Talking Boxing with Renowned New York Sports Journalist Wally Matthews

Published

12 months ago

November 11, 2023

Rick Assad

Talking-Boxing-with-Renowned-New-York-Sports-Journalist-Wally-Matthews

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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Avila Perspective, Chap. 303: Spotlights on Lightweights and More

Published

17 hours ago

November 1, 2024

David A. Avila

Avila-Perspective-Chap-303-Spotlights-on-Lightweights-and-More

Those lightweights.

Whether junior lights, super lights or lightweights, it’s the 130-140 divisions where most of boxing’s young stars are found now or in the past.

Think Oscar De La Hoya, Sugar Shane Mosley and Floyd Mayweather.

Floyd Schofield (17-0, 12 KOs) a Texas product, hungers to be a star and takes on Mexico’s Rene Tellez Giron (20-3, 13 KOs) in a 12-round lightweight bout on Saturday, Nov. 2, at the Virgin Hotels Las Vegas in Las Vegas, Nevada.

DAZN will stream the Golden Boy Promotion card that includes a female undisputed flyweight championship match pitting Argentina’s Gabriela Alaniz and Gabriela Fundora.

Like a young lion looking to flex, Schofield (pictured on the left) is eager to meet all the other young lions and prove they’re not equal.

“I’ve been in the room with Shakur, Tank. I want to give everyone a good fight. I feel like my preparation is getting better, I work hard, I’ve dedicated my whole life to this sport,” said Schofield naming fellow lightweights Shakur Stevenson and Gervonta “Tank” Davis.

Now he meets Mexico’s Tellez who has never been stopped.

“I’m willing to do whatever it takes,” said Tellez.

Even in Las Vegas.

Verona, New York

Meanwhile, in upstate New York, a WBC junior lightweight title rematch finds Robson Conceicao (19-2-1, 9 KOs) looking to prove superior to former titlist O’Shaquie Foster (22-3, 12 KOs) on Saturday, Nov. 2, at the Turning Stone Resort and Casino in Verona, N.Y. ESPN+ will stream the Top Rank fight card.

Last July, Conceicao and Foster clashed and after 12 rounds the title changed hands from Foster to the Brazilian by split decision.

“I feel that a champion is a fighter who goes out there and doesn’t run around, who looks for the fight, who tries to win, and doesn’t just throw one or two punches and then moves away,” said Conceicao.

Foster disagrees.

“I hope he knows the name of the game is to hit and not get hit. That’s the name of the game,” said Foster.

Also on the same card is lightweight contender Raymond Muratalla (21-0, 16 KOs) who fights Mexico’s Jesus Perez Campos (25-5, 18 KOs).

Perez recently defeated former world champion Jojo Diaz last February in California.

“We’re made for challenges. I like challenges,” said Perez.

Muratalla likes challenges too.

“I think these fights are the types of fights I need to show my skills and to prove I deserve those title fights,” said Fontana’s Muratalla.

Female Undisputed Flyweight Championship

WBA, WBC and WBO flyweight titlist Gabriela “La Chucky” Alaniz (15-1, 6 KOs meets IBF titlist Gabriela Fundora (14-0, 6 KOs) on Saturday Nov. 2, at the Virgin Hotels Las Vegas in Las Vegas, Nevada. DAZN will stream the clash for the undisputed flyweight championship.

Argentina’s Alaniz clashed twice against former WBA, WBC champ Marlen Esparza with their first encounter ending in a dubious win for the Texas fighter. In fact, three of Esparza’s last title fights were scored controversially.

But against Alaniz, though they fought on equal terms, Esparza was given a 99-91 score by one of the judges though the world saw a much closer contest. So, they fought again, but the rematch took place in California. Two judges deemed Alaniz the winner and one Esparza for a split-decision win.

“I’m really happy to be here representing Argentina. We are ready to fight. Nothing about this fight has to do with Marlen. So, I hope she (Fundora) is ready. I am ready to prepare myself for the great fight of my life,” said Alaniz.

In the case of Fundora, the extremely tall American fighter at 5’9” in height defeated decent competition including Maria Santizo. She was awarded a match with IBF flyweight titlist Arely Mucino who opted for the tall youngster over the dangerous Kenia Enriquez of Mexico.

Bad choice for Mucino.

Fundora pummeled the champion incessantly for five rounds at the Inglewood Forum a year ago. Twice she battered her down and the fight was mercifully stopped. Fundora’s arm was raised as the new champion.

Since that win Fundora has defeated Christina Cruz and Chile’s Daniela Asenjo in defense of the IBF title. In an interesting side bit: Asenjo was ranked as a flyweight contender though she had not fought in that weight class for seven years.

Still, Fundora used her reach and power to easily handle the rugged fighter from Chile.

Immediately after the fight she clamored for a chance to become undisputed.

“It doesn’t get better than this, especially being in Las Vegas. This is the greatest opportunity that we can have,” said Fundora.

It should be exciting.

Fights to Watch

Sat. ESPN+ 2:50 p.m. Robson Conceicao (19-2-1) vs O’Shaquie Foster (22-3).

Sat. DAZN 5 p.m. Floyd Schofield (17-0) vs Rene Tellez Giron (20-3); Gabriela Alaniz (15-1) vs Gabriela Fundora (14-0).

Photo credit: Cris Esqueda / Golden Boy

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Bakhram Murtalaziev was the Fighter of the Month in October

Published

2 days ago

October 31, 2024

Arne K. Lang

Bakhram-Murtalaziev-was-the-Fighter-of-the-Month-in-October

As we close the book on October, let’s look back at the month’s stellar performances. Kenshiro Teraji added another exclamation point to his brilliant career with an 11^th-round stoppage of Cristofer Rosales. England’s Jack Catterall, considered no more than a decent domestic-level talent for most of his career, showed that he had been underrated with a comprehensive 12-round decision over declining Regis Prograis. But the top performance, by a landslide, was delivered by Bakhram Murtalaziev who annihilated Tim Tszyu on Oct. 19 in Orlando, Florida.

Murtalaziev was undefeated (22-0, 16 KOs) and the reigning IBF junior middleweight champion, but he was the underdog and the “B” side. As champions go, and there are roughly five dozen across the 17 weight divisions, the California-based Russian ranked among the least well-known. He had won his title in Berlin with an 11^th-round stoppage of an unexceptional 38-year-old German-Ecuadorian campaigner, Jack Culcay, and he would be making his first defense.

Managed by Egis Klimas who also handles Oleksandr Usyk and Vasiliy Lomachenko, among others, Bakhram Murtalaziev came from a good barn in the vernacular of a horseplayer, but on paper that alone was insufficient to get him over the hump against Tim Tszyu who a few short months earlier was widely considered the best 154-pound boxer in the world.

That was before he met up with Sebastian Fundora who blemished his record, but that setback could have been written off as a fluke.

As we recall, Tszyu was scheduled to fight Keith Thurman in the initial PBC offering on Amazon Prime Video, but Thurman suffered a biceps injury in training and Fundora was bumped up from the undercard to fill the breach. With only 12 days’ notice, Tim Tszyu went from fighting a five-foot-seven fighter who fights out of an orthodox stance to fighting a southpaw who stood almost a full foot taller. The “Towering Inferno” has his limitations, but poses a special problem to anyone, let alone an opponent with little time to formulate a good game plan.

Tszyu was hampered in the Fundora fight by a gash on his hairline that hampered his vision. The injury happened in the second round when he ducked under Fundora and walked into an elbow. The gash bled copiously throughout the fight and yet the best that Fundora could do was win a split (albeit fair) decision.

To say that Tszyu failed to rebound from the Fundora misadventure would be putting it mildly. Murtalaziev steamrolled him, knocking him to the canvas four times in all before Tszyu’s corner tossed in the towel at the 1:55 mark of the third stanza. It was painful to watch. Referee Chris Young was faulted for allowing the match to continue as long as it did. Compounding Tszyu’s misery, his celebrated father, a first ballot Hall of Famer, was ringside. Kostya Tszyu hadn’t seen his oldest son fight in the flesh since Tim’s pro debut in 2016.

Although the dichotomy is imperfect, Tim Tszyu, who turns 30 on Saturday, is more of a puncher than a boxer. That may work against him so far as clawing his way back to a position of prominence. The noted boxing coach Stephen “Breadman” Edwards, a keen student of the history of boxing in the modern era, expressed this sentiment in a Q and A story for Boxing Scene. “Destructive fighters usually don’t come back to full capacity after bad KO losses,” he said, citing John Mugabi, Mike Tyson, George Foreman, Sonny Liston, and Naseem Hamed to illustrate his point. Moreover, added Edwards, “No one will ever be afraid of him again.”

But there were two stories that emerged from the Murtalaziev-Tszyu fight. Tim Tszyu crashed, but Bakhram Murtalaziev emerged from obscurity, announcing his presence (pardon the cliché) as a force to be reckoned with. As for his next assignment, the best guess is that it will come against Sebastian Fundora or Errol Spence Jr. who are expected to meet early next year. And based on Murtalaziev’s stunning performance in Orlando, it will be impossible to bet against him.

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Foreman-Moorer: 30 Years Later

Published

3 days ago

October 30, 2024

The Sweet Science

Foreman-Moorer: 30 Years Later

By TSS SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT JAMIE REBNER — In sports, middle-aged athletes are not supposed to beat opponents who are half their age and in their athletic primes. Only the greatest ones can use guile, technique, and experience to compensate for the dulling of speed, reflexes, and athleticism that have unavoidably eroded with time.

That is why George Foreman’s feat of reclaiming the heavyweight title at 45 is so impressive. It was thirty years ago this coming Tuesday, Nov 5, 1994, that Foreman scored a monumental upset in knocking out Michael Moorer to win back the title he had lost twenty years prior against Muhammad Ali in The Rumble in the Jungle. In doing so, Big George became the oldest heavyweight champion, breaking the record previously held by Jersey Joe Walcott, who had won the title at 38.

When Foreman beat Moorer, he was in the twilight of his second career, a comeback that began in 1987. George had retired in 1977 after losing to Jimmy Young and experiencing a spiritual awakening in his locker room. That led him to become a minister and devote himself to his family and congregation. During his retirement, he opened a youth center in Houston, which required much financial support, prompting him to return to the ring.

After winning 24 straight fights from 1987-1990, Foreman lost his first title shot by decision to Evander Holyfield in 1991. He rebounded from that loss with three more wins before getting a crack at the WBO title against Tommy Morrison in 1993. But his performance against Morrison was disappointing and he lost another decision. After that, Foreman was out of the ring for 17 months before he was gifted another title shot against Moorer.

Foreman got that gift because Moorer, due to his sullen demeanor and curtness with the media, was not a draw with the fans. He was also an unproven champion, having beaten Holyfield for two belts only seven months prior. So. Moorer needed a name opponent who could bring in the crowds for his first title defense. And the other top heavyweights like Oliver McCall (WBC champ), Lennox Lewis, and Riddick Bowe didn’t have close to Foreman’s drawing power. So. deserving or not, Foreman was chosen as the challenger to make a fight that would be worth the public’s attention and pockets.

Even Foreman was surprised by getting selected to fight Moorer. “I never in my wildest imagination thought I’d get a title shot again,” he told Associated Press sports columnist Tim Dahlberg. Still, George was determined to make his third time a charm.

But as motivated as George was, there was an irrefutable gap in speed between himself and the much younger champion. From the opening bell, Moorer used his superior quickness and reflexes to make Foreman look stiff and slow. And although George landed punches early on, he fired them one at a time while Moorer countered with multiple shots. But despite Moorer’s advantage in connects, his trainer Teddy Atlas advised him from the get-go not to stand in front of Foreman and make himself a stationary target for a right-hand bomb.

But Moorer failed to heed that advice as he continued to outwork Foreman in the middle rounds. Although he was winning, Moorer’s overconfidence kept him at close quarters, and he continued to circle unwisely to his left and into Foreman’s dangerous right hand. And despite absorbing many quality shots, Foreman never appeared hurt or discouraged thanks to his granite chin and unyielding resolve. He was determined to win and he was willing to walk through as many flush shots as he needed to do so.

With Moorer content to stay in range, Foreman gladly returned his firepower and he landed some telling right crosses, uppercuts, and plenty of thudding body blows during the battle. And while Moorer continued to pile up points and rounds, as long as George was marching forward and throwing shots, he had a puncher’s chance.

And with a minute to go in round ten, that punch came. After missing a three-punch combination, Foreman scored with a one-two, with the right hand landing on the forehead. He immediately repeated that combination but this time aimed the right hand lower on Moorer’s jaw. That slight adjustment caused his bulldozer right to collide perfectly with Moorer’s chin, sending the champion crashing to the canvas and sprawled onto his back. The champion couldn’t beat the count, and just like that, the fight was over, Moorer’s short-lived title run ending before it ever truly began.

With a single, shattering blow, Foreman etched his name into boxing history. Wearing the same trunks from Zaire 20 years before, he was now heavyweight champion of the world once again. It was a shocking result that defied conventional wisdom since seldom do 45-year-old boxers score knockouts over champions in their athletic primes. But Foreman reminded us that he was anything but your typical quadragenarian. He was special, and he had two distinct heavyweight championship reigns to prove it.

—

About the author:

Jamie Rebner lives in Toronto, Canada. He has been a freelance boxing writer since 2016 and his writing has appeared in The Fight City, Boxing News Online, The Ring, and Ringside Seat magazine. His Substack blog is Fight Fundamental, and he is currently writing a book about George Foreman’s comeback. He is also a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Follow him on Twitter @J_NReb.

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