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Ring announcer Antonacci guests on Fox News with Joe Palooka revamp

Fighters Network
29
Dec

Boxing ring announcer Joe Antonacci stopped by the Fox News show “Fox & Friends” on Friday morning to promote his latest endeavor, the revamped Joe Palooka comic book series.

Joe Palooka, which debuted in 1930 as a comic strip that was once featured in 900 newspapers throughout the world but had been discontinued 28 years ago, was originally depicted as an all-American heavyweight boxer fighting a cast of villains, including the Nazi party during World War II.

In this latest incarnation, Antonacci portrays Palooka as a mixed martial arts fighter.

“We figured that the best way was to bring him back as a mixed martial arts fighter because we wanted to reinvent him and give him an opportunity to reach an entirely new group of fans,” said Antonacci, a native of Ridgewood, N.J.



Antonacci, 52, is a staple of the ESPN2 Friday Night Fights series, and also announces most of the shows for New Jersey-based promotional outfit Main Events. He was nominated for the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA) Good Guy Award in 2012, and was also inducted into the New Jersey Boxing Hall of Fame this year.

The comic book, which debuted on Dec. 19, is available at comic book stores everywhere or online at Palooka.com at a cover price of $3.99.

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