“Why is there such a connection between such a brutal sport like boxing and faith,” the accomplished Bensonhurst, Brooklyn born and raised Craig Tubiolo said. “You would think it’s the complete opposite and ironic.”
Craig Tubiolo, who directed and executive produced Ring of Faith, has had a passion for the sport of boxing since he was a kid and explored the link between religion and boxers in this documentary.
He interviewed 25-30 boxers to get them to tell their stories about how God and their religion is so intertwined with their upbringing and their career as a boxer. He interviewed boxers who were Christian, Jewish and Muslim.
He went to St. Francis College in Brooklyn Heights and has 25 producing credits, eight directing credits and six acting credits going back to 2004. He is currently the Programming and Production Director and host of NET TV’s “Walk in Faith” for Desales Media Group.
Ring of Faith, was fully completed near Christmas of 2018 and was first conceptualized three years ago as a topic Tubiolo felt he had to pursue, was nominated for an Emmy Award this year in the sports documentary category.
Ring of Faith features longtime actor Mario Lopez, former professional boxer and Bensonhurst native Paulie Malignaggi, two-time welterweight world champion boxer Shawn Porter, Vatican officials and Showtime Sports President Stephen Espinoza.
In July, Virgil Films will release Ring of Faith. Tubiolo thinks it is likely Netflix will pick it up since they have been big on boxing movies, and he wants the release to be timed around the Mayweather fight that is slated to happen in July.
Tubiolo’s first introduction to boxing professionally was working on a documentary about Malignaggi’s life, Magic Man, that came out in 2007. However, he would watch the sport with enthusiasm, especially the heavyweights, as a kid and box and do martial arts for fun.
“I started working on the documentary a little bit,” Tubiolo said. “That was my first introduction or relationship I built with Paulie. We are from the same neighborhood, that’s how I sort of knew who he was.”
The connection between Malignaggi and Tubiolo was made during the Magic Man movie and he was enthusiastic about being involved in this documentary. Tubiolo thought Paulie’s message added a lot to the film.
“Paulie says a great statement in the film just abut following your dreams and about working hard,” Tubiolo said. “He is an inspiration to a lot of people. His family came from Italy and didn’t have much.”
His message to kids in the documentary is that he was training in the gym when they were away in Cancun partying during their teenage years. His hard work, faith, and sacrifice contributed to what he has accomplished.
“That is why he is on Showtime, and he is speaking and does commentary,” Tubiolo said. “He adds a lot of value because he came from nothing, changed and developed his life into a very successful man.”
Lopez, who has been an actor on many popular TV shows since 1984, has boxed and done Jiu-Jitsu as a hobby for many years, and is an accomplished boxer. He goes to church every week and his faith is very important to him.
“Mario Lopez adds a lot because he is true inspiration to the Catholic faith,” Tubiolo said. “He also came from an immigrant family, and he worked really hard. He never forgot where he came from, and he always gave glory to God. I wish more celebrities would be as outspoken as he is about his faith.”
Tubiolo and his crew went to Universal Studios to interview Lopez and he was very nice in the process. Lopez, who grew up in the southern California, has been very supportive of the documentary.
There were no issues at all with getting Lopez in the movie since the topic very much connected to him.
The director would doubt making this movie and thought it possibly wasn’t realistic, but the stars aligned for him to know it was meant to be. Tubiolo’s wife saw a tweet from Lopez that showed the pope holding the boxing world champion belt, adding to the stars aligning for him.
The director had no trouble convincing all of the boxers or other notable individuals to appear in the film. The boxers were extremely interested in being involved, since they wanted to get their message about faith and religion out there.
“They were all very open especially about speaking about faith,” Tubiolo said. “From Yuri Forman, who is a world champion Jewish boxer, to the world champion Muslim boxer, they all said the same thing. They all believed that God gave them a gift and it was their job to fulfill that and give back and help people. It’s very different from what you see on ESPN.”
Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero, who is a devout Christian from Los Angeles, has won world championships in two weight classes and has fought Floyd Mayweather.
The Ghost was one of the main boxers in the film and he talked about how he used his gift to be an elite boxer to create a platform to help kids. He started to cry and got emotional when interviewed in the film when talking about his faith since it means so much to him.
“His wife was sick, and he said if it was not for God he would not be here,” Tubiolo said. “None of them forget where they come from. As quick as they got here is as quick as they go back.”
Like how he described the boxers, the director surely has not forgotten where he has come from and where he grew up has influenced him and his documentary and career very much.
Growing up in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn he grew to be fearless and embrace challenges. He also felt his upbringing helped him to be able to be comfortable talking to anybody and to not let anything stop him.
“I have that drive, which is from growing up in the neighborhood I grew up in,” Tubiolo said. “I have that drive to be extremely ambitious.”
Growing up in Bensonhurst and around Brooklyn taught him how to connect with people in many different kinds of neighborhoods. He was able to get along with people even if they were different than he was.
He was slightly intimidated in the beginning but his faith and upbringing helped him conquer this process since he was so connected with getting these boxers to open up.
“I had no fear at all because I knew that God was behind this project from the beginning and he continues to be,” Tubiolo said. “Once I started shooting {the documentary} I had no fear at all, which I think was an advantage from growing up in Brooklyn and having a strong faith as a foundation.”
Besides the fearlessness that was instilled in him from growing up in Brooklyn, he knew he was doing this documentary for the right reason.
“I did not have a personal private agenda,” Tubiolo said. “I want to move on and I want to do more projects and reach more people but in the end it, is all glory to God.
A goal that the Brooklyn native had that inspired him to make this documentary was that he wanted to unite as many as possible. Someone once told him that boxers only see two colors, the red color and black color (colors of the boxing ring).
He found that boxers can really see past differences in others and opponents and he wants others to be able to do the same.
“From my experience, most boxers ignore whatever faith, religion, color or social status you are and just have this bond,” Tubiolo said. “Boxing is what unites them. If they can be united through sports like in the Olympics, why can’t we as humans see past these differences, and just see who you are as a person.”
As so many kinds of boxers with different backgrounds were interviewed for this film, the director wants to create conversations to help relay that we are more alike than different.
The goal is to unite people who might appear to be different and use boxing and sports as a whole to get people to know each other on a different level. Sports can often create a melting pot of people and in turn unite people that are different, and that is part of what the director wanted to convey.
In boxing, there is a different connection with athletes than other sports because boxing is so violent and death is a possibility.
“Lopez and Espinoza (President of Showtime Sports) say the same thing,” Tubiolo said. “When you are looking at death in the eyes, people have died in the ring, they have that bond and it is a way you get closer to God.”
It is common that boxers pray to try to make sure that they get out of the ring safely. This intense conflict in the ring leads to a stronger connection to God.
Another commonality that can set boxers apart while making them similar is that for the most part they are immigrants to this country. Many immigrants of many different cultures have this connection since boxing is a way out.
“They have that connection of faith and the connection that they are putting their life on the line,” Tubiolo said. “I think they have that bond.”
Another bond that is created through boxing is that so much hard physical training goes into making weight for the fight, and there is no guarantee that they will make a lot of money in the end.
“I think that is what unites them all,” Tubiolo said. “It is gruesome and very challenging.”
The unique aspect about boxing is that it is just you and the opponent as the fighters are not relying on the captain, team or sponsor when in the ring. They do rely on their faith and if not enough training was put in that will be evident.
In making this documentary, Tubiolo had a lot of faith and had to put in a lot of effort just like the boxers, but there were a number of instances that made the movie come together and truly gave this project a bigger purpose.
There were a few other instances that truly made this come together. One such instance was that through a connection they got to film at the Vatican, which was a real highlight.
“My friend Vinnie (LeVien) got us to the Vatican and we have people speaking on behalf of the pope,” Tubiolo said. “Meeting Sergio Martinez, he was in Argentina. The way everything works out, I believe it is God behind the scenes.”
Getting to go to the Vatican for the film was an important moment for Tubiolo and the documentary. They went because the pope was doing a conference about sports and faith and how to use sports to reach people in third world countries.
Tubiolo had questions for the pope that he has saved since he wasn’t able to personally interview him but they got the pope’s right hand man on camera. They got footage of the pope speaking in front of many people and were able to interview John Mara, who is the owner of the Giants, and other basketball and football owners attended.
“When you trace the steps back you see that everything was connected, and you see God was always there working along the way,” Tubiolo said. “I wanted the pope in the film and they thought I was nuts. All of the sudden we get to the Vatican from Vinnie’s connection and the pope is in the film.”
“Vinnie knew someone there and told them about this documentary we were doing,” Tubiolo said. “They liked the idea and project, so they invited us to go and attend and it was an amazing experience. That is more of an affirmation to hear the pope talk about using sports as a way of uniting people.”
He heard the pope talk about the gift of athleticism and the ability to play sports coming from God, and that is similar to what he heard boxers talk about. He really enjoyed being able to use this footage from the Vatican.
Tubiolo went to a press conference and ended up having meeting with the influential Stephen Espinoza, who is the president of Showtime Sports, which shows a lot of big time boxing fights. Espinoza ended up being a helpful figure after this conversation they had.
“I went up to him, I have nothing to lose, this isn’t for me this is for helping people, and I said Stephen, I am doing this project {about boxing and religion},” Tubiolo said. “He said my mother was a nun and he tells his Catholic story. He continues to help me and be a mentor.”
Tubiolo very much credits God being behind the scenes for the help he had and believes that him being nominated for an Emmy truly has a bigger purpose and he is an instrument for telling that story.
Before he found out that Ring of Faith was nominated for a prestigious Emmy Award, he had a feeling in the back of his head that the nomination might be coming. He didn’t think it was that big of a deal that he didn’t win in the end because of a few factors.
“I thought we won, so I was surprised we didn’t win,” Tubiolo said. “But I guess in the end, we did win because the nomination is enough. One of my friends said it’s not about the award, and it is not.”
He received a trophy from a friend of his that cost about $10 to make that said “you are a winner” and the Bensonhurst native thinks that meant more to him than winning the Emmy.
The one major reason that he wishes he would have won an Emmy would have been to have done what many are not doing nowadays.
“I was at the Emmy’s and not one person said I want to thank God,” Tubiolo said. “I was upset that I did not get that time to say I want to thank God and I want to give my story. That is why I wanted to win. That is why this will succeed and that is why am on a mission. It’s about having that conversation.”
Tubiolo wants to find out why people now are forgetting to thank God. He has interviewed hundreds of celebrities and has found that they talk about God, but he has found that it is extracted from awards shows and conversation.
“The point is that it has been removed from society for whatever reason,” Tubiolo said. “I don’t know who decided to take it out, but it has to go back to the way it was. Whatever you believe in is fine, just don’t be afraid to say it. Don’t be afraid to say God bless you. Or whatever your interpretation of God is that’s fine, but it is like it has been removed. I wanted the opportunity at the Emmy’s to remind people that we have to give glory to God.”
He is confident that in the coming years he will win in Emmy, which will give him the platform to share his message about God and being public about faith. He was definitely happy to be nominated this time.
“There were some big names that we went up against, so I was very happy, and a lot of my friends and support team were really happy,” Tubiolo said. “It’s great to be in that arena. You are competing against these huge companies. The Yankees, Telemundo, Univision, NBC. Then there is us.”
John Quaglione, who is the Deputy Press Secretary for Desales Media Group (who Tubiolo works for), is very impressed with what the Bensonhurst native has accomplished.
“This put us on an elevated stage,” Quaglione said. “When I found out about it, I said this is a big deal. Talk about a Brooklyn boy done good. It was exciting, I’m very proud of him.”
Tubiolo enjoyed that after it become known that he had the Emmy nomination, Espinoza, the Showtime Sports president, sent him a congratulatory email praising his persistence and hard work.
“It means a lot because I know that I am on the path and from this project it has made me think of another project, which is similar,” Tubiolo said. “All it does is push me a little harder. I am not doing this for a pat on the back. It is about moving forward and helping as many people as possible.”
The director found that boxers of religions such as Christianity, Islam and Judaism gave similar answers. They all believe that they are here for a purpose and their gift is from God. The belief is that it’s their job to fulfill their gift and help others in the community or elsewhere.
Faith is important to boxers to the extent that they will take time off from their sport to stay true to their religion.
A Muslim world champion boxer who fought Malignaggi refused to fight during Ramadan and had to give up his title. A Jewish boxer, fought before sundown on Friday and then since it was Shabbat he walked home because of religious reasons.
“Maybe the news will not show it, but they are always in tune with their faith because they know what they went through to get there,” Tubiolo said. “There is a certain point where you have to rely on something else. They know how quickly they got there {championship level} they can go back.”
