing. One of his students included karate champion Bill Wallace, whom he taught punching skills such as the jab and the left hook.Black Belt Magazine (May 1993), p. 13Black Belt Magazine (July 1993), p. 12

References

External links

Joey Hadley Fights