WBU & WBC Champion “Little Mac” McDermott to be Inducted into NJ Boxing Hall of Fame
/WBU & WBC Champion “Little Mac” McDermott to be Inducted into NJ Boxing Hall of Fame.
By George Beck, Ph.D.
Danny "Little Mac" McDermott of North Bergen, NJ, earned his spot in the New Jersey Boxing Hall of Fame. McDermott will be honored at the 53rd Annual Induction Ceremony set for Nov. 9, 2023, at the Venetian in Garfield, NJ. He is one of twelve inductees for 2023.
McDermott, 43, held the WBU Super Lightweight world championship and the WBC Silver Super Lightweight Asia title from 2014 to 2016. Defeating Ronnell Esparras in the Philippines in 2014 distinguished McDermott as the first North Bergen, NJ native to win a title since James J. Braddock in 1936. McDermott's victory made him the first American to win a world title in the Philippines. McDermott is the protégé of the late, great hall of fame boxing champion Arturo "Thunder" Gatti.
McDermott started boxing when he was 12. His father, Marine Corps Corporal John J. McDermott was the first to train him before joining the North Bergen PAL training with “Irish” Pat Murphy. McDermott eventually relocated to Jersey City’s Marciano Gym, where boxing legend Jimmy Archer quickly noticed him and took the young, ambitious fighter under his wing. McDermott excelled in the NJ and NY amateur circuit. He made four appearances in the NY Golden Gloves making it to the semi-finals representing East Harlem’s Thomas Jefferson Boxing Gym, where he got the name “Little Mac.” He was a two-time finalist in the NJ Golden Gloves and Diamond Gloves. He also won the bronze medal for the USA Boxing Team in 2004, representing New Jersey in an international competition at the Aponte Games in Caguas, Puerto Rico. It was at this point McDermott decided to turn pro, under the management of Mike Skowronski, a prominent member of Arturo Gatti’s team.
McDermott's decision to turn pro took him on a magnificent adventure. He’d fight at Madison Square Garden, the Atlantic City Boardwalk Hall, and became a regular main event fighter in his hometown. He traveled the world, facing such fighters as Italian lightweight champion Floriano Pagliara who McDermott KO'd in two rounds. Arturo Gatti hired McDermott as his chief sparring partner when Gatti prepared for Leonard Dorin, Jesse James Leija, Floyd Mayweather and Carlos Baldomier. McDermott was also the chief sparring partner for Junior Jones when he won his world title fight against Marco Antonio Barrera. McDermott's list of world champions he sparred includes Bones Adams, Gerry Penolosa, Paul Malignaggi, Yuri Foreman, Ivan Robinson, Vivian Harris and Macho Camacho. He was trained early on in his career by legendary trainer Buddy McGirt. McDermott's professional career lasted 19 bouts, losing five, before transitioning to training aspiring fighters.
McDermott is still active in the sport. He runs and operates Little Mac Boxing in North Bergen. He and his gym are hosting the upcoming New Jersey Golden Gloves finals on April 14 and 15 at the North Bergen Recreation Center. He is routinely seen around New York and New Jersey training fighters for competitions and helping his clients get in shape and live healthy lifestyles. He started the Little Mac Youth boxing program, which serves kids in several New York and New Jersey communities. He is also responsible for spearheading the statute projects for James J. Braddock in North Bergen, and Arturo Gatti and Mike Tyson in Atlantic City.
McDermott thanked NJ Boxing Hall of Fame President Henry Hascup, Treasurer Dennis Murphy and all who voted for him. “I am humbled and honored,” McDermott said. “God has bestowed many blessings upon me in my life and I am forever grateful.”
Blue Magazine congratulates McDermott on his well-deserved induction into the New Jersey Boxing Hall of Fame!
