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Corrales-Castillo I: The Hors d’oeuvres Before the Feast Were Tasty, Too
The anniversary date is approaching of the best boxing match I ever saw live and in person, the epic first meeting of lightweight champions Diego Corrales and Jose Luis Castillo, which Corrales won the night of May 7, 2005, by miraculously rallying to win on a 10th-round stoppage after being decked twice himself in that very same round. There have been more consequential fights I have covered from ringside – Hagler-Leonard, Tyson-Spinks, Tyson-Douglas and Chavez-Taylor I immediately spring to mind – but for unrelenting excitement and nearly incomprehensible momentum swings, Corrales-Castillo I tops even Arturo Gatti’s two slugfests with Ivan Robinson and his unforgettable trilogy with Micky Ward.
But lost, or nearly so, in the annual homages paid to what Corrales and Castillo did in the ring that night at Las Vegas’ Mandalay Bay is the celebration that preceded it at the same site the night before. That would be the 80th annual Boxing Writers Association of America Awards Dinner, the first for the organization not held on the East Coast. I have particularly fond memories of that historic occasion because I, the then-BWAA president, had an instrumental role in making it happen, as did several others, but I couldn’t have known that the accompanying attraction the following night – Corrales-Castillo, which was televised by Showtime – would arguably make for the best weekend for boxing in the memories of many who were on hand for both events. If Corrales-Castillo I is a top contender for best fight ever, then the BWAA Awards Dinner the night before still stands as the undisputed champion of any such commemoration of the sweet science.
It was BWAA member and Las Vegas Review-Journal boxing writer Kevin Iole who first forwarded the idea that, since so many big fights were staged in his town, it might make sense to stage the 2005 dinner there. That seemed reasonable to me, so months in advance I sought to set things in motion. There were two prerequisites: the dinner would have to be paired with an attractive fight card the following evening, and be held at the same casino property hosting that card. I contacted officials at both HBO and Showtime, but it was then-Showtime Sports executive Jay Larkin – now, sadly, deceased – who enthusiastically said he would not only furnish an appropriate main event, but was willing to go a half-million dollars over his normal budget to make just the right pairing. Given today’s bloated financial figures (see Mayweather-Pacquiao), that might not seem like much, but it was a major commitment on the part of Jay’s company 15 years ago. With Showtime aboard, the Mandalay Bay also came on board as the host casino-hotel for the fight and the dinner, with Gordon Absher as gung-ho as Larkin and BWAA officers to ensure that everything went as smoothly as possible. What did happen, of course, exceeded ever our wildest expectations.
Interestingly, the 95th BWAA Awards Dinner, which remains in limbo because of the pandemic, was being discussed for Vegas in early May, to be held in conjunction with a Canelo Alvarez bout as is his custom for Cinco de Mayo weekend. Although our event still takes place most often in New York, we returned to The Strip a couple of times since 2005 and even went farther west, to Los Angeles, on another occasion. But wherever and whenever current BWAA president Joe Santoliquito and event coordinator Gina Andriolo choose to go, topping that 2005 dinner will be as daunting a task as attaching our event with a fight that can match or exceed Corrales-Castillo I.
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Here is the column I wrote about the 80th annual BWAA Awards Dinner that appeared in the Philadelphia Daily News on May 10, 2005:
The wife was straightening the tie to my rental tuxedo when I made the mistake of fishing for a compliment.
“So what do you think?” I asked. “Cary Grant, right?”
“You look nice,” my wonderful but honest Annie finally allowed. “But Cary Grant? I don’t think so.”
OK, so I’m never going to get a casting call for the remake of North by Northwest. Doesn’t matter. An hour after adjusting those tricky cuff links, I was made to feel like a suave and debonair star of the screen at the 80th annual Boxing Writers Association of America’s Awards Dinner, which was as close to Hollywood glitz as an ink-stained media wretch ever is going to get.
The host venue, Las Vegas’ Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, literally rolled out the red carpet for arriving guests. Fight fans were lined to the side holding out gloves and programs for the many current or former world champions to sign. None of the autograph seekers confused me for Cary Grant either, or for Bernard Hopkins for that matter, but, as president of the BWAA, I got pulled over for five television interviews. As I offered my thoughts on whatever to a microphone wielder with a blow-dried haircut, a camera crew to my left was interviewing Sugar Ray Leonard. One to my right was quizzing Don King.
At a resort that has a shark habitat, it occurred to me that I was chum in the water during a TV feeding frenzy. And I couldn’t help but think that there never had been a night like this since the BWAA was founded in 1925 as the Boxing Writers Association of Greater New York.
Every year, usually in April (note: dinners now are held in various months, depending on the fight with which it can be linked), the BWAA convenes at a New York hotel to pass out awards to the Fighter of the Year, Manager of the Year, Trainer of the Year and so forth. It’s a nice affair, reasonably well-attended, and a blip on the radar screen of the Big Apple’s daily social calendar. Put it this way: the BWAA dinner isn’t knocking the Yankees off the back pages of that city’s tabloids.
Fourteen months ago, however, Las Vegas Review-Journal boxing writer Kevin Iole, the Western representative to the BWAA’s board of directors, posed some simple questions. How come there never had been a BWAA Awards Dinner in Las Vegas, which is now the site of most major fight cards held in this country? And shouldn’t the organization’s premier event be accessible to members from California, Nevada, Arizona and New Mexico, most of whom had never or would never make it to New York for our annual shindig?
Hey, even the Army-Navy football game was played in the Rose Bowl once. So I told Kevin I would consider a BWAA road trip if (1) a host casino-hotel stepped forward, and (2) a suitable fight card could be arranged the following night as an anchor to our event.
Kevin soon advised me that the Mandalay Bay was willing to come aboard for May 7. Shortly after that, Showtime Sports head Jay Larkin committed to providing the best card he possibly could for the following night.
Saturday night, after Diego Corrales stopped Jose Luis Castillo in 10 rounds in a lightweight unification slugfest that became an instant classic, people still were coming up to me and saying this had been one of boxing’s best weekends ever.
Hey, after 79 BWAA dinners – 76 in New York, two at Catskills resorts, one in Atlantic City – it probably was time for someone to float a test balloon in the southern Nevada desert. All I did was let go of the string that had kept us tethered to New York, New York.
The person most responsible for making the BWAA Awards Dinner a happening is Gordon Absher, public relations director for the Mandalay Bay. Gordon recruited so many big names, the group photographed in the ring that had been set up in place of a dais was the most impressive assemblage of boxing talent in one place anyone could remember.
Anyone lucky enough to be holding a ticket – and the event sold out, which probably is a first – could look around the room and see, among others, Leonard, Hopkins, Oscar De La Hoya, Vitali Klitschko, James Toney, Chris Byrd, Lamon Brewster, Winky Wright, Floyd Mayweather, Hasim Rahman, Shane Mosley, Erik Morales and Zab Judah.
There were Imax screens set up to either side of the ring for video highlights of the nominated fights and fighters, and a snappy, tightly scripted format that the people responsible for staging the Academy Awards would be wise to emulate.
Additional kudos go to Iole, our point guy at the scene; BWAA event coordinator Gina Andriolo and BWAA vice president Jack Hirsch, who helped stuff the goody bags attendees took home along with their memories.
Perhaps the most amazing development of all is that representatives of several prospective host venues, on both sides of the country, approached me with preliminary offers to host the 2006 BWAA Awards Dinner.
Hey, so what if Clint Eastwood, Hilary Swank and Morgan Freeman, the Oscar-winning stars of Million Dollar Baby, declined my invitation to meet and mingle with the fight folk?
The way this Cary Grant wannabe looks at it, that was their loss, not ours.
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Skylar Lacy Blocked for Lamar Jackson before Making his Mark in Boxing
Skylar Lacy, a six-foot-seven heavyweight, returns to the ring on Sunday, Feb. 2, opposing Brandon Moore on a card in Flint, Michigan, airing worldwide on DAZN.
As this is being written, the bookmakers hadn’t yet posted a line on the bout, but one couldn’t be accused of false coloring by calling the 10-round contest a 50/50 fight. And if his frustrating history is any guide, Lacy will have another draw appended to his record or come out on the wrong side of a split decision.
This should not be construed as a tip to wager on Moore. “Close fights just don’t seem to go my way,” says the boxer who played alongside future multi-year NFL MVP Lamar Jackson at the University of Louisville.
A 2021 National Golden Gloves champion, Skylar Lacy came up short in his final amateur bout, losing a split decision to future U.S. Olympian Joshua Edwards. His last Team Combat League assignment resulted in another loss by split decision and he was held to a draw in both instances when stepping up in class as a pro. “In my mind, I’m still undefeated,” says Lacy (8-0-2, 6 KOs). “No one has ever kicked my ass.”
Lacy was the B-side in both of those draws, the first coming in a 6-rounder against Top Rank fighter Antonio Mireles on a Top Rank show in Lake Tahoe, Nevada, and the second in an 8-rounder against George Arias, a Lou DiBella fighter on a DiBella-promoted card in Philadelphia.
Lacy had the Mireles fight in hand when he faded in the homestretch. The altitude was a factor. Lake Tahoe, Nevada (officially Stateline) sits 6,225 feet above sea level. The fight with Arias took an opposite tack. Lacy came on strong after a slow start to stave off defeat.
Skylar will be the B-side once again in Michigan. The card’s promoter, former world title challenger Dmitriy Salita, inked Brandon Moore (16-1, 10 KOs) in January. “A capable American heavyweight with charisma, athleticism and skills is rare in today’s day and age. Brandon has got all these ingredients…”, said Salita in the press release announcing the signing. (Salita has an option on Skylar Lacy’s next pro fight in the event that Skylar should win, but the promoter has a larger investment in Moore who was previously signed to Top Rank, a multi-fight deal that evaporated after only one fight.)
Both Lacy and Moore excelled in other sports. The six-foot-six Moore was an outstanding basketball player in high school in Fort Lauderdale and at the NAIA level in college. Lacy was an all-state football lineman in Indiana before going on to the University of Louisville where he started as an offensive guard as a redshirt sophomore, blocking for freshman phenom Lamar Jackson. “Lamar was hard-working and humble,” says Lacy about the player who is now one of the world’s highest-paid professional athletes.
When Lacy committed to Louisville, the head coach was Charlie Strong who went on to become the head coach at the University of Texas. Lacy was never comfortable with Strong’s successor Bobby Petrino and transferred to San Jose State. Having earned his degree in only three years (a BA in communications) he was eligible immediately but never played a down because of injuries.
Returning to Indianapolis where he was raised by his truck dispatcher father, a single parent, Lacy gravitated to Pat McPherson’s IBG (Indy Boxing and Grappling) Gym on the city’s east side where he was the rare college graduate pounding the bags alongside at-risk kids from the city’s poorer neighborhoods.
Lacy built a 12-6 record across his two seasons in Team Combat League while representing the Las Vegas Hustle (2023) and the Boston Butchers (2024).
For the uninitiated, a Team Combat League (TCL) event typically consists of 24 fights, each consisting of one three-minute round. The concept finds no favor with traditionalists, but Lacy is a fan. It’s an incentive for professional boxers to keep in shape between bouts without disturbing their professional record and, notes Lacy, it’s useful in exposing a competitor to different styles.
“It paid the bills and kept me from just sitting around the house,” says Lacy whose 12-6 record was forged against 13 different opponents.
As a sparring partner, Lacy has shared the ring with some of the top heavyweights of his generation, e.g., Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte. He was one of Fury’s regular sparring partners during the Gypsy King’s trilogy with Deontay Wilder. He worked with Joshua at Derrick James’ gym in Dallas and at Ben Davison’s gym in England, helping Joshua prepare for his date in Saudi Arabia with Francis Ngannou and had previously sparred with Ngannou at the UFC Performance Center in Las Vegas. Skylar names traveling to new places as one of his hobbies and he got to scratch that itch when he joined Whyte’s camp in Portugal.
As to the hardest puncher he ever faced, he has no hesitation: “Ngannou,” he says. “I negotiated a nice price to spend a week in his camp and the first time he hit me I knew I should have asked for more.”
Lacy is confident that having shared the ring with some of the sport’s elite heavyweights will get him over the hump in what will be his first 10-rounder (Brandon Moore has never had to fight beyond eight rounds, having won his three 10-rounders inside the distance). Lacy vs. Moore is the co-feature to Claressa Shields’ homecoming fight with Danielle Perkins. Shields, basking in the favorable reviews accorded the big-screen biopic based on her first Olympic journey (“The Fire Inside”) will attempt to capture a title in yet another weight class at the expense of the 42-year-old Perkins, a former professional basketball player.
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Mizuki Hiruta Dominates in her U.S. Debut and Omar Trinidad Wins Too at Commerce
Japan’s Mizuki Hiruta smashed through Mexico’s Maribel Ramirez with ease in winning by technical decision and local hero Omar Trinidad continued his assault on the featherweight division on Friday.
Hiruta (7-0, 2 KOs), who prefers to be called “Mimi,” made her American debut with an impressive performance against Mexican veteran Maribel Ramirez (15-11-4) and retained the WBO super flyweight world title by unanimous decision at Commerce Casino in Commerce, Calif.
The pink-haired Japanese southpaw champion quickly proved to be quicker, stronger and even better than advertised. In the opening round Ramirez landed on the floor twice after throwing errant blows. On one instance, it could have been ruled a knockdown but it was not a convincing blow.
In the second round, Ramirez again attacked and again was met with a Hiruta check right hook and down went the Mexican. This time referee Ray Corona gave the eight-count and the fight resumed.
It was Hiruta’s third title defense but this time it was on American soil. She seemed nervous by the prospect of getting a favorable review from the more than 700 fans inside the casino tent.
For more than a year Hiruta has been training off and on with Manny Robles in the L.A. area. Now that she has a visa, she has spent considerable time this year learning the tricks of the trade. They proved explosively effective.
Though Mexico City’s Ramirez has considerable experience against world champions, she discovered that Hiruta was not easy to hit. Often, the Japanese champion would slip and counter with precision.
It was an impressive American debut, though the fight was stopped in the eighth round after a collision of heads. The scores were tallied and all three saw Hiruta the winner by scores of 80-71 twice and 79-72.
“I’m so happy. I could have done much more,” said Hiruta through interpreter Yuriko Miyata. “I wanted to do more things that Manny Robles taught me.”
Trinidad Wins Too
Omar Trinidad (18-0-1, 13 KOs) discovered that challenger Mike Plania (31-5, 18 KOs) has a very good chin and staying power. But over 10 rounds Trinidad proved to be too fast and too busy for the Filipino challenger.
Immediately it was evident that the East L.A. featherweight was too quick and too busy for Plania who preferred a counter-puncher attack that never worked.
“He was strong,” said Trinidad. “He took everything.”
After 10 redundant rounds all three judges scored for Trinidad 100-90 twice and 99-91. He retains the WBC Continental Americas title.
Other Bouts
Ali Akhmedov (23-1, 17 KOs) blasted out Malcolm Jones (17-5-1) in less than two rounds. A dozen punches by Akhmedov forced referee Thomas Taylor to stop the super middleweight fight.
Iyana “Roxy” Verduzco (3-0) bloodied Lindsey Ellis in the first round and continued the speedy assault in the next two rounds. Referee Ray Corona saw enough and stopped the fight in favor of Verduzco at 1:34 of the third round.
Gloria Munguilla (7-1) and Brook Sibrian (5-2) lit up the boxing ring with a nonstop clash for eight rounds in their light flyweight fight. Munguilla proved effective with a slip-and-counter attack. Sibrian adjusted and made the fight closer in the last four rounds but all three judges favored Munguilla.
More Winners
Joshua Anton, Tayden Beltran, Adan Palma, and Alexander Gueche all won their bouts.
Photos credit: Al Applerose
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Avila Perspective, Chap. 309: 360 Promotions Opens with Trinidad, Mizuki and More
Avila Perspective, Chap. 309: 360 Promotions Opens with Trinidad, Mizuki and More
Best wishes to the survivors of the Los Angeles wildfires that took place last week and are still ongoing in small locales.
Most of the heavy damage took place in the western part of L.A. near the ocean due to Santa Ana winds. Another very hot spot was in Altadena just north of the Rose Bowl. It was a horrific tragedy.
Hopefully the worst is over.
Pro boxing returns with 360 Boxing Promotions spotlighting East L.A.’s Omar Trinidad (17-0-1, 13 KOs) defending a regional featherweight title against Mike Plania (31-4, 18 KOs) on Friday, Jan. 17, at the Commerce Casino in Commerce, Calif.
“I’m the king of L.A. boxing and I’ll be ready to put on a show headlining again in the main event. This is my year, I’m ready to challenge and defeat any of the featherweight world champions,” said Trinidad.
UFC Fight Pass will stream the Hollywood Night fight card that includes a female world championship fight and other intriguing match-ups.
Tom Loeffler heads 360 Promotions and once again comes full force with a hot prospect in Trinidad. If you’re not familiar with Loeffler’s history of success, he introduced America to Oleksandr Usyk, Gennady “GGG” Golovkin and the brothers Wladimir and Vitaly Kltischko.
“We’ve got a wealth of international talent and local favorites to kick off our 2025 in grand style,” said Loeffler.
He knows talent.
Trinidad hails from the Boyle Heights area of East L.A. near the Los Angeles riverbed. Several fighters from the past came from that exact area including the first Golden Boy, Art Aragon.
Aragon was a huge gate attraction during the late 1940s until 1960. He was known as a lady’s man and dated several Hollywood starlets in his time. Though he never won a world title he did fight world champions Carmen Basilio, Jimmy Carter and Lauro Salas. He was more or less the king of the Olympic Auditorium and Los Angeles boxing during his career.
Other famous boxers from the Boyle Heights area were notorious gangster Mickey Cohen and former world champion Joey Olivo.
Can Trinidad reach world title status?
Facing Trinidad will be Filipino fighter Plania who’s knocked off a couple of prospects during his career including Joshua “Don’t Blink” Greer and Giovanni Gutierrez. The fighter from General Santos in the Philippines can crack and hold his own in the boxing ring.
It’s a very strong fight card and includes WBO world titlist Mizuki Hiruta of Japan who defends the super flyweight title against Mexican veteran Maribel Ramirez. It’s a tough matchup for Hiruta who makes her American debut. You can’t miss her with that pink hair and she has all the physical tools to make a splash in this country.
Two other female bouts are also planned, including light flyweight banger L.A.’s Gloria Munguilla (6-1) against Coachella’s Brook Sibrian (5-1) in a match set for six rounds. Both are talented fighters. Another female fight includes super featherweights Iyana “Right Hook Roxy” Verduzco (2-0) versus Lindsey Ellis (2-1) in another six-rounder. Ellis can crack with all her wins coming via knockout. Verduzco is a multi-national titlist as an amateur.
Others scheduled to perform are Ali Akhmedov, Joshua Anton, Adan Palma and more.
Doors open at 4:30 p.m.
Boxing and the Media
The sport of professional boxing is currently in flux. It’s always in flux but no matter what people may say or write, boxing will survive.
Whether you like Jake Paul or not, he proved boxing has worldwide appeal with monstrous success in his last show. He has media companies looking at the numbers and imagining what they can do with the sport.
Sure, UFC is negotiating a massive billion dollar deal with media companies, as is WWE, both are very similar in that they provide combat entertainment. You don’t need to know the champions because they really don’t matter. Its about the attractions.
Boxing is different. The good champions last and build a following that endures even beyond their careers a la Mike Tyson.
MMA can’t provide that longevity, but it does provide entertainment.
Currently, there is talk of establishing a boxing league again. It’s been done over and over but we shall see if it sticks this time.
Pro boxing is the true warrior’s path and that means a solo adventure. It’s a one-on-one sport and that appeals to people everywhere. It’s the oldest sport that can be traced to prehistoric times. You don’t need classes in Brazilian Jiujitsu, judo, kick boxing or wrestling. Just show up in a boxing gym and they can put you to work.
It’s a poor person’s path that can lead to better things and most importantly discipline.
Photos credit: Lina Baker
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