Connect with us

Canada and USA

Don Elbaum in Wyoming

The next chapter in Wyoming’s experiment with bare-knuckle boxing unfolds tomorrow, June 23, in Gillette (pop. 32,000). Eight bouts are scheduled in the central

Share The Sweet Science experience!

Published

on

experiment

The next chapter in Wyoming’s experiment with bare-knuckle boxing unfolds tomorrow, June 23, in Gillette (pop. 32,000). Eight bouts are scheduled in the central pavilion of a complex whose chief annual event is a high school rodeo competition. The fights will be livestreamed on the FITE TV app. The price is $9.99.

Bare-knuckle boxing is not this reporter’s cup of tea, but Don Elbaum is involved and the event afforded me an opportunity to chat with the legendary Elbaum, a man that I have never met face-to-face.

A walking encyclopedia of boxing, Elbaum, affectionately called “The Bum,” grew up in Erie, Pennsylvania. His age is a well-guarded secret but he will tell you that he became addicted to boxing as a boy when an uncle took him to see a Willie Pep fight in New Bedford, Massachusetts. The date (we looked it up) was July 15, 1947. Seven years later, when he was in the 11th grade, he promoted his first show. It was held in the auditorium of Erie’s Gannon College. So while Elbaum won’t tell you his age, one can deduce with a fair degree of confidence that the first digit is “8.” But you wouldn’t know it. The man — who bears a close resemblance to the actor Harvey Keitel — is a bundle of energy.

Elbaum is commonly credited with promoting or co-promoting 1000 boxing shows. An article in the May, 2015 issue of Newsweek set the number at 1300 but who’s counting? None of these fights were “Fights of the Century”- type fights although Elbaum likely hyped most of them as such.

He even hypes boxing shows that are long over and done. Back in 1965, he staged a show in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, that included Sugar Ray Robinson and Willie Pep, the only time they ever appeared on the same bill. But both were long past their prime — Robinson was 44, Pep 43 — and they were both matched soft with the result that the promotion was a dud. The attendance paled in comparison to a high school football game being played down the street.

Years later, reminiscing with Philadelphia Daily News boxing writer Bernard Fernandez, Elbaum recollected that having Robinson and Pep together on the same show “was the biggest thing to hit that town since the great Johnstown flood of 1889.”

Elbaum has co-promoted fights all over the world, but this is his first foray into Wyoming. He was summoned there by promoter Corey Williams who one can fairly call the godfather of bare-knuckle boxing in Wyoming.

Williams, a former Arena League football player, heavyweight boxer, and MMA fighter, laid the groundwork for the sport in Wyoming, but was beaten to the punch, so to speak, by a Philadelphia-area man, David Feldman, who promoted a card three weeks ago in Cheyenne that was widely hailed as the first legal bare-knuckle boxing event in the United States in more than a century.

The Cheyenne show was the first event of its kind since the Wyoming State Board of Mixed Martial Arts set forth the rules of competition in an official document released on March 30 of this year, but Williams had been promoting quasi-legal shows in the Cowboy State since 2014. Tomorrow’s event is billed as “Fight Club 4.” (Don’t invite Corey Williams and David Feldman to the same dinner party. Feldman, in the eyes of Williams and his supporters, is a carpetbagger who would be wise to steer clear of these parts in the future. On one of Williams’ social media pages, Feldman’s June 3 show has been re-branded “the fake bare-knuckle take-a-dive event.”)

Don Elbaum tells us that he’s very impressed with Williams. The bare-knuckle enthusiast, 38, looks like a barroom brawler (and he’s been that), but, says Elbaum, Corey is one of the most well-spoken individuals that he has ever met. (In a 2015 interview with a UK writer, Williams claimed to have a Ph.D. in women’s psychology. He did not identify the college.)

Elbaum, who promoted more than 100 shows at Atlantic City’s Tropicana Hotel in the mid-1980s, can open a lot of doors. He introduced the Wyoming man to Larry Hazzard, the longtime head of the New Jersey Athletic Commission, with the hope that Hazzard would be amenable to exploring the possibility of allowing bare-knuckle boxing in New Jersey. If the Garden State ever goes for it, Elbaum plans to design a belt for the champions featuring the likes of John L. Sullivan.

Elbaum is on a first-name basis with more active and retired boxers than anyone alive. Over the years he may have made more money as a booking agent than as a promoter. For tomorrow’s show he is bringing in Robert Daniels. Daniels is a former WBA world cruiserweight champion and therein Elbaum has his hook.

The last world champion – legitimate world champion – to appear in a legally sanctioned bare-knuckle match, says Elbaum, was the aforementioned Sullivan. Ergo, Daniels’ fight with Casper, Wyoming’s Tyler “The Cannon” Canning, billed for the vacant Bare Knuckle Fight Club Cruiserweight World Title, is an historic event. (What Elbaum doesn’t volunteer is that Daniels is 51 years old and has fought only once in the last 12 years, that coming in 2012 on a small show in Salinas, Puerto Rico.)

Don Elbaum, who can talk about his experiences for hours without repeating himself, has had a rich life. Sometime down the road I hope to renew acquaintances with him and let him fill me in on the time when he squired Marla Maples around Atlantic City as a favor to her future husband Donald Trump.

Check out more boxing news on video at The Boxing Channel

Share The Sweet Science experience!
Advertisement
Avila-Perspective-Chap-330-Matchroom-in-New-York-plus-the-latest-on-Canelo-Crawford
Featured Articles3 weeks ago

Avila Perspective, Chap. 330: Matchroom in New York plus the Latest on Canelo-Crawford

Vito-Mielnicki-Whitewashes-Kamil-Gardzielik-Before-the-Home-Folks-in-Newark
Featured Articles2 weeks ago

Vito Mielnicki Jr Whitewashes Kamil Gardzielik Before the Home Folks in Newark

Pacquiao-is-Back,-Fabio-in-England-and-More.jpg
Featured Articles4 weeks ago

Avila Perspective, Chap 329: Pacquiao is Back, Fabio in England and More

Opetaia-and-Nakatani-Crush-Overmatched-Foes-Capping-Off-a-Wild-Boxing-Weekend
Featured Articles4 weeks ago

Opetaia and Nakatani Crush Overmatched Foes, Capping Off a Wild Boxing Weekend

Catching-Up-with-Clay-Moyle-Who-Talks-About-His-Massive-Collection-of-Boxing-Books
Featured Articles3 weeks ago

Catching Up with Clay Moyle Who Talks About His Massive Collection of Boxing Books

Fabio-Wardley-Comes-from-Behind-to-KO-Justis-Huni
Featured Articles4 weeks ago

Fabio Wardley Comes from Behind to KO Justis Huni  

More-Medals-for-Hawaii's-Patricio-Family-at-USA-Boxing's-Summer-Festival
Featured Articles2 weeks ago

More Medals for Hawaii’s Patricio Family at the USA Boxing Summer Festival

The-Shafting-of-Blair-the-Flair-Cobbs-a-Familar-Thread-in-the-Cruelest-Sport
Featured Articles3 weeks ago

The Shafting of Blair “The Flair” Cobbs, a Familiar Thread in the Cruelest Sport

Richardson-Hitchins-Batters-and-Stops-George-Kambosos-at-Madison-Square-Garden
Featured Articles3 weeks ago

Richardson Hitchins Batters and Stops George Kambosos at Madison Square Garden 

Callum-Walsh-Umar-Dzambekov-and-Cain-Sandoval-Remain-Unbeaten-at-Santa-Ynez
Featured Articles2 weeks ago

Callum Walsh, Umar Dzambekov and Cain Sandoval Remain Unbeaten at Santa Ynez

A-Fight-Fan-and-Teremoana-Samson-Junior-Leon-Teremoana
Featured Articles2 weeks ago

A Fight Fan and Teremoana Samson Junior Leon Teremoana

Paro
Featured Articles1 week ago

Liam Paro Returns with a Flourish on Wednesday’s ‘No Limit’ Card in Queensland

Avila-Perspective-Chap-331-Callum-Walsh-Brian-Norman-Galal-Yafai-and-More
Featured Articles2 weeks ago

Avila Perspective, Chap. 331: Callum Walsh, Brian Norman, Galal Yafai and More

Brian-Norman-Jr-Bombs-Out-Jin-Sasaki-with-a-Frightful-Left-Hook
Featured Articles2 weeks ago

Brian Norman Jr Bombs Out Jin Sasaki with a Frightful Left Hook

Jake-Paul-Outpoints-Julio-Cesar-Chavez-Jr-plus-Other-Results-from-Anaheim
Featured Articles6 days ago

Jake Paul Outpoints Julio Cesar Chavez Jr plus Other Results from Anaheim

A-Closer-Look-at-Mario-Barrios-Poised-to-Wreck-the-Comeback-of-a-Legend
Featured Articles1 week ago

A Closer Look at Mario Barrios, Poised to Wreck the Comeback of a Legend

A-Boxing-Card-in-Alabama-Goes-Pfft-A-True-Tale-from-the-Underbelly-of-the-Sweet-Science
Featured Articles3 days ago

A Boxing Card in Alabama Goes Pfft: A True Tale from the Underbelly of The Sweet Science

Avila-Perspective-Chap-332-Jake-Paul-vs-Chavez-Jr-plus-Mbilli-Deontay-and-More
Featured Articles1 week ago

Avila Perspective, Chap. 332: Jake Paul vs Chavez Jr., plus Mbilli, Deontay and More

Mbilli-Blasts-Out-Sulecki-in-Quebec-Wilder-TKOs-Herndon-in-Wichita
Featured Articles7 days ago

Mbilli Blasts Out Sulecki in Quebec; Wilder TKOs Herndon in Wichita

Holly-Holm-Joshua-Edwards-and-Rene-Alvarado-Sparkle-on-the-Paul-Chavez-Undercard
Featured Articles6 days ago

Holly Holm, Joshua Edwards, and Rene Alvarado Sparkle on the Paul-Chavez Undercard

Avila-Perspective-Chap-333-Jake-Paul-JC-Chavez-Jr-Zurdo-and-More
Featured Articles3 hours ago

Avila Perspective, Chap. 333: Jake Paul, JC Chavez Jr, Zurdo and More

When-Boxing-Was-Big-on-the-Fourth-of-July-A-TSS-Classic
Featured Articles1 day ago

When Boxing was Big on the Fourth of July: A TSS Classic

A-Boxing-Card-in-Alabama-Goes-Pfft-A-True-Tale-from-the-Underbelly-of-the-Sweet-Science
Featured Articles3 days ago

A Boxing Card in Alabama Goes Pfft: A True Tale from the Underbelly of The Sweet Science

Mexico's-Francisco-Rodriguez-Jr-is-the-TSS-Fighter-of-the-Month-for-June
Featured Articles4 days ago

Mexico’s Francisco Rodriguez Jr is the TSS Fighter of the Month for June

Jake-Paul-Outpoints-Julio-Cesar-Chavez-Jr-plus-Other-Results-from-Anaheim
Featured Articles6 days ago

Jake Paul Outpoints Julio Cesar Chavez Jr plus Other Results from Anaheim

Holly-Holm-Joshua-Edwards-and-Rene-Alvarado-Sparkle-on-the-Paul-Chavez-Undercard
Featured Articles6 days ago

Holly Holm, Joshua Edwards, and Rene Alvarado Sparkle on the Paul-Chavez Undercard

Mbilli-Blasts-Out-Sulecki-in-Quebec-Wilder-TKOs-Herndon-in-Wichita
Featured Articles7 days ago

Mbilli Blasts Out Sulecki in Quebec; Wilder TKOs Herndon in Wichita

Avila-Perspective-Chap-332-Jake-Paul-vs-Chavez-Jr-plus-Mbilli-Deontay-and-More
Featured Articles1 week ago

Avila Perspective, Chap. 332: Jake Paul vs Chavez Jr., plus Mbilli, Deontay and More

A-Closer-Look-at-Mario-Barrios-Poised-to-Wreck-the-Comeback-of-a-Legend
Featured Articles1 week ago

A Closer Look at Mario Barrios, Poised to Wreck the Comeback of a Legend

Paro
Featured Articles1 week ago

Liam Paro Returns with a Flourish on Wednesday’s ‘No Limit’ Card in Queensland

More-Medals-for-Hawaii's-Patricio-Family-at-USA-Boxing's-Summer-Festival
Featured Articles2 weeks ago

More Medals for Hawaii’s Patricio Family at the USA Boxing Summer Festival

Callum-Walsh-Umar-Dzambekov-and-Cain-Sandoval-Remain-Unbeaten-at-Santa-Ynez
Featured Articles2 weeks ago

Callum Walsh, Umar Dzambekov and Cain Sandoval Remain Unbeaten at Santa Ynez

Vito-Mielnicki-Whitewashes-Kamil-Gardzielik-Before-the-Home-Folks-in-Newark
Featured Articles2 weeks ago

Vito Mielnicki Jr Whitewashes Kamil Gardzielik Before the Home Folks in Newark

Avila-Perspective-Chap-331-Callum-Walsh-Brian-Norman-Galal-Yafai-and-More
Featured Articles2 weeks ago

Avila Perspective, Chap. 331: Callum Walsh, Brian Norman, Galal Yafai and More

Brian-Norman-Jr-Bombs-Out-Jin-Sasaki-with-a-Frightful-Left-Hook
Featured Articles2 weeks ago

Brian Norman Jr Bombs Out Jin Sasaki with a Frightful Left Hook

A-Fight-Fan-and-Teremoana-Samson-Junior-Leon-Teremoana
Featured Articles2 weeks ago

A Fight Fan and Teremoana Samson Junior Leon Teremoana

Catching-Up-with-Clay-Moyle-Who-Talks-About-His-Massive-Collection-of-Boxing-Books
Featured Articles3 weeks ago

Catching Up with Clay Moyle Who Talks About His Massive Collection of Boxing Books

Richardson-Hitchins-Batters-and-Stops-George-Kambosos-at-Madison-Square-Garden
Featured Articles3 weeks ago

Richardson Hitchins Batters and Stops George Kambosos at Madison Square Garden 

Avila-Perspective-Chap-330-Matchroom-in-New-York-plus-the-latest-on-Canelo-Crawford
Featured Articles3 weeks ago

Avila Perspective, Chap. 330: Matchroom in New York plus the Latest on Canelo-Crawford

The-Shafting-of-Blair-the-Flair-Cobbs-a-Familar-Thread-in-the-Cruelest-Sport
Featured Articles3 weeks ago

The Shafting of Blair “The Flair” Cobbs, a Familiar Thread in the Cruelest Sport

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

Trending