Glimpses into the Past (Part Three of a Three-Part Story)

Published

3 years ago

February 14, 2022

Ted Sares

Glimpses-into-Part-Three-of-a-Three=Part-Story

Glimpses into the Past (Part Three of a Three-Part Story)

Tracking all the way back to the 1940’s, I have witnessed literally thousands of fights during my almost 85 years of life and consider myself something of an aficionado. Some memories have been grand; others I wish I could erase. Most have been indelible. I have seen or heard some truly remarkable things. A representative sample of them continues here in the final part of this 3-part series.

Playing Possum

Jake LaMotta had lost once to Laurent Dauthuille and when they fought again in 1950 for the world middleweight championship, the Frenchman was leading by a wide margin going into the fifteenth and final round. I was listening to this one on the radio at a very young age, and was rooting for Jake. As Dauthuille was pounding away and seemingly had Jake hanging on, LaMotta suddenly turned the tables. He was playing possum and waiting for just the right moment to launch his attack. It worked as he KO’d Laurent with just 13 seconds to go. I went nuts. There is a video available and it’s well worth the hunt.

Ebb and Flow

The ebb and flow classic between Archie “Old Mongoose” Moore and Canada’s Yvon Durelle in 1958 is a must-see for all hard-core boxing fans. The rugged French Canadian decked the Mongoose three times in the first round and appeared to be on his way to a certain stoppage victory. But Moore somehow managed to weather the storm and survive the round. Then, incredibly, he began to work his way back.

Moore was knocked down again in the fifth round but still would not fold. Durelle was not only visibly discouraged but was also tiring. He had made a fatal mistake, letting the Mongoose off the hook, and now it was Archie who took control and began to put some hurt on the rugged challenger. Durelle finally went down in the seventh and tenth rounds, and then Moore settled matters in the eleventh round of a fight that had to be seen to be believed. This classic gave new meaning to the words courage and comeback. It was one of the most brutal, thrilling slugfests of all time, maybe — just maybe — the greatest fight in history. Thankfully, I remember it.

Of course, I also remember Castillo vs Corrales (May 2015).

Charles Mohr

Under the most successful coach in the history of American collegiate boxing, the legendary and beloved John Walsh, University of Wisconsin boxers won eight NCAA team championships and 38 individual titles from 1933 to 1960. If you were into college boxing, Wisconsin was the place to be.

It all came to a tragic end on April 9, 1960, the date 22-year-old Wisconsin senior Charles Mohr, probably the finest collegiate boxer in the U.S., went into the ring against Stu Bartell who represented another collegiate boxing powerhouse in San Jose State.

Mohr was the 1959 intercollegiate middleweight champion, with a 23-5 slate over a four-year period. He was heavily favored to retain his title. Minutes later, he was in a deep coma from an intracranial hemorrhage following a moderate blow to the head and died eight days later without regaining consciousness. The improbability of this happening was shocking. Then, twenty-two days after Charlie Mohr’s death, the University of Wisconsin abolished the sport. The NCAA soon followed Wisconsin’s lead. It was the last NCAA boxing tournament ever held. Things happened so fast, the entire episode seemed unreal and took years to settle in.

The Knockout from Hell

Wilfred Benitez, the Puerto Rican prodigy, met Maurice Hope on May 23, 1981 in Las Vegas. At stake was the WBC junior middleweight title. Benitez was 41-1-1, Hope 32-2-1.

Benitez was stylish with incredible defensive skills, but he also had deceptive punching power. Hope also had sneaky punching power. In fact, he had previously stopped future world middleweight champion Vito Antuofermo, (who would later go the full 15 rounds in a fight with Marvelous Marvin Hagler). Hope was born in Antigua but lived in England most of his life and represented Great Britain at the 1972 Olympics in Munich.

As for the fight, Benitez was well ahead on all three scorecards when out of nowhere he landed a thunderous overhand right in the twelfth round that separated Hope from his senses and rendered him totally unconscious. He was out before he landed. No jab or lead-in combination was involved; just the overhand shot. The KO was of the highlights variety and was seen on televised sports shows throughout the world. Hope required hospitalization, but fortunately recuperated. He would only fight one more time.

Rage

On August 1, 1982, San Antonio boxer Tony ‘El Torito’ Ayala, Jr savaged talented middleweight Robbie Epps until the referee called the fight in front of 12,000 howling pro-Ayala fans at San Antonio’s Freeman Coliseum. Epps was no slouch having won his first 22 pro bouts and having beaten Darryl Penn and the very capable Dwight Davison (28-0 coming in).

Ayala, 5’7”, stayed low against his 6’2″ opponent using him as a big bag and throwing combos and straight shots with nothing coming back for the 21st win of his career. Even after the overly hesitant referee stopped the slaughter, Ayala kept going after Epps as there was no love lost between the two. This reflected a fatal flaw in his character that would emerge too many times. Indeed, his streak of violence continued outside the ring, with repeated accounts of assault against women and attendant imprisonment. Yet, despite his horrible shortcomings, his fights were memorable for their unbridled rage and the Epps fight was the best of the best for me.

“He could have been one of the greatest.”— Osmar Alaniz, boxing coach and friend of the Ayala family

Riddick Bowe vs Elijah Tillery I

A manager should always have his fighter’s back and when Riddick Bowe (26-0) fought Elijah Tillery (23-4)in 1991 at the Convention Center in Washington, DC, Bowe’s manager Rock Newman did just that. After a first round in which “Big Daddy” pummeled Tillery, a nasty second fight broke out at the end of the round. Bowe flung a left jab at Tillery and was answered by three kicks. After the bigger Bowe pinned “Phoenix Steel” against the ropes, Newman appeared out of nowhere and grabbed poor Tillery in a stranglehold and pulled him down into the abyss. The entire episode was high camp and had me on the floor laughing. Many years later, Riddick’s explanation was shocking because it was slurred and unintelligible. It was not funny—not one bit.

When the HBO Commentators Were Shut Down

In 1997, The HBO team mercilessly criticized Micky Ward’s effort against his touted opponent Alfonso Sanchez (16-0) even comparing it to visual torture. Someone suggested –with tongue in cheek –that the referee should stop the fight. But Ward fans knew what the announcers obviously didn’t; to wit, that no matter what kind of off-day Micky was having, he could end a fight at any time with his laser-like body shot to the kidneys—and that’s just what he did at 1.53 of Round Seven. After hurting Sanchez with one left hand shot and realizing that he was vulnerable, he launched another sizzling left and that was that. I was up and screaming because I was a Ward fan and that went all the way back to his Golden Gloves days in boxing-crazy Lowell, MA.

Oh No!

“As a boxing writer for the Miami Herald and later for Sports Illustrated, Pat Putnam used his talent and reportorial skills to weave compelling tales about fighting men. It was Putnam who scooped the world in 1964 with the revelation that Cassius Clay was going to change his name to Muhammad Ali. He was a prolific journalist.” — Bernard Fernandez (May 2, 2008).

I loved Pat’s writing but I also greatly admired the “fact” he was an ex-Marine, a combat veteran, and a POW of the Korean war (a brutal conflict that I personally have studied intensely). Putnam claimed he was a prisoner of war for 17 months and told people that his wartime experience left him with only one lung and a lifetime of back problems. He also said that he received several decorations. This information was included in Steve Springer’s widely syndicated obituary in the Los Angeles Times:

Then, three years after his death in 2005, it was discovered that his military claims were false. Die-hard Putnam fans went into shock and then into denial. Many would not accept the truth. Some boxing site managers would not even permit discussion of it on their boxing platforms. All I could say was “Oh No.”

Unassailable—I think not

“Murat was on the verge of disqualification. I wanted to give him every opportunity to finish the fight and I felt that he was abusing the opportunity I was giving him.” — Steve Smoger

“New Jersey boxing was out of control Saturday night in Atlantic City. Referee Steve Smoger, who physically manhandled Bernard Hopkins’ opponent Karo Murat all night, at one point stuck his palm in Murat’s face and shoved him backward with a sneer, clearly intent on inflicting harm. Smoger should have been yanked halfway through the twelve rounds and sent home with a sedative.” — Ivan G. Goldman, 10-28-13, Boxing Insider.”

Aging Bernard Hopkins defended his IBF light-heavyweight title against tough challenger Karo Murat on October 26, 2013 . Steve Smoger was the referee. Hopkins won by unanimous decision in a hard-fought, entertaining and even dirty battle. But what stuck in my memory bank was the way Smoger pushed, no, the way he shoved Murat away at the end of the fight for no apparent reason and then, punctuating the strange scene, turned around and gave Hopkins a great big hug, a wider smile, and reportedly even a kiss. That lack of neutrality was sickening to watch.

“Hopkins-Murat will not be played at Steve Smoger’s Hall of Fame induction ceremony” — Adam Abramowitz

Five Memorable Quotes

Hey! All the padding is out of the damn gloves…It’s all out…Commissioner…Commissioner! No padding! There’s no damn padding!” — Billy Collins Sr.

“I don’t know anybody outside of the Gatti camp who seriously maintains that Gatti made weight for that fight [against Joey Gamache] They jumped him on and off the scale very quickly. It seemed pretty clear to me that someone at the commission had been told in advance that there might be a problem and the response was, ‘Don’t worry about it.’ ” — Thomas Hauser

‘I’m all about fighting the best fighters.” — Danny Garcia after slaughtering 33-1 underdog Rod Salka,

“Mental health has got to be the biggest battle I’ve ever fought, more so than any opponent.” — Tyson Fury

“The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” –Nelson Mandela

Ted Sares welcomes questions or comments and can be reached at tedsares@roadrunner.com

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

Published

2 days ago

January 19, 2025

Arne K. Lang

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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

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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

5 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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