A Massive Upset in Detroit Evokes Memories of Eugene “Silent” Hairston

Published

8 months ago

July 29, 2024

A Massive Upset in Detroit Evokes Memories of Eugene “Silent” Hairston

On the face of it, last Saturday’s super lightweight contest in Detroit between Shohjahon Ergashev and Julian Smith was a mismatch. Ergashev, once a member of Uzbekistan’s formidable national team, was fighting in his adopted hometown. As a pro he was 24-1 with 21 knockouts with his only setback coming in a world title fight. His opponent, 33-year-old Julian Smith, was 8-2 and as a pro had answered the bell for only 46 rounds.

Someone forgot to tell Smith (pictured) that he was supposed to lose. In the second round, he served notice that he wasn’t there just for a paycheck when he put the Uzbek on the canvas with a hard right hand. The punch landed a second before the bell signaling the end of the round and was improperly ruled a slip.

Three rounds later, Smith put Ergashev on the canvas once again, decking him with a counter left hook. They couldn’t take this one away from him and it proved to be the difference when the scores were tallied. Smith continued to out-work the house fighter in the ensuing rounds of the 10-round contest and was awarded a split decision that most everyone thought should have been unanimous.

Smith’s performance in overcoming seemingly insurmountable odds was made more inspiring by the fact that he is deaf. A bout of viral meningitis when he was six months old left him unable to hear. He can read lips, but some interviews require the services of a middleman who can translate questions into sign language. His speech is thick, typical of the hard to hear, and requires the full attention of a stranger.

—-

If Julian Smith were looking for inspiration, he could find it in the true story of Eugene Hairston. A fighter from the Bronx, active from 1947 to 1953, Hairston spent 27 months in The Ring’s Top 10 at middleweight, debuting in October of 1950 and rising as high as #2 in the magazine’s ratings. Akin to Smith, Hairston’s hearing loss was attributed to a bout of meningitis suffered when he was a toddler.

Hairston’s big break came in August of 1950 when he upset Lee Sala at a baseball park in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Sala, a Pennsylvanian, was 61-1 and had avenged his lone defeat. The fight was carried coast-to-coast on a national radio network.

Hairston had an anxious moment in round four when he was knocked completely out of the ring by a counter left hook, but otherwise dominated the fight, winning by scores of 8-2, 7-1-2, and 7-3.

“Eugene (Dummy) Hairston scored a stunning fistic upset..” began the post-fight story by the ringside correspondent for the Associated Press. (The term Dummy was commonly used to describe a deaf mute. America’s first prominent deaf athlete, turn-of-the-century baseball outfielder William Ellsworth Hoy, was known as Dummy Hoy. However, as Hairston became more prominent, reporters abandoned the insensitive term Dummy in favor of Hairston’s preferred cognomen “Silent.”)

After defeating Sala, Hairston forged two more upsets, winning a split decision over future world welterweight champion Kid Gavilan and a majority decision over Joe Louis’s stablemate Lester Felton. And then, in the following year, 1951, he scored what in hindsight stands as his signature triumph, a fast and thorough beatdown of Paul Pender on Pender’s turf in Boston. Hairston had Pender on the deck four times before Pender’s corner stopped the carnage with five seconds remaining in the third round. (Paul Pender held the world middleweight title when he retired in 1962, having regained the belt in a rematch with England’s Terry Downes.)

Hairston had back-to-back fights with Jake LaMotta in 1952, Hairston falling short in the second encounter after the first meeting was ruled a draw. The two Bronxites fought in Detroit where the rugged LaMotta had built up a big following. Later that year, in what would be his next-to-last fight, Hairston was stopped by Bobo Olson at Madison Square Garden in a match billed as an eliminator for Sugar Ray Robinson’s world middleweight title (a moot point as Robinson had retired following his loss to Joey Maxim and wouldn’t return to the ring until two years had passed).

The Hairston-Olson fight was stopped by the ringside physician after six rounds because of a bad cut over Eugene’s right eye.

Eugene “Silent” Hairston was only 23 years old when he walked away from boxing, having crammed 63 fights into his brief pro career. The eye that was damaged in the Olson fight never did heal properly, aborting a comeback. He finished 45-13-5.

Excluding two instances where he was stopped on cuts, Hairston was stopped only once, that coming early in his career against journeyman Teddy Pritchard when he lost track of the count, unable to hear the referee in the din. They fought again six days later and Hairston flattened Pritchard in the second round.

—

Hairston’s biggest fan was his dad, a house painter by trade, who attended most of his fights. “He used to sit around the house by himself thinking he didn’t belong,” reminisced the proud papa. “Since he has been boxing, he has pride. He knows he is as good as the next fellow. I’ll never regret letting him fight.”

The elder Hairston’s sentiments were echoed by Julian Smith’s mother Natalie Bibbs in a 2021 conversation with Joe Santoliquito writing for The Ring magazine. Noting that her son was bullied by neighborhood kids as a boy simply because he was different – Julian had no friends other than his classmates at the special school he attended and they were scattered about the metropolis – Bibbs acknowledged the role that boxing played in Julian’s emotional development, ameliorating his pent-up rage and giving him confidence that he might not otherwise have.

Now married and the father of a young boy, Smith carries with him the memory of his older brother Brandon each time he enters the ring. It was Brandon who bought him his first pair of boxing gloves. Seven years older than Julian, he died in 2012, a victim of gun violence in the township of Robbins on Chicago’s gang-plagued southwest side.

For the record, Julian Smith’s fight with Shohjahon Ergashev, livestreamed globally on DAZN, was a supporting bout to Claressa Shields’ bout with Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse. As for the inspirational Eugene “Silent” Hairston, in retirement he worked for UPS and was a volunteer coach at a Long Island boxing gym. He passed away in 2014 at age 85.

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Arne K. Lang

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Ringside at the Fontainebleau where Mikaela Mayer Won her Rematch with Sandy Ryan

Published

19 hours ago

March 30, 2025

Arne K. Lang

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LAS VEGAS, NV — The first meeting between Mikaela Mayer and Sandy Ryan last September at Madison Square Garden was punctuated with drama before the first punch was thrown. When the smoke cleared, Mayer had become a world-title-holder in a second weight class, taking away Ryan’s WBO welterweight belt via a majority decision in a fan-friendly fight.

The rematch tonight at the Fontainebleau in Las Vegas was another fan-friendly fight. There were furious exchanges in several rounds and the crowd awarded both gladiators a standing ovation at the finish.

Mayer dominated the first half of the fight and held on to win by a unanimous decision. But Sandy Ryan came on strong beginning in round seven, and although Mayer was the deserving winner, the scores favoring her (98-92 and 97-93 twice) fail to reflect the competitiveness of the match-up. This is the best rivalry in women’s boxing aside from Taylor-Serrano.

Mayer, 34, improved to 21-2 (5). Up next, she hopes, in a unification fight with Lauren Price who outclassed Natasha Jonas earlier this month and currently holds the other meaningful pieces of the 147-pound puzzle. Sandy Ryan, 31, the pride of Derby, England, falls to 7-3-1.

Co-Feature

In his first defense of his WBO world welterweight title (acquired with a brutal knockout of Giovani Santillan after the title was vacated by Terence Crawford), Atlanta’s Brian Norman Jr knocked out Puerto Rico’s Derrieck Cuevas in the third round. A three-punch combination climaxed by a short left hook sent Cuevas staggering into a corner post. He got to his feet before referee Thomas Taylor started the count, but Taylor looked in Cuevas’s eyes and didn’t like what he saw and brought the bout to a halt.

The stoppage, which struck some as premature, came with one second remaining in the third stanza.

A second-generation prizefighter (his father was a fringe contender at super middleweight), the 24-year-old Norman (27-0, 21 KOs) is currently boxing’s youngest male title-holder. It was only the second pro loss for Cuevas (27-2-1) whose lone previous defeat had come early in his career in a 6-rounder he lost by split decision.

Other Bouts

In a career-best performance, 27-year-old Brooklyn featherweight Bruce “Shu Shu” Carrington (15-0, 9 KOs) blasted out Jose Enrique Vivas (23-4) in the third round.

Carrington, who was named the Most Outstanding Boxer at the 2019 U.S. Olympic Trials despite being the lowest-seeded boxer in his weight class, decked Vivas with a right-left combination near the end of the second round. Vivas barely survived the round and was on a short leash when the third stanza began. After 53 seconds of round three, referee Raul Caiz Jr had seen enough and waived it off. Vivas hadn’t previously been stopped.

Cleveland welterweight Tiger Johnson, a Tokyo Olympian, scored a fifth-round stoppage over San Antonio’s Kendo Castaneda. Johnson assumed control in the fourth round and sent Castaneda to his knees twice with body punches in the next frame. The second knockdown terminated the match. The official time was 2:00 of round five.

Johnson advanced to 15-0 (7 KOs). Castenada declined to 21-9.

Las Vegas junior welterweight Emiliano Vargas (13-0, 11 KOs) blasted out Stockton, California’s Giovanni Gonzalez in the second round. Vargas brought the bout to a sudden conclusion with a sweeping left hook that knocked Gonzalez out cold. The end came at the 2:00 minute mark of round two.

Gonzalez brought a 20-7-2 record which was misleading as 18 of his fights were in Tijuana where fights are frequently prearranged. However, he wasn’t afraid to trade with Vargas and paid the price.

Emiliano Vargas, with his matinee idol good looks and his boxing pedigree – he is the son of former U.S. Olympian and two-weight world title-holder “Ferocious” Fernando Vargas – is highly marketable and has the potential to be a cross-over star.

Eighteen-year-old Newark bantamweight Emmanuel “Manny” Chance, one of Top Rank’s newest signees, won his pro debut with a four-round decision over So Cal’s Miguel Guzman. Chance won all four rounds on all three cards, but this was no runaway. He left a lot of room for improvement.

There was a long intermission before the co-main and again before the main event, but the tedium was assuaged by a moving video tribute to George Foreman.

Photos credit: Al Applerose

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William Zepeda Edges Past Tevin Farmer in Cancun; Improves to 34-0

Published

19 hours ago

March 29, 2025

David A. Avila

William Zepeda Edges Past Tevin Farmer in Cancun; Improves to 34-0

No surprise, once again William Zepeda eked out a win over the clever and resilient Tevin Farmer to remain undefeated and retain a regional lightweight title on Saturday.

There were no knockdowns in this rematch.

The Mexican punching machine Zepeda (33-0, 17 KOs) once more sought to overwhelm Farmer (33-8-1, 9 KOs) with a deluge of blows. This rematch by Golden Boy Promotions took place in the famous beach resort area of Cancun, Mexico.

It was a mere four months ago that both first clashed in Saudi Arabia with their vastly difference styles. This time the tropical setting served as the background which suited Zepeda and his lawnmower assaults. The Mexican fans were pleased.

Nothing changed in their second meeting.

Zepeda revved up the body assault and Farmer moved around casually to his right while fending off the Mexican fighter’s attacks. By the fourth round Zepeda was able to cut off Farmer’s escape routes and targeted the body with punishing shots.

The blows came in bunches.

In the fifth round Zepeda blasted away at Farmer who looked frantic for an escape. The body assault continued with the Mexican fighter pouring it on and Farmer seeming to look ready to quit. When the round ended, he waved off his corner’s appeals to stop.

Zepeda continued to dominate the next few rounds and then Farmer began rallying. At first, he cleverly smothered Zepeda’s body attacks and then began moving and hitting sporadically. It forced the Mexican fighter to pause and figure out the strategy.

Farmer, a Philadelphia fighter, showed resiliency especially when it was revealed he had suffered a hand injury.

During the last three rounds Farmer dug down deep and found ways to score and not get hit. It was Boxing 101 and the Philly fighter made it work.

But too many rounds had been put in the bank by Zepeda. Despite the late rally by Farmer one judge saw it 114-114, but two others scored it 116-112 and 115-113 for Zepeda who retains his interim lightweight title and place at the top of the WBC rankings.

“I knew he was a difficult fighter. This time he was even more difficult,” said Zepeda.

Farmer was downtrodden about another loss but realistic about the outcome and starting slow.

“But I dominated the last rounds,” said Farmer.

Zepeda shrugged at the similar outcome as their first encounter.

“I’m glad we both put on a great show,” said Zepeda.

Female Flyweight Battle

Costa Rica’s Yokasta Valle edged past Texas fighter Marlen Esparza to win their showdown at flyweight by split decision after 10 rounds.

Valle moved up two weight divisions to meet Esparza who was slightly above the weight limit. Both showed off their contrasting styles and world class talent.

Esparza, a former unified flyweight world titlist, stayed in the pocket and was largely successful with well-placed jabs and left hooks. She repeatedly caught Valle in-between her flurries.

The current minimumweight world titlist changed tactics and found more success in the second half of the fight. She forced Esparza to make the first moves and that forced changes that benefited her style.

Neither fighter could take over the fight.

After 10 rounds one judge saw Esparza the winner 96-94, but two others saw Valle the winner 97-93 twice.

Will Valle move up and challenge the current undisputed flyweight world champion Gabriela Fundora? That’s the question.

Valle currently holds the WBC minimumweight world title.

Puerto Rico vs Mexico

Oscar Collazo (12-0, 9 KOs), the WBO, WBA minimumweight titlist, knocked out Mexico’s Edwin Cano (13-3-1, 4 KOs) with a flurry of body shots at 1:12 of the fifth round.

Collazo dominated with a relentless body attack the Mexican fighter could not defend. It was the Puerto Rican fighter’s fifth consecutive title defense.

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Avila Perspective, Chap. 319: Rematches in Las Vegas, Cancun and More

Published

2 days ago

March 28, 2025

David A. Avila

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Rematches are the bedrock for prizefighting.

Return battles between rival boxers always means their first encounter was riveting and successful at the box office.

Six months after their first brutal battle Mikaela Mayer (20-2, 5 KOs) and Sandy Ryan (7-2-1, 3 KOs) will slug it out again for the WBO welterweight world title this time on Saturday, March 29, at the Fontainebleau in Las Vegas.

ESPN will show the Top Rank card live.

“It’s important for women’s boxing to have these rivalries and this is definitely up there as one of the top ones,” Mayer told the BBC.

If you follow Mayer’s career you know that somehow drama follows. Whether its back-and-forth beefs with fellow American fighters or controversial judging due to nationalism in countries abroad. The Southern California native who now trains in Las Vegas knows how to create the drama.

For female fighters self-promotion is a necessity.

Most boxing promoters refuse to step out of the usual process set for male boxers, not for female boxers. Things remain the same and have been for the last 70 years. Social media has brought changes but that has made promoters do even less.

No longer are there press conferences, instead announcements are made on social media to be drowned among the billions of other posts. It is not killing but diluting interest in the sport.

Women innately present a different advantage that few if any promoters are recognizing. So far in the past 25 years I have only seen two or three promoters actually ignite interest in female fighters. They saw the advantages and properly boosted interest in the women.

The fight breakdown

Mayer has won world titles in the super featherweight and now the welterweight division. Those are two vastly different weight classes and prove her fighting abilities are based on skill not power or size.

Coaching Mayer since amateurs remains Al Mitchell and now Kofi Jantuah who replaced Kay Koroma the current trainer for Sandy Ryan.

That was the reason drama ignited during their first battle. Then came someone tossing paint at Ryan the day of their first fight.

More drama.

During their first fight both battled to control the initiative with Mayer out-punching the British fighter by a slender margin. It was a back-and-forth struggle with each absorbing blows and retaliating immediately.

New York City got its money’s worth.

Ryan had risen to the elite level rapidly since losing to Erica Farias three years ago. Though she was physically bigger and younger, she was out-maneuvered and defeated by the wily veteran from Argentina. In the rematch, however, Ryan made adjustments and won convincingly.

Can she make adjustments from her defeat to Mayer?

“I wanted the rematch straight away,” said Ryan on social media. “I’ve come to America again.”

Both fighters have size and reach. In their first clash it was evident that conditioning was not a concern as blows were fired nonstop in bunches. Mayer had the number of punches landed advantage and it unfolded with the judges giving her a majority decision win.

That was six months ago. Can she repeat the outcome?

Mayer has always had boiler-oven intensity. It’s not fake. Since her amateur days the slender Southern California blonde changes disposition all the way to red when lacing up the gloves. It’s something that can’t be taught.

Can she draw enough of that fire out again?

“I didn’t have to give her this rematch. I could have just sat it out, waited for Lauren Price to unify and fought for undisputed or faced someone else,” said Mayer to BBC. “That’s not the fighter I am though.”

Co-Main in Las Vegas

The co-main event pits Brian Norman Jr. (26-0, 20 KOs) facing Puerto Rico’s Derrieck Cuevas (27-1-1, 19 KOs) in a contest for the WBO welterweight title.

Norman, 24, was last seen a year ago dissecting a very good welterweight in Giovani Santillan for a knockout win in San Diego. He showed speed, skill and power in defeating Santillan in his hometown.

Cuevas has beaten some solid veteran talent but this will be his big test against Norman and his first attempt at winning a world title.

Also on the Top Rank card will be Bruce “Shu Shu” Carrington and Emiliano Vargas, the son of Fernando Vargas, in separate bouts.

Golden Boy in Cancun

A rematch between undefeated William “Camaron” Zepeda (32-0, 27 KOs) and ex-champ Tevin Farmer (33-7-1, 8 KOs) headlines the lightweight match on Saturday March 29, at Cancun, Mexico.

In their first encounter Zepeda was knocked down in the fourth round but rallied to win a split-decision over Farmer. It showed the flaws in Zepeda’s tornado style.

DAZN will stream the Golden Boy Promotions card that also includes a clash between Yokasta Valle the WBC minimumweight world titlist who is moving up to flyweight to face former flyweight champion Marlen Esparza.

Both Valle and Esparza have fast hands.

Valle is excellent darting in and out while Esparza has learned how to fight inside. It’s a toss-up fight.

Fights to Watch

Fri. DAZN 12 p.m. Cameron Vuong (7-0) vs Jordan Flynn (11-0-1); Pat Brown (0-0) vs Federico Grandone (7-4-2).

Sat. DAZN 5 p.m. William Zepeda (32-0) vs Tevin Farmer (33-7-1); Yokasta Valle (32-3) vs Marlen Esparza (15-2).

Sat. ESPN 7 p.m. Mikaela Mayer (20-2) vs Sandy Ryan (7-2-1); Brian Norman Jr. (26-0) vs Derrieck Cuevas (27-1-1).

Photo credit: Mikey Williams / Top Rank

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