When ‘The Beast’ Ruled Boxing in Tampa

Published

4 years ago

January 28, 2021

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 10^th.

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.

—

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 11^th 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 11^th 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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Arne K. Lang

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Usyk Outpoints Fury and Itauma has the “Wow Factor” in Riyadh

Published

1 day ago

December 21, 2024

Arne K. Lang

Usyk Outpoints Fury and Itauma has the “Wow Factor” in Riyadh

Oleksandr Usyk left no doubt that he is the best heavyweight of his generation and one of the greatest boxers of all time with a unanimous decision over Tyson Fury tonight at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. But although the Ukrainian won eight rounds on all three scorecards, this was no runaway. To pirate a line from one of the DAZN talking heads, Fury had his moments in every round but Usyk had more moments.

The early rounds were fought at a faster pace than the first meeting back in May. At the mid-point, the fight was even. The next three rounds – the next five to some observers – were all Usyk who threw more punches and landed the cleaner shots.

Fury won the final round in the eyes of this reporter scoring at home, but by then he needed a knockout to pull the match out of the fire.

The last round was an outstanding climax to an entertaining chess match during which both fighters took turns being the pursuer and the pursued.

An Olympic gold medalist and a unified world champion at cruiserweight and heavyweight, the amazing Usyk improved his ledger to 23-0 (14). His next fight, more than likely, will come against the winner of the Feb. 22 match in Ridayh between Daniel Dubois and Joseph Parker which will share the bill with the rematch between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol.

Fury (34-2-1) may fight Anthony Joshua next. Regardless, no one wants a piece of Moses Itauma right now although the kid is only 19 years old.

Moses Itauma

Raised in London by a Nigerian father and a Slovakian mother, Itauma turned heads once again with another “wow” performance. None of his last seven opponents lasted beyond the second round.

His opponent tonight, 34-year-old Australian Demsey McKean, lasted less than two minutes. Itauma, a southpaw with blazing fast hands, had the Aussie on the deck twice during the 117-second skirmish. The first knockdown was the result of a cuffing punch that landed high on the head; the second knockdown was produced by an overhand left. McKean went down hard as his chief cornerman bounded on to the ring apron to halt the massacre.

Photo (c): Mark Robinson

Itauma (12-0, 10 KOs after going 20-0 as an amateur) is the real deal. It was the second straight loss for McKean (22-2) who lasted into the 10^th round against Filip Hrgovic in his last start.

Bohachuk-Davis

In a fight billed as the co-main although it preceded Itauma-McKean, Serhii Bohachuk, an LA-based Ukrainian, stopped Ishmael Davis whose corner pulled him out after six frames.

Both fighters were coming off a loss in fights that were close on the scorecards, Bohachuk falling to Vergil Ortiz Jr in a Las Vegas barnburner and Davis losing to Josh Kelly.

Davis, who took the fight on short notice, subbing for Ismail Madrimov, declined to 13-2. He landed a few good shots but was on the canvas in the second round, compliments of a short left hook, and the relentless Bohachuk (25-2, 24 KOs) eventually wore him down.

Fisher-Allen

In a messy, 10-round bar brawl masquerading as a boxing match, Johnny Fisher, the Romford Bull, won a split decision over British countryman David Allen. Two judges favored Fisher by 95-94 tallies with the dissenter favoring Allen 96-93. When the scores were announced, there was a chorus of boos and those watching at home were outraged.

Allen was a step up in class for Fisher. The Doncaster man had a decent record (23-5-2 heading in) and had been routinely matched tough (his former opponents included Dillian Whyte, Luis “King Kong” Ortiz and three former Olympians). But Allen was fairly considered no more than a journeyman and Fisher (12-0 with 11 KOs, eight in the opening round) was a huge favorite.

In round five, Allen had Fisher on the canvas twice although only one was ruled a true knockdown. From that point, he landed the harder shots and, at the final bell, he fell to canvas shedding tears of joy, convinced that he had won.

He did not win, but he exposed Johnny Fisher as a fighter too slow to compete with elite heavyweights, a British version of the ponderous Russian-Canadian campaigner Arslanbek Makhmudov.

Other Bouts of Note

In a spirited 10-round featherweight match, Scotland’s Lee McGregor, a former European bantamweight champion and stablemate of former unified 140-pound title-holder Josh Taylor, advanced to 15-1-1 (11) with a unanimous decision over Isaac Lowe (25-3-3). The judges had it 96-92 and 97-91 twice.

A cousin and regular houseguest of Tyson Fury, Lowe fought most of the fight with cuts around both eyes and was twice deducted a point for losing his gumshield.

In a fight between super featherweights that could have gone either way, Liverpool southpaw Peter McGrail improved to 11-1 (6) with a 10-round unanimous decision over late sub Rhys Edwards. The judges had it 96-95 and 96-94 twice.

McGrail, a Tokyo Olympian and 2018 Commonwealth Games gold medalist, fought from the third round on with a cut above his right eye, the result of an accidental clash of heads. It was the first loss for Edwards (16-1), a 24-year-old Welshman who has another fight booked in three weeks.

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Fury-Usyk Reignited: Can the Gypsy King Avenge his Lone Defeat?

Published

2 days ago

December 20, 2024

Arne K. Lang

Fury-Usyk-Reignated-Can-the-Gypsy-King-Avenge-His-Londe-Defeat?

Fury-Usyk Reignited: Can the Gypsy King Avenge his Lone Defeat?

In professional boxing, the heavyweight division, going back to the days of John L. Sullivan, is the straw that stirs the drink. By this measure, the fight on May 18 of this year at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, was the biggest prizefight in decades. The winner would emerge as the first undisputed heavyweight champion since 1999 when Lennox Lewis out-pointed Evander Holyfield in their second meeting.

The match did not disappoint. It had several twists and turns.

Usyk did well in the early rounds, but the Gypsy King rattled Usyk with a harsh right hand in the fifth stanza and won rounds five through seven on all three cards. In the ninth, the match turned sharply in favor of the Ukrainian. Fury was saved by the bell after taking a barrage of unanswered punches, the last of which dictated a standing 8-count from referee Mark Nelson. But Fury weathered the storm and with his amazing powers of recuperation had a shade the best of it in the final stanza.

The decision was split: 115-112 and 114-113 for Usyk who became a unified champion in a second weight class; 114-113 for Fury.

That brings us to tomorrow (Saturday, Dec. 21) where Usyk and Fury will renew acquaintances in the same ring where they had their May 18 showdown.

The first fight was a near “pick-‘em” affair with Fury closing a very short favorite at most of the major bookmaking establishments. The Gypsy King would have been a somewhat higher favorite if not for the fact that he was coming off a poor showing against MMA star Francis Ngannou and had a worrisome propensity for getting cut. (A cut above Fury’s right eye in sparring pushed back the fight from its original Feb. 11 date.)

Tomorrow’s sequel, bearing the tagline “Reignited,” finds Usyk a consensus 7/5 favorite although those odds could shorten by post time. (There was no discernible activity after today’s weigh-in where Fury, fully clothed, topped the scales at 281, an increase of 19 pounds over their first meeting.)

Given the politics of boxing, anything “undisputed” is fragile. In June, Usyk abandoned his IBF belt and the organization anointed Daniel Dubois their heavyweight champion based upon Dubois’s eighth-round stoppage of Filip Hrgovic in a bout billed for the IBF interim title. The malodorous WBA, a festering boil on the backside of boxing, now recognizes 43-year-old Kubrat Pulev as its “regular” heavyweight champion.

Another difference between tomorrow’s fight card and the first installment is that the May 18 affair had a much stronger undercard. Two strong pairings were the rematch between cruiserweights Jai Opetaia and Maris Briedis (Opetaia UD 12) and the heavyweight contest between unbeatens Agit Kabayal and Frank Sanchez (Kabayel KO 7).

Tomorrow’s semi-wind-up between Serhii Bohachuk and Ismail Madrimov lost luster when Madrimov came down with bronchitis and had to withdraw. The featherweight contest between Peter McGrail and Dennis McCann fell out when McCann’s VADA test returned an adverse finding. Bohachuk and McGrail remain on the card but against late-sub opponents in matches that are less intriguing.

The focal points of tomorrow’s undercard are the bouts involving undefeated British heavyweights Moses Itauma (10-0, 8 KOs) and Johnny Fisher (12-0, 11 KOs). Both are heavy favorites over their respective opponents but bear watching because they represent the next generation of heavyweight standouts. Fury and Usyk are getting long in the tooth. The Gypsy King is 36; Usyk turns 38 next month.

Bob Arum once said that nobody purchases a pay-per-view for the undercard and, years from now, no one will remember which sanctioning bodies had their fingers in the pie. So, Fury-Usyk II remains a very big deal, although a wee bit less compelling than their first go-around.

Will Tyson Fury avenge his lone defeat? Turki Alalshikh, the Chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority and the unofficial czar of “major league” boxing, certainly hopes so. His Excellency has made known that he stands poised to manufacture a rubber match if Tyson prevails.

We could have already figured this out, but Alalshikh violated one of the protocols of boxing when he came flat out and said so. He effectively made Tyson Fury the “A-side,” no small potatoes considering that the most relevant variable on the checklist when handicapping a fight is, “Who does the promoter need?”

The Uzyk-Fury II fight card will air on DAZN with a suggested list price of $39.99 for U.S. fight fans. The main event is expected to start about 5:45 pm ET / 2:45 pm PT.

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Unheralded Bruno Surace went to Tijuana and Forged the TSS 2024 Upset of the Year

Published

3 days ago

December 19, 2024

Arne K. Lang

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Unheralded Bruno Surace went to Tijuana and Forged the TSS 2024 Upset of the Year

The Dec. 14 fight at Tijuana between Jaime Munguia and Bruno Surace was conceived as a stay-busy fight for Munguia. The scuttlebutt was that Munguia’s promoters, Zanfer and Top Rank, wanted him to have another fight under his belt before thrusting him against Christian Mbilli in a WBC eliminator with the prize for the winner (in theory) a date with Canelo Alvarez.

Munguia came to the fore in May of 2018 at Verona, New York, when he demolished former U.S. Olympian Sadam Ali, conqueror of Miguel Cotto. That earned him the WBO super welterweight title which he successfully defended five times.

Munguia kept winning as he moved up in weight to middleweight and then super middleweight and brought a 43-0 (34) record into his Cinco de Mayo 2024 match with Canelo.

Jaime went the distance with Alvarez and had a few good moments while losing a unanimous decision. He rebounded with a 10th-round stoppage of Canada’s previously undefeated Erik Bazinyan.

There was little reason to think that Munguia would overlook Surace as the Mexican would be fighting in his hometown for the first time since February of 2022 and would want to send the home folks home happy. Moreover, even if Munguia had an off-night, there was no reason to think that the obscure Surace could capitalize. A Frenchman who had never fought outside France, Surace brought a 25-0-2 record and a 22-fight winning streak, but he had only four knockouts to his credit and only eight of his wins had come against opponents with winning records.

It appeared that Munguia would close the show early when he sent the Frenchman to the canvas in the second round with a big left hook. From that point on, Surace fought mostly off his back foot, throwing punches in spurts, whereas the busier Munguia concentrated on chopping him down with body punches. But Surace absorbed those punches well and at the midway point of the fight, behind on the cards but nonplussed, it now looked as if the bout would go the full 10 rounds with Munguia winning a lopsided decision.

Then lightning struck. Out of the blue, Surace connected with an overhand right to the jaw. Munguia went down flat on his back. He rose a fraction-of-a second before the count reached “10,”, but stumbled as he pulled himself upright. His eyes were glazed and referee Juan Jose Ramirez, a local man, waived it off. There was no protest coming from Munguia or his cornermen. The official time was 2:36 of round six.

At major bookmaking establishments, Jaime Munguia was as high as a 35/1 favorite. No world title was at stake, yet this was an upset for the ages.

Photo credit: Mikey Williams / Top Rank

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