Boxing Blog – TSS Tidbits

Star Boxing packs the Paradise Theater in the Bronx

Joe DeGuardia’s Star Boxing has found a home to showcase the fights.

The Paradise Theater in the Bronx, which opened as the Loews Paradise Theater in 1929, was one of the nation’s premiere movie and vaudeville houses, hosting in its day old school showbiz luminaries like Bob Hope and Milton Berle in a faux 17th century baroque setting. The joint is beautiful, complete with a starry sky blue ceiling filled with painted clouds and flying nymphs, ornate fountains, statues of famous and half-dressed mythical figures posing on pedestals, and carved marble and oak columns swarming with ivy. But as urban blight hit the Bronx like a sucker punch from hell and knocked the borough to its knees for what looked like the count, the entertainers and their fans stayed away from The Paradise in fear for their lives, and the theater closed its doors in 1994.

But just as all things must pass, all things must pass, and gentrification, where yesterday’s slum becomes today’s inflated real estate, visited the Bronx and The Paradise was renovated and reopened in 2005 to much acclaim. In addition to serving as a touchstone of the Bronx’s renaissance, the Paradise Theater, thanks to Star Boxing, is also hosting fights on a regular basis.

At the Paradise Theater on Thursday, January 25, in the main event of the night, Raul Frank (28-5-3, 14 KOs) was awarded a TKO7 over USBA junior middleweight champion Terrence “The Heat� Cauthen (32-4, 9 KOs) in a fight/result that is being formally protested to the New York State Athletic Commission.

In a snoozer of a bout, Frank, 153¼, from Brooklyn by way of Ghana, struggled to overcome the effective southpaw style of Cauthen, 153¼, from Trenton, NJ. The Ghanaian was behind on all the judges’ cards after six when he “connected� with a shot to the forehead that dropped Cauthen. Cauthen struggled to his feet and beat the count, but collapsed again, at which time referee Ricky Gonzalez counted the champ out at 2:59.

Although ruled at TKO victory for the challenger, those sitting ringside immediately raised a ruckus because it wasn’t a punch that dropped Cauthen, it was an unintentional headbutt which the officials failed to recognize.

The promoter DeGuardia approached Ron Scott Stevens, the NYSAC czar, who admitted he didn’t see the headbutt—reasonable enough with all the fly girls and booty bouncing around Paradise—whereupon DeGuardia produced a tape of the TKO for the commissioner’s assessment. Unfortunately, Stevens said, “Replays are not used in New York, but in the interest of fairness to all parties I will hold a hearing next Wednesday and try to settle this situation.�

In undercard action, super featherweight Maureen Shea (9-0, 5 KOs) from the Bronx, 127½, stopped tough Elizabeth Villareal (2-2-1), 126, from San Antonio in round six.

Eric “Outlaw� Hunter (6-1, 3 KOs), 124½, hailing from Philly, decisioned Pasquale “The Tiger� Rouse (19-12-3, 11 KOs) of the Bronx, 126, in six rounds of featherweight action. The final tally was 58-56, 59-56 and 59-55.

Also from the Bronx, the favorite, light heavyweight Joel “El Rey” Castillo (5-0, 3 KOs), 171½, did just enough to win a decision after four over William Gill (6-14, 5 KOs), 173, from Toms River, NJ, with scores of 39-37, 39-37 and 38-38

In heavyweight action, Vaughn “MVP� Parham, 255, from the Bronx, making his pro debut, stopped Travis “Walk the Walk� Waters from Salsbury, Maryland, also making his pro debut, at 2:06 the first round.

Junior flyweight Suszannah Warner (7-3, 2 KOs), 107, stopped Nancy Bonilla (2-5-1), 106, in the third round.

Welterweight Tommy “The Razor” Rainone (4-0), 147, from Plainview, NY won a UD4 over John Lipscomb (2-8), 144½, from Cleveland, Ohio, with scores of 40-36, 40-36 and 38-38.

And in a swing bout, light heavyweight Denys Lozada (3-1-1, 1 KO), 175, from Nanuet, NY, scored a TKO2 over New Brunswick, NJ’s Mike Ciccone (1-3).

Mike Tyson pleads not guilty at Monday’s coke/DUI hearing

In another instance where truth takes a backseat to expediency, one-time heavyweight champion of the world Mike Tyson pleaded not guilty earlier today to charges of drug possession and DUI.

Tyson spoke only when spoken to at his Monday morning hearing before Commissioner Lisa Vandenberg of the Maricopa County Superior Court, and by all accounts the former “baddest man on the planet� was on his best behavior.

A member of Tyson’s legal team, attorney David Chesnoff, said, according to the AP, that Tyson has begun to seek help “for whatever problems he has… Drug addiction is a victimless crime. We believe this is the kind of crime where you shouldn’t go to prison.”

We concur, but realize such thinking hurts the justice business.

“Mike provided a lot of thrills and excitement,” Chesnoff added. “He made a lot of people rich. He’s concerned about this. He’s a sensitive guy. This is not a game to him.”

Tyson is facing felony drug possession for three bags of blow found on his person on Dec. 29, and paraphernalia possession counts, and two misdemeanor counts of driving under the influence of drugs.

Tyson is looking at up to 7½ years behind bars if found guilty of all the charges.

Andrew Thomas, the Maricopa County Attorney, has said he believes Tyson belongs behind bars, in part because of Mike’s prior arrests and convictions, in part because Mike broke the law another time, in part because of the D.A.’s ambition and dumb luck.

Former heavyweight champion’s BMW X5 on the block

Always on the lookout to expand our ever-growing fleet of priceless company cars, we keep our eyes peeled for vehicles worthy of putting our hallowed name on the registration and came across this nugget of a four-wheeler with a distinctly boxing provenance on autotrader.co.uk.

For the price of £21,495 ($42,318) you can be the lucky owner, assuming we don’t beat you to the punch, of former heavyweight champion of world Frank Bruno’s BMW X5.

The 2002 model SUV is powered by a 4.4-litre V8, producing 320bhp and 324 lb/ft of pulling power. It accelerates from 0 to 60 in 7.8 seconds, useful if one is being chased by rapid fans or belligerent creditors, and has a top speed of 137 mph for quick getaways.

The set of wheels is fully-loaded with sat-nav, front and rear TV screens, DVD player, a PlayStation, you name it.

Other features include full leather interior, climate and cruise control and huge 22-inch AC Schnitzer alloy wheels.

If you act now, you might just be lucky enough to get your hands on the ‘boxing-cum-pantomime star’s old car’ – which has just under 60,000 miles on the odometer.

Because I’m contemplating writing a check for Frank Bruno’s BMW as we speak, it might be a little too late for you hungry car enthusiasts to nab this one-of-a-kind boxing car purchase. But fear not. Because there are other goodies available to those whose eyes are wide enough, whose pockets are deep enough, to appreciate the finer things in life.

The last car to be driven by Frank Sinatra—a 1985 Chrysler LeBaron paneled station wagon that was a gift from his wife Barbara—is also for sale on Auto Trader, and for a song. The cost is only £20,000 ($39,318).

If Ol’ Blue Eyes and his car are too fin de siècle for your tastes we forgive you and regret being so retro, but there’s a final item for sale that would look pretty darn sharp speeding down the open road with you behind the wheel. I’m talking about none other than guitar god Eric Clapton’s Ferrari 360 Modena F1 for only £69,000 ($135,647).

I don’t know about you, but I’m just about jumping out of my skin at the thought of more ownership and I’m gonna go grab myself one of those suckers right now—and, boy, is the boss going to be surprised when I drive up to the TSS headquarters behind one of these sporty new vehicles tomorrow morning.

Ali super snacks debut on his birthday this Wednesday

The great Muhammad Ali, one of the best loved and, unfortunately, most exploited athletes of all time, is not in good shape these days. Many who saw him at Madison Square Garden recently, where his daughter Laila was fighting, were shocked at how reduced he appeared.

Maybe because of his condition, maybe because he is one of the most recognized men on the planet, Ali is “lending his name, image and reputation,â€? according to the AP, to a series of snack foods “aimed at 18-to-24-year olds… It’s the former heavyweight champion’s first foray into marketing his image since selling most of the rights to his name and likeness for $50 million last year.â€?

The snacks are produced in conjunction with Mars, Inc., and should hit the shelves at five colleges this Wednesday, coinciding with The Greatest’s 65th birthday.

Other celebrities, including but not limited to Elvis Presley, Evel Knievel and Rosa Parks have made similar moves to set up revenue streams for themselves and their families.

Peter Arnell of The Arnell Group, which helped create and has a financial stake in the snacks’ success or failure, said Ali, by virtue of being Ali, by virtue of lending his name to this new product, automatically give the snacks instant street cred, a “cool factor” according to Arnell, other brands can only dream of duplicating. “You can’t escape the power of his brand. He is just so current in so many different ways.”

The snacks are given boxing-related names such as “Jabs,” “Rumbleâ€? and “Shuffle.â€? The flavors include “Fruit Fight,” “Slammin’ Salsa” and “Thrill-A-Dill-A.” The sweet snacks are shaped like boxing gloves, medicine balls, head gear, ring ropes and speed bags.

Their nutritional value may be next to nothing.

Although The Greatest has been paid in advance for the right to use his name, we hope, as a matter of principle, that the Ali snacks turn out to be a big hit.

Shannon Briggs/Sultan Ibragimov at Madison Square Garden

On March 10 at Madison Square Garden’s Theater in New York City, Shannon Briggs (48-4-1, 42 KOs), still basking in his very own Rocky/George Foreman moment, defends his WBO heavyweight title against the hard-punching silver medalist from Russia, undefeated Sultan Ibragimov (19-0-1, 16 KOs).

Wednesday afternoon’s press conference to announce the fight was at the Russian Firebird Restaurant in midtown Manhattan, last visited for the Valuev/Barrett presser, a Faberge jewel box of a bistro, where the décor—chandeliers, marble fireplaces, gold leaf, a grand piano, a statue of an armless woman on a pedestal, paintings on the walls of the winter hunt—spells all things Russian all the time.

Unlike the Valuev/Barrett presser, where exotic Russian finger food was served buffet style, and where the boxing press was herded into rows of seats in the tiny banquet room on the second floor, the Briggs/Liakhovich presser, although in the same room, was a sit-down luncheon—complete with table cloths and cloth napkins, harried waiters, black bread and golden butter, more cutlery and plates than you could shake a stick at, and of course the familiar Nicholas and Alexandrian ambience. And while I’m no expert, the food to my undiscerning palate was lip-smacking good, if not exactly for those who hope to live past sixty.

Because the veneer of civilization touches almost all things some of the time, even boxing, a mixed green salad with goat cheese dappled with vinaigrette started off the press conference and meal. The main course was a multiple choice consisting of Salmon Kulebiaka, which is salmon baked in a puff pastry sitting on a disk of spinach floating in a beurre blanc sauce, or Beef Stroganoff, described on the menu as ‘Filler of Beef, Onion, Mushroom in a Veal Jus, Pearl Barley,’ or that delectable old standby, Chicken Kiev, a boneless chicken breast pounded and oiled in cold unsalted butter, before being breaded and fried to within an inch of its life.

I opted for the Salmon Kulebiaka, still somewhat wary of cloned meat, but no sooner had I finished what tasted like a formerly frozen piece of fish stuffed into something doughy nesting in a swamp of melted butter, than I was reaching for my Maalox, yearning for some vodka, and calling for the head of Joseph Stalin.

Luckily for me, it was early afternoon and the bar was closed and the 21st century and Uncle Joe is dead and gone and good riddance to bad rubbish, but very alive and very well were Brooklyn’s own Shannon Briggs and Russian’s own Sultan Ibragimov, their teams, corners, promoters, aide-de-camps, and everyone else associated with the March 10 heavyweight title bout at Madison Square Garden.

Ibragimov told the press, “My English not so good. I know Shannon is a tough, strong fighter. I am ready for strong, tough fight.�

Shannon Briggs is also ready for a strong, tough fight, but in the meantime he’s happy to be home. “Coming home to defend my title!� he said. “I’m happy to be defending my title in my hometown. It’s a dream come true for me, to showcase my title at home, to be talking to you as champion rather than as an opponent.�

Even though he’s not on the card, the biggest gun in the small room was Bernard Hopkins, representing Ibragimov and Golden Boy East, who said, “The heavyweight division is starting to have light and positivity. Now the division is starting to shape up. The heavyweight division has always been looked at as THE division. Shannon Briggs is a very determined and tough fighter. Sultan is an upcoming silver medalist, strong.� Hopkins the old pro paused. “I think I’ve changed my mind about this heavyweight stuff.�

Manny Steward gives Pacquiao two years on top

Hall of Fame trainer Emanuel Steward predicts that pound-for-pounder Manny Pacquiao will stay at the top of boxing’s heap for another two years before the deterioration of his skills begins.

“I give him 24 months before the intensity starts fading for him,â€? Steward told the Manila Bulletin. “He is so incredibly exciting. He is going to make a lot of money, no doubt about that. He is always exciting and he will leave his legacy in the ring. He is making his mark. But it’s his face-first style that will shorten his boxing career.

“That type of fighter, well, they seldom go past age 30. That type of guy does not age well.”

Steward has a point. Pacquaio’s blood and guts, do or die style, which makes him the “most exciting fighter in the world,� according to HBO’s wise man Larry Merchant, also makes him vulnerable to getting hit, never a good thing for any pro, no matter how offensive-minded or resilient he might be.

That said, maybe the tradeoff is worth it, when one considers all the fistic thrills Pac-Man has already given us, and is likely to give us during the next two years, before the inevitable slide, which Steward predicts, begins.

Do you want to see Bernard Hopkins fight Roy Jones again?

Only fools don’t respect Bernard Hopkins’ and Roy Jones Jr.’s accomplishments in the ring, but while Jones has been irrelevant in the larger scheme of boxing things for quite some time, Hopkins has been more or less straddling the fence—until now.

According to Dan Rafael at ESPN.com, Hopkins, who is described as “world light heavyweight champion,� despite a propensity to retiring and un-retiring with the frequency of a diva, told Dandy Dan that he is “in negotiations to face rival Roy Jones Jr. in a July 21 HBO PPV rematch.�

Great, just what boxing, the quintessential young man’s sport, needs: a 42-year-old getting it on with a 38-year-old, on pay-per-view no less, to avenge a loss that occurred 13 long years ago (1993), and that by now most of us have forgotten.

Rafael writes that Hopkins “named Jones as one of the fighters he most wanted to face… One reason a rematch might be made this time around: Jones, who turns 38 next week, doesn’t have any other options for a significant fight.â€?

I guess that’s as good a reason as any for the match to get made.

“We’re talking to Roy,â€? said Hopkins. “We’d both like the fight. I’m about 185 or 190 right now, but I will be back at 175 and be in great shape.” But Hopkins said he isn’t coming back for just one fight. “Three more,” he said.

Hopkins has always made blowing minds one of his sub-specialties, but his proposed fight with Jones seems less about blowing minds than about blowing hard-earned cash on what increasingly looks like boxing’s seniors’ tour.

But if Bernard really wants everyone to sit up and take notice of his skills and willingness to keep fighting, he and Mackie Shilstone should get to work ASAP to get Ex back down to middleweight, so he can fight someone worthy of his talents and ambition, someone, say, like Edison Miranda.

That bout would be guaranteed to give fight fans the maximum bang for their maximum buck.

But the Hopkins vs. Jones rematch? What about it, Blog Squad? Is it worth fifty smackers to you to see Bernard Hopkins/Roy Jones II?

HBO’s Lamps arrested on Wednesday

HBO’s Jim Lampley was arrested near his girlfriend’s home on Wednesday and charged with “suspicion of domestic violence, violating a restraining order and dissuading a witness,� according to TMZ.com.

Lamps was released from Vista jail in San Diego after posting $35,000 bail.

Lampley is one of best sports broadcasters in the biz. He’s worked for the big three—ABC, CBS and NBC—and his long-running stint at HBO has made him a familiar, distinguished and welcome voice among boxing’s talking heads.

A pot bust many moons ago should have zero effect on the outcome of this latest brush with the law.

HBO was contacted by TSS and had no comment.

Mike Tyson prosecutor goes for the jugular

Just as spiders spin webs and rats abandon a sinking ship, prosecutors prosecute—especially when it comes to former heavyweight champion of the world Mike Tyson, who was arrested last week and charged with cocaine possession and DUI.

Tyson was busted after leaving a nightclub in Scottsdale, Arizona. He was allegedly driving erratically—he ran a stop sign and almost struck a cop car—when he was pulled over by the police, who said they saw him trying to wipe some white lines off a suspicious looking powder off his dash.

A search of Tyson’s car revealed three bags of blow.

Maricopa County prosecutor, Andrew Thomas, said at a recent press conference, “He (Tyson) has run out of second chances, at least in my book. I don’t take any pleasure out of doing this. A week ago, my kids and I were watching Rocky Balboa in the movie theatre, and we saw Mike Tyson make a cameo appearance in the movie. Now here we are and he’s looking at going back to prison.”

At the time of his bust, the arresting officer wrote that Tyson “admitted to using today and stated he is an addict and has a problem.”

By the sound of it, Mike Tyson, boxing’s favorite repeat offender, won’t be receiving any special treatment from the State of Arizona…

The Queen giveth and the Queen taketh away

Former featherweight champion Naseem Hamed, recently released from prison after serving four months of his 15 month sentence for reckless driving—Prince was driving his Benz upwards of 90 mph on the wrong side of the road when he crashed head-on into a poor sap behind the wheel of a Volkswagen—has just been stripped by the Queen of his MBE, an honor bestowed on the boxer by HRH when the Prince was riding high.

According to the London Gazette, “The Queen has directed that the appointment of Naseem Hamed to be a Member of the Civil Division of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, dated 31 December 1998, shall be cancelled and annulled and that his name shall be erased from the Register of the said Order.”

Hamed’s former trainer, Brendan Ingle, told the Mirror that Hamed’s losing the MBE is a “terrible blow… This will really upset him. He was delighted at receiving the award from the Queen. Afterwards he was so proud he used to show it to everyone.

“It is really sad the way things have turned out. He was a fantastic champion.”