Jim Amato
Amato's Boxing
Greats
Franco Floyd
Fontanero
Pugilist News.com
Building available for
pro/amatuer fights.
Holds 600 people
303-884-3070
USA Boxing
CO Association
Boxing Gyms
Hipotecas La Familia
Jose "Cris" Uribe
303.327.6300 - office
720.261.9488 - cell
Do your kids want to go to a boxing camp this summer? Click here for some information on what we're sure will be a lot of fun for them!! JOHNNY LIRA By
Jim Amato FORMER LIGHTWEIGHT CHAMPION MANDO RAMOS
PASSES AWAY AT 59. By
Jim Amato
I admired the fact he was such a good fighter at that young age. He was not that much older then me. It is well documented that his problems with drugs and alcohol led to the rapid decline of his boxing skills. I had great respect for Mando because he was able to lick his addiction and turn his life around. He started B.A.A.D which is Boxers Against Alcohol And Drugs. He was a fighter that tried to give something back to his community. This is a very sad day indeed. BERT NABALATAN By
Jim Amato Nabalatan rebounded to win his next seven before dropping a decision in 1973 to the slick boxing Leonel Hernandez. Bert then lost to another world ranked fighter in Salvador Torres. Nabalatan was still considered good enough to be ranked among the top ten junior lightweights by Ring magazine. In 1974 Nabalatan lost verdicts to Alfonso Perez and the rugged Royal Kobayashi. In 1975 Bert continued to meet world class opposition. He was outscored by the talented Tyrone Everett. Nabalatan then lost a duke to veteran contender Octavio Gomez. There would be two more fights, both of which he won before Nabalatan retired. In all he participated in 29 bouts with a fine 22-7 record. He scored sixteen knockouts. To Bert's credit he was never stopped and his losses were all to top level competition. HEAVYWEIGHT DON JASPER PASSES AWAY.By
Jim Amato On April 21st, 1956 Jasper was stopped in nine rounds by fading former heavyweight champion Ezzard Charles in Windsor, Canada. Later in Toronto, Jasper was halted in four by Mansfield, Ohio's Art " Curly " Miller. Jasper won two out of three against tough Gene White. In their last bout in 1957, Jasper won a ten round decision to capture the Minnesota State heavyweight title. Jasper lost his last two bouts to undefeated prospects and hung up the gloves in 1959. He had thirty seven career bouts with a 25-11-1 record. He scored fifteen knockouts. ( From www.BoxRec.com ). He served in the Marines during the Korean War. He retired as a Staff Sergeant in the Army Reserves. He also helped coach and train young boxers in the Duluth area. May he rest in peace. STURM BEATS GRIFFIN : IS HE ON KELLY'S
SHORT LIST? By
Jim Amato I wonder if WBA middleweight titleholder Felix Sturm is on Kelly's short list. Sturm defended his title successfully by outscoring the talented Randy Griffin. Felix now sports an impressive 30-2-1 record yet he is largely overlooked in the U.S. despite the very close fight he had with Oscar De La Hoya in 2004. Sturm turned pro in 2001 and won his first twenty bouts including the capture of the WBO version of the middleweight title. He lost that crown to De la Hoya in a fight in which many felt Oscar lost. Sturm jabbed De La Hoya silly in that match. In 2006 Sturm won the WBA recognition as champion by defeating Maselino Masoe. He was then upset by veteran Javier Castillejo. Felix regained the title by outpointing Castillejo in 2007. He drew with Griffin in 2007 but he has settled the score with a clear victory over Randy. Pavlik versus anyone would sell in the U.S. right now. The Lockett match proved that. Still a Pavlik-Sturm match in Germany would be huge. Sturm has the jab, speed and boxing ability to give Kelly some problems but I feel Pavlik would finally get to him late in the fight. Then it's bring on Abraham. As far as Paul Williams as an opponent for Pavlik, what are people thinking ? I like Williams and he has a load of talent but no way he comes close to beating Kelly. I sure hope for Paul's sake this match is not made " BAD " BENNIE BRISCOE By
Jim Amatoo
Briscoe turned pro in 1962 and would win his first fifteen contests. Among his victims were Charley Scott and Percy Manning. In a return with Manning in 1965, Bennie would suffer his first setback. That year he would also lose to Tito Marshall and Stanley " Kitten " Hayward. In 1966 Bennie would halt the highly respected George Benton. Bennie was now among the middleweight elite. The year 1967 would see him lose two decisions to the great Luis Rodriguez. Sandwiched in between those losses was a draw in Argentina with a fella named Carlos Monzon. In 1968 he would lose to future light heavyweight titleholder Vincente Rondon. He would knock out Rondon in a 1969 rematch. In 1970 Bennie began to make his march to a shot at the world's middleweight title. He won eleven straight fights until he was upset by Luis Vinales in 1972. He would stop Vinales in a return match. Finally in November he would meet the reigning middleweight champion of the world, Carlos Monzon. Again they would be fighting in Argentina. This time Carlos clearly deserved the decision the retained his title but he was rocked to his heels by Bennie in the ninth round of that fight. Monzon would always have a great respect for Briscoe. Bennie would regroup in 1973. He destroyed Art Hernandez in three rounds. He also stopped Billy " Dynamite " Douglas of Columbus, Ohio. Billy's son Buster would shock the world in 1990 when he took apart Mike Tyson. Bennie closed the year by losing a decision to Rodrigo Valdez. These two would create some history together. Bennie put himself right back into the thick of the title picture in 1974 when he took out the streaking Tony Mundine of Australia. Later he would again meet Valdez for the WBC version of the title that had been taken away from Monzon. In a stunning display of punching power the vastly under rated Valdez sent Bennie down and out in round seven. Bennie came back but finished the year dropping a points call to all time great Emile Griffith. Briscoe would then go undefeated in his next thirteen bouts. He won nine and drew in four. In this span he would beat Eddie Gregory ( a.k.a. Eddie Mustafa Muhammad ). He would draw with the dangerous Eugene " Cyclone " Hart. In a return go Bennie blasted out Hart in one round. Bennie also drew in a return with Griffith. In 1977 after Carlos Monzon had officially retired, Bennie was again matched with Rodrigo Valdez for vacant title. Again Rodrigo had Bennie's number and won a very close decision. Starting with a decision loss to future champion Vito Antuofermo, Bennie would lose nine of his last seventeen fights. Later that year bennie would drop a verdict to another future champion named Marvin Hagler. At this stage of his career any middleweight who dreamed of becoming the champion had to go through Bennie first. By the early 1980's Bennie was becoming a stepping stone for young, talented fighters like Vinnie Curto. After a 1982 loss to Jimmy Sykes at the famous Blue Horizon in Philadelphia, hometown boy Bennie Briscoe decided to hang up the gloves. He left a legacy of 96 fights against many of the toughest welterweights and middleweights of his day. He won 66 fights and an amazing 53 of those by knockout. He was stopped only once in his career. His record reads like a who's who of boxing in that era. If ever a fighter who was never crowned a " world champion " deserved to be elected in to the Hall Of Fame, it is none other then Bennie Briscoe. WILBERT " Vampire " JOHNSON By
Jim Amato In 1983 Johnson lost a decision to then unbeaten Carlos Tite. In 1984 he fought a draw with rugged Mike " Nino " Gonzalez. Later that year he was taken out in two by John " The Beast " Mugabi. He then lost a close decision to Chicago's Mike Landini. In 1988 Johnson lost a decision to Australian prospect Guy Waters. Wilbert retired in 1989. In forty fights Johnson posted a respectable 29-8-2 record with one no contest. He scored 19 KO's and was stopped on four occasions. When I think of the early days of ESPN, I can't help but think of the " Vampire"! MANNY PACQUAIO -VS- DAVID DIAZ ON JUNE
28th By
Jim Amato Diaz turned professional in 1996 and went undefeated in 26 fights. He suffered his first loss in 2005 when he was stopped by the immensely talented Kendal Holt in eight rounds. On his way to the Holt fight Diaz had defeated Frankie Sanchez, Jaime Rangel and the always tough Emanuel Burton. Eight months after the Holt setback, David knocked out Juan Polo Perez to win the vacant International Boxing Association lightweight title. Diaz would successfully defend that title twice. In 2006 Diaz won the Interim WBC lightweight tile by stopping Jose Armando Santa Cruz. In 2007 David Diaz became a full fledged world champion by defeating Mexican legend Erik Morales. Now he takes on his biggest challenge to date in Pacquaio who will bring in a 46-3-2 record and 36 knockouts. Pacquaio is an overwhelming favorite but please remember, 2008 thus far has been the year of the upset. Anything can happen and as we've seen recently, sometimes the unexpected does. TERRY HINKE: By
Jim Amato Terry turned pro in 1969 and quickly ran up a 21-0-2 record and was considered a good prospect. He suffered his first loss in 1971 being stopped by the capable Wendell Newton. A year and a half later Newton was good enough to lose a split decision to highly ranked Ron Lyle. In 1972 Hinke dropped a ten round verdict to journeyman Charlie Reno. In 1973 Hinke scored an important victory outscoring rugged Rodney Bobick. In 1974 Terry was surprising halted by Charlie James. He bounced right back to beat Lou Bailey, Terry Daniels and Elmer Rush. Then he met Chuck Wepner. The bout saw Wepner penalized four points for an array of rule infringements. Nevertheless tough Chuck sent Terry down three times in the eleventh and the bout was stopped in Wepner's favor. The win over Hinke helped Wepner toward securing a 1975 title shot against Muhammad Ali. In 1976 Hinke was halted by the big South African, Mike Schutte. Terry would have one more fight and retire. His overall record was a respectable 40-5-2 with one No Contest. He scored thirty knockouts while being stopped himself on four occasions. JOE CALZAGHE - ROY JONES JR.:
By
Jim Amato The fight itself can be viewed in several ways. Calzaghe is looking to cash in on his relatively new universal fame. Jones appears to be the perfect opponent. Roy may be living off his past greatness but he is still a high profile boxing celebrity. As they say, he puts asses in the seats and he rings up large pay per view audiences. To Joe this is a win, win situation. For Jones this is one last shot at the brass ring. One last attempt to retrieve former glory. This title shot is not a gift to a once great but now washed up former champion. This is not Kostya Tszyu and Julio Cesar Chavez. Roy may not be what he once was but he has earned this shot with three straight wins over decent competition. This fight is no joke! Who will win ? To me a prime Roy Jones would have taken the measure of the best Joe Calzaghe. Today it may be a different story. What I feel will be Roy's downfall is his tendency to spend way to much time languishing on the ropes. This would be tactical suicide against Calzaghe. The problem is Roy may not be able to do anything about it. He can no longer move around the ring as he did in the days of old. I've noticed Calzaghe has two speeds. When he lets his hands go in flashing flurries, he keeps his opponent on the defensive. The trouble is he generates little power on those punches. In fact he has less power then Aunt Jemima flipping flapjacks. When Joe does try to set down on his punches, his hand speed diminishes quite noticeably. His power increases but not to a great extent. He is surely no Bob Foster. Jones is no Jake LaMotta when it comes to whiskers but I feel he can take Calzaghe's best. In the end I look for Calzaghe to just outwork Roy. He does need to be wary of Roy's counter left hook off the ropes. Jones can give Joe a lot of problems with that punch. I think Joe wins a decision with a few points to spare. Maybe a late round stoppage. I just hope as a fan it is a better fight to watch then the Calzaghe - Hopkins slap and grab contest. PERNELL WHITAKER By
Jim Amato Within two years after turning pro Whitaker was beating the likes of John Montes, Rafael Williams and former champion Alfredo Layne. In 1987 he outpointed the highly regarded Roger Mayweather. He garnered his first title shot in 1988 and he lost a decision that has to be rated among the most unjust of all time. Tough Jose Luis Rameriz had " retained " his WBC lightweight title. It was quite a gift. Pernell regrouped in 1989 and proceeded to give rugged Greg Haugen a boxing lesson to win the IBF version of the lightweight title. Later that year he avenged his " loss " to Rameriz and picked up the WBC title too. Pernell was awesome at 135 pounds beating back the challenges of men like Freddie Pendleton, Azumah Nelson, Juan Nazario and Jorge Paez. In 1992 he moved up to the 140 pound division and captured the IBF crown with a win over Rafael Pineda. In 1993 Pernell moved up in weight again and won a decision over the crafty Buddy McGirt to win the WBC welterweight title. Next came a " draw " with the unbeaten Mexican legend Julio Cesar Chavez. This was a ludicrous verdict as Pernell outboxed, outslicked and frustrated Chavez throughout the contest. In 1994 Pernell would again out duel McGirt and in 1995 he moved up again to challenge Julio Cesar Vasquez for the WBA light middleweight title. Pernell put on a boxing clinic in winning another title belt. Pernell decided to stay at welterweight and in 1996 he received a stiff battle from feisty Wilfredo Rivera. Pernell retained his title but it was really the first time in his pro career that somebody almost beat him on a legitimate level. Cracks were beginning to show in his armour. He defeated Rivera convincingly in a return match. Then in 1997 he nearly met disaster against a spirited Diosbelys Hurtado. Behind on the cards, Pernell showed his champion's heart by stopping Hurtado in round eleven. No longer did Whitaker appear invincible. Next it was Pernell -vs- the Golden Boy, Oscar De La Hoya. Although the judges gave Oscar the decision by a comfortable margin, there were many who felt Pernell had again been robbed. A fight against Andrei Pestriaev resulted in a No Contest after Whitaker tested positive for cocaine. In 1999 Pernell had one more shot at the limelight as he faced IBF titleholder Felix " Tito " Trinidad. An older, slower and fading Whitaker was soundly defeated by Tito. Pernell would have one more fight but an injury led to his defeat in four rounds against Carlos Bojorquez. Pernell retired with a stellar 40-4-1 record. I was not a Whitaker fan when he was on top. I found him rather boring to watch. He rarely even lost a round during a fight. Looking back I see now that Pernell was so boring because he was so good. I watch tapes of him now and I see just how gifted he was. Roberto Duran is my favorite fighter. I feel he was the best lightweight of my time. Nevertheless I feel that there was one lightweight who would have given him fits. That man was Pernell Whitaker. Ironically they wer both inducted the same year. Two of the finest lightweights I've ever seen. Click here for the results of our State Junior Golden Gloves Tournament that took place on June 6th and 7th, 2008 at Clear Creek High School in Evergreen, Colorado. ERBITO SALAVARRIA : THE PHILIPPINES FORGOTTEN
CHAMPION By
Jim Amato Salavarria turned professional in 1963 and won seventeen of his first twenty bouts. In 1966 he lost a decision to Ric Magrano for the Philippine flyweight title. Salavarria and Magrano would split a four fight series with the Philippine crown on the line each time. In 1967 Erbito made his first journey away from the Philippines and lost to Tsuyoshi Nakamura in Tokyo for the Orient - Pacific flyweight title. In 1969 Salavarria would stop Nakamura in a rematch to win that crown. In 1970 Salavarria won an upset ten round non title decision over reigning WBA flyweight titleholder Berkrerk Chartvanchai. The victory earned Erbito a title shot against WBC flyweight champion Chartchai Chionoi. Salavarria shocked the boxing world as he flattened the great Chionoi in the second round. In 1971 Salavarria defended against Susumu Hanagata ( W-15 ) and Venezuela's Betulio Gonzalez ( D-15 ). He also lost a non title verdict to Lorenzo " Halimi " Gutierrez. In 1973 he lost his title to the fabulous Thai southpaw Venice Borkhorsor. Salavarria stayed in contention winning four of five fights losing only to Panama's Alfonso Lopez. In 1975 Salvarria won the WBA version of the flyweight title with a decision over old rival Hanagata. He then defeated Hanagata in a title defense. In 1976 Erbito again met Panama's Lopez who stripped Salavarria of the title via a fifteenth round stoppage. Erbito would have one more contest being halted by former light flyweight king Netmoi Sor Vorasingh. Salavarria ended his career with 54 fights, 40 of which he won. He lost eleven and drew three times. He was a major player in the flyweight division through most of the 1970's. FIVE TIME WORLD TITLE CHALLENGER MITSUNORI
SEKI PASSES AWAY By
Jim Amato
Seki first attempted to win the flyweight title from Thailand's Pone Kingpetch. On this occasion Seki lost a close decision. Seki would move up to bantamweight but he met disaster at the hands of Mexico's Joe Medal who stopped him in five. Seki then entered the featherweight division and eventually earned a shot at champion Sugar Ramos. The talented Ramos proved to be too much for Seki and retained his crown. Ramos would later lose his championship to the great Vincente Saldivar. Seki would get yet another chance as he met Saldivar. It was a tough fight but Saldivar would retain his title. It was close enough to justify a rematch so Saldivar and Seki went at it again. This time Saldivar proved he was the best featherweight in the world. Saldivar would then relinquish the title after defeating Howard Winstone and the WBC matched Seki with Winstone for the vacated crown. Seki would lose by a controversial stoppage thus failing in his fifth attempt at world honors. Seki would retire with an outstanding 61-11-1 record. He scored 35 knockouts. Seki along with Hiroyuki Ebihara, the great Fighting Harada and others helped follow 1950's flyweight titlist Yoshio Shirai in establishing Japan as a force to be reckoned with in the world of boxing. At the time of his death Seki was a successful and respected trainer. May he rest in peace. COTTO - MARGARITO ; THE CLASH OF SMASH
By
Jim Amato Miguel Cotto has carried on the great dominance of fellow countryman Felix Trinidad and this bout could be Miguel's defining moment. He has put himself in to superstar status with wins over Zab Judah and Shane Mosley. By defeating Margarito he can cement his legend and begin looking for new worlds to conquer. The fight everyone wants to see at some near future point is Cotto versus Floyd Mayweather Jr. Mr. Margarito may have some say in this matter. Although Cotto and Floyd would be a highly anticipated showdown, from a fan's perspective I believe Cotto - Margarito will be the much more entertaining contest. Looking at the big picture Cotto is the more talented of the two. He can box a bit and he's one of the best body punchers I 've seen in years. Margarito is a swarming boxer that throws punches from all angles and he has a chin of granite. My question is, how well will Margarito survive the body assault of Cotto. ? This could be the key to the confrontation along with Cotto's under rated jab. If Cotto is unable to keep Margarito off of him, we may be looking at a real donnybrook. Cotto's uppercut could also be a valuable tool is discouraging the forward march of Margarito. Please do not count Margarito out. He is a solid puncher, a real banger and the Cotto chin could very well be Miguel 's Achilles heel. By all rights of reason the edge has to be
given to Cotto but Margarito will be dangerous until the end.
All I know is that I can't wait for the bout to begin. DREAM FIGHT : CARLOS MONZON -VS- GENE FULLMER
By
Jim Amato ROUND 1 - Monzon meets the onrushing Fullmer quickly with a stiff left jab. Gene partially blocks Monzon's right hand and bulldozes Carlos to the ropes landing a few body shots. The referee breaks the fighters. Back at mid ring Carlos lands two left jabs and then a straight right. Fullmer again moves Monzon to the ropes and Carlos appears to be surprised by Fullmer's strength. Carlos leans back on the ropes to avoid any head shots but exposes his body. An inviting target for Fullmer. ROUND - Monzon ROUND 2 - Monzon is hitting Gene with some ramrod jabs but Fullmer keeps coming. The referee warns Fullmer for a low blow. A lot of clinching and mauling but the Monzon jab is beginning to redden the face of Fullmer. ROUND - Monzon ROUND 3 - Carlos opens the round with a hard overhand right but Fullmer does not even wince. Monzon continues to be effective with the jab. When Gene does get inside, Monzon ties him up. Carlos is dictating the pace of the fight. ROUND - Monzon. ROUND 4 - Fullmer's manager Marv Jensen tells Gene to " pick up the pace ". Fullmer does just that as he is forcing Carlos into some dangerous exchanges. Fullmer punches from odd angles and he connects with a couple of nice, clubbing rights that get Monzon's attention. ROUND - Fullmer. ROUND 5 - Gene continues to force the action as Carlos attempts to establish his jab once again. Fullmer now sports a small nick under his right eye. Gene is pounding the body whenever possible. Still it looks like Monzon has regained the upper hand. ROUND - Monzon. ROUND 6 - Monzon seems to be firing punches more fluidly and is putting together some nice combinations. Although Gene's cut has not worsened, his right eye is beginning to swell. Fullmer hammers a right to the body and a sharp left hook to the head. Fullmer reaches with another right to the body but Carlos countered with a beautiful counter left to the jaw that sends Fullmer reeling to the ropes. Monzon tries to follow up but Fullmer covers well and even landed a nice, short left hook that gets Monzon's attention. ROUND - Monzon ROUND 7 - Marv Jensen has told Gene to get lower. He has been standing to erect and is giving Carlos a better target to hit. Gene follows instructions and begins slipping under the Monzon jab and w orking on the inside. Gene is staying close to Carlos, nullifying the Monzon jab. ROUND - Fullmer. ROUND 8 - Fullmer is now fighting full speed ahead and the momentum is making a subtle change. Monzon lands a crackling right that opens a small cut over Gene's left eye. Nevertheless Fullmer continues to march in banging to the body of Monzon. ROUND - Fullmer. ROUND 9 - The Monzon corner is imploring him to use his uppercut and catch Gene coming in. Carlos lands a few uppercuts at long range. Finally Gene uncorked a beauty of a left hook to the jaw of Monzon and Carlos felt that one. Monzon is beginning to use the jab again as he thwarts Fullmer's rushing tactics. ROUND - Monzon. ROUND 10 - Monzon opens fast and surprises Gene with a nice flurry. Monzon's jab is really taking its toll on Fullmer's face. Along with the eye cuts Gene has a trickle of blood coming from his nostrils and there is blood inside of his mouth. Ever the warrior Gene keeps trudging in, making Monzon work every second of the round. ROUND - Monzon. ROUND 11 - Gene feels the fight is slipping away from him so he is really taking the tempo up a notch. Gene swatted Monzon with a couple of rights to the side of his head and Monzon is now clinching on occasion trying to stall the Fullmer express. Gene got the better of most of the exchanges and is clearly back in the hunt. ROUND - Fullmer. ROUND 12 - Fullmer continues to muscle Monzon to the ropes and is landing heavy handed punches. Carlos nails Fullmer with a beautiful uppercut and Gene's knee buckled for a moment. Carlos thinks that Gene may be hurt and he follows up with a savage barrage. The fans are going wild as Monzon flails away. Gene covers well but was ineffective in mounting any offense in this session. ROUND - Monzon. ROUND 13 - There is a look of desperation in Fullmer's eyes as he answers the bell. It looks like Gene will probably have to score a knock out to win it and he is going for it. Monzon seems a bit weary but he is still firing that jab of his. Fullmer is just wading in with both hands moving like pistons. ROUND - Fullmer. ROUND 14 - Bloodied but unbowed Fullmer continues his quest for a knockout. There are some fierce exchanges but Gene is getting the better of it. Monzon is clinching and mauling at every opportunity, trying to shave seconds off the clock. ROUND - Fullmer. ROUND 15 - Both men look near exhaustion but they continue to work. Gene is head hunting now, looking for that elusive knockout. Suddenly Monzon lets loose of a vicious right cross that spins Gene half way around. This time Gene is hurt ! Monzon lands a jolting left - right combo that does Gene little good. Monzon is trying his best to put over the finisher but the seconds run out. The fight is over. ROUND - Monzon. The winner by unanimous decision...Carlos Monzon! Monzon's height, reach and better overall skills enabled him to win the fight but the hard nosed fighting spirit of Fullmer made the fight appear closer then the score cards indicated and gave the fans their moneys worth. MOVIE REVIEW: "POOR BOYS GAME"
By
Jim Amato As usual Glover gives an A-1 performance and the supporting cast, although not well known pull their weight. Although far from being a classic, I liked it. It is well worth a look. KLITSCHKO vs HAYE: MR.HAYE MAY GET BLOWN
AWAY! By
Jim Amato I had to see for myself if Haye really had the " goods " to be a force in the heavyweight ranks. There were some excellent clips of Haye on www.youtube.com Yes I saw that Mr.Haye has a lot of tools and he can really whack, BUT...he won't win if he brings his chin. Aging Carl Thompson took Haye outta' there.He has also ( Haye ) been knocked down or hurt on other occasions. The Thompson bout was a clear revelation for me. As Max Schmeling once said before his first fight with Joe Louis, " I see something " in regards to a Louis style flaw. I see a major flaw in Haye's style that will be exploited by Klitschko. Haye takes too many right hands and that happens to be Wladimir' s best power punch. I see Klitschko keeping the aggressive Haye at bay with that fine jab of his and then dropping over some big overhand rights. If Haye did the shake and shimmy from a Carl Thompson right hand, what do think Wladimir's right will do to him ? It may not be pretty. I'd like to see Haye fight a couple of heavyweight fringe contenders before talking his way into a match with Wladimir. A Williamson, a Monte Barrett, a Dominck Guinn or even a James Toney. This way we could gauge if Haye is big enough to play with the big boys of the heavyweight division. The boxing public can ill afford being duped by Haye or promoters looking to cash in on a lucrative Klitschko - Haye match up. Haye needs to prove himself worthy of a title shot and if he does he'll just have to march through the division and wait his turn. As Wladimir told Haye to " get in line " My advice to Haye..." Be careful what you wish for ". FORMER MIDDLEWEIGHT CONTENDER TONY LICATA
PASSES AWAY. By
Jim Amato Licata would go on to lose five more times in his career to Jean Mateo, Mike Colbert, Alan Minter, Fred Johnson and Tony Chiaverini. After the loss to Monzon he did defeat Mike Rossman, Mike Nixon and Mel Dennis. Tony retired in 1980 after 72 fights. His overall record was an outstanding 61-7-4 with 27 knockouts. He was halted on four occasions. He met four world champions. May he rest in peace. COTTO - MARGARITO ; THE CLASH OF SMASH
Miguel Cotto has carried on the great dominance of fellow countryman Felix Trinidad and this bout could be Miguel's defining moment. He has put himself in to superstar status with wins over Zab Judah and Shane Mosley. By defeating Margarito he can cement his legend and begin looking for new worlds to conquer. The fight everyone wants to see at some near future point is Cotto versus Floyd Mayweather Jr. Mr. Margarito may have some say in this matter. Although Cotto and Floyd would be a highly anticipated showdown, from a fan's perspective I believe Cotto - Margarito will be the much more entertaining contest. Looking at the big picture Cotto is the more talented of the two. He can box a bit and he's one of the best body punchers I 've seen in years. Margarito is a swarming boxer that throws punches from all angles and he has a chin of granite. My question is, how well will Margarito survive the body assault of Cotto. ? This could be the key to the confrontation along with Cotto's under rated jab. If Cotto is unable to keep Margarito off of him, we may be looking at a real donnybrook. Cotto's uppercut could also be a valuable tool is discouraging the forward march of Margarito. Please do not count Margarito out. He is a solid puncher, a real banger and the Cotto chin could very well be Miguel 's Achilles heel. By all rights of reason the edge has to be given to Cotto but Margarito will be dangerous until the end. All I know is that I can't wait for the bout to begin. ERNIE TERRELL; A GIANT IN THE SHADOW OF
ALI By
Jim Amato Terrell turned professional in 1957. At 6'6'' he learned early how to use his height and reach to his advantage. He developed a good jab and learned how to tie up his opponents on the inside. It wasn't pretty but it was effective. He won eighteen of his first twenty contests losing two eight round split decisions to Johnny Gray. In 1960 he was outscored by the capable Wayne Bethea. In 1962 Ernie suffered a major set back when he was halted by the powerful Cleveland Williams. Terrell began his march to the top in 1963 defeating Williams in a return match and top contender Zora Folley. In 1964 Big Ernie beat Gerhard Zech, Jefferson Davis and stopped a young Bob Foster. When the WBA stripped Ali of his title recognition they matched Terrell with perrenial contender Eddie Machen. It was an ugly fight with a lot of wrestling and little punching but Terrell did what he had to do to win the " vacant " title. Maybe Ernie was not considered the real champion but he did establish himself as the most formidable challenger to Ali. He closed 1965 with a decision over rugged George Chuvalo. In 1966 Terrell defeated slick Doug Jones. Finally after a failed attempt Terrell and Ali were finally matched to unify the title. The bout would take place at the Houston Astrodome. Ernie's bold refusal to acknowledge Ali's Muslim name and refer to him as Clay irked Muhammad who vowed to punish Ernie. Punish he did as Ali worked Terrell over throughout the fifteen rounder. Round after round Ali would lash out at Terrell with punishing jabs and flurries while screaming " what's my name ? ". To Ernie's credit he gamely absorbed the punishment with a very swollen eye. When it was all over there was no doubt who the King of the heavyweights was. The WBA would later strip Ali of the title again in 1967 for refusing induction into the Armed Forces. An eight man elimination tourney was set up to determine Ali's successor. Ernie was one of the eight contestants and an early favorite to win the tournement. Terrell was eliminated in the first leg of the tourney being upset by Thad Spencer. Terrell looked to be finished when he next lost to Mexican Manuel Ramos. He would not fight again until 1970 and his comeback drew little interest until he scored a major upset in 1972 by halting highly rated Jose Luis Garcia. In 1973 Ernie lost a very controversial verdict to Chuck Wepner but his career then came crashing down when he was belted out in one round by Jeff " Candy Slim " Merritt. In all Terrell fought 54 times winning 45 of them. He stopped 21 foes. Ernie suffered nine losses but was only stopped twice. Today Ernie is remembered as a footnote to Ali's pre-exile days. In reality he was a viable contender who was overshadowed by " The Greatest ". “Ferocious” Fernando Vargas" By
Franco
Floyd Fontanero National Golden Gloves Press Release - 5/08 BOOK REVIEW ; " MY VIEW FROM THE CORNER
" BY ANGELO DUNDEE WITH BERT RANDOLPH
SUGAR. ( FOREWARD BY MUHAMMAD ALI ). Courtesy of Jim
Amato During the colorful, radical and turbulent times of Clay / Ali, renown trainer Angelo Dundee was there to witness it. In Angelo's new book " My View From The Corner ", he takes us along for the ride with Ali and the rest of his entourage and it was one heck of a ride. Angelo is one of the most respected men in boxing and through this book you could see why. His sincere and honest outlook on everything he has witnessed in the fight game comes shining through. From Angelo's early beginnings as promoter brother Chris Dundee's " go fer " through his association with the great Carmen Basilio. Chris Dundee's " kid brother " began to carve his own way He listened and learned from the best of the old school trainers like Ray Arcel, Whitey Bimstien and Charley Goldman. Little by little he rose to the forefront of his profession. Working with the likes of Willie Pastrano, Ralph Dupas, Luis Rodriguez and eventually Ali and a host of others. This book took me through the history of the era I grew up in. From the post Ali period to Angelo's time working with Sugar Ray Leonard. Angelo has been a major player in boxing's big picture for decades. To me this was a " must read " and it brought back a lot of fond memories. I highly recommend this fine book. CLEVELAND'S CECIL SHORTS By
Jim Amato Cecil Shorts was a wonderful welterweight who fought out of Cleveland in the 1950's and 60's. Born in 1938, Cecil turned pro in 1956 and won his first ten bouts. Among those wins were decisions over Larry Boardman and soon to be Hall Of Famer Eddie Perkins. Cecil lost his first bout in 1958 dropping a decision to Rudy Sawyer. He was then stopped in two rounds by Perkins in a rematch. Cecil bounced back to win three straight including a split decision victory over Benny " Kid " Paret. He was then halted by another Hall Of Famer, the crafty Luis Rodriguez. Cecil had an up and down career against some of the best welterweights in the world. In 1960 he lost to Phil Moyer but defeated tough Vince Martinez. In 1961 Cecil suffered a KO loss to Gomeo Brennan and a decision defeat to Mick Leahy. He came back to beat the capable Isaac Logart but was then taken out in eight by Virgil Akins. Shorts lost a decision to rugged Jorge Fernandez but then got a points verdict over Billy Collins. Shorts did not fight in 1962 and when he returned in 1963 he was stopped by Chuck McCreary. Next came a ninth round disqualification loss to Akron's Fate Davis. A 1964 return match with Davis saw Cecil on the short end of the decision. Cecil had one more fight winning a six rounder over Doug McLeod and then retired. In all Cecil had 33 fights posting 21 wins and a draw. He lost eleven fights. He registered nine knockouts while he was stopped six times. He met four men who held world titles. Eddie Perkins, Benny Paret, Luis Rodriguez and Virgil Akins as well as several contenders. The city of Cleveland should be proud of the accomplishments of Cecil Shorts. National Golden Gloves
Press Release Courtesty of Beau
Campbell Colorado /New Mexico Regional Champions results at the National Golden Gloves Tournament, Grand Rapids MI: Monday 5-5-08 Tuesday 5-6-08 Wednesday 5-7-08 Thursday 5-8-08 Friday 5-9-08 Saturday 5-10-08 For further information or interviews contact: Flashback to Floyd Mayweather, Jr. and
Paul Spadafora By
Franco
Floyd Fontanero COULD CONTEH HAVE BEAT CALZAGHE?
By
Jim Amato Too bad that Joe came along about thirty five years too late. Back then Joe would have found stiff competition right in his own back yard..Chris Finnegan and John Conteh were on there way to becoming top contenders then. Finnegan got a title shot against the legendary Bob Foster in 1972 and after a plucky performance Chris was halted by Bob in the fourteenth round. It was the Ring Magazine " Fight Of The Year. In 1973 Chris met and lost a fifteen round decision to Conteh for the European and British Empire crown. In a 1974 rematch Conteh stopped Finnegan in six rounds. Conteh was now making his way up the contender ladder. At the beginning of his pro career there were times that Conteh beat heavyweights. Before his second win over Finnegan, John had established himself a major threat to Bob Foster. Conteh had beaten Vincente Rondon and Tom Bogs leading him closer to the top. Foster came close to losing his title to Argentina's Jorge Ahumada when they fought to a disputed draw. At that point Bob decided to relinquish his crown. The WBA matched Ahumada's countryman Victor Galindez and Len " Stinger " Hutchins for their version of the title. The WBC matched Conteh with Ahumada. Galindez and Conteh emerged victorious. A fight between Conteh and Galindez would have been a dandy but it would never take place. John would make successful defenses against Lonnie Bennett, rugged Yaqui Lopez and Hutchins. In their infinite wisdom the WBC stripped Conteh of his title and said it would recognize the winner of a bout between Mate Parlov and Miguel Cuello as the new champion. Parlov halted Cuello to capture the crown. Conteh would get a chance to regain it but the awkward Parlov scored a fifteen round decision over John. Parlov would soon lose the title to Marvin Johnson. Matthew Saad Muhammad ended Johnson's reign and Conteh would challenge Saad. John fought a wonderful fight and I had him ahead after twelve rounds but he seemed to fade in the " championship rounds " and Saad pulled out a fifteen round decision. It was close enough for a rematch but this time Muhammad handled John with relative ease scoring a fourth round knockout. Conteh would fight one more time and then retire in 1980 after a distinguished career posting a final record of 34-4-1. How would Conteh have fared against today's Joe Calzaghe ? Very well I think. Calzaghe's swarming aggressive style would have been perfect for Conteh. John was very strong and was able to hold his own against some decent heavyweights. He was a good, solid all around boxer with a fine jab. Although not a one punch kayo artist, John was a sharp hitter. John tasted the canvas a few times in his career but he was only stopped once and as Calzaghe showed against Hopkins he's far from being a big banger. Also Conteh was not above using roughhouse tactics in the ring. I think it would boil down to a matter of tactics and Conteh had the superior talent. I'd have to go with Conteh if the bout was the " real " championship distance of fifteen rounds. If it was a twelve rounder Calzaghe might have been able to salvage a draw. If it went fifteen I believe Conteh would have finished strong to take the duke. Although John faded in the late rounds against Saad Muhammad, he was past his prime and Saad was a much more punishing puncher then Calzaghe would ever hope to be. A peak Conteh finished well in fifteen rounders againt Finnegan, Ahumada and Yaqui Lopez. I actually shudder to think of Calzaghe in there with Bob Foster. Joe's lucky he did not fight in the 1970's and eighties. CHAMPIONS WASTELAND ; SHOZO SAIJO
By
Jim Amato Saijo was born in 1947 and turned pro in 1964. Shozo was not an instant sensation and over his first twenty fights he compiled a less then earth shaking 14-4-2 record. In 1968 he lost a decision to the highly regarded Jose Luis Pimentel. In a rematch Saijo turned the tables and he got the verdict. That led to a fight with the rugged Raul Rojas.After the retirement of Saldivar, Rojas defeated Enrique Higgins to claim the vacant WBA featherweight title. Rojas was matched with Saijo in a non title battle and Saijo copped the decision. On September 27th, 1968 in a rematch with the title on the line Saijo became the new WBA champion. Saijo did not just sit on his laurels. He was a very active champion who defended his title five times and won seven of eight non title affairs. His only loss was to WBA super featherweight champion Hiroshi Kobayashi with no title at stake. Finally on September 2nd, 1971 Shozo lost his championship when he was hallted in five rounds by Venezuala's Antonio Gomez. Saijo never fought again. His overall record stood at 29-7-2. He scored eight stoppage victories and suffered only one knockout loss and that was to Gomez. The path of Saijo and Shibata never crossed when they both held the title at the same time.Shibata held his portion of the title from 12-11-1970 to 5-19-1972. Saijo had a longer reign from 9-27-1968 to 9-2-1971, holding his piece of the crown for nearly three years. A champion like Saijo should not be forgotten. In conjunction with the Regional Golden Gloves (open and click on last tab), here are the results of the Regional Golden Golden Gloves Tournament - click here for the results. CLEVELAND LIGHTWEIGHT TOMMY SALEM
By
Jim Amato A SHORT ON SHIBATA By
Jim Amato In conjunction with the Colorado Golden Gloves, here are the results of the State Golden Golden Gloves Tournament - click here for the results. Roberto Duran is my favorite fighter of
all time. By
Jim Amato Author: Arthur Mercante By
Jim Amato Results of the Regional Four Corners Senior Tournament in Phoenix, AZ held on February 22-23, 2008 Friday, February 22, 2008 Saturday, February 23, 2008 Unopposed Female Nicole Pasillas, CO - Unopposed - 114 lb weight class (There were a few other unopposed Females from the other States, but we don't have their names at this time.) Team Trophy Click here for the results of the BattleQuest 7 event! On March 7th 2008, at The Orleans Hotel and Casino in the Boxing Capital of the World ( Las Vegas, Nevada ) Promoter, Mr. Frank Luca of Crown Boxing will once again, and more than likely, provide and entertain the boxing fans with yet another exciting boxing card. Time and time again we have witnessed the exciting and well-matched boxing contests that Promoter/ Matchmaker, Mr. Luca has so very well arranged. So he always adds more excitement to the already exciting sport of boxing. These are boxing contests that no boxing fan would want to miss! So mark your calendars and be a part of the great events that are brought to you by Crown Boxing and the beautiful Orleans Hotel and Casino. Upcoming events are March 7th , May 9th , August 15th, September 26th, and November 21st, 2008. Sometimes we need only let the record speak for its self, so lets go back to July 6th, 2007. Remember? Or should I ask, how can you forget a match like “Cobra” Johnny Taunton vs. Tomas Bernal? That particular contest, I wrote saying what it really was , a real scorcher. And what about the Layla McCarter vs. Angel Martinez contest? A match where McCarter demonstrated how a Champion defeats their opponent. An excellent bout, and a bout where in my opinion, McCarter fought the near perfect fight. On January 11, 2008 an IBA Continental Heavyweight title bout was fought at the Orleans under the promotion of Crown Boxing. By split decision Carlos “Boom” Barnett defeated “Wreckless” Willy Chapman. And the list of good bouts goes on. This brings a question that at times has been raised to me; Is it my opinion that the IBA (International Boxing Association ) is a legitimate World Title? My answer, “It couldn’t be more pure. The IBA World Title (Mr. Dean Chance ) rates as highly, and is as respected as are the others. Let us be realistic and see boxing as it is today, we don‘t have as much ring talent as we once did. Boxing is far from being at its peak and so putting great boxing cards together today is really a challenging and difficult task . Promoters and match makers are for the most part good at what they do, but if the talent is not within their reach it makes for a very intense search and a very difficult job. And if we don‘t see the so-called great matches we once were fortunate to see, let’s not put the blame on the promoters and the match makers. We, the writers, photographers and boxing fans need to keep supporting the sport of boxing and one day we may once again see a ‘Thrilla in Manila.” Always with great respect to Mr. Keith Kaiser, Executive Director of the Nevada State Athletic Commission and Promoter Mr. Frank Luca . “See you at the fights!” Writer, Photographer: Franco Floyd Fontanero Editor: Rose M. Fontanero Ring of Fire MMA Championship Fighting Presents
On Friday February 22, BATTLEQUEST returns to the Denver area with its seventh installment entitled Resurrection. BATTLEQUEST is known as a breeding ground for new talent and is the feeder show to the popular RING OF FIRE Championship Fighting promotion. The night will feature 10 matches and will take place at the Softball Country Sports Pavilion. The Sports Pavilion is a great venue for fight events as it also the home of Poor Boys Professional Boxing series. In the main event Easton BJJ fighter Tyler "Thunder" Toner will take on Brett "B-Roller" Roller of Colorado Springs. Toner has a 6-1 record and last appeared on Battlequest 6 when he finished Wyoming collegiate wrestler Nick Mamalis. Roller (7-1) is coming off an impressive victory of Matt Hughes team fighter Jacob Hey. In the feature bout of the evening Cody "Donnybrook" Donavon will face undefeated Ted "The German Tank" Von Roll of Oakland, CA. These two powerhouses will face off for the vacant BATTLEQUEST LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP. The under card is filled with some of the area's most talented fighters such as the charismatic Kenneth Seegrist, the powerful Ian Berg, and the athletic Brian Wood. Former professional football player Brendan Schaub makes his Heavyweight MMA debut against the veteran Drew "The Vanilla Gorilla" Knapp. BATTLEQUEST will also returns to its roots and feature K-1 rules bouts, highlighted by a match up between ROF veterans Sean Doherty and Aaron Trujillo . Tickets can be purchased at
any KING SOOPERS location or online at www.ticketswest.com
. You can also charge by phone at 866-464-2626. Doors will
open at 6:30 and the first bout will start promptly at 7:30
p.m.
Tickets: VIP GOLD (4 person
table): Sunday, Feb. 10, 3 p.m. Film Discussion
|
