Tom Yankello

CRANBERRY TWP — When Tom Yankello talks about family, he speaks of “boxing-oriented people.”

The Cranberry Township resident was always around the sport.

“My grandfather was a boxer, my dad's brother was a boxer ... My dad took me to matches, always had it on TV.”

His father turned the family basement into a mini-boxing gym. They bought him a speed bag, a heavy bag, roped off an imaginary ring area.

Yankello broke into amateur boxing at age 12. He had 24 bouts from age 12 to 18 and won most of them. But he threw out his shoulder in the process, an issue that led to four shoulder surgeries in four years.

While still working out in hopes of resuming his own career, Yankello began helping other fighters. He sparred with (eventual world champion) Paul Spadafora as an amateur.

Yankello wound up assisting Spadafora's trainer in prepping him for fights — and the two became a tightly-knit team.

“Paul wanted me to stay with him. He said he believed he could win the world title if I kept training him," Yankello said.“He talked me into it. I became a fulltime trainer at that point.”

Yankello has been training boxers — amateur and pro — for 27 years. Spadadora became a world champion. He helped train Roy Jones Jr. when he became a champion.

He runs the Tom Yankello World Class Boxing Gym in Ambridge. where he's working with 30 to 40 boxers at varying skill levels.

Read more of Yankello's story in the Eagle.