Talking Boxing with Renowned New York Sports Journalist Wally Matthews

Published

1 year ago

November 11, 2023

Rick Assad

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If one had the ability to construct a prototypical New York City boxing writer, it would be in the mold of Wally Matthews.

This observation was put forward by Mark Kriegel, a New York City native and one of the preeminent journalists and authors of this generation.

“Coming from Kriegel, one of the finest newspaper columnists I’ve ever read, that is high praise indeed,” Matthews admitted. “I think what he means is, I was the type who wasn’t afraid to ask a hard question or take an unpopular stance, and I didn’t take any crap from anyone (still don’t) … I plead guilty on all counts.”

Aside from being a standout boxing scribe, Matthews also covered baseball and many other sports, but it was the manly art that seemed to suit him best.

“I was lucky enough to cover boxing when it was important enough for every paper to have a full-time boxing writer in an era when for a couple of nights a year, the whole world would stop to watch a major fight. Considering I covered [Marvin] Hagler-[Thomas] Hearns, Hagler-[Ray] Leonard], [Larry] Holmes-[Michael] Spinks I and II, just about every Mike Tyson fight as well as [Roberto] Duran, [Oscar] De La Hoya, [Felix] Trinidad, [James] Toney and Roy Jones Jr. as both Olympian and professional, I think the case can be made that I was fortunate enough to land smack in the middle of one of boxing’s golden ages,” said Matthews, who left three credits shy of a bachelor’s degree in Journalism from C.W. Post University after taking a full-time job with Long Island Newsday, where he worked from 1983 to 1994. “My fight stories often landed on the back page of Newsday and the [New York] Post [1994 to 2002]. That doesn’t happen anymore, no matter who’s fighting. Clearly, the period from 1985 through 2000 was a special era for boxing.”

Even though Matthews, who returned to Newsday [2005 to 2010] is no longer seated ringside, he thinks the fight game is pretty much the same.

“The fights themselves haven’t changed. It’s still two individuals stripped of virtually everything but their courage and determination and taking part in the most demanding test of a human being short of actual armed combat,” he said. “And yes, I include MMA in that assessment, because any combat sport in which a participant can quit (or “tap out”) when the going gets tough, with no loss of honor is not really a combat sport. So those things about boxing remain the same and always will.”

There have been slight changes in boxing, and not always for the betterment.

“Where it has changed is in the public perception of it, much of which is the fault of the boxing establishment itself, with the establishment of multiple titleholders, interim champions, and all the other bull****, and much of it the fault of the promoters, who are very short-sighted and only seem interested in how much they can make today,” said Matthews, who is currently collaborating on a book with Bob Gutkowski, former president of Madison Square Garden. “As a result, boxing’s audience has dwindled to the hardcore couple of hundred thousand who are willing to shell out $75 or $100 (I’m not even sure since I refuse to pay for a fight) for an attractive matchup while the rest of the public shrugs its shoulders and moves on. The days of building up a fighter through frequent television exposure are long gone, meaning only true boxing nerds know or care about who the real champions and contenders are.”

Some of boxing’s problems reside at the feet of the men and women covering the sport.

“Also, the way boxing is covered has changed drastically and not for the better. It seems the boxing media is now populated by fanboys of certain fighters or those who seem, by the tone of their coverage, to be in the pocket of certain promoters,” said Matthews, who added ESPN Radio [2002-2005], ESPN [2010-2016], the New York Times [2016-2018], the New York Daily News [2018-2019] and Yahoo Sports [2019-2020] to his resume. “There’s no room anymore for an impartial observer who is willing to criticize based on merit. They get shouted down at press conferences and refused credentials. (I know this from experience because it used to happen to me when I was at odds with the Tyson camp). Now, the practice is much more widespread than when I covered boxing and is one of the reasons I stopped going to fights or pitching freelance boxing stories. It is true to an extent in all sports these days that adversary journalism has given way to access journalism, but more so it appears in boxing.”

There was a period when the most top-flight sportswriters were assigned the boxing beat and they usually brought back gems.

“It used to be said that newspapers would put their best writers on boxing because there was so much to be mined from each fight and each fighter, and a hack couldn’t do it,” said Matthews, who received his certification as a fitness trainer last September and is presently running the boxing program at the Huntington, New York YMCA, and is also hosting a film series on journalism in the movies at a local independent cinema. “Unfortunately, editors no longer feel that way and now assign the people on their lowest rungs to the fight game, a reflection on how far the sport’s image and popularity have fallen.”

Boxing’s attraction is that it’s man at his most basic.

“For me, the most compelling aspect of boxing was that it was a one-on-one confrontation between two men (women’s boxing was in its infancy at the time) with everything at stake, every time out, including their lives,” Matthews pointed out. “By comparison, and I’ve written this many times, there is NOTHING at stake in a baseball, football, hockey or basketball game. Everyone gets paid, everyone has a contract, everyone goes home more or less in one piece and everyone gets to play another day. Not so in boxing. I did find that when I covered baseball, the series of one-on-one confrontations between batter and pitcher somewhat resembled a boxing match, but beyond that, there is little to no urgency in any single game unless it’s Game 7 of the World Series.”

Matthews continued his thought: “I’ve always said there is more drama in the moments just preceding the opening bell of a heavyweight title fight than in all the Super Bowls, World Series, NBA Championships and Stanley Cup Finals put together, and I’ve covered all of them,” he offered. “Only horse racing, another sport which can only be “played” by adults, even comes close.”

While boxing is physically and mentally challenging, the practitioners are usually willing talkers.

“In my era, I found the athletes easier to deal with because most of them came from humble backgrounds and of course, there is something very humbling about being beaten in a boxing match,” posited Matthews. “So yeah, I found just about every fighter I’ve ever covered to have a deep well of humanity and humility not often found in other sports. I have no idea if it’s still like that but since the essential nature of boxing hasn’t changed, I imagine most of the fighters haven’t, either.”

Having covered boxing for decades, there were a few pugilists who stood out when it came to speaking with the media.

“Tyson, of course, was always great copy, even at his surliest and most threatening,” Matthews noted. “Or maybe especially at his surliest and most threatening. I found [George] Foreman to be fascinating when you could get him out of his Fighting Preacher shtick. I always loved talking boxing with Gil Clancy, Ray Arcel, Emanuel Steward and Angelo Dundee. They were treasure troves of stories and information. And wonderful gentlemen to boot.”

Along with these titans, Matthews mentioned one boxer who was otherworldly gifted.

“The best all-around fighter has got to be Sugar Ray Leonard. A generational talent who was a unique blend of speed, grace, natural skill and killer instinct,” he said. “Some people were fooled by that schoolboy grin of his, but Ray was a great puncher and a stone-cold killer. Terrific left hook.”

There were a few others who stood apart from the crowd.

“Foreman was the best puncher I ever saw. [Evander] Holyfield had more self-belief than anyone I had ever known, or will ever know,” Matthews said. “And Iran Barkley might be the most courageous individual I ever covered. A gallant fighter who gave boxing more than he ever got in return. He deserved much better.”

Having a ringside seat at many of the best and most important bouts, Matthews rolled off some of his favorite matches.

“Hagler-Hearns. No explanation needed. Tyson-Holyfield I, because the dominance of Holyfield was so unexpected,” he said. “Foreman-[Michael] Moorer, which along with the Rangers winning the Stanley Cup in 1994, was the most incredible event I’ve ever witnessed because of the drama involved. Also loved Hagler-Leonard.”

When questioned what single sporting event Matthews would choose to attend, he selected something that took place nearly a century ago.

“Put me in [Chicago’s] Soldier Field for the seventh round of the [Jack] Dempsey-[Gene] Tunney rematch and I’m in heaven,” he said of that 1927 matchup. “I want to see for myself if Tunney could have gotten up.”

Now that’s sweet.

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Rick Assad

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Ringside at the Cosmo: Pacheco Outpoints Nelson plus Undercard Results

Published

29 mins ago

January 25, 2025

Arne K. Lang

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LAS VEGAS, NV – Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Promotions was at the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas tonight for the second half of a DAZN doubleheader that began in Nottingham, England. In the main event, light heavyweight Diego Pacheco, ranked #1 by the WBO, continued his ascent toward a world title with a unanimous decision over Steven Nelson.

Pacheco glides round the ring smoothly whereas Nelson wastes a lot energy with something of a herky-jerky style. However, although Nelson figured to slow down as the fight progressed, he did some of his best work in rounds 11 and 12. Fighting with a cut over his left eye from round four, a cut that periodically reopened, the gritty Nelson fulfilled his promise that he would a fight as if he had everything to lose if he failed to win, but it just wasn’t enough, even after his Omaha homie Terence “Bud” Crawford entered his corner before the last round to give him a pep talk (back home in North Omaha, Nelson runs the B&B (Bud and Bomac) Sports Academy.

All three judges had it 117-111 for Pacheco who mostly fought off his back foot but landed the cleaner punches throughout. A stablemate of David Benavidez and trained by David’s father Jose Benevidez Sr, Pacheco improved to 23-0 (19). It was the first pro loss for the 36-year-old Nelson (20-1).

Semi wind-up

Olympic gold medalist Andy Cruz, who as a pro has never fought a match slated for fewer than 10 rounds, had too much class for Hermosillo, Mexico’s rugged Omar Salcido who returned to his corner with a puffy face after the fourth stanza, but won the next round and never stopped trying. The outcome was inevitable even before the final round when Salcido barely made it to the final gun, but the Mexican was far more competitive than many expected.

The Cuban, who was 4-0 vs. Keyshawn Davis in closely-contested bouts as an amateur, advanced his pro record to 5-0 (2), winning by scores by 99-91 and 98-92 twice. Salido, coming off his career-best win, a 9^th-round stoppage of former WBA super featherweight title-holder Chris Colbert, falls to 20-2.

Other TV bouts

Ernesto “Tito” Mercado, a 23-year-old super lightweight, aims to become the next world champion from Pomona, California, following in the footsteps of the late Richie Sandoval and Sugar Shane Mosely, and based on his showing tonight against former Beijing Olympian and former two-division title-holder Jose Pedraza, he is well on his way.

After three rounds after what had been a technical fight, Mercado (17-0, 16 KOs) knocked Pedraza off his pins with an overhand right followed by short left hand. Pedraza bounced back and fell on his backside. When he rose on unsteady legs, the bout was waived off. The official time was 2:08 of round four and the fading, 25-year-old Pedraza (29-7-1) was saddled with his third loss in his last four outings.

The 8-round super lightweight clash between Israel Mercado (no relation to “Tito”) and Leonardo Rubalcava was fan-friendly skirmish with many robust exchanges. When the smoke cleared, the verdict was a majority draw. Mercado got the nod on one card (76-74), but was overruled by a pair of 75-75 scores.

Mercado came out strong in the opening round, but suffered a flash knockdown before the round ended. The referee ruled it a slip but was overruled by replay operator Jay Nady and what would have been a 10-9 round for Mercado became a 10-8 round for Rubalcava. Mercado lost another point in round seven when he was penalized for low blows.

The scores were 76-74 for Mercado (11-1-2) and 75-75 twice. The verdict was mildly unpopular with most thinking that Mercado deserved the nod. Reportedly a four-time Mexican amateur champion, Rubalcava (9-0-1) is trained by Robert Garcia.

Also

New Matchroom signee Nishant Dev, a 24-year-old southpaw from India, had an auspicious pro debut (pardon the cliché). Before a beaming Eddie Hearn, Dev stopped Oakland’s Alton Wiggins (1-1-1) in the opening round. The referee waived it off after the second knockdown.

Boxers from India have made large gains at the amateur level in recent years and Matchroom honcho Eddie Hearn anticipates that Dev, a Paris Olympian, will be the first fighter from India to make his mark as a pro.

Undefeated Brooklyn lightweight Harley Mederos, managed by the influential Keith Connolly, scored his seventh knockout in eight tries with a brutal third-round KO of Mexico’s Arturo de Isla.

A left-right combination knocked de Isla (5-3-1) flat on his back. Referee Raul Caiz did not bother to count and several minutes elapsed before the stricken fighter was fit to leave the ring. The official time was 1:27 of round three.

In the opener, Newark junior lightweight Zaquin Moses, a cousin of Shakur Stevenson, improved to 2-0 when his opponent retired on his stool after the opening round.

Photo credit: Melina Pizano / Matchroom

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Najee Lopez Steps up in Class and Wins Impressively at Plant City

Published

1 day ago

January 24, 2025

Arne K. Lang

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Garry Jonas’ ProBox series returned to its regular home in Plant City, Florida, tonight with a card topped by a 10-round light heavyweight match between fast-rising Najee Lopez and former world title challenger Lenin Castillo. This was considered a step-up fight for the 25-year-old Lopez, an Atlanta-born-fighter of Puerto Rican heritage. Although the 36-year-old Castillo had lost two of his last three heading in, he had gone the distance with Dimitry Bivol and Marcus Browne and been stopped only once (by Callum Smith).

Lopez landed the cleaner punches throughout. Although Castillo seemed unfazed during the first half of the fight, he returned to his corner at the end of round five exhibiting signs of a fractured jaw.

In the next round, Lopez cornered him against the ropes and knocked him through the ropes with a left-right combination. Referee Emil Lombardo could have stopped the fight right there, but he allowed the courageous Castillo to carry on for a bit longer, finally stopping the fight as Castillo’s corner and a Florida commissioner were signaling that it was over.

The official time was 2:36 of round six. Bigger fights await the talented Lopez who improved to 13-0 with his tenth win inside the distance. Castillo declined to 25-7-1.

Co-Feature

In a stinker of a heavyweight fight, Stanley Wright, a paunchy, 34-year-old North Carolina journeyman, scored a big upset with a 10-round unanimous decision over previously unbeaten Jeremiah Milton.

Wright carried 280 pounds, 100 pounds more than in his pro debut 11 years ago. Although he was undefeated (13-0, 11 KOs), he had never defeated an opponent with a winning record and his last four opponents were a miserable 19-48-2. Moreover, he took the fight on short notice.

What Wright had going for him was fast hands and, in the opening round, he put Milton on the canvas with a straight right hand. From that point, Milton fought tentatively and Wright, looking fatigued as early as the fourth round, fought only in spurts. It seemed doubtful that he could last the distance, but Milton, the subject of a 2021 profile in these pages, was wary of Wright’s power and unable to capitalize. “It’s almost as if Milton is afraid to win,” said ringside commentator Chris Algieri during the ninth stanza when the bout had devolved into a hugfest.

The judges had it 96-93 and 97-92 twice for the victorious Wright who boosted his record to 14-0 without improving his stature.

Also

In the TV opener, a 10-round contest in the junior middleweight division, Najee Lopez stablemate Darrelle Valsaint (12-0, 10 KOs) scored his career-best win with a second-round knockout of 35-year-old Dutch globetrotter Stephen Danyo (23-7-3).

A native Floridian of Haitian descent, the 22-year-old Valsaint was making his eighth start in Plant City. He rocked Danyo with a chopping right hand high on the temple and then, as Danyo slumped forward, applied the exclamation point, a short left uppercut. The official time was 2:17 of round two.

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Japanese Superstar Naoya Inoue is Headed to Vegas after KOing Ye Joon Kim

Published

2 days ago

January 24, 2025

Arne K. Lang

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Japan’s magnificent Naoya Inoue, appearing in his twenty-fourth title fight, scored his 11^th straight stoppage tonight while successfully defending his unified super bantamweight title, advancing his record to 29-0 (26 KOs) at the expense of Ye Joon Kim. The match at Tokyo’s Ariake Arena came to an end at the 2:25 mark of round four when U.S. referee Mark Nelson tolled “10” over the brave but overmatched Korean.

Kim, raised in a Seoul orphanage, had a few good moments, but the “Monster” found his rhythm in the third round, leaving Kim with a purplish welt under his left eye. In the next frame, he brought the match to a conclusion, staggering the Korean with a left and then finishing matters with an overhand right that put Kim on the seat of his pants, dazed and wincing in pain.

Kim, who brought a 21-2-2 record, took the fight on 10 days’ notice, replacing Australia’s Sam Goodman who suffered an eye injury in sparring that never healed properly, forcing him to withdraw twice.

Co-promoter Bob Arum, who was in the building, announced that Inoue’s next fight would happen in Las Vegas in the Spring. Speculation centers on Mexico City’s Alan Picasso (31-0-1, 17 KOs) who is ranked #1 by the WBC. However, there’s also speculation that the 31-year-old Inoue may move up to featherweight and seek to win a title in a fifth weight class, in which case a potential opponent is Brandon Figueroa should he defeat former Inoue foe Stephen Fulton next weekend. In “olden days,” this notion would have been dismissed as the Japanese superstar and Figueroa have different promoters, but the arrival of Turki Alalshikh, the sport’s Daddy Warbucks, has changed the dynamic. Tonight, Naoya Inoue made his first start as a brand ambassador for Riyadh Season.

Simmering on the backburner is a megafight with countryman Junto Nakatani, an easy fight to make as Arum has ties to both. However, the powers-that-be would prefer more “marination.”

Inoue has appeared twice in Las Vegas, scoring a seventh-round stoppage of Jason Moloney in October of 2020 at the MGM Bubble and a third-round stoppage of Michael Dasmarinas at the Virgin Hotels in June of 2021.

Semi-wind-up

In a 12-round bout for a regional welterweight title, Jin Sasaki improved to 19-1-1 (17) with a unanimous decision over Shoki Sakai (29-15-3). The scores were 118-110, 117-111, and 116-112.

Also

In a bout in which both contestants were on the canvas, Toshiki Shimomachi (20-1-3) edged out Misaki Hirano (11-2), winning a majority decision. A 28-year-old Osaka southpaw with a fan-friendly style, the lanky Shimomachi, unbeaten in his last 22 starts, competes as a super bantamweight. A match with Inoue may be in his future.

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