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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 “Academy Awards of Boxing,” 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, “Kovalev Brings Down Curtain in Hopkins’ Lengthy Reign,” InsideHBOBoxing.com, November 9, 2014
Second Place :
DAVID P. GREISMAN, “Cotto-Martinez: A Revival, A Requiem,” BoxingScene.com, June 9, 2014
Third Place (Tie) :
BERNARD FERNANDEZ, “Just Call New Champ Algieri ‘Hands of Stony Brook’,” TheSweetScience.com, June 16, 2014
ERIC RASKIN, “Better Call Saul: Alvarez Finds the Right Opponent,” 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, “40 Years Ago, Muhammad Ali Shocked George Foreman – And I Was There,” Newark Star-Ledger, October 29, 2014
Second Place (Tie) :
ADAM BERLIN, “Non-Superlative: This Year’s Ballot for Boxing Hall of Fame,” Boxing.com , October 20, 2014
IVAN G. GOLDMAN, “Golovkin-Geale Bout Shows N.Y. Commission Still A Bloody Mess,” BoxingInsider.com , July 28, 2014
SPRINGS TOLEDO, “Wonderland,” TheSweetScience.com , June 30, 2014
Third Place :
BILL DWYRE, “Klitschko Takes On the Fight in Kiev,” 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, “Sergio Martinez vs. Miguel Cotto,” TheSweetScience.com , June 11, 2014
Second Place (Tie) :
ADAM BERLIN, “Choosing His Chariot: Hopkins Takes On Kovalev,” Boxing.com, August 3, 2014
IVAN G. GOLDMAN, “Dan Goossen, Fun-Loving Fight Promoter, Dies at 64,” BoxingInsider.com , September 29, 2014
Third Place (Tie) :
BILL DWYRE, “Mayweather Just Can’t Seem To Find the Right Words,” The Los Angeles Times, September 11, 2014
NORM FRAUENHEIM, “Glovegate Breaks Out Before Mayweather-Maidana,” 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, “Crying For the Beloved Country,” The Los Angeles Times, February 11, 2014
Second Place :
SPRINGS TOLEDO, “Stugots,” TheSweetScience.com , April 25, 2014
Third Place :
MICHAEL ROSENTHAL, “Victor Ortiz: Ability Is There, Questions Linger,” 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
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BOXING FEATURE (Over 1,500 words)
First Place :
SPRINGS TOLEDO, “A Wrinkle in Time,” TheSweetScience.com, November 13, 2014
Second Place :
JEFF MacGREGOR, “Bernard Hopkins Fights Father Time,” ESPN.com, April 19, 2014
Third Place :
TIM SMITH, “Mike Perez: Title Shot Ahead, Disabled Foe Behind,” 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, “Battle Hymn: The Untold Story of Little Tiger Wade,” TheSweetScience.com, March 17, 19, 24, 27, 31, April 3, 7, 9, 14, 16, 2014
Second Place :
THOMAS HAUSER, “What Is Al Haymon Planning?,” BoxingScene.com, July 7, 2014
Third Place (Tie) :
THOM LOVERRO, “FBI Suspected 1964 Ali-Liston Fight Was Rigged By Mob,” The Washington Times, February 24, 2014
ERIC RASKIN, “42 to 1,” 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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The Follies of Gervonta Davis: They Gave Him the Key to the City and Now He’s in the Slammer

One surmises that Baltimore City Circuit Court judge Althea Handy has a lot of guts. When the 65-year-old jurist rescinded her decision to allow Gervonta “Tank” Davis to serve his 90-day sentence at the home of his trainer Calvin Ford and remanded him to the jailhouse, that undoubtedly didn’t sit well with some of the poobahs in Maryland’s largest city. After all, it wasn’t that long ago that Davis was presented with a key to the city and a parade was held in his honor.
Davis appeared before Judge Handy on May 5. He had already pleaded guilty to each of four counts stemming from a hit-and-run accident that happened shortly before 2 a.m. on the morning of Nov. 5, 2020. After running a red light, Davis crashed his Lamborghini into another vehicle before crashing into the fence of a 7-eleven. The four occupants of the other vehicle, including a pregnant woman, required medical attention. Gervonta and his two passengers fled the scene in another car.
The four charges to which he pled guilty, eschewing a jury trial, included driving on a revoked license. Had Judge Handy thrown the book at him, she could have packed him off to prison for a term of four years and two months. Instead, she sentenced him to 90 days home detention, three years’ probation, and 200 hours of community service.
Davis owns a home in tony Broward County in South Florida. If it had been his decision, that’s where he would have served his 90 days. But Handy had visions of the boxer lounging by the pool and wouldn’t allow it. She insisted that he serve out his sentence in his native Baltimore.

Althea Handy (2002 photo)
It was agreed that Davis would be confined to the home of his longtime coach Calvin Ford for the duration of his sentence. The head trainer at the Upton Boxing Center in impoverished West Baltimore and the inspiration for the Dennis “Cutty” Wise character in the HBO series “The Wire,” Coach Calvin, as he is called, has been a father figure to Gervonta Davis and countless other boys. Gervonta was living with his grandmother after bouncing around between foster homes when he wandered into Upton at the age of seven. The boxer credits his coach with instilling within him the discipline needed to stay off the streets.
There was one small problem. Calvin Ford’s home had only one bedroom. It was far too small for the boxer and his entourage.
Davis needed to find a new crash pad. Being the resourceful type, he moved his tack to Baltimore’s luxurious Four Seasons Hotel before plunking down a reported $3.4 million on a 5,000-square-foot high-rise penthouse. When informed that the boxer had taken it upon himself to recalibrate his “punishment,” Judge Handy said, “not on my watch” or words to this effect, and had the boxer hauled off to the slammer.
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Gervonta Davis was boxing’s youngest American-born world champion when he won his first title in 2017. On July 24, 2019, three days before his homecoming fight with Ricardo Nunez – his fifth 130-pound world title defense – he was presented the keys to the city by then mayor Bernard C. “Jack” Young in a ceremony at City Hall. “Welcome Home….We’re so proud of you!”, read the proclamation. Later that year, on Oct. 26, the boxer was feted with a parade in his old neighborhood.
In his most recent bout, a non-title affair contested at the catch-weight of 136 pounds, Davis stopped Ryan Garcia in the seventh round to advance his record to 29-0. The fight played out before an SRO crowd of 20,000-plus at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. In his four fights prior to that, Davis drew capacity or near-capacity crowds to NBA arenas in Atlanta, Los Angeles, Brooklyn, and Washington, DC. When it comes to putting asses in seats, no other American boxer can match him.
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Davis turned pro under Floyd Mayweather Jr’s “Money Team” banner. As recounted in a previous story, Mayweather’s influence was pervasive. Gervonta came to mimicking Floyd’s lifestyle, reflected in what normal people would see as reckless spending, manifested in bling and in his growing collection of rare and expensive automobiles. The parallels are striking and to that list we can now add one more. When Gervonta emerges from his current abode he will have spent almost exactly as many days behind bars as his former promoter. Mayweather was sentenced to 90 days for domestic battery in 2012 and with time off for good behavior was out of jail in two months.
When Davis gets out, will his boxing tools be as sharp as ever? Based on Mayweather’s experience, his fans have nothing to worry about.
During Mayweather’s incarceration, his lawyer and personal physician submitted a document to the court in hopes of securing an early release. “Jail food and water,” it said, “didn’t meet Mayweather’s dietary needs and lack of exercise space in a cramped cell of fewer than 98 square feet threatened his health and fitness.”
Not to worry. Floyd had some of his best moments after he was set free, although it may be worth noting that he stopped knocking people out.
Floyd was 35 years old when he regained his freedom. Gervonta Davis will be 28. There’s no reason to think that he won’t be as good as ever, but that’s assuming that he keeps his nose clean. He doesn’t need any more of these kinds of distractions.
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Claressa Shields Defeats Maricela Cornejo in Detroit

In front of a Detroit crowd familiar with boxing legends, Claressa Shields demonstrated her place among the legends with a start-to-finish win over number one contender Maricela Cornejo to retain her middleweight world championship on Saturday.
“Maricela is just super tough. She was just in shape and knew how to get away from shots,” said Shields
More than 10,000 fans entered Little Caesars Arena and witnessed the fight.
Despite last-minute changes in opposition, Shields (14-0, 2 KOs) accepted always strong Cornejo (16-6, 6 KOs) and proved that former Detroit boxing legends such as Sugar Ray Robinson, Joe Louis and Tommy Hearns need to move over.
The champion wasted little time in opening-up with looping overhand rights that barely missed the mark. Cornejo was careful to avoid the bombs. Though few punches landed it was clear that Shields was on the attack.
Cornejo was scheduled to fight another foe and had been preparing in Las Vegas with famed trainer Ismael Salas. She was fully prepared to face anyone, but Shields is not anyone. Her defense was on point but the speed ratio of Shields punches is almost impossible to practice.
Still, Cornejo did enough by connecting with a strong right cross that kept Shields from overwhelming her.
“Just stay smart and not get hit with her big right hand,” said Shields about her battle plan against Cornejo who replaced Hanna Gabriels who failed a PED test.
Though Cornejo had two inches height advantage, Shields had faced others that were taller before such as Christina Hammer and Savannah Marshall. Shields adjusted well.
“Height don’t matter, power don’t matter,” Shields said. “It’s all about skills and wills and I always have more.”
Over the years Shields has carefully added more ammunition to her offensive arsenal and fighting a taller opponent with power has become second nature. Shields kept a perfect distance at all times and made it difficult for Cornejo to time her attacks with a big right cross.
Cornejo jabbed her way trying to close the distance, but Shields agility and reflexes kept the taller fighter from her goal. Shields snapped Cornejo’s head back numerous times during the fight, but the Mexican-American fighter from the state of Washington has always shown to have one of the best chins in women’s boxing. No one has ever knocked her down.
Shields came close, especially in the seventh round. Cornejo opened the frame with a strong right lead that seemed to awaken the gates. Shields unleashed the blinding combinations that have bewildered every foe she’s ever faced since childhood. The speed and fury of the blows forced Cornejo to hold and maneuver out of range. She survived the onslaught but if it had been a three-minute round the fight might have been over. Instead, after the two-minute round expired, Cornejo had survived.
Shields had expended a lot of energy attempting the knockout. It takes a lot of to fire off dozens of blows with blinding speed and accuracy. Most of the eighth round was fought by both at a much slower tempo, until the last 20 seconds when Shields and Cornejo opened up the guns.
After saving energy in the prior round, Shields stunned Cornejo with a strong one-two that snapped the head of the challenger. Shields kept on the attack but in measured tones. Though she won every round it was evident that Cornejo was looking for one big counter shot that could turn the momentum.
It did not happen. Shields kept control of the fight until the very end. After 10 rounds both hugged each other in respect and the judges gave their verdict 100-89, 100-90 twice for Shields who keeps the middleweight world championship.
“I felt great. I won every round like I knew I could,” said Shields. “I tried for the KO, but Maricela was tough, had a strong right hand.”
For Shields it was her sixth defense of the middleweight championship.
“I thought I looked really, really good,” said a very content Shields. “Thank you for coming out.”
Other Bouts
Local fighter Ardreal Holmes (14-0) defeated Haiti’s Wendy Toussaint (14-2) by technical split decision after the fight was stopped early due to a bad cut following a clash of heads in the super welterweight match.
Toussaint was the aggressor through most of the fight but when a savage cut opened up above his forehead the referee stopped the fight though the ringside physician had given approval to continue.
The fight was stopped at 1:54 of the eighth round and Holmes won 76-75, 77-74, 74-77. The Detroit crowd booed the decision loudly.
A middleweight contest saw Michigan’s Joseph Hicks (7-0, 5 KOs) use his height and reach to dominate Atlanta’s Antonio Todd (14-8) from the outside. All three judges scored it 80-72 for Hicks.
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Adelaida Ruiz and Fernando Vargas Jr Score KO Wins at Pechanga

Adelaida Ruiz and Fernando Vargas Jr Score KO Wins at Pechanga
TEMECULA, Ca.-After a long period of fighting out of the country, Adelaida Ruiz returned to Southern California and with her came hundreds of her ardent followers as she won by knockout over Mexico’s Maria Cecilia Roman on Friday.
Ruiz (14-0-1, 8 KOs) looked sharp and stepped in with a disciplined attack against Roman (17-8) who fought behind a peek-a-boo style throughout the fight. Ruiz fired away at openings with a measured attack in front of several thousand fans at Pechanga Arena on the MarvNation Promotions card.
Midway through the eight-round match Ruiz increased the tempo of the attack with blistering combinations to the body and head. During one of the combinations Ruiz connected with a left hook to Roman’s temple and down she went.
Roman beat the count, but Ruiz never slowed her attack and each round her blows seemed to increase with power, the impact of the punches resonating in the arena. The interim WBC super flyweight titlist, whose title was not at stake, seemed determined to win by knockout.
In the eighth and final round Ruiz staggered Roman with another left hook to the temple and that only sparked more punches from the Southern California fighter. She unloaded her bullet chambers and the referee decided to stop the action at 1:19 of the eighth round.
Other Bouts
Fernando Vargas Jr. (9-0) won the super middleweight contest by knockout when Heber Rondon (20-5) was unable to continue due to a shoulder injury at the end of the second round. Fans were displeased but it was not up to the fans.
Vargas showed patience against the veteran southpaw Rondon who showed some tricks in his bag. But after some exchanges in the second round it was a surprise to everyone in the arena when the referee signaled the fight was over at the end of the second round.
Undefeated Jonathan Lopez (11-0, 7 KOs) of Florida remained unblemished with a unanimous decision win over Mexico’s Eduardo Baez (21-5-2, 7 KOs) in a 10-round featherweight fight.
San Bernardino’s Lawrence King (13-1,11 KOs) faced veteran Mexican fighter Marco Reyes (37-10) and was able to use his speed and southpaw stance to win almost every round. But he had to work for it.
Reyes was able to avoid most of King’s attacks but in the sixth round after absorbing some heavy blows the Mexican fighter was unable to continue and the fight was stopped at the end of the sixth round for a knockout win by King.
In a super welterweight fight, Mario Ramos (11-0, 9 KOs) wore down Jesus Cruz (6-3) for three rounds with his left-handed assault and then lowered the boom with a non-stop barrage of lefts and rights. After nearly two-dozen nearly unanswered blows the referee stopped the battering at 2:09 of the fourth round.
Orlando Salgado (3-2) slugged it out with Squire Redfern (0-1) to win a super welterweight fight by decision after four back and forth rounds. Salgado connected with the bigger blows but never could stop Redfern from rallying round after round. All three judges scored in favor of Salgado.
A heavyweight battle saw Mike Diorio (1-5-1) win his first pro fight in out-punching debuting heavyweight Ian Morgan (0-1) after four rounds. Both fighters tired a bit but Diorio had a better idea of how to score and won by decision.
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