Glimpses from the Past (Part One)

Glimpses from the Past (Part One)

As this writer approaches 85, yes 85, some of the boxing memories are not as clear as they once were, but there are still enough to send chills down my spine. For some, I was there; for others, I witnessed them live on TV or on video footage. Some were positive but too many were on the darker side. Boxing is not a sport that often let’s the sun in.

Oohing and Aahing

Chicago’s Bob Satterfield had a China chin and bricks in his gloves. That combination made for super excitement because if you didn’t get him, he would get you. In his 1950 fight in the cavernous Chicago Stadium against Lee Oma (62-26-3 coming in), Satterfield was floored for a nine count in the fifth round and barely made it to his feet. Oma moved in to end matters, but Satterfield suddenly dropped him with a quick right. Oma, still on the floor when the round ended, was saved by the bell. Satterfield then knocked him cold in the next round with a thunderous right that had the crowd oohing and aahing with the ferocity of the knockout punch and the change in action. For a 13-year-old kid, that oohing and aahing was what boxing was all about in those days. It always sent shivers down my spin and still does.

“After the Last Round”

Watching the legendary Moyer brothers (Phil and Denny) walking around the grounds of a nursing home with both suffering from severe dementia brought on by boxing careers was gut-wrenching. “After The Last Round” is a 2009 documentary that goes inside of boxing, exposing its tragic effects on the fighters and their families and made this writer weep openly, especially when the father fed the brothers in the nursing home. The film reveals the triumphs and heartbreaking outcomes of those who have chosen this dangerous activity. As one poster commented, “Watching people incur brain damage is not entertainment. Same goes for the NFL, NHL and other cranium-cracking sports. Let’s f—-g evolve already, eh? Ain’t nothing cute about having dementia at 40. If cockfighting and dog fighting are illegal, humans fighting for a prize should be too.”

Perhaps boxing historian Mike Casey says it best: “There is something so bitterly cruel and ironic about a fighting man not being able to remember the one glorious and exceptional quality that set him apart from the rest.”

DOA DOA DOA

In 1991, charismatic Robert “Pikin” Quiroga and slick Akeem Anifowoshe, aka Kid Akeem, engaged in The Ring magazine Fight of the Year in San Antonio. The two battled for twelve ferocious mind-numbing rounds for the IBF Super Flyweight Title in an ebb and flow savagery that was one of the best fights ever in the super flyweight division.

Quiroga got what some ringside observers called a hometown decision; it should have been a draw. Post-fight reports said Anifowoshe, who collapsed in his corner after the decision was read, absorbed more than 400 blows to the head; “Pikin” needed three hours of plastic surgery to repair his own injuries.

As the Kid was stretchered out, a number of fans, reflecting the much darker side of the sport, chanted: “DOA, DOA” (Dead on Arrival). To hear the fans chant “DOA” as he was being carried out left an indelible impression on me and not for the first time made me rethink my passion for this thing called boxing.

The memory I want is the one of a proud warrior from the Lagos ghetto of Mushin, Nigeria, presenting an almost majestic, royal presence in the ring. I was fortunate to see Akeem Anifowoshe fight on more than one occasion in his adopted home of Las Vegas. He was very special.

“Pikin” brought flowers to him at the hospital the next day. He too was very special.  He would later be murdered, dying from multiple stab wounds, a murder purportedly resulting from an argument in a card game.

The Look on Toney’s Face

When Dave Tiberi beat the hell out of James Toney in Atlantic City in 1992, I was there and the memory of Dave being raised by his cornerman in certain victory contrasted sharply with Toney’s look of disgust at what he knew was certain defeat. But what I recall the most was the look of surprise on Toney’s face when the verdict was announced, a decision so rank that it chased me away from boxing for a long time.

Kirkland’s Win over Angulo in Cancun in 2011

When James “Mandingo” Kirkland was decked in the first round by Alfredo “El Perro” Angulo, things looked pretty bleak for the underdog Kirkland. The fearsome-looking Angulo then teed off on James non-stop for what seemed like an eternity but suddenly he began to gas. Kirkland absorbed, deflected, and blocked the incoming until the incoming stopped, and then James took command and decked “The Dog” at the end of the round. Angulo was done for all practical purposes. The fight was finally stopped in Round 6 after Angulo took a savage beating in front of a totally shocked crowd. Max Kellerman said he thought Kirkland was being served up to Angulo to put the Mexican in line for bigger things. Max was wrong, very wrong.

“What part of white towel didn’t they get?”

In December 2011, Holly Holm was brutally destroyed by France’s Anne Sophie Mathis with one of the most unnecessary knockouts in women’s boxing history. It was terrible to witness. (Of course, nothing matches Ann Wolfe’s KO of Vonda Ward, but this one was a sleeper.)

Since Holly has been one of my favorites, I was especially incensed that her corner and the referee allowed Mathis to land two devastating free shots on a helpless Holm. This writer had that same helpless feeling when a seemingly paralyzed referee allowed Roberto Duran to pummel Davey Moore at will years ago. As for the final blow, it was reminiscent of James “The Heat” Kinchen’s free shot KO bomb against Alex Ramos in 1984. This was Holly’s first loss since 2004, a span of 24 fights. In that one, her corner threw in the towel due to cuts. They should have thrown in the towel in this one as well.

Amazingly, Holly avenged the Mathis loss in an immediate rematch. This coming June, she will be formally inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.

Ted Sares is one of the country’s oldest powerlifters and plans to continue competing in 2022 pending Covid issues. He enjoys writing about and researching boxing and welcomes questions and/or comments. He can be reached at tedsares@roadrunner.com

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