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CANCER HAD KNOCKOUT PUNCH EVEN THE ELUSIVE HOWARD DAVIS JR. COULDN’T SLIP

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Maybe it really is true that only the good die young.

Howard Davis Jr., the best boxer on what many believe to be the best U.S. Olympic boxing team ever, was a master at evading big punches from opponents intent on knocking him out. But Davis, the lightweight gold medalist who received the Val Barker Award as the Most Outstanding Boxer at the 1976 Montreal Olympics, had no defense against the ravenous cancer cells that ate away at his lungs and other internal organs to the point that he was literally a shell of his former self. Diagnosed with Stage IV lung cancer in February, Davis was just 59 when he succumbed to the dread disease on Dec. 30.

In a cruel twist of fate, the clean-living Davis never smoked or drank alcohol. According to Cancer.Net, the average age of patients who contract lung cancer is 71, with the vast majority of those heavy smokers whose tobacco habit tends to court disaster. But the Big C is a random destroyer of health and of lives, as Davis’ untimely passing again demonstrates.

“I spoke to him just last week,” Davis’ Olympic teammate and fellow gold medalist, Sugar Ray Leonard, said from his office in Pacific Palisades, Calif. “Here’s a guy who did everything the right way. For this to happen … it’s so disturbing.

“Every time we talked, it was special. We were close, like brothers. I called him `John-John.’ We’d talk about anything, sometimes everything except boxing.

“The last conversation that we had, he said, `Ray, I’m going to beat this thing.’ He really believed that. Or maybe not. Maybe he was saying that for my benefit. I told him, `Man, you’re a fighter. If anybody can do it, you can.’ But I knew. The thing that stands out in my mind was that his voice was so calm. Reassuring.”

The eldest of 10 children, Davis never attained the sort of professional success he enjoyed while fighting for trophies and medals. After going 125-5 in the amateurs (with victories over, among others, Aaron Pryor and Thomas Hearns), winning National AAU championships in 1973 and ’76, and a 1974 World Amateur title in addition to Olympic gold, Davis was a highly competent but not-quite-top-tier pro, going 36-6-1 with 14 wins inside the distance. Three of his losses came with world titles on the line as he came up short on decisions against WBC lightweight champions Jim Watt and Edwin Rosario, and by first-round knockout to IBF junior welterweight titlist Buddy McGirt.

But regardless of whatever ups and downs he experienced throughout his career, Davis was always regarded as a champion in life, a class act who was admired by everyone who had the privilege of knowing him well. Among those who held the native of Glen Cove, N.Y., in high esteem is Randy Gordon, the former head of the New York State Athletic Commission and former editor of The Ring magazine.

“He was a loyal friend and devoted husband, father and brother,” Gordon told Kevin Iole of YahooSports.com. “To know Howard Davis was to love him. Heaven is gaining one very special angel.”

There are those who would say that Davis, at least as a pro, was something of an underachiever, and others who are of the opinion that the vast potential he flashed in Montreal during that charmed summer of 1976 was an illusion. But for a moment in time he was a national hero and an international sensation, a golden god of the Olympic ring.

It is a matter of endless debate whether the 1976 U.S. Olympic boxing team, which amassed five gold medals, a silver and a bronze, was better than the 1984 American squad that competed in Los Angeles and came away with nine golds, a silver and a bronze. The fields for each of those Olympiads was thinned by a boycott. In ’76 28 black African nations stayed away in protest of the participation of New Zealand, which had flouted international sanctions by welcoming a touring rugby team from South Africa, whose white ruling class had an official policy of apartheid. The ’84 Games were skipped by 13 Soviet Bloc countries and Cuba in response to the United States having boycotted the 1980 Moscow Olympics following the Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan.

“I may be biased, but I consider my team better than any other team,” said Leonard, who, along with fellow International Boxing Hall of Fame inductee Michael Spinks, went on to enjoy the most professional success among the 1976 U.S. Olympians. “We went to Montreal favored to win only one gold medal, and that was by Howard Davis.

“But we surprised a lot of people, didn’t we? We showed the world that we had a sensational, incredible team. All of our matches were against Cuba, against Russia. To win, we had to beat the best of the best.”

Leonard’s opinion is shared by Ed Schuyler Jr., the retired boxing writer for The Associated Press who covered both the 1976 and ’84 Olympics.

“That was by far the best team the United States has ever produced. Hands down,” Schuyler said of the 1976 squad whose other gold medalists were Leon Spinks and Leo Randolph, with Charles Mooney taking a silver and John Tate a bronze. “It’s not even fair to compare that bunch with any other.

“Leo Randolph beat a Cuban. Leon Spinks beat a Cuban. Sugar Ray beat a Cuban. I mean, come on. Yeah, there was a boycott by some of the African countries, but they weren’t medal threats in boxing for the most part. The Russians and the East Germans and especially the Cubans were.”

Despite the enormous pressure of being the sole pre-event U.S. favorite to take gold, Davis dazzled in beating Japan’s Yukio Segawa, Colombia’s Leonidas Asprilla, Bulgaria’s Tzvetan Tzvetkov, Yugoslavia’s Ace Rusevski and Romania’s Simion Cutov, with TKO wins over Asprilla and Tzvetkov. Writing for Sports Illustrated, Pat Putnam was effusive in his praise for Davis.

“Howard Davis is even more skilled as a fighter than Leonard,” Putnam wrote. “A remarkably clever boxer, he thinks people who can take a punch to deliver one are foolish.”

Davis agreed, saying, “I’m no brawler. The Europeans take a lot of punches. They get cut up and looking ugly is just part of the day’s work. But I don’t want to be ugly. I’m not crazy.”

There is little doubt that any assessment of Howard Davis Jr. as a boxer would be at least somewhat elevated had he won just one of the three title bouts he engaged in as a pro. As the challenger, he was obliged to meet Watt (in Glasgow, Scotland) and Rosario (in San Juan, Puerto Rico) on their home turf, but he performed admirably in each instance. The first-round knockout by McGirt at the time seemed an anomaly, but it could have been a signal that Davis – the extraordinarily fast-handed and fast-footed version that had been on display in Montreal eight years earlier – was already well on the downhill side. And when Davis was knocked out in two rounds by middleweight Dana Rosenblatt on April 13, 1996 – when he was 38 and nearly 30 pounds over his Olympic weight – it was, finally, time for him to step away as an active fighter.

But there would be a prominent second act for Davis, who relocated to South Florida, as a trainer in mixed martial arts. He founded his own MMA promotional company, Fight Time Promotions, and served as a coach for American Top Team. One of his pupils was UFC Hall of Famer and former light heavyweight champ Chuck Liddell.

Funeral arrangements are pending.

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The IBHOF Unveils its Newest Inductees: Manny Pacquiao is the Icing on the Cake

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The IBHOF Unveils its Newest Inductees: Manny Pacquiao is the Icing on the Cake

PRESS RELEASE —   CANASTOTA, NY – DECEMBER 5, 2024 – The International Boxing Hall of Fame and Museum is thrilled to announce the newest class of inductees to be honored during the Hall of Fame Induction Weekend June 5-8, 2025 in “Boxing’s Hometown” Canastota, NY.

The Class of 2025 includes Manny “Pac Man” Pacquiao, “The Pazmanian Devil” Vinny Paz and Michael “Second To” Nunn in the Men’s Modern category; Yessica “Kika” Chavez, Anne Sophie Mathis and Mary Jo Sanders in the Women’s Modern category; Cathy “Cat” Davis in the Women’s Trailblazer category; referee Kenny Bayless, cut man Al Gavin (posthumous) and referee Harry Gibbs (posthumous) in the Non-Participant category; broadcaster / journalist Randy Gordon and television producer Ross Greenburg in the Observer category; Rodrigo Valdez (posthumous) in the Old Timer category and Owen Swift (posthumous) in the Pioneer category.

Inductees were voted in by members of the Boxing Writers Association of America and a panel of international boxing historians. 

“We’re extremely excited about the Class of 2025 and are very much looking forward to honoring the newest class of inductees to earn boxing’s highest honor,” said Executive Director Edward Brophy.

The 2025 Hall of Fame Induction Weekend is scheduled for June 5-8th in “Boxing’s Hometown.” Many events will take place in Canastota and nearby Turning Stone Resort Casino throughout the four-day celebration including ringside talks, fist casting, fight night, 5K race / fun run, boxing autograph card show, banquet, parade and induction ceremony. 

For more information on the 2025 Hall of Fame Induction Weekend, please call (315) 697-7095.

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Navarrete-Valdez and Espinoza-Ramirez Rematches Headline Phoenix Fight Fiesta 

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The annals of boxing abound with iconic rematches, and there’s a good chance that list will get longer after this Saturday in Phoenix’s Footprint Center with Top Rank’s ESPN card featuring Emanuel Navarrete (38-2-1, 31 KOs) versus Oscar Valdez (32-2, 24 KOs) and Rafael Espinoza (25-0, 21 KOs, against Robeisy Ramirez (14-2, 9 KOs).

Valdez’s ties to the local area and multiple Arizona appearances give his bout against Navarrete top billing, but WBO featherweight titlist Espinoza’s initial encounter with Ramirez was the better bout the first time around, deemed Fight and Upset of the Year by many observers.

That’s not to say Navarrete-Valdez 1 didn’t hold plenty of drama as Navarrete captured the WBO junior lightweight belt with a relatively widespread unanimous decision. Valdez got himself into an immediate bind in the first fight by walking into Navarrete’s jab, enabling Navarrete to score early with looping right leads from his six-inch reach advantage. Valdez’s corner implored him to stay patient but it seemed there was no avoiding a firefight that played into Navarette’s always busy hands.

By round 3 Valdez’s face was heavily marked and often on the defensive, waiting to establish an offense that never fully arrived. Though he scored with some big shots down the stretch, his swollen right eye closed by the 9th frame and the eventual outcome seemed obvious.

“I know there’s a lot of pride at stake in a Mexico versus Mexico battle,” said Navarrete. “I believe this will be an even better fight than before because we’re familiar with each other. I know I have to push Valdez to his limits.”

“I made mistakes the first time, the biggest one was trying to knock him out,” reflected Valdez. “I still have a few fights left in me, not everyone gets a second chance. I know what I needed to train for (this time) and I’ll make the most of it.”

Offense was never a problem for either Espinoza or Ramirez, who traded knockdowns in a give-and-take affair that might have gone either way. It was the gloved-up version of mongoose versus cobra as two time Olympic gold medalist Ramirez charged in behind blurring punches up the middle while the much taller Espinoza fired shoulder level combinations. In this case, it was the underdog cobra who triumphed.

Three days from first bell an unofficial consensus of online odds listed the previous winners as favorites, Espinoza by a hair and Navarrete by a solid margin. While the initial winners may still have an edge, that all disappears after the bell, and previous action indicates a pair of pick-em contests isn’t unlikely.

Boxing history is also full of tie-breaking trilogies, too. It wouldn’t be a big surprise if that’s what we’re looking at again in both these cases.

Adding to the electric atmosphere in Phoenix are a solid batch of undercard extras featuring multiple first-rate performers that should get the audience more than ready for the night’s headliners.

Top Rank junior welterweight prospect Lindolfo Delgado, 21-0 (15) from Nuevo Leon, meets skilled Dominican Jackson Marinez, 22-3 (10) in a contest that could qualify as main event worthy in many locales.

Undefeated southpaw heavyweight Richard Torrez, Jr, who earned the silver medal in that division for the USA at the 2020 Olympics faces off against Mexican big boy Issac Munoz Gutierrez, 18-1-1 (15) who reportedly packs a respectable wallop. None of Torrez’s pro opponents have made it to the final bell.

San Diego’s highly ranked welterweight title challenger Giovani Santillan, 31-1 (17) faces Fredrick Lawson of Ghana, 30-5 (22). Lawson has dropped his last two outings but that was against good opposition and he won’t be an easy test.

21 year-old DJ Zamora, a hot prospect at 13-0 (9) from Las Vegas meets experienced Roman Reynoso, 22-5-2 (10), from Argentina and emerging new stablemate Albert “Chop Chop” Gonzalez, 11-0 (7), who recently signed a long term Top Rank contract faces Gerardo Antonio Perez, 12-6-1 (3).

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R.I.P Israel Vazquez who has Passed Away at age 46

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Israel Vazquez, a three-time world champion at 122 pounds and one of the most crowd-pleasing prizefighters of any era, has passed away at the age of 46. WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman revealed the bad news today (Dec. 3) on his social media platform.

Born on Christmas Day 1977, Vazquez began his pro career in his native Mexico City at age 17. He was 16 fights into his pro career when he made his U.S. debut in El Cajon, California, under the management of Frank Espinoza.

Vazquez is most remembered for his four-fight rivalry with fellow Mexico City native Rafael Marquez.

The first two meetings were contested before small crowds in Carson, California, and Hidalgo, Texas.

Marquez won the first meeting thanks to a left hook that broke Vazquez’s nose in the opening round. The nose swelled to the point that Vazquez, who was making the fourth defense of his WBC super bantamweight title,  could no longer breathe and he was all done after seven rounds.

Vazquez won the rematch (TKO 6), setting the stage for a rubber match that would be a fight for the ages. The bout, contested on March 1, 2008 at the soccer stadium in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson, was a shoo-in for Fight of the Year, earning that accolade from the BWAA, The Ring magazine and others.

Vazquez pulled that fight out of the fire in the final round, knocking Marquez to the canvas to win a split decision. Ron Borges, writing for this publication, wrote, “they knocked pieces off each other that could never be fully reattached.”

That was true of the detached retina in Vazquez’s right eye. It would require multiple surgeries before Vazquez, nicknamed “El Magnifico,” fought again and the eye would eventually be replaced by a prosthetic.

Their fourth meeting, contested before a celebrity-studded crowd at LA’s Staples Center, was anticlimactic. Vazquez, damaged goods, was stopped in the third round and never fought again.

All four meetings were televised on Showtime which celebrated the rivalry in 2015, airing highlights from all four fights on March 7 of that year. TSS West Coast Bureau Chief David A. Avila, looking back at the series, wrote, “[It was] 28 rounds of the most scientifically brutal and awe-inspiring prizefighting at an elite level.” Avila would also call Israel Vazquez one of the sport’s greatest gentlemen, a class act, as evinced in his energetic handshake whenever meeting a new fan.

Vazquez used his ring earnings to open a boxing gym in the Greater Los Angeles City of South Gate.

Vazquez’s passing wasn’t unexpected. Mauricio Sulaiman announced last month that Vazquez had been diagnosed with Stage IV Sarcoma, a particularly virulent strain of cancer and along with Oscar Valdez and Top Rank, established a GoFundMe account to defray his medical expenses. Today, Sulaiman wrote, “Israel Vazquez is finally resting in peace. May God give strength and support to his wife Laura, their children, family and friends during these difficult times.”

We here at TSS share that sentiment and send our condolences.

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