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Avila Perspective, Chap.150: Old Soldiers and More

“Old soldiers never die-they just fade away,” said General Douglas MacArthur in his final goodbye to Congress back in 1951.
A couple of old soldiers in the world of prizefighting could be taking that same road.
Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao, the conqueror of eight weight divisions, lost last weekend. Another old soldier in Oscar De La Hoya the “Golden Boy” and conqueror of six weight divisions returns to the prize ring in a couple of weeks.
Everyone has a time limit. Even legends.
Pacquiao’s defeat at the hands of Yordenis Ugas was not a surprise considering it was a very last-minute change after Errol Spence Jr. was forced to pull out due to an eye injury. He was not prepared for that style.
During his lengthy career the speedy southpaw overcame his size with eye-popping power and shiftiness that befuddled opponents. He was “the Matrix” come to real life and willing to test the best the boxing world could offer. It was a courageous mentality that made him beloved by the little guys all over the world.
From Marco Antonio Barrera and the Mexican three that included Erik Morales and Juan Manuel Marquez, the Filipino blitzed through like a crazed zephyr to conquer the featherweights, then moved up and destroyed the lightweights and super lightweights with even more devastating results in knockout wins over David Diaz and Ricky Hatton.
As a welterweight Pacquiao stretched his abilities in defeating Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito. And ironically, he retired De La Hoya with a one-sided beating in 2008. Now, 13 years later, the East Los Angeles boxer who formed his own successful boxing promotion company has returned.
Another old soldier returning to the fight.
Oscar
Los Angeles has long been a bastion for prizefighting. Many of the greats from a century ago like Jack Johnson, Henry Armstrong and Manuel Ortiz fought in places like the Vernon Arena, Olympic Auditorium and long extinct venues like Hazard’s Pavilion.
De La Hoya was the first home-grown fighter to reach superstar status and the first Chicano fighter from East L.A. to conquer multiple weight divisions. He was a beloved son to all grandmothers, mothers and their children who were deemed second class by those ruling the city and southwestern regions of the USA.
De La Hoya was a shining example of how a simple kid from the nearby barrios, who attended schools like David Wark Griffith Jr. High and Garfield High could become a gold medalist in the Olympics, win a world title within two years of becoming a professional and become one of the boxing world’s biggest gate attractions.
By engaging in many of the most riveting fights against stars like Julio Cesar Chavez, Pernell Whitaker, Tito Trinidad, Shane Mosley, Fernando Vargas, Hector Camacho, and Ike Quartey the Golden Boy earned his nickname. He drew near a billion dollars in pay-per-view fights including his two biggest against Floyd Mayweather and Pacquiao.
Without De La Hoya those two fighters never make it to mega pay-per-view status. He launched them to the upper tier.
“I wasn’t ready to retire after I lost to Manny Pacquiao. I never felt like I was in wars so in boxing you’re just as old as how you feel,” said De La Hoya.
After 13 years De La Hoya (39-6, 30 KOs) returns to face former MMA champion Vitor Belfort (1-0) a muscular Brazilian with former boxing ties on Saturday, Sept. 11, at the Staples Center in L.A. The Triller Fight Club card will be streamed on pay-per-view by FITE.tv.
On Tuesday afternoon De La Hoya met with the media then performed a workout in front of the public at LA Live. Hundreds of curious onlookers got a glimpse of the now fit promoter who shadow boxed for a few rounds.
“I miss getting hit,” said De La Hoya.
The East L.A. promoter added that he wants to engage in a Tommy Hearns and Marvin Hagler type of slugfest or something similar to his first clash with Sugar Shane Mosley that took place at the Staples Center in June 2000. It was the first time any prizefight took place at that venue and the only time De La Hoya fought there.
Age catches up to everyone, but most old soldiers seem to ignore the signs that wrinkles, slower reflexes and diminished stamina seldom show up until the battle actually begins. We saw it last Saturday when Pacman’s legs failed him.
Still fresh in my memory was a physically fit looking Sugar Ray Leonard with ripped muscles facing Hector Camacho. Fans were impressed with Leonard’s physique until the bell rang and Camacho battered the former great.
Ironically, De La Hoya fought Camacho six months later and destroyed the Puerto Rican great.
Will De La Hoya be the next Leonard and learn the hard way?
Sunday Boxing Extravaganza
Jake Paul tangles with former MMA champion Tyron Woodley on Sunday Aug. 29, at the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, Ohio. Showtime pay-per-view will show the fight card that also features Amanda Serrano versus Yamileth Mercado in a Puerto Rico-Mexico war.
I’ve seen Paul a couple of times and regardless of the former opponents, this is one big dude. And he can fight some.
Yes, he is barely learning but the physical tools are there. He seems to be a tad better than his brother Logan Paul who exchanged blows with Floyd Mayweather a few months ago.
Jake Paul has that meanness needed when facing someone who can hurt you too.
Enter Woodley a former UFC champion who may not be a boxer but knows how to give a hit as well as take a hit.
Neither Paul nor Woodley will be giving boxing seminars on the sweet science but this will be a fight, plain and simple. Millions of Paul’s followers will be watching and that means new boxing fans.
Let’s talk about the women’s fight.
When mentioning the sweet science in women’s boxing you have to include Brooklyn’s Amanda Serrano. She’s won seven weight division world titles. Only Pacquiao has more.
Serrano (40-1-1, 30 KOs) currently has the WBC and WBO featherweight world titles and meets WBC super bantamweight titlist Yamileth Mercado (18-2, 5 KOs) of Mexico in a clash of champions on the Paul-Woodley fight card.
Few fighters, man or woman, can dominate a fight like Serrano. She’s a pure fighting machine with heavy hands and quick fists. Mercado has never fought anyone like Serrano, but you can’t discount any fight between a Puerto Rican and Mexican. They’re like gasoline and fire.
The last time Serrano fought a Mexican she experienced that firsthand against Yazmin Rivas in 2017. She admits that was her toughest fight.
Still, Mercado has a lot to overcome and will have to trade blows close up to defeat Serrano. That means war.
It’s a pretty good card and includes one of my favorite young fighters in super welterweight Charles Conwell (15-0) facing Juan Carlos Rubio (18-0). Enjoy.
Fights to Watch
Thurs. UFC Fight Pass 7 p.m. Edison Garcia (13-0) vs Armando Frausto (9-1-1).
Sat. FITE.tv 5 p.m. Kim Clavel (13-0) vs Maria Soledad Vargas (15-3-1).
Sun. Showtime pay-per-view 5 p.m. Jake Paul (3-0) vs Tyron Woodley (0-0); Amanda Serrano (40-1-1) vs Yamileth Mercado (18-2).
Check out more boxing news on video at the Boxing Channel
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History has Shortchanged Freddie Dawson, One of the Best Boxers of his Era

History has Shortchanged Freddie Dawson, One of the Best Boxers of his Era
This reporter was rummaging around the internet last week when he stumbled on a story in the May 1950 issue of Ebony under the byline of Mike Jacobs. Boxing was then in the doldrums (isn’t it always?) and Jacobs, the most powerful promoter in boxing during the era of Joe Louis, was lassoed by the editors of the magazine to address the question of whether the over-representation of black boxers was killing the sport at the box office.
This hoary premise had been kicking around even before the heyday of Jack Johnson, bubbling forth whenever an important black-on-black fight played to a sea of empty seats as had happened the previous year when Chicago’s Comiskey Park hosted the world heavyweight title fight between Ezzard Charles and Jersey Joe Walcott.
Jacobs ridiculed the hypothesis – as one could have expected considering the publication in which the story ran – and singled out three “colored” boxers as the best of the current crop of active pugilists: Sugar Ray Robinson, Ike Williams, and Freddie Dawson.
Sugar Ray Robinson? A no-brainer. Skill-wise the greatest of the great. Even those that didn’t follow boxing, would have recognized his name. Ike Williams? Nowhere near as well-known as Robinson, but he was then the reigning lightweight champion, a man destined to go into the International Boxing Hall of Fame with the inaugural class of 1990.
And Freddie Dawson? If the name doesn’t ring a bell, dear reader, you are not alone. I confess that I too drew a blank. And that triggered a search to learn more about him.
Freddie Dawson had four fights with Ike Williams. All four were staged on Ike’s turf in Philadelphia. Were this not the case, the history books would likely show the series knotted 2-2. Late in his career, Dawson became greatly admired in Australia. But we are jumping ahead of ourselves.
Dawson was born in 1924 in Thomasville, Arkansas, an unincorporated town in the Arkansas Delta. Likely a descendent of slaves who worked in the cotton plantations, he grew up in the so-called Bronzeville neighborhood of Chicago, the heart of Chicago’s Black Belt.
The first mention of him in the newspapers came in 1941 when he won Chicago’s Catholic Youth Organization (CYO) featherweight title. In those days, amateur boxing was big in the Windy City, the birthplace of the Golden Gloves. The Catholic Archdiocese, which ran gyms in every parish, and the Chicago Parks Department, were the major incubators.
In his amateur days, he was known as simply Fred Dawson. As a pro, his name often appeared as Freddy Dawson, although Freddie gradually became the more common spelling.
Dawson, who stood five-foot-six and was often described as stocky, made his pro debut on Feb. 1, 1943, at Marigold Gardens. Before the year was out, he had 16 fights under his belt, all in Chicago and all but two at Marigold. (Currently the site of an interdenominational Christian church, Marigold Gardens, on the city’s north side, was Chicago’s most active boxing and wrestling arena from the mid-1930s through the early-1950s. Joe Louis had three of his early fights there and Tony Zale was a fixture there as he climbed the ladder to the world middleweight title.)
The last of these 16 fights was fatal for Dawson’s opponent who collapsed heading back to his corner after the fight was stopped in the 10th round and died that night at a local hospital from the effects of a brain injury.
Dawson left town after this incident and spent most of the next year in New Orleans where energetic promoter Louis Messina ran twice-weekly shows (Mondays for whites and Fridays for blacks) at the Coliseum, a major stop on boxing’s so-called Chitlin’ Circuit.
That same year, on Sept. 19, 1944, Dawson had his first encounter with Ike Williams. He was winning the fight when Ike knocked him out with a body punch in the fourth round.
The first and last meetings between Dawson and Ike Williams were spaced five years apart. In the interim, Freddie scored his two best wins, stopping Vic Patrick in the twelfth round at Sydney, NSW, and Bernard Docusen in the sixth round in Chicago.
The long-reigning lightweight champion of Australia, Patrick (49-3, 43 KOs) gave the crowd a thrill when he knocked Dawson down for a count of “six” in the penultimate 11th round, but Dawson returned the favor twice in the final stanza, ending the contest with a punch so harsh that the poor Aussie needed five minutes before he was fit to leave the ring and would spend the night in the hospital as a precaution.
Dawson fought Bernard Docusen before 10,000-plus at Chicago Stadium on Feb. 4, 1949. An 8/5 favorite, Docusen lacked a hard punch, but the New Orleans cutie had suffered only three losses in 66 fights, had never been stopped, and had extended Sugar Ray Robinson the 15-round distance the previous year.
Dawson dismantled him. Docusen managed to get back on his feet after Dawson knocked him down in the sixth, but he was in no condition to continue and the referee waived the fight off. Dawson was then vacillating between the lightweight and welterweight divisions and reporters wondered whether it would be Robinson or Ike Williams when Dawson finally got his well-earned title shot.
Sugar Ray wasn’t in his future. Here are the results of his other matches with Ike Williams:
Dawson-Williams II (Jan. 28, 1946) – The consensus on press row was 7-2-1 or 7-3 for Dawson, but the match was ruled a draw. “[The judges and referee] evidently saw [Williams] land punches that nobody else did,” said the ringside reporter for the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Dawson-Williams III (Jan. 26, 1948) – Dawson lost a majority decision. The scores were 6-4, 5-4-1, and 4-4-2. The decision was booed. Ike Williams then held the lightweight title, but this was a non-title fight. (It was tough for an outsider to get a fair shake in Philadelphia, home to Ike Williams’ co-manager Frank “Blinky” Palermo who would go to prison for his duplicitous dealings as a fight facilitator.)
Dawson-Williams IV (Dec. 5, 1949) – This would be Freddie Dawson’s only crack at a world title and he came up short. Ike Williams retained the belt, winning a unanimous decision. The fight was close – 8-7, 8-7, 9-6 – but there was no controversy.
Dawson made three more trips to Australia before his career was finished. On the first of these trips, he knocked out Jack Hassen, successor to Vic Patrick as the lightweight champion of Australia. A 1953 article in the Sydney Sunday Herald bore witness to the esteem in which Dawson was held by boxing fans in Australia: “None of our boxers could withstand his devastating attacks which not only knocked them out but also knocked years off their careers,” said the author. “It is doubtful whether any Australian boxer in any division could have beaten Dawson.”
Dawson had his final fights in the Land Down Under, finishing his career with a record of 103-14-4 while answering the bell for 962 rounds. Following what became his final fight, he had an eye operation in Sydney that was reportedly so intricate that it required a two-week hospital stay. He injured the eye again in Manila while sparring in preparation for a match with the welterweight champion of the Philippines, a match that had to be aborted because of the injury. Dawson then disappeared, by which we mean that he disappeared from the pages of the newspaper archives that allow us to construct these kinds of stories.
What about Freddie Dawson the man? A 1944 story about him said he was an outstanding all-around athlete, “a champion in all athletic undertakings – basketball, baseball, track and even jitterbugging.” A story in a Sydney paper as he was preparing to meet Vic Patrick informs us that he had two young children, ages 2 and 1, owned his own home in Chicago, and drove a two-year-old Cadillac. But beyond these flimsy snippets, Dawson the man remains elusive.
What we learned, however, is that he was one of the most underrated boxers to come down the pike in any era, a borderline Hall of Famer who ought not have fallen through the cracks. Inside the ring, this guy was one tough hombre.
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Ringside at the Fontainebleau where Mikaela Mayer Won her Rematch with Sandy Ryan

LAS VEGAS, NV — The first meeting between Mikaela Mayer and Sandy Ryan last September at Madison Square Garden was punctuated with drama before the first punch was thrown. When the smoke cleared, Mayer had become a world-title-holder in a second weight class, taking away Ryan’s WBO welterweight belt via a majority decision in a fan-friendly fight.
The rematch tonight at the Fontainebleau in Las Vegas was another fan-friendly fight. There were furious exchanges in several rounds and the crowd awarded both gladiators a standing ovation at the finish.
Mayer dominated the first half of the fight and held on to win by a unanimous decision. But Sandy Ryan came on strong beginning in round seven, and although Mayer was the deserving winner, the scores favoring her (98-92 and 97-93 twice) fail to reflect the competitiveness of the match-up. This is the best rivalry in women’s boxing aside from Taylor-Serrano.
Mayer, 34, improved to 21-2 (5). Up next, she hopes, in a unification fight with Lauren Price who outclassed Natasha Jonas earlier this month and currently holds the other meaningful pieces of the 147-pound puzzle. Sandy Ryan, 31, the pride of Derby, England, falls to 7-3-1.
Co-Feature
In his first defense of his WBO world welterweight title (acquired with a brutal knockout of Giovani Santillan after the title was vacated by Terence Crawford), Atlanta’s Brian Norman Jr knocked out Puerto Rico’s Derrieck Cuevas in the third round. A three-punch combination climaxed by a short left hook sent Cuevas staggering into a corner post. He got to his feet before referee Thomas Taylor started the count, but Taylor looked in Cuevas’s eyes and didn’t like what he saw and brought the bout to a halt.
The stoppage, which struck some as premature, came with one second remaining in the third stanza.
A second-generation prizefighter (his father was a fringe contender at super middleweight), the 24-year-old Norman (27-0, 21 KOs) is currently boxing’s youngest male title-holder. It was only the second pro loss for Cuevas (27-2-1) whose lone previous defeat had come early in his career in a 6-rounder he lost by split decision.
Other Bouts
In a career-best performance, 27-year-old Brooklyn featherweight Bruce “Shu Shu” Carrington (15-0, 9 KOs) blasted out Jose Enrique Vivas (23-4) in the third round.
Carrington, who was named the Most Outstanding Boxer at the 2019 U.S. Olympic Trials despite being the lowest-seeded boxer in his weight class, decked Vivas with a right-left combination near the end of the second round. Vivas barely survived the round and was on a short leash when the third stanza began. After 53 seconds of round three, referee Raul Caiz Jr had seen enough and waived it off. Vivas hadn’t previously been stopped.
Cleveland welterweight Tiger Johnson, a Tokyo Olympian, scored a fifth-round stoppage over San Antonio’s Kendo Castaneda. Johnson assumed control in the fourth round and sent Castaneda to his knees twice with body punches in the next frame. The second knockdown terminated the match. The official time was 2:00 of round five.
Johnson advanced to 15-0 (7 KOs). Castenada declined to 21-9.
Las Vegas junior welterweight Emiliano Vargas (13-0, 11 KOs) blasted out Stockton, California’s Giovanni Gonzalez in the second round. Vargas brought the bout to a sudden conclusion with a sweeping left hook that knocked Gonzalez out cold. The end came at the 2:00 minute mark of round two.
Gonzalez brought a 20-7-2 record which was misleading as 18 of his fights were in Tijuana where fights are frequently prearranged. However, he wasn’t afraid to trade with Vargas and paid the price.
Emiliano Vargas, with his matinee idol good looks and his boxing pedigree – he is the son of former U.S. Olympian and two-weight world title-holder “Ferocious” Fernando Vargas – is highly marketable and has the potential to be a cross-over star.
Eighteen-year-old Newark bantamweight Emmanuel “Manny” Chance, one of Top Rank’s newest signees, won his pro debut with a four-round decision over So Cal’s Miguel Guzman. Chance won all four rounds on all three cards, but this was no runaway. He left a lot of room for improvement.
There was a long intermission before the co-main and again before the main event, but the tedium was assuaged by a moving video tribute to George Foreman.
Photos credit: Al Applerose
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William Zepeda Edges Past Tevin Farmer in Cancun; Improves to 34-0

William Zepeda Edges Past Tevin Farmer in Cancun; Improves to 34-0
No surprise, once again William Zepeda eked out a win over the clever and resilient Tevin Farmer to remain undefeated and retain a regional lightweight title on Saturday.
There were no knockdowns in this rematch.
The Mexican punching machine Zepeda (33-0, 17 KOs) once more sought to overwhelm Farmer (33-8-1, 9 KOs) with a deluge of blows. This rematch by Golden Boy Promotions took place in the famous beach resort area of Cancun, Mexico.
It was a mere four months ago that both first clashed in Saudi Arabia with their vastly difference styles. This time the tropical setting served as the background which suited Zepeda and his lawnmower assaults. The Mexican fans were pleased.
Nothing changed in their second meeting.
Zepeda revved up the body assault and Farmer moved around casually to his right while fending off the Mexican fighter’s attacks. By the fourth round Zepeda was able to cut off Farmer’s escape routes and targeted the body with punishing shots.
The blows came in bunches.
In the fifth round Zepeda blasted away at Farmer who looked frantic for an escape. The body assault continued with the Mexican fighter pouring it on and Farmer seeming to look ready to quit. When the round ended, he waved off his corner’s appeals to stop.
Zepeda continued to dominate the next few rounds and then Farmer began rallying. At first, he cleverly smothered Zepeda’s body attacks and then began moving and hitting sporadically. It forced the Mexican fighter to pause and figure out the strategy.
Farmer, a Philadelphia fighter, showed resiliency especially when it was revealed he had suffered a hand injury.
During the last three rounds Farmer dug down deep and found ways to score and not get hit. It was Boxing 101 and the Philly fighter made it work.
But too many rounds had been put in the bank by Zepeda. Despite the late rally by Farmer one judge saw it 114-114, but two others scored it 116-112 and 115-113 for Zepeda who retains his interim lightweight title and place at the top of the WBC rankings.
“I knew he was a difficult fighter. This time he was even more difficult,” said Zepeda.
Farmer was downtrodden about another loss but realistic about the outcome and starting slow.
“But I dominated the last rounds,” said Farmer.
Zepeda shrugged at the similar outcome as their first encounter.
“I’m glad we both put on a great show,” said Zepeda.
Female Flyweight Battle
Costa Rica’s Yokasta Valle edged past Texas fighter Marlen Esparza to win their showdown at flyweight by split decision after 10 rounds.
Valle moved up two weight divisions to meet Esparza who was slightly above the weight limit. Both showed off their contrasting styles and world class talent.
Esparza, a former unified flyweight world titlist, stayed in the pocket and was largely successful with well-placed jabs and left hooks. She repeatedly caught Valle in-between her flurries.
The current minimumweight world titlist changed tactics and found more success in the second half of the fight. She forced Esparza to make the first moves and that forced changes that benefited her style.
Neither fighter could take over the fight.
After 10 rounds one judge saw Esparza the winner 96-94, but two others saw Valle the winner 97-93 twice.
Will Valle move up and challenge the current undisputed flyweight world champion Gabriela Fundora? That’s the question.
Valle currently holds the WBC minimumweight world title.
Puerto Rico vs Mexico
Oscar Collazo (12-0, 9 KOs), the WBO, WBA minimumweight titlist, knocked out Mexico’s Edwin Cano (13-3-1, 4 KOs) with a flurry of body shots at 1:12 of the fifth round.
Collazo dominated with a relentless body attack the Mexican fighter could not defend. It was the Puerto Rican fighter’s fifth consecutive title defense.
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