J Russell Peltz (born December 9, 1946) is an American boxing promoter. A member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame and the World Boxing Hall of Fame, Peltz is best known for his fight promotions at the Spectrum, the Blue Horizon, and currently at Bally's Atlantic City.
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Peltz became a boxing fan at age 12, and saw his first live fight at 13. In college, he was the Outstanding Male Journalism Graduate at Temple University in 1968. After a brief newspaper career at The Evening Bulletin, he began a remarkable boxing promoting career in Philadelphia on September 30, 1969, with a main event at the Blue Horizon featuring Bennie Briscoe vs. Tito Marshall. Briscoe won by knockout and the Blue Horizon had a standing-room-only crowd of 1,606.
After promoting at various venues in Philadelphia for four years, Peltz became boxing director at the Spectrum. Peltz became one of the most successful local boxing promoters in the world during his tenure at the Spectrum, from 1973 until 1980. Some top Philly fighters Peltz showcased: Bennie Briscoe (who Peltz handled for ten years), Willie Monroe, Bobby Watts, Eugene Hart, Stanley Hayward, Mike Rossman, Sammy Goss, Richie Kates, Tyrone Everett, Curtis Parker, Jeff Chandler and Matthew Saad Muhammad.
Middleweight champion Marvelous Marvin Hagler boxed five times for Peltz at the Spectrum. Other out-of-town fighters who boxed for Peltz at the Spectrum included: Marvin Johnson, Ernie Terrell, Earnie Shavers, Michael Spinks, Emile Griffith, Thomas Hearns, Roberto Duran, Alfredo Escalera, Jesse Burnett, Alvaro Lopez, Billy Douglas, Eddie Mustafa Muhammad and Bobby Chacon.
When Tyrone Everett challenged Alfredo Escalera at the Spectrum for the WBC junior lightweight title in 1976, the 16,019 attendance set the record for the largest crowd ever to watch a fight indoors in Pennsylvania. In 1978, when Bennie Briscoe met Marvelous Marvin Hagler at the Spectrum in a 10-round match, the 14,950 fans in attendance established the mark for the largest indoor crowd in Pennsylvania history for a non-championship fight.
Peltz guided a fighter to the world title for the first time in 1978 when Marvin Johnson won the WBC light-heavyweight title, stopping Mate Parlov in Marsala, Sicily. Johnson also twice won the WBA version of the title in 1979 and 1986, respectively. Peltz handled Jeff Chandler, the Hall-of-Fame bantamweight champion, who gained the WBA crown in 1980 when he Knocked out Julian Solis in Miami, Florida.
After the rise of casinos in Atlantic City in the 1970s, Peltz began to promote at the now defunct Sands Atlantic City and Resorts Atlantic City, while continuing to promote boxing shows in Philadelphia.
In those years, world champions Peltz handled included: Charlie Brown (boxer) (IBF lightweight champion); Gary Hinton (IBF junior welterweight champion); Charles Williams (boxer) (IBF light-heavyweight); Robert Hines (IBF junior middleweight champion); and Charles Brewer (IBF super middleweight champion). Another Peltz fighter, middleweight Frank Fletcher, became one of network television's most popular fighters, boxing six times on NBC in wildly exciting brawls from 1981 through 1984.
Other Peltz fighters who challenged for world titles during those years included: Jerry Martin (light-heavyweight); Tony Thornton (super middleweight); super middleweight Bryant Brannon; and lightweight Billy Irwin.
Through the 1980s and 1990s, Peltz became synonymous with boxing at the Blue Horizon, including an eight-year stretch (1993–2001) of consecutive sellouts in the 1,346-seat building. Peltz was a partner with New Jersey-based Main Events in promotion of the late boxing champion Arturo Gatti from 1991-2004. Peltz also guided Kassim Ouma of Uganda to the IBF junior middleweight title in 2004.
Peltz is active as a boxing promoter today in Philadelphia and Bally's Atlantic City Hotel and Casino, handling fighters such as Philadelphia welterweight Mike Jones and super bantamweights Teon Kennedy and Rogers Mtagwa.[1] He also serves as an adviser and matchmaker for Main Events and welterweight boxer Zab Judah.[2] He is the director of Peltz Boxing Promotions, Inc., in Philadelphia.[3][4]