TOUGH GUYS – SHOWTIME
Showtime documentary proves Pittsburgh-area early mixed martial arts fighters were ‘Tough Guys’
By MARIA SCIULLO Pittsburgh Post-Gazette msciullo@post-gazette.com
Google the âhistory of mixed martial arts.â Sometimes, the name of action star Bruce Lee pops up. Other times, it might be Art Davie, who created the Ultimate Fighting Championship in 1993.
But for practical purposes, a couple of guys from the Pittsburgh area got there first.
At 9 p.m. Friday, Showtime will premiere âTough Guys,â a documentary feature that revisits the âCity of Championsâ era â one that spawned a series of streetfighter-type competitions.
In spirit, if not legally, it was the grassroots beginnings of MMA.
âFor me, growing up in the â80s in Pittsburgh, I had no idea any of this existed,â said Craig DiBiase, a Peters Township High School grad and producer of the film. His New York-based MinusL production company financed âTough Guys,â and one of its directors, Henry Roosevelt, co-directed with William Zullo.
âTough Guysâ is a sideburn-wearing stroll through the evolution of bikers, bouncers and steelworkers brawling for cash, honor and the sheer thrill of beating each other up.
At the beginning of the film, karate promoters Bill Viola, who grew up in Brownsville, and Frank Caliguri, of Arnold, talk about the night they laid the groundwork for their tough guy competitions.
âSome great ideas start in laboratories. Some start in classrooms. But ours started at Americaâs diner: Dennyâs,â Mr. Viola said.
Theyâd seen all sorts of bar fights and, as martial arts experts, were familiar with various forms of self-defense. What might happen if you put boxing, wrestling and martial arts together? Even better, what would happen if the participants were amateurs, fighting mainly for pride and street cred?
Would anyone come to watch? Resoundingly yes: more than 3,500 fans crammed the 2,000-seat ballroom at the New Kensington Holiday Inn.
Mr. Viola and Mr. Caliguri put up posters recruiting âtough menâ to compete in a three-day event beginning March 20, 1980. With $6,000 in prize money available, the response was great. Three secretaries were hired to handle the flood of entries.
âIn the late â70s and early â80s, âRockyâ was the biggest movie out,â Mr. Viola said. âEveryone was listening to the song [âGonna Fly Nowâ], drinking eggs in the morning
âHe was fictitious, but we were going to have the real âRocky.â â
These were fighters like Dave Jones, a kickboxer and road laborer; Mike Murray, a car salesman, and Danny âMad Dogâ Moyak, a construction worker with a wild Charles Manson beard.
âA lot of them were from the New Kensington area, real streetfighters,â Mr. Caliguri said. âWhen we put the word out, they came.â
âTough Guysâ competitions had a loose set of rules (no eye-gouging, biting or âkicking anyone in the jewelsâ). Knocking out your opponent helped get you to the next round.
Competitors wore boxing-style headgear as well as padded footwear and gloves for safety. That didnât entirely prevent injuries: one, Frank Tigano, a steelworker from Braddock, broke his jaw but still competed the following month.
There would be other, bigger events, such as the regional finals at the old Stanley Theatre in Downtown Pittsburgh, now the Benedum Center. But according to the film, death in the ring involving a rival promoterâs event would lead to Pennsylvania legistlators banning the sport.
Based on a story idea by Robert Zullo, a former Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writer, âTough Guysâ was shot in Pittsburgh and the surrounding area, as well as parts of New York and New Jersey.
Many of the fighters were not only tough, they were survivors who seemed happy to tell their stories on camera. In addition to archieved footage of the fights and promotions (remember Liz Miles and Dave Durian on âEvening Magazineâ?), there are re-creations of certain scenes that brighten the look of âTough Guys.â
âWe played a little with the narrative,â Mr. DiBiase said. âWe made it fast-paced; thereâs never a lull.â
Besides Mr. DiBiase, at least another key player in making the documentary has Pittsburgh ties. Brad Grimm, director of photography, is a Monroeville native working in New York City.
Robert Zullo, father of the writer and director, even played Monroevilleâs legendary boxing promoter Al Monzo in one re-creation scene.
Executive producers include Morgan Spurlock (the Oscar nominated âSupersize Meâ) and Ross Kauffman (who won an Oscar for âBorn Into Brothelsâ).
âTough Guysâ had its cinematic debut in June, when it played to a sold-out crowd at the American Film Instituteâs Docs festival. A free, public showing is set for 9 p.m. Friday at the Palace Theatre in Greensburg.
In an early scene, Mr. Jones, the kickboxer, is duking it out with Mr. Murray, the car salesman. Reeling, Mr. Jones tucks into the corner, but it seems heâs just playing possum. As his opponent moves in for the kill, Mr. Jones gives him a vicious kick to the chest and wins the match.
âThe MMA,â he said, âwas born right then.â
Maria Sciullo: msciullo@post-gazette.com or @MariaSciulloPG.
