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Friend of TSS Atty. Keith Sullivan Talks Ray Rice, Floyd Mayweather
The Ray Rice situation is kicking around so many of our heads this week. And with the NFL suits fumbling the ball, and engaging in what many folks believe smells like a crude cover-up, one which we would think would result in the dismissal or resignation of the commissioner, Roger Gooddell, the story has seeped into the fight game.
Apart from Rice, the most notorious face of domestic abuse situations is Mayweather, who was jailed for the infraction in 2012, and currently stands accused by his ex of engaging in similar acts. That case is a civil trial, so some folks don’t view it as seriously, and others, a minority to be sure, believe that so much if not all the domestic abuse material on Mayweather is smoke and mirrors and basis for extortion.
I checked in with friend of TSS Keith Sullivan, an NYC attorney who appears regularly on Fox to share his wisdom. I asked him for his take on the Rice situation, and wondered if because new video popped up which has caused people to re-assess the incident between him and his then fiancee in an AC casino, Rice could be re-charged, with a new case on his lap. He’s already pled and is working through completing terms of his plea deal.
“The prosecutors should be ashamed of themselves,” Sullivan told me. “Ray Rice was indicted on aggravated assault, and they had a rock solid case because of that video. The fact that they gave this punk probation is maddening. To hell with the prosecutor! And for that matter I say the same for the NFL commissioner, to hell with him too and his principles of money over ethics and morals. Women of domestic violence need protection from themselves first and foremost but now they need it from this prosecutor and Roger Goodell as well. I’m irked because legally he walks, the legislatures can complain all they want put it’s pretty much a legal done deal. Shameful.”
“If Rice successfully completes the terms of the probation (which include some anti-domestic violence classes) he will be free and clear,” the attorney stated. “The ‘new’ tape is not new to the prosecutor, they had it when they let him walk despite having a grand jury return an indictment against him. It’s despicable. If he were a homeless man in the street they would look to destroy his life, but hey, he’s Ray Rice, an NFLer, so let’s pamper him and treat him like a star. And the NFL was intentionally ignorant of what happened in that elevator and their only regret is they got caught trying to sweep this under the rug!”
And what of Mr. Mayweather? With a civil suit in play, lodged by his ex Shantel Jackson, helmed by the ultra-determined Gloria Allred, could that case, if a judge or jury believes Ms. Jackson’s allegation, result in Mayweather being sent back to lockup?
“Even if the allegations in the civil suit are substantiated it is unlikely probation would seek to violate him retroactively, as probation ended in August but the allegations made (public on Sept. 4) allegedly occurred during the probation period,” Sullivan said. “The bigger issue, is that domestic violence is a real problem and that along with other crimes is a more systemic problem amongst high-priced athletes than the teams and leagues care to acknowledge.”
Good stuff from an attorney with an excess of common sense, and heart, for that matter…
I get it that many people think there is a line between the athlete, and what they do on the field or in the ring, and what they do there is totally separate from what they do at home. I just don’t agree. We get our cues from newsmakers, on how to act, dress, think…That is a condemnation, it could be argued, of our society, but until we address that, we are where we are. The Rices and Mayweathers do such majestic things on their stage as athletes, but maybe just as important, in the grander scheme of things, is how they live and behave off-stage. Because, you know, there is a grander scheme of things, and we should never give up, wave a flag of surrender, write if off as boys being boys, or none of our business, or business as usual, because the show must go on. Sometimes, there are things more important than the show.
Follow Woods on Twitter. https://twitter.com/Woodsy1069
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2015 Fight of the Year – Francisco Vargas vs Takashi Miura
The WBC World Super Featherweight title bout between Francisco Vargas and Takashi Miura came on one of the biggest boxing stages of 2015, as the bout served as the HBO pay-per-view’s co-main event on November 21st, in support of Miguel Cotto vs Saul Alvarez.
Miura entered the fight with a (29-2-2) record and he was making the fifth defense of his world title, while Vargas entered the fight with an undefeated mark of (22-0-1) in what was his first world title fight. Both men had a reputation for all-out fighting, with Miura especially earning high praise for his title defense in Mexico where he defeated Sergio Thompson in a fiercely contested battle.
The fight started out hotly contested, and the intensity never let up. Vargas seemed to win the first two rounds, but by the fourth round, Miura seemed to pull ahead, scoring a knock-down and fighting with a lot of confidence. After brawling the first four rounds, Miura appeared to settle into a more technical approach. Rounds 5 and 6 saw the pendulum swing back towards Vargas, as he withstood Miura’s rush to open the fifth round and the sixth round saw both men exchanging hard punches.
The big swinging continued, and though Vargas likely edged Miura in rounds 5 and 6, Vargas’ face was cut in at least two spots and Miura started to assert himself again in rounds 7 and 8. Miura was beginning to grow in confidence while it appeared that Vargas was beginning to slow down, and Miura appeared to hurt Vargas at the end of the 8th round.
Vargas turned the tide again at the start of the ninth round, scoring a knock down with an uppercut and a straight right hand that took Miura’s legs and sent him to the canvas. Purely on instinct, Miura got back up and continued to fight, but Vargas was landing frequently and with force. Referee Tony Weeks stepped in to stop the fight at the halfway point of round 9 as Miura was sustaining a barrage of punches.
Miura still had a minute and a half to survive if he was going to get out of the round, and it was clear that he was not going to stop fighting.
A back and forth battle of wills between two world championship level fighters, Takashi Miura versus “El Bandido” Vargas wins the 2015 Fight of the Year.
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Jan 9 in Germany – Feigenbutz and De Carolis To Settle Score
This coming Saturday, January 9th, the stage is set at the Baden Arena in Offenburg, Germany for a re-match between Vincent Feigenbutz and Giovanni De Carolis. The highly anticipated re-match is set to air on SAT.1 in Germany, and Feigenbutz will once again be defending his GBU and interim WBA World titles at Super Middleweight.
The first meeting between the two was less than three months ago, on October 17th and that meeting saw Feigenbutz controversially edge De Carolis on the judge’s cards by scores of (115-113, 114-113 and 115-113). De Carolis scored a flash knock down in the opening round, and he appeared to outbox Feigenbutz in the early going, but the 20 year old German champion came on in the later rounds.
The first bout is described as one of the most crowd-pleasing bouts of the year in Germany, and De Carolis and many observers felt that the Italian had done enough to win.
De Carolis told German language website RAN.DE that he was more prepared for the re-match, and that due to the arrogance Feigenbutz displayed in the aftermath of the first fight, he was confident that he had won over some of the audience. Though De Carolis fell short of predicting victory, he promised a re-vamped strategy tailored to what he has learned about Feigenbutz, whom he termed immature and inexperienced.
The stage is set for Feigenbutz vs De Carolis 2, this Saturday January 9th in Offenburg, Germany. If you can get to the live event do it, if not you have SAT.1 in Germany airing the fights, and The Boxing Channel right back here for full results.
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2015 Knock Out of the Year – Saul Alvarez KO’s James Kirkland
On May 9th of 2015, Saul “Canelo” Alvarez delivered a resonant knock-out of James Kirkland on HBO that wins the 2015 KO of the Year.
The knock-out itself came in the third round, after slightly more than two minutes of action. The end came when Alvarez delivered a single, big right hand that caught Kirkland on the jaw and left him flat on his back after spinning to the canvas.Alvarez was clearly the big star heading into the fight. The fight was telecast by HBO for free just one week after the controversial and disappointing Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao fight, and Alvarez was under pressure to deliver the type of finish that people were going to talk about. Kirkland was happy to oblige Alvarez, taking it right to Alvarez from the start. Kirkland’s aggression saw him appear to land blows that troubled the young Mexican in the early going. Alvarez played good defense, and he floored Kirkland in the first round, displaying his power and his technique in knocking down an aggressive opponent.
However, Kirkland kept coming at Alvarez and the fight entered the third round with both men working hard and the feeling that the fight would not go the distance. Kirkland continued to move forward, keeping “Canelo” against the ropes and scoring points with a barrage of punches while looking for an opening.
At around the two minute mark, Alvarez landed an uppercut that sent Kirkland to the canvas again. Kirkland got up, but it was clear that he did not have his legs under him. Kirkland was going to try to survive the round, but Alvarez had an opportunity to close out the fight. The question was would he take it?
Alvarez closed in on Kirkland, putting his opponent’s back to the ropes. Kirkland was hurt, but he was still dangerous, pawing with punches and loading up for one big shot.
But it was the big shot “Canelo” threw that ended the night. Kirkland never saw it coming, as he was loading up with a huge right hand of his own. The right Alvarez threw cracked Kirkland in the jaw, and his eyes went blank. His big right hand whizzed harmlessly over the head of a ducking Alvarez, providing the momentum for the spin that left Kirkland prone on the canvas.
Saul “Canelo” Alvarez went on to defeat Miguel Cotto in his second fight of 2015 and he is clearly one of boxing’s biggest stars heading into 2016. On May 9th Alvarez added another reel to his highlight film when he knocked out James Kirkland with the 2015 “Knock Out of the Year”.
Photo by naoki fukuda
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