Renowned Sportswriter Dave Kindred Reflects on a Life Well Lived

Published

4 years ago

July 18, 2021

Rick Assad

Renowned-Sportswriter-Dave-Kindred-Reflects-on-a-Life-Well-Lived

Dave Kindred’s roadmap has taken him all over the world covering many of the grandest events in sports.

Whether camped at the Masters, World Series, Super Bowl, Olympics, NCAA Final Four or a boxing match, the 80-year-old Illinois native filed insightful and graceful game stories and columns for newspapers such as the Louisville Courier Journal, Washington Post, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Sporting News and the National Sports Daily.

Kindred, the 2018 recipient of the PEN/ESPN Lifetime Achievement Award for Literary Sportswriting, is still working, but now his main focus is a girls’ high school basketball team in Morton, Illinois, the four-time state champion Lady Potters. Writing for the team’s website is a labor of love for Kindred who was recently featured on “60 Minutes.”

Across a nearly six-decade career, Kindred’s relationship with Muhammad Ali remains a highlight.

Kindred’s initial contact with Ali came in the mid-1960s when he was working at the Louisville Courier Journal. Ali was a subject he would re-visit more than 300 times.

“I was a kid on the copy desk in Louisville in ’66, looking for stories to write. Somebody said, ‘Clay’s in town, go find him.’ I found him that day in his neighborhood and spent the day with him. I’d never call us friends,” he said. “But he knew me, called me ‘Louisville,’ and I wrote about him the next fifty years.”

Those were exciting times for Kindred, who fondly recalls those early years with Ali.

“I knew him from the beginning when he was a fresh-faced sweetheart, eager to be liked,” he said of the three-time heavyweight king. “Unlike most celebrities who want to avoid the public, Ali invited everyone in, loved the attention, thrived on it, needed it.”

A graduate of Illinois Wesleyan University, Kindred, who also wrote for numerous magazines, believes Ali was the best-ever to lace on a pair of gloves in that division.

“As a fighter, he was the greatest athlete ever in the ring, big, strong, fast, with astonishing hand-eye coordination, all of it,” he noted. “In the end, coupled with courage and will that few people recognized early.”

Kindred saw Ali develop into the man who would win acclaim around the world. “I’ve always said the two best heavyweights ever were Cassius Clay and Muhammad Ali,” he said. “Clay was unhittable and you couldn’t escape him. Ali took your best and beat you anyway.”

Because Ali was different and not run-of-the-mill, it helped attract gifted writers like Kindred, who has been inducted into various Halls of Fame and has been the recipient of numerous Sportswriter of the Year awards (plus the Nat Fleischer Award for Excellence in Boxing Journalism).

“We’re taught, perhaps indirectly, but surely, not to debate race, politics, and religion,” he said. “Ali debated them all, often and loudly in years of civil rights marches and anti-war marches. He was a writer’s dream subject, perhaps the most famous man on Earth [second only to the Pope in some surveys].”

Ali had a way of making his point and making it with flair and style. “Even when declaiming on the most controversial of subjects – be it segregation or Vietnam or his own magnificence – he somehow did it with a wink and a smile,” Kindred said.

This year is the 50th anniversary of the Fight of the Century at New York City’s Madison Square Garden between Ali and Joe Frazier, two undefeated titans.

It remains a touchstone event for millions and is Kindred’s favorite event that he has covered.

“Ali-Frazier I and nothing else is even close. Ali-Foreman is next,” he said of those two classic confrontations.

Kindred is the author of eight books, including, “Sound And Fury: Two Powerful Lives, One Fateful Friendship,” about the relationship between Ali and the bombastic sportscaster Howard Cosell.

The 2006 book almost never happened. “I was told no one wanted a book on a black boxer and no one for sure wanted a book on Cosell. But I knew them well away from the spotlight and I wanted to tell their stories the way I understood them,” he said. “I proposed books on each and could never sell them – but when I proposed doing a dual biography, it worked.”

Kindred went on: “I saw them as unique characters, never seen before, never duplicated since,” he continued. “They were never friends, they were always partners, and Cosell knew he was the junior partner riding on Ali’s coattails, at least in boxing.”

Ali passed away in June 2016, and Kindred recalled the final time he visited him: “I last saw him at his home in Berrien Springs, Michigan, in August of 2003. He was a sad case. Years of punishment, thousands of punches to his head had damaged him badly,” he said. “When we walked from his office to a boxing gym next door, the greatest athlete I ever saw – the fastest, strongest, most graceful athlete I will ever see – Muhammad Ali steadied himself by holding onto my elbow as he shuffled 30 feet from door to door.”

While Kindred, whose most recent book, “Leave Out The Tragic Parts: A Grandfather’s Search For A Boy Lost To Addiction,” has covered seemingly every major sport, it’s boxing that stands apart because of the bravery displayed by the men in the ring.

“In sports, certainly, a prizefight is the ultimate test of an athlete’s will and courage,” he pointed out. “It’s the purest form of drama. Before our eyes, one man wins, one loses, with the difference often being so slight as to be invisible. No sport demands more of a competitor. He must play offense and defense simultaneously.”

John Feinstein, the author of 43 books including the two best-selling sports books of all-time, “A Good Walk Spoiled: Days And Nights On The PGA Tour,” and “A Season On The Brink: A Year With Bob Knight And the Indiana Hoosiers,” worked with Kindred at the Washington Post.

“He and I arrived at the Post on the same day in 1977 – he a columnist; me a summer intern,” Feinstein said. “He was a mentor almost from day one – and still is one today.”

“What I learned from reading him was that the best columns are reported: filled with facts that back up your opinions,” he said. “And, when you have facts to go with your opinions, you don’t have to shout. Dave has always been a master of that.”

Kindred passed along to Feinstein another useful bit of information early in his career.

“On a personal level, he helped me figure out how to be better at my job. Example: On the practice day before the 1980 Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament, my first year on the Maryland [basketball] beat, each coach came over to talk to the media after their practice,” he said. “I wanted to be sure everyone knew that I knew more about the players and the league than anyone. I asked very good questions that proved that.”

“Afterwards, Dave said to me: ‘You don’t have to prove you’re the smartest guy in the room in a press conference. Do it with your writing. You shared all those answers with everyone. Ask them alone, after the guy is finished.’ He was right, of course. Since then, I rarely – except on a very late deadline with zero extra time afterwards – ask questions in a press conference. He’s also one of the most generous friends anyone could ever have.”

A celebrated writer. Husband. Father. Grandfather. Mentor. Friend. What more could anyone ask for?

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Rick Assad

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Skylar Lacy Blocked for Lamar Jackson before Making his Mark in Boxing

Published

3 days ago

January 19, 2025

Arne K. Lang

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

Published

4 days ago

January 18, 2025

David A. Avila

Mizuki-Hiruta-Dominates-in-her-U.S.-Debut-and-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

Published

6 days ago

January 16, 2025

David A. Avila

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.

Mizukii Hiruta

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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