FLORENCE: Crunch time for charity

Florence coach takes on Dangerous Dom Devito to aid cancer fight

By Birgitta Wolfe, Managing Editor
   FLORENCE — Dangerous Dom Devito is coming out of retirement just to have a crack at Florence Coach Layton Dodge.
   What’s more, he’s bringing his friends: Gary the Freak, The Jersey Hurricane, JC the Outpatient and Tommy Force, to name a few.
   But Coach Dodge is not to be intimidated.
   ”I’ve been training — running and building up my strength. I don’t want to look like a complete fool in the ring,” said the 11-year township resident of East 5th Street who coaches Little League and recreation league soccer.
   Mr. Dodge heads a 13-member Relay for Life team called Friends Fight Back and is raising money for the April 27-28 relay against cancer by staging a Brawl Wrestling Fundraiser for 7 p.m. Saturday, March 24, at the Riverfront Middle School gym at Cedar and East Front streets.
   In a special stipulation match, the coach has agreed for face the 5-foot, 8-inch, 205-pound Dangerous Dom Devito in the ring if $1,000 can be raised in ticket and/or donations.
   For the three title matches, there’s The Jersey Hurricane vs. Barbado in the American title bout, JC the Outpatient and Gary the Freak vs. Abe Yusef and Spanky for the World Tag Teams titles bout, and Tommy Force vs. The Orphan Bubba for the World Heavyweight title bout. Also, a 20-man Battle Royal will be featured.
   As of last week 43 tickets at $10 apiece had already been reserved. Tickets for kids, age 5 to 12, are $8. Tickets can be ordered at 609-499-1299 and 609-668-8207 and will also be sold at the door until sold out.
   The wrestlers are donating their time and the fee for the ring rental and the set-up and breakdown, is waived, the coach said.
   ”We are hoping to get some local businesses to donate any kind of snacks, or drinks, or some kind of donation or sponsorship for the event,” he said.
   All proceeds will be donated to the April Florence Relay for Life sponsored by the school district in support of the American Cancer Society. There are 338 people on 32 teams participating so far in the two-day event.
   So far combined donations for the third annual April relay donations total more that $12,000. The goal is $108,000. To date, over the three years, $208,000 has been collected, Mr. Dodge said.
   The coach’s interest in the cause is personal.
   ”I lost both my father in May 1999 and my father-in-law in October 2000 to cancer, so this is a subject very close to my heart.
   ”I have coached Little League and soccer for the last four years. I am hoping that the parents and the kids will come together and help donate to this worthy cause and watch their coach have some fun inside the squared circle,” he said.
   The fun inside the squared circle just might be tempered by the fact that Dangerous Dom figures his best finishing move is the faceslam.