Articles of 2006

Photographing Ali’s Spirit

Published

19 years ago

March 3, 2006

“I once thought I actually saw Muhammad Ali’s aura when we were in Zaire,” photographer Sonia Katchian told me over a cup of coffee in Morrisville, North Carolina. “It was huge!” she continued, extending her arms away from her body. “I reached for my camera, but then it was gone.”

To the typical sports journalist, such comments might raise an eyebrow. But when an athlete transcends his sport, he does much more than excels or dominates. He touches millions of people from all walks of life who could have cared less about the sport before his arrival and after his departure. No one exemplified this more than Muhammad Ali.

“He (Ali) is truly one of the amazing people of all time,” said Sonia. “He has a stronger charisma and a bigger aura than anyone I have ever met.”

For Sonia, that includes Princess Di and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, two people who she thinks come closest to matching Ali’s magnetism. “Of course, I never did meet Mother Theresa….” her voice trails away.

Sonia was the first female photographer credentialed to shoot ringside at a heavyweight boxing titlematch and the first female photographer hired by The New York Post. A photojournalist whose career took her all over the world, Sonia’s work has appeared in LIFE, TIME, Newsweek, Forbes, Vogue, Sports Illustrated, The New York Times, New York Daily News, etc. Yet nothing touched her more than her many experiences covering Ali.

The nomadic Sonia was born in Beirut, and grew up in the coal mill town of Martin’s Ferry, Ohio, before attending Barnard College, Columbia University’s Liberal Arts College for women in New York. She was part of the now infamous Class of 1968, responsible forthe student uprisings at Columbia over the military draft and the Vietnam War. Unfortunately, she had not taken up photography at this point in her life.

“I was an art history major at the time—but photography was not a subject offered by Columbia or Barnard back then,” she noted.

After graduating she went to Wyoming, where she worked as a cook on a ranch and painted in her free time. Sonia was unsure of the direction she wanted her life to take until a friend loaned her his Nikon camera. From the moment she looked at her first set of contact sheets,she knew that this was the medium for her.

“The immediacy of the medium is what snared me,” said Sonia, “and, it is a very forgiving medium. And now with digital, even more so!”

She returned to New York where she was a founding member of the original Soho Photo Gallery on Prince Street. She mentored with the legendary W. Eugene Smith in 1971 and her first published photo ran a full color page in LIFE.

The photo was of Alabama Governor George C. Wallace shot by a man in the crowd at a political rally in Laurel, Maryland, on May 15, 1972. Oddly enough,a Wallace staffer had taken away her credentials just moments before, forcing Sonia to step back away from the crowd. Minutes later, Arthur Bremer shot Wallace, paralyzing him below the waist.

“As much as I loathed his campaign, and that he stood for segregation, I was deeply saddened bythis experience,” said Sonia.

While being forced out of the crowd was frustrating at the time, it was one of the best things that happened to her career. Because of her position, she was able to thoroughly photograph the event and LIFEmagazine paid her a whopping $5,000 for the full-page photo. Sonia was the only accredited photographer covering the Wallace campaign – neither the Associated Press nor United Press International had photographers at the rally and were caught without pictures to run. As a result, the wire services established a policy that all presidential candidates were to be covered at all scheduled public events.

That instance led to many more opportunities for Sonia. She received the opportunity to coverthe “Rumble in the Jungle” when a staff photographer for Sports Illustrated saw pictures she had just made at Ali’s training camp in Deer Lake, Pennsylvania. The photographer, Tony Triolo, advised her to go straight to the picture editor at SI.

Her assignment in Zaire extended to two months after George Foreman suffered a cut eye in a sparring session. Much of the world press boarded planes and returned home. Sonia, a freelancer, chose to stay. Many of her photos were featured in SI’s coverage of the fight and in the weeks preceding it.

One of the photos that received full-page attention was of George Foreman with a butterfly band-aid over his eyes. Sonia was at the session where a sparring partner’s elbow cut Foreman’s eye, postponing the fight for six weeks. Sonia, whodid not spend a great deal of time covering Foreman, just happened to stop by that day. Once again, her timing was impeccable.

“I didn’t understand what was going on,” she said. “I just knew that he had been injured and that we would have a picture session with him the next day, and they just hustled him out of there.”

Shortly thereafter, Sonia ran into Ali on the lawn outside the gym. He stood there staring at her waiting for an answer.

“We looked at each other, like ‘Now what.’”

He wanted information on what happened to Foreman, but Sonia did not feel she could give an accurate account.

“I didn’t consider myself a reliable source so I just kept my mouth shut. I didn’t want to give bad information. We just stared at each other.”

For sports journalists, assessing and reporting the mechanics of boxing can be second nature. Sonia was at a loss when it came to the mechanics of boxing (according to her, she still is), nor which subjects of the sport were considered taboo.

“I didn’t know the questions I could ask,” she said. “It was all new for me. You have to understand: I came into the boxing world straight out of feminism bootcamp.”

She had dug some of the trenches herself as author of the controversial “Women See Woman,” an anthology of contemporary women photographers, and as a teacher at the Women’s Interart Center in NY. The world of boxing was about as sharp a contrast as you could imagine to that life.

“Not only was it an all-male environment,” she said, “it was also mostly a Black culture.”

However, she did have an advantage over her counterparts. Sonia speaks French, and was able to speak with many of the local Zairians. It was something that was rare among most of the country's visitors, including the African-Americans. Those in the fight game were thrilled to be there but were frustrated with the lack of communication.

Sonia’s perception of the two fighters is no different than most other retellings. Foreman, at the time, was brooding and sulky. Ali was more accessible and much more beloved by the locals. The postponement allowed Sonia to take what she considers to be some of her best photographs of Ali.

“One time I decided to cover him on one of his morning runs in Zaire,” said Sonia. “And there we are at 4:30 or 5:00 in the morning. The sun hasn’t come up. He’s like a frisky colt out there running around. So we get into the station wagon that drives us out to the country road, and then the car drops him and all of us off. I was in the back of the station wagon and fell out. He looks at me and goes, ‘That was dumb.’ Right then I took one of my best pictures.”

After covering Ali’s 8^th round knockout of Foreman, Sonia was soon off to Beirut to cover Lebanon’s civil war for the Associated Press. Having been born there, it was a heartbreaking experience for her.

“I wanted to photograph Beirut before it was ruined,” she said, “and I got there just in time. It was destroyed right before my very own eyes.”

Sonia was the first foreign journalist to be kidnapped along Beirut’s Green Line. However, her time in captivity was thankfully short and she was released within 24 hours. Later that year, she went to Manila, Philippines, in September of 1975, assigned to cover the third match between Ali and Joe Frazier for SPORT magazine along with writer Dick Schaap.

In the area of ringside recap, Sonia will admit that she does not have a lot of information to offer. However, she, like the other journalists who covered the bout, can attest that the fight was an exercise of brutality. She remembers noticing the sweat that flew in her direction while she had her elbows on the apron shooting.

“Actually, at the time, I thought there was a fix because I couldn’t believe it went on so long,” she said. “There was the possibility that one of them could have died. You just didn’t know which one.”

As we all know, the fight went on for fourteen rounds, before Frazier’s trainer, Eddie Futch, stopped it. The “Thrilla in Manila” is one of the greatest bouts of all time.

Sonia went on to cover Ali’s fights with Ernie Shavers, Leon Spinks, Larry Holmes, and Trevor Berbick. She also traveled with Ali on many other occasions and visited his various homes. It was sad for her to watch the gradual decline. By the time Ali fought Berbick in the Bahamas in 1981, Soniasaid the seats were not even half-filled.

“He (Ali) couldn’t say no when the people around him begged for another payday,” said Sonia. “He swore up and down that he would never end up punch-drunk. But in the end, it was not that he couldn’t resist the money, he couldn’t resist his aides. They got paid really well.”

Sonia said she had no interest in covering fighters other than Ali. She never covered another boxing match after Ali’s final retirement in 1981. She moved to Tokyo in the 1980s and served as photo editor for Business Tokyo magazine and was Tokyo correspondent for Photo District News, a trade publication for professional photographers.Sonia now resides on a farm in North Carolina.

Her documentation of Ali in Zaire and throughout the 1970s is a valued treasure. So much so that film director Michael Mann hired Sonia as a consultant and used thousands of her photos, to capture Ali’s aura during the making of the Sony Pictures2001 biopic starring Will Smith.

Sonia is finally releasing some of her most prized Ali photographs to the public in a boxed set of large, limited-edition prints on watercolor paper. The Ali Folio™ consists of fourteen 24”x30” prints mostly from Zaire with others from the later 1970’s.

“There were many photographers who covered Ali, but only one who focused on capturing his spirit, instead of the muscle or the gag aspect. I let them focus on the gags, and I focused on the spirit. Black-and-white film allows you to do that. I never released these pictures to books. When they would ask for pictures, I would send them some others, but I would save the best for a day when they would be appreciated. And I think now is the time.”

And when will she publish her own book of Ali pictures?

“When the right publisher and I find each other,” she answers.

Meanwhile, The Ali Folio™ is available at AliFolio.com.

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Aaron Tallent

Articles of 2006

Peter/Toney Ii: Peter Has The Brutal Punch

Published

18 years ago

December 31, 2006

Adam Berlin

Samuel Peter claims he has dynamites in my two hands?

Heavyweight contenders Samuel “The Nigerian Nightmare” Peter and James Lights Out? Toney get it on a second time this Saturday from the Seminole Hard Rock in Hollywood, Fla. (Showtime).

The hard-slugging Peter, unlike Toney, is one of those strong, silent types notorious for letting their fists to the talking one the opening bell sounds, but the Nigeria Nightmare is as confident as ever and determined to turn Lights Out’s lights out for good.

I have got dynamites in my two hands,? said Peter, according the Lagos, Nigeria Vanguard, and I will crush James Toney once and for all. The Toney camp made the mistake of their lives by protesting and seeking a rematch. I am ready to teach him a bitter lesson.?

Sam Peter walked away with the W for Peter/Toney I at the Staples Center in LA last September, but it was by disputed split decision a verdict so disputed, there was even a dispute about the dispute which forced the WBC’s hand into mandating Saturday’s rematch.

Samuel Peter is the biggest thing to hit African boxing since Ghanaian superstar Azumah Nelson rocked the feather and junior welterweight divisions. The President of the Nigeria Boxing Board of Control, Prince Olaide Adeboye, admitted, according to allAfrica.com, We are rooting for Samuel Peter, of course. He is one boy we believe in to bring back the country’s lost glory in professional boxing. I am personally making arrangement to be at the ringside to see him fight Toney again. I was at the first fight in Los Angeles in September.

Peter has the brutal punch, and to me he was the clear winner of the first fight. But the WBC Board of Governors, of which I am a member, voted 21-10 for a rematch. There was nothing those of us Africans on the board could do in the circumstances. But I believe Peter will confirm he is better than Toney and will then go ahead to meet the champion and claim the belt for Nigeria and Africa.?

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Articles of 2006

The Sweet Science P4P Rankings for Asia

Published

18 years ago

December 31, 2006

Scott Mallon

There are claims that boxing is dying. Hogwash. The heavyweight division isn’t the only division in boxing and 2007 promises to be a banner year in boxing; especially for boxers hailing from Asia.

While Asia isn’t Vegas or Atlantic City, it is a region packed of diamonds in the rough; undiscovered gems and potential superstars who wait for their moment in the sun.

The Sweet Science P4P Rankings – Asia

1) Manny Pacquiao – There’s no way to dispute Pacquiao is the best fighter in Asia, if not all of boxing. He’s exciting, he wins with Je Ne Sais Quois and is definitely “the man” in boxing.

2) Pongsaklek Wonjongkam – Although his competition leaves much to be desired, his longevity and skills are undeniable. He is currently Thailand’s only world champion and is undefeated in ten years. Need I say more?

3) Chris John – A victory over Juan Manuel Marquez, however controversial, shows he belongs at the top of the heap. He easily outpointed Renan Acosta to close out 2006 and should have no trouble defending against Jose Rojas in February. A fight with Pacquiao would not be a good move on his part but a rematch with Marquez would not hurt – especially if he defeats the Mexican again.

4) Hozumi Hasegawa – Hidden away in Japan, Hasegawa is a sharp punching southpaw who put former champion Veeraphol Sahaprom to sleep. He recently bested Genaro Garcia and his herky-jerky style will give fits to any one who steps in the ring with him.

5) Masomori Tokuyama – Tokuyama has never shied away from a good fight and although he only fought once in 2006 (UD12 Jose Navarro), he ledger shows wins over Katsushige Kawashima (twice), Gerry Penalosa (twice) and In Jin Chi (twice). A fight with Hozumi Hasegawa is a distinct possibility in 2007.

6) Nobuo Nashiro – With only seven fights under his belt he took on WBA champion Martin Castillo – and defeated him. Although he’s only fought a total of nine fights, nearly all have been against quality opposition. A victory in a rematch with Castillo would cement his claim as the king of the 115-pound division.

7) Yukata Niida – This light-hitting minimumweight defended his title twice in 2006, winning a technical decision against unbeaten Eriberto Gejon (Tech Win 10) and the other on points over Ronald Barrera (W 12). Scheduled to meet Katsunari Takayama early next year – the best has yet to come for this WBA belt holder.

8) In Jin Chi – Won back the title he lost to Takashi Koshimoto in January from Rudolfo Lopez. While there’s little uncertainty to his skills, at thirty-three, 2007 may provide some insight as to just how much he has left.

9) Yodsanan Sor Nanthachai –Sor Nonthachai is an exciting, top-shelf fighter with an iron chin. Has no trouble making mincemeat of mid-level opposition and deserves a title shot in 2007. Time is running out.

10) Rey Bautista – He’s young, relatively inexperienced in big-time boxing, but will continue to shine in 2007. One of the better prospects in boxing, he should snag a title in 2007.

Asian Fighters Ranked in Ring Magazine

Pound for Pound:

Manny Pacquiao (Philippines): #2

Jr. Lightweight

Manny Pacquiao (Philippines): #1
Yodsanan Sor Nanthachai: #9

Featherweight

Chris John (Indonesia) #1
In Jin Chi (Korea) #3
Takashi Koshimoto (Japan) #5
Hioyuki Enoki (Japan) #7

Jr. Featherweight

Somsak Sithchatchawal (Thailand) #4

Bantamweight

Hozumi Hasegawa (Japan) #2
Veeraphol Sahaprom (Japan) #3
Ratanachai Sor Vorapin (Thailand) #6
Poonsawat Kratingdaenggym (Thailand) #10

Jr. Bantamweight

Nobuo Nashiro (Japan) #1
Katsushige Kawashima (Japan) #7
Pramuansak Phosuwan (Thailand) #10

Flyweight

Pongsaklek Wonjongkam (Thailand) #1
Takefumi Sakata (Japan) #7
Daisuke Naito (Japan) #10

Jr. Flyweight

Koki Kameda (Japan) #1

Minimumweight

Yukata Naiida (Japan) #2
Eagle Kyowa (Japan/Thai) #4
Katsunari Takayama (Japan) #5
Rodel Mayol (Philippines) #7

Boxing in Thailand

There’s no shortage of boxers in Thailand. With a huge pool of Muay Thai fighters to draw from and several talented amateur boxing prospects turning pro after the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Thailand seems destined to remain a boxing powerhouse in Asia.

The country is known for having tough, determined and disciplined fighters who give their all whenever the step in to the ring. However, consistently losing while fighting abroad and padding their records with no-hopers has done nothing to enhance their reputation.

Whether because of a lack of marketability, a lack of funds or their unwillingness to travel abroad, the vast majority of boxers from Thailand remain a mystery to fans in the west. If anything though, the boxing scene involving Thai fighters will be active. In fact, it’s one of the most active in the world; since 2000, the number of fights has nearly doubled in the country.

The Sweet Science P4P Rankings – Thailand – August 2006

1) Pongsaklek Wonjongkam
2) Poonsawat Kratingdaenggym
3) Somsak Sithchatchawal
4) Wandee Singwancha
5) Sirimongkol Singwancha
6) Yodsanan Sor Nanthachai
7) Veeraphol Sahaprom
8) Pramuansak Phosuwan
9) Terdsak Jandaeng
10) Oleydong Sithamerchai

Current Sweet Science P4P Rankings – Thailand

1) Pongsaklek Wonjongkam (Flyweight) – Definitely the top dog in Thailand

2) Yodsanan Sor Nanthachai (Super Lightweight) – He’s a seasoned fighter who has proven himself in the big-time. He’s one Thai who can fight outside of Asia. He has an abundance of skills and one-punch power. His overall ability and ease in dispatching anyone other than championship caliber get him the runners-up spot.

3) Poonsawat Kratingdaenggym (Super Bantamweight) – After losing to Vladimir Sidorenko he’s bounced back. He’s young, he can punch, but the former interim champion needs to prove himself against a name fighter.

4) Somsak Sithchatchawal (Super Bantamweight) – Was his win over Monshipour a fluke or was Celestino Caballero just that good? Did Sithchatchawal catch Monshipour at the right time and can he rebound from the devastating loss? The jury is still out.

5) Wandee Singwancha (Flyweight) – He doesn’t have much of a punch which will be his downfall in the end. He can box, as was evidenced in his recent victory over Juanito Rubillar, but this won’t be enough. He can no longer make the Jr. Flyweight limit and with no punch he’ll have a hard time competing against the “big boys.” Although he’s now rated second by the WBC, he doesn’t deserve to be.

5) Sirimongkol Singwancha (Super Lightweight) – Get this guy a fight. He’s better than Jose Armando Santa Cruz and would have beat up Inada had the fight taken place. He’ll fight anyone but his biggest obstacle is staying motivated fighting tomato cans in Thailand. Like many Thais, he needs a fight against a name opponent.
6) Wandee Singwancha (Flyweight) – He doesn’t have much of a punch which will be his downfall in the end. He can box, as was evidenced in his recent victory over Juanito Rubillar, but this won’t be enough. He can no longer make the Jr. Flyweight limit and with no punch he’ll have a hard time competing against the “big boys.” Although he’s now rated second by the WBC, he doesn’t deserve to be.

7) Pramuansak Phosuwan (Super Flyweight) – A genuine tough guy. Always calm and focused no matter how heated the battle. But at thirty-eight, he’ll be in trouble should he fight one of the division’s elite.
8) Veeraphol Sahaprom (Bantamweight) – Will be lucky to get another crack at the title. Although he has a puncher’s chance of winning a belt, that’s about all he has left at this point. A third shot at Hasegawa is unlikely.

9) Oleydong Sithamerchai (Minimumweight) – He’s fought better than the usual opponents faced by Thais at his level and he moves up one spot with the departure of Terdsak Jandaeng. He lacks the punch and is in the wrong division to become a superstar. He’ll need to defeat a name opponent to convince me.

10) Saenghiran Lookbanyai / Napapol Kittisakchokchai (Super Bantamweight) – These two square-off in early March, supposedly to see who deserves a shot at Israel Vasquez. Kittisakchokchai has the edge in experience but some feel Lookbanyai has the edge in heart and is the favorite.

Neither has defeated a top twenty fighter and yet are ranked number one and two respectively in the WBC’s world.

In Kittisakchokchoi’s lone shot at the big-time, he was TKO’d in 10 by Oscar Larios. His dreadful performance against Larios and lack of quality opposition leads me to believe Saenghiran might have more of a shot at beating him than some suspect. Regardless, neither of them lasts longer than six rounds with Israel Vasquez.

Honorable Mention: Wethya Sakmuangklang, Denkaosan Kaovichit, Devid Lookmahanak, Nethra Sasiprapa, Chonlatarn Piriyapinyo, Pornsawan Kratingdaenggym

Thai Fighters Ranked in Ring Magazine

Pongsaklek Wonjongkam: #1 Flyweight
Pramuansak Phosuwan: #10 Jr. Bantamweight
Veeraphol Sahaprom: #3 Bantamweight
Ratanachai Sor Vorapin: #6 Bantamweight
Poonsawat Kratingdaenggym: #10 Bantamweight
Somsak Sithchatchawal: #3 Jr. Featherweight
Yodsanan Sor Nanthachai: #9 Lightweight

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Articles of 2006

Iceman Stops Tito Ortiz Win Streak

Published

18 years ago

December 31, 2006

David A. Avila

LAS VEGAS—UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck “Iceman” Liddell’s fists proved too much for Huntington Beach’s Tito Ortiz who was stopped in the third round before a sold out crowd at the MGM Garden Arena on Saturday.

The punching machine Liddell (20-3, 13 KOs) repeated his victory in UFC 66 over the much-improved grappler Ortiz who has improved his punching and blocking. Ortiz was trying to avenge his loss of April 2004.

Despite all the new weapons displayed by Ortiz it wasn’t enough as Liddell pummeled the former champion and retained his title with a technical knockout at 3:59 of the third round. Referee Mario Yamasaki stopped the bout.

“This was the most satisfying victory of my career,” said Liddell, 36, of Santa Barbara. “Tito came back real tough.”

Ortiz (15-5, 8 KOs), a former wrestler, worked on his boxing technique knowing he would need it against the former boxer Liddell. But Liddell’s experience allowed him to find the right moment to pounce on Ortiz.

“I had him hurt, I just kept throwing punches,” said Liddell who also knocked down Ortiz in the first round with a left hook.

Ortiz was gracious in defeat.

“Chuck is the best fighter Pound for Pound in the (mixed martial arts) world,” said Ortiz, 31, who suffered a gash on the side of his left eye from a punch. “I’m disgusted by myself. I let my fans down.”

Other bouts

Underdog Keith Jardine (12-3-1) knocked out Forrest Griffin (13-4) at 4:41 of the first round in their light heavyweight showdown. A right uppercut followed by a left hook wobbled Griffin who was sent to the floor by a barrage of punches. On the ground Jardine landed right after right until referee John McCarthy stopped the fight for a technical knockout.

“I couldn’t believe he was hurt,” said Jardine about Griffin who is known for his resiliency. “I was so nervous coming into this fight, but now I know I belong here.”

Canada’s Jason McDonald (18-7) choked out Chris Leben (15-3) in a middleweight bout that was up for grabs. Though Leben seemed to control the fight with stunning left hands, once the fight went to the ground McDonald managed a chokehold at 4:03 of the second round. Referee Steve Mazagatti saw Leben was unconscious and stopped the fight.

Former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski (12-5) caught Brazil’s Mario Cruz (2-2) with a sneak right hand while both were tangled on the ground. Then the Belarusian pummeled Cruz until referee Herb Dean stopped the fight at 3:15 of the first round.

Third season winner of the Ultimate Fighter television reality season Michael Bisping (12-0) of Great Britain won by technical knockout over Eric Shafer (9-2-2) at 4:29 of the first round. A knee knocked Shafer groggy then Bisping knocked him to the ground and pounded him. Referee Mario Yamasaki stopped the bludgeoning.

Thiago Alves (16-4) caught Peru’s Tony De Souza (15-5) with a knee as he attempted to dive for his legs in a welterweight contest. After that it was pretty much over as Alves pummeled De Souza at 1:10 of the second round forcing referee John McCarthy to halt the bout.

Gabriel Gonzago (7-1) proved too strong for Carmelo Marrero (6-1) in a heavyweight bout. At 3:22 of the first round Gonzago of Massachusetts manipulated his way into arm bar forcing Pennsylvania’s Marrero to tap out.

Japan’s Yushin Okami (19-3) pounded Georgia’s Rory Singer (11-6) into submission at 4:03 of the third round of a middleweight bout. Okami seemed the more-rounded fighter with effective kicks to the head and more accurate punching.

Christian Wellisch (8-2) jumped to a quick start with an accurate left hook that rattled Australia’s Anthony Perosh (5-3) in a heavyweight bout. During the first round it seemed the Sacramento fighter might end the fight but the Aussie hung tough. Wellisch won by unanimous decision.

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