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When ‘The Beast’ Ruled Boxing in Tampa
When ‘The Beast’ Ruled Boxing in Tampa
A week from Sunday, the fifty-fifth Super Bowl will be played in Tampa, Florida. At various times, the city on the west coast of America’s third-most-populous state had a vibrant boxing scene. This was especially true in the mid-1980s when a fighter from Uganda, of all places, was embraced by the locals and made the turnstiles hum. A poll in the Tampa Bay Times named John Mugabi the fourth-most-notable athlete in the Bay region following Lee Roy Selmon and James Wilder, standouts with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and golfer Gary Koch.
They called John Mugabi “The Beast.” When he fought Frank “The Animal” Fletcher before an SRO crowd in 1984, the event was dubbed “Wild Kingdom.” But we’re getting ahead of ourselves.
For a city like Tampa to become a boxing hub, the first pre-requisite is a tenacious promoter who is addicted to the sport. In Tampa, that man was the late John Alessi Sr. whose wholesale bakery and delicatessen, in the Alessi family since 1906, was a local institution. (Alessi’s chief lieutenant, Brad Jacobs, would remain in boxing and is currently the COO with Bob Arum’s Top Rank organization.)
Alessi had a veiled helpmate in Dr. Ferdie Pacheco who parlayed his role as Muhammad Ali’s personal physician into a gig as NBC’s director of boxing and ringside analyst. Boxing’s Renaissance man, Pacheco grew up in Ybor City, the Tampa neighborhood founded by Cuban immigrant cigar makers of Spanish descent. Although Pacheco settled in Miami, Ybor City was never far from his heart. He never missed an opportunity to go back and hold court at the historic Columbia restaurant where he had worked as a waiter as a teenager. When an NBC fight emanated from Tampa, Pacheco’s invisible hand was at work.
An Olympic silver medalist, John “The Beast” Mugabi was 14-0 when his British manager Mickey Duff brought him to Tampa in 1983 for a match with Indiana’s Gary Guiden. Mugabi knocked him out in the third round and Guiden, who was 39-6 heading in, never fought again.
This would be the first of John Mugabi’s nine fights in Tampa where he wound up purchasing a home. His bouts with Curtis Parker, James “Hard Rock” Green, the aforementioned Frank Fletcher, and Earl Hargrove were noteworthy.
Mugabi vs. Curtis Parker (Nov. 12, 1983)
They met at Tampa’s Sun Dome on a Saturday afternoon in a match nationally televised on NBC with the Tampa Bay area blacked out. A Philadelphia man, Parker was 24-4 heading in and had never been knocked off his feet, let alone stopped. But Mugabi had Parker fighting off his back foot from the opening gong and knocked him down twice before the bout was stopped in the opening frame.
Mugabi vs. James Green (Feb. 18, 1984)
They met on a Sunday afternoon at Tampa’s Hyatt Regency Hotel where Alessi potted many of his shows. The bout was buttressed by a strong undercard. Future heavyweight title-holders Bonecrusher Smith and Trevor Berbick were on the card, as was Mugabi’s stablemate Cornelius Boza-Edwards whose bout the previous year with Bobby Chacon was named The Ring magazine Fight of the Year. NBC televised only Mugabi’s fight.
“Hard Rock” Green, who came up the ladder in Atlantic City, was a rough customer, better than his 18-3 record would indicate. In the second round, Mugabi took a thumb in the eye, compromising his vision. That was seemingly a big advantage for the muscular five-foot-five Green as “The Beast” had never fought beyond six rounds, but Mugabi persevered and took Green out in the 10th.
This fight before a raucous SRO crowd was the early favorite for Fight of the Year, but would be edged out by the rematch between Edwin Rosario and Jose Luis Ramirez.
Frank Fletcher (Aug. 5, 1984)
“Wild Kingdom,” another Sunday afternoon affair on NBC, was contested at Tampa’s Egypt Shrine Temple before another SRO crowd. Frank “The Animal” Fletcher was on the comeback trail after getting stopped in a middleweight title elimination match by Juan Domingo Roldan.
Mugabi stalked Fletcher and caught up with him in the fourth round, blasting him out with a four-punch combination. “The Animal” had one more fight before leaving the sport with an 18-6-1 record.
Earl Hargrove (March 17, 1985)
This St. Patrick’s Day card on NBC, yet another sellout, was billed as the “Shootout at the OK Corral.” Between them, Mugabi and Hargrove had 49 knockouts in 50 fights. Hargrove was 26-1, his lone defeat coming in a world title fight with Mark Medal.
Mugabi had a habit of beating up on Philadelphia fighters and Earl Hargrove, who came out blazing, would suffer the same fate as Parker and Fletcher, only quicker. Mugabi dismissed him in 109 seconds. The fight didn’t last as long as ring announcer Mark Biero’s pre-fight introductions.
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Mugabi’s braintrust had been angling for a fight with WBC 154-pound title-holder Thomas Hearns, but Hearns wanted no part of him, bypassing “The Beast” for matches with Roberto Duran and Fred Hutchings. Ergo, Mugabi set his sights on middleweight kingpin Marvin Hagler. They met in the outdoor arena at Caesars Palace on a soggy evening, March 10, 1986. Hagler was making his 11th title defense.
Mugabi was 25-0 with all of his wins coming by stoppage. Only nine of his opponents had lasted beyond the second round. Against Hagler, he was a beast but Marvelous Marvin was the more beastly beast. The fight ended in the 11th round with the Ugandan on the seat of his pants after eating two crushing right hands.
There were some doubts about Mugabi despite his eye-popping record. In defeat, Mugabi dispelled many of those doubts. The fight was competitive through 10 heats with Mugabi trailing by only one point on the scorecard of Dave Moretti. When Hagler left the ring, said LA Times sportswriter Jim Murray, “his face looked like a sack of plums.” Said Hagler’s manager Pat Petronelli, “Marvin’s whole body hurts.”
After this fight, Mugabi dropped back to 154 and fought Duane Thomas, a Kronk Gym fighter, for the vacant 154-pound belt. The fight was stopped in the third round after Mugabi turned his back on the referee, unable to see out of his left eye, which he claimed had been thumbed. Then, after taking off all of 1987, Mugabi won the 154-pound title in his second crack at it with a first-round stoppage of Rene Jacquot in Paris. (The lightly-regarded Jacquot had won the belt from Donald Curry in what was truly an astounding upset.)
The belt was at stake on Dec. 5, 1986, when Mugabi opposed Terry Norris at the Sun Dome in what would be his final appearance in Tampa. The 22-year-old Norris, trained by up-and-comer Abel Sanchez at a compound on a California ranch situated by the Mexican border, gave the Beast a taste of his own medicine, stopping him in the opening round before a stunned crowd that stood around for an hour after the fight trying to figure out what had just happened.
One hard punch from Norris and Mugabi turned into a zombie. He fought as if he were sleepwalking, which he blamed on pills that he had taken for itching a few hours before the fight. He said he did not know the name of the pills which were provided to him by a doctor in England and which he consumed without anyone knowing.
The final blow to John Mugabi’s reputation came at Prince Albert Hall in London where he was knocked out in the opening round by Gerald McClellan. Five years after this setback he popped up in Australia where he had a series of small fights before quitting the sport for keeps.
John “The Beast” Mugabi had 50 pro fights in all, winning 42, but like so many boxers he left the sport with little to show for it. An illiterate who never learned to read and write, he was easy prey for the finaglers, of which there are more than a few lurking about in professional boxing. He now lives in Brisbane where he hangs out at the gym where Jeff Horn and Dennis Hogan train while picking up side jobs as a personal trainer.
It has been written that in Brisbane, Mugabi is anonymous; when he walks the streets, no one recognizes him. That’s quite a comedown for a boxer who was once the Toast of the Town in Tampa.
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Avila Perspective, Chap. 308: SoCal Rivals Rocha and Curiel Rumble and More
Decades ago, battles between regional warriors were as common as freeway traffic in Los Angeles during rush hour.
Bobby Chacon repped San Fernando Valley, Mando Ramos came from the docks of San Pedro, Danny “Little Red” Lopez lived in Alhambra and Ruben “Maravilla Kid” Navarro hailed from East L.A. And they rumbled repeatedly with each other.
The boxing sphere in California has grown much larger despite the closure of boxing palaces such as the Olympic Auditorium, Hollywood Legion Stadium, Great Western Forum, the L.A. Coliseum and Wrigley Field.
Those were classic venues.
Today in the 21st century boxing continues to grow.
Golden Boy Promotions presents SoCal regional rivals Santa Ana’s Alexis Rocha (25-2, 16 KOs) facing Hollywood’s Raul Curiel (15-0,13 KOs) in a welterweight clash on Saturday, Dec. 14, at Toyota Arena in Ontario, Calif. DAZN will stream the main card and YouTube.com the remainder.
Ontario is located in the Inland Empire known as the I.E.
Rocha, 27, has grown into a crowd favorite with a crowd-pleasing style developed by Orange County boxing trainer Hector Lopez. I remember his pro debut at Belasco Theater in downtown L.A. He obliterated his foe in three rounds and the small venue erupted with applause.
Wherever Rocha goes to fight, his fans follow.
“Anyone I face is trying to take food away from my family,” said Rocha.
Curiel, 29, has traveled a different road. As a former Mexican Olympian he took the slower road toward adapting to the professional style. Freddie Roach has refined the Mexican fighter’s style and so far, he remains unbeaten with a 10-fight knockout streak.
“I want to fight the best in the division,” said Curiel who is originally from Guadalajara.
Super welter hitters
Another top-notch fighter on the card is super welterweight Charles Conwell from Cleveland, Ohio. Conwell (20-0, 15 KOs) faces Argentina’s undefeated Gerardo Vergara (20-0, 13 KOs) in the co-main event.
Conwell may be the best kept secret in boxing and has been dominating foes for the past several years. He has solid defense, good power and is very strong for this weight class. Very Strong.
“I got to go out there and dominate,” said Conwell. “This is a fight that can lead me to a world championship fight.”
Golden Boy Promotions got lucky in picking up this fighter who could compete with any super welterweight out there. Anyone.
Vergara, 30, is another Argentine product and if you know anything about that South American country, they groom strong fighters with power. Think Marcos Maidana. This will be his first true test.
“I really hope he (Conwell) backs what he is saying,” said Vergara.
Marlen Esparza vs Arely Mucino
Former flyweight world titlists finally meet, but at super flyweight.
Olympic bronze medalist Marlen Esparza fights Mexico’s Arely Mucino in a fight that should have taken place years ago. Both are both coming off losses in title fights.
Esparza has the “fast hands” as she said and Mucino the “aggressive style” as she mentioned at the press conference on Thursday in Ontario.
It’s a 10-round affair and could mark the end for the loser.
Friday Night Fights
Undefeated middleweight Sadridden Akhmedov (14-0, 12 KOs) headlines a 360 Promotions and faces Raphael Igbokwe (17-5, 7 KOs) in the main event on Friday, Dec. 13, at Chumash Casino in Santa Ynez, Calif. UFC Fight Pass will stream the event.
Akhmedov hails from Kazakhstan and if you remember legendary Gennady “Triple G” Golovkin also hails from that region. Tom Loeffler the head of 360 Promotions worked with GGG too among other legends.
Is Akhmedov the real deal?
Former American Olympian Carlos Balderas (14-2) is also on the card and fights veteran Cesar Villarraga (11-10-1) who has been known to upset favorites in the past.
Fights to Watch
Fri. UFC Fight Pass 7 p.m. Sadridden Akhmedov (14-0) vs Raphael Igbokwe (17-5).
Sat. DAZN 10:30 a.m. Murodjon Akhmadaliev (12-1) vs Ricardo Espinoza (30-4).
Sat. DAZN 5 p.m. Alexis Rocha (25-2) vs Raul Curiel (15-0); Charles Conwell (20-0) vs Gerardo Vergara (20-0); Marlen Esparza (14-2) vs Arely Mucino (32-4-2).
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Cardoso, Nunez, and Akitsugi Bring Home the Bacon in Plant City
The final ShoBox event of 2025 played out tonight at the company’s regular staging ground in Plant City, Florida. When the smoke cleared, the “A-side” fighters in the featured bouts were 3-0 in step-up fights vs. battle-tested veterans, two of whom were former world title challengers. However, the victors in none of the three fights, with the arguable exception of lanky bantamweight Katsuma Akitsugi, made any great gain in public esteem.
In the main event, a lightweight affair, Jonhatan Cardoso, a 25-year-old Brazilian, earned a hard-fought, 10-round unanimous decision over Los Mochis, Mexico southpaw Eduardo Ramirez. The decision would have been acceptable to most neutral observers if it had been deemed a draw, but the Brazilian won by scores of 97-93 and 96-94 twice.
Cardoso, now 18-1 (15), had the crowd in his corner., This was his fourth straight appearance in Plant City. Ramirez, disadvantaged by being the smaller man with a shorter reach, declined to 28-5-3.
Co-Feature
In a 10-round featherweight fight that had no indelible moments, Luis Reynaldo Nunez advanced to 20-0 (13) with a workmanlike 10-round unanimous decision over Mexico’s Leonardo Baez. The judges had it 99-91 and 98-92 twice.
Nunez, from the Dominican Republic, is an economical fighter who fights behind a tight guard. Reputedly 85-5 as an amateur, he is managed by Sampson Lewkowicz who handles David Benavidez among others and trained by Bob Santos. Baez (22-5) was returning to the ring after a two-year hiatus.
Also
In a contest slated for “10,” ever-improving bantamweight Katsuma Akitsugi improved to 12-0 (3 KOs) with a sixth-round stoppage of Filipino import Aston Palicte (28-7-1). Akitsugi caught Palicte against the ropes and unleashed a flurry of punches climaxed by a right hook. Palicte went down and was unable to beat the count. The official time was 1:07 of round six.
This was the third straight win by stoppage for Akitsugi, a 27-year-old southpaw who trains at Freddie Roach’s Wild Card gym in LA under Roach’s assistant Eddie Hernandez. Palicte, who had been out of the ring for 16 months, is a former two-time world title challenger at superflyweight (115).
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On Thursday, Nov. 28, as Americans hunkered down at the dinner table with family and friends for our annual Thanksgiving Day feast, junior welterweight Jaylan Phillips and his trainer Kevin Henry were up in the sky flying from Las Vegas to Rochester, New York. For their Thanksgiving repast, they were offered a tiny bag of peanuts.
Phillips would not have eaten too much had the opportunity presented itself. The next day was the weigh-in. On Saturday, the 30th, he would compete in the 6-round main event of a small club show.
Phillips wasn’t brought to Rochester to win. His opponent, Wilfredo Flores, had a checkered career but he had once held a regional title and he lived in the general area. In boxing parlance, Jaylan Phillips was the “B” side. His role, from the promoter’s standpoint, was to fatten the record of the house fighter.
Jaylan didn’t follow the script. He won a unanimous decision over his 11-3-1 opponent, advancing his record to 4-3-4, and returned to Las Vegas with a new nickname, albeit not one of his own choosing or intended as a permanent accessory. This reporter dubbed him The Palindrome Man.
A palindrome is a word that spells the same backward and forward. Phillips’ current record is palindrome-ish.
It’s an odd record. One would be hard-pressed to find other active boxers with a slew of draws inside a small window of fights. It harks to the days, circa 1900, when some journeymen boxers accumulated as many draws as wins and losses combined.
A boxer with a 4-3-4 record would seem to be an unlikely candidate for a feature story, but the affable Jaylan Phillips is not your run-of-the-mill prizefighter.
Boxers, as we know, tend to be city folk, drawn from the black belts and the barrios of America’s urban places. Phillips grew up in Ebro, Florida, population 237 per the 2020 U.S. census. Ebro is in the Florida panhandle in the northwestern part of the state in a county that was dry until 2022. It is 23 miles due north of Panama City Beach but a world apart from the seaside Florida resort town and its pricey beachfront condos.
Of those 237 people, only five identified as African-American or black, or so it would be written, but the census-taker was obviously slothful. “That’s a crazy number,” says Phillips. “There has to be at least 40 or 50. And the reason I know that is that we are all related.”
“What does one do for excitement in Ebro?” we asked him. “Hunting, fishing, trapping, that sort of thing,” he said. And what does one trap? “Mostly raccoons,” he said, while adding that some of the elders in his extended family consider it a delicacy.
Phillips fought in Rochester, New York, on Saturday and was back in the gym in Las Vegas on Tuesday. He lives alone and does not own a car. His apartment, near UNLV, is three-and-a-half miles from the Top Rank Gym where he does most of his training. He jogs there and then jogs home again, this in a city where the temperature routinely exceeds 100 degrees for much of the year.
During his high school years, Phillips, now 25, concedes that he smoked a lot of weed and it impacted his grades. His interest in boxing was fueled by the exploits of Roy Jones Jr, another fighter with roots in the Florida panhandle. In his spare time, he enjoys watching tapes of old Sugar Ray Robinson fights which can be found on youtube. “He was the best,” says Phillips of Robinson who has been dead for 35 years, echoing an opinion that hasn’t diminished with the passage of time.
In his second pro fight, Phillips was thrust against a baby-faced novice from Cleveland, Abdullah Mason. Although Mason was only 17 years old, the Top Rank matchmaker did Jaylan no favors. He was still standing when the referee waived the fight off in the second round.
About the heavily-hyped Mason, Phillips says, “He’s a beast, like they say, but I would love to fight him again. I took that fight on two weeks’ notice. I’m confident the outcome would have been different if I had had a full camp.”
This observation will undoubtedly strike some as a delusion. Pound for pound, the precocious Mason just may be the top pro fighter in the world in his age group. But Jaylan isn’t lacking confidence which spills over when he talks about what lies ahead for him. “I will be a world champion,” he says matter-of-factly. And after boxing? “I see myself back home in Ebro living a humble life, hunting and fishing, but with a million dollars in the bank.”
If unswerving dedication and self-confidence are the keys to a successful boxing career, then Jaylan Phillips, notwithstanding his 4-3-4 record, is destined for big things. But here’s the rub:
“In boxing, it isn’t what you earn, but what you negotiate,” says the esteemed British boxing pundit Steve Bunce alluding to the importance of a well-connected manager. In a perfect world, each win would be stepping-stone to a bigger fight with a commensurately larger purse. But in this chaotic sport, a “B side” fighter who scores an upset in a low-level fight may actually be penalized for his “impertinence.” Promoters may be wary of using him again (the old “risk/reward” encumbrance) and, in a sport where it’s important for an up-and-comer to stay busy, his progress may be stalled.
Phillips doesn’t know when his next assignment will materialize, but regardless he will keep plugging along while setting an example that others who aspire to greatness would be wise to emulate.
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Remembering the Macho Man, Hector Camacho, a Great Sporting Character
The Hauser Report: Some Thoughts on Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul
Avila Perspective, Chap. 304: Mike Tyson Returns; Latino Night in Riyadh
Say It Ain’t So: Oliver McCall Returns to the Ring Next Week
R.I.P Israel Vazquez who has Passed Away at age 46
Golden Boy in Riyadh Results: Zurdo Ramirez Unifies Cruiserweight Titles
Jake Paul Defeats Mike Tyson plus Other Results from Arlington, Texas
Boxing Odds and Ends: Oscar Collazo, Reimagining ‘The Ring’ Magazine and More
Avila Perspective, Chap. 304: A Year of Transformation in Boxing and More
Fighting on His Home Turf, Galal Yafai Pulverizes Sunny Edwards
The Noted Trainer Kevin Henry, Lucky to Be Alive, Reflects on Devin Haney and More
Philly’s Jesse Hart Continues His Quest plus Thoughts on Tyson-Paul and ‘Boots’ Ennis
Introducing Jaylan Phillips, Boxing’s Palindrome Man
Avila Perspective, Chap. 306: Flyweight Rumble in England, Ryan Garcia in SoCal
Emanuel Navarrete and Rafael Espinoza Shine in Phoenix
Avila Perspective, Chap. 307: Destination Puerto Rico, Israel Vazquez and More
The IBHOF Unveils its Newest Inductees: Manny Pacquiao is the Icing on the Cake
Cardoso, Nunez, and Akitsugi Bring Home the Bacon in Plant City
Brooklyn’s Richardson Hitchins Wins IBF 140-Pound Title in Puerto Rico
A Six-Pack of Undercard Action from the Top Rank Card in Phoenix
Avila Perspective, Chap. 308: SoCal Rivals Rocha and Curiel Rumble and More
Cardoso, Nunez, and Akitsugi Bring Home the Bacon in Plant City
Introducing Jaylan Phillips, Boxing’s Palindrome Man
Emanuel Navarrete and Rafael Espinoza Shine in Phoenix
Brooklyn’s Richardson Hitchins Wins IBF 140-Pound Title in Puerto Rico
A Six-Pack of Undercard Action from the Top Rank Card in Phoenix
Recaps from London where Bentley, Noakes, and Okolie Emerged Victorious
Avila Perspective, Chap. 307: Destination Puerto Rico, Israel Vazquez and More
The IBHOF Unveils its Newest Inductees: Manny Pacquiao is the Icing on the Cake
Navarrete-Valdez and Espinoza-Ramirez Rematches Headline Phoenix Fight Fiesta
R.I.P Israel Vazquez who has Passed Away at age 46
Fighting on His Home Turf, Galal Yafai Pulverizes Sunny Edwards
Avila Perspective, Chap. 306: Flyweight Rumble in England, Ryan Garcia in SoCal
The Noted Trainer Kevin Henry, Lucky to Be Alive, Reflects on Devin Haney and More
Remembering the Macho Man, Hector Camacho, a Great Sporting Character
Avila Perspective, Chap. 304: A Year of Transformation in Boxing and More
Philly’s Jesse Hart Continues His Quest plus Thoughts on Tyson-Paul and ‘Boots’ Ennis
Boxing Odds and Ends: Oscar Collazo, Reimagining ‘The Ring’ Magazine and More
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