‘Golden’ Promoter J Russell Peltz, a Philly Boxing Icon, Isn’t Done Quite Yet

Published

6 years ago

October 5, 2019

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Linda Peltz, J Russell Peltz’s wife of 42 years, said her husband has “been dropping hints for 15 years” about permanently relocating to Florida and doing whatever it is that so many septuagenarian East Coast snowbirds do when taking up residence in the land of sun and sand.

But while the legendary Philadelphia boxing promoter (pictured in his younger days), who celebrated his 50 years in the sport Friday night with a nine-bout card at the 2300 Arena in South Philly, might again be entertaining thoughts of retirement, he apparently is not prepared to fully turn himself over to a less stressful, boxing-free existence of shuffleboard and occasional excursions to the jai alai arena and greyhound track.

Oh, sure, the Peltzes will return to Florida in mid-November, as they routinely have in recent years, but the time Russell spends away from his hometown and the sport which he never quite seems to let go of, or it of him, is primarily for the purpose of recharging batteries that sometimes run down but are never completely sapped dry.

“He has another fight card on the 31^st of January at Parx (Casino and Racing, in Bensalem, Pa.),” Linda Peltz noted, a sure sign that Russell will again be returning to familiar turf like a swallow finding its way back to Capistrano.

But what about Russell’s increasingly frequent suggestions that he is finally prepared to whittle down his boxing duties, if not eliminate them altogether?

“It’s up to him,” Linda said. “I just want to see him happy. Whatever makes him happy makes me happy.”

The man himself certainly seemed content enough during an event that had been labeled as “Blood, Sweat & 50 Years,” the culmination of a week’s worth of kudos that included his ceremonial signing of the “Spectrum S,” the oversized letter that hung on the iconic South Philly sports and music venue until it was demolished in 2009. The space where the Spectrum, for which Peltz was director of boxing from 1972 to ’80, once stood is now a parking lot adjacent to Citizens Bank Park, home of baseball’s Philadelphia Phillies. Members of the Philadelphia City Council also presented a resolution honoring Peltz’s contribution to the city over the past half-century.

“I think everybody had a good time,” said Peltz, who did not address the near-capacity-crowd but was conspicuously visible in his front-row ringside seat. “It was a nice evening. I’m very honored and humbled by it.”

For the record, the main event was a six-round unanimous decision for 20-year-old junior welterweight Colombian Victor Padilla (6-0, 5 KOs), now living in Berlin, N.J., over Romain Tomas (8-3, 1 KO), a Frenchman now living in Brooklyn, N.Y. It marked the first time in Peltz’s five-decade career he had been involved in a card headlined by a six-rounder, but then the all the fighters who took their turn in the ring had to understand that their roles were in support of someone who might never have another night quite like this.

“It was a lot of stress putting this show together and keeping it together,” Peltz said. “We had nine competitive fights, and I’m glad about that. Honestly, I just want to manage and advise fighters in the future. Making matches is too hard today. If you knew what we had to go through, bailing one guy out of jail this week and having another guy pull out with some bogus illness …”

Peltz made his reputation by making competitive fights, not by feeding a procession of imported designated victims to house fighters with artificially inflated records, which makes him even more of an anachronism than he would be had he shown up for his golden anniversary in the polyester leisure suits he favored for a time in the 1970s. He said too many managers just want to pad their fighters’ records with setups on the way to undeserved big paydays, a trend which he said is even more insidious and difficult to eliminate now than it has been in the past.

The likelihood is that Peltz will eventually turn over even more of his business operation to Michelle Rosado, of Raging Babe Promotions, a protégé who said boxing in general, and specifically in and around Philadelphia, would suffer if her mentor holds fast to his intention to wash his hands of matchmaking. It was Rosado, better-versed in social media and other 21^st century marketing strategies than her old-school role model, who orchestrated most if not all of the golden anniversary festivities

“Matchmaking alone is like a full-time job,” Rosado said. “There’s an art to it. You really have to be crafty at it, and nobody is better at doing it than Russell. I tell him, `You just do the matchmaking, because you’re a genius at it, and I’ll do everything else.’”

Obviously, Peltz and Rosado will have to put their heads together to come up with a distribution of duties that can leave both parties satisfied.

“I can’t let him leave yet,” Rosado said of Peltz’s eyeing of any sort of exit. “I’m not ready for him to retire, I’m not ready for him to go to Florida. He’s still too good and still too sharp to give this up. Philly needs him. I need him. I’m not letting him go anywhere.”

Although there were many faces present that were or should have been familiar to knowledgable boxing people – among those in attendance were Bernard Hopkins, Teddy Atlas, WBC light heavyweight champion Oleksandr Gvozdyk (who takes on IBF titlist Artur Beterbiev in a unification showdown at the 2300 Arena on Oct. 18), Lou DiBella and Golden Boy president Eric Gomez – it was curious that the only fighters who had fought on Peltz shows were Hopkins (two bouts at the Blue Horizon early in B-Hop’s career), George Hill (now a ringside judge, but a onetime heavyweight who appeared on Peltz’s debut card on Sept. 30, 1969) and former IBF super welterweight champion Robert “Bam Bam” Hines. It would have been nice if some of Peltz’s most popular regulars, like “Joltin’” Jeff Chandler, Charles Brewer, “Rockin’” Rodney Moore, Stanley “Kitten” Hayward, Bobby “Boogaloo” Watts and Eugene “Cyclone” Hart had dropped by, but that might be a matter for another day.

In other bouts:

*Junior middleweights Isaiah Wise (7-2-2, 4 KOs), of North Philadelphia, and Roque Zapata (6-2-5), of Culpepper, Va., by way of his native Panama, fought to a six-round draw in a do-over of their Dec. 2, 2016, bout, which Zapata won on a four-round majority decision.

*Sydney Maccow (7-8, 3 KOs), a junior welter from Brooklyn, scored a six-round UD over North Philadelphia’s Marcel Rivers (7-2, 4 KOs), a fight in which both participants went down once.

*Lightweight Gerardo Martinez (5-1, 1 KO), of Coatesville, Pa., by way of Mexico, scored a five-round – yes, that’s right – unanimous decision over veteran journeyman Osnel Charles (13-20-1, 2 KOs), of Atlantic City, N.J.

*Welterweight Shinard Bunch (3-1, 3 KOs), of Trenton, N.J., took care of business quickly in scoring a first-round knockout of Baltimore’s Kevin Womack (9-19-3, 7 KOs).

*West Philly lightweight Shamar Fulton Banks (4-0-1, 3 KOs) also made it a short night in scoring a first-round stoppage of Leonardo Kenon (3-8, 1 KO), of Quincy, Fla.

*Sahret Delgado (8-0, 7 KOs), a Puerto Rican heavyweight now fighting out of Berlin, N.J., was obliged to go the four-round distance for the first time in winning a four-round UD over Joel Caudle (8-4-2, 5 KOs), of Raleigh, N.C. Their combined weight was 520.4 pounds.

*Lightweight Christopher Burgos (2-4-1, 1 KO) scored a four-round UD over Tyree Arnold (0-3) in an all- North Philly pairing.

*Seifullah Jihad Wise (4-7, 1 KO), a North Philly lightweight, came away with a four-round UD over Vinnie Denierio (3-7, 1 KO), of Elmira, N.Y.

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Argentina’s Fernando Martinez Wins His Rematch with Kazuto Ioka

Published

8 hours ago

May 11, 2025

Arne K. Lang

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In an excellent fight climaxed by a furious 12^th round, Argentina’s Fernando Daniel Martinez came off the deck to win his rematch with Kazuto Ioka and retain his piece of the world 115-pound title. The match was staged at Ioka’s familiar stomping grounds, the Ota-City General Gymnasium in Tokyo.

In their first meeting on July 7 of last year in Tokyo, Martinez was returned the winner on scores of 117-111, 116-112, and a bizarre 120-108. The rematch was slated for late December, but Martinez took ill a few hours before the weigh-in and the bout was postponed.

The 33-year-old Martinez, who came in sporting a 17-0 (9) record, was a 7-2 favorite to win the sequel, but there were plenty of reasons to favor Ioka, 36, aside from his home field advantage. The first Japanese male fighter to win world titles in four weight classes, Ioka was 3-0 in rematches and his long-time trainer Ismael Salas was on a nice roll. Salas was 2-0 last weekend in Times Square, having handled upset-maker Rolly Romero and Reito Tsutsumi who was making his pro debut.

But the fourth time was not a charm for Ioka (31-4-1) who seemingly pulled the fight out of the fire in round 10 when he pitched the Argentine to the canvas with a pair of left hooks, but then wasn’t able to capitalize on the momentum swing.

Martinez set a fast pace and had Ioka fighting off his back foot for much of the fight. Beginning in round seven, Martinez looked fatigued, but the Argentine was conserving his energy for the championship rounds. In the end, he won the bout on all three cards: 114-113, 116-112, 117-110.

Up next for Fernando Martinez may be a date with fellow unbeaten Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez, the lineal champion at 115. San Antonio’s Rodriguez is a huge favorite to keep his title when he defends against South Africa’s obscure Phumelela Cafu on July 19 in Frisco, Texas.

As for Ioka, had he won today’s rematch, that may have gotten him over the hump in so far as making it into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. True, winning titles in four weight classes is no great shakes when the bookends are only 10 pounds apart, but Ioka is still a worthy candidate.

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Emanuel Navarrete Survives a Bloody Battle with Charly Suarez in San Diego

Published

10 hours ago

May 11, 2025

David A. Avila

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In a torrid battle Mexico’s Emanuel “Vaquero” Navarrete and his staccato attack staved off the herky-jerky non-stop assaults of Philippine’s Charly Suarez to win by technical decision and retain the WBO super feather world title on Saturday.

What do they feed these guys?

Navarrete (40-2-1, 32 KOs) and his elongated arms managed to connect enough to compensate against the surprising Suarez (18-1, 10 KOs) who wowed the crowd at Pechanga Arena in San Diego.

An accidental clash of heads opened a cut on the side of Navarrete’s left eye and forced a stoppage midway through the fight.

From the opening round Navarrete used his windmill style of attack with punches from different angles that caught Suarez multiple times early. It did not matter. Suarez fired back with impunity and was just as hungry to punch it out with the Mexican fighter.

It was savage.

Every time Navarrete connected solidly, he seemed to pause and check out the damage. Bad idea. Suarez would immediately counter with bombs of his own and surprise the champion with his resilience and tenacity.

Wherever they found Suarez they should look for more, because the Filipino fighter from Manila was ferocious and never out of his depth.

Around the sixth round the Mexican fighter seemed a little drained and puzzled at the tireless attacks coming from Suarez. During an exchange of blows a cut opened up on Navarrete and it was ruled an accidental clash of heads by the referee. Blood streamed down the side of Navarrete’s face and it was cleared by the ringside physician.

But at the opening of the eighth round, the fight was stopped and the ringside physician ruled the cut was too bad to continue. The California State Athletic Commission looked at tape of the round when the cut opened to decipher if it was an accidental butt or a punch that caused the cut. It was unclear so the referee’s call of accidental clash of heads stood as the final ruling.

Score cards from the judges saw Navarrete the winner by scores of 78-75, 77-76 twice. He retains the WBO title.

Interim IBF Lightweight Title

The sharp-shooting Raymond “Danger” Muratalla (23-0, 17 KOs) maneuvered past Russia’s Zaur Abdullaev (20-2, 12 KOs) by unanimous decision to win the interim IBF lightweight title after 12 rounds.

Both fighters were strategic in their approach with Muratalla switching from orthodox to southpaw at various times of the fight. Neither fighter was ever able to dominant any round.

Defense proved the difference between the two lightweights. Muratalla was able to slip more blows than Abdullaev and that proved the difference. The fighter from Fontana, California was able to pierce Abdullaev’s guard more often than not, especially with counter punches.

Abdullaev was never out of the fight. The Russian fighter was able to change tactics and counter the counters midway through the fight. It proved effective especially to the body. But it was not enough to offset Muratalla’s accuracy.

There were no knockdowns and after 12 rounds the judges scored it 118-110, 119-109 twice for Muratalla who now becomes the mandatory for the IBF lightweight title should Vasyl Lomachenko return to defend it.

Muratalla was brief.

“He was a tough fighter,” said Muratalla. “My defense is something I work on a lot.”

Perla Wins

Super flyweight Perla Bazaldua (2-0) eased past Mona Ward (0-2) with a polished display of fighting at length and inside.

Combination punching and defense allowed Bazaldua to punch in-between Ward’s attacks and force the St. Louis fighter to clinch repeatedly. But Ward hung in there despite taking a lot of blows. After four rounds the Los Angeles-based Bazaldua was scored the winner 40-36 on all three cards. Bazaldua signed a long term contract with Top Rank in March.

Photo credit: Mikey Williams / Top Rank

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Late Bloomer Anthony Cacace TKOs Hometown Favorite Leigh Wood in Nottingham

Published

24 hours ago

May 10, 2025

Arne K. Lang

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Frank Warren’s Queensberry Promotions was at Motorpoint Arena in Nottingham, England, tonight with a card featuring hometown favorite Leigh Wood against Ireland’s Anthony “Apache” Cacace.

Wood, a former two-time WBA featherweight champion, known for dramatic comebacks in bouts he was losing, may have reached the end of the road at age 36. He had his moments tonight, rocking Cacace on several occasions and winning the eighth round, but he paid the price, returning to his corner after round eight with swelling around both of his eyes.

In the ninth, Cacace, an 11/5 favorite, hurt Wood twice with left hands, the second of which knocked Wood into the ropes, dictating a standing 8-count by referee John Latham. When the bout resumed, Cacace went for the kill and battered Wood around the ring, forcing Wood’s trainer Ben Davison to throw in the towel. The official time was 2:15 of round nine.

Akin to Wood, Northern Ireland’s Cacace (24-1, 9 KOs) is also 36 years old and known as a late bloomer. This was his ninth straight win going back to 2017 (he missed all of 2018 and 2020). He formerly held the IBF 130-pound world title, a diadem he won with a stoppage of then-undefeated and heavily favored Joe Cordina, but that belt wasn’t at stake tonight as Cacace abandoned it rather than fulfill his less-lucrative mandatory. Wood falls to 28-4.

Semi-Wind-Up

Nottingham light heavyweight Ezra Taylor, fighting in his hometown for the first time since pro debut, delighted his fan base with a comprehensive 10-round decision over previously undefeated Troy Jones. Taylor, who improved to 12-0 (9) won by scores of 100-90, 99-91, and 98-92.

This was Taylor’s first fight with new trainer Malik Scott, best known for his work with Deontay Wilder. The victory may have earned him a match with Commonwealth title-holder Lewis Edmondson. Jones was 12-0 heading in.

Other Bouts of Note

In his first fight as a featherweight, Liam Davies rebounded from his first defeat with a 12-round unanimous decision over Northern Ireland’s previously undefeated Kurt Walker. Davies, who improved to 17-1 (8), staved off a late rally to prevail on scores of 115-113, 116-112, and 117-111. It was the first pro loss for the 30-year-old Walker (12-1), a Tokyo Olympian.

In a mild upset, Owen Cooper, a saucy Worcestershire man, won a 10-round decision over former Josh Taylor stablemate Chris Kongo. The referee’s scorecard read 96-94.

Cooper improved to 11-1 (4). It was the third loss in 20 starts for Kongo.

A non-televised 8-rounder featured junior welterweight Sam Noakes in a stay-busy fight. A roofer by trade and the brother of British welterweight title-holder Sean Noakes, Sam improved to 17-0 (15 KOs) with a third-round stoppage of overmatched Czech import Patrik Balez (13-5-1).

Photo credit: Leigh Dawney / Queensberry

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