“The Domino Diaries” Proves Great Boxing Writing Isn’t a Thing of the Past

Published

9 years ago

August 8, 2015

People lament that this is no Golden Age of boxing writing. Hogwash, I say.

Ok, maybe not Gold, but Silver perhaps. Some of the stuff on the Net doesn’t get love because we are a more fringe sport than back in the day. But the cerebral treatments of the sweet science from mere “bloggers” is a head above most of the uninspired stuff you used to see in big city dailies. And you also see some rock-solid journalism and wordsmithery out there, if you know where to look. I recommend writer Brin-Jonathan Butler; principled, intelligent, and can collect big picture thoughts and philosophy and render it accessible. He has a new book out, “The Domino Diaries,” which I asked him about.

What brought you to cover boxing so much? Why boxing?

When I was 11 ran into an incident with bullying that turned into a swarming that drastically impacted my life. I was afraid to leave my front door for the next three years. By accident I caught an interview with Mike Tyson talking about his history with bullying and how it traumatized and tormented him and humiliation defined much of his childhood. Boxing was his way out. At that point I knew nothing about boxing but Mike Tyson was obviously one of the most nightmarishly intimidating figures in the world. It turned out he’d created that image as a construct on the basis of what a world class victim he’d been as a kid. After watching that interview, the next day I went to two places I’d never been before on my own: a boxing gym and a library. Both of these places inexorably changed and saved my life. The courage and generosity of boxers as a group is something that marked me for life. That initial admiration I felt for them only increased as I got more and more access to understanding them both as an amateur boxer and later on interviewing so many luminaries in the sport: Mike Tyson, George Foreman, Teofilo Stevenson, Felix Savon, and Guillermo Rigondeaux and many others. Incredible people doing things I never cease to marvel at.

Why Cuba…what about it lured you?

Cuba had many of the best boxers in the world turning down millions to leave and it had Ernest Hemingway for the last 20 years of his life along with the highest literacy rate in the world to appreciate my other passion besides boxing: literature. It was an all-you-can-eat buffet what I’m most gluttonous for. Also, I think a lot of writers feel like advocates for the underdog in a fight. Cuba picked a fight with the most powerful nation on earth and, somehow, managed to keep going for well over 50 years. My own lens into that struggle was meeting many of their finest fighters from the 1970s all the way to young kids who were already national champions tempted by vast fortunes to come to the states. Conflict was all over the place with nearly every life you encounter lived at the extremes. Also, nobody enjoys a party more than Cubans. It’s a place and a people who only get richer the more you try to bring something of value to the equation with understanding and keeping your ears and heart open to really listen. Cuba doesn’t get much of that in our society and I think it’s a shame.

And Cuba now being opened up…will it improve things for them, or screw em up, make em more like us, in a bad way? Will it be no longer true that “every Cuban is a good mechanic?”

Where the Bay of Pigs failed to topple the government, tourism may prove to be the fatal invasion at least in terms of toppling how the society functioned. All Cubans want change, but tourism is always a mixed blessing. Where does the money go? It helps many and divides a great deal for everyone else. I think on the whole, given what my friends back on the island are telling me, the divide is growing between have and have nots and it’s made the island for many Cubans a less hospitable place to remain. Then again, I’m confident Havana couldn’t become anything else even if it wanted to. From 1492 until Fidel took power, there wasn’t a single Cuban steering the ship. They’ve struggled through some inhumanly tough times since then but I’ve never met a more courageous, proud, decent people than them. So I’m very hopeful they can find their own way with the changes that are so desperately yearned for. But will it be easy? Not a chance.

Rigo…has America corrupted him…too many whisperers in ears of promises of more and better?

Rigondeaux was the saddest face I ever encountered in Cuba and it looked even worse when I met up with him in the United States. He’d been disowned by his father and his mother had died back home. He was forbidden to return for her funeral. He’d also left behind a wife and two children. I wondered how much money would it take to offset the searing agony of what was required of him to just step foot on American soil after what he described as the most traumatic experience of his life traveling in a smuggler’s boat at gun point. Cubans are the most expensive human cargo on earth. One of the reasons I sought to tell his story was the fact that slaves were first brought to Cuba in 1520 and, even today, human beings are bought and sold on the marketplace for top dollar when they flee to the United States. Guillermo Rigondeaux, along with tens of thousands of other men, women, and children each year, had to endure grotesque torment no people should ever have to endure. The decision these Cubans make is the real villain and I place the blame on policies on both sides of the 90 miles separating Cuba and the US.Rigo gets a fair bit of criticism in the media for a being a safety-first fighter in the ring… this man risked his life and left behind everything he ever cared about just to have a chance to step inside a ring. And there’s nothing unique about his dynamic compared to all the other Cubans who left the island to gain opportunity in the US.

Have any of your takeaways of your time there changed since you finished the book? What do you want, ideally, for the reader to take from your fine book?

My biggest takeaway from arriving in Cuba was how nothing I’d read prepared me for the reality of what I encountered. That made me question a lot about where I come from and our values feeling threatened by Cuban society. If money isn’t the bottomline to fulfillment and happiness and success human beings have to calibrate those things in other ways that I believe are vital and we could learn something from. Family, community, compassion, decency where things I found in incredible abundance in Cuba despite enormous hardships. Women felt safe and valued without advertising struggling to make them feel awful and inadequate without consuming some product. I was told to prepare for the poverty of Cuba before I first visited. On a materialist level, that’s absolutely true. If you look in a lot of other ways though, what you discover the poverty we have back home in terms of so many things we’ve lost that don’t make good headlines because they essentially are fine print unless you’re living them. You simply can’t look at the struggle of Cuban boxers without looking at the dignity and courage of all Cubans struggling and it’s one of the most astonishing things I’ve been privileged to witness and share with this book the best I could.”

Here is ordering info on the book:

http://www.amazon.com/The-Domino-Diaries-Champions-Hemingways/dp/1250043700

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Michael Woods

Ramon Cardenas Channels Micky Ward and KOs Eduardo Ramirez on ProBox

Published

1 day ago

April 24, 2024

Arne K. Lang

Ramon-Cardenas-Channels-Micky-Ward-and-KOs-Eduardo-Ramirez-on-ProBox

The Wednesday night bi-monthly series of fights on the ProBox TV platform is the best deal in boxing; the livestream is free with no strings attached! Tonight’s episode was headlined by a super bantamweight match between San Antonio’s Ramon Cardenas and Eduardo Ramirez who brought a caravan of rooters from his hometown in Guaymas, Sonora, Mexico.

Cardenas, coached by Joel Diaz, entered the contest ranked #4 by the WBA. He was expected to handle Ramirez with little difficulty, but this was a close, tactical fight through eight frames when lightning struck in the form of a left hook to the liver from Cardenas. Ramirez went down on one knee and wasn’t able to beat the count. It was as if Cardenas summoned the ghost of Micky Ward who had a penchant for terminating fights with the same punch that arrived out of the blue.

The official time was 1:37 of round nine. Cardenas improved to 25-1 with his14th win inside the distance. Ramirez, who was stopped in the opening round by Nick “Wrecking” Ball in London in his lone previous fight outside Mexico, falls to 23-3-3.

Co-Feature

In an upset, Tijuana super welterweight Damian Sosa won a split decision over previously undefeated Marques Valle, a local area fighter who was stepping up in class in his first 10-round go. Sosa was the aggressor, repeatedly backing his taller opponent into the ropes where Valle was unable to get good leverage behind his punches.

The 25-year-old Valle, managed by the influential David McWater, was the house fighter. This was his 10^th appearance in this building. He brought a 10-0 (7) record and was hoping to emulate the success of his younger brother Dominic Valle who scored a second-round stoppage of his opponent in this ring two weeks ago, improving to 9-0. But Sosa, who brought a 24-2 record, proved to be a bridge too high.

The judges had it 97-93 and 96-94 for the Tijuana invader and a disgraceful 98-92 for the house fighter.

Also

In a fight whose abrupt ending would be echoed by the main event, 34-year-old SoCal featherweight Ronny Rios, now training in Las Vegas, returned to the ring after a 22-month hiatus and scored a fifth-round stoppage over Nicolas Polanco of the Dominican Republic.

A three-punch combo climaxed by a left hook to the liver took the breath out of Polanco who slumped to his knees and was counted out. A two-time world title challenger, Rios advanced to 34-4 (17 KOs). Polanco, 34, declined to 21-6-1. The official time was 0:54 of round five.

—

The next ProBox show (Wednesday, May 8) will have an international cast with fighters from Kazakhstan, Japan, Mongolia, and the United Kingdom. In the main event, Liverpool’s Robbie Davies Jr will make his U.S. debut against the California-based Kazakh Sergey Lipinets.

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Haney-Garcia Redux with the Focus on Harvey Dock

Published

4 days ago

April 22, 2024

Arne K. Lang

Haney-Garcia-Redux-with-the-Focus-on-Harvey-Dock

Saturday’s skirmish between Ryan Garcia and WBC super lightweight champion Devin Haney was a messy affair, and yet a hugely entertaining fight fused with great drama. In the aftermath, Garcia and Haney were celebrated – the former for fooling all the experts and the latter for his gallant performance in a losing effort – but there were only brickbats for the third man in the ring, referee Harvey Dock.

Devin Haney was plainly ahead heading into the seventh frame when there was a sudden turnabout when Garcia put him on the canvas with his vaunted left hook. Moments later, Dock deducted a point from Garcia for a late punch coming out of a break. The deduction forced a temporary cease-fire that gave Haney a few precious seconds to regain his faculties. Before the round was over, Haney was on the deck twice more but these were ruled slips.

The deduction, which effectively negated the knockdown, struck many as too heavy-handed as Dock hadn’t previously issued a warning for this infraction. Moreover, many thought he could have taken a point away from Haney for excessive clinching. As for Haney’s second and third trips to the canvas in round seven, they struck this reporter – watching at home – as borderline, sufficient to give referee Dock the benefit of the doubt.

In a post-fight interview, Ryan Garcia faulted the referee for denying him the satisfaction of a TKO. “At the end of the day, Harvey Dock, I think he was tripping,” said Garcia. “He could have stopped that fight.”

Those that played the rounds proposition, placing their coin on the “under,” undoubtedly felt the same way.

The internet lit up with comments assailing Dock’s competence and/or his character. Some of the ponderings were whimsical, but they were swamped by the scurrilous screeching of dolts who find a conspiracy under every rock.

Stephen A. Smith, reputedly America’s highest-paid TV sports personality, was among those that felt a need to weigh-in: “This referee is absolutely terrible….Unreal! Horrible officiating,” tweeted Stephen A whose primary area of expertise is basketball.

Harvey Dock

Dock fought as an amateur and had one professional fight, winning a four-round decision over a fellow novice on a show at a non-gaming resort in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. He says that as an amateur he was merely average, but he was better than that, a New Jersey and regional amateur champion in 1993 and 1994 while a student New Jersey’s Essex County Community College where he majored in journalism.

A passionate fan of Sugar Ray Leonard, he started officiating amateur fights in 1998 and six years later, at age 32, had his first documented action at the professional level, working low-level cards in New Jersey. The top boxing referees, to a far greater extent than the top judges, had long apprenticeships, having worked their way up from the boonies and Dock is no exception.

Per boxrec, Haney vs Garcia was Harvey Dock’s 364^th assignment in the pros and his forty-second world title fight. Some of those title fights were title in name only, they weren’t even main events, but, bit by bit, more lucrative offerings started coming his way.

On May 13, 2023, Dock worked his first fights in Nevada, a 4-rounder and then a 12-rounder on a card at the Cosmopolitan topped by the 140-pound title fight between Rolly Romero and Ismael Barroso. It was the first time that this reporter got to watch Dock in the flesh.

Ironically (in hindsight), the card would be remembered for the actions of a referee, in this case Tony Weeks who handled the main event. Barroso was winning the fight on all three cards when Weeks stepped in and waived it off in the ninth round after Romero cornered Barroso against the ropes and let loose a barrage of punches, none of which landed cleanly. Few “premature stoppages” were ever as garishly, nay ghoulishly, premature.

With all the brickbats raining down on Weeks, I felt a need to tamp down the noise by diverting attention away from Tony Weeks and toward Harvey Dock and took to the TSS Forum to share my thoughts. Referencing the 12-rounder, a robust junior welterweight affair between Batyr Akhmedov and Kenneth Sims Jr, I noted that Dock’s Las Vegas debut went smoothly. He glided effortlessly around the ring, making him inconspicuous, the mark of a good referee. (This post ran on May 15, two days after the fight.)

Folks at the Nevada State Athletic Commission were also paying attention. Dock was back in Las Vegas the following week to referee the lightweight title fight between Devin Haney and Vasyl Lomachenko and before the year was out, he would be tabbed to referee the biggest non-heavyweight fight of the year, the July 29 match in Las Vegas between Terence Crawford and Errol Spence Jr.

The Haney-Garcia fight wasn’t Harvey Dock’s best hour, I’ll concede that, but a closer look at his full body of work informs us that he is an outstanding referee.

—

While the Haney-Garcia bout was in progress, WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman threw everyone a curve ball, tweeting on “X” that Devin Haney would keep his title if he lost the fight. Everyone, including the TV commentators, was under the impression that the title would become vacant in the event that Haney lost.

Sulaiman cited the precedent of Corrales-Castillo II.

FYI: The Corrales-Castillo rematch, originally scheduled for June 3, 2005 and aborted on the day prior when Castillo failed to make weight, finally came off on Oct. 8 of that year, notwithstanding the fact that Castillo failed to make weight once again, scaling three-and-a-half pounds above the lightweight limit. He knocked out Corrales in the fourth round with a left hook that Las Vegas Review-Journal boxing writer Kevin Iole, alluding to the movie “Blazing Saddles,” described as Mongo-esque (translation: the punch would have knocked out a horse). After initially insisting on a rubber match, which had scant chance of happening, WBC president Jose Sulaiman, Mauricio’s late father, ruled that Corrales could keep his title.

Whether or not you agree with Mauricio Sulaiman’s rationale, the timing of his announcement was certainly awkward.

Haney’s mandatory is Spanish southpaw Sandor Martin (42-3, 15 KOs), a cutie best known for his 2021 upset of Mikey Garcia. A bout between Haney and Martin has the earmarks of a dull fight.

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In a Shocker, Ryan Garcia Confounds the Experts and Upsets Devin Haney

Published

5 days ago

April 21, 2024

David A. Avila

In-a-Shocker-Ryan-Garcia-Confounds-the-Experts-and-Upsets-Devin-Haney

Its good to be crazy. Like a fox.

Ryan “KingRy” Garcia knocked down WBC super lightweight titlist Devin Haney three times to remind everyone of his fighting abilities in winning by majority decision on Saturday.

“I just knew what I could do,” Garcia said.

Fans will not forget the lanky kid from Victorville, California now.

Garcia (25-1, 20 KOs) fooled everyone in playing crazy weeks before the fight, then showed shocking power to hand Haney (30-1, 15 KOs) his first loss as a professional at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

Haney’s WBC super lightweight title was not at stake for Garcia because he weighed three pounds over the limit.

After Garcia seemingly acting out of control on social media, Haney’s guard must have slipped in the first round during the first few seconds as Garcia connected with that hellish left hook and Haney, with a look of shock in his eyes, almost went down. He barely survived the first round.

“He caught me with it,” said Haney.

During the next few rounds, Haney proceeded to advance toward Garcia seemingly fully aware of the lethal left hook. He used feints and rights to score with a busier approach as Garcia seemed cocked and ready to counter with a left hook.

In the fourth round it seemed Haney was confident he had regained control of the fight, but every time he opened up with more than a two-punch combination Garcia reminded him whose hands were faster and more dangerous.

Though Garcia seldom jabbed he seemed bent on looking for the right moment to unleash his deadly left hook. And every time the Southern California fighter opened up with a combination he scored and Haney dare not exchange.

A few times Haney smiled as if signifying he escaped.

In the seventh round Haney looked to punish Garcia’s body and instead was met with a three-punch combination included a left hook to the chin and down went Haney slumped on the ground. He managed to beat the count and as soon as Garcia came within reach Haney wrapped his arms around him with a python grip. Despite the warnings by referee Harvey Dock, the fallen fighter would not release and Garcia impatiently fired a weak punch during the break. The referee deducted a point from Garcia though he could have deducted a point from Haney for not obeying his instructions to release his hold. Haney actually went down three times in the round but only one was counted by the referee.

From that point on Haney was very cautious but still looking to win by decision.

Though Garcia kept using a shoulder-roll defense that left his body exposed, he would retaliate with three and four punch combinations that usually Haney could defend against other fighters.. But Garcia’s blazing combinations were too fast to defend.

In the 10^th round Haney looked to attack and was countered by Garcia’s right and a blinding left hook to the chin and another two blows that sent the former undisputed lightweight champion to the floor again.

It didn’t look good for Haney to survive.

Garcia walked into the 11^th round still composed and never out-of-control He dared Haney to exchange and when within striking distance Garcia unleashed another lightning combination and down went Haney again with a defeated look.

Both fighters had fought each other as amateurs six times so there were no surprises between them. But Garcia’s power and speed were superior and that was the difference in a professional fight.

In the final round both were cautious with Garcia’s combination punching proving too dangerous for Haney to open up. Garcia celebrated early as the round ended confident of victory.

After 12 rounds Garcia was seen the victor by majority decision 112-112, 114-110, 115-109.

“You really thought I was crazy,” Garcia told the interviewer and the crowd. “You guys hated on me.”

Other Bouts

Arnold Barboza (30-0) won a curious split decision victory over United Kingdom’s Sean McComb (18-2) in a 10-round super lightweight fight. McComb’s long reach and busy southpaw style gave Barboza trouble. But he managed to win the fight though the crowd was not pleased.

Bektemir Melikuziev (14-1, 10 KOs) defeated France’s Pierre Dibombe (22-1-1) by technical decision after eight rounds due to a cut on his eye from an accidental head butt. It was a very competitive super middleweight fight.

Costa Rica’s David Jimenez (16-1, 11 KOs) outworked John “Scrappy Ramirez (13-1, 9 KOs) in a 12-round scrap to upset the Los Angeles based fighter. After a few close rounds Jimenez simply bullied his way inside and forced Ramirez against the ropes and unloaded his guns.

After 12 rounds two judges saw it 117-111 and 116-114 all for Jimenez.

“I’m a hard-working man from Cartago I come from nothing,” said Jimenez. “My corner told me I had to work inside.”

Charles Conwell (19-0, 14 KOs) stepped on the gas early with vicious body shots and uppercuts and blasted through the resilient Nathaniel Gallimore (22-8-1, 17 KOs) for several rounds. After a brutal fifth and sixth round the referee halted the one-side beating in favor of Conwell who was fighting for the first time under the Golden Boy banner.

Another winner was Sergiy Derevyanchenko (15-5) by decision over Vaughn Alexander (18-11-1) in a super middleweight match.

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