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 DEPARTMENTS 4 | RINGSIDE 94 | LETTERS FROM EUROPE By Gareth A Davies 5 | OPENING SHOTS 98 | RINGSIDE REPORTS 10 | COME OUT WRITING 104 | WORLDWIDE RESULTS 11 | READY TO GRUMBLE By David Greisman 106 | NEW FACES BRYANT JENNINGS 15 | ROLL WITH THE PUNCHES By Bart Barry Jabs and Straight Writes by Thomas Hauser 108 | SIX PACK 22 | BEST I’VE FACED: AARON PRYOR By T.K. Stewart TAVORIS CLOUD CONFIDENT By Anson Wainwright IBF TITLEHOLDER WANTS TO SHUT UP 110 | WOMEN’S BOXING BERNARD HOPKINS. 24 | OUTSIDE THE ROPES By Ryan Songalia GO TO: http://bit.ly/WbEGUw By Brian Harty 113 | FROM THE ARCHIVE HOPKINS VS. DON KING? 26 | RING CARD GIRL GO TO: http://bit.ly/X4gP7P 114 | AT THE FIGHTS 30 | RING RATINGS PACKAGE 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.