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LETTERS FROM EUROPE FROCH-KESSLER II

BERNARD HOPKINS EMERGED FROM THE SHADOWS TO CLAIM OVERDUE REWARDS

JOHNATHON BANKS THE HEAVYWEIGHT RODE AN EMOTIONAL ROLLER COASTER

ARTURO GATTI ‘THUNDER’ MIGHT NOT HAVE HAD GREAT TALENT BUT HE HAD ‘IT’

6-YEAR-OLD MIRACLES EDWIN RODRIGUEZ’S TWINS FOUGHT FOR THEIR LIVES … AND WON APRIL 2013 BEST I’VE FACED $8.95 HALL OF FAMER AND TWO-TIME TITLEHOLDER AARON PRYOR

CONTENTS / APRIL 2013 38 68 78

FEATURES

COVER STORY 38 | BETTER LATE 60 | COMEUPPANCE? 84 | STILL NOT THE MAN BERNARD HOPKINS HAS CLAIMED WHAT WILL BE THE FATE OF PED USERS TIM BRADLEY’S VICTORY OVER MANNY HIS GREATEST REWARDS LATE WHEN IT’S TIME FOR THE HALL TO CALL? PACQUIAO ACCOMPLISHED LITTLE IN HIS CAREER By Don Stradley By Tim Smith By Bernard Fernandez 68 | ALIVE AND WELL 88 | OH CARL BOY 45 | AGONY, ECSTASY EDWIN RODRIGUEZ’S 6-YEAR-OLD TWINS CARL FRAMPTON OF JOHNATHON BANKS ENDURED ARE THE FAMILY’S GREATEST FIGHTERS BELFAST COULD BE AN UP-AND-DOWN MONTH By Ron Borges THE NEXT IRISH STAR THAT CHANGED HIS LIFE By Gavin Evans 78 | END OF AN ERA By Norm Frauenheim BROADCASTER LARRY MERCHANT’S 51 | THE ‘IT’ MAN MEASURED APPROACH WILL BE MISSED ARTURO GATTI HAS DEBATABLE HALL OF By Bernard Fernandez FAME CREDENTIALS BUT WAS SPECIAL By Ron Borges AT RINGTV.COM

DON’T FORGET TO FOLLOW US ON: WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/RINGTV @RINGMAGAZINE THERINGDIGITAL COVER IMAGE: ED MULHOLLAND THE RING MAGAZINE - APRIL 2013 3 CAN WE TALK?

By: Michael Rosenthal not they speak to us but, make no mistake, the fans are being VOLUME 92, NO. 4 | APRIL 2013 he vast majority of feature cheated. Tstories that appear in THE Mayweather could’ve expressed FOUNDER RING Magazine include the his displeasure with us in a dif- Nathaniel Fleischer voice – meaning quotes – of the ferent way; he could’ve voiced (1888-1972) subject. Some don’t. his objection and we would’ve EDITOR The cover story of the February printed his words, thereby pro- Michael Rosenthal 2013 issue was about Floyd May- viding a platform for his point ASSOCIATE EDITOR weather Jr., who refused to talk of view. Douglass Fischer to veteran correspondent Bernard If Bradley felt he was betrayed Fernandez at least in part because by the media after the Pacquiao CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Brian Harty the magazine had him and Man- fight, he might’ve been served by ny Pacquiao tied atop our pound- expressing his disappointment for-pound ratings for a time. publicly. If he had, everyone ART DIRECTOR For this issue, Tim Smith, an- might’ve looked at the fight dif- Sharon Kaplan other respected boxing writer, ferently. COVER DESIGN tried for weeks to get Tim Brad- In other words, tell us if we’re ANYONE™ COLLECTIVE ley on the phone for a story being unfair and we’ll provide RING CARD GIRLS CONTRIBUTOR but was unsuccessful. Bradley the opportunity to give your side Heather Shanholtz evidently feels he wasn’t treated of the story. You’ll be served, fairly by the media after his con- we’ll be served and, most impor- CONTROLLER Deborah L. Harrison troversial victory over Pacquiao. tant, the fans will be served. We ultimately ran a story with- Many fighters and others in the CIRCULATION DIRECTOR out Bradley’s voice. boxing business won’t believe Kenneth J. Gudaitis Of course, we have no recourse. this but most reporters aren’t out Our contributors do what they to get them. We simply want to ADVERTISING INQUIRIES can with amenable sources and stay on top of the news and write Robert Gasparri then move on to the next story. good stories, the kind of stories 213-233-2952 [email protected] What else could we do? we hope will touch readers in The reluctance (refusal?) of some way. SUBSCRIPTION INQUIRIES some fighters to work with mem- Our primary motivation is not SPORTS AND ENTERTAINMENT PUBLICATIONS bers of the media is a shame, to draw more eyes to our publi- P.O. BOX 433122 though. Websites like RingTV. cations and websites; we’re not Palm Coast, FL 32164-3122 com and publications like THE businessmen, we’re journalists. 1-800-846-6438 RING, as well as so many other We also provide free publicity for [email protected] quality outlets, are an important all the fight cards. That’s why the BACK ISSUES link between the fighters and the biggest promoters make the time 215-643-3087 OR ONLINE AT public. to speak to us on a regular basis. RINGTV.COM The fans thirst for interest- And, believe it or not, we love DIGITAL EDITION INQUIRIES ing stories about their favorite the sport as much as anyone – [email protected] fighters and responsible jour- probably more than many given SEND EDITORIAL COMMENTS TO: nalists strive to accommodate that we’re not driven by prof- [email protected] them. Stars such as Mayweath- its. Bottom line: We’re all in this or P.O. BOX 251753, er and Bradley will continue to thing together. It’s too bad we Los Angeles CA, 90025 reap great rewards whether or can’t always work together.

THE RING (ISSN: 0035-5410), Vol. 92, No. 4 (April 2013), is published monthly by Sports and Entertainment Publications, LLC, 510 Township Line Rd., Suite 130, Blue bell, PA 19422. Periodicals postage paid at Blue Bell, PA 19422 and additional post off ces. Postmasters: Send change of address notices to: THE RING, P.O. Box 433122, Palm Coast, FL 32164-3122. Single copy price $8.95 in U.S. and Canada (£4.95 in the UK). Subscription price $78.70 in the U.S., $127.10 in Canada and Mexico, $143.70 in remaining countries. Not responsible for the loss or non-return of unsolicited articles or photographs, which will not be returned unless accompanied by a self-addressed envelope bearing the proper amount of postage. The entire contents of this magazine are copyright ©2012 Sports and Entertainment Publications, LLC. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without the written permission of the publisher. All rights reserved. Publisher is not responsible for the accuracy of the content of advertisements appearing in this magazine, nor the delivery or quality of merchandise or services offered. No endorsement of any such advertisement is intended or implied. Advertisers and agencies assume liability for claims arising from the content of their advertisements. FOR ADVERTISING INQUIRES AND RATES: (213) 233-2952. U.S. and Canadian distribution by Kable Distribution Services Inc., 14 Wall Street, Suite 4C, New York, NY 10022. International distribution by Worldwide Media Service Inc., 115 East 23rd St., New York, NY 10010, UK distribution by Comag Tavistock Rd., West Drayton, Middlesex UB77QE, England. Printed in U.S.A.

HEELS OVER HEAD: Joe Joyce of the British Lionhearts celebrates his victory over Avery Gibson of the USA Knockouts during a World Series of Boxing match Jan. 17 in London. The WSP features 12 franchises from around the world that compete against one another in a team format. The participants can earn money but maintain their amateur status. Image: Scott Heavey-Getty

FLATTENED: Mikey Garcia (right) put Orlando Salido down four times in a dominating performance but had to settle for a technical-decision victory after his nose was broken by a head butt Jan. 19 in New York City. Garcia won THE RING featherweight title. Image: Naoki Fukuda

BLOOD SPORT: Gennady Golovkin (left) turned the face of Gabriel Rosado into a bloody mess but, to the surprise of many, he was unable to knock the game Philadelphian off his feet on Jan. 19. Rosado’s cornermen threw in the towel in the seventh round. Image: Naoki Fukuda

NOT FIT FOR TV ing, he backhanded me in my Gennady Golovkin or Saul Alva- Boxing has got to do a bet- nose with an open hand. He said, rez would love to hear from you. ter job when picking fights that “That’s for being tall.” I had a Bob Smith will be televised if they want to small tear in my eye. That was so Kingston, N.Y. attract new viewers and keep cool. Rest in peace, Mr. Basilio. the current fans awake. On the Paul M. Sotack ‘PERFECT PUNCH’ weekend of Jan. 11 and 12, the Buffalo, N.Y. REVISTED televised bouts (with the excep- After watching Juan Manuel tion of the John Molina-Dannie DEVALUED ‘MONEY’? Marquez hit Manny Pacquiao Williams fight) had no business Can somebody please explain with a near “perfect punch” on being on TV. And the promoters to me why Floyd Mayweather Jr. Dec. 8, 2012, it reminded me and TV stations would’ve known is rated at the top of the pound- of Rocky Marciano’s right to this if they looked into the box- for-pound lists? If Mayweather is the head of Jersey Joe Walcott ers’ pasts. The last bout of the half as good as he claims to be, on Sept. 23, 1952. Times have ESPN2 telecast featured an MMA he would be challenging himself changed outside the ring, but fighter named Joshua Montoya like the great fighters he con- some things will never change in- (who had no clue) against a stantly berates. If he is so much side the ring. crude, inexperienced kid named better than Sugar Ray Leonard Stephen Gardella Eduardo Dominguez in a bout was, then he should do what Brockton, Mass. that was so bad I turned it off. Leonard did. When Leonard Then I flipped to Showtime and cleaned out the welterweight di- ELLIS FOR HALL? we get Brandon Quarles using vision, he moved all the way up I would not normally suggest Daquan Arnett like a blocking to light heavyweight and knocked former heavyweight titleholder sled all night, followed by Rico out Donny Lalonde for the title Jimmy Ellis as a candidate for Ramos running all night from and then moved “down” to mid- the International Boxing Hall of Ronny Rios. The next night, on dleweight to beat Marvin Hagler, Fame, but considering who else Fox Deportes, the main event the undisputed middleweight they have let in, I think it’s worth was Johan Perez vs. Steve Forbes champion. This is the one thing taking a look at. Ellis beat every- in a fight that had no meaning all great fighters had in com- one who was put in front him in and was painful to watch. These mon, from Robinson to Duran the heavyweight elimination tour- bouts were so bad that if I were to Hearns to Leonard. They were nament; therefore, he won the watching the sport for the first never afraid to move up two or title in a much more legitimate time, I’d probably never watch it three weight classes to challenge way than hall of famer Ken Nor- again. C’mon guys. Only the best themselves.Personally, I wouldn’t ton. Ellis beat some very good action boxers should be on TV. shell out one dollar of my hard fighters, including Leotis Martin, Robert Casazza earned money to see Mayweath- Oscar Bonavena, Jerry Quarry, Staten Island, N.Y. er fight another Tommy Tomato Floyd Patterson and George Can. I mean, Victor Ortiz … re- Chuvalo. I’m not putting the fol- BASILIO BEING BASILIO ally? So please “Money,” stop lowing fighters down. Obviously, In 2009 I was in Rochester, boring us true fight fans with they accomplished some note- N.Y., for a boxing card. I saw your immature antics and take worthy things. But if you look at Carmen Basilio and asked him a chance or two. I’m sure Andre the wins on the records of hall for a picture. As we were wait- Ward, Sergio Martinez or even of famers Nicolino Loche, Duilio Loi, Barry McGuigan, Daniel WRITE TO THE RING! E-mailed letters will include a writer’s e-mail Zaragoza and Ingemar Johans- address unless a city and state of origin is provided. Letters may be edited for reasons son, they are not as impressive as Come out Writing, the ring of space and clarity. P.O. Box 251753 those of Jimmy Ellis. Los Angeles, CA 90025 Tom Parrott [email protected] Middletown, Conn.

10 the ring magazine - aPriL 2013 Image: Al Bello-Getty Saul “Canelo” Alvarez might be wise to stay clear of Austin Trout and maintain his focus on Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Lopez, and Miguel Cotto’s loss to CANELO SHOULD KEEP Trout has made a potential Canelo- Cotto clash much less marketable than it otherwise would have been. HIS EYE ON THE PRIZE Canelo vs. Cotto could still happen, and it could still be a By: David Greisman getting the biggest paycheck of his good fight, just as Manny Pac- career against Floyd Mayweather quiao’s second match with Erik ighters are called cowards Jr. Nor can we deride Alvarez if he Morales still made for great en- Fwhen they duck a tough op- decides to battle Trout, potentially tertainment despite Morales’ dis- ponent in favor of a bout endangering said paycheck. appointing decision loss before- that will get them more money. That decision will likely have hand to Zahir Raheem. And fighters are labeled fools been made by the time these words There was far less demand for when they step into the ring with are printed. That decision will like- Pacquiao to face Raheem. And it a foe who could spoil a sizable ly see Alvarez opting for short-term would be bad business for Alva- payday against a future opponent. physical safety in favor of long- rez to face Trout when he is just Too often we damn them no term fscal security. one win away from facing May- matter what they do, and then Alvarez has watched from ring- weather on what would probably too often we are damned because side as two more big fights fell be a Mexican Independence Day of what they do. We can’t have through, bringing forth what’s been pay-per-view extravaganza in it both ways. We can’t be disap- called the Canelo Curse: Victor Or- September. pointed in Canelo Alvarez if he tiz lost out on a chance to meet Al- It is a sad reality of the sport. doesn’t fght Austin Trout prior to varez after he was upset by Josesito The path of least resistance is

THE ring magazinE - aPriL 2013 11 why so many boxers are so inac- tive, sitting on the sidelines and waiting for the title shots and television spotlight rather than risking those rewards. We only see them in the ring four or more times a year when they are still prospects, when the purses provide less money and when the opponents pose less difficulty. That’s why Nonito Donaire’s four wins in 2012 led many to see him as the Fighter of the Year. That’s why Leo San- ta Cruz’s five victories in 11 months made him stand out in contrast to the other contenders and young titleholders who stag- nate under the weight of millions of dollars, with little incentive to stay active and stay hungry. Alvarez has shrewdly been kept away from Erislandy Lara. If his handlers are wise, they’ll con- vince him to angle for anyone but Trout. There’s no require- ment in boxing to do what’s right, not when the only thing that’s right in boxing is doing what makes you rich. That means it won’t really matter who Alvarez faces in May — so long as he can still face May- weather in September.

nificant number of viewers can Juan Manuel Marquez. Those No one fight will save boxing, prevent our niche sport from ex- fights were meaningful because no matter what the boastful mar- panding its reach. of the action that preceded them keting said nearly six years ago That was the case with the and all the more marketable be- for Oscar De La Hoya vs. May- second fight between Tomasz cause of the drama surrounding weather, and despite what the Adamek and Steve Cunningham. them. wishful thinking was over these While it was not the worst rob- The Adamek-Cunningham re- past few years when it came to bery of the year, it was neverthe- match also followed an exciting Mayweather vs. Manny Pac- less a bad time for a bad decision. first installment. And it ended quiao. Controversy can amplify exist- with drama, with the fighter most No one fight will destroy boxing interest in future fights — see saw as the winner lowering his ing either. the sequel between Miguel Cotto head while the man most saw as But just as a huge fight in front and Antonio Margarito, the Mar- the loser was raising his fists. of a huge audience can be good co Antonio Barrera-Erik Morales This would not be so bad if we for growing the Sweet Science, trilogy, and the extended rivalry could get an Adamek-Cunning- a bad result in front of a sig- between Manny Pacquiao and ham trilogy. We won’t. The mar-

12 the ring magazine - aPriL 2013 Damned if he does and damned if he doesn’t? Saul Alvarez (here beating up on Josesito Lopez) will be called a coward if he avoids Austin Trout and a fool if he fghts him. Image: Josh Hedges-Getty keting muscle is behind Adamek, They turned off their TVs feel- ments have made and maintained what with his sizable fan base ing turned off by the decision, our fandom. in Poland and with the Polish- turned off by a sport that has The casual audience can have American population, and with long had a reputation for corrup- its experience ruined, however, his future fights in the heavy- tion and incompetence. by confounding conclusions weight division. The rest of us who know the and disappointing denouements. That is the storyline that gets sport recognize, unfortunately, Movie audiences were split when told, and sold, to the audience that that “That’s boxing,” as Fred- it came to how No Country for tuned in to NBC to see Cunning- die Roach said at the end of the Old Men ended. But sports fans ham beat Adamek but hear that broadcast. But we also know typically have the benefit of Adamek had been awarded the this sport delivers jaw-dropping knowing that the final score re- decision. The number of viewers highs alongside its head-shak- flects what actually happened. on regular American network tele- ing lows. That doesn’t mean we That’s not the case in boxing. vision was much higher than that should settle for the bad deci- Unbelievable action will attract which typically watches on HBO, sions that come far too often. fans — but unbelievable results Showtime, ESPN2 or pay-per-view. It just means that the best mo- will repulse them.

THE ring magazinE - aPriL 2013 13

the lighter side of a serious sport jabs & straight writes By Thomas Hauser

Image: Mark Ralston-Getty Our correspondent tasted what a fghter feels when he makes his ring walk as thousands of fans go wild … and he’ll never forget it. WALK OF A LIFETIME

By: Thomas Hauser IV on television and, when it was that’s 160 feet long on each of its over, thought back on the time four sides and weighs 600 tons. was at ringside for eight con- I’d spent with Manny. One mo- Cowboys Stadium was close I secutive Manny Pacquiao ment stood out on my mind. to empty when I arrived for fights, starting with his eight- Pacquiao fought Joshua Clottey the fight a little after 5 p.m. I round demolition of Oscar De La on March 13, 2010, at Cowboys checked out my seat in the press Hoya in 2008. On five of those Stadium. Sports fans are familiar section and made sure that my occasions, I was privileged to be with the venue. It can accom- credential for dressing room in Manny’s dressing room in the modate 100,000 fans for box- access was in order. Then I ex- hours before and after the bout. ing, has a retractable roof, and plored the back corridors of the I watched Pacquiao-Marquez features an HDTV video board stadium, so I’d know how to

THE ring magazinE - aPriL 2013 15 the lighter side of a serious sport

jabs & straight writes By Thomas Hauser

make my way around. With time to spare, I sat for a while with John Duddy, who was readying to fight Michael Me- dina on the undercard. I was in Pacquiao’s dressing room when Manny arrived at 7:50 p.m. Over the next two hours, he went through his usual pre-fight rituals. Then it was time to leave for the ring, and I ran ahead to get to my seat. Through the subterranean depths of Cowboys Stadium ... toward the tunnel that led into the ... Omigod! The stadium had been a drab florescent gray with a few hundred people milling about when I’d arrived at 5. Now a tunnel lined by Dallas Cow- boys cheerleaders – sexual icons of our time – lay ahead. Beyond them, tens of thousands of fans were screaming. Music blared. Spotlights moved back and forth, casting everything in a silver other- worldly glow.

It was a bit intimidating. Image: THE RING I walked into the tunnel. The fghter on the left was able to run but not hide when he fought Joe Louis. Then I said to myself, “Hauser, you’ve never been in a situation like this before and QUICK QUIZ you’ll never be in a situation 1. Which writer called Joe Louis’ fourth-round knockout of Max Baer like this again. So enjoy it for in 1935 “the most disgusting public spectacle outside of a hanging what it is.” that your correspondent ever witnessed”? The cheerleaders were bouncing up and down, their 2. Which opponent said that Joe Louis’ jab felt “like someone jammed pom-poms and a lot more an electric bulb in your face and busted it”? shaking. The crowd grew louder in anticipation of the 3. Who felt Joe Louis’ biceps and proclaimed, “We need muscles like fighters’ ring entrance. Strobe yours to beat Germany”? lights flashed on and off. As I walked through the tun- 4. Before which fght did Joe Louis say of his opponent, “He can run, nel, I said to myself, “This is but he can’t hide”? how it feels to be the greatest fighter in the world.”

16 the ring magazine - aPriL 2013 Image: Courtesy of Steve Farhood Broadcaster Steve Farhood’s (right) greatest moment in sports outside boxing took place on a paddle tennis court.

GREATEST MOMENT IN SPORTS … OUTSIDE OF BOXING BROADCASTER STEVE FARHOOD

’ve been very involved in paddle tennis since I I was in my teens. There are courts in the building complex that I’ve lived in since I was in junior high school. I love the game. Paddle tennis is basically tennis. The difference is that you play with a paddle instead of a racket; the court is about one-third the size of a regulation tennis court; the ball, which is a regular tennis ball, is punctured with a needle to deaden it, and you serve underhand. In 1981, when I was 24 years old, I played in the United States Paddle Tennis Association men’s national doubles championship tournament. A friend named Dave Diamond was my partner. There were about 20 teams in the tournament. Dave and I were underdogs in every match, but we played well and made it to the semi-finals. We were massive underdogs in that one, but we were in a zone. We won in straight sets. It was the best we’d ever played.

THE ring magazinE - aPriL 2013 17 THE LIGHTER SIDE OF A SERIOUS SPORT

JABS & STRAIGHT WRITES By Thomas Hauser

That was on a Saturday morning. After the match, I got on a plane and flew to Boston to cover Marvin Hagler beating Vito Antoufermo at Boston Garden. Then I flew back to New York on Sunday for the tournament finals that after- noon. In the finals, we played two guys from Brooklyn, Sol Hauptman and Jeff Fleitman. To give you an idea of what our chances were, Sol and Jeff won the national doubles Image: THE RING championship 13 of the 14 years that they entered the An elevator operator named Ivan who works in the tournament together. They’re building I live in told me a story recently. When he was 10 the greatest team to ever play years old, his mother came back from visiting relatives in the game. And Sol won 10 Puerto Rico. While she was waiting in the baggage claim more doubles championships area for her luggage, a crazy man jumped on the luggage with other partners. Dave and I were the local carousel, started dancing and gyrated his way through boys and the crowd was root- several 360-degree turns of the carousel. Then the crazy ing for us, but we were out of man picked up his luggage and left. our league. Before the finals A week or so later, Ivan was watching a Hector Camacho started, we told ourselves that f ght on television when his mother came into the room and we had to hold serve. If we pointed at the screen. could just hold serve in every game, good things might hap- “That’s the crazy guy from the airport,” she said. pen. Then we lost our first service game at love, which wasn’t a good start. One of the things QUIZ ANSWERS: I remember about the match was, whenever Sol or Jeff made 1. Ernest Hemingway. a mistake, the other would curse at him in Yiddish. They 2. James Braddock, after Louis knocked him out in the eighth round to capture beat us 6-2, 6-3, 6-4. the heavyweight crown.

Losing to Sol and Jeff is as 3. Prior to the 1938 rematch between Louis and Max Schmeling, Franklin Roo- much of a highlight for me as sevelt invited Louis to the White House, felt his biceps and proclaimed, “We winning the semi-finals. Sol is a need muscles like yours to beat Germany.” legend, and I had the privilege of playing against him. Later, 4. Louis made the comment before his 1941 title defense against light heavyweight champion Billy Conn. Conn boxed Louis successfully for 12 rounds, but Sol moved to Southern Califor- was knocked out in the 13th. nia and taught paddle tennis to people like Wilt Chamberlain and Barbra Streisand. Word Thomas Hauser can be reached by email at [email protected]. His most re- has it that he once shouted at cent book — And the New …: An Inside Look at Another Year in Boxing was published by the University of Arkansas Press. Streisand, “Get your tuchus [behind] to the net!”

18 THE RING MAGAZINE - APRIL 2013 What boxers are into outside the sport

>>> MARCOS MAIDANA Welterweight contender from Argentina MUSIC: Los Palmeras, a Santa Fe Cumbia-style group from ADVANCED Argentina. CAR: I own an Audi TT 2.5T. FOOD: Asado (Argentinean beef barbecue). DEGREES TATTOOS: I have more than 20. They include: Colt Python revolver on my waist, Jesus Christ’s hands on my right leg, Degrees of separation between Virgin of Lujan on my back, Gauchito Gil (Argentina’s most fghters of today and their predeces- popular pagan saint) on my arm, and my son Yoyo’s face on my chest. sors. This month: Filipino fyweight ATHLETE (OUTSIDE BOXING): Diego Maradona (iconic Argentine soccer player). legend Pancho Villa to still-active MOVIE: Das Parfum. heavyweight Evander Holyfeld. VIDEO GAME: I don’t really like video games but instead I am a huge fan of a card game called Truco.

>>> GARY RUSSELL JR. Featherweight contender from the U.S. MUSIC: Old School. Early 1980s. Isley Brothers, Smokey Robinson, Luther Vandross. CAR: Ferrari. I have a 1965 Mustang and a 2009 Cadillac Escalade. FOOD: Italian. I love pizza, pasta and everything in that category. Everything that I have to stay away from during training. TATTOOS: I have a couple, but I’m done with tattoos. I have a bible quote on my chest. It says “My enemies and foes, they stumbled and fell, though PANCHO VILLA an army may encamp against me, my heart shall not fear.” fought … ATHLETE (OUTSIDE BOXING): I’m going to let you in on the life of Gary Russell Jr. Jimmy McLarnin, who fought … Honestly, I’m not a sports fan at all. I don’t watch basketball, don’t watch football. MOVIE: Shottas. It’s a movie about two Jamaican guys who were friends since they Tony Canzoneri, who fought … were kids. They both end up being kingpins, their gangs cross paths and they get into a war. Great movie. Jackie “Kid” Berg, who fought … VIDEO GAME: Sniper Elite. Tippy Larkin, who fought …

>>> PUNGLUANG SOR SINGYU Freddie Archer, who fought … WBO bantamweight titleholder from Thailand Al McCoy, who fought … Images: OneSongchai Promotion MUSIC: Carabao (a Thai rock band). CAR: I drive a sedan, four doors. I would like a Toyota or Honda. Willie Pastrano, who fought … FOOD: Chicken and rice. TATTOOS: A swan on my back. Gregorio Peralta, who fought … ATHLETE (OUTSIDE BOXING): Juan Manuel Mata Garcia (Spanish soccer player). George Foreman, who fought … MOVIE: Naresuan (about the Thai king who fought to liberate t the country from Burmese rule). VIDEO GAME: Soccer. EVANDER HOLYFIELD

THE ring magazinE - aPriL 2013 19 A mOnThly

The besT and worsT in boxing from The pasT monTh BOxinG liST

Michael Rosenthal By: ThiS mOnTh: Actors who starred as real-life boxers in movies GOOD The retirement of Kelly Pavlik had a refreshing feel ERROL FLYNN about it. The former middleweight champ said he James J. Corbett in Gentleman Jim (1942) simply realized that his heart was no longer in box- PAUL NEwMAN ing and wanted to avoid the long term health prob- Rocky Graziano in Somebody Up There Likes Me (1956) lems that afflict so many fighters. Plus, he wanted to spend more time with his family. He also said he CAMERON MITCHELL Barney Ross in Monkey on My Back (1957) didn’t squander the money he has earned, another misfortune many fighters face. In other words, this is JAMES EARL JONES how a fighter is supposed to go out – with his facul- Jack Johnson in Great White Hope (1970) ties in working order, a nice bank account and on his RObERT DE NIRO terms. He’s only 30. The bulk of his life lies ahead. Jake LaMotta in Raging Bull (1980) The important thing now is to stick with his decision. DENzEL wASHINGTON Many fighters “retire” only to return at later date. Rubin “Hurricane” Carter in The Hurricane (1999) And many of them regret it. JON FAVREAU BAD Rocky Marciano in Rocky Marciano (1999) I can’t lament every instance of horrible scoring in wILL SMITH boxing; that would be a full-time job. I couldn’t Muhammad Ali in Ali (2001) let judge Tony Paolillo’s card in the Juan Car- RUSSELL CROwE los Burgos-Rocky Martinez split-decision draw James J. Braddock in Cinderella Man (2005) on Jan. 19 go without comment, though. Burgos dominated the WBO junior lightweight titleholder, MARk wAHLbERG pounding his body throughout and finishing with Micky Ward in The Fighter (2010) a huge advantage in punch stats (286-193 overall). Almost everyone thought Burgos won his first title. Paolillo somehow scored it 116-112 (eight rounds to four) for Martinez. Judge John Signorile (114-114) also blew it. Together, they stole something Burgos had earned. I guess it never ends. A MONTHLY POLL OF OUR RINGTV.COM READERS.

WORSE A number of prime candidates to reach the International Boxing Hall of Fame one day are still exchanging punches in the ring or I’m no expert but I’m pretty sure doctors aren’t at least have not been defnitive about their retirements. Who is supposed to make diagnoses without examining the best of that bunch? THE RING asked readers: Who will be a patient. That’s why speculation by a Filipino remembered as the greatest fghter when their careers are neurologist that Manny Pacquiao shows early signs over? Here are the results. of Parkinson’s disease – leaving the impression that THE PERCENTAGES: he’s a damaged fighter – was outrageous. Dr. Rustico Jimenez reportedly said he noticed while watching TV PACqUIAO 43.0 that Pacquiao stuttered and his hands twitched, which MAYwEATHER 25.8 apparently could be signs of Parkinson’s. Jimenez did MARqUEz 11.1 acknowledge that he could be wrong and suggested JONES 8.9 HOPkINS 7.2 that Pacquiao undergo tests to determine the effects HOLYFIELD 3.6 of so many ring wars. That’s solid advice for any MOSLEY 0.4 fighter. Let’s wait until after the tests results are in before drawing any conclusions, though. NoTe: 6,195 ReAdeRS voTed iN THe poLL.

20 the ring magazine - aPriL 2013 THE ring magazinE - aPriL 2013 21 Image: THE RING Aaron Pryor (right) said fellow Hall of Famer Alexis Arguello had the best boxing skills of anyone he fought. AARON PRYOR

By: Anson Wainwright Hall of Famer, Alexis Arguello. In 1982, the rivals waged war for 14 brutal rounds before Arguello aron Pryor is considered by many to be one of succumbed to Pryor’s swarming attack in THE A the greatest fighters who ever lived. RING Magazine’s Fight of the Decade. Pryor also “The Hawk” was a reported 204-16 as an won the rematch in 1983, this time in 10 rounds. amateur and narrowly missed fighting for the U.S. He vacated the WBA title before winning the in the 1976 Olympics. As a pro, between 1976 and inaugural IBF championship in 1984 and made 1990, he is fondly remembered as a marauding one successful defense. He retired in 1985 but punching machine who drew comparisons to the two years later returned to suffer his only loss, a legendary Henry Armstrong. seventh-round TKO against Bobby Joe Young in Pryor (39-1, 35 knockouts) won the WBA junior 1987. He retired for good in 1990 after beating welterweight title in 1980 by knocking out fellow three journeymen. Hall of Famer Antonio Cervantes in four rounds. Today, Pryor, 57, is a regular attendee at the He held the title until 1983, making eight successful International Boxing Hall of Fame’s induction defenses. He beat a number of very good fighters weekends. He graciously spoke with THE RING but he is defined by his two fights against another about the best he faced in 10 categories:

22 the ring magazine - aPriL 2013 BEST OVERALL AnTOniO CERVAnTES Looking back on my career, I would like to say a guy by the name of Antonio Cervantes. Cer- vantes had 100 fights, held the championship for about 10 years (in two separate reigns) until he fought me. He knocked me down in the first round, I got back up and knocked him out. I think Cer- vantes was one of the greatest I ever fought.

BEST BOXER Rivals Alexis ALEXiS ARguELLO Arguello (left) and Aaron Pryor He boxed and he punched with me shared great in (the frst) fght and a lot of peo- moments in the ring and a RING ple didn’t see what he was doing. It cover. was a great fght; it went 14 rounds Image: THE RING and he got stopped in the 14th, but up until then it was anyone’s fght. BEST CHin national name, in the amateurs Alexis Arguello was all class. ARguELLO and as a professional. He had Well, you know who had the best lightweight hands. BEST JAB chin. I had 40 fghts and 35 were AkiO kAmEdA knockouts. I think Alexis Arguello; FASTEST FEET ARguELLO I would like to say Akio Kameda I can never take anything away from Japan. He was a good punch- from him. If you look at that fght, The person to me was Alexis Ar- er and boxer, he was left-handed, he Alexis took punches nobody else guello; he had the quickest feet I was 6-feet (tall) and he had a lot of had before. He got hit time and ever saw. heart. I wasn’t expecting to get hit time again on the chin and he by no left hand jab; he did a good shook it off and kept coming. A SmARTEST job with his jab. I liked the way he lot of guys I hit, they went down. ARguELLO boxed. I out-punched him but he Alexis in the first fight went 14 I think Alexis Arguello was the was a good boxer. rounds and then the second fght smartest fghter I fought. He was 10 rounds. Fourteen rounds taking fghting for his fourth world title; BEST dEFEnSE all the punches. He took a lot of he had won three already. I take nORmAn gOinS punishment. I respect that. nothing away from him. A guy I always remember is Nor- BEST PunCHER man Goins from Indianapolis. He STROngEST CERVAnTES was the one who was consistent. ARguELLO He was an international boxer as Antonio Cervantes from Colombia I always said if I’m going to die, an amateur. We fought in 1973 in was the best I ever took. I’m going to die right here in the Denver at the Golden Gloves. He ring cause this is what I know was one of the only guys who hit FASTEST HAndS how to do. This is what I love. I me and hurt me, and they stopped AL FORd think (Arguello) thought the same the fight. I was only 16; he was Before I became a light welter- way. The longer the fght went, the 20. He hurt me with a body shot. weight, I had about 11 fghts (at harder it got. I was shocked. I had So when I was 20 and he was 24 lightweight). There was a guy a lot of energy throwing punches we fought again in Cincinnati and named Al Ford. I was thinking but Alexis Arguello, he stayed in I knocked him out in the ninth about what he had achieved in there. It was a real hard fght for round. boxing. He already had an inter- 14 rounds.

THE ring magazinE - aPriL 2013 23 CALLING IT OFF

By: Brian Harty

ING super middleweight champ Andre Ward Rtore his shoulder while training, forcing him to cancel his Feb. 23 fight with Kelly Pavlik. Surgery to repair the injury was a success and Ward started rehab in mid-January. Ward was expected to be out up to six weeks. He could return to the ring in the fall. Meanwhile, Pavlik, who described himself as “bro- kenhearted,” initially seemed as if he would search for another challenge. Around the same time that Ward went under the knife, though, Pavlik said he wanted to leave boxing with his faculties intact and announced his retirement. (He did say he was only “95 percent” sure, however.) ...

Pavlik wasn’t alone in his mindset. Polish heavyweight Mariusz Wach admitted to Boxingscene.com that his “heart is no longer in boxing.” This coincided with Wach’s admission that banned substances were in his system when he fought Wladimir Klitschko in November, though he maintained that his coaches were to blame. ...

Mexican bantamweight star Jesus ÒChuchoÓ Cas- tillo died on Jan. 15 at the age of 68. A very popular Image: Kevork Djansezian-Bongarts-Getty Super middleweight champion Andre Ward had successful attraction at the Forum in Los Angeles during the late shoulder surgery and could fght again in the fall. 1960’s and early 70’s, Castillo’s controversial decision loss to Lionel Rose ignited a pyromaniacal riot in 1968. He was best known for a trilogy of title fghts Just a few hours into 2013, Austin Trout was arrest- against Ruben Olivares, the second of which he won ed on suspicion of public intoxication at a taco joint to capture the WBA and WBC belts in 1970. ... in Texas but was released soon afterward without being charged. Trout said he wasn’t drunk at all and was Another Mexican former champion, Isidro Perez, helping to break up a fght when offcers arrived and had been missing for months before his body was lo- he got swept up with others in the dragnet. ... cated by his sister at a morgue in Mexico City. Perez stopped Angel Rosario to win the WBO fyweight title In New York, the latest attempt to build a domestic in 1990 and defended it successfully twice. ... heavyweight attraction was announced by promoter Don Elbaum: The Great American Heavyweight Box- Wilfred Benitez, 54, was briefy hospitalized in Puerto Off (which goes by the catchy acronym “TGAHBO”). Rico for a mild stroke. Benitez was only 17 years old Eight participants, including 2004 Olympian Jason when he took the WBA junior welterweight title from Estrada, will compete over three rounds for $500,000 Antonio Cervantes in 1976 and fnished his career in in purse money, with the eventual winner to pocket 1990 with a record of 53-8-1 (31 knockouts). ... more than half of that. It begins early this year.

24 the ring magazine - aPriL 2013 COMMENTARY

Muhammad Ali and wife Lonnie represented the University of Louisville, from Ali’s hometown, during the coin fip for the Sugar Bowl. Image: Kevin C. Cox-Getty ‘THE GREATEST’ SPEAKS FOR HIMSELF

By: Brian Harty soften the reality of Ali’s condition. A few months ago a Luis Vuitton ad campaign featured what appeared very month there is at least one story reporting to be a highly-Photoshopped image (by Annie Li- Eon the whereabouts of Muhammad Ali. Often it’s ebowitz) of a smiling, smooth-faced Ali alongside his at a ceremony to receive an award. Sometimes vintage-gloved grandson. In December, photos from it’s a football game, or a funeral. His appearance is the WBC convention in Cancun showed a stage full always an event. of boxing luminaries surrounding a bewildered-look- There also is always someone there to tell us what’s ing Ali, red cape draped on his shoulders and Burger inside Ali’s mind. In January the event was Ali’s 71st King-style crown perched on his head. He had just birthday, and the interpreter was Gene Kilroy. been named the “King of Boxing.” I forwarded one of “It was good to see him in great spirits and looking those photos to THE RING Editor Michael Rosenthal so good,” Kilroy told The Associated Press. “He’s very and he agreed: Ali looked foolish. comfortable in his Parkinson’s body. As he said many Everyone meant well, surely. We’ve reached the times, it could be worse.” point with Ali where he has become like an ailing Two things to be absolutely clear about: I don’t parent. We feel the need to book that plane ticket for know Muhammad Ali at all and few people are more a visit. We do these things while he can still see, as if devoted than Kilroy, who has been steadfastly at Ali’s to make sure that he is proud of us. That we made side as both business manager and friend since the something of ourselves through what he gave us. To 1960 Olympics. He would never intentionally mis- let him know that he changed us, did a good job rais- represent the man. Still, I feel confident going out ing us, made a difference. We don’t want him to go on a limb by saying that Muhammad Ali – who was without knowing that. known throughout the world as “The Greatest” for But in everyone’s rush to hang one more medal around the prowess of his body, the stature of his spirit and his neck, the people around Ali should do more to pre- the volume of his voice – is not at all comfortable in vent him from becoming a tool for our purposes, wheth- his Parkinson’s body. Bearing his fate with charac- er it’s to sell handbags or to make ourselves feel better. teristic grace and defance, yes, but I doubt that he’s We should not forget who he is. He is a fghter. He did comfortable with it. And we shouldn’t be, either. those things. He changed the world. He doesn’t need us There have been many attempts in the past year to to speak for him.

THE ring magazinE - aPriL 2013 25 card girl of the month by heather Shanholtz

26 THE ring magazinE - april 2013 DANIELLA DIOR Dave Alan Image:

HEIGHT: 5-foot-5 WEIGHT: 118 pounds MEASUREMENTS: 34-23-34 STANCE: Orthodox FAVORITE BOXER: Muhammad Ali HOMETOWN: Cleveland CURRENT LOCATION: Cleveland WHERE YOU’VE SEEN HER: Playboy.com Cyber Girl BOOKING INFO: www.DaniellaDior.com

THE RING MAGAZINE - APRIL 2013 27 DANIELLA DIOR Dave Alan Image: 28 THE RING MAGAZINE - APRIL 2013 Dave Alan Image:

THE RING CARD GIRL OF THE MONTH BY: HEATHER SHANHOLTZ

WWW.HEATHERSHANHOLTZ.COM | WWW.TWITTER.COM/HSHANHOLTZ | WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/MODELHEATHER DO YOU WANT TO BE A RING CARD GIRL OF THE MONTH? submit photos and bio to [email protected] THE RING MAGAZINE - APRIL 2013 29 fighter of the month | ratings analysis | pound-for-pound | the ring ratings

Image: Naoki Fukuda mikey garcia (left) easily passed the biggest test of his career, defeating orlando salido on Jan. 19. fighter of the month: MIKEY GARCIA

By: michael rosenthal the biggest punches. And he had a round before settling for an eighth- track record: Most recently, his two round technical decision because of ll talented young fight- knockouts of Juan Manuel Lopez a broken nose, the result of a head Aers need a legitimate test to propelled him to the top of THE butt. prove they are more sub- RING’s featherweight ratings. In the process, Garcia won the stance than potential. Mikey Gar- Thus, we were destined to learn RING featherweight championship cia’s test came on Jan. 19 at Madi- exactly what Garcia is made of. and the respect of both experts and son Square Garden in New York. And we were impressed. fans who now know that he is the Orlando Salido isn’t a great tech- Garcia (31-0, 26 knockouts) real deal. nician and might have some wear dominated his baffed elder with a Of course, one important victory and tear on his body but the rug- lethal combination of skill, power shouldn’t propel anyone into the ged Mexican had proved to be an and composure beyond his 25 pound-for-pound stratosphere. Gar- elite fghter, one with a swarming years. The Mexican-American put cia has more to prove. At the same style that overwhelms opponents Salido (39-12-2, 27 KOs) down a time, we might look back on Jan. 19 and a chin seemingly immune to stunning four times and won every as the day a star was born.

30 the ring magazine - aPriL 2013 For period ending JAn. 21, 2013

POUND FOR POUND: No change.

HEAVYWEIGHTS: No change.

CRUISERWEIGHTS: No change.

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS: Undefeated Russian Sergei Kovalev (unrated last month) dominated and de- moralized Gabriel Campillo (No. 3 last month) en route to a third- round stoppage. With the win, Kovalev stormed into the ratings at No. 5 while Campillo plum- meted to No. 9.

SUPER MIDDLEWEIGHTS: No change.

MIDDLEWEIGHTS: No change.

JUNIOR MIDDLEWEIGHTS: No change. Image: Toru Yamanaka-AFP-Getty Kohei Kono (right) entered the junior bantamweight ratings at No. 6 after his stunning WELTERWEIGHTS: No change. fourth-round knockout of Tepparith Singwancha.

JUNIOR WELTERWEIGHTS: moved into the No. 1 position, Kohei Kono, whose fourth-round No change. Daniel Ponce de Leon landed at stoppage landed him at No. 6 in No. 2 and everyone else from Billy the ratings. LIGHTWEIGHTS: No change. Dib downward moved up a notch. Undefeated Dominican Javier For- FLYWEIGHTS: No change. JUNIOR LIGHTWEIGHTS: Roman tuna took the No. 10 spot. Martinez (No. 3 last month) fought JUNIOR FLYWEIGHTS: Japanese to a draw -- on the scorecards, any- JUNIOR FEATHERWEIGHTS: Rico upstart Kazuto Ioka (No. 1 way -- against Juan Carlos Burgos Ramos (No. 4 last month) was strawweight last month) left the (No. 7 at the time). Martinez fell a dropped from the ratings after los- 105-pound division and arrived at notch to No. 4 and Burgos rose to ing a unanimous decision to pros- No. 5 with a title-winning knock- No. 5. Former Jorge Linares-slash- pect Ronny Rios in a featherweight out of Jose Alfredo Rodriguez (un- er Sergio Thompson took over the bout. Victor Terrazas, whose recent rated). No. 10 spot from Bryan Vazquez conquests have included Nehomar after a fifth-round knockout of Cermeno and Fernando Montiel, STRAWWEIGHTS: Passing Ioka on Moises Castro (unrated). moved in at No. 10. the opposite escalator, Ryo Mi- yazaki (No. 7 junior flyweight FEATHERWEIGHTS: Mikey Garcia BANTAMWEIGHTS: No change. last month) left the 108-pound (No. 3 last month) became RING division for strawweight and won champion, getting there by way JUNIOR BANTAMWEIGHTS: No. a majority decision against rug- of a shellacking that ended in a 3-rated Yota Sato moved up to No. ged Thai fghter Pornsawan Por- whimper. He routed No. 1-rated 2 after scoring a unanimous deci- pramook (unrated). Ioka’s depar- Orlando Salido for eight rounds, sion over countryman Ryo Akaho ture moved Moises Fuentes into dropping him four times, but was (No. 7 last month), who dropped the No. 1 spot and everyone else unable to continue after a head to No. 8. The previous No. 2, Thai through Akira Yaegashi (No. 8 last butt broke his nose. Salido fell to fghter Tepparith Singwancha, was month) up a notch. Miyazaki en- No. 3 after the loss. Chris John upset by unrated Japanese spoiler tered at No. 8.

THE ring magazinE - aPriL 2013 31 AS OF JAN. 21, 2013 FOR WEEKLY UPDATED RING RATINGS, GO TO RINGTV.COM

Sergei Kovalev of Russia opened some eyes with his convincing victory over Gabriel Campillo. Image: Emily Harney

SCAN THIS QR CODE FOR UPDATED RATINGS AT RINGTV.COM.

HEAVYWEIGHTS CRUISERWEIGHTS LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS SUPER MIDDLEWEIGHTS WEIGHT UNLIMITED WEIGHT LIMIT: 200 LBS WEIGHT LIMIT: 175 LBS WEIGHT LIMIT: 168 LBS

32 THE RING MAGAZINE - APRIL 2013 MIDDLEWEIGHTS JR. MIDDLEWEIGHTS WELTERWEIGHTS JR. WELTERWEIGHTS WEIGHT LIMIT: 160 LBS WEIGHT LIMIT: 154 LBS WEIGHT LIMIT: 147 LBS WEIGHT LIMIT: 140 LBS

LIGHTWEIGHTS JR. LIGHTWEIGHTS FEATHERWEIGHTS JR. FEATHERWEIGHTS WEIGHT LIMIT: 135 LBS WEIGHT LIMIT: 130 LBS WEIGHT LIMIT: 126 LBS WEIGHT LIMIT: 122 LBS

HOW OUR RATINGS ARE COMPILED

Championship vacancies can be f lled in the following two ways: for 18 months (even if he f ghts at another weight); 5. The Cham- 1. THE RING’s Nos. 1 and 2 contenders f ght one another; 2. If the pion does not schedule a f ght with a Top-5 contender from any Nos. 1 and 2 contenders chose not to f ght one another and either weight class for two years; 6. The Champion retires. of them f ghts No. 3, No. 4 or No. 5, the winner may be awarded THE RING Ratings Chairman Chuck Giampa considers input THE RING belt if the Editorial Board deems the contenders worthy. from the Ratings Panel of boxing journalists from around the world A champion can lose his belt in six situations: 1. The Cham- but has f nal say on all changes. That applies to both the pound- pion loses a f ght in the weight class in which he is champion; 2. for-pound and divisional ratings. The Champion moves to another weight class; 3. The Champion does not schedule a f ght in any weight class for 18 months; 4. The Records provided by boxrec.com Champion does not schedule a f ght at his championship weight

THE RING MAGAZINE - APRIL 2013 33 BANTAMWEIGHTS JR. BANTAMWEIGHTS FLYWEIGHTS JR. FLYWEIGHTS WEIGHT LIMIT: 118 LBS WEIGHT LIMIT: 115 LBS WEIGHT LIMIT: 112 LBS WEIGHT LIMIT: 108 LBS

C VACANT C VACANT C TOSHIYUKI IGARASHI C VACANT Japan | 17-1-1 (10 KOs) 1. ANSELMO MORENO 1. OMAR NARVAEZ 1. BRIAN VILORIA 1. ROMAN GONZALEZ Panama | 33-2-1 (12 KOs) Argentina | 38-1-2 (20 KOs) U.S. | 32-3-0 (19 KOs) Nicaragua | 34-0-0 (28 KOs) 2. SHINSUKE YAMANAKA 2. YOTA SATO 2. HERNAN MARQUEZ 2. DONNIE NIETES Japan | 23-0-1 (13 KOs) Japan | 26-2-1 (12 KOs) Mexico | 34-3-0 (25 KOs) Philippines | 31-1-3 (17 KOs) 3. LEO SANTA CRUZ 3. SURIYAN SOR RUNGVISAI 3. MORUTI MTHALANE 3. ADRIAN HERNANDEZ Mexico | 23-0-1 (13 KOs) Thailand | 23-5-1 (9 KOs) S. Africa | 29-2-0 (20 KOs) Mexico | 26-2-1 (16 KOs) 4. KOKI KAMEDA 4. JUAN CARLOS SANCHEZ JR. 4. SONNY BOY JARO 4. ULISES SOLIS Japan | 29-1-0 (17 KOs) Mexico | 15-1-1 (8 KOs) Philippines | 34-11-5 (24 KOs) Mexico | 35-2-3 (22 KOs) 5. MALCOLM TUNACAO 5. CARLOS CUADRAS 5. MILAN MELINDO 5. KAZUTO IOKA Philippines | 32-2-3 (20 KOs) Mexico | 27-0-0 (22 KOs) Philippines | 28-0-0 (11 KOs) Japan | 11-0-0 (7 KOs) 6. HUGO RUIZ 6. KOHEI KONO 6. ROCKY FUENTES 6. MASAYUKI KURODA Mexico | 31-2-0 (28 KOs) Japan | 28-7-0 (11 KOs) Philippines | 35-6-2 (20 KOs) Japan | 21-3-2 (13 KOs) 7. PUNGLUANG SOR SINGYU 7. TEPPARITH SINGWANCHA 7. JUAN CARLOS REVECO 7. KOMPAYAK PORPRAMOOK Thailand | 43-1-0 (28 KOs) Thailand | 21-3-0 (13 KOs) Argentina | 29-1-0 (16 KOs) Thailand | 48-4-0 (33 KOs) 8. JULIO CEJA 8. RYO AKAHO 8. EDGAR SOSA 8. JOHNRIEL CASIMERO Mexico | 23-0-0 (21 KOs) Japan | 19-1-2 (12 KOs) Mexico | 47-7-0 (28 KOs) Philippines | 17-2-0 (10 KOs) 9. RYOSUKE IWASA 9. RODEL MAYOL 9. LUIS CONCEPCION 9. RYOICHI TAGUCHI Japan | 13-1-0 (9 KOs) Philippines | 31-6-2 (22 KOs) Panama | 27-3-0 (20 KOs) Japan | 17-1-1 (8 KOs) 10. JAMIE MCDONNELL 10. OLEYDONG SITHSAMERCHAI 10. FROILAN SALUDAR 10. ALBERTO ROSSEL UK | 20-2-1 (9 KOs) Thailand | 45-1-1 (16 KOs) Philippines | 16-0-1 (11 KOs) Peru | 29-8-0 (13 KOs)

STRAWWEIGHTS WEIGHT LIMIT: 105 LBS

10. ROBERT GUERRERO Image: Jeff Bottari-Getty U.S. | 31-1-1 (18 KOs) | WELTERWEIGHT Sergio Martinez is scheduled to f ght Martin Murray on April 27 in Buenos Aires.

THE RING POLICY ON RATED BOXERS WHO TEST tests positive and he waives his right to have the “B” sample tested then the POSITIVE FOR PERFORMANCE-ENHANCING DRUGS boxer shall immediately be removed from the ratings. A boxer whose “A” sample tested positive and is awaiting the results of his THE RING will remove from its ratings any rated boxer — including a cham- “B” sample will not be allowed to f ght for a championship or rise in the ratings. pion — if such boxer at some point undergoes drug testing (Olympic-style or A boxer who is removed because of a positive test will have the opportunity otherwise) and that boxer tests positive for a performance-enhancing drug. to earn his way back into the ratings after any suspension period is completed. In the event that a boxer has undergone testing in which the boxer A boxer who is dropped also may be reinstated if the testing agency provides two samples (“A” and “B”) and the boxer’s “A” and subsequent “B” subsequently reverses its decision or a court of competent jurisdiction f nds samples test positive for a performance-enhancing drug or if his “A” sample that the test result was invalid. 34 THE RING MAGAZINE - APRIL 2013 RATED FIGHTERS BY COUNTRY

MEXICO 29* RUSSIA UNITED STATES 26* UNITED KINGDOM 17 UNITED KINGDOM POLAND JAPAN 16 UKRAINE KAZAKHSTAN CANADA GERMANY RUSSIA 12 ARMENIA JAPAN

PHILIPPINES 11 UNITED STATES CUBA DOMINICAN REPUBLIC PUERTO RICO THAILAND 6 MEXICO PHILIPPINES ARGENTINA 5 THAILAND NICARAGUA CUBA 5 PANAMA INDONESIA GERMANY 5 SOUTH AFRICA 5 AUSTRAILIA SOUTH AFRICA POLAND 4 ARGENTINA DOMINICAN REPUBLIC 3 PANAMA 3 30 OR MORE 20 - 29 10 - 19 5 - 9 2 - 4 PUERTO RICO 3 UKRAINE 3 ARMENIA 2 YOUNG VS. OLD AUSTRALIA 2 Boxing might be a young man’s sport, one that can wear a CANADA 2 body down in a relatively short time. But that doesn’t mean f ghters who are 30 and older can’t continue to f nd success, INDONESIA 2 particularly in the heavier weight classes. Our ratings are KAZAKHSTAN 2 evidence of that. Those in their 20s comprise 54.7 percent of rated f ghters compared to a solid 45.3 for those 30-plus. Here NICARAGUA 2 is a division-by-division breakdown. We drew the age line at BULGARIA 1 Jan. 21, the cutoff date for this month’s ratings. CAMEROON 1 DIVISION 20s 30s-PLUS Image: Alexander Hassenstein-Bongarts-Getty DENMARK 1 HEAVYWEIGHTS 3 8 FINLAND 1 CRUISERWEIGHTS 5 6 PACKING PUNCH FRANCE 1 LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS 5 6 Which division is the pound-for-pound king in terms of punching power? The big boys, hands down. Here are JAMAICA 1 SUPER MIDDLEWEIGHTS 4 7 the combined knockout ratios of the 10 or 11 f ghters MALAWI 1 MIDDLEWEIGHTS 4 7 rated by THE RING in each of the 17 divisions, in order of JUNIOR MIDDLEWEIGHTS 7 3 highest ratio (knockouts divided by number of f ghts). NIGERIA 1 WELTERWEIGHTS 5 5 PERU 1 DIVISION KO RATIO (%) JUNIOR WELTERWEIGHTS 5 6 HEAVYWEIGHT 73.1 ROMANIA 1 LIGHTWEIGHTS 7 3 FEATHERWEIGHT 66.4 SLOVENIA 1 JUNIOR LIGHTWEIGHTS 6 4 SUPER MIDDLEWEIGHT 65.8 SPAIN 1 FEATHERWEIGHTS 6 5 CRUISERWEIGHT 62.3 UGANDA 1 JUNIOR FEATHERWEIGHTS 5 6 JUNIOR MIDDLEWEIGHT 61.7 BANTAMWEIGHTS 8 2 UZBEKISTAN 1 MIDDLEWEIGHT 59.8 JUNIOR BANTAMWEIGHTS 7 3 BANTAMWEIGHT 59.7 FLYWEIGHTS 7 4 JUNIOR WELTERWEIGHT 57.9 JUNIOR FLYWEIGHTS 6 4 LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT 57.5 STRAWWEIGHTS 8 2 *Includes two ratings for Floyd JUNIOR FLYWEIGHT 55.3 Mayweather Jr. (junior middleweight, TOTALS 98 81 JUNIOR LIGHTWEIGHT 55.2 welterweight) and Juan Manuel WELTERWEIGHT 55.0 Marquez (welterweight and junior Note: Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Juan Manuel Marquez are FLYWEIGHT 54.5 welterweight). counted twice because they are rated in two divisions. JUNIOR FEATHERWEIGHT 54.4 LIGHTWEIGHT 53.8 NOTE: The country of f ghters who have spent large portions of their lives in two countries was determined STRAWWEIGHT 49.0 primarily by where they spent the bulk of their childhood. JUNIOR BANTAMWEIGHT 46.8

THE RING MAGAZINE - APRIL 2013 35 NOTE: THESE LISTS WERE COMPILED THROUGH FIGHTS AS OF JAN. 21, 2013

THE RING staff members’ current champions in the original eight weight classes. Our guest this month is Tim Smith, a sports columnist with the New York Daily News and a contributor to THE RING.

MICHAEL ROSENTHAL RING MAGAZINE EDITOR

HEAVYWEIGHT: WLADIMIR KLITSCHKO LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT: ANDRE WARD MIDDLEWEIGHT: SERGIO MARTINEZ WELTERWEIGHT: FLOYD MAYWEATHER JR. LIGHTWEIGHT: ADRIEN BRONER FEATHERWEIGHT: NONITO DONAIRE BANTAMWEIGHT: ANSELMO MORENO FLYWEIGHT: BRIAN VILORIA

DOUG FISCHER RINGTV.COM EDITOR

LEM SATTERFIELD STAFF WRITER

TIM SMITH NEWSPAPER COLUMNIST

HEAVYWEIGHT: VITALI KLITSCHKO LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT: ANDRE WARD MIDDLEWEIGHT: SERGIO MARTINEZ WELTERWEIGHT: FLOYD MAYWEATHER JR. LIGHTWEIGHT: ADRIEN BRONER FEATHERWEIGHT: NONITO DONAIRE BANTAMWEIGHT: LEO SANTA CRUZ FLYWEIGHT: BRIAN VILORIA

Note: This is how the weights break down: Heavy- weight includes cruiserweight, light heavyweight in- Image: Patrik Stollarz-AFP-Getty cludes super middleweight, all divisions middleweight Wladimir Klitschko is universally accepted as the best heavyweight in the world, through f yweight include the “junior” versions, and as his belts might suggest. f yweight also includes strawweight.

36 THE RING MAGAZINE - APRIL 2013

feature Image: Matt Rourke-Associated Press

DESERTS BERNARD HOPKINS ONCE WAS OVERSHADOWED BY OTHERS BUT HAS OUTLASTED HIS RIVALS TO CLAIM BIG PAYDAYS AND UNIVERSAL RESPECT

By: Bernard Fernandez

38 the ring magazine - aPriL 2013 Images: Tim Larsen-Associated Press and THE RING Bernard Hopkins (above right) has made a habit of beating up younger men, including Kelly Pavlik. Hopkins is pictured below in 1998 with his IBF middleweight belt, which he successfully defended a record 20 times.

ore so than most, Glen John- AFTER 40 Mson understands what it is that spurs Bernard Hopkins Notable 40-something f ghters (including to keep on keeping on at an age number of f ghts and both overall and when most boxers are long since re- title-f ght records after turning 40): tired and, if they’re fortunate, bask- ing in the glory of what used to be. 49: Archie Moore (43-4-2, 8-2) Johnson not only was 43 in his 44: Ray Robinson (30-10-3*, 0-0) most-recent bout but he faced 25: Roberto Duran (18-7-0, 0-1) Hopkins on one of the very best 24: Larry Holmes (21-3-0, 0-2) nights of Hopkins’ Hall of Fame- 20: George Foreman (17-3-0, 2-2) worthy career, B-Hop retaining his 17: Jack Johnson (12-5-0, 0-0) IBF middleweight title by an 11th- 12: Bernard Hopkins (7-4-1, 4-4-1) round stoppage on July 20, 1997, 11: Bob Fitzsimmons (6-3-1*, 1-1) in Indio, Calif. Johnson went into the gym together to the benef t of 10: Willie Pep (9-1-0, 0-0) that fight with a record of 32-0 each. 9: Evander Holyf eld (4-5, 0-3) (with 23 knockouts) and a mis- “After me and Glen fought, I 9: Glen Johnson (3-6, 0-3) placed belief that no 160-pounder worked with him many times,” said then on the planet could handle Hopkins (52-6-2, 32 KOs), who, at Note: Moore’s year of birth is disputed. him so convincingly. 48, challenges IBF light heavyweight His mother said he was born in 1913, the In the years after that f ght, John- champion Tavoris Cloud (24-0, 19 year we used here. He claimed he was son and Hopkins became friends KOs) on March 9 at Barclays Cen- born in 1916. and colleagues of sorts. Whenever ter in Brooklyn, N.Y. “We got each the Philadelphian would train in other in shape. I’m not going to say * Robinson and Fitzsimmons had one Miami, where Johnson, a Jamaican, he was my sparring partner; he was no-contest each after turning 40. was residing, they’d spend time in my helper. Glen held a construc-

THE RING MAGAZINE - APRIL 2013 39 HOPKINS BY AGE 23 Record: 0-1 Loses pro debut to Clinton Mitchell by majority decision

Hopkins, 48, has celebrated many birthdays 25 during his remarkable career. Record: 8-0 (6 KOs) Image: Alex Brandon-Associated Press Begins eye-catching steak of 22 tion job for a long time. He knows what it’s himself?” said Hopkins, who hopes to replace consecutive victories like when other guys, guys who might not himself as the oldest man to win a widely be any more deserving than you, are getting recognized world championship. He was 46 multimillion-dollar purses – which they de- when he wrested the WBC 175-pound title 26 served – and you’re, like, `When am I gonna from Jean Pascal by a unanimous decision on get mine?’” May 21, 2011, in Montreal, 192 days older Record: 7-0 (6 KOs) Fights in Las Vegas for Johnson, known as the “Road Warrior” for than George Foreman was when Big George f rst time, on Tyson- his willingness to take on anyone at any time, knocked out Michael Moorer to win the Ruddock card even in the other f ghter’s back yard, said the heavyweight title for the second time. memory of short purses and little recognition “I don’t think there will be another dupli- keeps Hopkins in the f ght game now that he cate of Bernard Hopkins in boxing, some- 27 is a handsomely-paid living legend. body who will make 20 defenses in the same “Bernard has to feel it’s time, and I don’t weight class (which Hopkins did as a middle- Record: 6-0 (4 KOs) KOs Wayne Powell in 21 think he believes it’s time yet,” Johnson said weight) or win a world championship at 46. seconds to win USBA when asked when Hopkins might decide to Fighters today jump around from one weight middleweight title hang up the gloves. “You have to remember, class to another. Some f ght into their 40s, but for a big part of his career Bernard was ig- usually not as champions or championship nored. He was in the shadow of Roy Jones contenders. 28 and some other guys who were more in the “You can make money at this or that, but limelight. Now, he’s finally getting his just history never goes broke. History outlasts Record: 3-1 (2 KOs) due. It’s not something he’s going to walk money. You can’t spend it all up or act like it Loses decision to Roy away from until he absolutely has to.” don’t exist. I’m going against one of the pre- Jones Jr. for vacant Hopkins, who trained for the Cloud f ght mier, if not the premier, light heavyweights IBF title at the gritty Harrowgate Boxing Club in the out there. That’s the challenge to me. It pro- Port Richmond section of Philly, said John- vides me with that itch I still need to scratch.” son’s assessment of his situation is spot on. Hopkins also has to scratch the itch to sepa- 29 He has outlasted some of the contemporaries rate himself from the two f ghters who were Record: 2-0-1 (1 KOs) who once overshadowed him, and he is con- reaping the fat paydays and glory when he Draws with Segundo vinced that history will treat him more kindly was toiling in relative obscurity in the 1990s, Mercado for vacant than them if he, well, keeps on making it. Roy Jones Jr. and James Toney. IBF title “Who else in history competes only against “Roy Jones and James Toney were the 30 31 32 33 34 35 Record: 1-0 (1 KO) Record: 3-0 (3 KOs) Record: 3-0 (2 KOs) Record: 1-0 Record: 2-0 (1 KO) Record: 2-0 (1 KO) KOs Mercado in Makes f rst three of KOs then-unbeaten (1 KO and 1 NC) KOs Robert Allen in KOs Antwun Echols rematch to win division-record 20 Glen Johnson in 11 Pushed through rematch of no-contest in spite of dislocated vacant IBF title successful defenses rounds ropes by Mills Lane f ght shoulder in no-contest

40 THE RING MAGAZINE - APRIL 2013 48 One of the great moments of Hopkins’ career was his victory Record: 0-0 over Jean Pascal in 2011, Scheduled to fght which made him the oldest IBF titleholder Tavoris fghter ever to win a major title. Cloud on March 9 Image: AFP-Getty 47 Record: 0-1 (0 KOs) Loses majority decision and RING title to Chad Dawson 46 Record: 1-0 (0 KOs and 1 no-contest) Becomes oldest world champ ever by outpointing Pascal 45 Record: 1-0-1 (0 KOs) Draws with Jean Pascal for WBC title after outpointing Roy Jones Jr. 44 Record: 1-0 (0 KOs) Nearly shuts out overmatched Enrique Ornelas 43 Record: 1-1 (0 KOs) Loses close nod to Joe Calzaghe, then dominates Kelly Pavlik 42 Record: 1-0 (0 KOs) Ends Winky Wright’s unbeaten streak at seven years 36 37 38 39 40 41 Record: 2-0 (1 KO) Record: 1-0 (1 KO) Record: 2-0 (1 KO) Record: 2-0 (1 KO) Record: 1-2 (0 KOs) Record: 1-0 (0 KOs) KOs Felix Trinidad to Dominates and KOs Lands division-record KOs the biggest star Loses consecutive Outpoints Antonio win RING belt and Carl Daniels in only 375 power shots vs. in the sport, Oscar controversial decisions Tarver to win RING unify titles fght of year William Joppy De La Hoya to Jermain Taylor light heavyweight title

THE ring magazinE - aPriL 2013 41 “You can make money at this or that, but history never goes broke. History outlasts money. You can’t spend it all up or act like it don’t exist. I’m going against one of the premier, if not the premier, light heavyweights out there. That’s the challenge to me. It provides me with that itch I still need to scratch.” — Bernard Hopkins

guys,” he recalled. “They were get- very best of Hopkins. But even B- when not in training. “It’s a tribute ting the big money and HBO dates Hop’s most persistent critics would to how well he takes care of him- when I was making title defenses be obliged to admit that Hopkins’ self, takes care of his body. That’s off-TV for, like, $50,000. What Glen longevity at a world-class level sur- the difference between Bernard and is saying now is 100 percent accu- passes that of Jones, who, although f ghters who use alcohol and drugs, rate. I call it workman’s comp. Any still active at 43 is a shadow of his who smoke, who eat too much food blue-collar worker knows what that onetime luminescence, and Toney, and the wrong kind of food. You do is. When people say, `Count your 44, whose brilliance inside the ropes any of that and you have your body money, you got enough, you should was blunted by his lack of personal f ghting against itself. It’s especially leave,’ I think about the times that I discipline outside them. Toney’s important when you’re an older fought – and I’m not crying about it mother operated a bakery in Michi- athlete like Bernard. Then again, or blaming anybody – and didn’t get gan, and it must have seemed that he’s never really done any wrong what I felt I deserved. her son was her best customer as things as far as taking care of him- “Yeah, I finally got there. But I over time his off cial weight soared self, has he?” was held back for so long by box- from 157 pounds to 257. Con- But treating your body as a holy ing politics or whatever, because I trast that with Hopkins, who likes shrine can’t indefinitely postpone refused to do what this guy or that to brag that he never had eaten the aging process, and Johnson sees guy told me to do when they tried a cookie or a slice of cake for 20 subtle signs that Hopkins, who has to run my life and my career.” years, a claim that those who know dropped hints that he might contin- There are those – hey, you know him well swear isn’t just hot air. ue f ghting to the absurd age of 50, who you are – who will insist that “It’s remarkable,” Johnson said has lost that proverbial step. Still, the very best of Jones and the very of Hopkins’ fanatical dedication B-Hop’s mental dexterity at least best of Toney was better than the to staying in peak condition, even partially compensates for whatever

42 THE RING MAGAZINE - APRIL 2013 Hopkins will be facing another daunting challenge in Tavoris Cloud, who is 17 years younger than The Executioner. Images: Hoganphotos and Timothy A. Clary-AFP-Getty

physical attributes he has yielded to will stand the test of time. If you’re Father Time. CLOUD vs. HOPKINS holding all these records, it becomes “The part of Bernard that is still WHAT: 12 rounds for Cloud’s IBF more and more difficult to trump at its best is his mind,” Johnson light heavyweight title your own achievements. said. “He has a great boxing mind. WHEN: March 9 “When we were able to reach an When I fought him he was much WHERE: Barclays Center, agreement with the IBF champion, sharper, much quicker, much stron- Brooklyn, N.Y. Tavoris Cloud, it was exactly the ger physically. He was a youthful TV: HBO kind of challenge that Bernard was man, and I wasn’t as seasoned and looking for.” as ready for that f ght as I thought light heavyweight title. The task Hopkins joked that he would have I was. I was still learning when I then fell to Golden Boy CEO Rich- preferred one of the two other al- fought Bernard. ard Schaefer to determine if there phabet light heavyweight titlehold- “But even now, after all this time, was another bout out there that ers, Wales’ Nathan Cleverly (25-0, Bernard’s mind is still sharp. He would suff ciently pique Hopkins’ 12 KOs), the WBO champion, or knows what he wants to do and he interest. Kazakhstan’s Beibut Shumenov knows his limitations. He knows “Bernard told me after the Daw- (13-1, 8 KOs), the WBA titlist, to how to get what he wants, when he son fight that the only reason he the 31-year-old Cloud. wants it.” would come back would be if there “I wanted the youngest guy out of Hopkins admits to giving some was something to further cement the bunch, but I wound up getting thought to retirement after his last his legacy, something that was his- the oldest,” cracked Hopkins. “But fight, a majority-decision loss to torically important,” Schaefer said. Cloud is a hard worker, determined, Chad Dawson on April 28 of this “Bernard’s entire career has been strong mentally and physically. He past year, which cost him his WBC built on putting together events that reminds me of (past Hopkins oppo-

THE RING MAGAZINE - APRIL 2013 43 nents) Antwun Echols and Robert Allen – muscular, good puncher, a knock-down, drag-out type. He’s going to press me, try to wear me down, try to overpower me. I normally pick those guys apart.” Johnson sees Cloud as just the kind of f ghter that Hopkins, at 48, should do very well against. “The one thing Tavoris Cloud has problems with is movement,” he said. “In my opinion, the last guy he fought [Gabriel Campillo, whom Cloud Image: Matt Rourke-Associated Press beat by a split decision last Feb. 18] Hopkins has always been at home in front of a microphone or tape recorder. beat him with movement. If the guy had been a stronger puncher, Cloud have handed to (Trinidad) right other Philly f ghter and member of might have found himself on the away if he had won. Golden Boy’s stable, 24-year-old floor. Fortunately for Cloud, they “So now this f ght comes along. Danny Garcia, had knocked out ag- gave him the decision. Cloud believes he is the best, that he ing Mexican icon Erik Morales on “Bernard, I don’t think, is as fast can beat anybody. I’m not surprised Oct. 20. as (Campillo), but he’s a master he took the fight. I am surprised “Now that’s the way you put boxer. He moves extremely well for King agreed to it because Cloud a legend into retirement,” Hop- his age. He’s going to pick, pick, losing to me will shut down what’s kins said of Garcia. “When you’re pick his shots, and I think he’s go- left of King’s operation. He’s pretty a young champion, you’re sup- ing to be successful.” much down to Cloud and Devon posed to make a statement just the There’s also the matter of addi- Alexander. way Danny did. I’m 47 years old. tional motivation, another log to “Cloud is Don King’s last big If some young guy slayed me the toss onto the f re that forever burns hope. Who would have thought way Danny slayed Morales, maybe within Hopkins. Cloud is promoted I would have stayed around long I wouldn’t still be out there in the by Don King, who used to promote enough to destroy Don King? I mix.” B-Hop and who is still a target of started the process with Tito. Look, Will Cloud be the man who f nally Hopkins’ ire. On the night of what I made a history of beating Don slays B-Hop? Or will he simply be many consider to be Hopkins’ great- King fighters. Robert Allen, John the agent of inevitability represent- est victory, his 12th-round stoppage David Jackson, William Joppy, ing the natural laws of diminishing of the undefeated and favored Fe- Keith Holmes, Trinidad. That’s f ve returns? lix Trinidad for the fully unified so far. There’s probably more.” “Tavoris Cloud is going to want middleweight championship on Of course, there is no guaran- to do something to me that no- Sept. 29, 2011, at Madison Square tee that Hopkins will do what he body’s done before,” Hopkins said. Garden, King – who also promoted expects to do. Another loss prob- “I’m a basketball fan. I remember Trinidad – had waved a small Puer- ably would mean a forced end to a Allen Iverson doing a crossover to Rican f ag and loudly proclaimed, nearly 25-year professional run that on Michael Jordan in Washington, “Viva Puerto Rico!” It was a ritual even Hopkins admits is at a “one- when Jordan was in his f nal season King had been performing since the and-done” stage. It seems reason- with the Wizards. Michael Jordan, matchup was announced. able to assume that someday Hop- I’m sure, had to know that when “He was my promoter, too, and kins will go to the well once too AI did that and left him stuck in ce- it was obvious he wanted the other often and f nd that it has run dry. ment, it probably was time to go. guy to win,” Hopkins recalled. “The The question is whether or not that “At some point, you realize there’s Sugar Ray Robinson Award was to day is March 9. nothing left to prove anymore. Once go to the winner, and they had al- Hopkins, who never has lost in- I reach that point, or lose the desire ready engraved it with Tito’s name! side the distance, gave a clue as to to push myself the way I always I had to wait almost a week to be what it might take to permanently have, I’ll know it’s time to get out. presented something they would exile him from the ring after an- Believe me, I’ll know.”

44 THE RING MAGAZINE - APRIL 2013 feature MOMENTOUS MONTH JOHNATHON BANKS ENDURED THE DEATH OF MENTOR EMANUEL STEWARD, WORKED WLADIMIR KLITSCHKO’S CORNER IN STEWARD’S PLACE AND UPSET SETH MITCHELL ALL WITHIN A FEW UNFORGETTABLE WEEKS

By: Norm Frauenheim

Image: Naoki Fukuda he timeline from Jack training for a Mitchell rematch for Wladimir and brother Vitali’s Johnson to Wladimir on Feb. 16 in Atlantic City. “I al- promotional company, K2. Klitschko includes ways will. His voice has always “Emanuel was great at telling Joe Louis, Muham- been there for me. That won’t stories and relating his experi- T mad Ali, Mike Tyson, change.” ences in boxing to the fighters,” Evander Holyfield’s Perhaps that’s why Banks, Loeffler said. “The one thing I ear and layer-upon-layer of leg- Klitschko’s primary sparring part- think Johnathon does share with end, lore, film, fiction and fraud. ner since 2004, knew almost by Emanuel is his ability to break What’s left to say? Plenty, it turns instinct how to deal with a col- down an opponent and create a out. lective force of events that trans- strategy. That’s what he picked Just when heavyweights begin formed his life but would have up during those many years with to look like a geological dig or a irreparably swept away so many Emanuel. piece of antiquity in the German others. Distractions are a dirty “Johnathon is not as outspoken wing of a Euro museum, along word these days. They’ve become as Emanuel. At the same time, he comes Johnathon Banks with a the modern entourage. As the col- has a very calm demeanor about story that says the division still lection grows, the peril multiplies. him. I think that’s what Johna- hasn’t done it all. That’s the prevailing calculation thon has in the corner. He’s able In a month made for a movie, anyway. to give instructions without get- Banks lived what even ting too excited. Definite- Sylvester Stallone could ly a lot like Emanuel.” not have imagined in a Other than his HBO screenplay for one of work, Steward’s identity those Rocky sequels. began with Kronk and the Banks lost his trainer stars created in a gym that and father-figure Eman- started in the basement uel Steward on Oct. 25, of Detroit’s oldest recre- moved into Steward’s ation center. We began to lead role in the corner for know Steward for Thomas Klitschko’s decision over Hearns, Hilmer Kenty and Mariusz Wach on Nov. Milton McCrory. Banks is 10 in Hamburg, mourned poised to become part of Steward’s death on Nov. that legacy, although in a 13 at a funeral in Detroit way with a different di- and scored a second- mension. Image: Carlos Osorio-Associated Press round stoppage of rising The death of Banks’ mentor Emanuel Steward cast a pall over He already trains a ma- contender Seth Mitchell the good fortune that followed. jor champion – the heavy- on Nov. 17 in Atlantic weight champ, at that – in City, N.J. Yet Banks addresses them, one Klitschko, who on Nov. 28 con- Boxing has been called life in by one, with poise so often appar- firmed that Banks will continue a shot class. If it is, Banks has ent in Steward’s corner work and to be his trainer. lived its undiluted essence. Bit- ringside commentary for Home “J.B. is my coach,” a Klitschko ter, sweet, tragic and triumphant Box Office. Distractions are a text message said 18 days after were all there, 180 proof, yet it part of life. Avoiding them just the one-sided victory over Wach. was managed with the can-do might create another one. All the while, Banks emerged as calm Steward had and Banks has. “I didn’t feel like I had any dis- a heavyweight contender with his The grief experienced by Banks tractions,” Banks says. improbable victory over Mitchell, and so many others close to Stew- Believe him. a former Michigan State lineback- ard was there in October and No- Mitchell must. er who had begun to stir up hopes vember. It’s still there. The Steward-like poise evident for a revival on the vanishing “I have these conversations in Banks is in part what has made American side of the Klitschko di- with Emanuel all the time,” Banks him invaluable to Klitschko, says vision. After pulling off the upset, said in early January as he began Tom Loeffler, managing director Banks was ranked as high as No.

46 THE RING MAGAZINE - APRIL 2013 Banks put an emphatic end to the momentum Seth Mitchell had established the past few years. Image: Naoki Fukuda

3, worldwide. Before the rematch, month of dividing his days be- the race for American suprema- tween work with Klitschko and EVENTFUL PERIOD cy appeared to be down to two: preparation for Mitchell under Johnathon Banks’ life since October. Banks and Deontay Wilder. the guidance of cornerman and OCT. 25 Before Banks, there just wasn’t Steward nephew Javan “Sugar” Trainer Emanuel Steward, Johnathon an active fighter who trained Hill, Banks showed an uncanny Banks’ longtime mentor and father another fighter with a major ti- ability to deal with things as f gure, dies of diverticulitis and colon tle in his own weight class. It’s they happen. Maybe that’s just cancer in a Chicago-area hospital. akin to Tom Brady coaching the because he grew up. He’s 30. Or, Atlanta Falcons when he isn’t maybe, he had the good fortune NOV. 10 quarterbacking the New Eng- of growing up with a mentor as Banks had been working with Wladi- land Patriots. Team sports are in wise as Steward. mir Klitschko in place of the ailing a different league in terms of or- Banks was about 14 years old trainer in Austria and is in the corner ganization and possibilities. But when he first walked into Kronk. when Klitschko faces Mariusz Wach in you get the idea. It just wouldn’t He remembers himself as a restless Hamburg, Germany. Klitschko wins a happen and it didn’t, not even kid from a Detroit family that in- near-shutout decision. throughout more than a century cluded three brothers and six sisters. of boxing’s usual chaos. “One bathroom,” said Banks, NOV. 17 In hindsight, Banks probably the sixth oldest. “Getting up real Banks is an underdog against rising would prefer to have done things early for boxing has never been contender Seth Mitchell but stops the in reverse order. A career from a problem. I was ready for that. former football player in the second contender to champion and then If you didn’t get up and do your round in Atlantic City, N.J. trainer would be the conven- business, you had to wait on six tional path. Hindsight, however, girls to finish in the bathroom. FEB. 16 is a good way to get blindsided That means you waited all day, I Banks is scheduled to face Mitchell in a by a punch not seen or a distrac- mean all day.” rematch in Atlantic City. tion not addressed. Within one A crowded Banks household

THE RING MAGAZINE - APRIL 2013 47 Banks made it impossible to overlook him as a contender after his victory over Mitchell. This is the punch that ended the f ght. Image: Naoki Fukuda

BANKS VS. W. KLITSCHKO? NOT LIKELY ohnathon Banks wants to be champ and his trainer. Banks has up my plans,’” said Banks, who Ja heavyweight champion, but been asked about the possibility a began sparring with Wladimir and he doesn’t foresee a shot at the couple of times, including once dur- brother Vitali in 2004. “I said, ‘Dude, title in a f ght against the champion ing a conference call before his Feb. what you talking about?’ He said, ‘I he trains. 16 rematch with Mitchell in Atlantic wanted to f ght Mitchell.’ I said, ‘Oh, A bout against Wladimir Klitschko City, N.J. you didn’t tell me that. I’m sorry.’ in the near future looks to be as un- “That’s a question that I really, re- “We said it jokingly. But, yeah, likely as it would be awkward for ally have no clue as to the answer,” Wladimir wanted to f ght Mitchell, Banks, who on paper emerged as a Banks said during the call. “Yes, I am because they were naming him the potential challenger for Klitschko’s the trainer of Wladimir Klitschko, No. 1 heavyweight in the country, title when he upset Seth Mitchell a so a f ght with him would be so less America’s next best thing. That’s the week after he moved into Emanuel likely. But all I can think about is only reason he wanted to f ght him.” Steward’s role and trained Klitschko Mitchell. So, to be honest about it, I Tom Loeff er, managing director for a decision over Mariusz Wach. can’t see past that. If I don’t go past of the Klitschko’s K2 promotional “I don’t see me f ghting Wladimir,” that, then everything is irrelevant.” company, says there are other op- said Banks, who became Klitschko’s Mitchell has been on Klitschko’s portunities for Banks, who has trainer in the wake of Steward’s radar screen for about a year. He become more than just Wladi- death. “I mean, I’m the trainer for saw the former Michigan State line- mir’s primary sparring partner and Wladimir.” backer as a way to re-enter the U.S. trainer. Wladimir won’t f ght Vitali But interest is already evident. market. Banks said Klitschko called because they’re brothers. He might It wouldn’t be a surprise if HBO him after he scored a second-round feel the same about a f ght with a or Showtime offered some serious stoppage of Mitchell. good friend. money for a title f ght between the “Wladimir tells me: ‘You messed “Johnathon, during his conference

48 THE RING MAGAZINE - APRIL 2013 also included a piano. His mom, ed to learn. And I did. Still do. Moving forward, of course, Charlene, would play hymns on The relationship just evolved. changed for Banks because of all it after singing in a church choir. He took me and other young that happened in October and As a seventh-grader, Banks would guys on the Kronk team on trips November. play whatever he heard. Before he to training camps when he was “My life changed completely,” ever hit a bag, he used his hands working with Oscar De La Hoya, he said. to pound on that keyboard. He Lennox Lewis and other famous One of the goals hasn’t. Banks still might be seated at that piano champions. For a kid, it was prides himself on his knowledge if not for Kronk, a trademark amazing to be there.” of history, which is Boxing 101 name now in search of a new lo- It was an education that includ- for work as a trainer. Name the cation since Steward’s death. ed some very exotic field trips. era, and Banks can talk about The place had its own rhythm Banks said he knew early on that the fights and fighters. He goes in a ritual as old as a speed bag his life, in one way or another, on and on about Jack Johnson with Steward there in its early would be in boxing, which is in almost as if Johnson is still fight- days as founder, conductor and need of more competent trainers ing today. composer. Banks was a fascinated these days than even good heavy- The heavyweights, of course, teenager, a tireless student drawn weights. get most of his attention. His to a brilliant teacher. “If I hadn’t met Emanuel, I’d job as Klitschko’s trainer and his “I’d see Emanuel when I was still be a fighter,” Banks said. newfound role as an emerging in the amateur program,” said “But I wouldn’t know the things contender demand it. Picking an Banks, who once worked as a I do now. Emanuel has this way all-time Top 10 isn’t so easy. But bodyguard to Detroit rapper about him. It was always: Move home dictates the No. 1 pick. Marshall Mathers, better-known forward, move forward. He’d say “Joe Louis,” Banks said. as Eminem. “He always had time you can’t waste time with what Nothing, not even time or the for you, especially if you want- has already happened.” NHL’s Red Wings, seems to have

call, really gave the best answer,” Loeff er said. “He’s focused on the Seth Mitchell f ght. What happens after that remains to be seen. “From a business standpoint, there are so many other high-pro- file fights for Johnathon. I think we can make some interesting f ghts for him, especially if he beats Seth Mitchell twice on HBO. That would open up a lot more doors for him. Plus, on Wladimir’s side, there are lot of mandatories coming up.” Loeffler said a possibility for Banks would be a rematch with Tomasz Adamek, who beat him as a cruiserweight. Loeff er also men- tioned Tyson Fury, Chris Arreola and Robert Helenius.

“It’s a good position for him to Image: Joern Pollex-Bongarts-Getty be in,” Loeff er said. Banks pulled double duty by f lling in for Steward as Wladimir Klitschko’s trainer for the — Norm Frauenheim Ukrainian’s f ght against Mariusz Wach.

THE RING MAGAZINE - APRIL 2013 49 eroded Louis’ status as Detroit’s seventh and then by a straight defining athlete. Henry Ford built left in the eighth that ended it in Motown. The Temptations and Adamek’s favor. Four Tops gave it soul. But the In both bouts, Banks was a city’s heart, all 8,000 pounds of cruiserweight, which has left it, hangs from a metal pyramid further doubts about whether in a downtown plaza named, ap- he can withstand heavyweight propriately enough, Hart. It’s a power. Since the Adamek loss, 24-foot-long bronze sculpture of the 6-foot-3 Banks has been a Louis’ right fist. heavyweight in 10 straight fights, Banks was born after Louis which includes nine victories, a died in 1981. He never met the draw and five stoppages. For heavyweight icon. But he knows each, he has weighed between the stories and has talked to the 218 and 227 pounds. people who knew him, includ- More telling, however, are the ing Steward. The monument was rounds he has sparred with the built five years after Banks was best heavyweights of the time, born. It’s been interpreted in Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko. countless ways over the last 25 Wladimir is listed at 6-6 and years. fights at between 240 and 250 It’s a symbol for racial justice Image: Naoki Fukuda pounds. Vitali is listed at 6-7 and and has even attracted sad rem- fights at between 243 and 252 nants of injustice. In 2004, two pounds. Both are bigger than men covered it in white paint and “If I hadn’t met Banks and more skilled than any- left a sign that said “Courtesy of Emanuel, I’d still one on his resume or throughout Fighting Whities.” Such cour- the remains of what was once tesy was even an insult to Max be a fighter. But I boxing’s flagship division. Schmeling, the heavyweight from wouldn’t know the “I’ve been around Wladimir Nazi Germany who lost to Lou- more than anyone else, other is, later his friend, in a 1938 re- things I do now. than Emanuel,” Banks said. match that became a symbol for “Wladimir and I always talked the gathering storms of a world Emanuel has this boxing together. We had a rela- war. Louis, the man, is long gone. way about him. It tionship that started in 2004. We As a lightning rod, however, he is started sparring together. We’ve as current as ever. was always: Move probably sparred with each oth- Banks looks at that suspended forward, move er more than anyone else. We’ve fist today and sees a demand for gone eight rounds one day, 10 a successor. forward. He’d say rounds the next. We’ve spent a “I’m trying to be the first lot of time together.” heavyweight champ from Detroit you can’t waste In some sense, perhaps, they’ve since Joe Louis,” Banks said. “I’m time with what has become each other’s trainer in a trying. larger fight to carry on the life It’s a quest preceded by inevita- already happened.” lessons and ring skill taught by ble skepticism. There are doubts Steward. He moved on, but not about Banks’ chin, which looked — Johnathon Banks without a plan to move forward vulnerable in 2006 when he was with a whole new story from a on the canvas twice before pull- division that might prove to be ing himself up and together for a of Tomasz Adamek. Going into more resilient than dormant. If fourth-round stoppage of Eliseo the sixth round, Banks led on so, one incredible month from Castilllo in New York. In 2009, the scorecards. Emboldened, he Banks might wind up being he suffered a tough loss, an grew more aggressive and paid something more. eighth-round TKO, at the hands for it, first by body blows in the Something like Chapter One.

50 THE RING MAGAZINE - APRIL 2013 FEATURE

WE CAN DEBATE WHETHER ‘THUNDER’ HAD HALL OF FAME-CALIBER ABILITY BUT THERE ARE OTHER MEASURES OF GREATNESS

By: Ron Borges GATTI HADIT Image: Al Bello-Getty

THE RING MAGAZINE - APRIL 2013 51 ome men enter the In- ternational Boxing Hall of Fame by acclamation, the door swinging open Sfor them the moment they are f rst eligible to scale prize f ghting’s Mt. Olympus. Most fight fans do not even need to hear their full name to know of whom we speak: Sugar Ray (I). Ali. Louis. Dempsey. Chavez. Hagler. Duran. Sugar Ray (II). Rocky. Ho- micide Hank. Others arrive based solely on their numbers, their many victories tran- scending their few defeats and their belt collections overwhelming any other factor, such as stylistic prefer- Image: THE RING ences that caused all but the most Arturo Gatti was only 22 when he and Tracy Harris Patterson posed for this shot technically appreciative fan to reach before their f ght in 1995. Gatti won a unanimous decision to take Patterson’s junior for No-Doz to get through one of lightweight title, Gatti’s f rst of two. their f ghts. And then there are the special a f ght he wasn’t supposed to win.” him we saw it often. ones, special not because they were Well, most of the people making “If you can build a great fan base, the best boxers of their time but that argument must have never seen even if you are not technically the because most often they were not. him f ght. Or, if they did, they must most skilled f ghter, you can become Despite those f aws, they captured not understand that Arturo Gatti a star and the opposite is also true. more than a title or two. Most of all was the embodiment of what brings You can be technically proficient they captured hearts, the hearts of people to boxing and what keeps but not a star. their opponents and even more so them there even though the sport “When you watch Classic Box- the hearts of the people who matter often makes life as hard on its fans ing on ESPN how often do you see most in sports: the fans. as it does on its practitioners. Pernell Whitaker f ghts? What you Few f ghters in history can be in- “Not everyone gets to the Hall of see is Thunder Gatti. Arturo was a cluded in that latter category more Fame simply because of the great- star. Now he’s going into the Hall of readily than Arturo “Thunder” ness of their numbers,” said long- Fame and that’s great.” Gatti, an apt nickname for a face- time HBO Boxing commentator Not everyone agrees, of course, first stylist with a heart, as Joe Larry Merchant, whose erudite but even a purist and historian like Frazier would put it, “That don’t musings lifted HBO Sports from ca- J Russell Peltz, who co-promoted pump Kool-Aid.” ble unknown to televised champion Gatti most of his career along with When it was announced recently of boxing over the past 35 years. Dan Duva at Main Events, has a that Gatti would be in the IHOF’s “Some get there because they have soft spot for him and not simply latest class of inductees on June 7 made fans and kept fans and that because he made money with him. in Canastota, N.Y., the blogosphere has its own value. Boxing is not like When it comes to the historic pu- erupted in debate. Gatti had f erce other sports in a lot of ways and rity of the sport, Peltz can be a hard- supporters but also some who ar- that’s one of them. core critic. He believes greatness is gued a guy who loses twice to Ivan “It’s always been easier to be a limited to the few, and favored the Robinson and arguably all of his champion in boxing than to be a kind of testing matches that landed biggest challenges (Oscar De La star. Not everyone has the person- Gatti his f rst loss by split decision Hoya, Floyd Mayweather Jr.) is ality or the body language to do it. only six f ghts into his career when suspect. Gatti had “IT.” “IT” is that most he put him in tough for a kid of As Buffalo boxing maven Rick diff cult thing to def ne but some- such limited experience with a cutie Glazer remarked, “He never won thing we know when we see it. In named King Solomon at the legend-

52 THE RING MAGAZINE - APRIL 2013 Image: Al Bello-Getty Gatti will be remembered most for his savage trilogy against Micky Ward (left) in 2002 and 2003. The photo is from the last fght. ary Blue Horizon in Philadelphia. few others could. and he won only two of the four. Yet in Gatti’s case he sees the same “He could do it because he was as He also fought in the Round of thing that made Rocky Graziano exciting losing as he was winning. the Year three times. and Danny “Little Red” Lopez Hall Fans came because they loved him Almost without fail each of those of Famers and one day may do the and they knew they would be en- fghts resulted in Gatti being at one same for Ray “Boom Boom” Man- tertained. You had to shoot him to point or another in deep trouble, cini. They made great fghts because beat him … twice.” rising off the deck to win or battling they made dramatic fghts. Gatti (40-9, 31 knockouts) fought with closed eyes, bloody cheeks and “I voted for him because it’s the professionally for 16 years and swollen lips. Hall of FAME,” Peltz said. “He won two world titles, the IBF ju- His essence is captured in one was the franchise in later years. He nior lightweight title in 1995 and memory his long-time manager, wasn’t the most talented fghter, as the WBC junior welterweight title Pat Lynch, instantly recalled when he’d be the first to admit, but he nearly a decade later, in 2004. He asked to describe how Gatti should was special. was 7-2 in world title fights and be remembered. “He was selling out 16,000 seats one of the losses was to Floyd May- “He lost to Angel Manfredy (after at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic weather Jr. in 2005, at a time when relinquishing the junior lightweight City when so-called more-talented Gatti was already fading. title and moving up to 135 for the fghters couldn’t. The Miss Amer- But what truly made his case is frst time) in a fght where he got cut ica pageant wasn’t even selling it that four times in his career RING badly early but rallied back the way out any more. The place was cav- selected him as half of the Fight of he did so many times,” Lynch said. ernous but he kept flling it when the Year (1998, 1999, 2002, 2003) “He was down in the third round

THE ring magazinE - aPriL 2013 53 and had a terrible cut over his left eye but he was coming back. He won a couple rounds in a row but the doctor stopped it because the bleeding was so bad. “Arturo was so mad he wouldn’t even let (cut man) Joe Souza work on it in the corner after the stoppage. He kept walking away, cursing. He couldn’t believe they stopped it. He felt the f ght had just started. I f nally told him, ‘Arturo, that cut is all the way to the bone.’ He looks at me and says, ‘That’s right. It can’t go no deeper!’ That’s the way he was. “He never won the real, real big one but he meant so much to the sport. He stood for something. He was the rare exception who could lose a f ght and HBO would bring him back because he brought so much to an event. “There was no quit in that guy. Fans felt he was like them: a working class guy. He’d f ght on a Saturday, and Monday I’d have calls all day asking when he was going to f ght again. The swelling wouldn’t have gone down yet on his face!” Gatti f rst became a legend when he rallied despite being half-blinded by Wilson Rodriguez, knocking him Image: Al Bello-Getty out with a massive left hand with 44 seconds left in the sixth round in his f rst defense of the 130-pound title. A “There was couple rounds earlier, his right eye nearly swollen shut, Gatti had responded to the ringside physician’s televised no quit in instruction to cover his left eye by saying “I’m all right!” When the doctor threatened to stop the fight if he that guy. ... didn’t cover his left eye and tell him how many f ngers He’d f ght on he saw with his right, Gatti covered it with his glove and then, as the doctor put up two f ngers, took it down and a Saturday, said “Two!” Fans loved him for it. Four f ghts later he would win again in a similarly and Monday desperate circumstance against Gabriel Ruelas, a former I’d have calls champion himself who had wobbled Gatti badly with several deadly uppercuts, sliced open his left cheek and all day asking had that problematic right eye closing when Gatti began when he to stand toe to toe and hurt Ruelas to the body. “All out war!” HBO analyst Roy Jones Jr. roared in was going to the midst of the f fth round, just before Gatti stopped Ruelas with a stunning left hook and then collapsed f ght again. on his knees in the neutral corner, weeping in joy and The swelling bloody relief. Those f ghts and many others like them not only made wouldn’t have Gatti the stuff of legend but also the staple of a new gone down series called Boxing After Dark that HBO started in the mid-1990s to try and revive what had become a fad- yet on his ing sport at all but the most elite levels. Gatti’s place in that, Merchant argues, cemented his deserved place in face!” Canastota as well. “He was one of the guys who made Boxing After Dark — Pat Lynch, and that series was very important because it showed manager people who maybe had forgotten that you could make

54 THE RING MAGAZINE - APRIL 2013 great fghts out of guys you maybe hadn’t heard of yet,” Merchant said. “He wasn’t on the highest level CLASS OF 2013 of the sport but he was certainly a Those who will be inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame this year. reflection of the sport. One thing MODERN world champions, including all-time about that show when Arturo Gatti great Tony Canzoneri. fought on it you were pretty much ARTURO GATTI guaranteed to see drama and blood NON-PARTICIPANT fghting and that led to a re-energiz- Record: 40-9 (31 KOs) ing of the levels below the heavy- Active: 1991-2007 MILLS LANE weight division and the pay-per- Summary: The two-time titleholder Summary: Lane was perhaps the view fghters at a diffcult time for was one of the most-beloved boxers most-respected referee of his time boxing. Frankly that, in itself, was a of his era because of his fghting spirit. because of his no-nonsense mentality, palpable contribution to the sport.” He was in four RING Magazine Fights sound judgment and integrity. Yet those are not even the fghts of the Year. for which Gatti is best remem- JIMMY LENNON JR. bered. Those belong to him and a VIRGIL HILL Summary: The golden-voiced ring tough journeyman named Micky Record: 50-7 (23 KOs) announcer is arguably the best in the Ward. Between them they shared Active: 1984-2007 business. He followed in the formidable 30 rounds. Each of their three fghts Summary: The light heavyweight and footsteps of his father, announcer was a Promethean battle against not cruiserweight held a major title in 16 of Jimmy Lennon Sr. only each other but also enormous 21 years between 1987 and 2007, in- pain, creating what is considered cluding 11 consecutive years between ARTURO “CUYO” HERNANDEZ one of the best trilogies in boxing 1987 and 1997. Summary: One of the most-respected history. Mexican managers handled the likes Gatti won two of the three, split- MYUNG-WOO YUH of Carlos Zarate, Ricardo Lopez, Ruben ting the two that were chosen Fight Record: 38-1 (14 KOs) Olivares and Alexis Arguello, among of the Year. And, in the loss, he ap- Active: 1982-93 many others. peared to be fnished after Ward’s Summary: The two-time junior fyweight titleholder from South Korea body attack fnally seemed to beat OBSERVER the life out of him. Ward’s corner had a division-record 17 successful thought the fght had been stopped defenses in his dominating frst reign, COLIN HART by Gatti’s deeply worried trainer which lasted six years. Summary: The Londoner earned the Buddy McGirt and began celebrat- OLD-TIMER reputation as one of the top boxing ing but Gatti not only answered the writers in the world over a journalism bell for 10th, he somehow won the career that lasted a half century. round. JEFF SMITH Didn’t matter to Gatti what Record: 88-12-3 (48 KOs) TED CARROLL McGirt, Ward or anyone else Active: 1910-27 Summary: The prolifc artist’s classic thought. He fought on and so Summary: The clever middleweight cartoons graced the pages of THE RING did Ward. Because of it, the two never won a world championship but Magazine and other publications for became etched together in stone. beat a number of all-time greats and, many years. Gatti-Ward is all you have to tell known as the “Bayonne Globetrotter,” would fght anyone anywhere. a fight fan to make them smile or PIONEER to understand what type of fight you’re talking about. WESLEY RAMEY JOE COBURN Isn’t that the true aim of box- Record: 140-28-12 (11 KOs) Summary: The Irish-born New Yorker ing? Isn’t it to entertain by tak- Active: 1929-41 was one of the top bare-knuckle fghting the measure of another man Summary: The “Uncrowned Light- ers in the mid-19th century. He report- and in so doing also measuring weight Champion” never fought for a edly never lost a fght. yourself? Arturo Gatti, who died world title but defeated a number of too young under suspicious cir-

THE ring magazinE - aPriL 2013 55 Images: Al Bello-Getty Above, Gatti (left) was as game as ever but his skills had eroded when he was stopped in seven rounds by Alfonso Gomez in 2007. Gatti never fought again. Below, a tattoo on Gatti’s belly said it all.

cumstances 3½ years ago at 37, was rewarded with “In those days you usually had to win your fights f stic immortality for being perhaps the king of taking to keep your contract with HBO. They had a clause in such measurements. the contracts with all their f ghters that if they lost, the Next June he will enter a hallowed place, not at center contract was voided. stage perhaps but where he truly belongs: the place that “They had it in Arturo’s contract too but it never houses the greatest FIGHT- seemed to matter. HBO nev- ERS of all time as well as the er enforced it. It was in his greatest boxers. contract for the Manfredy What is sad is not that Gat- fight when they stopped it ti was selected even though on that cut. Next f ght was Peltz admits “it may be the RING’s Fight of the Year and most controversial selection he lost it. Six years later he in the history of the Hall of won another world cham- Fame.” What is sad is that pionship. In between HBO he won’t be there to share it kept showing him because with the fans who loved him the fans wanted to see him. so completely, not because he They knew what they were was the perfect f ghting ma- getting: a fighter. That was chine but because he triumphed even though he wasn’t. Arturo Gatti. “Arturo was a hard guy,” Lynch said. “Maybe he “He used to ask me from time to time, ‘Do you think wasn’t the most talented guy but the most talented guys I’ll get in?’ You could tell how proud he would be and knew if they got in with him they’d have to go through how much he would have enjoyed it.” hell to beat him. He wasn’t the greatest f ghter but he Probably about as much as the fans whose love put made the greatest f ghts. him there enjoyed him.

56 THE RING MAGAZINE - APRIL 2013 THE ring magazinE - aPriL 2013 57

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BARRY BONDS AND ROGER CLEMENS WERE KEPT OUT OF THE BASEBALL HALL OF FAME THIS YEAR BECAUSE OF THEIR PERCEIVED CONNECTION TO PEDS. WILL HOW WILL THIS PLAY OUT IN BOXING? PROSPER?

By: Don Stradley

harles “Kid” McCoy, a fabled Cfighter from boxing’s antediluvi- an days, was once caught by the handlers of Sailor Tom Sharkey in the act of loading his gloves. According to the folklore, Sharkey’s men entered Mc- Coy’s dressing room just as a chunk of plaster fell out of his glove and hit the floor. The story might have a grain of truth in it for McCoy was a notorious cheater. Yet, when people have written about McCoy over the years, they’ve described him as “colorful” or “a ras- cal,” as if busting a guy in the head while his glove was packed with con- crete was just good old-fashioned fun, the way grandpa used to do it. But Mc- Coy’s antics, which included a couple of apparent fixed fights, his brother squirt- ing ammonia into the eyes of an opponent and a seven-year prison stretch for manslaughter, didn’t prevent a posthu- Image: THE RING Harry Greb (left, sizing up Gene Tunney) might be described as a cheater mous induction into the International because of his dirty tactics. Fighters in a later generation would turn to science Boxing Hall of Fame in 1991. to gain an advantage.

60 THE RING MAGAZINE - APRIL 2013 Antonio Tarver (pictured as his fght against Lateef Kayode ended) was a borderline Hall of Famer before he tested positive for steroids. Will that hurt his chances of being inducted? Image: Jae C. Hong-Associated Press

THE ring magazinE - aPriL 2013 61 Image: Chris Trotman-Getty James Toney (left, f ghting John Ruiz) failed two drug tests but his strong resume could sway Hall of Fame voters.

Cheaters in boxing have always Mosley, James Toney, and most his life. An unfair advantage in benefited from the kindness of recently, Antonio Tarver. There are physical strength or conditioning fans and writers alike. Harry Greb others – lately it seems we have a can potentially result in serious in- and Fritzie Zivic are generally re- new offender every few weeks – jury or tragedy. But I don’t think garded as the two dirtiest f ghters but the trio of Tarver, Mosley, and most of my colleagues will follow in history, yet all of their under- Toney is of particular interest. At suit. I fear I’ll be in the minority handed tactics seem to endear some point in the future they will on this issue.” them to historians. Both Greb and be eligible for induction into the Farhood was one of the few vot- Zivic are in the IBHOF. IBHOF. Will their respective PED ers willing to discuss the matter. Jump ahead, valued readers, to scandals be a stumbling block? Or Some said they would only talk the modern era, when cheaters are will they continue the tradition of off the record; others said they more likely to put illegal chemi- “dirty” f ghters getting into Canas- would deal with it on a case by cals in their bodies than plaster tota? case basis. Carlo Rotella, a Hall of in their gloves. The latest way for “I will not vote for proven PED Fame voter who has written about f ghters to cheat involves perfor- users,” said Showtime’s Steve Far- boxing for The New York Times, mance enhancing drugs, or PEDs. hood, a member of the IBHOF’s admitted to THE RING, “I really Some top f ghters have been con- voting panel. “Every f ghter who don’t have any clear picture of this nected to PEDs, including Shane steps through the ropes is risking issue yet.”

62 THE RING MAGAZINE - APRIL 2013 If Tarver, Mosley, and Toney were baseball players, there would be some stiff debate about their being en- shrined at Cooperstown. That became obvious on Jan. NOTABLE BUSTS 9, when voters kept Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Tarver, Mosley, and Toney aren’t alone. Here other players with eye-popping statistics out of the Na- are 10 fghters associated with PEDs. At tional Baseball Hall of Fame because they have been least a few of them might be up for IBHOF connected with PEDs. consideration in the future. But boxing and baseball are as different as Lindsay Lohan and Anne Hathaway. For one thing, steroid use has an impact on the holiest of baseball staples – sta- FrANz BOThA, 1995 — Tested positive for steroids tistics and milestones, such as 600 home runs or 300 and was later stripped of the IBF heavyweight title. wins. Boxing isn’t driven as much by stats. Also, the Baseball Hall of Fame has a kind of gravitas that the rOy JONES Jr., 2000 — Tested positive for IBHOF lacks. Major League Baseball happens also to androstenedione, but claimed it was because he had be a corporate entity like Disney, marketing itself as taken an over-the-counter supplement called Ripped family entertainment. Boxing, once described by Jim- Fuel. His opponent Richard Hall also failed his drug my Cannon as “the red-light district of sports,” has no test. The results were not immediately revealed to family image to protect. Red Smith once wrote that the public. “anything short of pulling a knife is regarded indul- gently” in boxing. By the way, Smith and Cannon loved FErNANdO VArgAS, 2002 — Suspended for nine boxing. months and fned $100,000 for testing positive for If some of the IBHOF voters we canvassed are hesi- the steroid stanozolol. tant to take a hard line on the subject, it could be because many of them came of age during the PED boom, OrLANdO SALidO, 2006 — After outpointing a time when even teen girls use PEDs for middle school Robert Guerrero to win the IBF featherweight belt, field hockey. Some voters aren’t sure PEDs are particu- Salido’s postfght urinalysis revealed the presence of larly helpful in boxing, especially where Tarver, Mosley, nandrolone. and Toney are concerned. “Are these three guys really good examples of the MAriANO CArrErA, 2006 — Tested positive for use of performance enhancing drugs?” asked Rotella. clenbuterol following his WBA junior middleweight “Size-enhancing, and therefore profit-enhancing, yes, title victory over Javier Castillejo. but performance? In Toney’s case, it appears to have hurt him – literally – rather than helping. In Mosley’s, ANdrE BErTO, 2012 — While preparing for a he got bigger, but better? And Tarver, well, I don’t think rematch with Victor Ortiz, Berto tested positive for I was likely to vote for him anyway. So you’re really nandrolone. asking about Mosley, and my question back to you is: Did doing any of that stuff make him anything other ALi AdAMS, 2012 — Adams tested positive for than bigger? The tradeoff for a non-heavyweight seems stanozolol and was banned in England for two years. like a bad deal: You get bigger and bench-press stronger, but it takes you up in weight class, and, potential LAMONT PETErSON, 2012 — Tested positive for cash value aside, that’s usually a negative.” synthetic testosterone. He claimed his doctor pre- Mosley claimed to be an unwitting victim in a 2003 scribed it because of his low testosterone levels. doping regimen created by vilified BALCO chief Victor Conte. Toney was popped twice for PED use, once in Erik MOrALES, 2012 — When Morales tested 2005 and again in 2007. After his first bust, Toney said positive for clenbuteral prior to a rematch with his tests were affected by drugs given to him for an arm Danny Garcia, he claimed he had eaten some tainted injury. He dismissed his second failed test by claiming meat. someone meddled with his water bottle. Toney’s opponent in the second bout, Danny Batchelder, failed his LArry OLUBAMiwO, 2012 — Olubamiwo was steroid test, too. Tarver tested positive for a steroid banned for four years after a test revealed the blood- in June 2012; one of boxing’s genuinely nice guys, he boosting drug EPO. He admitted to using 13 different maintains his innocence. Tarver’s trainer, Buddy Mc- illegal substances during his career, including human Girt, blames the self-proclaimed gym gurus that have growth hormone and anabolic steroids.

THE ring magazinE - aPriL 2013 63 Antonio Tarver might not even be considered for the Hall of Fame if he were a baseball player. Image: Jae C. Hong-Associated Press

infested boxing ever since cruiser- something illegal turns up on a drug though, LaMotta was forgiven. He weight Evander Holyf eld sought test? ended up in the IBHOF. fame and fortune in the heavy- PED use in boxing could be the It is impossible to know how weight class. biggest problem the sport has many f ghters benef ted from mob “These guys call themselves faced since the days when orga- fixing, just as we might never strength and conditioning guys,” nized crime dominated the busi- know how many fighters might McGirt said in an interview with ness. Mob influence lasted from have benef ted from PEDs. ProBoxingInsider.com. “And they the late 1920s to the 1950s, until “I believe that at boxing’s top give all kinds of drinks. … I think several f ghters and managers con- level, PED use is much more prev- maybe he [Tarver] took something fessed in 1960 before a U.S. senate alent than we might have thought he didn’t know.” sub-committee that gangsters con- a few years back,” Farhood said. McGirt’s passive position is dis- trolled many aspects of boxing, in- “It seems inevitable that certain turbing. Are fighters and trainers cluding what matches were made, cheaters will never get caught. really oblivious to what is going and even results. It was during Such cheaters, of course, will be on? There is a sense here that we these sessions that Jake LaMotta considered for the Hall of Fame are being played by a group that has admitted to taking a dive against solely on their accomplishments. silently agreed to their own version “Blackjack” Billy Fox. La Motta’s Right now, there’s not much we of “don’t ask, don’t tell.” Are they confession backf red on him, for can do about that.” simply taking whatever is offered he spent several years labeled as Decades ago, casual boxing by some fast-talker in sweat pants, a man of no integrity who played fans watched boxing with a cyni- knowing they can plead ignorance if along with criminals. Over time, cal eye, wondering which f ghter

64 THE RING MAGAZINE - APRIL 2013 Here are 10 Hall of Fame fghters with a whiff of dishonor on their records. HALL OF FAMERS Like modern PED users, they denied any wrongdoing.

JAMES J. CORbEtt JACk DEMpSEy WiLLiE pEp Two late career bouts with Tom Sharkey Dempsey was haunted by charges that Pep was suspected of taking a dive and Kid McCoy were widely believed to he wore plaster on his hands during his against Lulu Perez. It’s not out of the be of the pre-arranged variety. 1919 championship win over realm of possibility: Pep’s manager, Lou Viscusi, was a mob lackey, and Pep was bOb FitzSiMMOnS JESS WiLLARD a serious gambler. Many suspected he loaded his gloves. Those accusations never stuck, but The allegations were loudest after his many believe Dempsey threw a fght kiD GAviLAn second bout with Jim Jeffries. against Jim Flynn, lying down in Judge Artie Schwartz purportedly con- one round. He easily beat Flynn in a fessed on his deathbed that mobsters JOE GAnS rematch. had ordered him to vote score a fght Gans took an obvious dive against Terry for Gavilan, a mob favorite, in a contro- McGovern in 1900. The suspicious JACk SHARkEy versial 1951 bout against Billy Graham. nature of the bout led to boxing being He never completely shook off rumors banned in Chicago for more than 20 that he took a dive against Primo SOnny LiStOn years. Carnera in 1933. Liston, who had mob links, was ac- cused of throwing his second bout with AbE AttELL ROCky GRAziAnO Muhammad Ali. More than one op- Attell’s favorite trick was to take a dive After losing twice to Harold Green, ponent complained that Liston’s gloves against an inferior fghter. This paved Graziano scored a fshy KO win in their had been smeared with a substance to the way for a rematch, where Attell third bout. Green confessed years later blind them. would win easily and clean up on bets. that gangsters had ordered him to He pulled the trick off a number of throw the fght. times, but eventually the public grew wise. He later helped fx the 1919 World Series. What a guy. was “in the bag” or which judges questions are leading to good reer as an embarrassment to box- were being paid off. We aren’t things, such as the rise of VADA, ing. When asked about inducting far from that same level of skep- and Nonito Donaire’s efforts to a reprobate like Tyson, IBHOF ticism regarding PED use. For present himself as a clean fighter. Executive Director Ed Brophy instance, Juan Manuel Marquez’s Marquez passed his drug tests, told THE RING that it was in the recent knockout win over Man- but even if he failed, he could hands of the voters, and that’s all ny Pacquiao was marred by the always play the ignorant dupe. there was to it. (For the record, I presence of Angel Hernandez, a Fighters have been very comfort- was once a member of the IBHOF well-known PED pusher, in Mar- able playing dumb during the voting panel. They send a postcard quez’s camp. After the bout, in- steroid era, which is more or less with some names on it, you check ternet message boards were filled how they acted during the mob off the names you like and send it with as much speculation about days. Then again, we might like back. It’s not exactly the Genome Marquez’s bulky new physique our fighters in that role because Project.) When Tyson was fnally as they were about the fight it- that makes it easier to forgive eligible for induction, enough time self. It is unfortunate that a good them. Forgiveness is a big part of had passed that his bad behavior fight had a shadow over it. It is boxing. seemed less signifcant than it once troubling that we are nearly at A few years ago in this very had. All was forgiven. He sailed the point where we can’t dis- magazine there was some debate into the IBHOF without contro- cuss boxing without discussing over whether Mike Tyson should versy. His enshrinement became steroids. But it is also wrong to be inducted into the IBHOF. After a media event, which is often the not question things, because the all, Tyson spent much of his ca- IBHOF’s goal.

THE ring magazinE - aPriL 2013 65 Image: Kevork Djansezian-Associated Press Shane Mosley (right) narrowly outpointed Oscar De La Hoya in this 2003 f ght to win THE RING junior middleweight championship but later admitted he took EPO beforehand.

Regarding PED users, Brophy dals might seem like old news. cloud over those sunny summer told THE RING that no special Maybe one, or all three, will be days in Canastota. But maybe one policies or restrictions would be inducted. Their inductions will be day we’ll hear from a disgruntled created by the IBHOF. The elec- touching and memorable. They gym rat who says he supplied ste- tions would be in the hands of will take part in the motorcade, roids to f ghters who have already voters, as they always have been. and spectators will cheer and been inducted. Or maybe a contem- “Truthfully, the subject hasn’t try to touch them as they go by. porary version of LaMotta will ad- come up,” Brophy said. “If it has, The IBHOF is a feel-good place. mit that he got away with using ste- we certainly didn’t discuss it to As Brophy told us recently, the roids because his promoter paid to any great degree.” IBHOF is about “keeping the ro- have his tests f xed. The enormity of By the time Mosley, Toney, and mance of boxing alive.” such announcements might be what Tarver are eligible, their PED scan- For now, PEDs will not cast a it takes to stir things up.

66 THE RING MAGAZINE - APRIL 2013

feature

Image: Emily Harney The Rodriguezes are a fairly carefree family these days but, in light of harrowing challenges, that wasn’t always the case. little WARRIORS EDWIN RODRIGUEZ EXCHANGES PUNCHES FOR A LIVING BUT IT’S HIS 6-YEAR-OLD TWINS, FAMILIAR WITH PAIN THROUGHOUT THEIR YOUNG LIVES, WHO ARE THE FAMILY HEROES

68 the ring magazine - aPriL 2013 By: Ron Borges y any measureable standard but his own, Ed- Bwin Rodriguez is a fighter. He is in fact one of the best super middleweights in the world, a fighter hovering on the edge of his moment. Yet when he hears that title ascribed to himself, Rodri- guez has to laugh. In his family, you see, he may be The Boxer but he is not The Fighter. That is a title that belongs only to his son and daughter, 6-year-old twins who have been fighting since the moment they came out of the womb. Born nearly four months premature and only a few days beyond the cutoff for viability, Serena and Ed- win Rodriguez Jr. would spend the first 122 days of their lives in the University of Massachusetts Memo- rial Medical Center’s neonatal intensive care unit in Worcester. For much of that time machines would breathe for them, a situation with painful long-term consequences. But before their parents had time to worry about that, they first had to worry about the short-term fact of two tiny babies facing a daily life- and-death struggle that, frankly, carried with it odds far longer than the ones their father has faced trying to become a world champion. Labeled “micropreemies,” Rodriquez’s children weighed only 19 ounces each at birth and almost immediately began to lose weight, Serena at one point dropping below a pound. Their original diapers fit snugly onto a golf ball and their eyelids could not Image: Emily Harney yet even open, fused shut because they were not Super middleweight contender Edwin Rodriguez holds a ready to see the world they had entered so unex- treasure – son Edwin Jr. – after a recent fght. pectedly. Noise was all but forbidden, even a soft lull-a- at two 21-year-old kids: a ring of experienced doc- bye from the voice of Rodriquez’s then-fiancée and tors urging Stephanie and Edwin Sr. to accept the sad now wife, Stephanie, because they were so frail even reality that their son was not going to make it and sound could cause life-threatening drops in their their daughter was facing a climb so uphill it made oxygen level. Everest look like a knoll. Normally even the healthiest babies cry. It is their “I knew things were not good,” Rodriguez recalled, first way of communicating. Ones suffering the way “but I really believed if I stayed positive, it would be Rodriquez’s two children were should have wailed all right. I felt I had to stay strong for Stephanie. I but their bodies would not allow them to even knew things were not good for her … for any of us. whimper. Regardless of what road The Boxer’s life There were times by myself when I broke down and would take the great fight of his life had begun: two cried. A couple of times I was flat at the bottom. babies who knew pain before they knew their names; “We didn’t have much hope at times but I tried to two babies who learned how to fight long before stay positive because I knew what the right decision they would know the art their father exhibits inside was. So I cried when my wife wasn’t looking.” a boxing ring. At 21 days Serena needed surgery to close a hole A love story, it seemed, had turned into a tragedy. in her heart, a difficult operation requiring general An Olympic dream had faded. Decisions every par- anesthesia. She weighed barely a pound but survived ent fears even having to consider were staring back only to have her lungs collapse. With warning signals

THE ring magazinE - aPriL 2013 69 Image: Emily Harney Rodriguez has a lot to smile about, including a devoted wife, two wonderful children and a boxing career on the rise.

screaming, two helpless parents waited for a miracle. on an oscillator. At one point it had been hoped he They got one. It would not be the last. could begin taking steroids to help his lungs develop Young Edwin’s lungs were so poorly developed that but the doctors no longer felt that would be helpful those caring for him believed he would not survive. or even possible because an infection had set in. Few micropreemies as dependent on a mechanical os- It was at that moment of utter despair that The cillator for pumping oxygen to breathe survive long. Boxer fought for his son. Boxing is the sport of lost Barely a month after his birth, which had been the causes and denial. It is a place where you fight on same day as the opening of the National PAL tour- long after logic and common sense have refused to nament Rodriguez was set to compete in as a quali- support your dreams. The odds against anyone be- fier for the 2008 Olympics, doctors at the NICU sat coming a world champion are so long you can’t get down with Edwin and Stephanie and gave it to them action on them in Vegas. The odds of a kid born straight: Their son’s chances of survival were statisti- in poverty in the Dominican Republic emigrating to cally zero. New England, no boxing hotbed any more, and mak- As they sat stunned and silent, the Rodriquez fam- ing it in prize fighting are vastly worse. So Edwin ily was told in the previous 20 years no baby at Rodriguez long ago had learned to ignore long odds. UMass Medical Center, a facility designed to care for Like most young boxers, he lived in a world of high-risk neonatal cases, had ever survived after such blind optimism and faith in one thing: the words an extended period on such high oxygen settings of the old heavyweight champion James J. Corbett.

70 THE RING MAGAZINE - APRIL 2013 Corbett was once asked what separated champions from the rest. His reply echoed inside that hospital room. “You become a champion by fighting one more round,” Cor- bett said as if talking to Edwin and Stephanie Rodriguez. “When things are tough, you fight one more round.” Painful as it had become to watch, that is what The Boxer wanted to ask of his children, his wife, himself and their doctors: Fight one more round. Frankly, his wife didn’t really want to hear it. The choice was not easy and initially Stephanie angrily ques- tioned his blind optimism. A 2005 honors graduate of Holy Cross, where her mother and stepfather taught and worked in the organic chemistry lab, Stepha- nie Rapa Rodriquez was a well- educated woman on her way to law school after winning an aca- demic scholarship when she became pregnant. She had fallen in love with a Dominican-born boxer she met while working a legal internship at the Worcester Boys and Girls Images: Gregory Payan-Associated Press and Emily Harney Club, where he trained. At the Above, Rodriguez celebrates after outpointing Don George last year at Madison Square Garden, one of his most-important victories. Below, he unloads on Darnell Boone. time Rodriquez was National Golden Gloves champion and USA Boxing’s reigning middleweight champion, someone ear- marked for the Olympics in Bei- jing. But about the time the PAL qualifying rounds began, his children were born and a real fight began, one more important than gold medals. It was a fight for life and for love, a fight that replaced an Olympic dream with a greater one. “It was a lot to handle at the time,” Rodriguez admits today. “My kids were in the hospital for 122 days. I was supposed to be getting ready for the Olympic Tri-

THE ring magazinE - aPriL 2013 71 Image: Emily Harney Rodriguez never stopped believing that his children would overcome daunting medical obstacles.

als. I was supposed to go to the PAL tournament but that you can grab it and you have to let it go, but I I didn’t go. It was an easy decision. know it was the right thing.” “I thought it was only the first qualifier, and be- One loss brings another gain and so the decision cause I was already on the national team I only had to ignore the doctors and the overwhelming evidence to be in the top eight of a qualifying tournament. in front of them was made. One day later their son But I went to Nationals and lost my second fight stopped breathing. right before the top eight. My mentality was just get A team of doctors, nurses and a therapist labored to the top eight and maybe things would be better over Edwin Jr. as Stephanie lay shocked and fearful. with my kids. I didn’t feel I had to be at my best and She called Edwin, who was not in the hospital at the lost to a young kid in a close fight. time. By the time he arrived the medical team had “I was supposed to go to the Pan-Am Games but taken his son off the breathing machine and had be- I didn’t go. I only went to England for a dual meet gun manually inflating his lungs. The sky was dark- because I would have lost my stipend if I didn’t. I ening around them. lost a decision to James DeGale. I was going to the Then, just as Corbett suggested long ago, tiny Ed- gym, so physically I was there but mentally I wasn’t. win Jr. made a champion’s decision. He fought one “I was at the hospital every day. I only missed one more round. Not only did his oxygenation numbers week when I had to go away to fight. In the end I begin to rise but his lung infection disappeared, didn’t make it, but if I was going to be a husband meaning he might soon be strong enough to face the and a father, I was going to do it not just when it’s same heart surgery his sister had undergone. easy. I was going to do it when things weren’t good. The long-term prognosis was still not good. He When they needed me, I was going to be there. was off the mat but still wobbly, feeling life’s punch- “I know how it feels to be so close to your dream es slamming in on him in blinding flurries. The doc-

72 THE RING MAGAZINE - APRIL 2013 tors doubted he would survive the surgery that he to speak. She also suffers with mild cerebral palsy desperately needed. The Boxer believed otherwise, but at 6 has caught up with her age group in school- of course. work. “I kept telling everyone it would be all right,” Ro- Her brother faced more even difficult struggles, in- driguez said. “Stephanie got upset with me a few cluding battles with cerebral palsy and autism. Each times. She wanted to know why we were doing this. continued to need oxygen to aid breathing 24 hours Why we were putting our son through this. She re- a day for several years before being weaned from minded me of the things we knew: that even if he it, but three years after winning their great fight survived he wouldn’t be able to do normal things. they did what no doctor thought they would: They He wouldn’t walk. Other things. walked down the aisle at their parents’ wedding. It “I didn’t care. He was my son and I would love was a championship moment, no belt needed. him no matter what.” “Life goes on,” Rodriguez said. “I’m not going to Eventually the same will that has Rodriguez ranked lie and say it’s easy every day but my son and daugh- No. 2 in the world by the WBC and in the Top 10 ter are happy kids. Even though there are a lot of of every major rating organization prevailed. Bare- things he can’t do like feed himself with a fork or ly a month old, The Fighter went by ambulance to hold a piece of birthday cake he’s always smiling. Children’s Hospital in Boston to face surgery. It was My daughter’s reading books. She looks out for her successful and several days later he was in an ambu- brother. lance returning to Worcester when, inexplicably, the “When you go through something like this you vehicle suffered a power loss halfway through the look at life differently. You appreciate little things trip and his ventilator had to be put on a backup other people don’t. My son was supposed to never battery. walk but now he walks everywhere. He was sup- Was there no end to this fight? Was there no cos- posed to be non-verbal but he’s starting to talk and mic referee to at least keep it fair? How much more he has a better understanding of things. My kids are could even a fighter such as this boy take? playing the cards they were dealt. We all are. That’s After a change of ambulances, Edwin Jr. returned how life is.” safely to the only home he’d known, the neonatal As they fought on so did their Dad, entering the care unit in Worcester, where things would begin to byzantine and often baffling world of prize fighting stabilize … until they didn’t. in January 2008 without an Olympic medal to ease Soon he faced a rolling series of what are known the way. Managed by local attorney Larry Army but as “death spells” caused by bronchial spasms that without a promoter, Rodriquez began his own dif- prevent air from entering the lungs. Often his heart ficult fight against the forces of boxing that all but would stop, the baby turning blue before he was the most chosen must overcome. It was a fight of a brought back to life, but to what kind of life? different sort but one his children and his own dif- This would happen five times in a 10-day span. ficult childhood had well prepared him for. Each time The Fighter got off the floor and fought Rodriguez was born into poverty in the Domini- back, finally stabilizing to the point where both he can Republic, the fourth of six children, just another and his sister became strong enough to face eye sur- boy who dreamed of playing shortstop in the ma- gery to prevent blindness. It was New Year’s Eve jor leagues. He barely knew his father, who left for 2006, 94 long days since their birth and dawn was America when he was a child in search of a better breaking. life for all of them. After the longest 122 days Edwin and Stephanie “I was born in the countryside,” Rodriguez said. “I Rodriguez will ever know, their children finally didn’t really know my Dad (Octavio) until we came left for home on Jan. 29, 2007, each weighing five to the U.S. (when Rodriguez was 13). pounds. They came not without difficult challenges “In the D.R. we had no electricity, no running wa- and low expectations from many on the medical ter. We had an artesian well. We made a hole in the team that saved them but they were fighters and so ground and put rocks in it. I used to sleep at my they have, like their father, fought on. grandmother’s when I was 7, 8. She lived next to the Life since has not been without setbacks. Each was river. One time the river overflowed into the house. hospitalized again and Serena underwent vocal cord I remember waking up and my uncle putting me on surgery because they had been accidently paralyzed his back to get away from the river. You could say I during her heart surgery, making it difficult for her came from nothing.”

THE ring magazinE - aPriL 2013 73 I knew things were not good, but I really believed if I stayed positive, it would be all right. I felt I had to stay strong for Stephanie. I knew things were not good for her … for any of us. There were times by myself when I broke down and cried. A couple of times I was flat at the bottom.” — Edwin Rodriguez Image: Emily Harney

When his father finally raised enough money, Ed- year in school and then I went into regular class- win and his siblings were suddenly uprooted and es. I was working in my Dad’s store and listening dropped into the United States not of his dreams, to everybody. I wasn’t always understanding but I but to a place where the winters were long and cold heard it. It was interesting and I worked hard at it. I and where his father worked ceaselessly at a small think it’s important to maintain your language but if bodega in Worcester. If a successful life is about ad- you’re in the U.S. you need to know proper English. justments, Rodriguez got an early education in it. “My Spanish and English are about even. I speak “It was kind of weird at first to be living with my English more now so it takes me time to get into the Dad,” he recalled. “As a kid in the D.R. you had rhythm of Spanish.” a little more freedom. No worries about gangs and Rodriguez’s boxing skills developed as quickly as stuff. We had family there. I left that all behind and his language skills, mastering both while still a teen- came to a new world. ager. By 19 he was one of the top-rated amateurs in “The American Dream in the D.R. is making it in the U.S. and by 21 a young man in love with a new baseball. I tried to keep that dream alive. I was a dream and his future wife even though there could decent shortstop. I made varsity but I lost interest have been no more mismatched pair than a college because we couldn’t play year-round. A year later I honor student whose parents were Holy Cross pro- found boxing and I loved it.” fessors and lab supervisors and a Dominican-born His father didn’t until Edwin’s first trainer inter- boxer hoping to make his way in the world as a vened, convincing him his son could be more than prize fighter. just another kid in the gym. Within four years, Ro- Love is blind, of course, which was a blessing for driguez had mastered two things: boxing and Eng- both them and their children. It cares not about lish, the latter something he spoke not a word of backgrounds or the difficult circumstances you were when he arrived. born into. Love is love and often it is enough. “I was young and really open minded,” Rodriguez “We were definitely from two worlds,” Rodriguez said. “I was happy to be in the U.S. It was a whole said. “Stephanie was in college. I was in the ring. different world but I was able to pick up English But she was supportive of me and boxing. She un- quite fast. derstood I was good at it and she knew how bad I “Luckily there was a bilingual program my first wanted this.

74 the ring magazine - aPriL 2013 “I love proving myself 1-on-1. Once you get in there you’re on your own. You got nobody to blame but yourself. It’s a great feeling of accomplishment to go in there and perform. “People don’t understand, I don’t think, the 100 percent focus you need to be successful in boxing. Your job is to harm another guy and then switch it off and come home and be a father, a husband. That’s not easy. “I go train in Houston (with veteran trainer Ronnie Shields, who has worked with him his past four fights). I went overseas to work as a sparring partner for guys like Carl Froch, leaving my family with two kids with dis- abilities. It’s a selfish business in that aspect but you have to be. No one else is going to step in there but you.” Army had agreed to manage him but like a lot of guys who come into boxing from the real world, he had no idea what he was getting into. Truth be told, neither did Rodriguez, at least not when it came to the fght outside the ropes. “I didn’t know how the game worked, thank God,” said Army, who had represented some professional basketball players but no boxers. “I can’t believe the things I’ve seen and the things people say. Sometimes I feel like I have to take a shower every time I have a business meeting, but that naiveté of believing in a guy takes you along. “I equated signing him to signing a lottery pick. I didn’t realize how diffcult the boxing business is. We didn’t have a promoter our first nine fights. Half the guys I spoke with sounded like criminals. Nobody does anything for you. We were having pre-fght meals at Burger King like a bunch of kids.” Rodriguez made the road a bit easier by knocking out 13 of his Image: Emily Harney first 17 opponents and signing Rodriguez, wife Stephanie and twins Serena and Edwin Jr. make a pretty picture.

THE ring magazinE - aPriL 2013 75 with promoter Lou DiBella. He was rising slowly, like the brink and Edwin boxed his ears off. He’s ready well-baked bread, winning 22 straight fghts, 15 by to beat the top guys.” knockout. He’s been on ESPN’s Friday Night Fights, Rodriguez has no doubt about that, for early in his ShoBox: The Next Generation and twice on HBO, his development he tested himself as a sparring partner biggest win – after stopping Buddy McGirt Jr. and for Froch, Pascal and contender Daniel Geale, trav- easily outpointing Aaron Pryor Jr. to separate him- eling to Australia, Miami and England. He learned self from the crowd of prospects – coming last March firsthand what he needed to know. when he outpointed Donovan George (23-3-1, 20 “I was sparring at the highest level,” Rodriguez said. KOs) at Madison Square Garden in his HBO debut. “I learned how you run a training camp and that I be- Such are the oddities of boxing, however, that two longed at that level. It’s a good way to fnd out if you fghts after Rodriguez easily outboxed George it was ft in because this is no sport to be No. 2 or No. 3. If I George who found himself in an IBF title eliminator didn’t belong it would have been discouraging, but it against Adonis Stevenson, who stopped him in the 12th gave me confdence in my skills.” round while Rodriguez was defending the USBA middle- Unfortunately, it may also have given advance warn- weight title at a Connecticut casino against undefeated ing to guys like Froch, who after defeating former mid- Jason Escalera (13-0-1 at the time). dleweight champion Arthur Abraham in Showtime’s Despite being ranked No. 2 by the WBC, No. 3 by Super Six World Boxing Classic, said of Rodriguez, the IBF and No. 5 by the WBA, his short-term future “Sparring with Edwin was brilliant. He got me ready remains in limbo, a contender waiting for his chance to for this. He’s very fast, can punch with both hands and contend. DiBella, frustrated by the diffculty of getting stays in there at times like Abraham will, but I feel he Rodriguez a shot at names like Froch or Lucian Bute, has far more natural ability and speed than Abraham.” is considering taking him into a four-man tournament Maybe, to a degree at least, that is now his curse? backed by the Prince of Monaco to further build his “There’s no downside for a young fghter to get work brand while waiting for what they all believe, despite like that,” DiBella said. “It’s not a double-edged sword odds as long as those overcome by his children, will be when you’re the kid but, yeah, they got to see how his opportunity. scary he is and that has not served him particularly “Edwin is someone the networks should be all over,” well.” DiBella said. “He’s an aggressive fghter who is perfect Both the art of boxing and the business of box- for TV. He’s a good looking kid with a great story. Un- ing are like chess matches. Often the most impor- fortunately, we’re in an age where we don’t go up close tant thing is the set up, the creation of opportunity and personal with fghters. The networks spend more through deception and planning. Rodriguez is at that time with assholes who want to comb their hair in the stage in the ring, where Shields continues to work on ring [read: Adrien Broner]. “The uneven playing feld that exists in televised boxing today is a lot of the reason he isn’t a net- Edwin Rodriguez is a softy work darling. He’s a TV-friendly at home but puts on his offensive machine. He’s building game face once he goes a following. I just wish network to work. Image: Emily Harney executives understood his ‘every- man’ appeal. “I think he’d beat Froch, Bute, Jean Pascal or (Mikkel) Kessler, which is why we can’t make a deal with any of them. I always liked him as an amateur. I thought he was a great prospect. I liked his character. That kid is battle tested. “Now Ronnie, who I think is one of the best trainers in the world, is making him a complete fighter. Donovan George is a guy who’d taken everyone to

76 the ring magazine - aPriL 2013 Image: Emily Harney Rodriguez truly learned to appreciate his accomplishments after watching his children fghting to overcome their challenges. his defense and keep his penchant for aggression under that everything depends on one fght, every day being control, while DiBella and Army labor to fnd him the on the edge of being fred – it’s a lot of pressure. fght that can change his life. “I love boxing but it’s a tough sport to make a liv- Rodriguez has been prepared for that by the choices ing at. It’s not like baseball or basketball or football. he’s made, in this case the choice of a board game over There’s no set salary. You’re a professional athlete but video games. you don’t get paid like a professional for a long time. “I started playing chess when I came to the U.S.,” he Only Top 10 guys get paid, really. Until then you’re said. “I thought it was very interesting. My Dad and I not really a professional because you’re not paid like played every night. The next year I won the champi- one. I’m doing well now but it’s not an easy road. I onship of my school and started paying other middle wouldn’t want my kids to have to deal with it.” schools. I still didn’t know English that much. I was His kids, he knows, have actually had to deal with playing one kid and he kept asking if I wanted a draw. much more. They are the Fighting Rodriguez kids, I just kept staring at him. I didn’t know English but I two little champions in a house that hopes one day wasn’t stupid. I beat him. soon to add a third. “My style in chess is just like in boxing. I’m aggressive, “My American Dream is to do it in boxing for always trying to set up the knockout. Thinking of chess my family,” Rodriguez said. “I want to be tested. I like a battle helps my boxing. You have to stay ahead of want to be challenged. I want to prove I belong. All your opponent. I want is a fighting chance. “I play online now and I do OK but I have a little is- “I’m not going to lie: It’s big-time hard sometimes sue. I start training for a fght and forget to (fnish chess but you have to keep moving forward. I use what matches). When I get back to it, I’ve lost 16 matches or they’re going through as motivation. Seeing my kids something and have to start over. That’s discouraging.” struggle day after day, making a little progress, helps At times so is the business of boxing … but never me appreciate the little accomplishments. the sport. For that he has only love and the same “My job is to give them the best life possible. I can blind faith that kept him fghting for his kids. only do that in boxing. Feeling sorry for myself is not “It’s not fun, the business side,” Rodriguez said. “I going to help anybody. This is the hand we’ve been enjoy training, fguring out an opponent, but feeling dealt, and I’m going to play it the best I can.”

THE ring magazinE - aPriL 2013 77 FEATURE OLD SCHOOL IS HBO ANALYST LARRY MERCHANT’S MEASURED STYLE MIGHT NOT HAVE BEEN CONTEMPORARY BUT HIS RETIREMENT LEAVES A VOID OUT

Image: David J. Phillip-Associated Press

78 THE RING MAGAZINE - APRIL 2013 Images: Doug Mazell and Associated Press Above, Larry Merchant attended some of the biggest f ghts in history, including the second Muhammad Ali-Sonny Liston clash. Below, Merchant is pictured during his newspaper days.

By: Bernard Fernandez “I’ve always felt t was The Pause, that periodic hesita- like a print guy. Ition before he delivered what he considered the perfect word, that separated Because of the Larry Merchant from the shouters and nature of television, arm-wavers that comprise the majority of today’s sports commentators. some of the glare of Not all viewers liked or appreciated The Pause; there are those, mostly the big events deflects younger crowd accustomed to talking unto announcers heads who end every sentence with ex- clamation points, high decibel levels and and commentators. finger pokes toward the camera, that dismiss The Pause as an anachronistic That’s inevitable, device that should have gone out with whether you seek it Walter Cronkite. Who needs slowly spo- ken, poetic imagery when two guys are or not. Some people bashing one another in the ring? Mer- may seek it more chant’s measured approach is so 1950s, so old-fashioned, so newspapery. Every- than others.” one knows that the printed word, meaning ink on newsprint, not something hur- — Larry Merchant riedly tossed together by bloggers to be retrieved almost instantly on electronic

THE RING MAGAZINE - APRIL 2013 79 Image: Eric Jamison-Associated Press Merchant was at home interviewing f ghters after the battle. Here, he has a chat with Manny Pacquiao after his victory over Marco Antonio Barrera in 2007. devices by others, is decidedly unhip on-screen personality that plays cases with the sort of shrillness and these days. better with modern TV audiences. gesticulating more often found in Merchant, whose 35-year run as “Because of the nature of televi- Italian operas. a boxing analyst for HBO ended sion, some of the glare of big events Merchant’s now-permanent re- with the Nonito Donaire-Jorge def ects unto announcers and com- placement on HBO boxing tele- Arce f ght on Dec. 15, pleads guilty mentators. That’s inevitable, wheth- casts is the much younger Max as charged to violations of breath- er you seek it or not. Some people Kellerman, whose verbal delivery less 21st-century expectations. He is may seek it more than others.” falls somewhere between Smith- from another era, when many media Not that Merchant, gentleman Bayless rants and Merchant’s members attended sporting events that he is, would dare to identify signature low-key Pause. It is a wearing fedoras and pecked away the sort of attention-hogs who have shift in corporate philosophy that on manual typewriters. It is what steadily infringed on the broadcast began to take shape in late 2005, made him different, and, to many world as he entered it and is now when then-HBO Sports president who can still understand the differ- leaving it. But a good place to be- Ross Greenburg made the decision ence between artistry and anarchy, gin might be ESPN’s popular First to dismiss Merchant and replace almost beloved. Take, where Stephen A. Smith and him with Kellerman, Greenburg’s “I’ve always felt like a print guy,” Skip Bayless – ironically, also a cou- personal choice for the high-visi- Merchant, 81, said when asked ple of former newspaper guys – sit bility gig alongside blow-by-blow why he had never allowed himself across from one another at a desk announcer Jim Lampley. to morph into the sort of frantic and state their usually conflicting But Greenburg’s unilateral plan

80 THE RING MAGAZINE - APRIL 2013 MERCHANT’S MOST which I think is underestimated as one of the great three-bout boxing rivalries of modern times. We did MEMORABLE MOMENTS several of George Foreman’s bouts during his comeback. arry Merchant admits to having lots of memo- “The f rst Chavez-Taylor f ght also was a very Lrable moments during his 35-year run as an memorable event, as was the f rst Arguello-Pryor HBO boxing commentator, but he is not David f ght. And, of course, I’d have to put some of those Letterman. great f ghts involving “I’m not good at lists,” he said when asked to come Arturo Gatti in there.” up with a personal Top 5 or top 10 for this story. “I’m Merchant also under- really not good at lists. I guess I don’t have the gene stands that, to a lot of for making lists.” people, his very public But Merchant does have random thoughts, which in-ring spat with Floyd he is willing to share, so make of these what you will. Mayweather Jr. prob- “A couple of things jump into my mind,” he said. ably will make their lists “One is the f rst or second f ght I did for HBO. It was of unforgettable Mer- when James Scott (a light heavyweight contender who chant moments. Follow- had been convicted of armed robbery) fought Eddie ing Mayweather’s con- Mustafa Muhammad at Rahway Prison, with Don troversial sucker-punch

Dunphy, who had been the voice of boxing for so Image: Scott Halleran-Getty (but legal) knockout of many years, doing the blow-by-blow. I would have to Victor Ortiz on Sept. say that was one of my more unusual experiences. 17, 2011, “Money” told Merchant, “You don’t know “I guess I’m too oblivious to be intimidated, but s--- about boxing. You ain’t s---.” To which Merchant having to go through security checkpoints, with metal replied: “I wish I was 50 years younger. I’d kick your doors clanging behind you, and interviewing Scott in ass.” his cell … that was def nitely different. So was doing Upon further ref ection, Merchant chuckles and the telecast, with prisoners as the audience. said, “Well, at least I might have tried.” “Then, of course, there was that whole Leonard- “When you’re doing an interview in the ring after a Hearns-Hagler-Duran series, which was a highlight of f ght, you have to get right to the heart of the story,” the ’80s along with the Tyson-Bowe-Holyf eld-Lewis he continued. “It can seem – and is, in fact, at times – thing in the late ’80s and early ’90s. There was the brusque and maybe even confrontational. When the Tyson-Douglas f ght in Tokyo, which was one of Mayweather thing happened, I thought I was just do- those rare events where everybody remembers exactly ing my job. But with the immediacy of live television where they were when they saw it or heard about it. you can get spontaneous combustion.” “I covered many of Larry Holmes’ f ghts. We did the Bowe-Golota f ghts and the Bowe-Holyf eld trilogy, — Bernard Fernandez

blew up when old-school viewers, Merchant when word of his pos- option to extend the deal through who were comfortable with The sible ousting leaked. May 31, 2011. Since then he has Pause and pretty word pictures “I wouldn’t want to speak to been working on a show-by-show Merchant painted in lieu of the nobody but Larry Merchant after basis, alternating on telecasts with stream-of-consciousness manner a fight,” Gatti proclaimed. “Some Kellerman, as has been the case for adopted by so many others, com- people don’t like him. I like him be- these past several years, until what plained. A sizable chunk of HBO’s cause he’s real. He’s got balls to say once had seemed inevitable became f ght audience then made it known stuff. If Max Kellerman is going to reality. Merchant, and The Pause that they were not yet ready to have HBO, HBO is gonna go to s---.” along with him, were being retired. Merchant put out to pasture. So a compromise was hastily Oh, sure, the tributes from HBO Even Arturo Gatti, whose action- struck. Merchant, whose contract flowed like water over Niagara drenched bouts had become a f x- was to expire on June 1, 2007, Falls. Merchant wasn’t totally leav- ture on HBO boxing telecasts, signed a new agreement that ran ing, only mostly; he would retain a weighed in firmly on the side of through May 31, 2009, with an presence on the “Heart and Soul of

THE RING MAGAZINE - APRIL 2013 81 Boxing,” as HBO likes to present itself, in what Merchant, in an HBO- authorized press release, described as a role as a “Tom Brokaw-like senior kibitzer on major news and events in boxing.” That same release quoted Green- burg’s successor, former Showtime executive Ken Hershman, as saying, “It is extraordinary to ref ect on all that Larry Merchant accomplished at HBO Sports during the past 35 years. We’ve been honored to have him as a colleague and he’ll always be a member of the HBO family.” The wording of that press release makes it sound like Merchant, of his own volition, made the decision to step aside, with the grudging con- sent of his HBO bosses. But an un- Image: Doug Mazell impeachable source close to the ne- Merchant believes that change can revitalize a person. gotiations stated emphatically that, unlike the machinations previously role when there was a dustup a cou- where Jackie Robinson plays.” attempted by Greenburg, Merchant ple of years ago. There is a corpo- That isn’t to say that Merchant ar- was, in effect, f red. In any case, the rate structure, and they have to look rived in Norman, Okla., before his tenuous arrangement that had been to the future. Hey, I’m getting old. I 17th birthday as one of Wilkinson’s in effect no longer was acceptable understand that. That doesn’t mean blue-chip recruits. Until he tried out at the upper levels of HBO Sports. from a personal viewpoint that I and earned a practice jersey with the Ask Merchant if he indeed had think of myself as too old to con- mighty Sooners, he was as unknown been handed his walking papers and tinue to do the job, but I do get it.” to Wilkinson as the entire state of he responds with the sort of nifty How Merchant arrived to this Oklahoma had been to the kid from moves he exhibited as a star half- stage of an incredibly interesting Brooklyn with an insatiable curios- back at Brooklyn’s Lafayette High life makes for a tale of self-discovery ity and sense of wanderlust. School and, for a time, as a walk-on that might have been the basis for a “OU sports had a little traction in legendary coach Bud Wilkinson’s work of f ction by Dickens or Mel- back then, before national televi- Oklahoma University program. ville. Before he became a young man sion,” Merchant said. “Oklaho- Things changed for him because, in an old man’s body, he started ma had come east to play Army, well, things always change, for ev- off as an old, wise man in a young which was a powerhouse then, eryone. Tradition can be a wonder- man’s body. Funny how that works and almost beat them. An Okla- ful thing, but nothing is forever. sometimes. homa basketball team reached the “I became sports editor of the Let the story commence at Lafay- NCAA Final against a Holy Cross Philadelphia Daily News when ette High, where Merchant’s sense team with Bob Cousy. I was 26,” Merchant recalled. “I of history, which became a corner- “I had read The Grapes of had my own ideas, and I was de- stone of his personal philosophy of Wrath, which was about people termined to implement them. Some life, soon became evident. He had from Oklahoma. The play Okla- guys quit. I hired other guys. So broken free on a 62-yard run to- homa! was a smash on Broad- there was change, and change can ward the inf eld portion of Ebbets way. Plus, I wanted to get far be scary. But change is always inevi- Field when he stopped in the end away from home. There was no table, and it can be good. It makes zone to ref ect on what was, to him, one in my family who had gone your blood f ow; it revitalizes you in a very special moment. away to college. Going all the ways. It stirs you up. “I’ve just scored a touchdown,” he way to Oklahoma just seemed “I agreed to a modif cation of my said to himself, “and I’m standing like an adventure.”

82 THE RING MAGAZINE - APRIL 2013 A self-described “last-string corruption in boxing. I look at the chise and you don’t risk losing the halfback” who was more Rudy sports world as perfect with its im- franchise because you place a higher than potential standout, the 5-7, perfections. My goal is to get view- value on not losing the integrity of 155-pound Merchant nonetheless ers involved and be honest at the the broadcast.” made an impression during drills same time.” At the time, Abraham described with his tenacity. But his dream of Merchant’s brand of honesty Merchant as “one of the pillars” someday actually making it into didn’t always endear him to the and “the conscience” of HBO a real game died before his junior subjects of his sometimes biting cri- boxing. season when he suffered a shoulder tiques. Most famously, HBO’s most “He was an ombudsman, a voice injury that never healed properly. dependable ratings-grabber, Mike for the fan, and a reliable, knowl- “I had some really good expe- Tyson, tried to have Merchant re- edgeable sounding board for ev- riences,” Merchant said of his moved as an analyst for his fghts erything we did,” Abraham said. in-the-shadows college football when Iron Mike wielded a power But, as Merchant has duly noted, career. “I warmed the bench for few fghters have ever have had. things change. The guy in the big a Sugar Bowl. And I loved to go “Tyson was one of those rare offce who gets to make the deci- to practice. I understood that the prizefghters who transcended the sions can be replaced. Audiences’ guys ahead of me on the depth sport,” Merchant said. “Before there preferences occasionally shift. On chart were better than I was.” were such things as reality shows, BleacherReport.com, columnist Merchant, as it turned out, later he was a reality show with so many Brian Mazique, no fan of Mer- went to another Sugar Bowl as the of the incidents of his life on the chant’s, almost gloated over reports sports editor of the college news- front page instead of the back page of Merchant’s impending departure paper. Writing about sports, he de- (of the tabloids). He created a na- from HBO boxing telecasts. cided, was another way to go on tional and international frestorm of “Merchant’s philosophical rants the sort of adventures he had expe- curiosity and interest.” were at times aloof, misplaced and rienced when he took the bold step So, when Tyson and his entou- self-absorbed,” Mazique wrote. of applying for admission to OU. rage tried to bully then-Time War- “He also seemed to take pleasure He was the wunderkind sports ner Sports president Seth Abraham in trying to make a fool of the editor/columnist in Philadelphia into removing Merchant, the smart fighters he interviewed after the before moving on to the New York money would have been on HBO to bouts he covered.” Post, where his opinion pieces also acquiesce. Instead, Abraham held For many, though, The Pause achieved must-read status. And then frm. A miffed Tyson took his snarl will be sorely missed. Who else is television came calling; he served as to Showtime. erudite enough to say, as Merchant a reporter-commentator-producer Somewhat ironically, “I was the did before the Sugar Ray Leonard- for NBC Sports and the host of an guy who frst brought Tyson to the Donny Lalonde fght in 1988, that award-winning panel show on USA attention of HBO,” Merchant not- “Lalonde is a vegetarian, but he Network until he signed on with ed. “I had gotten some tapes from fghts like a carnivore.” Or, during HBO, a start-up premium-cable op- Jimmy Jacobs (Tyson’s co-man- a listless stretch of the Roy Jones eration that soon was to make its ager). I took the tapes to Seth and Jr.-Bernard Hopkins fght in 1993, mark in the expanding media uni- said, ‘Here’s a guy who looks like “So far, this is a little like watching verse. Although he is primarily as- he might be a serious fghter. Why congressmen argue on C-Span.” sociated with HBO’s boxing cover- don’t we follow him and see how “I try to think on my feet,” Mer- age, he also was part of the original he progresses.’ chant said of his inimitable style. team of correspondents for HBO’s “And when things were going “Sometimes those pauses are like Real Sports and as a commentator good for Tyson, it was good. But I’m writing something in my head. for the network’s telecasts of Wim- when things started going south, it It’s especially appropriate, I think, bledon tennis. was Tyson and his pals – not (pro- in doing boxing. Boxing is a prism “My philosophy of commentary is moter Don) King – who wanted me through which you can observe to convey who the fghters are and off Tyson’s fghts. Thankfully, HBO human behavior. what the event is about,” Merchant told Tyson, ‘We’re giving you a tre- “At boxing matches, you have a once told columnist Stan Isaacs. mendous amount of money. You great opportunity to observe the “It’s not my job to be a cheerleader. can’t tell us how to conduct our best and the worst in all of us I’m skeptical of hype and false nar- business.’ It was an amazing devel- … to check out the passing pa- ratives. I don’t avoid talking about opment because Tyson was the fran- rade.”

THE ring magazinE - aPriL 2013 83 FEATURE

FORSAKEN TIMOTHY BRADLEY FIGURED HE HAD ARRIVED AS A STAR AFTER HIS VICTORY OVER MANNY PACQUAIO BUT IT HASN’T WORKED OUT THAT WAY MAN

Image: Naoki Fukuda

By: Tim Smith he would get another multi-million dollar payday in the rematch against Pacquiao. t is one of the cruelest twists in boxing. A boxer Bradley, a two-division champion with an unblem- Iknocks off a popular, highly ranked, extremely ished 29-0 record, did indeed open a door. But there marketable champion and expects to immediately were no big pay-per-view dates or piles of cash be- step into his shoes. He waits and waits for the wind- hind it. There was just a barrage of venomous criti- fall, but it never comes. In boxing the victor doesn’t cism from fans and boxing pundits who believe that always reap the spoils. Pacquiao was on the wrong side of a bad decision. Just because you beat the man doesn’t make you Bob Arum of Top Rank, Bradley and Pacquiao’s pro- the man. This is a hard lesson that Timothy Bradley moter, called for an investigation into the scoring by has learned. After beating Manny Pacquiao in a con- the Nevada State Athletic Commission. WBO Presi- troversial 12-round decision to win the WBO welter- dent Francisco “Paco” Valcarcel ordered a f ve-judge weight title in Las Vegas on June 9, 2012, Bradley panel to review the f ght. All f ve judges scored it for thought the door was opened for him to become the Pacquiao, but the WBO did not vacate the title. They sport’s next superstar. At the very least he expected ordered a rematch, which Pacquiao turned down.

84 THE RING MAGAZINE - APRIL 2013 The fact Bradley received an unpopular victory over Pacquiao wasn’t his fault. He simply did his job as best he could. Image: Naoki Fukuda

“He won in controversial fashion and usually when March 16 (no opponent or site had been an- that happens the fans blame the guy who won, not nounced). But it has been a long road back to the the guy who lost,” said Carl Moretti, Chief of Box- ring since his match against Pacquiao. If he fights ing Operations for Top Rank. “It’s not Bradley’s in March, it will have been nine months since he fault. The judges had him winning the fight. He was last in the ring. Long absences have character- had nothing to do with the scoring. But the fans are ized Bradley’s career in the last two years. After he blaming him.” defeated Devon Alexander on Jan. 29, 2011, Brad- Shane Mosley can tell Bradley what it’s like to beat ley returned to the ring 10 months later to face Joel the man but not become the man. Mosley defeated Casamayor in Nov. 12, 2011. Then there was a sev- Oscar De La Hoya twice – once as a welterweight en-month gap before he stepped in against Pacquiao and once at junior middleweight – but he never on June 9, 2012. usurped De La Hoya as the pay-per-view king and It is not the ideal schedule for a 29-year-old boxer boxing’s top attraction. who is trying to build himself into a star. Contro- “There is one big difference between Shane and versy and post-fight injuries aside, Bradley should Tim Bradley,” Moretti said. “Everyone saw Shane have climbed back into the ring as soon as possible beat Oscar. Hardly anybody thought that Tim beat after the match against Pacquiao. Manny Pacquiao.” Bradley, a workmanlike boxer with very little flair As the criticism beat down on him the normally for the dramatic, built himself into a contender and a loquacious and outgoing Bradley became angry and champion as a result of his willingness to travel and withdrawn. His wife, Monica, took away his cell take on all comers. He won his first world champi- phone and finally had it disconnected to insulate him onship by taking a gamble to go England to fight from the media. Junior Witter. When reached recently on her cell phone, Monica Bradley had spent all the money he earned as a Bradley said she would have her husband telephone a dishwasher and waiter to train for the match against reporter after he f nished his morning workout near Witter and had $11 in his bank account when he got their home in Indio, Calif. Bradley never phoned on the plane to travel to Nottingham, England. He back. And Monica Bradley stopped answering her cell dropped Witter in the sixth round on the way to a phone on subsequent attempts to reach her. close, 12-round split decision to win the WBC junior Arum expects Bradley to return to the ring on welterweight title in 2008.

THE RING MAGAZINE - APRIL 2013 85 Image: Kevork Djansezian-Getty Bradley f gured his victory over Pacquiao was the start of something good.

It was light years away from them up in a rematch. Cameron (a reported 950,000) and we felt where he found himself four years Dunkin, Bradley’s manager, said that the rematch would do fewer later as he prepared for the biggest he immediately sought a second numbers,” Arum said. “By con- match of his life, against Pacquiao fight with Pacquiao, but the Fili- tract Pacquiao could have asked – a major pay-per-view bout for pino superstar wanted nothing for a rematch, but it wasn’t eco- which Bradley was guaranteed $5 to do with it. Pacquiao believed nomically feasible to do it. We’re million. He fought valiantly and he won the fight, and he didn’t talking now about not a few hun- appeared to blunt Pacquiao’s on- have anything to prove by fight- dred thousand dollars either way, slaught, which is seemingly how he ing him again. Pacquiao also but millions of dollars.” scored points with the judges. In thought he would make more Bradley didn’t understand why their eyes, Bradley won by not get- money fighting Juan Manuel he couldn’t cash in on his victo- ting overwhelmed. Bradley wasn’t Marquez for a fourth time than ry. He earned $5 million against at his best during the f ght, though, he would in a Bradley rematch. Pacquiao, and he didn’t want injuring both feet so badly that he It was a fateful decision because to go back down the scale. He needed a wheelchair to make it to Marquez knocked out Pacquiao balked at taking $2.5 million to the post-f ght press conference. The in the sixth round of their match fight a rematch against Lamont negative reaction was immediate. on Dec. 8. Peterson in December, before If there were doubts, Brad- “The (Pacquiao-Bradley) pay- refusing the fight altogether. It ley wanted the chance to clear per-view didn’t do any numbers probably would have been easy

86 THE RING MAGAZINE - APRIL 2013 money since Bradley handily defeated Peterson in a lopsided de- “He won in cision in the first match on Dec. 12, 2009. controversial “There were people whisper- ing in his ear that he shouldn’t fashion and make anything less than he made usually when that against Pacquiao,” Dunkin said. “But he made a mistake by lis- happens the fans tening to those people. And he let the negative comments get to blame the guy who him. “I kept telling him, ‘Listen Tim, won, not the guy you beat Manny Pacquiao no matter what they say. It’s in the who lost. It’s not record book. You’re undefeated. You made $5 million, but it Bradley’s fault. doesn’t make you a $10 million fighter. All those people who said — Carl Moretti, you’re going backward if you Chief of Boxing Operations take $2.5 million to fight Peter- son are idiots.’ He didn’t want to for Top Rank hear it.” To compound matters, Bradley has been caught in the middle of the promotional Cold War between Top Rank and Golden Boy Promotions. Some of the better matches that could be made for Bradley involve Golden Boy fighters like Devon Alexander, Robert Guerrero, Andre Berto, Paulie Malignaggi and Victor Ortiz. And the one mega-match, the one bigger than Pacquiao – against Floyd Mayweather Jr. – will probably never happen as long as Bradley is with Top Rank. “Boxing already doesn’t have a huge talent pool,” Moretti said. “The options for all fighters are less and less these days. In a sense maybe it will become easier for Bradley to make a fight because guys will say I may as well take this shot because there’s nothing else coming down the pike for a while. And a lot of times it comes down to not how you win, but how you lose.” Bradley knows that from firsthand experience now. Image: Joe Klamar-AFP-Getty feature

THE McGUIGANS ARE BUILDING CARL FRAMPTON INTO WHAT THEY NEXT HOPE WILL BE THE NEXT IRISH STAR GENERATION

By: Gavin Evans

arl Frampton and Barry McGuigan make quite a pair. It’s not just that they’re Cboth diminutive boxing men from the island of Ireland. There’s more to it – a special bond of a kind that is rare between boxer and manager. Of course, they sing each other’s praises. But the symmetry goes deeper. When Frampton is in training, his fancée and daughter stay in McGuigan’s house in Kent, England, and it would seem that the lessons go beyond the business of fghting. McGuigan, a Catholic from the south, grew up at the height of the Troubles in the North, and he quickly learned how to negotiate this gulf in a way that pleased all but the extremists on both sides, making him a celebrity throughout the island. To reinforce his image as a fgure of unity, he refused to fght in the colours of either Britain or Ireland and he married Sandra, a Protestant. Frampton grew up in the tough, working-class estate of Tiger’s Bay in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It was, he says, “100 percent Protestant and Loyalist.” Across the street was the New Lodge estate, which was “100 percent Catholic and Republican.” “There was a lot of trouble between the estates,” he said. “There was always fghting and sometimes rioting, and I’d see cars getting burnt and stuff like that.” But today, Frampton, like McGuigan, makes it his business to reach across the divide. To illustrate the point, it is worth mentioning that his fancée, Christine, is Catholic.

88 the ring magazine - aPriL 2013 Image: Leigh Dawney Image: Lawrence Lustig Junior featherweight contender Carl Frampton celebrates after the biggest victory of his career, a sixth-round knockout of former titleholder Steve Molitor on Sept. 22 in Frampton’s hometown of Belfast.

And it was boxing that helped the silver medal for Ireland at the idol.” to take him beyond the bigotry of European Union championships in Frampton says they immediately the religious divide. He was 7 when Dublin in 2007. He is a bit vague bonded and that he has never re- he joined a few of his friends on a on his amateur record but thinks he gretted the move. “Straight away we short walk to the local gym where had about 160 f ghts, winning more warmed to each other,” he said. “He Midland Amateur Boxing Club was than 130. put me up at his house, and they fed based, and he never looked back. McGuigan first spotted Framp- me and did my washing and all, so “Boxing in Northern Ireland has ton at the European champion- we got to know each other quickly, always been mixed,” he said. “Cath- ships and says he was immensely and the relationship gets stronger all olics and Protestants ... we were impressed, noting that Frampton’s the time.” all mixed up together, even at the speed, aggression and power made To which McGuigan responded: height of the Troubles, so we trained him perfectly suited for the profes- “He’s a lovely, friendly, self-con- together and boxed together and be- sional game. Two years later he was f dent kid. I really liked him right came friends.” one of several managers to make an from the start.” Like fellow Protestant Wayne offer, and the then-22-year-old im- Frampton had a solid, working- McCullough, he had no problems mediately said yes. class background. His father, Craig, in boxing for Ireland (40 times in “When Barry approached me, I worked at a Belfast City Council all, he says), winning the Irish na- knew it was time,” he said. “I’d met recreation center and his mother in tional title at f yweight in 2005 and him a couple of times before, but I a supermarket. He has an older sis- featherweight in 2009. He also won didn’t really know him, except as an ter and a younger brother. His par-

90 THE RING MAGAZINE - APRIL 2013 ents imparted a strong work ethic, “I was very shy as a child, the kind of guy who was and this came out in Frampton’s consistent application to his boxing, intimidated easily. But boxing taught me to defend which gave him a self-confidence myself so after a while people stopped picking on me, that had previously been lacking. “I was very shy as a child, the and I didn’t get into many street fights.” kind of guy who was intimidated easily,” he says. “But boxing taught me to defend myself so after a while people stopped picking on me, and I didn’t get into many street fghts.” Spend a few minutes with Framp- ton and you soon notice how direct and honest he is. And he makes it clear his lifestyle in his late amateur days wasn’t ideal. “I’d say I was never really a bad boy, but I did like to drink a bit, especially when I was a teenager.” He acknowledges that while he held the boxing together his life beyond the ropes drifted for a time. He followed his mates in dropping out of school in his fnal year, and then started a college course in sports studies, which he did not complete. Instead, he received intensive tu- ition in the business of becoming a professional boxer. Living and training with the McGuigans before fghts prompted the lad to embrace a Spartan existence, which was re- inforced when his daughter, Carla, was born two years ago. “I’m still not a teetotaller nowa- days, but I’d say I very rarely drink,” he says. “I think in the whole of 2012 I went drinking once. It just doesn’t appeal to me anymore. I prefer spending time with my family because I’m away from them so much.” His usual pattern is to have a week’s rest after a fight and then return to light training before spending several weeks with the McGuigans, packing in two intensive training sessions while running under the guidance of his manger’s son, Shane. Image: Scott Heavey-Getty Frampton began his professional

THE ring magazinE - aPriL 2013 91 career in 2009 at featherweight, starting out with a second-round stoppage over one Sandor Szina- vel, but by his fourth f ght he had dropped to junior featherweight, where he has remained. He insists he can continue making the 122-pound limit for several years to come. “I’m not going to lie; making the weight is never exactly easy, but when I work hard for 10 weeks before a fight, it’s not too diff cult. I’m actually bigger and stronger than when I was a featherweight, and that’s due to the training and nutrition advice from Shane.” Frampton is effusive in his praise for the younger McGuigan. “He’s younger than me, but he really knows his stuff. He’s was a good amateur himself, and he’s worked corners all over the world, and he’s studied nutrition, and he keeps on learning. He always spots weak- nesses in opponents before I do. You watch: He’ll soon be one of the world’s top trainers.” Because of Frampton’s 15 years of amateur experience, the McGuigans were conf dent about moving him quickly. He was ready for the Celtic title after seven f ghts and the Com- monwealth title after 10. But his big

test came in his 15th bout in Sep- Image: Andrew Yates-AFP-Getty tember of last year when he faced Frampton (right) had too much f re for Raul Hirales last May. former two-time titleholder Steve Molitor, who had come back with a The obvious challenge at this stage and he’s a bit one-paced. He’s def - win after losing his title in 2011 and of his career would be a domestic nitely got his vulnerabilities. But I had a 34-2 record. showdown with the RING-rated don’t think his promoters, the Hat- The pattern was set early when Scott Quigg, whose sixth-round tons, want the fight, even though Frampton nailed the Canadian with knockout of Rendall Munroe last there’s a lot of money in it.” a stiff left hook, and he never let year was impressive. McGuigan McGuigan said his charge will off after that, using his advantages is convinced his man has Quigg’s be ready for a title shot this year in speed and strength to win every number and, naturally, Frampton even though he is competing in round before dropping and stop- agrees. one of the game’s most talent-rich ping Molitor in the sixth. “Just as “I think Scott’s a hard trainer and divisions, In addition to the quick I’d expected,” Frampton said, “after a good f ghter,” Frampton said, “but and elusive Cuban, Rigondeaux, the f ght, people said he was shot, with my amateur background, I’ve it includes pound-for-pound star and it’s true, he’s not the f ghter he been in the game a lot longer than Nonito Donaire and unbeaten was, but I hurt him early and never him and I think he’s easy to hurt be- Mexican Abner Mares. “Of the let him off.” cause he doesn’t have the best chin, top three, I’d definitely go for

92 THE RING MAGAZINE - APRIL 2013 Image: Scott Heavey-Getty Frampton and the McGuigans, Shane (left) and Barry (second from right) are a formidable team. Trainer Gerry Storey is at right.

Mares. He has the perfect style for Carl. But [Jho- natan] Romero and [Alejandro] Lopez are fighting PLUCK OF THE IRISH for the vacant IBF title, and we’d be keen for Carl to Five fghters from Ireland who made their mark (including fight the winner of that one.” years active): Frampton, who is promoted on a fght-to-fght basis by Matchroom (Eddie Hearn), acknowledges that he 1. RInTy MOnagHan (1932-49) should wait another year or two before tangling with Popular fghter from Belfast, world fyweight champ in Donaire or Rigondeaux. “If one of those fghts came up late ’40s, sang to his fans after his fghts. tomorrow, I’d take it,” he said. “I’ve got a good chin, a big heart and a big punch, so I’d have a decent chance, 2. BaRRy McgUIgan (1981-89) but I’d be more confdent after a few more fghts. But Clones featherweight became hero after stunning Euse- with Mares, I’d love to fght him right now. He’s the bio Pedroza to win world featherweight title in 1985. weakest of the top three.” Frampton talks of a 10-year professional career, which 3. DavE “BOy” MCaULEy (1983-92) would take him into his early 30s before retiring. “I Flyweight from Larne was overshadowed by McGuigan but held IBF title for three years. want to go out when the time is right, and not leave it too late, but I suppose that all boxers say this and then 4. STEvE COLLInS (1986-97) they stay around too long.” Tough two-division world titleholder from Dublin had two In this sense, he could learn from McGuigan’s exam- wins over both Nigel Benn and Chris Eubank. ple. The “Clones Cyclone” won the WBA title by beating the great Eusebio Pedroza after four years as a profes- 5. WaynE MCCULLOUgH (1993-2008) sional and lost it to Steve Cruz in a Nevada heat wave 1992 Olympic silver medalist from Belfast held bantam- in his third defense. He lost his fourth comeback fght weight title in the mid-’90s. on cuts to Britain’s Jim McDonnell and promptly retired at the age of 29 to become Britain’s best-known boxing broadcaster. citing style, he’s not as recklessly aggressive as I was. He believes Frampton has a style designed for greater He’s clever, sharp defensively and can counterpunch longevity. and box off the back foot, which makes for a longer “I was a quantity puncher,” McGuigan said. “He’s a lasting career. I think he’ll be the next major star of quality puncher. And even though he’s got a very ex- Irish boxing.”

THE ring magazinE - aPriL 2013 93 letters from europe THE FIGHTS OF SPRING

Image: AFP-Getty Mikkel Kessler (left) and Carl Froch appear to be headed toward another showdown.

By: Gareth A Davies, The Telegraph, London wise he is just going to be viewed in history as a great fghter. This is the real legacy fght for him.” he springtime will present riveting rounds be- “If he wins, he can go down as one of the greatest Ttween the ropes in Europe. British boxers of all time. But he has to beat people From the top: The May 2013 meeting of Carl like Kessler to be a true great, in my opinion.” Froch and Mikkel Kessler is taking shape. It’s a fan’s Timing is everything. And Froch was unlucky. He fght, and the residue from the contest carries a legacy missed out on the highest profle fght possible against for both the fghters and the promoters. Joe Calzaghe, who had become a crossover star. You Young but increasingly infuential promoters Eddie might also add Bernard Hopkins to that mix. Hearn and Kalle Sauerland, who is German but spent Rather than being propelled into the spotlight with his formative years at a renowned private school in an identifable yardstick by which the British public north London and is well-versed in the culture of the could measure him, Froch has had to fashion his own British sporting landscape, can stamp their mark with niche. this match-up. Five million people watched him defeat Jean Pascal It will be at a major venue. Hearn’s germane view on network television. But the great run he then had, on Froch’s potential gain from the rematch is on known to boxing’s afcionados, barely touched the ca- point. Froch has more to gain than Kessler. That’s sual fght fan. The network television deal had gone, probably right. The Dane already has fame, fortune and without widespread exposure, his greatest mo- and widespread adulation in his homeland. ments were missed by the masses. Recognition with Right now Froch is Britain’s No. 1 practitioner, the public outside boxing has been a long process. pound for pound, without the nation knowing it. This fght could start to tip that balance. Unjust, but true. If Froch beats Kessler convincingly, comparisons Hearn told me: “Carl has to win this fght, other- with Calzaghe can be drawn much more easily.

94 the ring magazine - aPriL 2013 I’ll never forget the night in Cardiff when 50,000 fans took to the streets for Calzaghe-Kessler. The atmosphere was electric, even at 4 a.m. when the lights went out in the stadium as the media, fghters and their entourages fnally left the Millennium Stadium. Hearn bleeds with ambition for Froch against nem- esis Kessler, whose points victory over Froch in their frst meeting still rankles the Brit. “I think Carl might stop Mikkel late this time,” Hearn wagered to me. “Carl’s a different fghter now, he’s got fast hands, he pounces more, he starts faster. That’s the lesson from the Andre Ward fght. He just never got going.” There are those who might argue with that assessment, viewing Ward as inhabiting a different plane. For me, Ward would probably have beaten Calzaghe by a razor-tight points decision. Hearn is clearly targeting another assault on Ward if the Kessler rematch plays out to the tune Froch’s Nottingham army will want to hear. “I’m not saying that Carl would beat Ward, but if the Kessler fght sees Carl emerge with a powerful victory, I think we could draw Ward to the U.K., and over here, it could be a different fght,” Hearn said Possibly. But the building blocks around this Froch- Kessler contest could create a fght with Ward capa- ble of generating several million pounds. They would need that for Ward to cross The Pond. Image: Martin McNeal/Hoganphotos British Olympian Anthony Ogogo fgures prominently in the Froch-Kessler is likely to sell out (at time of going to plans of Golden Boy Promotions in the U.K. press the options were the two biggest indoor arenas in the U.K., Manchester Arena, capacity 19,000, or dleweight bronze medalist Anthony Ogogo. the 02 Arena in London, 17,000). Thousands of Dan- Schaefer sat down with British Boxing Board Sec- ish Vikings, an estimated 5,000 of them, are expected retary Robert Smith and Chairman Charlie Giles to cross the waters from mainland Europe to cheer on on his sojourn here. There is precedent for such a Kessler, who, after all, enjoys the kind of stardom in set-up. In the ’90s, South African promoter Rodney his homeland that David Beckham enjoys here. Even Berman of Golden Gloves took a British promoter’s Kessler’s sister is a glamor star in that country. license under the banner of Golden Fists, with Dave What will be interesting is how the fght sells on Lewis, a British citizen involved in the boxing in- pay-per-view. Hearn is the only British promoter cur- dustry, as their licensed representative. l rently holding a deal with Sky Sports in the U.K. – he “I can’t see there being a problem, but they will has 20 fght night dates this year on Sky Sports, which need an agent based in the U.K.,” Smith explained has not had a boxing pay-per-view event since David to me. Haye’s fawed challenge against Wladimir Klitschko “The competition is good for everybody. Golden in July 2011. Boy are one of the biggest promoters around, they are successful, and if they can bring great fights here, all well and good,” added Smith. Schaefer explained: “The plan is to have four Intriguing developments afoot, too, with the plans shows a year. We will be filing an application for Golden Boy Promotions has to take out a promot- the license. Golden Boy has a great reputation in er’s license on these shores. the U.K. The signs and elements are there for a That plan gathered steam with CEO Richard ‘Golden Boy U.K.’, assuming we can find the right Schaefer’s last visit to London, in January, when fighters.” GBP announced the signing of British Olympic mid- “I came to the Olympics, I followed the U.K.

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team, saw the support and the atmosphere and it was amazing. All these factors made me think it’s the right time. But we need the right stable with fighters who have the talent but also the charisma to transcend the sport in the U.K. market, and then the world. It’s not about quantity, it’s about quality.” Ogogo fits the mold. The gregarious male model who had a promising junior soccer career with Pre- miership outfit Norwich City, has already carved a niche as a celebrity in the U.K. He was given a heady launch in London’s swanky Mayfair in January, and has a personality in the spotlight that will attract media attention. He also has great heart, and desire. He came through a terrible shoulder injury to qualify for the Olympics, cracked a rib in sparring on the eve of the Games, and battled through the emotions of his mother surviving a brain hemorrhage just days before the Image: Martin McNeal-Hoganphotos Olympics began. What we really don’t know yet is Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer, with Anthony Ogogo, said just how much talent he really has as a prize fighter. the time is right to do business in the U.K.

Talking of prize fighters, it’s hard to know what mally imperturbable Eubank by telling him in the to make of Steve Collins’ insistence that he is going buildup to one of those fights that he had been hyp- to make a comeback, 16 years after his retirement, notized and could not be knocked out or hurt. The at the age of 48. One man and only one fight oc- Irishman later revealed it was a ploy. cupies his mind: Roy Jones Jr. Collins reckons he had an epiphany last Christ- Will it happen? It certainly looks that way. Collins mas. He had been to the States, called out Jones is adamant that it will come to fruition. Collins was and spoke to the future teak tough, an unstoppable chunk of granite during Hall of Famer’s manage- his career. They say Who Dares Wins, and he lived ment team. Collins has that credo to the letter. rebuffed the disbelief of The first half of his career was fought in the Unit- many through insisting ed States, and included two failed stabs at the WBA that he is financially com- middleweight title, resulting in losses to Mike Mc- fortable, and will have all Callum, then Reggie Johnson. the stringent medical tests But once he’d come back to Ireland, and lost in a and brain scans before European title challenge against Sumbu Kalambay, stepping into the ring. he invaded the U.K. scene, won the WBO middle- Image: Tim Whitby-Getty At the time of going to weight title and then the WBO super middleweight COLLINS press, Collins had dis- title, making seven defenses of the gold before re- closed that he was back in tiring. training and was awaiting contracts being signed. Several times I came across him in the ’90s af- The bottom line is whether there is any meaning ter his retirement at the most exclusive polo clubs here, outside burning personal ambition. in England. He’d tried his hand at the sport for Would it not be better to visit a hypnotist for real princes. Bizarre. But he’s always been great value. this time and be coaxed under the spell that con- Collins became revered after that stellar second- tentedness lies with a decorated 11-year career that half of his career. Two victories, remember, over ended in 1997 with a chalkboard showing 36-3? both Chris Eubank and Nigel Benn in his last eight Another from that era on this side of the pond, fights. Worth recalling that he unsettled the nor- Henry Wharton, has emerged into the light again

96 THE RING MAGAZINE - APRIL 2013 Image: John Gichigi-Getty One of Steve Collins’ greatest victories was his sixth-round stoppage of Nigel Benn in 1996. Collins “retired” the following year. with a more sensible, and philanthrop- date with Sergio Martinez and Amir ic desire. U.K. TOP 10 Khan making his return to England for Wharton, the slugger with a great Gareth A Davies’ monthly the first time in two years, Frank War- left hook who had several memorable pound-for-pound list for ren’s “Rule Britannia” card has mean- fights in his 27-3-1 career, among them British boxers. ingful match-ups from top to bottom a standout contest with Eubank, has on March 16. opened a gym in York. The upstairs of 1. Carl Froch The lightweight unification world a closed-down cinema has been con- 2. Amir Khan championship between Ricky Burns verted, and Wharton’s intention is to 3. David Haye and Miguel Vazquez is one to savor, create a walk-in for many young peo- 4. Ricky Burns while Nathan Cleverly makes a man- ple, intent on transforming lives. 5. Kell Brook datory defense of his light heavyweight Wharton, the British, Commonwealth 6. Nathan Cleverly title against Robin Krasniqi. and European super-middleweight 7. Tyson Fury George Groves contests the European champion, lost only to Eubank, Nigel 8. David Price title at 168 pounds (12st), and just to Benn and Robin Reid. 9. Scott Quigg show what a difference a year really Benn, incidentally, dropped into 10. George Groves does make, Dereck Chisora is set to get Wharton’s newly-opened gym in Janu- his British Boxing Board license back. ary, only days before the once “Dark That brawl in Munich with David Destroyer” set off for Australia, where he is going Haye really does seem a long time ago now. to live and work as a preacher. We’re set fair for a great Spring season.

Ahead of two significant April world title bouts, Gareth A Davies is Boxing Correspondent for The with Martin Murray heading to Argentina for a Telegraph, London.

THE ring magazinE - aPriL 2013 97 Light heavyweight contender Sergei Kovalev (left) overwhelmed Gabriel Campillo from the opening bell. Image: Emily Harney

SERGEI KOVALEV TKO 3 surprise when he failed to survive three rounds. Indeed, Kovalev (20-0-1, 18 KOs) proved that his GabRiel Campillo combination of experience, tight technique and im- DATE: Jan. 19, 2013 mense punching power can take down both journey- SITE: Mohegan Sun CaSino, unCaSville, Conn. men and elite opponents. Seventeen of his knockout DIVISIOn: light heavyweight victims have now fallen inside three rounds, an eye- WEIGhTS: Kovalev 175; CaMpillo 175 catching statistic. RInG RATInG (GOInG InTO fIGhT): Kovalev unrated; “I didn’t want this to go the distance,” Kovalev said CaMpillo no. 3 through an interpreter. “I didn’t want anyone to say nETWORK: nBC Campillo got robbed again like he did the other times. Sergei Kovalev, a onetime amateur star from Russia, I wanted to show what I can do, and in the third round, had been beating up far inferior opponents since turn- with the one power punch, I saw I could hurt him.” ing pro in 2009. The question was this: How would he Of course, one victory over a top-tier opponent do when he stepped up to world-class competition? The doesn’t make Kovalev a star even if he entered THE answer: Incredibly well. RING’s light heavyweight ratings at No. 5. He has Kovalev overwhelmed Gabriel Campillo with con- more to prove. At the same time, he earned the right to trolled ferocity from the opening bell and didn’t stop call out the best in the division. until the Spaniard had gone down three times in the Kovalev, who lives in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., men- third, which left referee Mike Ortega no choice but tioned the Bernard Hopkins-Tavoris Cloud winner, to end matters at 1:30 of a round that stunned both Chad Dawson and Nathan Cleverly. Campillo and those watching. “I would want the winner of the Cloud-Hopkins And make no mistake: Campillo (21-5-1, 8 knock- fght on March 9,” he said. “I would fght anyone, but outs) was no pushover. He was rated No. 3 by THE whether Cloud or Hopkins will fght me, I don’t know. RING and entered the fght on something of a run in In boxing today, a lot of fghters are very protected. I spite of a 2-2-1 record in his previous fve fghts, having think I have all of the tools to beat them. It depends on been cheated out of victories over Beibut Shumenov and whether or not they accept it.” Tavoris Cloud in the opinion of many observers. Many experts expected Campillo to win. Hence the – Michael Rosenthal

98 the ring magazine - aPriL 2013 Image: Chris Farina-Top Rank Mikey Garcia (fanked by his father and brother, trainers Eduardo and Robert Garcia) served up a smile after beating Orlando Salido. MIKEY GARCIA TD 8 quiao generation has begun to recede. On a weekend when Kelly Pavlik announced his retirement, Garcia ORLANDO SALIDO knocked down Salido four times with angles, footwork, DATE: Jan. 19, 2013 precision and an almost instinctive sense of timing. Sa- SITE: Madison square Garden, new York lido moved forward resolutely and always in a stubborn DIvISIon: FeatherweiGht straight line, but Garcia was there to subtly turn him WEIGhTS: Garcia 125½; salido 126 one way, then another. It was as if Garcia had him on an RInG RATInG (GoInG InTo fIGhT): salido no. 1; Garcia no. 3 imaginary leash, leading him into traps that Salido could nETWoRK: hBo neither elude nor counter. Patience and stardom are an unlikely combination in First, there was a one-two combo that dropped Salido the rush to get it all as fast as possible these days, but about 90 seconds after the opening bell. Then, there was when they do get together, they look an awful lot like a left hook that dropped Salido for a second time as Mikey Garcia. the frst round ended. Garcia was just getting warmed Garcia (31-0, 26 KOs) has a few other combinations up. Salido was back on the canvas midway through the as well. Orlando Salido (29-12-2, 27 KOs) saw a lot third, thanks to a right uppercut from Garcia. In the of them on his way to an eighth-round technical-deci- early seconds of the fourth round, Garcia sent him there sion loss, which gave Garcia THE RING featherweight again with a left that landed stiffy and with the blunt championship and Salido’s WBO belt. impact of a bat thrown like a spear. But Garcia seemed disappointed that he couldn’t show “I had the perfect fght going on,” Garcia told the me- Salido or the crowd of 4,850 more. His nose had been dia at the post-fght news conference. broken by a head butt and the bout was turned over to Salido said his nose was broken, too. He said he could the judges, who scored it widely in his favor 79-69, 79- have continued. He said Mexicans don’t quit. He de- 69 and 79-70. manded a rematch, saying Garcia still had to prove he It was brilliant, yet it was only a beginning. was a worthy champion. Maybe he tasted something on Garcia’s star is rising at a time when the Manny Pac- that canvas that causes amnesia.

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Image: Naoki Fukuda Gabriel Rosado (left) took everything Gennady Golovkin threw at him but couldn’t overcome gushing blood.

Salido’s two victories over Juan Manuel Lopez had worth the risk. Call it a blueprint for 2013, a business worried Garcia’s management. Manager Cameron plan in progress. Dunkin fretted that the 25-year-old might be getting So far, so good. ahead of himself. But Garcia, of Oxnard, Calif., has Golovkin (25-0, 22 KOs), the WBA middleweight title- been perfecting his skills under the patient guidance of holder, did what he had to with a TKO of a bloodied trainers Eduardo and Robert Garcia, who also happen Rosado (21-6, 13 KOs), whose corner threw in the towel to be his father and brother. He was waiting for the right at 2:46 of the seventh round. place and right stage. New York and HBO were perfect. The lack of a knockout or even a knockdown left So was he. some questions about just how good Golovkin is or “I told everybody it was just another f ght for me,” – more to the point – will be. Rosado, a Philadelphia Garcia said. “I’m not so worried about what’s at stake. I f ghter and as tough as advertised, entered the f ght unjust want to show everybody the f ghter I am.” dersized and presumably overmatched. Nevertheless, Rosado, who wound up with 13 stitches – Norm Frauenheim above the wounded eye, was able to keep Golovkin off balance in the early moments and even backed him up GENNADY GOLOVKIN TKO 7 in the fourth. “I wore him down in the f fth and sixth,” Golovkin GABRIEL ROSADO said at the post-f ght news conference. “This was not a DATE: JAN. 19, 2013 statement for me. But it was a win.” SITE: MADISON SQUARE GARDEN, NEW YORK The f u might have had something to do with a Go- DIVISION: MIDDLEWEIGHT lovkin performance that didn’t quite fulf ll the expecta- WEIGHTS: GOLOVKIN 160; ROSADO 159 tions attached to the 2004 Olympic silver medalist from RING RATING (GOING INTO FIGHT): GOLOVKIN NO. 3; ROSADO Kazakhstan. He was reportedly sick and in bed just two NOT RATED nights before the opening bell. Nobody knew about this NETWORK: HBO until HBO’s Max Kellerman asked him about it in the There has been no shortage of expectations surround- center of the ring immediately after the f ght. ing Gennady Golovkin since late last year. Now, the “It’s true that I was sick, but there’s no excuses,” said task is to manage them, fashion a f ghter that sustains Golovkin, who according to some reports might be of- the buzz, stays unbeaten and creates a potential reward fered a multi-f ght deal by HBO.

100 THE RING MAGAZINE - APRIL 2013 The fu question generated some complaints from Ro- the end came two frames later. sado and others. Rosado called it “disrespectful” in an It began as Ioka (11-0, 7 KOs) fred a left-right combina- interview with RingTV.com. tion that foored and badly hurt Rodriguez. The stunned “It was kind of lame for Max Kellerman to bring that Mexican got up on wobbly legs and Ioka went in for the up,” Rosado said. fnish, drilling his foe senseless with a quick right body But it was neither disrespectful nor lame. It was news shot, right uppercut one-two. Referee Pinit Prayadsab if Golovkin entered the ring drained after facing one was forced to halt the bout without a count at 2:50. foe, the fu, and then faced another, Rosado. Maybe Go- The 23-year-old, who was rated No. 1 by THE RING lovkin didn’t easily knock out either. But the combina- at 105 pounds, defended his WBC title three times and tion added up to adversity that might have undone a had just won the WBA belt at that weight before moving fghter with more modest expectations. up to 108. He is quickly gaining recognition as one of the Golovkin said it best: Only a win mattered. The plan is sport’s rising stars. for him to fght in late March, possibly in Germany, according to K2 managing director Tom Loeffer. As many No. 7 RYo MIYAZAKI SD 12 poRNSAWAN poRpRAMooK as four fghts are possible in 2013, Loeffer said. DEC. 31, 2012, oSAKA, JApAN If the business plan avoids another unplanned bout Ryo Miyazaki captured the vacant WBA 105-pound with the fu and adds three more wins, the Rosado fght belt (the one vacated by Ioka), edging Pornsawan Por- will be remembered only for what it was expected to be: pramook by split decision. One judge scored it for Por- A Golovkin victory. pramook 114-113 while the other two had it for Mi- yazaki 116-111 and 116-112. – Norm Frauenheim Porpramook (27-5-1, 17 KOs), best known for his slugfest with Akira Yaegashi in one of the best fghts of 2011, employed his trademark whirlwind style. He kept No. 1 TAKASHI UCHIYAMA TKo 8 No. 10 BRYAN VAZQUEZ the pressure on Miyazaki round after round, while Mi- DEC. 31, 2012, ToKYo yazaki, 24, sought to fend him off with jabs, quickness Takashi Uchiyama rang in the New Year with style, and sharp boxing. notching the sixth successful defense of his WBA The contrast in styles made for an entertaining fght 130-pound title with an eighth-round stoppage of Bryan and there were many shifts in momentum. In the fourth, Vazquez. Porpramook, 34, badly stunned Miyazaki (18-0-3, 10 Uchiyama (19-0-1, 16 KOs) stalked Vazquez with KOs) and then continued to fnd his target in the ffth. left-hand leads and controlled the fght with his supe- The judges had the fght a draw after eight rounds, but rior guile, power and athleticism before turning it on in Miyazaki prospered down the stretch. He cracked Por- the middle rounds. He began to dial in with power shots pramook with a left hook that wobbled the Thai fghter and then stunned Vazquez in the eighth with a barrage and had him out on his feet, but he made it to the fnal of punches that forced the 25-year-old to retreat and fall bell. into the ropes. Vazquez covered up and offered no resistance as Uchiyama amped up the pressure and let his No. 3 YoTA SATo UD 12 No. 8 RYo AKAHo hands go. DEC. 31, 2012, ToKYo Vazquez (29-1, 15 KOs) barely made it out of the Yota Sato made the second successful defense of his round, but it was for naught, as referee Raul Caiz Jr. WBC junior bantamweight title with a comprehensive called it while the overwhelmed Costa Rican sat on his decision victory over fellow countryman Ryo Akaho. The stool. At the time of the stoppage, Uchiyama was ahead scores were 118-110, 117-112 and 117-111 for Sato. on all three cards: 70-63, 69-64 and 68-65. Sato (26-2-1, 12 KOs) used his savvy boxing ability, speed and length to dictate the pace of the fght and keep KAZUTo IoKA TKo 6 JoSE RoDRIGUEZ Akaho at bay. He toyed with his opponent for much DEC. 31, 2012, oSAKA, JApAN of the fght, even resorting to the rope-a-dope tactic in Japanese prodigy Kazuto Ioka won a title in a second Round 9. weight class in just his 11th pro contest, dropping Jose Akaho (19-1-2, 12 KOs) won a few rounds on pure Rodriguez three times en route to a sixth-round stoppage aggression but simply couldn’t cope with the larger and for the vacant WBA junior fyweight belt. more technically sound fghter. Ioka dropped Rodriguez in the frst with a left body Sato hasn’t lost since Sept. 2005 and has established shot, right uppercut combo. Rodriguez (28-2, 17 KOs) himself as one of Japan’s best fghters. He rose to No. 2 beat the count and rebounded with a strong fourth, but in the division with the one-sided victory.

THE ring magazinE - aPriL 2013 101 LETTERSRINGSIDE FROM REPORTS EUROPE

KOHEI KONO TKO 4 NO. 2 TEPPARITH SINGWANCHA of mixed results that say his apprenticeship is unf nished. DEC. 31, 2012, TOKYO “I gave myself only a C,” Rios, 22, said after a slow- Kohei Kono sprung a major upset, winning the WBA paced bout marked by sporadic exchanges. 115-pound belt against prohibitive favorite Tepparith Rios was rarely able to close the distance and make the Singwancha with a fourth-round stoppage. more mobile Ramos f ght for long. When he did, Rios Kono (28-7, 11 KOs) dropped Singwancha (who f ghts scored with a body attack punctuated by a left hook. On under the name of his sponsor, Kokietgym) three times in the scorecards, it was 96-94, 97-93 and 100-90, all for the fourth round, signaling the conclusion of the contest Rios, whose grade from that third judge was more than due to the WBA’s three knockdown rule. The f rst was the he would even give himself. result of a devastating left hook that seemed to render the titleholder senseless. Singwancha (21-3, 13 KOs) got up NO. 3 ADRIAN HERNANDEZ UD 12 DIRCEU CABARCA but soon went down again after a series of Kono right JAN. 12, 2013, TOLUCA, MEXICO hands. The Thai warrior barely beat the count but a f nal It was the f rst title f ght of the New Year. It was also f urry from Kono ended the f ght at 2:08, when referee the f rst mismatch. Stanley Christodoulou waved it off. Adrian Hernandez (26-2-1, 16 KOs) retained the WBC Kono crashed THE RING’s junior bantamweight rat- junior f yweight title in his f rst defense against some- ings at No. 6, while Singwancha fell to No. 7. It was the body who had never gone beyond eight rounds and had Japanese f ghter’s f rst victory in a world title f ght after fought beyond his native Panama only once. Oh yeah, his two previous unsuccessful attempts. name is Dirceu Cabarca (13-7, 5 KOs). The WBC’s Jose Sulaiman tried to explain why his acronym sanctioned the f ght. He called it entertaining. JOHN MOLINA KO 4 DANNIE WILLIAMS Well, let’s just say it went the distance with Hernandez JAN. 11, 2013, SANTA FE, N.M. (ESPN2) winning 120-108, 118-110 and 119-112. John Molina rebounded from the worst night of his Hernandez, who might be headed to Japan in April for professional career with a highlight reel knockout on Fri- his next title defense, had Cabarca in trouble in the third day Night Fights, stopping Dannie Williams in the fourth with uppercuts and body shots. But Cabarca survived, round. in part because of a head butt that cut Hernandez near Williams (22-3, 18 KOs) built an early lead on the his left eye and at the bridge of his nose. strength of his overhand rights but suffered a cut over his left eye after an accidental clash of heads in the third. In the following frame, Molina landed a stiff jab and NO. 3 ROMAN MARTINEZ D 12 NO. 7 followed with an overhand right, which connected with JUAN CARLOS BURGOS Williams’ temple and spun him to the canvas like a top. JAN. 19, 2013, MADISON SQUARE GARDEN, NEW YORK He lay with his head dangling over an off cial’s table and (HBO) got up on the other side of the apron as referee Rocky Anybody up for a rematch? Burke reached the count of 10 at 2:16. It looks as if there will have to be one if only to sweep Molina (25-2, 20 KOs) was in dire need of a strong per- away the controversy that lingers on the scorecards af- formance after his previous outing, a 44-second stoppage ter Burgos (30-1-1, 20 KOs) seemed to win, yet didn’t, loss to Antonio DeMarco. He reestablished himself as a in a bid to take the WBO junior lightweight title away contender at 135 pounds with the rebound victory. Wil- from Martinez (26-1-2, 16 KOs). liams, who was once regarded as a promising prospect, Burgos won the important punch-stat categories: suffered his second defeat in three f ghts. 286-193 overall and 234-164 on power shots. On fan polls and message boards, public sentiment was RONNY RIOS UD 10 RICO RAMOS with him. But judge Tony Paolillo wasn’t, scoring for JAN. 11, 2013, FANTASY SPRINGS CASINO, INDIO, CALIF. Martinez 116-112 despite body shots that landed and (SHOWTIME) landed. Graduation to world class will have to wait for Ronny Listen carefully and you might hear another one land. Rios (20-0, 9 KOs). He’s still a student. A promising one, Judge Waleska Roldan did see them, scoring it for to be sure. But a unanimous decision on ShoBox for the Burgos 117-111. John Signorile scored it a draw 114- North American Boxing Federation’s featherweight title 114. Signorile might not have gotten it right but, of- over former World Boxing Association super-bantam- f cially, it is what it is – a split draw and an undisputed weight champion Rico Ramos (21-2, 11 KOs) was full reason to do it again.

102 THE RING MAGAZINE - APRIL 2013

through Jan. 21, 2013

Image: Naoki Fukuda Anthony Ferrante (background) introduced then-unbeaten Isa Akberbayev to the canvas with one fght-ending punch in the 10th round on Jan. 19.

HeavYWeiGHts Brandon Gonzales W 8 don Mouton ruBen acosta Ko 7 everaldo Praxedes oleG MasKaev Ko 3 oWen BecK HadillaH MoHouMadi W 10 cedric Bellais soloMon HauMono Ko 5 KYotaro FuJiMoto caleB truax W 10 Matt vanda Hector avila Ko 7 eMilio zarate deontaY Wilder Ko 2 MattHeW Greer MiddleWeiGHts

cruiserWeiGHts Joe Greene W 8 calvin odoM KariM acHour Ko 5 MicHel MotHMora antHonY Ferrante Ko 10 isa aKBerBaYev elco Garcia Ko 7 raHMan YusuBov Marcus uPsHaW Ko 8 vladine Biosse liGHt HeavYWeiGHts curtis stevens Ko 1 elvin aYala GennadY GolovKin Ko 7 GaBriel rosado Mounir touMi W 10 tonY averlant tHoMas WilliaMs Jr. Ko 3 Jason sMitH Junior MiddleWeiGHts HaKiM cHioui Ko 3 ParFait tindani roBerto Bolonti Ko 8 Franco sancHez cHarles WHittaKer W 10 dondon sultan serGei Kovalev Ko 3 GaBriel caMPillo JonatHan Gonzalez W 10 dereK ennis sean MonaGHan W 8 roGer cantrell daquan arnett W 8 Brandon quarles MicHel soro W 12 Kris carslaW suPer MiddleWeiGHts aKio sHiBata Ko 8 taKaYuKi HosoKaWa PatricK teixeira Ko 1 luis acevedo Francis cHeKa W 12 cHiMWeMWe cHiotcHa Yudel JHonson W 8 dasHon JoHnson MaxiM vlasov W 10 Geard aJetovic Glen taPia Ko 2 aYi Bruce

104 the ring magazine - aPriL 2013 WElTERWEIGHTS

ASHlEy THEOPHANE kO 1 cHAUREMBO PAlASA FERNANdO ANGUlO W 12 JUAN MANUEl BONANNI FRANkIE GAVIN kO 7 JASON WElBORN

JUNIOR WElTERWEIGHTS

REyES SANcHEz kO 6 RAMIRO AlcARAz ROBERT FRANkEl Td 5 JERMAINE WHITE PATOMSUk PATHOMPOTHONG W 12 TAkAMORI AkITA JOHAN PEREz Md 10 STEVE FORBES lIGHTWEIGHTS

JOHN MOlINA kO 4 dANNIE WIllIAMS FERNANdO SAUcEdO kO 7 EdIlSON RIO (F) dElFINE PERSOON W 10 ANITA TORTI (F) lUcIA MOREllI W 10 ROlA El HAlABI FERMIN dE lOS SANTOS Md 12 EdGAR RIOVAllE lUIS ARcEO W 10 RIcARdO dOMINGUEz MARTIN GETHIN kO 9 BEN MURPHy MARVIN PETIT kO 1 JOEl dURANd Image: Toru Yamanaka-AFP-Getty Kohei Kono pulled a major upset by stopping Tepparith JUNIOR lIGHTWEIGHTS Singwancha to win the WBA 115-pound belt.

TAkASHI UcHIyAMA kO 8 BRyAN VAzqUEz JUNIOR BANTAMWEIGHTS RANcES BARTHElEMy W 12 ARASH USMANEE EdGAR PUERTA kO 8 ABRAHAM ROdRIGUEz PETcH SOR cHITPATTANA W 10 FERNANdO OcON GUIllAUME FRENOIS W 12 ANTHONy ARIMANy OlEydONG SITHSAMERcHAI W 6 dANIlO PENA dANTE JARdON dq 2 AdRIAN VERdUGO yOTA SATO W 12 RyO AkAHO SERGIO THOMPSON kO 5 MOISES cASTRO kOHEI kONO kO 4 TEPPARITH SINGWANcHA ROMAN MARTINEz Sd 12 JUAN cARlOS BURGOS EFRAIN PEREz kO 10 OMAR lINA JASON cANOy kO 1 ARlON BATINGAl FEATHERWEIGHTS FlyWEIGHTS cIRIlO ESPINO W 12 AdONES AGUElO RONNy RIOS W 10 RIcO RAMOS RyAN REy PONTERAS kO 4 RUSAlEE SAMOR ROBINSON cASTEllANOS kO 1 EdGAR RAMIREz AkIRA yAEGASHI kO 9 SAENMUANGlOEI kOkIETGyM MIkEy GARcIA Td 8 ORlANdO SAlIdO kWANPIcHIT ONESONGcHAIGyM kO 4 NOlI MORAlES

JUNIOR FEATHERWEIGHTS JUNIOR FlyWEIGHTS

AlI HAllAB kO 2 NIkOlOz BERkATSASHVIlI kAzUTO IOkA kO 6 JOSE AlFREdO ROdRIGUEz MARTIN cASIllAS W 10 JUAN MONTES GANIGAN lOPEz kO 3 JOSUE VEGA SHIN ONO W 12 OMARI kIMWERI BANTAMWEIGHTS AdRIAN HERNANdEz W 12 dIRcEU cABARcA

(F) IRMA GARcIA W 10 JANETH PEREz STRAWWEIGHTS RANdy cABAllERO kO 4 lUIS MAldONAdO yOAN BOyEAUx W 10 kARIM GUERFI RyO MIyAzAkI W 12 PORNSAWAN PORPRAMOOk

THE ring magazinE - aPriL 2013 105 NEW FACES

Image: Scott Heavey-Getty Bryant Jennings (right, against Theron Johnson) is one of the United States’ most-promising heavyweights. BRYANT JENNINGS

By: Bart Barry fella on the other side know that you’re all jacked up. You just keep talking to yourself.” hiladelphia heavyweight Bryant Jennings talks Jennings is charismatic in a way Americans like P to himself in the ring – even, or perhaps espe- their heavyweights, prizefighters who do not have cially, when things are going well. to make weight through routine starvation and are “One thing I practice is having that conversation expected to be approachable in a way opposite their with yourself,” he says. “I do that with myself the menacing appearances. Any man who stands 6-foot- whole fight. Keep myself aware, let myself know 2, weighs 225 pounds and knows how to throw a where I’m at.” punch from his shoulder, as Bryant quite evidently Jennings initially developed this habit, along with does, is dangerous, after all. his impressive physique, in football. Bryant understands this and uses his size to set up “When you get cracked,” he says, “you got to get observers before finishing them with friendliness. back on the line, and you don’t want to let that “When I played basketball, I played basketball

106 the ring magazine - aPriL 2013 very hard,” he says, referring to his high school sports days. “They say, ‘Man, this is the same guy who was doing all that crazy stuff on the basketball court?’ They’re checking out my body, they’re checking out my physique. They say, ‘Man, this guy is big as hell.’ … You know, I’m a nice guy. So when people see me, they see what I’m doing, they see me doing it at a level that’s not common, and then my personality – it just tops everything off.” His fighting style is unusual because of its hybrid nature; Jennings moves in large circles in the early rounds, deciphers his opponents and then sits down on his punches and trades. “I pretty much didn’t try to model myself after too many people, as far as ability,” he says of his in- fluences, preferring instead to borrow accomplished heavyweights’ best assets: “Muhammad Ali’s ambition, or (Evander) Holyfield’s will, and Mike Ty- son’s hunger.” At 28, Jennings is neither young for a prospect nor old for a heavyweight. Image: Tim Larsen “(Boxing) kind of was just laid in my lap,” he says Associated Press about his start. “I stepped in the gym in January, and I was in the Golden Gloves Finals in May.” BRYANT JENNINGS: He also works full-time maintaining machinery at THE ESSENTIALS the Federal Reserve Bank in his native Philadelphia. “I’m the youngest there, and I’m actually the big- AGE: 28 gest,” he says. “It can get very tiring.” HEIGHT: 6 feet, 2 inches But after appearances on NBC Sports Network, WEIGHT: 225 pounds Jennings now finds himself approaching a day when STANcE: Orthodox he can focus on boxing full-time. TRAINER: Fred Jenkins Sr. “If I could devote all my time to boxing, I think NIckNAmE: By-By about how much better that would make me as a HomEToWN: Philadelphia REcoRd: 16-0 (8 KOs) fighter,” he says about long days of training that follow longer days of work. “But right now, I’ve got to do what I’ve got to do. The money’s tight. Box- his competition – he has stopped three of his last ing isn’t that secure for me right now.” four opponents, opponents with a combined record If Bryant Jennings can continue to improve with of 97-16-1 (68 KOs) – that will change very soon.

oTHERS To WATcH

AlEx SAucEdo (7-0, 5 kos), WElTERWEIGHT Golden Gloves fnals. The rangy 23-year-old Miami “El Cholo” made his pro debut at 17½ late in 2011 native has a good jab, heavy hands and likes to mix it and had a terrifc frst year of prizefghting, winning up, but he needs work on his technique. Trainer Rob- six times – with fve KOs – during a tour of Texas ert Garcia should be able to polish him up. and his native Oklahoma. But the best harbinger of Saucedo’s potential might be this: Matchmaker Bruce dAquAN ARNETT (10-0, 6 kos), JuNIoR mIddlEWEIGHT Trampler is ringside every time he fghts. The 20-year-old from Orlando, Fla., has pulled ahead of other young prospects by defeating unbeat- RoNAld EllIS (7-0, 5 kos), SupER mIddlEWEIGHT en opponents in his last two bouts. The Al Haymon- “Bad News” turned pro in early 2011 after a solid managed, Tony Morgan-trained boxer is a fast and amateur career that peaked with a decision over 2012 aggressive combination and body puncher, but his U.S. Olympian Terrell Gausha in the 2010 National defense needs work.

THE ring magazinE - aPriL 2013 107 Image: Toru Yamanaka-AFP-Getty Straight punches, like the one Takashi Uchiyama lands here against Bryan Vasquez, can prevent hand injuries. STRAIGHT PUNCHES CAN SAVE HANDS

By: T.K. Stewart times; Ali was known to have had Novocain injec- tions prior to bouts; Mayweather actually slumped hat can a boxer do without the benefit of to the canvas in pain after landing a punch during W two good hands? The simple answer is not his bout with Jesus Chavez. much. It turns out that a prizefighter’s two But there are methods to decrease the discomfort. most valuable assets are healthy fists. And if punches are properly thrown and targeted, Fighters with hand injuries should come as no the damage can be minimized. surprise. It only stands to reason that when fist “The worst thing a boxer can do is swing wildly, meets skull repeatedly at high speed that the 27 tiny instead of throwing a straight punch,” said Rafael bones of the hand will eventually end up damaged. Garcia, whom Mayweather credits with saving his Boxers from John L. Sullivan to Muhammad Ali hands and his career as a result of his expert hand to Floyd Mayweather Jr. have all suffered problems. wrapping techniques. “When a fighter swings, he During his career, Sullivan broke his hands several doesn’t know where his punch is going to land. He

108 the ring magazine - aPriL 2013 can’t turn his hand so the knuckles land first. He ends up landing with the side of his hand or his thumb or his first knuckle. If you swing, you end up hitting an elbow, or on top of the head. “Straight punches are the best, or the hook. The straight punches and the hook let your knuckles land squarely.” It is generally understood that the punch which affords the least chance of injury to the hand is the one that does the most damage to the opponent. “If the knuckles land squarely … the strain is spread out from the first to the last one equally there is little chance of injury and this is the type of punch that causes knockouts,” Garcia said. “It should be the first type of punch that a young boxer learns to throw because it is the type of punch that does the work. It has to become habit that the knuckles land first.” Boxing history is replete with examples of fighters who threw straight, accurate, precision punches. Jack Johnson and Joe Louis are among those who did not swing wildly. Their punches were straight and usually to the mark, and as a result they scored many knockouts and suffered from very few hand injuries. Today, Wladimir Klitschko is a stand-up fighter who throws straight punches and avoids damage to his own fists. “A straight punch gets to the target faster” said trainer Miguel Diaz, who has worked with a plethora of world champions. “The trouble with a lot of guys today is that they close their eyes and swing instead of looking at where they are punching. You hit an elbow you can break your hand. You hit on top of the head, you break your hand. If you land a nice body shot, that’s no problem. If you hit someone straight on the chin, that’s no problem either.” Dr. Steven Margles, a hand specialist who has repaired the dukes of Vinny Pazienza, Micky Ward and Paulie Ma- lignaggi, concurs with Garcia and Diaz. “The danger lies in wild punching,” Margles said. “An amateur boxer fracture will typically be to the ring finger and pinky. These guys are having problems between their base and the second and third metacarpals because they throw punches improperly but with authority. A boxer that punches properly should hit with the index and middle fingers, which are anatomically very stable. All power generated there gets translated up the forearm bone.” If a fighter does not learn proper punching technique in the beginning, he will likely always have problem hands. “If more attention were paid to learning to punch correctly, with clenched fists and on a direct line, there would be less work for the surgeons,” Margles said. “Sooner or later the hand won’t stand the strain, and the fighter won’t be able to properly make a fist and when that happens there will be major implications.”

THE ring magazinE - aPriL 2013 109 TIME FOR CHANGE? SOME WOMEN WANT THREE-MINUTE ROUNDS TO BE THE NORM

Image: Chris Cozzone Chevelle Hallback (right, against Holly Holm) believes two-minute rounds disrupt the fow of fghts.

By: Ryan Songalia WBA junior middleweight title- women and their inferior bodies. holder Layla McCarter has been Same sexist song,” said McCarter, a he object of boxing remains one of the most vocal proponents 15-year ring veteran with a record of Tthe same regardless of gen- of gender equality in boxing. She’s 35-13-5 (8 knockouts). “Apparently der: subdue your opponent a pioneer in that regard. Her 2006 the fact the we have female parts with your mind and two fsts. Male bout with Belinda Laracuente in and periods negates the fact that we and female combatants assume the Las Vegas was the first women’s have arms, legs, lungs, brains and 98 same risks. The primary difference title fght to feature three-minute percent the same s--- as men have.” remains the amount of time they rounds. The following year, also Former champ Chevelle Hall- fght: Men fght at three-minute in- in Las Vegas, she fought Donna back, who has fought a who’s-who tervals for as many as 12 rounds; Biggers in the frst women’s bout of women’s boxing talent in her 14 women’s matches generally top out scheduled for 12 three-minute years in the ring, also supports lon- at 10 rounds of two minutes each rounds. ger rounds for women. She feels that even though those limitations can McCarter feels it’s a matter of le- the two-minute rounds disrupt the be fexible. gitimizing the sport. fow of the fght. It’s a polarizing issue. Some abhor “It was a policy deemed necessary “We train three minutes in the the differences, some support them. by the powers that be to ‘protect’ gym, but when we get to the fghts,

110 the ring magazine - aPriL 2013 Image: Chris Cozzone Layla McCarter (right, after a victory over Dominga Olivo) has been one of the most-vocal proponents of gender equity in boxing. the difference messes up your tim- Still, most women’s bouts feature allow them,” Kizer said. “It’s no dif- ing and your rhythm,” said Hall- two-minute rounds. ferent than male fghters, but most back (28-8-2, 11 KOs). “We don’t No one seems to know exactly female fghters still train two min- have the time to show our skills when two-minute rounds became utes and prefer fghting two minute as boxers; we’re just put out there the norm. However, Pennsylvania rounds. to throw our hands to get points boxing commissioner Greg Sirb, Indeed, not all female boxers are or try to get a knockout within who was on the original ABC com- on board with change. Some, like the time allotted for us. Why can’t mittee to discuss the unified rules New York-based contender Mau- we fght three minutes to be able in the early ‘90s, says that the rule reen Shea and former titleholder to show that our skills are on the was adapted from earlier commis- Ana Julaton, who lives in the Cali- same level as the guys?” sion practices. Sirb says that if both fornia Bay Area, are just fne with Hallback and McCarter, as well fghters agree and have a reputation two-minute rounds. as retired featherweight Bonnie of professional competence, there “We’re not going to make any Canino, have reached out to com- would likely be no objections to more money to fght three-minute missions and sanctioning bodies them fghting three-minute rounds. rounds,” said Shea (18-2, 11 KOs). seeking parity with the men. Mc- Nevada State Athletic Commis- “The promoter’s going to say ‘We’re Carter has had success with Ne- sion Executive Director Keith Kizer going to pay you $200 a round,’ vada offcials, who allowed her to feels that the two-minute rounds then all of a sudden they’re going take part in the ground-breaking standard “probably holds back the to change it to three-minute rounds fights in 2006 and 2007. Mean- sport,” but he allows for the option and say ‘OK, now we’re going to while, Hallback says that offcials of fghting either two or three min- pay you $300 a round’? That’s not with the Association of Boxing utes per round, with championship going to happen.” Commissions have assured her fghts being either 10 or 12 rounds. Shea also points out that fewer that two-minute rounds are not set “We do allow it because it’s so and shorter rounds limit “wear and in stone. They are merely a sug- common but if a woman wants to tear” on boxers, allowing them to gestion. fight three-minute rounds we will fght more frequently.

THE ring magazinE - aPriL 2013 111 WOMEN’S BOXING

Julaton (12-3-1, 2 KOs) feels a faster pace in two-min- You don’t have that extra minute to set things up. You ute rounds makes for more exciting f ghts, but would have to think on your feet and act.” be OK with fighting three minutes under the right Hallback understands Julaton’s sentiment but believes circumstances.“Obviously I think women can train and that improvements will come with change. f ght under those conditions,” Julaton says. “If three “We feel that if we have an equal playing f eld, maybe minutes are going to give women a bigger stage, more we’ll have the same opportunities to f ght on HBO and media attention or even pay more, then I say let’s go for generate at least half the money that the men make,” the three minutes. But if not, then stick with the two she said. “In order to generate more money for the fe- minutes. I think a lot of the women are used to that males and to f ght on the networks, we have to start pace. I think it’s a faster pace. I feel it’s more of a sprint. somewhere.”

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112 THE RING MAGAZINE - APRIL 2013 FROM THE ARCHIVE

GREAT MEETS GREAT: Thomas Hearns (right) had already emerged as a knockout sensation when he had the chance to meet Sugar Ray Robinson in 1979 but his greatest challenges lay ahead, including a fateful meeting with another Sugar Ray in 1981. Robinson and Hearns are considered two of best who ever lived.

THE RING will select a photo from its vast archive each month to publish in the magazine. For more archive photos, go to our Web site — RingTV.com — or scan the QR code.

THE RING MAGAZINE - APRIL 2013 113 1. 2.

1. Adrien Broner with Jordan Zazueta, 10, at the Amir Khan-Carlos Molina f ght in December 2012 in Los Angeles. 2. Patrick McGrath (right) with Ray Mercer at Graziano’s restaurant during the 2012 International Boxing Hall of Fame induction weekend in Canastota, N.Y. 3. Vassili Ossipov (right) with Nonito Donaire at a press conference to promote the Donaire-Omar Narvaez f ght in 2011 in New York. 4. Juan Siler Jr. (right) with Andre Ward at the Khan-Molina f ght. 5. Ian Raymond (left) with Paulie Malignaggi at the Lamont Peterson-Khan f ght in 2011 in Washington, D.C. 6. Chris Zazueta (left) with Victor Ortiz during the promotional tour for the Ortiz-Floyd Mayweather Jr. f ght in 2012.

4. 5.

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Send us your photos from a f ght with you posing next to a celebrity, athlete, or other famous person and we will consider it for publication in the magazine. Send photos to [email protected]. Make sure to include your name(s), celebrity name(s), the f ght attended, and your contact information. See you at the f ghts! 6.

114 THE RING MAGAZINE - APRIL 2013 IT TAKES SIXTY MInuTES To covEr ThE world of SporTS

coMInGnEw EpISodE In MArch