Articles of 2009

PAULIE'S PREDICTION: Oscar-Nominated Burt Young Likes Pacman

Published

15 years ago

November 12, 2009

Academy Award-nominated actor Burt Young’s knowledge of boxing goes far beyond the fact that he portrayed Paulie, the anguished brother-in-law of Sylvester Stallone’s “Rocky” character in the classic 1976 film and all of its sequels.

The 69-year-old Young, a former U.S. Marine, says he was undefeated in 17 pro bouts, fighting under three different aliases which he steadfastly refuses to divulge. He also served as a sparring partner for “Irish” Bobby Cassidy, the perennial light heavyweight contender of the 1970s, and he managed David Sears to an unsuccessful title challenge of Michael Spinks in 1985.

Although he is a lifelong devotee of the sweet science who served as the grand marshal at last year’s International Boxing Hall of Fame induction ceremonies in Canastota, New York, Young admits that his only knowledge of the current heavyweight division is that it is ruled by “two Russian boys who do more planning than doing.”

While the heavyweights don’t thrill him, he can’t contain his excitement over Saturday’s battle royale between Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto.

“I’m like Joe Louis, who I heard was a terrible fight predictor,” joked Young. “Whenever I make a pick, I suggest you pick the opposite.”

As much respect as Young has for Cotto, he can’t help but feel pretty certain that the Pac Man will steamroll him in much the same fashion as he did against David Diaz, Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton.

“When I watch Pacquiao, I catch myself saying ‘Holy bleep’ the whole fight,” said Young, who expects Pacquiao to stop Cotto in the middle rounds. “He never goes backwards and he looks like he’s having such a good time. I love the kid, he’s such a freewheeling spirit and I love the positive effect he has on his country. The whole bleeping country stops to watch him fight.”

Young marvels at the contradictions that are so commonplace amongst fighters, regardless of where they are from.

“I love fighters, all of them,” he explained. “They are so ballsy, tough and determined, but then when you meet them and get to know them they’re like babies. They all look like high school kids to me, like they came out of the eighth grade. Where they get that spark to be so competitive is what attracts me to them.”

As a youngster growing up in Queens, New York, Young said he was a tough kid who could have easily gone the wrong way if he had not joined the Marines at the age of 16. After serving two years, he took acting classes while working as a carpet cleaner, salesman, installer and truck driver. He also trained as a boxer with Cus D’Amato and Charley Goldman at the now defunct Gramercy Gym.

Cassidy, who spared many rounds with Young, said he was “a very tough, strong guy who liked to try and make you miss.”

One time Cassidy said Young was breaking his chops by questioning his power after a round of sparring. Cassidy, who had already been given a role in the first “Rocky” film by Young, came out blasting in the next round, but remembers thinking, “I better take it easy if I want to be in Burt’s next 10 movies.”

One day Young, who never expected to make a dime acting, accompanied an acquaintance to an audition with the legendary drama coach Lee Strasberg. After the reading, the great Strasberg passed on the friend but was impressed by what he would later call Young’s “library of emotions.”

Strasberg became Young’s mentor and friend, as Young performed in scores of off-off Broadway plays and eventually in over 120 movies. Young said he was the only actor in “Rocky” who did not have to audition for the role.

“I was on the MGM lot when Sly Stallone came over and introduced himself to me, told me he wrote ‘Rocky’ and said ‘you gotta do it,’” Young recalls. “I wanted to do it right away, but wanted to twist their arms a little bit, not look too eager.”

Young knew from the get-go that the film had the potential to be a gem. “I thought the script had the cleanest street prose I’d ever read,” explained Young. “Stallone is not only a workaholic, he’s a genius who is always looking three years ahead. He has a real eyeball for what’s going on in the world.”

A few years after the release of “Rocky,” Young was working the corner of Cassidy when he fought another popular Irishman, Christy Elliot, at the Commack Arena in Long Island, New York.

Cassidy laughingly says that Young almost “engineered my demise” when, prior to the first bell, Young advised him to “relax, just like you’re doing a scene in a movie.” The next thing Cassidy remembers is the bell ringing and him being deposited on the canvas by Elliot.

“I looked up and saw Elliott walking around, waving to the crowd with his arms up,” said Cassidy. “I said to myself, ‘What do you think, you won?’”

Seconds later, Cassidy roared back, dropped Elliott and turned the fight around. He went on to win the decision in a very entertaining fight at which this writer was ringside.

“Burt is a great guy, we had a lot of fun together,” said Cassidy. “He is a genuinely nice man who never says anything bad about anyone.”

Young was very high on Sears, a New York City Golden Gloves champion with an abundance of natural talent and the looks of a cinematic leading man. Sears boxed the ears off of Spinks in the first round, but was brutally stopped in the third.

“Their heads butted, and David got thrown off his game plan,” said Young. “It’s a shame because he had such a good first round. Who knows what could have happened?”

Young doesn’t get involved in the managerial aspects of boxing anymore, but he is still a diehard fan, especially of Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr., who he believes is the only man that can beat Pacquiao.

Describing Mayweather’s boxing abilities as ‘beautiful,” he said that he looks “invincible” to him. Most importantly, he believes the Money Man is “too quick and bright,” even for someone as talented, brave and determined as the Pac Man.

Young is not a fan of Ultimate Fighting, saying, “any good pro boxer could take care of them because a pro’s hands are so well educated.”

He does, however, have great respect for the MMA athletes, as well as professional wrestlers, who he says are “great big, strong, coordinated guys even though they can be 300 to 400 pounds.”

Young still keeps himself awfully busy these days. On November 5, he was honored by the NYPD’s Sergeants Benevolent Association (SBA) for his longtime support of the law enforcement community. On September 11, 2001, he was exercising in his backyard when he observed the first terrorist jetliner fly over his house.

“It was very eerie,” he recalled. Minutes later, when he heard what happened, he put some money in his pocket and called his closest friends to tell them the city was under attack. He ran to the office of his girlfriend, Dr. Clark, and told her to stay put. He continued on to Ground Zero where he observed the devastation firsthand.

“I had to be there,” he said. “I’m a United States citizen…and a U.S. Marine.”

Afterwards, Young continued on with the selfless service to NYPD widows and children that he had begun decades earlier. As important as these functions always were to him, they took on even more personal meaning after the 9/11 attacks.

“I’ve seen some of these kids grow up before my eyes,” said Young, who became a single father to his daughter, actress Anne Morea, when his wife passed away in 1974. “Knowing these kids’ families were ruptured still kills me inside, but I can’t miss seeing them as often as I can. I never forget what their parents did for us, or the scars that they are forced to live with.”

“Burt is always available when called to help out,” said Ed Mullins, the president of the SBA which is the fifth largest police union in the country. “Without any fanfare, all he asks is when, where and what can I do to help? The police community is blessed to have such a good friend.”

Young will soon appear in a semi-autobiographical one-man play called “Artist Found in a Port Washington Flat.” As an artist, his paintings have been described as “his own way, his own style, some years with more passion than others.” He has donated some of his pieces to Gilda’s Club and the Teddy Atlas Foundation, and others have been exhibited at galleries in New York, Southampton, Montreal and Hawaii.

A true renaissance man, Young has squeezed an awful lot of living into the time he spent on Earth. But, he says unequivocally, “I still want more, a lot more.”

Post Views: 0

Share The Sweet Science experience!

Robert Mladinich

Articles of 2009

UFC 108 Rashad Evans vs. Thiago Silva

Published

15 years ago

December 31, 2009

David A. Avila

Former champion Rashad Evans meets Brazil’s venerable Thiago Silva in a non-title belt that can lead to a return match with the current champ, but first things first.

Evans (15-1-1) and Silva (14-1) meet in Ultimate Fighting Championship 108 in a light heavyweight bout on Saturday Jan. 2, at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. A win by either fighter could result in a world title bid. The fight card is being shown on pay-per-view television.

Events can change quickly in the Octagon and anybody can beat anybody in the 205-pound weight division. Just ask Silva or Evans.

Silva and Evans are both experienced and can vouch firsthand about the capriciousness of fighting in MMA and especially as a light heavyweight. On one day this man can beat that man and on another day, that man can beat this man. It can make you absolutely daffy.

Evans, 30, is the former UFC light heavyweight world champion who only defended his title on one occasion and lost by vicious knockout to current champion Lyoto Machida of Brazil. It’s the only defeat on his record.

Silva, 27, is a well-rounded MMA fighter from Sao Paolo, Brazil who is versed in jujitsu, Muy Thai and boxing. He can end a fight quickly in a choke hold just as easily as with a kick or a punch. His only loss came to who else: Machida.

Evans and Silva know a win can push open the door to a rematch with current UFC light heavyweight champion Machida.

“A win against Rashad would put me in the track against Lyoto,” said Silva, in a telephone conference call. “That's what – what I want to do.”

When Silva fought Machida the two Brazilians were both undefeated and feared in the MMA world. The fight took place in Las Vegas and with one second remaining in the first round a perfectly timed punch knocked Silva unconscious.

“I was humbled big time, man,” says Silva who fought Machida in January 2009. “I learned a lot from that fight. I think I can correct the mistakes from that fight, not overlooking anything else right now, but just I want to get the chance to fight him again.”

For Evans it was a different circumstance. The upstate New Yorker held the UFC title and was defending it after stopping then champion Forrest Griffin by knockout. Still, many felt Machida was far too technically versed. Evans was stopped brutally in the second round.

“I've made it a point to not – to not get distracted on what I want to do, because you know Thiago (Silva) is a very hungry fighter,” said Evans who has not fought since losing the title to Machida last May. “My focus is just on Thiago so much. You know I don't want to overlook him, you know, not even a little bit.”

Dana White, president of UFC, says the winner of this fight could conceivably fight Machida in the near future. Evans and especially Silva are motivated by the open window.

“I learned a lot from that fight. I think I can correct the mistakes from that fight,” says Silva. “Not overlooking anything else right now, but I just want to get the chance to fight him again.”

What a prize. The winner gets to face the man who beat him: Machida.

Post Views: 0

Share The Sweet Science experience!

Articles of 2009

Ten Boxing Wishes For 2010

Published

15 years ago

December 30, 2009

Ralph Gonzalez

As 2009 comes to a close, one reflects on what went well and what went wrong during the year in boxing. There were many highlights. Pacquiao vs. Cotto and Showtime’s Super Six tournament were part of the best that boxing had to offer. But there were some low points too therefore the industry has some work to do in order to keep generating fans. Here are some suggestions for 2010:

10. Better pay per view cards

Paying 40 to 50 bucks to watch the main event gets old real quick. Why do we have to sit through a horrible under-card to get to the main course? It’s like being fed spam appetizers before the Thanksgiving turkey. It seems that the pay per view promoters just don’t get it. Are they watching what they put on or do they only watch the “big fight” as everyone else is slowly being conditioned to do so?

9. Time to make Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. fight

Okay, I understand he’s the son of one of the greatest fighters that ever lived. But he’s had 42 fights against low to mid level competition and has never managed to look spectacular. It’s time to throw the 23 year old out of the nest to see if he can fly. My suggestion is a fight against Sergio Mora or maybe even Yuri Foreman. Neither of these guys can punch. They may outbox Junior but they won’t totally humiliate him.

8. No more ridiculous Pay Per View mismatches

Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Juan Manuel Marquez should’ve never been made. It was a ridiculous fight when it was announced and it was more ridiculous when it took place. Unable to bring Manny Pacquiao to the bargaining table for a third match against Juan Manuel Marquez, someone figured that pairing up the 135 pound champion against a natural 147 pounder like Mayweather would be a great idea. The pay per view generated over a million buys but the fact that millions of people were treated to an incredibly boring mismatch is what’s truly worrisome. I can guarantee you one thing about this card. The sport of boxing lost fans once the show was over and done with. Talk about short term thinking.

7. Chris “The Nightmare” Arreola shows up for a fight in amazing shape

It was painful to see Chris Arreola take a beating from the Ukrainian giant, Vitali Klitscho. The champion certainly earned his “Dr. Ironfist” moniker as he plowed his powerful shots into the former #1 WBC heavyweight contender’s face. He reddened and bloodied the young Mexican American with an assortment of weapons and foot movement seldom seen on a six foot seven inch heavyweight. Arreola was brave and unrelenting in battle. He never stopped coming forward and took chances when he could. His work in the ring at the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles wasn’t the problem. Where Arreola let himself down was outside the ring. His unwillingness to condition himself into a finely tuned athlete cost him certain immortality as the first ever heavyweight champion of Mexican descent. Arreola has the heart and skills but it was his mental fortitude that broke down. Anyone who’s followed the Riverside fighter knows that his best weight is somewhere in the 230 pound range. It certainly isn’t at the 252 pounds he registered on the scale at the Staples Center. Those fifteen to twenty extra pounds might have made all the difference in the world. Maybe he would’ve been a little quicker, maybe he could’ve sustained a faster pace in order to tire out the champion. In his most recent fight against Brian Minto, Arreola weighed in at a career high 263. It looks like “The Nightmare” isn’t willing to change for anyone. At this pace, the only nightmares he’ll be providing will be to the management of Hometown Buffets all across Riverside. Just kidding “Nightmare”!

6. More respect for the lighter weights

Real boxing fans know that the most exciting fighters in the sport are usually found toiling in weight divisions south of 154 pounds. Pacquiao, Cotto, Juan Manuel Marquez, Edwin Valero, Israel Vazquez, Juan Ma Lopez, Vic Darchinyan, Rafael Marquez and countless others have been the real driving force behind this sport. It’s those great fighters that have made boxing fanatics out of casual fans. The heavyweights may get all the money and glory but it’s the little guys who make the sport shine and it’s time they received greater compensation. It’s dismaying to think that a mediocre heavyweight can make three or four times as much as the great Rafael Marquez.

5. An American Heavyweight champion

Speaking of heavyweights, two Americans tried and failed at dethroning Vitali Klitschko this year. Both Kevin Johnson and Chris Arreola did their best to wrestle the belt away from “Dr. Klitschko” but came up short since they were easily outclassed. What happened to the great American Heavyweight? Where’s our new Joe Frazier or Ali? Even a new Gerry Cooney or a Ken Norton would do at this point. I’ve got a feeling that the only way we’re going to see an American champion is if Klitschko retires. My money is on Arreola. Although undisciplined and rough outside the ring, he’s got tons (no pun intended) of natural talent. He’s without a doubt the most talented American heavyweight on the scene.

4. More ShoBox

The Showtime Cable network gave us the best boxing on TV for the price of a cable television subscription. Their ShoBox series has been a proven hit for Senior VP of Sports Programming Ken Hershman. The concept is simple yet brilliant. Match up two up and comers with great records and let’s see what happens. Sometimes the results are surprising. Many have passed the ShoBox test and went on to bigger and better things. Others have been exposed as having padded records and eventually their careers stall and take a dive.

3. More safety in Mexico so I can attend a show without a gun battle breaking out

Having lived near the Tijuana border all my life I’m dismayed at the war zone that the city has evolved into. Every day there are reports of shootings fueled by the drug war trade. Believe it or not, there was a time when Tijuana was safe and most wouldn’t have thought twice about crossing the border for some seafood and nightlife. No more. Having covered several boxing cards on Revolucion Avenue many years ago, I got a taste of just how important the sport is to Mexican fans. It’s also important to me but not that important. For now I’ll stick to covering shows at the Pechanga Casino and in the less dangerous city of L.A. I never thought I’d say that.

2. Pac Man vs. Mayweather

This is the fight everyone wants to see. Seeing how Mayweather dominated Pac Man’s arch enemy, Juan Manuel Marquez, you have to wonder if the Filipino can handle Lil’ Floyd’s speed and size. One thing is for sure, betting against Pacquiao doesn’t usually work out for me. It never has. There’s no future in it. So if the fight gets done it’s Pacquiao by TKO in ten.

1. And finally

One final wish is reserved for all the readers of TheSweetScience.com I wish you all a healthy and happy 2010. Thank you for your continued loyalty to the site. It’s very much appreciated.

Post Views: 0

Share The Sweet Science experience!

Articles of 2009

A Very Special New Year's Day Column

Published

15 years ago

December 30, 2009

Robert Mladinich

It has been just over four months since Nick Charles, the play-by-play announcer for Shobox: The New Generation, was diagnosed with stage IV bladder cancer and forced to take a medical hiatus from the monthly show that has aired since 2001.

Since then he has undergone grueling chemotherapy treatments that have resulted in him losing all of his hair as he forces himself to live as normal of a life as possible. Through sheer force of will, as well as the strength and support that he receives from his wonderfully loving family and his strong Christian faith, the 63-year-old Charles has managed to keep his weight up while not falling prey to the always lingering threats of depression, cynicism and negativity.

If one was unaware that he was battling such an insidious disease, you’d never know from talking on the phone to him that he has been to hell and back. He has lost none of the inspiring energy that has endeared him to members of the boxing community and legions of worldwide viewers.

“I’m doing great,” Charles said during a telephone conversation on December 30th. “I’ve been off the chemo for a month, and the doctors have told me that I’m 80 percent in remission. I’m going to see them again in three months. It may come back, but if it takes one year, or two years, or however long, I’m going to make the most of the good time.”

As physically and emotionally wrenching as the grim diagnosis and subsequent treatment has been, even for someone as perpetually positive as Charles, the longtime announcer said a lot of good things have come from it.

Having been married three times, Charles is the father of four children: Jason, 38, Melissa, 34, Charlotte, 22, and Giovanna, 3 ½.

While Charles is not big on regrets, he is the first to admit that he wasn’t always there for his older children. For many years he traveled the world as a CNN correspondent, often putting the demands of his career above all else, including those closest to him. Nowhere was the strain more evident than in his relationship with Melissa.

Having been divorced from Melissa’s mother since 1977, Charles said his relationship with that daughter has been especially “hot and cold, all of our lives.”

His illness has enabled them to forge a relationship that has been “based on a massive amount of forgiveness and understanding.”

“This has had a tremendous healing effect on both of us,” said Charles. “My illness has had a fortifying effect on a lot of things, the most important of which is my relationships with my family.”

That also includes his first wife, with whom he has had an often acrimonious relationship over the past three decades.

“It took a long time for the scab to become a scar, but we had lunch one day and it was so great to once again see the gentle, soft sides of each other,” he explained. “The whole divorce process creates a hardness that doesn’t always go away.”

Charles is also the grandfather to three children, some of whom are about the same age as his youngest daughter. He jokes that he has a “nuclear 21st century family” because of the similar ages of two generations of children. One of the hardest things for him has been the realization that he can’t always play with them in manner in which he would like.

“The hemoglobin is the fuel in your tank, so when it’s low you can’t will yourself to do things no matter how much you want to,” said Charles. “You can’t just sleep it off or work through it. I don’t want the kids to wonder why I can’t play in the backyard with them, or kick a soccer ball, or throw them in the air.”

Particularly difficult is when Giovanna reminds her father of how handsome he is, but then innocently asks him what happened to his hair, eyebrows and lashes.

“You try to keep things on a need to know basis, which is not easy when dealing with curious kids,” said Charles.

While Charles might look like the kind of guy that things have often come easy to, the reality is that his beginnings were far from auspicious. But, he says, his often challenging Chicago childhood blessed him with the steely resolve that has helped him so much during the arduous journey he is now on.

“I had it pretty rough growing up,” he explained. “I remember the lights and the heat being shut off and eating mustard sandwiches. I went to work at 13 and always had insecurities about the future. But I always expected and saw the best in people, so when I got sick, never once did I say 'Why me?”

Since taking a leave of absence from Shobox, the outpouring of support from the boxing community has warmed Charles’s heart. For a guy that is battling for his life, he actually considers himself fortunate to be surrounded by so much goodness in both his personal and professional lives.

“I always hear that boxing people are ruthless, but I couldn’t disagree more,” said Charles. “I’ve probably received about 1,000 e-mails, and people are always following in sending their best wishes. From the relatively unknown people in boxing to many of the more famous people, there has been an outpouring of true affection.”

Charles said that the Top Rank organization has been exceedingly kind and gracious. He was touched beyond description when he learned that officials in Oklahoma got special permission to have a seamstress sew “Keep Fighting Nick” onto their sleeves. He chokes up when talking about cut man Stitch Duran giving up an endorsement opportunity so he could put Charles’s name on his outfit. He never tires of hearing shout-outs from fighters on television.

Charles has always been a people person with an inordinate faith in the goodness of his fellow man. Battling this illness has only made his already strong faith in humanity even stronger.

“Adversity is a great teacher, and it really teaches you who your genuine friends are,” said Charles. “I have a lot of friends.”

He also has a remarkable wife, Cory, a CNN producer to whom he has been married for 11 years. She is the daughter of an electrician, a self-made woman who exudes all of the warmth of her native Brooklyn. She has reinforced her husband’s spiritual base by her love, optimism and strength of character.

“If I get down, she reminds me to not get too caught up,” said Charles. “I believe in eternity, and that has put me pretty much at peace.”

More than anything else, Charles wants to get himself back behind a microphone sooner rather than later, and hopefully on Shobox. He is the first to admit that viewers “don’t watch the series to see Nick Charles,” but he is proud of the fact that he was “part of the identity” of such a popular show.

“And people love comeback stories,” added Charles. “That’s the message I’m getting from the people out there.”

In boxing the word “champion” is often overused because it pertains only to winning belts and receiving worldwide recognition for being the best at your craft. The reality is that life’s real champions have other qualities, such as the innate ability to treat people well and always make them feel better about themselves, especially when the recipients of the goodwill are in no position to give them anything back.

By that standard of measure, Charles is as much, if not more of a champion than all of the boxers he has covered during the nine years that Shobox has been on the air.

I know I speak for scores of others when I say, “Happy New Year, Champ. We hope that you are the comeback story of the year in 2010.”

Post Views: 0

Share The Sweet Science experience!