Boxing Writer Mike Marley Was a Colorful Character

Published

3 years ago

March 6, 2022

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Mike Marley wore many hats during a career in boxing that began when he was 13 years old. At various times, Marley was a PR man, a facilitator in all of its various permutations, a production assistant for Howard Cosell, and a boxing writer for several newspapers, most notably the New York Post. He was also as colorful as many of the sporting characters that he wrote about, a fellow who made friends and enemies in about equal measure. His death this past week from complications of Parkinson’s left his friends ruing the loss of a great raconteur.

As a boy growing up in Boston, Marley became infatuated with the boxer then known as Cassius Clay. He started a fan club for the up-and-coming heavyweight, the spawn of which was an annual newsletter he sold for $5.

Marley got to meet his hero when Ali came to Boston in the spring of 1965 to finish up his training for his rematch with Sonny Liston slated for May 25 at Boston Garden. Marley tracked Ali down to the hotel where he was staying and became a regular visitor. Ali took a shine to the 14-year-old fanboy and young Michael became something of a mascot.

Ali-Liston II would be kicked out of Boston — the District Attorney was sending a message to Liston’s underworld associates – and re-positioned in the neighboring state of Maine where it played out on the originally scheduled date at an armory in Lewiston. Mike Marley was there as a guest of Ali and he would also have a choice seat at Ali-Frazier I, the Fight of the Century in the new Madison Square Garden.

During his teen years, Marley hooked up with Sam Silverman. Best remembered for promoting the early fights of Rocky Marciano, “Subway Sam” was Mr. Boxing in New England. With an office in Chelsea and an annex in the trunk of his car, Silverman promoted big-budget and low-budget shows, but mostly the latter, during a career that was in its fifth decade when he died in a car crash in 1977.

Marley designed little programs for Silverman’s little shows and delivered envelopes to sports editors, honorariums much appreciated, especially by scribes toiling in the hinterland.

Mike Marley ventured a long way from home to attend college. He chose Nevada’s flagship university in Reno because of the school’s prominent boxing team.

Mike wasn’t too bad with the mitts. Competing mostly at 165 pounds, he was purportedly 7-2-4 in inter-collegiate competitions, a record highlighted by a first-round knockout of an opponent from Stanford.

Marley wasn’t completely done with fisticuffing when he left college. In 1991, he scuffled with Patrick Flannery, the manager of Hector “Macho” Camacho, in the lobby of Reno’s Clarion Hotel. The fracas, which started around 3:00 in the morning, was a nasty little spat. Marley emerged with a swollen forehead and a busted lip. Flannery suffered a broken kneecap.

The scuffle had its roots in a story that Marley wrote for the New York Post following Camacho’s loss to Greg Haugen in their first meeting. Marley blamed Flannery. “If he’s a manager,” he wrote, “then I am an astronaut.” But we are getting ahead of ourselves.

At the University of Nevada, Marley wrote a weekly column called “Campus Chatter” for the school newspaper, which led to work with the Nevada State Journal, a paper with a small circulation, and then to the regionally transcendent Reno Gazette-Journal. Like most sportswriters, he initially covered high school sports and then transitioned to covering sports of national interest; in his case, mostly boxing.

From the Gazette-Journal, Marley moved to the Las Vegas Sun, the city’s afternoon paper (remember afternoon papers?) where he scored a big coup, by his recollection, when he followed up on a tip that led him to a greasy spoon in Flagstaff, Arizona where Roberto Duran’s long-lost biological father was working as a short-order cook. A former seaman, the man was revealed to be of Mexican descent which increased Roberto’s popularity 10-fold in the Latino community. (For the record, this story actually originated in a Flagstaff paper. In the pre-internet days, news didn’t circulate as freely.)

From the Sun, Marley moved to the New York Post where he had two stints as the boxing writer. He first left the paper to serve as an executive producer with ABC’s “SportsBeat.” The show, which won an Emmy Award, was hosted by Howard Cosell who was famed for his work on Monday Night Football and for his interviews with Marley’s hero Muhammad Ali.

Marley left the paper the second time to work for Don King. His business card may have identified him as King’s Public Relations Director but in the company of old friends he snarked to a different title: Minister of Propaganda.

This reporter recalls seeing Marley standing alongside his boss at a boxing press conference where he was reduced to brushing dandruff from the shoulder of King’s one-of-a-kind denim jacket. Why he was there was a mystery as no one ever got a word in edgewise when King had the floor.

The scene didn’t redound well to Marley who had written a lot of negative stuff about King, but perhaps he and the flamboyant promoter were destined to join forces. As boxing writer Robert Mladinich noted, they had a lot in common: “unlimited energy, tremendous egos, and chutzpah.” (Don King wasn’t an easy man to work for. He fired many people only to rehire them the next day. But King paid well and a man caught up in his vortex knew he was alive.)

During his days with the Post, Marley somehow found time to earn a law degree. He graduated from Fordham University Law School at age 40 and became a criminal defense attorney. But he never wandered far from boxing.

He took to managing and co-managing fighters, the list of which included Shannon Briggs, Terry Norris, Derrell Coley, and Julian Letterlough. He also wangled a job as a consultant to California’s Sycuan Indian tribe which ran occasional boxing shows at their casino near San Diego. And he continued to write, his articles appearing on various boxing web sites.

Mike Marley was at his best, it says here, when he was with the New York Post. The tabloid with its lurid front-page headlines that were calculated to boost sales at newsstands (remember newsstands?) was the perfect fit for him and he amped up his game, his stories becoming breezier and more jaundiced.

Marley was part of Muhammad Ali’s inner circle before he was old enough to drive, but in time he came to see the Ali circus in a sobering light. Check out this description of Muhammad Ali’s entourage from a 1979 Post story that was picked up by the Atlanta Constitution:

They moved from city to city, from continent to continent, like a plundering herd. They were boxing’s version of the Foreign Legion.

They came in two categories – those with a real or imagined function, and the hustlers. From Malaysia to Houston, from Zaire to Lake Tahoe, they went first class. Their brush with fame was purely guilt by association. They ran up outrageous tabs and phone bills and charged gifts to Ali. They flimflammed merchants from Manila to Lewiston.

Good stuff.

Mike Marley was 71 years old when he passed away on March 2 in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. He led a very interesting life. May he rest in peace.

—

Arne K. Lang’s latest book, titled “George Dixon, Terry McGovern and the Culture of Boxing in America, 1890-1910,” will shortly roll off the press at McFarland’s. The book may be pre-ordered direct from the publisher (click here) or via Amazon.

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‘Krusher’ Exits on a Winning Note: TKOs Artur Mann in his ‘Farewell Fight’

Published

1 hour ago

April 19, 2025

Arne K. Lang

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At his peak, former three-time world light heavyweight champion Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev ranked high on everyone’s pound-for-pound list. Now 42 years old – he turned 42 earlier this month – Kovalev has been largely inactive in recent years, but last night he returned to the ring in his hometown of Chelyabinsk, Russia, and rose to the occasion in what was billed as his farewell fight, stopping Artur Mann in the seventh frame.

Kovalev hit his peak during his first run as a world title-holder. He was 30-0-1 (26 KOs) entering first match with Andre Ward, a mark that included a 9-0 mark in world title fights. The only blemish on his record was a draw that could have been ruled a no-contest (journeyman Grover Young was unfit to continue after Kovalev knocked down in the second round what with was deemed an illegal rabbit punch). Among those nine wins were two stoppages of dangerous Haitian-Canadian campaigner Jean Pascal and a 12-round shutout over Bernard Hopkins.

Kovalev’s stature was not diminished by his loss to the undefeated Ward. All three judges had it 114-113, but the general feeling among the ringside press was that Sergey nicked it.

The rematch was also somewhat controversial. Referee Tony Weeks, who halted the match in the eighth stanza with Kovalev sitting on the lower strand of ropes, was accused of letting Ward get away with a series of low blows, including the first punch of a three-punch series of body shots that culminated in the stoppage. Sergey was wobbled by a punch to the head earlier in the round and was showing signs of fatigue, but he was still in the fight. Respected judge Steve Weisfeld had him up by three points through the completed rounds.

Sergey Kovalev was never the same after his second loss to Andre Ward, albeit he recaptured a piece of the 175-pound title twice, demolishing Vyacheslav Shabranskyy for the vacant WBO belt after Ward announced his retirement and then avenging a loss to Eleider Alvarez (TKO by 7) with a comprehensive win on points in their rematch.

Kovalev’s days as a title-holder ended on Nov. 2, 2019 when Canelo Alvarez, moving up two weight classes to pursue a title in a fourth weight division, stopped him in the 11^th round, terminating what had been a relatively even fight with a hellacious left-right combination that left Krusher so discombobulated that a count was superfluous.

That fight went head-to-head with a UFC fight in New York City. DAZN, to their everlasting discredit, opted to delay the start of Canelo-Kovalev until the main event of the UFC fight was finished. The delay lasted more than an hour and Kovalev would say that he lost his psychological edge during the wait.

Kovalev had two fights in the cruiserweight class between his setback to Canelo and last night’s presumptive swan song. He outpointed Tervel Pulev in Los Angeles and lost a 10-round decision to unheralded Robin Sirwan Safar in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Artur Mann, a former world title challenger – he was stopped in three rounds by Mairis Briedis in 2021 when Briedis was recognized as the top cruiserweight in the world – was unexceptional, but the 34-year-old German, born in Kazakhstan, wasn’t chopped liver either, and Kovalev’s stoppage of him will redound well to the Russian when he becomes eligible for the Boxing Hall of Fame.

Krusher almost ended the fight in the second round. He knocked Mann down hard with a short left hand and seemingly scored another knockdown before the round was over (but it was ruled a slip). Mann barely survived the round.

In the next round, a punch left Mann with a bad cut on his right eyelid, but the German came to fight and rounds three, four and five were competitive.

Kovalev had a good sixth round although there were indications that he was tiring. But in the seventh he got a second wind and unleashed a right-left combination that rolled back the clock to the days when he was one of the sport’s most feared punchers. Mann went down hard and as he staggered to his feet, his corner signaled that the fight should be stopped and the referee complied. The official time was 0:49 of round seven. It was the 30^th KO for Kovalev who advanced his record to 36-5-1.

Addendum: History informs us that Farewell Fights have a habit of becoming redundant, by which we mean that boxers often get the itch to fight again after calling it quits. Have we seen the last of Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev? We woudn’t bet on it.

The complete Kovalev-Mann fight card was live-streamed on the Boxing News youtube channel.

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Avila Perspective, Chap. 322: Super Welter Week in SoCal

Published

20 hours ago

April 18, 2025

David A. Avila

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Two below-the-radar super welterweight stars show off their skills this weekend from different parts of Southern California.

One in particular, Charles Conwell, co-headlines a show in Oceanside against a hard-hitting Mexican while another super welter star Sadriddin Akhmedov faces another Mexican hitter in Commerce.

Take your pick.

The super welterweight division is loaded with talent at the moment. If Terence Crawford remained in the division he would be at the top of the class, but he is moving up several weight divisions.

Conwell (21-0, 16 KOs) faces Jorge Garcia Perez (32-4, 26 KOs) a tall knockout puncher from Los Mochis at the Frontwave Arena in Oceanside, Calif. on Saturday April 19. DAZN will stream the Golden Boy Promotions card that also features undisputed flyweight champion Gabriela Fundora. We’ll get to her later.

Conwell might be the best super welterweight out there aside from the big dogs like Vergil Ortiz, Serhii Bohachuk and Sebastian Fundora.

If you are not familiar with Conwell he comes from Cleveland, Ohio and is one of those fighters that other fighters know about. He is good.

He has the James “Lights Out” Toney kind of in-your-face-style where he anchors down and slowly deciphers the opponent’s tools and then takes them away piece by piece. Usually it’s systematic destruction. The kind you see when a skyscraper goes down floor by floor until it’s smoking rubble.

During the Covid days Conwell fought two highly touted undefeated super welters in Wendy Toussaint and Madiyar Ashkeyev. He stopped them both and suddenly was the boogie man of the super welterweight division.

Conwell will be facing Mexico’s taller Garcia who likes to trade blows as most Mexican fighters prefer, especially those from Sinaloa. These guys will be firing H bombs early.

Fundora

Co-headlining the Golden Boy card is Gabriela Fundora (15-0, 7 KOs) the undisputed flyweight champion of the world. She has all the belts and Mexico’s Marilyn Badillo (19-0-1, 3 KOs) wants them.

Gabriela Fundora is the sister of Sebastian Fundora who holds the men’s WBC and WBO super welterweight world titles. Both are tall southpaws with power in each hand to protect the belts they accumulated.

Six months ago, Fundora met Argentina’s Gabriela Alaniz in Las Vegas to determine the undisputed flyweight champion. The much shorter Alaniz tried valiantly to scrap with Fundora and ran into a couple of rocket left hands.

Mexico’s Badillo is an undefeated flyweight from Mexico City who has battled against fellow Mexicans for years. She has fought one world champion in Asley Gonzalez the current super flyweight world titlist. They met years ago with Badillo coming out on top.

Does Badillo have the skill to deal with the taller and hard-hitting Fundora?

When a fighter has a six-inch height advantage like Fundora, it is almost impossible to out-maneuver especially in two-minute rounds. Ask Alaniz who was nearly decapitated when she tried.

This will be Badillo’s first pro fight outside of Mexico.

Commerce Casino

Kazakhstan’s Sadriddin Akhmedov (15-0, 13 KOs) is another dangerous punching super welterweight headlining a 360 Promotions card against Mexico’s Elias Espadas (23-6, 16 KOs) on Saturday at the Commerce Casino.

UFC Fight Pass will stream the 360 Promotions card of about eight bouts.

Akhmedov is another Kazakh puncher similar to the great Gennady “GGG” Golovkin who terrorized the middleweight division for a decade. He doesn’t have the same polish or dexterity but doesn’t lack pure punching power.

It’s another test for the super welterweight who is looking to move up the ladder in the very crowded 154-pound weight division. 360 Promotions already has a top contender in Ukraine’s Serhii Bohachuk who nearly defeated Vergil Ortiz a year ago.

Could Bohachuk and Akhmedov fight each other if nothing else materializes?

That’s a question for another day.

Fights to Watch

Sat. DAZN 5 p.m. Charles Conwell (21-0, 16 KOs) vs. Jorge Garcia Perez (32-4, 26 KOs); Gabriela Fundora (15-0) vs Marilyn Badillo (19-0-1).

Sat. UFC Fight Pass 6 p.m. Sadriddin Akhmedov (15-0) vs Elias Espadas (23-6).

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TSS Salutes Thomas Hauser and his Bernie Award Cohorts

Published

3 days ago

April 16, 2025

TSS Press

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The Boxing Writers Association of America has announced the winners of its annual Bernie Awards competition. The awards, named in honor of former five-time BWAA president and frequent TSS contributor Bernard Fernandez, recognize outstanding writing in six categories as represented by stories published the previous year.

Over the years, this venerable website has produced a host of Bernie Award winners. In 2024, Thomas Hauser kept the tradition alive. A story by Hauser that appeared in these pages finished first in the category “Boxing News Story.” Titled “Ryan Garcia and the New York State Athletic Commission,” the story was published on June 23. You can read it HERE.

Hauser also finished first in the category of “Investigative Reporting” for “The Death of Ardi Ndembo,” a story that ran in the (London) Guardian. (Note: Hauser has owned this category. This is his 11^th first place finish for “Investigative Reporting”.)

Thomas Hauser, who entered the International Boxing Hall of Fame with the class of 2019, was honored at last year’s BWAA awards dinner with the A.J. Leibling Award for Outstanding Boxing Writing. The list of previous winners includes such noted authors as W.C. Heinz, Budd Schulberg, Pete Hamill, and George Plimpton, to name just a few.

The Leibling Award is now issued intermittently. The most recent honorees prior to Hauser were Joyce Carol Oates (2015) and Randy Roberts (2019).

Roberts, a Distinguished Professor of History at Purdue University, was tabbed to write the Hauser/Leibling Award story for the glossy magazine for BWAA members published in conjunction with the organization’s annual banquet. Regarding Hauser’s most well-known book, his Muhammad Ali biography, Roberts wrote, “It is nearly impossible to overestimate the importance of the book to our understanding of Ali and his times.” An earlier book by Hauser, “The Black Lights: Inside the World of Professional Boxing,” garnered this accolade: “Anyone who wants to understand boxing today should begin by reading ‘The Black Lights’.”

A panel of six judges determined the Bernie Award winners for stories published in 2024. The stories they evaluated were stripped of their bylines and other identifying marks including the publication or website for which the story was written.

Other winners:

Boxing Event Coverage: Tris Dixon

Boxing Column: Kieran Mulvaney

Boxing Feature (Over 1,500 Words): Lance Pugmire

Boxing Feature (Under 1,500 Words): Chris Mannix

The Dixon, Mulvaney, and Pugmire stories appeared in Boxing Scene; the Mannix story in Sports Illustrated.

The Bernie Award recipients will be honored at the forthcoming BWAA dinner on April 30 at the Edison Ballroom in the heart of Times Square. (For more information, visit the BWAA website). Two days after the dinner, an historic boxing tripleheader will be held in Times Square, the logistics of which should be quite interesting. Ryan Garcia, Devin Haney, and Teofimo Lopez share top billing.

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