Mike Tyson Was a Thunderbolt and Steve Lott Was Caught Up in the Storm

Published

4 years ago

September 7, 2021

Mike-Tyson-Was-a-Thunderbolt-and-Steve-Lott-Was-Caught-Up-in-the-Storm

PART ONE OF A TWO-PART STORY — In the 1982 MGM comedy film “My Favorite Year,” a young production assistant is charged with the responsibility of keeping tabs on a famous but famously trouble-prone British actor who has been brought to New York to make a guest appearance on a TV comedy show. Steve Lott can relate although he wasn’t buckled to a famous actor but to a prizefighter who became more famous than any actor you could name. When Mike Tyson was climbing the ladder, no one was closer to Mike than Steve Lott. When Mike needed a place to crash, he went to Steve’s apartment and crashed on the couch.

Steve Lott now lives in Las Vegas where he is president of the Boxing Hall of Fame Las Vegas which controls one of the world’s most valuable sports libraries, the enormous Big Fights Inc. library of legendary fight films and photos, the rights to which were sold to ESPN but with Lott retaining the exclusive Boxing Hall of Fame rights, world-wide. The company also licenses films and photos to various documentary film productions.

There’s a story there, but let’s start at the beginning.

As a teenager growing up in a working-class family in the Bronx, Lott became a whiz at the sport of handball. At the junior level, he was once ranked the #1 singles player in the world. Jim Jacobs, a legend in the sport – arguably the best handball player of all time – took Lott under his wing.

Growing up in Los Angeles, Jim Jacobs was an obsessive collector of old fight films. He eventually hooked up with Bill Cayton, the owner of a successful New York City advertising agency and they formed a company called Big Fights Inc. When Jacobs moved to New York, he lived for a time with boxing trainer Cus D’Amato who had molded Floyd Patterson and Jose Torres into world champions. When D’Amato moved upstate to Catskill and took to coaching amateurs, Jacobs and Cayton funded his training camp.

Steve Lott had one year of college under his belt and was working as a salesman at an auto dealership when he approached Jacobs about working for Big Fights Inc. Jacobs hired him and Lott’s life would get a lot more exciting.

Jacobs and Cayton eventually branched into fight management. They purchased the contract of the great Puerto Rican boxer Wilfred Benitez who became their first client in what would become a small and select stable. Lott’s duties shifted to that of camp coordinator. His title was that of assistant trainer but his responsibilities were more diffuse including dealing with the media. In time, he became referenced as Tyson’s assistant manager.

The Mike Tyson saga has been well-documented. A pre-teen thug on the streets of Bedford-Stuyvesant and Brownsville, Brooklyn, seemingly incorrigible, Tyson became the surrogate son of Cus D’Amato who entrusted Mike’s boxing career to Jacobs and Cayton. He turned pro at age eighteen after losing in the finals of the Olympic Box-Offs, won his first 19 pro fights by KO, 12 in the opening round, and became the undisputed world heavyweight champion shortly after his 21^st birthday. Beyond that, Tyson had the “it” factor that made him a media darling, the world’s most talked-about athlete.

The town of Catskill, New York, is roughly two hours from Manhattan. When Tyson came to the city, Lott’s apartment was his crash pad. During his first year as a pro, Tyson had a frenetic schedule. He averaged a fight every three-and-a-half weeks. But as he advanced, the gaps between fights became longer and a night’s sleepover often evolved into something longer, perhaps a three-day or five-day stay.

In those days, remembers Lott, Mike Tyson had no car, no jewelry, no expensive clothing. “Mike didn’t care about money,” says Lott. “He cared about his legacy. He wanted to be remembered like Jack Dempsey and Joe Louis.”

He certainly wasn’t a party animal. His hobby, as it were, was watching old fight films or riffing through the pages of The Ring record book. In Lott’s estimation, young Tyson made himself into the world’s foremost boxing historian. “If you showed him a picture of an old-time fighter, he could not only identify him but tell you something about him.”

Tyson’s ascent to superstardom was so fast that Lott was blindsided by it. “When we first started hanging out,” says Lott, “I never envisioned that Mike would become so big. He was just my friend. Then one day it dawned on me that I had been entrusted with the most valuable commodity in sports. It was as if Mickey Mantle was crashing on my couch the year after he won the triple crown.”

It was bigger than that. Mickey Mantle wasn’t a name that resonated in most parts of the world. Mike Tyson was an international celebrity. “Mike was cool as a cucumber waiting in the dressing room before a fight,” says Lott, “but I was a nervous wreck. I knew that in this sport one punch can ruin a career.”

Tyson’s ring walk was famously spartan: “plain black trunks, no robe, no socks, no nonsense.” There was no entourage. “There were only three of us that accompanied Mike on his ring walk,” remembers Lott. “His trainer Kevin Rooney, his cut man Mike Baransky, and myself.” (In the photo, that’s Rooney on the left, Baransky on the right, and Lott in the middle.)

That was the foursome that prevailed through Iron Mike’s famous fight with Michael Spinks. But during the prologue there were dark clouds on the horizon. A palace coup was brewing and the insurgents were hell-bent on cleaving Tyson from his handlers.

Three months before the Tyson-Spinks fight, Jim Jacobs passed away at age 58 from complications of leukemia. Cus D’Amato was already gone, having passed away two-and-a-half years earlier. These men were Tyson’s primary role models. Without them, he was adrift, or so it would be written. But in theory he wasn’t rudderless at all because he was now a married man. On Feb. 7, 1988, seven weeks before Jim Jacobs died, Mike married Robin Givens after a 10-month courtship.

Tyson’s wife was a knockout in her own right as she would show the world in a 1994 Playboy pictorial and she was well-educated, having graduated from high school at age 15 and having attended tony Sarah Lawrence College which had the highest tuition of any college in the country.

There was nothing quite like Robin Givens back on Tyson’s old turf in gritty Bed-Stuy. As Frank Sinatra would have said, Robin Givens was one classy broad.

To be continued……

Photo credit: Steve Lott – Boxing Hall of Fame Las Vegas

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Arne K. Lang

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Ringside at the Fontainebleau where Mikaela Mayer Won her Rematch with Sandy Ryan

Published

2 days ago

March 30, 2025

Arne K. Lang

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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

Published

2 days ago

March 29, 2025

David A. Avila

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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Avila Perspective, Chap. 319: Rematches in Las Vegas, Cancun and More

Published

3 days ago

March 28, 2025

David A. Avila

Avila-Perspective-Chap-319-Rematches-in-Las-Vegas-Cancun-and-More

Rematches are the bedrock for prizefighting.

Return battles between rival boxers always means their first encounter was riveting and successful at the box office.

Six months after their first brutal battle Mikaela Mayer (20-2, 5 KOs) and Sandy Ryan (7-2-1, 3 KOs) will slug it out again for the WBO welterweight world title this time on Saturday, March 29, at the Fontainebleau in Las Vegas.

ESPN will show the Top Rank card live.

“It’s important for women’s boxing to have these rivalries and this is definitely up there as one of the top ones,” Mayer told the BBC.

If you follow Mayer’s career you know that somehow drama follows. Whether its back-and-forth beefs with fellow American fighters or controversial judging due to nationalism in countries abroad. The Southern California native who now trains in Las Vegas knows how to create the drama.

For female fighters self-promotion is a necessity.

Most boxing promoters refuse to step out of the usual process set for male boxers, not for female boxers. Things remain the same and have been for the last 70 years. Social media has brought changes but that has made promoters do even less.

No longer are there press conferences, instead announcements are made on social media to be drowned among the billions of other posts. It is not killing but diluting interest in the sport.

Women innately present a different advantage that few if any promoters are recognizing. So far in the past 25 years I have only seen two or three promoters actually ignite interest in female fighters. They saw the advantages and properly boosted interest in the women.

The fight breakdown

Mayer has won world titles in the super featherweight and now the welterweight division. Those are two vastly different weight classes and prove her fighting abilities are based on skill not power or size.

Coaching Mayer since amateurs remains Al Mitchell and now Kofi Jantuah who replaced Kay Koroma the current trainer for Sandy Ryan.

That was the reason drama ignited during their first battle. Then came someone tossing paint at Ryan the day of their first fight.

More drama.

During their first fight both battled to control the initiative with Mayer out-punching the British fighter by a slender margin. It was a back-and-forth struggle with each absorbing blows and retaliating immediately.

New York City got its money’s worth.

Ryan had risen to the elite level rapidly since losing to Erica Farias three years ago. Though she was physically bigger and younger, she was out-maneuvered and defeated by the wily veteran from Argentina. In the rematch, however, Ryan made adjustments and won convincingly.

Can she make adjustments from her defeat to Mayer?

“I wanted the rematch straight away,” said Ryan on social media. “I’ve come to America again.”

Both fighters have size and reach. In their first clash it was evident that conditioning was not a concern as blows were fired nonstop in bunches. Mayer had the number of punches landed advantage and it unfolded with the judges giving her a majority decision win.

That was six months ago. Can she repeat the outcome?

Mayer has always had boiler-oven intensity. It’s not fake. Since her amateur days the slender Southern California blonde changes disposition all the way to red when lacing up the gloves. It’s something that can’t be taught.

Can she draw enough of that fire out again?

“I didn’t have to give her this rematch. I could have just sat it out, waited for Lauren Price to unify and fought for undisputed or faced someone else,” said Mayer to BBC. “That’s not the fighter I am though.”

Co-Main in Las Vegas

The co-main event pits Brian Norman Jr. (26-0, 20 KOs) facing Puerto Rico’s Derrieck Cuevas (27-1-1, 19 KOs) in a contest for the WBO welterweight title.

Norman, 24, was last seen a year ago dissecting a very good welterweight in Giovani Santillan for a knockout win in San Diego. He showed speed, skill and power in defeating Santillan in his hometown.

Cuevas has beaten some solid veteran talent but this will be his big test against Norman and his first attempt at winning a world title.

Also on the Top Rank card will be Bruce “Shu Shu” Carrington and Emiliano Vargas, the son of Fernando Vargas, in separate bouts.

Golden Boy in Cancun

A rematch between undefeated William “Camaron” Zepeda (32-0, 27 KOs) and ex-champ Tevin Farmer (33-7-1, 8 KOs) headlines the lightweight match on Saturday March 29, at Cancun, Mexico.

In their first encounter Zepeda was knocked down in the fourth round but rallied to win a split-decision over Farmer. It showed the flaws in Zepeda’s tornado style.

DAZN will stream the Golden Boy Promotions card that also includes a clash between Yokasta Valle the WBC minimumweight world titlist who is moving up to flyweight to face former flyweight champion Marlen Esparza.

Both Valle and Esparza have fast hands.

Valle is excellent darting in and out while Esparza has learned how to fight inside. It’s a toss-up fight.

Fights to Watch

Fri. DAZN 12 p.m. Cameron Vuong (7-0) vs Jordan Flynn (11-0-1); Pat Brown (0-0) vs Federico Grandone (7-4-2).

Sat. DAZN 5 p.m. William Zepeda (32-0) vs Tevin Farmer (33-7-1); Yokasta Valle (32-3) vs Marlen Esparza (15-2).

Sat. ESPN 7 p.m. Mikaela Mayer (20-2) vs Sandy Ryan (7-2-1); Brian Norman Jr. (26-0) vs Derrieck Cuevas (27-1-1).

Photo credit: Mikey Williams / Top Rank

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