By Scoop Malinowski

We talk some boxing with one of the great men of the sport, the recently inducted Hall of Fame historian Hank Kaplan. Read on for Hank’s take on Hopkins-Tarver, Joe Louis at his best, why he likes David Haye and Miguel Cotto, and more…

Boxinginsider: Last time we spoke you expressed your adoration of Joe Louis as a man and a champion. In which fight or fights do you think he was at his best, his sharpest and most brilliant?

Hank Kaplan: “Well, Joe Louis at his very best, how do you measure those things?

Boxinginsider: When he was most impressive to you. Such as, I thought Lennox Lewis was at his best in the Tua, Tyson, Botha, Ruddock, Golota fights.

Hank Kaplan: “Maybe when he took out Paolino Uzcudun (TKO 4 in 1935 in New York at age 21). He did that so beautifully, with that right uppercut of his. Paolino Uzcudun went the distance with everybody. He was an iron man. When Louis took him out that was a classic piece of work. He was good in every fight. I saw a real artist. He was like poetry. His left hook was one of the most beautiful things you ever saw. So was his jab. So was his right hand.”

Boxinginsider: To play devil’s advocate, some top trainers say Louis had difficulties with movers, opponents who utilized good movement. Your comment?

Hank Kaplan: “Who in the hell could handle movers? If a guy is a runner like Muhammad Ali, who can handle that? The ending is what counts. The bottom line is what counts. Billy Conn - Louis got to him didn’t he? That’s what made him so great.”

Boxinginsider: Congratulations on the big Hall of Fame induction at Canastota. Please tell us about that remarkable experience.

Hank Kaplan: “It was really incredible. It was incredible. The way they do things up there is incredible. The belt just got here (in mail). Ed Brophy up at the Hall of Fame did a belt for me. They framed it, sent it to me.”

Boxinginsider: Was there a highlight of the weekend?

Hank Kaplan: “Every single event was sold out. They held a special night for the 1976 U.S. Olympic team which was completely sold out. The banquet - 1,000 people is all they hold. They couldn’t sell another ticket. Completely sold out. When I got up to speak at the banquet, I looked out and it was a dense mass of people. Ed Brophy deserves a pat on the back.”

Boxinginsider: We were both wrong on thinking Tarver would beat Hopkins. Were you impressed by Bernard’s winning that fight?

Hank Kaplan: “No. I’ll tell you why. Because Tarver is a colossal bum. Who did he have in front of him? He had an amateur in front of him. The guy is not that much of a fighter. Did you ever see a champion as inept as he was in that fight? You’re talking about a division that Harold Johnson used to play around in. Archie Moore. Tommy Loughran. How can we even think of him as a fighter against those guys?”

Boxinginsider: Well, Tarver may have had just a short stint of greatness. His greatness was only alive in that Jones fight, such as Buster was only great against Tyson.

Hank Kaplan: “He wasn’t even great in that fight. He’s the one who made us discover Jones has a bad chin. Watch the tape. That punch was an accident. He was actually looking at the floor when he threw it. And there’s always a big accident factor in boxing. He threw that wild left hook and it landed on Jones’ chin. Suddenly, the cloak came off Roy Jones. Then Glen Johnson comes along and does the same thing. Jones had a bad chin. That was the proof in the pudding.”

Boxinginsider: Paul ‘The Punisher’ Williams. This guy seems to have it all - height, lefty, toughness, excellent condition, very busy puncher, power, tough chin, were you impressed by him in his recent HBO appearance vs. the Argentine?

Hank Kaplan: “I am impressed by him. How about this kid from England David Haye? (Haven’t seen him yet.) Beautiful. Watch his straight right hand.”

Boxinginsider: Speaking of fighters training in Miami, are you impressed with this heavyweight that has a lot of buzz Sultan Ibragimov?

Hank Kaplan: “He’s good. He’s not a big heavyweight but he’s a strong guy who whacks pretty good. He’s better than Timur. I like him. Very, very pleasing style. This kid is gonna make a lot of money. I thought Timur did a nice job against Calvin Brock. I’m amazed he went the distance. He showed defensive skills, took a good whack on the chin. He showed guts. The showing he made, it puts him in position to make a few bucks.”

Boxinginsider: How about Miguel Cotto, does he impress you?

Hank Kaplan: “I like Cotto. I knew he was gonna do a number on Malignaggi. Everyone was impressed for a short time with the skills of Malignaggi but I knew he was nurtured on soft stuff. Cotto is a man. I’m not saying he’s gonna be a great, but he’s a man in the ring. And he gets better in every fight. And that’s all you can ask of a champion.”

Boxinginsider: What do you think of this Russian revolution, with the success of the Eastern Europeans in the heavyweight division?

Hank Kaplan: “The Russian and the Polish fighters are doing very well. They’re doing wonderful. Boxing is a sport of hungry kids.”

Boxinginsider: What was your greatest boxing moment?

Hank Kaplan: “[Pauses]…Watching Ali cut down Liston in Miami. I was a big fan of (former world Middleweight champion) Fred Apostoli - his fight with Freddie Steele (KO 9 in New York rematch in 1938 - Steele had scored a KO 10 over Apostoli in 1935 in San Francisco). I liked his boxing style, his personality. Another is when Sugar Ray Leonard outpointed Marvin Hagler.”

Boxinginsider: I agree, he defeated Hagler that night. It was close but Leonard won. You could tell by Hagler’s reactions after the last bell.

Hank Kaplan: “Angelo Dundee called me from training camp every day, from North Carolina. I followed it day by day. I had a lot of faith in Leonard. Coming back after a few years away with the retina injury, and he did a masterful job outpunching Marvin Hagler.”

Boxinginsider: How do you see Hopkins vs. Tarver playing out?

Hank Kaplan: “Hopkins is a guy who’s very conscious of his age. He doesn’t want to waste energy. He doesn’t have the full confidence he can go 12 hard rounds. So he saves himself. I think he’s going to be very defensive in the early rounds, though he’ll be looking for openings. But he won’t be very busy. After the first five or six rounds, he’ll have to be busy or he’ll lose the fight. It’ll be the same as the Taylor fight. I look for Tarver to outpunch and outwork him, or possibly stop him.”

Boxinginsider: What was your most painful moment in boxing, or worst moment?

Hank Kaplan: “I had a few of ‘em…okay, one of the worst that comes to mind now, one that affected me - there may be more but this comes to mind first - was when Jose Torres knocked out Willie Pastrano in the Garden. Willie was my pal. When you fall in love with a fighter and he gets stopped, it hurts.”

Boxinginsider: Can you share a memory or two of some of your first encounters with famous boxers? Like what were some of your first experiences meeting a famous fighter?

Hank Kaplan: “I was on Broadway when I was a kid. All the sudden we see a crowd gathering. Curious as kids are, we went over to see what was going on. It was Jack Dempsey on the street. Near his restaurant. From there on I saw a lot of Dempsey. Dempsey was one of those guys who could stop traffic when he walked out the door. I met (former Featherweight champ from 1906-1912) Abe Attell - that was a big thrill for me. Back when I was a young boy, I had an insatiable appetite to read anything and everything about boxing. I read everything I could get my hands on. All the experts back then would often pick the best fighters and they all picked Abe Attell. They had a lot of respect for him. When I finally met Abe Attell, that was a big thrill. I had read so much about him. I met Joe Louis who I would say was my all-time boxing hero. Phenomenal guy. Forget his personality, he was a great fighter too. He’s my favorite. His delivery was the smoothest, the prettiest to look at. He just made everything look so easy. And he was a great guy in addition.”

Boxinginsider: I have talked with many people who met and knew Joe Louis and all of you guys just adore him so dearly. Everyone just seems to love Joe Louis. What was it about him?

Hank Kaplan: “He was a super guy. A humble guy. He never jumped up on the ropes, he was a gentleman.. He never disgraced the sport. Just a wonderful guy. Honest. If you asked him a question, he would give you an honest answer. And his boxing style was just beautiful to look at. He was a great two-fisted fighter.”

Boxinginsider: Last time we spoke you expressed your adoration of Joe Louis as a man and a champion. In which fight or fights do you think he was at his best, his sharpest and most brilliant?

Hank Kaplan: “Well, Joe Louis at his very best, how do you measure those things?

Boxinginsider: When he was most impressive to you. Such as, I thought Lennox Lewis was at his best in the Tua, Tyson, Botha, Ruddock, Golota fights.

Hank Kaplan: “Maybe when he took out Paolino Uzcudun (TKO 4 in 1935 in New York at age 21). He did that so beautifully, with that right uppercut of his. Paolino Uzcudun went the distance with everybody. He was an iron man. When Louis took him out that was a classic piece of work. He was good in every fight. I saw a real artist. He was like poetry. His left hook was one of the most beautiful things you ever saw. So was his jab. So was his right hand.”

Boxinginsider: To play devil’s advocate, some top trainers say Louis had difficulties with movers, opponents who utilized good movement. Your comment?

Hank Kaplan: “Who in the hell could handle movers? If a guy is a runner like Muhammad Ali, who can handle that? The ending is what counts. The bottom line is what counts. Billy Conn - Louis got to him didn’t he? That’s what made him so great.”

Boxinginsider: Congratulations on the big Hall of Fame induction at Canastota. Please tell us about that remarkable experience.

Hank Kaplan: “It was really incredible. It was incredible. The way they do things up there is incredible. The belt just got here (in mail). Ed Brophy up at the Hall of Fame did a belt for me. They framed it, sent it to me.”

Boxinginsider: Was there a highlight of the weekend?

Hank Kaplan: “Every single event was sold out. They held a special night for the 1976 U.S. Olympic team which was completely sold out. The banquet - 1,000 people is all they hold. They couldn’t sell another ticket. Completely sold out. When I got up to speak at the banquet, I looked out and it was a dense mass of people. Ed Brophy deserves a pat on the back.”

Boxinginsider: We were both wrong on thinking Tarver would beat Hopkins. Were you impressed by Bernard’s winning that fight?

Hank Kaplan: “No. I’ll tell you why. Because Tarver is a colossal bum. Who did he have in front of him? He had an amateur in front of him. The guy is not that much of a fighter. Did you ever see a champion as inept as he was in that fight? You’re talking about a division that Harold Johnson used to play around in. Archie Moore. Tommy Loughran. How can we even think of him as a fighter against those guys?”

Boxinginsider: Well, Tarver may have had just a short stint of greatness. His greatness was only alive in that Jones fight, such as Buster was only great against Tyson.

Hank Kaplan: “He wasn’t even great in that fight. He’s the one who made us discover Jones has a bad chin. Watch the tape. That punch was an accident. He was actually looking at the floor when he threw it. And there’s always a big accident factor in boxing. He threw that wild left hook and it landed on Jones’ chin. Suddenly, the cloak came off Roy Jones. Then Glen Johnson comes along and does the same thing. Jones had a bad chin. That was the proof in the pudding.”

Boxinginsider: Paul ‘The Punisher’ Williams. This guy seems to have it all - height, lefty, toughness, excellent condition, very busy puncher, power, tough chin, were you impressed by him in his recent HBO appearance vs. the Argentine?

Hank Kaplan: “I am impressed by him. How about this kid from England David Haye? (Haven’t seen him yet.) Beautiful. Watch his straight right hand.”

Boxinginsider: Speaking of fighters training in Miami, are you impressed with this heavyweight that has a lot of buzz Sultan Ibragimov?

Hank Kaplan: “He’s good. He’s not a big heavyweight but he’s a strong guy who whacks pretty good. He’s better than Timur. I like him. Very, very pleasing style. This kid is gonna make a lot of money. I thought Timur did a nice job against Calvin Brock. I’m amazed he went the distance. He showed defensive skills, took a good whack on the chin. He showed guts. The showing he made, it puts him in position to make a few bucks.”

Boxinginsider: How about Miguel Cotto, does he impress you?

Hank Kaplan: “I like Cotto. I knew he was gonna do a number on Malignaggi. Everyone was impressed for a short time with the skills of Malignaggi but I knew he was nurtured on soft stuff. Cotto is a man. I’m not saying he’s gonna be a great, but he’s a man in the ring. And he gets better in every fight. And that’s all you can ask of a champion.”

Boxinginsider: What do you think of this Russian revolution, with the success of the Eastern Europeans in the heavyweight division?

Hank Kaplan: “The Russian and the Polish fighters are doing very well. They’re doing wonderful. Boxing is a sport of hungry kids.”