Russell Peltz and Ray Didinger: A Hall of Fame Friendship

Published

3 years ago

November 5, 2021

Russell-Peltz-and-Ray-Didinger-A-Hall-of-Fame-Friendship

On the night of October 21 at the 2300 Arena in South Philadelphia, Hall of Fame boxing promoter J. Russell Peltz signed copies of his new book, “Thirty Dollars and a Cut Eye,” for a crowd of boxing enthusiasts. NFL Hall of Fame writer Ray Didinger was there. The two have been fast friends for more than 50 years. In fact, for many years Didinger encouraged Peltz to compile his history of 50-plus years in boxing into a book.

It was September of 1964 and the beginning of fall semester at Temple University in Philadelphia, when their friendship was born. Journalism class brought the two together, but it was their shared interests in sports and the written word that formed what would become a lifelong bond.

“Russell was good right away and by the time he was a sophomore he was already the sports editor at the Temple newspaper, leaving the rest of us in the dust. We both wanted careers in sports writing and we shared a lot of the same interests,” recalls Didinger. Although both Didinger and Peltz (pictured on the left) continued to hone their craft at the school newspaper, Didinger remembers Peltz always looking beyond the printed word.

“He (Peltz) kept saying that writing was okay for that moment, but he really wanted to become a boxing promoter. And this is even after he wound up going to work for the Philadelphia Bulletin while we were still students.” Although Peltz landed what Didinger would consider a dream job at one of Philadelphia’s major newspapers, Didinger could tell that Peltz was locked in on making his goal of promoting a reality. The long-time boxing scribe at the Bulletin, Jack Fried, showed no signs of leaving the boxing beat, hastening Peltz’s departure from the paper.

“I really grew to respect his focus and drive. Most people in college aren’t sure of themselves the way Russell was, including myself. For me, I just thought I’ll just go and write about football for the newspaper till I’m seventy years old and they give me a gold watch,” says Didinger.

As both friends began their careers and life journeys, Didinger recalls their friendship would graduate into a support system.

“We were going in different directions. He was a full-blown promoter so that was his life, his world. I was really young covering football and frankly at times I thought I was in over my head. I knew the history of the {Philadelphia} Eagles, but the older writers knew the coaches and players and had their trust. I still had so much to learn as a real professional reporter.”

Feeling alone in a room full of your peers, particularly inside of writing rooms or on the beat covering a sport, is not uncommon. Especially when you are the youngest member of that fraternity.

“I wasn’t sure that what I was writing was all that good, I wasn’t sure that I had the right perspective. The older writers weren’t all that welcoming and I felt alone a lot. Every time I saw Russell he would tell me ‘you know I read that story you wrote and it was really good.’ I know from our relationship that he meant it, otherwise he wouldn’t have said it. Sometimes he would make suggestions and because he had worked as a copy editor at the same paper I was now working at {Bulletin}, I knew the balance was him being supportive,” states Didinger.

“In as tough a town as Philadelphia he has become so respected, says Peltz. It’s rare that players respect guys that have never played the game, but I know that both players and coaches listen to him. Ray is beloved in this city and in my opinion is the best football analyst in the country. I watch the Eagles. Sometimes I miss the game, but I never miss Ray on ‘Post Game Live.

He {Didinger} is one of those guys that you can never say anything bad about. I’ve never heard anyone say a negative thing about him. I would see him at the occasional Temple basketball game or at the Journalism reunions and we could have gone years without seeing each other but the connection was still there.”

In October of 2019, 15 years after he was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame, Russell Peltz was honored for his 50 years as a promoter with a boxing show at the 2300 Arena. Naturally, Ray Didinger was there. “I still remember going to his first show at the Blue Horizon to see Bennie Briscoe vs. Tito Marshall. I went to his shows at the Spectrum so, of course, I wanted to be there to help him celebrate,” says Didinger.

True to his nature as a writer, Didinger arrived at the 2300 Arena that night but was hard for Peltz to find. He was in the back row observing the show and not trying to take attention away from the night’s proceedings. “He {Didinger} came in and sat all the way in the back of the arena by himself. I had to go and get him and bring him up front to sit with me ringside, but it was second nature for Ray to be there that night,” recalls Peltz.

Ray Didinger’s own memoir, “Finished Business: My Fifty Years of Headlines, Heroes, and Heartaches,” was released in May of this year. Didinger was inspired to write the book when the Eagles upset the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl following the 2017 season.

“When you go through life you wind up with a lot of acquaintances and you have few people that are real friends. I always knew if I ever needed anything or to just talk, Russell would be there for me,” states Didinger.

“‘I’m proud and view it as an honor that he is my friend,” says Peltz.

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Luis A. Cortes III

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Results and Recaps from Las Vegas where Richard Torrez Jr Mauled Guido Vianello

Published

2 hours ago

April 6, 2025

Arne K. Lang

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LAS VEGAS, NV – In an inelegant but wildly entertaining rumble, Richard Torrez Jr, bullied his way past Guido Vianello. The 10-round heavyweight contest, an appealing match-up between former Olympians, was the featured attraction on a Top Card at the Pearl Theater at the Palms Casino in Las Vegas.

Torrez, the pride of Tulare, California and a 5/2 favorite, promised to show more dimensions to his game, but was the same old frenetic bull-rusher. Torrez likes to dig inside and smother the punches of his opponent who is invariably taller. His chief asset is an engine that never quits.

The early rounds were marred by a lot of wrestling. Referee Tom Taylor, who had a difficult assignment, took a point away from Vianello for holding in round two, a controversial call although it proved to be a moot point.

Vianello, who was coming off an eighth-round stoppage of Russian-Canadian behemoth Arslanbek Makhmudov, wasn’t able to build on that victory and declined to 13-3-1 (11). Torrez, competing in his first scheduled 10-rounder, improved to 13-0 (11).

Co-Feature

In a tactical fight (translation: no fireworks) Lindolfo Delgado remained undefeated with a 10-round majority decision over Elvis Rodriguez. The scores were 95-95 and 96-94 twice.

Delgado, a 2016 Olympian for Mexico, won over the judges by keeping Rodriguez on his back foot for most of the fight. However, Rodriguez won the most lopsided round of the bout, the ninth, when he hurt the Mexican with a punch that sent him staggering into the ropes.

Delgado, a 3/2 favorite, improved to 23-0 (17). It was the second pro loss for Rodriguez (17-2-1), a 29-year-old Dominican who trains in Los Angeles under Freddie Roach.

Abdullah Mason

Cleveland southpaw Abdullah Mason celebrated his 21^st birthday by winning his first scheduled 10-rounder. Mason (18-0, 16 KOs) scored three knockdowns before the fight was waived off after the sixth frame.

Mason’s opponent, Mexican southpaw Carlos Ornelas (28-5), fought a curious fight. He wasn’t knocked down three times, not exactly; he merely thought it prudent to take a knee and after each occasion he did his best work, if only for a few brief moments.

Ornelas, a late sub for Giovanni Cabrera who had to pull out with an eye injury, was clearly buzzed after the third “knockdown.” The doctor examined him after the sixth round and when Ornelas left his corner with an unsteady gait, referee Raul Caiz Jr had seen enough.

Other Bouts

Featherweight Albert “Chop Chop” Gonzalez, a protégé of Robert Garcia, improved to 14-0 (7) with an 8-round unanimous decision over Australia’s durable but limited Dana Coolwell. The judges had it 80-72, 78-74, and 77-75.

The granite-chinned Coolwell (13-4) was making his second start in a U.S. ring after taking Shu Shu Carrington the distance in an 8-rounder underneath the Jake Paul-Mike Tyson exhibition at the stadium of the Dallas Cowboys.

SoCal bantamweight Steven Navarro, the TSS 2024 Prospect of the Year, stepped up in class and scored a fourth-round stoppage of Mexicali’s Juan Esteban Garcia who was winning the fourth round when Navarro (6-0, 5 KOs) reversed the momentum with a flourish, forcing the stoppage at the 2:46 mark.

Junior middleweight Art Barrera Jr (8-0, 6 KOs) polished off Daijon Gonzalez in the second round. Barrera decked Gonzalez with a hard left hook and when Gonzales got to his feet, he was immediately greeted with another devastating punch which forced the referee to intervene. The official time was 2:56 of round two. A 32-year-old campaigner from Davenport, Iowa, Gonzalez brought a 12-5 record but had scored only one win vs. an opponent with a winning record.

Jahi Tucker, a 22-year-old middleweight from Deer Park, Long Island, scores his best win to date, winning a lopsided decision over former British junior middleweight champion Troy Williamson. The scores were 99-89 across the board.

Tucker (14-1-1) scored two knockdowns. The first in the second round was called a slip but overruled on replay. The second, in round eight, was the result of a left hook. Williamson stayed on his feet but the ropes held him up and it was properly scored a knockdown. The Englishman, 34, fell to 20-4-1 in what was his U.S. debut.

In a junior lightweight bour slated for eight rounds, 21-year-old Las Vegas southpaw DJ Zamora, advanced to 16-0 (11 KOs) with a fourth-round stoppage of Tex-Mex campaigner Hugo Alberto Castaneda (15-2-1). The official time was 1:24 of round four.

Photo credit: Mikey Williams / Top Rank

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Filip Hrgovic Defeats Joe Joyce in Manchester

Published

12 hours ago

April 5, 2025

David A. Avila

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In a battle to retain heavyweight contender status, Filip Hrgovic out-fought Joe “The Juggernaut” Joyce to win by unanimous decision on Saturday on Queensberry Promotions’ first card on DAZN.

It was a heavyweight brawl.

Croatia’s Hrgovic (18-1, 14 KOs) was the more accurate puncher over England’s Joyce (16-4, 15 KOs) in their heavyweight title fight at Manchester, England. Both were coming off losses.

Hrgovic, 32, entered the boxing ring as a replacement for Joyce’s original foe Dillian Whyte. Though short on notice, he worked with Abel Sanchez who formerly trained Joyce. It proved to be a wise move.

From the opening round Hrgovic opened-up with a battering attack, especially with the one-two combination that rocked Joyce repeatedly in the first two rounds. The British fighter known for his rock-hard chin, withstood the challenge.

“He is a beast,” said Hrgovic. “This guy is like steel.”

For the first half of the 10-round heavyweight clash, Hrgovic was the aggressor and the much more accurate puncher. Joyce seemed unsteady on his legs but every round he seemed to gain more stability and confidence.

By midway, Joyce resorted to his juggernaut ways and began to stalk the Croatian fighter whom he defeated in the amateurs a dozen years ago.

Though Joyce had lost by knockout to Zhilei Zhang and was knocked down by Derek Chisora, he was able to remain upright throughout the match with Hrgovic despite some wicked shots.

Just when it seemed Joyce might take over the fight, Hrgovic opened-up with an eight-punch volley in the eighth round that had the British heavyweight reeling. The fight turned around.

Hrgovic seemed to get a second wind and began connecting with left hooks and pinpoint accurate combinations. Joyce tried to fight back but his accuracy was off. The Croatian fighter regained the momentum and never allowed Joyce back in the fight.

After 10 rounds all three judges scored for Hrgovic 97-93, 96-95, 98-92.

“I came to fight on short notice. Thanks to God he gave me strength,” said Hrgovic. “Thanks to Joe for the opportunity.”

The Croatian fighter said he seeks a fight with IBF heavyweight titlist Daniel Dubois.

“This guy beat Dubois and I beat him,” said Hrgovic who lost to Dubois a year ago but defeated Joyce who knocked out Dubois when they fought.

Other Bouts

Heavyweight David Adeleye (14-1, 13 KOs) knocked out Jeamie Tshikeva (8-2, 5 KOs) during a clinch and interference by the referee. It remained a knockout win for Adeleye at 55 seconds of the sixth round. Adeleye becomes the British heavyweight champion.

Super lightweight Jack Rafferty (26-0, 17 KOs) knocked out Cory O’Regan (14-1, 3 KOs) in a punch seemingly delivered during a clinch in the fifth round. The match was stopped at 2:26 of the sixth round.

British Olympian Delicious Orie (1-0) made his pro debut and won by decision over Milos Veletic (3-8) in a heavyweight contest.

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Avila Perspective, Chap. 320: Women’s Boxing Hall of Fame, Heavyweights and More

Published

2 days ago

April 4, 2025

David A. Avila

Avila Perspective, Chap. 320: Women’s Boxing Hall of Fame, Heavyweights and More

Many of the best female fighters of all time including Christy Martin, Laila Ali and others are gathering in the glitzy lights of Las Vegas this week.

Several hundred fans including current and former world champions are attending the International Women’s Boxing Hall of Fame ceremony on Friday, April 4 and 5^th at the Orleans Casino in Las Vegas.

It’s one of my favorite events.

Where else can you talk to the female pioneers and stars of the 1980s and 1990s?

The last time I attended two years ago, Germany’s super star Regina Halmich spoke to the packed house about her career in boxing. She and Daisy Lang were two female world champions who sold out arenas wherever they fought. The pair of blonde fighters proved that female prizefighting could succeed.

Many times, I debated with promoters who believed women’s boxing could not succeed in the USA. Though it was popular in Germany and Mexico, various organizers felt female boxing was not appealing to the American masses.

Now promoters and media networks know women’s boxing and women’s sports have crowd appeal.

Expected to attend the IWBHOF event at Orleans will be Mexico’s Jessica Chavez and Jackie Nava who will be inducted into the women’s hall of fame along with Vaia Zaganas of Canada among many others.

It’s also a gathering place for many of the top proponents of women’s boxing including the organizers of this event such as Sue Fox whose idea spawned the IWBHOF.

Each event is unique and special.

Many of my favorite people in boxing attend this celebration of women’s boxing. Stop by the Orleans Casino on the second floor. You won’t be disappointed.

Heavyweight prospects

Heavyweights take the forefront this weekend in two pivotal battles in different continents.

In England, a pair of contenders looking to maintain their footing in the heavyweight mountain will clash as Joe Joyce (16-3, 15 KOs) meets Croatia’s Filip Hrgovic (17-1, 14 KOs) at the Co-op Live Arena in Manchester. DAZN will stream the event.

Both lost their last match and need a win to remain relevant. Joyce has lost his three of his last four, most recently coming up short in a riveting slugfest with Derek Chisora.

Meanwhile, in Las Vegas, Nevada, two young heavyweights looking to crack contender status clash as undefeated Richard Torrez (12-0,11 KOs) fights Italy’s Guido Vianello (13-2-1,11 KOs) at the Palms Casino.

Both are Olympians who can crack and each can take a blow.

The winner moves up into contention and the other will need to scrape and claw back into relevance.

Coming up

April 12 in Atlantic City: Jarron Ennis (33-0, 29 KOs) vs Eimantis Stanionis (15-0, 9 KOs) IBF welterweight title.

April 12 Albuquerque: Fernando Vargas Jr. (16-0) vs Gonzalo Gaston (23-7); Shane Mosley Jr. (22-4) vs DeAundre Pettus (12-4).

April 19 Oceanside, Calif: Gabriela Fundora (15-0, 7 KOs) vs Marilyn Badillo (19-0-1, 3 KOs). Also, Charles Conwell (21-0, 16 KOs) vs Jorge Garcia (32-4, 26 KOs).

April 26 Tottenham Stadium, London, England; Conor Benn (23-0) vs Chris Eubank Jr. (34-3); Aaron McKenna (19-0, 10 KOs) vs Liam Smith (33-4, 20 Kos).

Fights to Watch

Sat. DAZN 11 a.m. Joe Joyce (16-3) vs Filip Hrgovic (17-1).

Sat. ESPN+ 2:30 p.m. Richard Torrez (12-0) vs Guido Vianello (13-2-1).

Sat. AMAZON PRIME VIDEO 8:00 8 p.m. Tim Tszyu (24-2) vs. Joey Spencer (19-1)

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