SAD SHOCKER Mayweather Pal Earl Hayes Dead After Murder/Suicide Blowup With Wife

Published

9 years ago

December 9, 2014

An unspeakable tragedy unfolded Monday in Los Angeles, and reports have all-world boxer Floyd Mayweather peripherally involved in the shocking drama.

The gossip site TMZ reported that rapper Earl Hayes allegedly fatally shot his wife, the dancer/reality TV regular Stephanie Moseley, then turned the gun on himself, and killed himself. TMZ reported that Mayweather had been on a video call with Hayes, who had been signed to the boxers’ record label.

An LA Times report stated that they did not confirm the same specifics, and only said that “Floyd Mayweathers’ camp had conversations with” Hayes “shortly before the apparent murder-suicide,” though that phrasing is at best vague, being that one’s “camp” is typically comprised of a bunch of people.

Hayes was seen as a protegee to hip hop heavies Dr. Dre and Timbaland. A Michigan native, he headed to California, to Oakland, to get success in the rap field. He got a rep as a sharp talent as teenager, and was exposed to flashy living in LA, as he negotiated his way in that sphere.

He and Mayweather jelled, and you can hear Hayes’ work on an episode of the Floyd Mayweather-Canelo Alvarez All-Access episode two; the song is called “Images,” and we see images of the “made it” lifestyle of opulence. Hayes is seen pouring himself a libation, and is identified as being affiliated with Mayweathers’ “Philthy Rich Records.” Floyd says that snagging mansions and Bugattis, as he owns, are possible with “hard work and dedication.” Hayes put out a May 2014 or thereabouts release called “Never Give Up,” and snatches of Mayweather’s voice, talking about the need to persevere to climb hurdles, are heard. “You better never give up,” Hayes raps. “Fight till you can’t fight.” Mayweather raved about Hayes as “a helluva writer and a helluva artist” in September 2013, as well.

{youtube}a4G1Ff21r1Y{/youtube}

The Times described the circumstances leading up to the violence: “On Monday, Los Angeles police received calls about 7:30 a.m. that shots had been fired and a woman was screaming in the apartment in the 300 block of Hauser Boulevard in the city’s Fairfax neighborhood, LAPD Officer Jack Richter said. SWAT officers were summoned after the incident turned into a barricade situation.” Shots were heard, and authorities rushed in. The two bodies were found.”

I messaged Mayweather boxing publicist Kelly Swanson to see if any light could be shed, on Monday early evening, and again on Tuesday afternoon, but have not heard back as of yet.

The boxer sent out a response to the tragedy to Instagram and Twitter followers, which is Re-Tweet, or re-post, of a 50 Cent social media missive. The 50 post went out late Monday morning, Cali time. “RIP Hayes, @floydmayweather you are my little brother. All can think about is what you said to me up stairs. Don’t you ever do nothing to your self no matter what champ. We can fall out and fight or what ever, but I don’t want to see you go out like that. #SMSAUDIO #POWER #FRIGO”

Mayweather hasn’t released anything publicly beyond that, though was seen at an LA Clippers basketball game on Monday night, TMZ reporteded. The enigmatic wording in the 50 Cent post–is it a cautionary reach-out to his ex bestie?– hasn’t been publicly reponded to by Team Mayweather or explained by 50, that I’ve seen. I requested a comment from a spokesperson for 50 Cent and will add that to this piece should one be made available. (UPDATE TUESDAY 5:30 PM ET: I received a reply from Team 50 Cent: “No comment.”)

TMZ is of course digging into the story, and reporting that the violence was spurred because Hayes and the wife were enduring stormy weather in their union. Mayweather, the site alleges, without referring to sourcing beyond “one Mayweather source,” advised the rapper to break it off with his lady, who’d been enjoying a role on the VH1 show “Hit The Floor.” Much of that material reads to me as gossip fodder, however.

TMZ reports that the LAPD is seeking to interview Floyd. The boxer has two fights remaining on a six-fight deal with Showtime, the richest pact for a professional athlete in any sport. He fought twice in 2014, beating the rugged Argentine Marcos Maidana in May, and then in a September rematch, both times by decision. His next outing is a matter of speculation; fight fans uniformly wish to see “Money” fight sort-of-rival Manny Pacquiao, but talks between their teams have never reached the point beyond flirtation in a span of five years, so optimism is tempered that a faceoff can be hashed out by those following the story.

I requested a comment from Showtime regarding the Mayweather connection to the Hayes/Moseley tragedy, and will add that should one be furnished. (UPDATE, TUESDAY EARLY EVENING: A Showtime spokesman told me Showtime has no comment on the situation.)

Follow Woods on Twitter. https://twitter.com/Woodsy1069

Post Views: 2,656

Michael Woods

Avila Perspective, Chap. 254: Canelo vs Jermell Charlo in a Battle of Undisputed Champions

Published

20 hours ago

September 29, 2023

David A. Avila

Avils-Perspective-Chap-254-Canelo-vs-Jermell-Charlo-in-a-Battle-of-Undisputed-Champions

LAS VEGAS-Less than the usual massive crowd gathered for boxing kingpin Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and Jermell Charlo in the desert heat outside of the T-Mobile Arena on Friday afternoon. Usually the weigh-ins are slightly bigger for Mexico’s idol.

Is the declining crowd an indicator of Alvarez fans ebbing belief in his abilities?

Still, on Saturday night, two undisputed world champions from differing divisions will collide as Guadalajara, Mexico’s Alvarez (59-2-2, 39 KOs) meets Houston’s Charlo (35-1-1, 19 KOs) at T-Mobile Arena for the super middleweight world championship. PPV.Com will stream the clash of champions.

This year has seen a hyper-speed uptick in champions fighting other champions, perhaps the result of watching their female counterparts Amanda Serrano and Katie Taylor produce the biggest fight of 2022. This year several marquee collisions were spawned from lightweights to heavyweights.

Or maybe the pandemic lull created a twitch panic among the elite.

Charlo was one of those who had been sidelined while others like Gervonta “Tank” Davis, Naoya “Monster” Inoue and Canelo Alvarez filled their pockets with cash. And others like Devin Haney and Teofimo Lopez gained undisputed glory.

Instead of watching on the sidelines, Charlo decided to make his move for greater glory by attempting to dethrone one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the world, if not the kingpin of boxing when it comes to money.

“If I accomplish this massive goal, it will be hard to top,” Charlo said a few weeks ago during his media workout. “I’ll be in the record book with the greats of boxing for a long time.”

Risks brings rewards.

Canelo, long a member of the boxing elite, has held his position as the box office king for many years now by taking the daunting risks throughout his boxing life.

“Jermell is right, I have nothing to prove. But this time I have something to prove to him,” said Alvarez while in Las Vegas on Wednesday. “He never believed in my skills. He’s been calling me out. Now I have an opportunity to show him my skills.”

Undisputed super welterweight will challenge undisputed super middleweight in a two-division jump not often seen, except for Henry Armstrong, Roberto Duran and Sugar Shane Mosley. It’s the road taken by those who seek to be great.

Both are 33 but the redhead Alvarez has been fighting professionally since he was 15. That’s a lot of bullets in the chamber he has already used. Charlo has height, speed and the ability to adapt to different styles. Stylistically, it’s a battle that makes even the skeptics take pause.

It all depends on Alvarez’s resiliency. Charlo has ring rust, while Alvarez seemingly has lost the hunger. Whose weakness will prove the greater?

“Now is the time for this fight. We’re in our primes and at our best,” said Charlo. “I wanna shake the doubters off and prove to the world why I”m in this position. There’s a reason I made it this far.”

Alvarez remembers being as hungry as Charlo.

“I never overlook any fighter,” Alvarez said. “I know what he’s going to bring and I’m ready.”

Undercard

Several other notable bouts are included on the pay-per-view card.

Former world titlists and current welterweight contenders Yordenis Ugas (27-5) and Mario Barrios (27-2) battle for an interim title set for 12 rounds.

Super welterweights Jesus Ramos (20-0, 16 KOs) and Erickson Lubin (25-2, 18 KOs) match skills in a match that pits a southpaw veteran against an undefeated southpaw from Arizona. For the past three years Ramos has been moving up the ladder and was last seen pounding out highly-touted Joey Spencer. Can he survive Lubin who nearly toppled Sebastian Fundora?

Doors open at T-Mobile Arena at 2 p.m. Pacific Time.

Lampley is back

Legendary HBO announcer Jim Lampley was hired along with ace reporter Lance Pugmire who will co-host the Saul “Canelo” Alvarez versus Jermell Charlo showdown via viewer chat live on PPV.com.

It’s the same concept used by Monday Night Football that features former quarterback greats Peyton Manning and Eli Manning in alternative programming.

Lampley returns to boxing after a five-year absence following HBO’s yanking of the popular program that vaulted elite boxing to the top behind the likes of George Foreman, Oscar De La Hoya and Manny Pacquiao.

The veteran announcer will be live streaming all the action on media platforms before and during the fight action. He was sorely missed by all who follow the sweet science.

Photo credit: Al Applerose

To comment on this story in the Fight Forum CLICK HERE

Post Views: 635

Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk a Go for Saudi Arabia: Date TBA

Published

1 day ago

September 29, 2023

Arne K. Lang

Tyson-Fury-vs-Oleksandr-Usyk-a-Go-for-Saudi-Arabia-Date-TBA

It is now official. Representatives of WBC and Lineal heavyweight champion Tyson Fury and WBO/WBA/IBF title-holder Oleksandr Usyk have come to terms. The Fury-Usyk fight will be staged at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on a date to be determined. (Speculation centers around Dec. 23.)

Fury vs Usyk is the latest addition to Riyadh Season, a months-long, state-sponsored, city-wide entertainment and sports festival that commences this year on Oct. 28 with the fight between Tyson Fury and MMA star Francis Ngannou serving as the centerpiece of the grand opening ceremony.

A point that will be central to the pre-fight hype is that more than three decades have passed since boxing had a unified heavyweight champion. The last man to be recognized as such was Lennox Lewis who unified the title in November of 1999 when he won a unanimous decision over Evander Holyfield at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas. Lewis entered the contest sporting the WBC belt whereas Holyfield held the WBA and IBF diadems.

As noted in boxrec, the vacant IBO heavyweight title was also at stake, a fact acknowledged in most British pre- and post-fight reports, but largely omitted from stories in American papers. As for the WBO, which was born the same year as the Florida-based IBO and came to leapfrog past it in credibility, it was out of the loop. Their heavyweight champion was Vitali Klitschko who had won the belt from Herbie Hyde.

The Lewis-Holyfield fight in Las Vegas was a rematch. They had fought eight months earlier at Madison Square Garden. That fight was ruled a draw, a decision deemed so unjust to Lennox Lewis that it spawned a federal investigation.

The tentative Dec. 23 date for Fury-Usyk would be a quick turnaround for the Gypsy King but would give him two months to heal in the event that he emerges from his non-title fight with Ngannou with a facial cut or another issue requiring medical attention. As noted in a story in the London Mirror, the date of Dec. 23 has also been bandied about as the likely date for the resurrection of the aborted fight between Chris Eubank Jr and Conor Benn. Something would have to give and it wouldn’t be Fury-Usyk.

To comment on this story in the Fight Forum CLICK HERE

Post Views: 390

Atlantic City Welcomes the 7th Annual Boxing Hall of Fame Weekend

Published

2 days ago

September 28, 2023

Luis A. Cortes III

Atlantic-City-Welcomes-the-7th-Annual-Boxing-Hall-of-Fame-Weekend

While the world of boxing will be focused on Las Vegas and the mega showdown between two undisputed champions, across the country Atlantic City will play host to the seventh annual Hall-of-Fame Induction Weekend. This year’s festivities are highlighted by the celebration of heavyweight boxers that once helped make Atlantic City the leading destination for “big time” fights. At the top of this year’s class are names like George Foreman, David Tua, Shannon Briggs, and Pinklon Thomas. With names like these, it’s easy to understand why this year’s Induction Weekend, now a staple of the city’s entertainment calendar, figures to be the best ever.

Ray McCline, a lifelong boxing fan, is the brainchild behind the event which has matured beyond the infancy stage. For McCline (himself a 2022 inductee into the New Jersey Boxing Hall of Fame), creating an entire weekend around the sport in a way that could also benefit the city financially was a no-brainer.

“It’s great to see what this weekend has become. It’s been a long road from the original idea, but with great support and partnerships, it’s been possible,” states McCline.

In the past the ACBHOF has had to be as nimble as some of the fighters that they’ve honored to continue making sure the weekend wasn’t lost in the shadows of a city that has dealt with economic struggles. McCline and his staff at the ACBHOF have done an excellent job integrating the history of boxing with the history of Atlantic City. They’ve done this by offering fans the opportunity to spend more than just one evening immersed in the culture of the sport.

“It continues to grow and get better and that’s what it’s all about; making this the type of weekend that boxing fans mark on their calendars each year. This year we’re fortunate to partner with Hard Hitting Promotions to provide a great night of live professional boxing for fans as well,” says McCline. It’s the type of addition to an already full weekend schedule that only strengthens the ACBHOF brand.

A partnership with the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino has also been a key to recent enhancements for the weekend of events.

After years of having to adapt the schedule to the schedules of their host properties, having this partnership with Hard Rock has allowed for the ACBHOF to lock in the final weekend of September or first weekend of October which is important because it allows fans to plan out their post summer and pre-holiday schedules without having to skip their trip to Atlantic City. “A major bonus,” says McCline. “It was one of the major hurdles that we had to jump over. Integrating Hard Rock and their established relationships in the world of entertainment only benefits both parties.”

It’s a fact that isn’t lost when you see crowds of concert-goers and people arriving in the city for other events enter the Free Fan Expo that takes place prior to the award ceremony.

Which brings us to this year’s schedule of events. Tomorrow (Friday, Sept. 29) will be the customary V.I.P opening cocktail reception followed by the live fights at Bally’s Casino. On Saturday at Hard Rock is the free Fight Fan Experience which allows fans to interact with legends of the sport from the past and fighters of today and tomorrow. During the evening hours. the actual awards and induction ceremony will take place at the Hard Rock. The weekend activities culminate in a legends brunch on Sunday morning at the Blue Water Grille at the Flagship Hotel.

What’s going on in Las Vegas isn’t lost on McCline. “This year is going to be great for those attending the induction ceremony at the V.I.P. level. We were able to set up our post ceremony cocktail reception in conjunction with showing the Canelo-Charlo fight. At the end of the day, we’re all fans of the sport so why miss a historic fight?”

Just listening to the joy that springs from the voice of Ray McCline when discussing both this year’s event and plans for the future is refreshing, especially when one considers all of the roadblocks that he’s overcome to bring his vision to reality in the form of a full weekend of celebration.

Note: The main event of the boxing show on Friday is a 10-round contest between super lightweights Branden Pizarro (18-1-1) and Esteban Garcia (16-2). For more information on event tickets, room reservations, and weekend schedules, visit the Atlantic City Boxing Hall of Fame website at: www.acbhof.com

To comment on this story in the Fight Forum CLICK HERE

Post Views: 1,302