Brokers Boxing Federation benefits cancer research
By PAULA PARISOT
4/11/2005

Two Chicago mortgage brokers recently came to blows at a local real estate event.

The brokers, along with local real estate professionals, were helping to raise money for cancer research.

Brokers Boxing Federation, which mainly consists of real estate professionals, included two mortgage brokers at its annual charity-boxing event this year. The event raised more than $200,000 in ticket sales and sponsorships to benefit prostate cancer research, treatment and education for the City of Hope Cancer Center located in Duarte, Calif.

Promoter and Federation cofounder Eric Nixon said this was the third annual charity event but it was the first time they had participants from the mortgage industry. "It was great to have the mortgage focus as part of it (the event)," Nixon told MortgageDaily.com.

At $100 a ticket, the event drew more than 1,100 spectators to Chicago's Navy Pier Grand Ballroom last month. Ten three-round bouts included two women's matches.

Chicago Mortgage Acceptance sales manager and broker Anthony DiGiacomo admitted he had never boxed professionally or had any involvement in a charity event such as "Broker Boxing Night," but said he felt comfortable taking his place in the ring.

"I grew up my whole life pretty much fighting," the 6'1", 210-pound DiGiacomo said with a laugh. "I was raised in an area of New York where it was easy to find trouble."

DiGiacomo joined Chicago Mortgage as a broker June of last year and currently is assisting the operations of a new branch office in Phoenix. He told MortgageDaily.com that a colleague knew that DiGiacomo had learned to box when he was a kid and the company had asked him to participate in the event.

"I boxed for three years when I was 14 until about (age) 16," he said. "But nothing recently. I was told my opponent had been training."

The 22 year-old former stockbroker said he was pitted against the one other mortgage broker on the ticket and ultimately won his 3-minute round against Chicago based-Providential Bancorp mortgage broker Jason Weingust.

Weingust was unavailable for comment.

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