Some Goodbyes...

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The end of the year is meant to be cathartic, a symbolic purging of the negatives of the last 12 months, a filing away of everything positive as we look toward what is to come and what must be done.

That requires saying some goodbyes. This last week brought the death of respected Philadelphia middleweight Bennie Briscoe. How respected was he? Let us turn to the Philadelphia Daily News, which this week re-ran an article by Elmer Smith from 1983 following a tribute that year to the retired fighter.

They rang the final bell on Bennie Briscoe's career last night in one of Philadelphia boxing's most decent and dignified hours.

Undisputed world middleweight champion Marvin Hagler, boxing Hall of Fame inductee and five-time world champion Emile Griffith, former light-heavyweight champion Eddie Mustafa Muhammad and a dozen other local and nationally known figures took turns at Palumbo's microphone to recall the wars they fought with Bad Bennie and to wish him the best.

They talked about how hard they had to train to get ready for a night with Bennie during the years when Philadelphia was still a "must" stop on the route to the top of the middleweight rankings and how they tried to build their reputations on Bennie's bald head.

And they told about how a fight with Bennie Briscoe told them more about themselves than it did about him.

The article includes several quotes from Briscoe's opponents. It's worth reading, even 27 years later.

Meanwhile, Murray Greig of the Edmonton Sun takes a look back at someone lost long, long ago: former heavyweight champion Tommy Burns, the man whom Jack Johnson would defeat to gain that crown. Greig's timing is apt, for it was 102 years ago that Greig faced Johnson:

Boxing: The Gift That Keeps On Giving

There are down times in boxing, periods when there are no big fights for several week, periods such as the time between Dec. 18 (when Jean Pascal and Bernard Hopkins fought to a draw) and Jan. 29 (when Devon Alexander and Timothy Bradley meet in a battle for junior-welterweight supremacy).

There is no offseason, however, no need to force the news with talk of hot stove leagues or draft picks or scouting combines. There is always a recent run of fights to review. There is always an upcoming fight to preview. There are fighters to feature, issues to discuss.

Tim Smith of the New York Daily News was one of many taking aim at the May 2011 fight between Manny Pacquiao and Shane Mosley:

[T]he news of Mosley being the next Pacquiao opponent isn't surprising or disappointing. Actually it makes perfect business sense - low risk, big reward.

It is merely par for the course with how Arum promotes Pacquiao, but if you want to blame someone for Pacquiao fighting Mosley, blame Pacquiao because ultimately he's the one who decides who he wants to fight. All Arum does is outline the financial particulars and negotiates the contracts with the various parties involved with staging the fight.

Thomas Gerbasi of BoxingScene.com had a feature on Wladimir Klitschko's rise to heavyweight prominence and his continued heavyweight dominance:

Sometimes Truth is Stronger Than Fiction: Micky Ward and "The Fighter"

Sylvester Stallone has fame and fortune. He has an Oscar, millions upon millions of dollars, and even a plaque in the International Boxing Hall of Fame, which has inducted him as an observer, and deservingly so, for his role as the writer and star of the "Rocky" movies.

Micky Ward toiled for 18 years and 51 fights, respected by those that knew of him, revered for what they saw of him. Rare was he in the headlines or under the spotlights, and even when he was, the amount of attention he received (and the amount of fame and fortune that comes from that) was less than what his real-life story deserved.

Ward's been retired for more than seven years now. He went out on top – even with two straight losses – with his trilogy of wars with the late Arturo Gatti. At last, Ward is receiving attention beyond the niche audience of boxing fans. He will never have the fame or fortune of a Sylvester Stallone – and he will never have a plaque in the International Hall of Fame (though when I visited he was referenced within the museum in Canastota).

But people will know who he was.

Sometimes truth is stronger than fiction. And while movie makers must take some liberties with his biography, there is "The Fighter."

Bernard Hopkins Does Everything But Make History

Photo credit: Tom Casino, Showtime.

He rose from two knockdowns. He won more rounds. He turned back time and the tide and the fight put forth by a champion nearly 18 years his junior.

He did everything but make history.

Bernard Hopkins' draw amazed in what the nearly 46-year-old was able to do, and so many of the writers who watched the fight gave him recognition that the judges didn't. Jean Pascal and Bernard Hopkins fought to a draw, a result that this scribe felt was fair but an ending that others felt robbed Hopkins – not just of what they saw as a rightful victory, but of a record as the oldest man to win a lineal championship.

Dan Rafael of ESPN.com:

"Hopkins turns 46 on Jan. 15 and deserved the decision, but didn't get it. Was it highway robbery? No. But he did more than enough to overcome flash knockdowns in the first and third rounds to dominate virtually the entire rest of the fight, a stunning performance against a [28-year-old] champion in his prime."

Don't Call Him Old News: Bernard Hopkins Takes on Jean Pascal

Photo credit: Luc Grenier

Let us let Bernard Fernandez of the Philadelphia Daily News set not only the scene for Saturday's fight between Jean Pascal and Bernard Hopkins, but also the theme for today's post.

The boxing ring, like the jungle, can be a savage place. Old fighters are like old lions; at some point a younger, stronger lion is certain to challenge the aging king for leadership of the pride. More often than not, youth must be served. It is called survival of the fittest, and it is nature's way.

Hopkins, of course, is the old lion in Saturday's fight. But he is a cagey and capable one, which gives him a shot at breaking the record set 16 years ago, when George Foreman, 45, knocked out Michael Moorer to become the oldest-ever world champion. On fight night, Hopkins will be 38 days older than Foreman was then.

Here's Don Steinberg, writing for The Wall Street Journal:

Other fortysomethings have tried unsuccessfully to win crowns. Roberto Duran was 47 when he lost a bid to regain a middleweight belt in 1998. Evander Holyfield came up short in a challenge for the heavyweight title at age 46—and he's still active at 48. Saoul Mamby, a former junior welterweight champ, pulled a Minnie Minoso and came back for one fight at age 60—the oldest in a modern, sanctioned fight, though it wasn't a title bout.

These thoughts are not to give short shrift to the man facing Hopkins, the legitimate light heavyweight champion, Pascal. But Hopkins' quest for the championship is also a quest for history. Here's Jake Donovan of BoxingScene.com taking a look at the other side:

Books: Ali Memories and Carver Boyd

Occasionally in this space we'll showcase the writing in new boxing books by BWAA members. Today is a two-fer. First, Tom Hauser and Bart Barry have teamed up to create an exclusive title for Barnes & Noble, The Legend of Muhammad Ali, a coffee table book that contains some fine writing and removable reproductions of Ali memorabilia. Here's a little teaser from Chapter 8:

In one understated elegant gesture, Futch turned toward the referee and unfurled the fingers of his left hand. He would not allow the fight to continue.

Across the ring, Ali realized that the carnage was over. He stood up, lowered his head, and lifted his right glove in the air, more in relief than triumph. Then he allowed his body to slowly ooze to the canvas. Later, Muhammad would say that the fight had been 'the closest thing to death I know of.'

Hauser also has published a new boxing novel, Waiting for Carver Boyd, which Jerry Izenberg at Secondsout.com calls "better than anything he has written before, no matter how well he wrote it." Here's an appetizer:

That’s when I saw a woman about my age on the sidewalk walking toward me.

She saw me the same moment that I saw her.

She was as beautiful as any woman who ever walked on the face of the earth. Tall with long auburn hair and a body that I won’t try to describe because words wouldn’t do it justice.

Her face was as dreamlike as the rest of her.

The distance between us narrowed and there was a flash of recognition in her eyes.

“You’re the fighter,” she said.

Writer Roundup: Khan Survives Maidana; Agbeko, Mares Advance in Bantamweight Tournament

Some storylines are natural, others artificial. Either will produce interest, at least so long as entertainment is promised.

The storyline to Amir Khan's fight with Marcos Maidana was natural: fighter perceived as having flaws facing fighter perceived as being able to expose those flaws.

The anticipated moment in the story of Khan-Maidana would come in Round 10. Michael Rosenthal of RingTV.com:

The problem was that Khan couldn't hurt the tough-as-they-come Argentine even though he landed 190 (of 360) power shots, the only exception being an excruciating body shot that put him down in first round.

That allowed Maidana (29-2, 27 KOs) to attack with abandon and land his own telling punches. He was able to score inside, many times with uppercuts, but he also landed some wild shots from a distance. That included the punch that instantly turned Khan’s legs into wet noodles.

Khan did more than save the victory however, Rosenthal writes:

Grab Your Popcorn – It's a Double Feature Weekend

If only we had the late Don LaFontaine, the famed deep voice that boomed over all those movie trailers.

In a world... where Saturday night will be spent watching four of the best 118-pound fighters in the sweet science, Showtime is there to broadcast the action. Vic Darchinyan is The Raging Bull. Abner Mares is his challenger. Joseph Agbeko is King Kong. And Yonnhy Perez is there to attempt to shoot him down.

They star in the latest Star Wars extravaganza: The Bantamweight Menace.

And in a world... where Saturday night will also be spent watching HBO, particularly for its main event. Amir was a young man with fast hands but a questionable chin. Marcos Maidana was a man who waited all year to test that speed and that chin.

They star in the latest Star Trek extravaganza: The Wrath of Amir Khan.

Alas, we do not have LaFontaine, but we do have these previews of this weekend's action:

In actuality, Doug Fischer of RingTV.com, who's traveled from SoCal to Tacoma, Wash., to cover the Showtime card, sets the table for Agbeko-Perez as well as LaFontaine could have.

Waiting for "Superman vs. Muhammad Ali"

DC Comics published Superman vs. Muhammad Ali as a one-shot comic book in 1978, and until recently the only place to get a taste of what it contained was to win a rare copy in an eBay auction or scout around for homages on the Web. Now, the company has made it easier for everyone who digs a good intergalactic brawl by reproducing the classic in two new editions. There's a "Facsimile" that's a hardcover reproduction of the oversized (13.6 x 10.2-inch) original, and a less expensive "Deluxe" edition that's regular comic-book size and adds unpublished artwork goodies.

Ali in those days was pretty invincible. A 1975 pop-reggae song had labeled him the "Black Superman," and it did seem like he could lick anybody. In 1978 he lost to Leon Spinks and then beat Spinks, in the Superdome in New Orleans, to regain the title.

Fighting Superman himself would be a different story, and even more contrived than losing the title to a kid with 8 pro fights and winning it back. I won't spoil things, but basically, one day Clark Kent and his usual colleagues are visiting the inner city to see Ali train -- yes, they are boxing writers for the day -- and an alien materializes from a planet called Bodace. And he's not Ali's promoter. The guy says his race, the Scrubb, considers itself to be the most super-savage and warlike in the galaxy and wants to put its toughest guy up against Earth's toughest guy. Stop me if you've heard this before. Ali and Superman have to duke it out in a sort of eliminator bout to see who gets to fight against a heavyweight humanoid called Hun'ya who was molded by alien scientists to be the perfect warrior. And you thought the WBA was messed up.

You probably need to be a deep die-hard fanboy to hang on all the plot twists, but the book itself is an awfully cool collectible. As the comic explains, "intelligent beings from a thousand worlds" attended the Ali-Superman fight, and the book's front and back covers are like a "Where's Waldo" of 1978 celebrities sitting in the crowd: Johnny Carson, the Jackson 5, Donnie and Marie, Raquel Welch, Wayne Rogers. Hey, that's Sonny Bono between Batman and Jimmy Carter up front at ringside!

In Case You Missed 'Em (And Many Probably Did...)

Photo Credit: TopRank.com

A fight-of-the-year candidate between two lightweight warriors in the main event. A top bantamweight showing off his talent on the undercard. All on an independent pay-per-view that likely received far less attention once its original main event attraction, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., dropped off the card.

And on the same night, a popular but relatively untested welterweight/junior middleweight prospect performed under his own spotlight. Except that spotlight was limited to HBO Latino – not quite the same as "World Championship Boxing" or "Boxing After Dark."

And so the battle between Humberto Soto and Urbano Antillon likely went unseen by the many who did not order Top Rank's pay-per-view this past Saturday. The same could be said for Nonito Donaire's beatdown of Wladimir Sidorenko.

Ditto Saul Alvarez's unanimous decision win over Lovemore N'Dou, which aired after midnight on HBO Latino.

Looking Back, Looking Forward

Photo Credit: Tom Casino/Showtime

In this in-between week, there is the before and there is the after.

There are the odes to a November in which the fight came in high quantity and the stories they produced were high quality.

Thomas Hauser of SecondsOut.com recently put forth extended examinations of Manny Pacquiao's one-sided win over Antonio Margarito and Sergio Martinez's one-punch knockout of Paul Williams, which, as they often do, provide new details on these fights and these nights.

The post-fight claims of Martinez's trainer reading instructions to his charge before the fight on how and when the fight would end? Those take form through Hauser's access and observation:

At 10:30, Martinez put on his trunks, moved to the center of the room, and began shadow-boxing in earnest. Sarmiento took a 4-by-6-inch notepad from his pocket and moved to Sergio’s side. The trainer had scripted his instructions for the fight, breaking them down into five points.

“The mistakes of the last fight will not be repeated,” Sarmiento began. “Trabajo de amague y golpe con la mano adelantada haciendo pasos laterales hacia nuestra derecha sin entrar lejos de su distancia o fuera de ella.”

Springs Toledo of The Sweet Science, meanwhile, waxes poetic on Martinez-Williams 2:

Book Excerpt: Tales from the Vault

Occasionally in this space we'll showcase the writing in new boxing books by BWAA members. Lee Groves recently published Tales from the Vault (CreateSpace, 2010), a collection of his reports from Maxboxing.com's Closet Classics series. The book is available online from booksellers including Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Here's a teaser from the book, from Lee's piece on the 1982 battle between Ray Mancini and Arturo Frias:

...Mancini-Frias matched two physically strong brawlers whose styles guaranteed fistic fireworks. For Frias to win, he had to exploit Mancini’s easily penetrated defense and the scar tissue above his eyes. Mancini, by far the physically stronger man, wanted to use his superior work rate and punching power to overwhelm the champion. Also, Mancini had to like his chances to win because this time he didn’t have a legend standing in the other corner.

As the opening bell rang, Frias quickly kneeled in his corner and crossed himself while Mancini advanced to ring center behind a bob-and-weave defense. Both men exchanged jabs, with Mancini’s heavier and more accurate. The feeling-out phase lasted less than 20 seconds as Mancini ripped a right to the body and a double hook to the body and head and Frias connected with a one-two. Encouraged, Frias jumped in with another one-two and followed it with a scorching hook that exploded off Mancini’s cheek. "Boom Boom" staggered toward the ropes with Frias pursuing him, but Mancini managed to grab Frias and turn him toward the ropes.

Frias landed a right to the body and a right to the jaw while Mancini countered with a hook to the face. Mancini ducked under a Frias right and connected with another hook. Frias whaled away with rights under and over while Mancini worked the left overtime. Frias nailed Mancini with two jabs and an inside right to the jaw and a second right deflected off Mancini’s upraised arms.

The fight might as well have been scheduled for three rounds instead of 15 because both men fought with no regard for anything beyond that. Mancini and Frias were engaged in a high-speed firefight that could only end in an early knockout. The only questions now were "who" and "when."