Inducted on November 10, 1994
Mark was born June 10, 1957 in Manhattan, NY.
He is the son of Marcus and Carmen Medal and the brother of Marcus, Jenny, Ruben, Iris, Zaida, Raymond, Maureen and Angel.
He has 5 children Marc Richard, Mark Jr., Suemar, Esamar and Jeslyn.
Mark began his athletic career in the early 70’s playing Pony League Baseball. He went onto play recreation Basketball and Football for the Midtown Raiders in Lincoln Park. He won the MVP Awards in Recreation Basketball and in Recreation Football in 1970~71. Mark then became a football star as a freshman at Lincoln High School. Starting on the Varsity Football Team as a Linebacker. He played 4 years on the varsity team as a starter, both on offense and defense.
His first Athletic setback came when he was Red Shirted at Tennessee. He came back home where and unsuspected boxing talent was discovered by a bartender in a bar room brawl when Mark knocked out 2 over-sized bullies. The bartender knew of a boxing promoter named Eddie Allen (Papa Bear). He informed him of a skinny kid who he thought had extraordinary punching power for his size and weight.
His Pro Career started with 3 straight wins at the Garden followed by a loss to Kevin Perry at the Dunn Sport Center in Elizabeth, NJ, at a Boxing Benefit. There he was out-classed and out weighted by 20 lbs. But, he bounced back with 14 straight KO’S at the Garden to set a record for the most consecutive KO’s.
The Great Day came on March 11, 1984. The fight was for the International Boxing Federation Junior Middle Weight Championship of the World. Like always, he defied the odds by knocking out Earl (the Pearl) Hargrove, who had set a record for KO’s in Philadelphia (26 KO’s ~ 19 in first round). Medal exclaimed, “Everybody he hits don’t hit him back. But I will and he’ll do tricks.”
Mark became the first IBF Champ to win the title in the ring. Mark was trained by Bernard (The Brut) Forbes, and Emile Griffith. Johnny Pearsol, Eddie Allen and Bob McNamara were his Managers. Sasson his Sponsor. Mark is currently a Jersey City Police Officer and works at Ferris High School in Jersey City.
Medal was the IBF world Junior Middleweight Champion. A Puerto Rican-American, Medal went on to work as a security guard at a school in New Jersey after retiring from boxing.
Boxing Record: click