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?

Check out more boxing news on video at the Boxing Channel

To comment on this story in the Fight Forum CLICK HERE

Post Views: 0

Share The Sweet Science experience!

Rick Assad

Up Next

When Betting on Boxing, it’s ‘Buyer Beware’ as Conor McGregor Reminded Us

Don't Miss

Charlo and Castano Battle to a Draw in a San Antonio Firefight

Najee Lopez Steps up in Class and Wins Impressively at Plant City

Published

1 day ago

January 24, 2025

Arne K. Lang

Najee-Lopez-Steps-Up-in-Class-and-Wins-Impressively-at-Plant-City

Garry Jonas’ ProBox series returned to its regular home in Plant City, Florida, tonight with a card topped by a 10-round light heavyweight match between fast-rising Najee Lopez and former world title challenger Lenin Castillo. This was considered a step-up fight for the 25-year-old Lopez, an Atlanta-born-fighter of Puerto Rican heritage. Although the 36-year-old Castillo had lost two of his last three heading in, he had gone the distance with Dimitry Bivol and Marcus Browne and been stopped only once (by Callum Smith).

Lopez landed the cleaner punches throughout. Although Castillo seemed unfazed during the first half of the fight, he returned to his corner at the end of round five exhibiting signs of a fractured jaw.

In the next round, Lopez cornered him against the ropes and knocked him through the ropes with a left-right combination. Referee Emil Lombardo could have stopped the fight right there, but he allowed the courageous Castillo to carry on for a bit longer, finally stopping the fight as Castillo’s corner and a Florida commissioner were signaling that it was over.

The official time was 2:36 of round six. Bigger fights await the talented Lopez who improved to 13-0 with his tenth win inside the distance. Castillo declined to 25-7-1.

Co-Feature

In a stinker of a heavyweight fight, Stanley Wright, a paunchy, 34-year-old North Carolina journeyman, scored a big upset with a 10-round unanimous decision over previously unbeaten Jeremiah Milton.

Wright carried 280 pounds, 100 pounds more than in his pro debut 11 years ago. Although he was undefeated (13-0, 11 KOs), he had never defeated an opponent with a winning record and his last four opponents were a miserable 19-48-2. Moreover, he took the fight on short notice.

What Wright had going for him was fast hands and, in the opening round, he put Milton on the canvas with a straight right hand. From that point, Milton fought tentatively and Wright, looking fatigued as early as the fourth round, fought only in spurts. It seemed doubtful that he could last the distance, but Milton, the subject of a 2021 profile in these pages, was wary of Wright’s power and unable to capitalize. “It’s almost as if Milton is afraid to win,” said ringside commentator Chris Algieri during the ninth stanza when the bout had devolved into a hugfest.

The judges had it 96-93 and 97-92 twice for the victorious Wright who boosted his record to 14-0 without improving his stature.

Also

In the TV opener, a 10-round contest in the junior middleweight division, Najee Lopez stablemate Darrelle Valsaint (12-0, 10 KOs) scored his career-best win with a second-round knockout of 35-year-old Dutch globetrotter Stephen Danyo (23-7-3).

A native Floridian of Haitian descent, the 22-year-old Valsaint was making his eighth start in Plant City. He rocked Danyo with a chopping right hand high on the temple and then, as Danyo slumped forward, applied the exclamation point, a short left uppercut. The official time was 2:17 of round two.

To comment on this story in the Fight Forum CLICK HERE

Post Views: 0

Share The Sweet Science experience!

Japanese Superstar Naoya Inoue is Headed to Vegas after KOing Ye Joon Kim

Published

1 day ago

January 24, 2025

Arne K. Lang

Japanese-Superstar-Naoya-Inoue-is-Headed-to-Vegas-after-KOing-Y-Joon-Kim

Japan’s magnificent Naoya Inoue, appearing in his twenty-fourth title fight, scored his 11^th straight stoppage tonight while successfully defending his unified super bantamweight title, advancing his record to 29-0 (26 KOs) at the expense of Ye Joon Kim. The match at Tokyo’s Ariake Arena came to an end at the 2:25 mark of round four when U.S. referee Mark Nelson tolled “10” over the brave but overmatched Korean.

Kim, raised in a Seoul orphanage, had a few good moments, but the “Monster” found his rhythm in the third round, leaving Kim with a purplish welt under his left eye. In the next frame, he brought the match to a conclusion, staggering the Korean with a left and then finishing matters with an overhand right that put Kim on the seat of his pants, dazed and wincing in pain.

Kim, who brought a 21-2-2 record, took the fight on 10 days’ notice, replacing Australia’s Sam Goodman who suffered an eye injury in sparring that never healed properly, forcing him to withdraw twice.

Co-promoter Bob Arum, who was in the building, announced that Inoue’s next fight would happen in Las Vegas in the Spring. Speculation centers on Mexico City’s Alan Picasso (31-0-1, 17 KOs) who is ranked #1 by the WBC. However, there’s also speculation that the 31-year-old Inoue may move up to featherweight and seek to win a title in a fifth weight class, in which case a potential opponent is Brandon Figueroa should he defeat former Inoue foe Stephen Fulton next weekend. In “olden days,” this notion would have been dismissed as the Japanese superstar and Figueroa have different promoters, but the arrival of Turki Alalshikh, the sport’s Daddy Warbucks, has changed the dynamic. Tonight, Naoya Inoue made his first start as a brand ambassador for Riyadh Season.

Simmering on the backburner is a megafight with countryman Junto Nakatani, an easy fight to make as Arum has ties to both. However, the powers-that-be would prefer more “marination.”

Inoue has appeared twice in Las Vegas, scoring a seventh-round stoppage of Jason Moloney in October of 2020 at the MGM Bubble and a third-round stoppage of Michael Dasmarinas at the Virgin Hotels in June of 2021.

Semi-wind-up

In a 12-round bout for a regional welterweight title, Jin Sasaki improved to 19-1-1 (17) with a unanimous decision over Shoki Sakai (29-15-3). The scores were 118-110, 117-111, and 116-112.

Also

In a bout in which both contestants were on the canvas, Toshiki Shimomachi (20-1-3) edged out Misaki Hirano (11-2), winning a majority decision. A 28-year-old Osaka southpaw with a fan-friendly style, the lanky Shimomachi, unbeaten in his last 22 starts, competes as a super bantamweight. A match with Inoue may be in his future.

To comment on this story in the Fight Forum CLICK HERE

Post Views: 0

Share The Sweet Science experience!

Eric Priest Wins Handily on Thursday’s Golden Boy card at the Commerce Casino

Published

2 days ago

January 24, 2025

David A. Avila

Eric-Priest-Wins-Handily-on-Thursday's-Golden-Boy-card-at-the-Commerce-Casino

Model turned fighter Eric Priest jabbed and jolted his way into the super middleweight rankings with a shutout decision win over veteran Tyler Howard on Thursday.

In his first main event Priest (15-0, 8 KOs) proved ready for contender status by defusing every attack Tennessee’s Howard (20-3, 11 KOs) could muster at Commerce Casino, the second fight in six days at the LA County venue.

All ticket monies collected on the Folden Boy Promotions card were contributed to the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation as they battle wildfires sprouting all over Los Angeles County due to high winds.

Priest, 26, had never fought anyone near Howard’s caliber but used a ramrod jab to keep the veteran off-balance and unable to muster a forceful counter-attack. Round after round the Korean-American fighter pumped left jabs while circling his opposition.

Though hit with power shots, none seemed to faze Howard but his own blows were unable to put a dent in Priest. After 10 rounds of the same repetitive action all three judges scored the fight 100-90 for Priest who now wins a regional super middleweight title.

Priest also joins the top 15 rankings of the WBA organization.

In a fight between evenly matched middleweights, Jordan Panthen (11-0, 9 KOs) remained undefeated after 10 rounds versus DeAundre Pettus (12-4, 7 KOs). Though equally skilled, Panthen simply out-worked the South Caroliina fighter to win by unanimous decision. No knockdowns were scored.

Other Bouts

Grant Flores (8-0, 6 KOs) knocked out Costa Rica’s David Lobo Ramirez (17-4, 12 KOs) with two successive right uppercuts at 2:59 of the second round of the super welterweight fight.

Cayden Griffith (3-0, 3 KOs) used a left hook to the body to stop Mark Misiura at 1:43 of the second round in a super welterweight bout.

Jordan Fuentes (3-0) floored Brandon Badillo (0-3-1) in the third round and proceeded to win by decision after four rounds in a super bantamweight fight.

A super featherweight match saw Leonardo Sanchez (8-0) win by decision over Joseph Cruz Brown (10-12) after six rounds.

Photo credit: Cris Esqueda / Golden Boy

To comment on this story in the Fight Forum CLICK HERE

Post Views: 0

Share The Sweet Science experience!