James Madio will star in a movie about legendary Connecticut boxer Willie Pep.
The film will begin shooting in Hartford. It is being financed by a film company owned by Leonardo DiCaprio.
Pep was featherweight champion twice in his career, which spanned 26 years and nearly 2,000 rounds of boxing. Later in life he worked in Connecticut as an inspector and referee. He was often at the State Capitol on the opening day of legislative sessions, especially during the O’Neill administration.
He died in 2006 of dementia pugilistica and is buried in Rocky Hill.
