Scenes From Hall of Fame Weekend in Canastota, Home to Boxing’s Family

Published

7 months ago

June 23, 2022

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As the world continues to return to some semblance of normality post-pandemic, this year’s International Boxing Hall of Fame Weekend was special. A trilogy of induction classes was officially enshrined on one historic weekend. For Canastota, a small town in upstate New York, this year’s celebration brought back a sentimental and financial influx to the town that had seen its busiest weekend go dormant since 2019.

Among the many things that make boxing unique from other sports, it’s the access to the warriors that fans have cheered, supported, and grown to admire. Boxing Hall of Fame Weekend represents this access at its core. As fans attended the scheduled events over the course of the four-day weekend (events that were free for the most part), one thing quickly became clear: Any fan that watched the ceremonies, sought out pictures or autographs, was surrounded by a group of friends or family members.

It was this theme of family that continued to weave itself around the weekend and eventually would wrap itself around the enshrinement ceremony on Sunday afternoon. With no real schedule of arrivals for the luminaries being inducted, fans gathered around on the grounds of the Hall of Fame from early in the morning through the final event of that day’s evening. Up-close conversations took place along with question-and-answer sessions along with tours of the actual museum, which kept fans busy as they awaited their chance to speak to their favorite inductees. At any given moment you could run into boxing insiders as they too enjoyed the sights and sounds of the weekend.

This reporter ran into 154-pound WBC (secondary) champion Sebastian Fundora (19-0-1, 13 KO’s) as he walked around the museum with his promoter. “I feel motivated looking at all of this history and hopefully one day my stuff will be in here. When my career is over, I’d love for my family to come here and see that I made a mark on the sport,” stated Fundora. How refreshing that despite all the recent success enjoyed by the 24-year-old Florida native, including being victorious in the leading candidate for fight of the year, he was able recognize the amount of focus needed to remain on track to possibly being recognized here one day in an immortal way for his family to witness.

For publicist extraordinaire Bill Caplan, being a member of the 2022 induction class was a bit overwhelming. Caplan, 86, has been involved in boxing in some capacity for more than a half a century working with several generations of fighters, promoters, managers, and media members that found their place on the wall in the Hall.

“When I first got the call, it was a bit much for me to take. I had to pull over since I was driving when I answered the call. After I gathered myself, I first thought about when I was a child and my dad and brother-in-law would take me to the fights,” said Caplan. “That was when I first fell in love with the sport. My brother-in-law was in the business and got me my first job in 1962. I worked for my childhood hero Joe Louis when he was promoting in Hollywood, California.”

After taking a moment to gather his breath, Caplan ended the conversation by stating, “I’ve worked with so many great fighters and people in boxing. People don’t always get to see what fighters do. George Foreman and Oscar De La Hoya gave so much back to where they came from. Building hospitals in East L.A. and giving money back to Houston. I’m proud and humbled to be part of that family.”

As the weekend started to wind down and fans seemed to be tapped-out from all the picture-taking and autograph-seeking, everyone gathered in the event center at the Turning Stone Hotel and Casino for the enshrinement ceremony. Posthumous inductees were represented by a family member. The two sons of former Showtime executive Jay Larkin and the brother of the great writer George Kimball gave impassioned speeches.

Whether it was marquee names like Floyd Mayweather discussing the love for his father and older sister before dedicating his Hall of Fame ring to his father and citation to his mother, Bernard Hopkins bringing his son on stage and speaking to him about earning your place in history, James Toney, who during his career was never at a loss for words, simply saying “thank you” to the fans before yelling out to his mother, “mama, we did it,” or the always stoic Miguel Cotto who thanked the fans in English before turning to his family to profess his love and dedication to them in Spanish, it was special.

The Sweet Science’s very own Bernard Fernandez was inducted with the class of 2020. His absence spoke volumes about his priorities in life. His beloved wife has been dealing with major health issues which would have prevented her from making the trip with him. Wanting to spend every possible moment with her was not lost on the warriors that he covered during his career. Bernard Hopkins, along with his long-time friend and writer Joe Santoliquito, called Fernandez and inducted him over the phone so he could hear the cheers from his peers.

It was Lou DiBella, another 2020 Hall of Fame inductee, who summed up everything that the weekend honoring members of the boxing family is all about:

“I want to thank my dad who is not here with us any longer, he was my hero and gave me two of the greatest lessons I ever learned. If you want to be respected, earn it, cause nothing comes for free. Second, you can have the greatest house, drive a Bentley, and have a $100-thousand-dollar watch, but if you lost your humanity, you’ve got nothing. I’ve gotten to meet some of the most amazing people on earth, not bad for a niche sport. Our niche sport is huge, our sport is different, we’re more relatable. We’re a microcosm of the real world. Cause everyone must fight, whether it’s our internal demons or for our kids. I’ve been a critic of this sport, but that’s because I love boxing. I love it like a brother or a sister that you know can do better. That you want to see reach its full potential. I love boxing.

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Luis A. Cortes III

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Jake Paul vs Tommy Fury on Feb. 26 in a Potential Pay-Per-View Blockbuster

Published

16 hours ago

January 27, 2023

Arne K. Lang

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It’s now official. The twice-postponed “grudge match” between Jake Paul and Tommy Fury will come to fruition on Sunday, Feb. 26, at Riyadh in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. An 8-rounder contested at a catch-weight of 185 pounds, the match and several supporting bouts will air in the U.S. on ESPN+ PPV at a cost of $49.99.

The hook for this promotion – a come-hither that will be hammered home incessantly in the coming weeks – is that Jake Paul will finally touch gloves with a legitimate professional boxer. Paul’s previous opponents were a fellow YouTube influencer (AnEsonGib), a retired NBA player (Nate Robinson), and three former MMA champions: Ben Askren, Tyron Woodley, and Anderson Silva. He fought Woodley twice.

Tommy Fury, the half-brother of reigning WBC world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, made his pro debut in December of 2018 in a four-round bout in his hometown of Manchester. He was two fights into his pro career when he became a contestant on the TV reality show “Love Island.” An enormously popular show in Great Britain, especially among the coveted 18-34 demographic, “Love Island” was in its fifth season.

Fury was paired with supermodel Molly-Mae Hague with whom he finished second. They developed a great chemistry, on and off the set, became engaged, and purportedly welcomed a baby girl this week.

What about Tommy Fury the boxer? How legitimate is he?

Fury’s record currently stands at 8-0 (4 KOs). His first opponent was a professional loser from Latvia whose current ledger reads 10-113-3. His next six opponents were a combined 4-73-2. Finally, in his last fight, which occurred in April of last year, he met an opponent with a good record, Poland’s Daniel Bocianski, who was 10-1. But look closer and one discovers that all but one of Bocianski’s 10 triumphs came against opponents with losing records. The exception was a 6-round decision over a fellow Pole whose record currently stands at 18-16-1 and who has been stopped 13 times.

Fury bloodied Bocianski and won a wide 6-round decision, but his performance was underwhelming. “Fury had the Hollywood teeth, tan, and diamante-colored shorts,” wrote Chasinga Malata of the London Sun, “leaving only his performance without sheen and sparkle.”

There is nothing in Tommy Fury’s background, aside from his biological pedigree, to suggest that he has the tools to become a world-class boxer. If he were a member of the Three Stooges, he would be Shemp.

Jake Paul, by contrast, may actually be legit. Those in the know that have watched him train have come away impressed. It says here that Paul isn’t moving up in class on Feb. 26; it’s the other way around.

In the co-feature, Ilunga Makabu (29-2, 25 KOs) will make the third defense of his WBC world cruiserweight title against Badou Jack (27-3-3, 16 KOs). A Congolese-South African, Makabu is the older brother of heavyweight contender Martin Bakole. Jack, four years older than Makabu at age 39, formerly held world titles at 168 and 175 pounds.

Although Badou Jack was born in Sweden and keeps a home in Las Vegas where he has long been affiliated with the Mayweather Boxing Club, he will have the home field advantage in Saudi Arabia where he has cultivated a loyal following. A devout Muslim, Jack will be making his fourth straight start in the Persian Gulf Region. In his last outing, he outpointed Richard “Popeye” Rivera at Jeddah, winning a 10-round split decision.

Badou Jack

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Avila Perspective, Chap. 223: A Lively Weekend in SoCal with Three Fight Cards in Two Days

Published

22 hours ago

January 27, 2023

David A. Avila

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Avila Perspective, Chap. 223: A Lively Weekend in SoCal with Three Fight Cards in Two Days

Big money prizefighting returns to the Los Angeles area with back-to-back shows. First, Serhii Bohachuk heads a 360 Promotions card on Friday and then Alexis Rocha is featured on Saturday in a Golden Boy Promotions production. And on the same day Riverside’s Saul Rodriguez fights in his hometown.

Bohachuk, Rocha, and Rodriguez are aggressive big hitters.

Ukraine’s Bohachuk seeks to regain footing in the super welterweight division. He was rapidly climbing up the ratings ladder when first he was defeated by Brandon Adams two years ago. And then the invasion of his home country Ukraine stalled him even more.

On Friday Jan. 27, at the Quiet Cannon in Montebello, Calif. Bohachuk (21-1, 21 KOs) meets Nathaniel Gallimore (22-6-1, 17 KOs) in the main event. UFC Fight Pass will stream the 360 Boxing Promotions card.

Few fighters are as well-liked outside of the prize ring as Bohachuk. Always amiable, he’s one of the handful of fighters that always smiles. Inside the ring, he’s a killer. No one leaves without someone getting knocked out.

Gallimore, 34, is no slouch. He has a knockout win over former world titlist Jeison Rosario and has battled almost all of the top super welterweights. He is a veteran and very crafty.

The Quiet Cannon venue is not very large, but it does have a patio and good food and drink. Most of the crowd ventures from all over Southern California to attend the fights at that venue. It gets packed.

Golden Boy in Inglewood

Welterweight contender Alexis Rocha headlines the Golden Boy Promotions card on Saturday, Jan. 28, at the brand new YouTube Theater in Inglewood, Calif. DAZN will stream the fight card.

Rocha (21-1, 13 KOs) faces George Ashie (33-5-1) in the main event set for 12 rounds. Finally, there is an opponent for the left-handed fighter from Santa Ana. It didn’t look like he was going to fight after opponent after opponent fell out for one reason or another.

“You have to be ready for anybody they put in front of you. If it’s you or George Ashie, I have to prepare for it. I have to focus on what I can do,” said Rocha.

Others on the card include super middleweight Bektemir Melikuziev (10-1) vs Ulises Sierra (17-2-2) set for 10 rounds. Also, good looking lightweight prospect Floyd Schofield (12-0, 10 KOs) meets Alberto Mercado (17-4-1).

Schofield fights out of Austin, Texas and looks like someone to watch.

Doors open at 3 p.m.

Neno Returns in San Bernardino

Garcia Promotions stages a boxing card on Saturday Jan. 28, at the Club Event Center in San Bernardino. Garcia Promotions is associated with trainer Robert Garcia and family whose training compound is located in nearby Riverside.

A primarily local fight card featuring all fighters from Garcia’s gym will be performing.

Headlining is Saul “Neno” Rodriguez out of Riverside, California.

It’s been nearly three years since Rodriguez (24-1-1, 18 KOs) last fought and he faces Mexico’s Juan Meza Angulo (6-1, 3 KOs) in the co-main event.

At one time Rodriguez was a big fan favorite because of his fast work and knockout ability. Once he got to the top plateau he ran into another knockout puncher in Miguel Angel Gonzalez and lost by stoppage.

Prizefighting is a tricky road. One loss can mean difficulty in finding a big-time promoter or it can mean discovering what you need to do to re-establish your skills. A fighter can go the road of Kermit “The Killer” Cintron and find out other ways to win without a kill-or be-killed style. Or they can travel the road of Marco Antonio Barrera who was knocked out by Junior Jones but adapted a more boxer-puncher style that allowed him to defeat Erik Morales twice and Prince Naseem Hamed.

Rodriguez, 29, still has time to make a good run for a title bid. It all starts on Saturday.

Others on the Garcia Promotions card are fighters who are part of trainer Garcia’s stable including Gabriel Muratalla, Leonardo Ruiz, Jose Rodriguez and others.

Doors open at 4 p.m. with amateurs opening the boxing program.

Fights to Watch

Fri. UFC Fight Pass 7 p.m. Serhii Bohachuk (21-1) vs Nathaniel Gallimore (22-6-1).

Sat. ESPN+ 11:30 a.m. Artur Beterbiev (18-0) vs Anthony Yarde (23-2).

Sat. DAZN 5 p.m. Alexis Rocha (21-1) vs George Ashie (33-5-1).

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Artur Beterbiev: “I’d prefer to fight Bivol because he has the one thing I need”

Published

3 days ago

January 25, 2023

J.J. Alvarez

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Russian Artur Beterbiev, triple champion of the 175-pound division, is the only current world champion who, thanks to the enormous power he wields in his fists, has won all his fights inside the distance.

Beterbiev has 18 victories by way of chloroform since he debuted as a professional fighter in June 2013 when he anesthetized retired American, Christian Cruz, in the tenth round at the Bell Center in Montreal where Beterbiev currently resides.

Beterbiev, who turned thirty-eight last Saturday, will defend his WBC, IBF, and WBO titles against Brit Anthony “The Beast from the East” Yarde (23-2, 22 KOs) on Saturday, January 28th at the OVO Arena in London.

Beterbiev obtained the WBO belt on June 18^th this past year when he defeated American Joe Smith (28-4, 22 KOs) in the second round at Madison Square Garden. This was Smith’s second defense of the belt.

Earlier, in November 2017, Beterbiev won the vacant IBF belt after defeating German Enrico Koelling (28-5, 9 KOs) by knockout in the twelfth round in Fresno, California.

Two years later, Beterbiev seized the WBC belt from Ukrainian Oleksandr Gvozdyk (17-1, 14 KOs) in Philadelphia. Three knockdowns in the tenth round forced referee Gary Rosato to stop the lopsided bout with 11 seconds remaining in the round. Beterbiev maintains that although his intention is to win each fight, in no way does he want to harm his rival and that his greatest wish is for both of them to leave the ring healthy.

Referring to his upcoming matchup, Beterbiev told BoxingScene that “after the fight, I just hope he (Yarde) is okay.”

He acknowledged that he does not know much about the British boxer, although he has watched several of his fights: “He’s a good fighter, has good experience as a professional and he’s a boxer. He’s dangerous so I have to prepare for this fight like I always do.”

Beterbiev said that his main motivation is to successfully defend the three belts he owns and that is why he will try to be one hundred percent ready and then it will be evident who is the better fighter.

Regarding his knockout streak, Beterbiev emphatically denied that he enjoys knocking out his opponents: “No. There’s no pleasure in it. I just hope everything is OK with them. I just want to do good boxing, not hit people.”

Beterbiev smiles enigmatically and stares at the horizon when they ask him to what he attributes the strength of his fists to. “I know for sure, 1000 percent, that the secret to my power is somewhere in my boxing gym but I don’t know exactly where,” he adds. “I don’t know which exercise or bag gave me this secret. I don’t know where it comes from. I wasn’t always like this either, it has come from working every day. But really my dream is to be a good boxer one day.”

Aside from the upcoming fight with Yarde, Beterbiev acknowledges in each interview that his goal is to be the undisputed champion of the division, which means facing (and defeating) the undefeated Russian Dmitry Bivol (21-0, 11 KOs), who holds the WBA light heavyweight super championship belt.

“I need Bivol,” Beterbiev admits. “I’d prefer to fight Bivol because he has the one thing I need. I hope I fight him in 2023 but the hold-up is not from my side, it’s from their side. In the last three years he always says he will fight me next but in this time we’ve done unification fights against Oleksandr Gvozdyk and Joe Smith. We’ve done that whereas he has just been talking about it.

Beterbiev recalled that he was with Bivol on the Russian national team where they were amateurs. “I knew him then, but he is younger than me. We haven’t talked for 10 years now. He was 75kg back then, too small for me. We were never friends.”

Article submitted by Jorge Juan Alvarez in Spanish.

Please note any adjustments made were for clarification purposes and any errors in translation were unintentional.

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