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SPRINGS TOLEDO, VETERANS HEAD LIST OF BWAA WRITING CONTEST WINNERS
SPRINGS TOLEDO, VETERANS HEAD LIST OF BWAA WRITING CONTEST WINNERS
Boxing essayist Springs Toledo, a regular contributor toTheSweetScience.com, was the top winner in the 14th annual Boxing Writers Association of America writing contest, which drew a near-record number of entries and entrants.
Toledo took first places in Feature (Over 1,500 Words) and in Investigative Reporting, as well as seconds in Column and Feature (Under 1,500 Words). His four-award haul upped his total number in the BWAA writing competition to 20.
He and other BWAA writing contest winners, as well as in boxing photography (the results of which not yet been announced), will be recognized at the 90thannual BWAA Awards Dinner, which will be held April 24 at Capitale in New York City, the night before the Wladimir Klitschko-Bryant Jennings heavyweight championship bout in Madison Square Garden. Hailed as the âAcademy Awards of Boxing,â the BWAA Awards Dinner will be emceed by Brooklyn Nets announcer David Diamonte and will also salute a host of honorees and special guests, a list topped by 2014 Fighter of the Year Terence Crawford.
At 44, Toledo, a Boston native who now lives in Plymouth, Mass., is the youngest in a lineup of veteran journalists who dominated the contest. Other first places went to Kieran Mulvaney, of HBOBoxing.com, in Event Coverage; Jerry Izenberg, columnist emeritus for the Newark Star-Ledger, in Column; Thomas Hauser, of TheSweetScience.com, in News Story, and Bill Dwyre, columnist for the Los Angeles Times, in Feature (Under 1,500 Words).
Izenberg, 84, a Korean War veteran, began writing at the Star-Ledger in 1951 while still a student at Rutgers University. An inductee into the New Jersey Sports Hall of Fame, he is the author of 13 books and is one of only two writers to have covered every Super Bowl.
Dwyre, 70, is a Notre Dame graduate who previously worked at the Milwaukee Journal before arriving at the Times in 1981. He is the recipient of the Red Smith Award from the Associated Press Sports Editors in 1996. In addition to his first place award, he took a third in Column and an Honorable Mention in Event Coverage.
Hauser, 69, is a New York City native and Columbia Law School graduate who has authored 41 books, 20 of which have been about boxing. He augmented his first place award with a second in Investigative Reporting.
Mulvaney, 47, who was born in England and now lives in Bristol, Vermont, has a devoted following for his boxing coverage, but he also is an acclaimed writer about wildlife and the environment. He added an Honorable Mention in Feature (Over 1,500 Words) to his first place.
Among other multiple award winners are Ivan G. Goldman (seconds in Column and News Story), Eric Raskin (thirds in Investigative Reporting and Event Coverage).
The BWAA Awards Dinner is open to the public. Ticket information can be found at www.bwaa.org.
The full list of award winners:
2014 BERNIE WINNERS
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BOXING EVENT COVERAGE
First Place :
KIERAN MULVANEY, âKovalev Brings Down Curtain in Hopkinsâ Lengthy Reign,â InsideHBOBoxing.com, November 9, 2014
Second Place :
DAVID P. GREISMAN, âCotto-Martinez: A Revival, A Requiem,â BoxingScene.com, June 9, 2014
Third Place (Tie) :
BERNARD FERNANDEZ, âJust Call New Champ Algieri âHands of Stony Brookâ,â TheSweetScience.com, June 16, 2014
ERIC RASKIN, âBetter Call Saul: Alvarez Finds the Right Opponent,â Grantland, March 10, 2014
Honorable Mention: Adam Berlin, Boxing.com ; Bill Dwyre, The Los Angeles Times; Lyle Fitzsimmons, BleacherReport.com ; Cliff Rold, BoxingScene.com ; Joseph Santoliquito, Sherdog.com ;T.K. Stewart,Examiner.com
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BOXING COLUMN
First Place :
JERRY IZENBERG, â40 Years Ago, Muhammad Ali Shocked George Foreman â And I Was There,â Newark Star-Ledger, October 29, 2014
Second Place (Tie) :
ADAM BERLIN, âNon-Superlative: This Yearâs Ballot for Boxing Hall of Fame,â Boxing.com , October 20, 2014
IVAN G. GOLDMAN, âGolovkin-Geale Bout Shows N.Y. Commission Still A Bloody Mess,â BoxingInsider.com , July 28, 2014
SPRINGS TOLEDO, âWonderland,â TheSweetScience.com , June 30, 2014
Third Place :
BILL DWYRE, âKlitschko Takes On the Fight in Kiev,â TheLos Angeles Times, February 22, 2014
Honorable Mention : Bernard Fernandez, TheSweetScience.com ; Lyle Fitzsimmons, TheBleacherReport.com : Norm Frauenheim, 15Rounds.com ; David P. Greisman, BoxingScene.com
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BOXING NEWS STORY
First Place :
THOMAS HAUSER, âSergio Martinez vs. Miguel Cotto,â TheSweetScience.com , June 11, 2014
Second Place (Tie) :
ADAM BERLIN, âChoosing His Chariot: Hopkins Takes On Kovalev,â Boxing.com, August 3, 2014
IVAN G. GOLDMAN, âDan Goossen, Fun-Loving Fight Promoter, Dies at 64,â BoxingInsider.com , September 29, 2014
Third Place (Tie) :
BILL DWYRE, âMayweather Just Canât Seem To Find the Right Words,â The Los Angeles Times, September 11, 2014
NORM FRAUENHEIM, âGlovegate Breaks Out Before Mayweather-Maidana,â 15Rounds.com , May 3, 2014
Honorable Mention: Bernard Fernandez, TheSweetScience.com ; Lyle Fitzsimmons, CBSSports.com ; Lance Pugmire, The Los Angeles Times ; Joseph Santoliquito,RingTV.com ; David Weinberg, The Press of Atlantic City
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BOXING FEATURE (Under 1,500 words)
First Place :
BILL DWYRE, âCrying For the Beloved Country,â The Los Angeles Times, February 11, 2014
Second Place :
SPRINGS TOLEDO, âStugots,â TheSweetScience.com , April 25, 2014
Third Place :
MICHAEL ROSENTHAL, âVictor Ortiz: Ability Is There, Questions Linger,â The Ring, November 5, 2014
Honorable Mention: Ivan G. Goldman, BoxingInsider.com; David P. Greisman, BoxingScene.com; Thomas Hauser, TheSweetScience.com; Zachary Levin, Athletes Quarterly; Gordon Marino,The Ring; Lance Pugmire, The Los Angeles Times; Joseph Santoliquito, RingTV.com; Mark Whicker, Truthdig.com
________________________
BOXING FEATURE (Over 1,500 words)
First Place :
SPRINGS TOLEDO, âA Wrinkle in Time,â TheSweetScience.com, November 13, 2014
Second Place :
JEFF MacGREGOR, âBernard Hopkins Fights Father Time,â ESPN.com, April 19, 2014
Third Place :
TIM SMITH, âMike Perez: Title Shot Ahead, Disabled Foe Behind,â BleacherReport.com, July 24, 2014
Honorable Mention: Adam Berlin, Boxing.com; Bernard Fernandez, The Ring; Thomas Gerbasi, BoxingScene.com; Lee Groves, RingTV.com; Kieran Mulvaney, Boxing News; Carlo Rotella,The New York Times Magazine; Joseph Santoliquito, The Ring; Michael Woods, TheSweetScience.com
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BOXING INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING
First Place :
SPRINGS TOLEDO, âBattle Hymn: The Untold Story of Little Tiger Wade,â TheSweetScience.com, March 17, 19, 24, 27, 31, April 3, 7, 9, 14, 16, 2014
Second Place :
THOMAS HAUSER, âWhat Is Al Haymon Planning?,â BoxingScene.com, July 7, 2014
Third Place (Tie) :
THOM LOVERRO, âFBI Suspected 1964 Ali-Liston Fight Was Rigged By Mob,â The Washington Times, February 24, 2014
ERIC RASKIN, â42 to 1,â Playboy, January/February 2015 (on Newsstands December 2014
Honorable Mention: Norm Frauenheim, The Ring; David Weinberg, The Press of Atlantic City
2014 BERNIES JUDGES:
TOMMY DEAS, Executive Sports Editor, Tuscaloosa News; 2nd Vice President Associated Press Sports Editors
DAVE KINDRED, Former Sports Columnist, Louisville Courier-Journal, Washington Post, Atlanta Journal Constitution
DOUG KRIKORIAN, Former Sports Columnist, Los Angeles Herald Examiner, Long Beach Press
BRYCE MILLER, Retired Sports Columnist, Des Moines Register
JOHN SCHULIAN, Former Sports Columnist, Chicago Sun Times; 1984 Nat Fleischer Award Winner ED SCHUYLER , Retired Boxing Writer, Associated Press; 2010 Inductee, International Boxing Hall of Fame; 1979 Nat Fleischer Award Winner
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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! Tonightâs episode was headlined by a super bantamweight match between San Antonioâs 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 liver the from Cardenas. Ramirez went down on one knee and wasnât 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 time. Cardenas improved to 25-1 with his14th win inside the distance. Ramirez, who was stopped in the opening round by Nick âWreckingâ 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 10th 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.
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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, Liverpoolâs 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
Saturdayâs 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 â the former for fooling all the experts and the latter for his gallant performance in a losing effort â 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 hadnât previously issued a warning for this infraction. Moreover, many thought he could have taken a point away from Haney for excessive clinching. As for Haneyâs second and third trips to the canvas in round seven, they struck this reporter â watching at home â 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. âAt the end of the day, Harvey Dock, I think he was tripping,â said Garcia. âHe could have stopped that fight.â
Those that played the rounds proposition, placing their coin on the âunder,â undoubtedly felt the same way.
The internet lit up with comments assailing Dockâs 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 Americaâs highest-paid TV sports personality, was among those that felt a need to weigh-in: âThis referee is absolutely terribleâŠ.Unreal! Horrible officiating,â 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 Jerseyâs 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 Dockâs 364th assignment in the pros and his forty-second world title fight. Some of those title fights were title in name only, they werenât 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 âpremature stoppagesâ 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 Dockâs 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 wasnât Harvey Dockâs best hour, Iâll concede that, but a closer look at his full body of work informs us that he is an outstanding referee.
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While the Haney-Garcia bout was in progress, WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman threw everyone a curve ball, tweeting on âXâ 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 âBlazing Saddles,â 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, Mauricioâs late father, ruled that Corrales could keep his title.
Whether or not you agree with Mauricio Sulaimanâs rationale, the timing of his announcement was certainly awkward.
Haneyâs 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
Its good to be crazy. Like a fox.
Ryan âKingRyâ 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.
âI just knew what I could do,â 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.
Haneyâs 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, Haneyâs 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.
âHe caught me with it,â 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 Garciaâs 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 Garciaâs blazing combinations were too fast to defend.
In the 10th round Haney looked to attack and was countered by Garciaâs 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 didnât look good for Haney to survive.
Garcia walked into the 11th 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 Garciaâs power and speed were superior and that was the difference in a professional fight.
In the final round both were cautious with Garciaâs 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.
âYou really thought I was crazy,â Garcia told the interviewer and the crowd. âYou guys hated on me.â
Other Bouts
Arnold Barboza (30-0) won a curious split decision victory over United Kingdomâs Sean McComb (18-2) in a 10-round super lightweight fight. McCombâs 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 Franceâs 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 Ricaâs David Jimenez (16-1, 11 KOs) outworked John âScrappy 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.
âIâm a hard-working man from Cartago I come from nothing,â said Jimenez. âMy corner told me I had to work inside.â
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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