Tag Archives: history

Posted on 02/13/2017

The Heavyweight Title Fight That Was Also The First Full Length Motion Picture
By: Sean Crose

James J Corbett ruled supreme after besting John L Sullivan in 1892 in order to win the heavyweight championship of the world. Indeed, Corbett did not come across as a run of the mill boxer. Or at least he didn’t WANT to come across that way. Here, after all, was a pro fighter who went by the name of “Gentleman Jim,” and who had a reputation for using slickness and smarts to defeat opponents. No doubt, some felt Corbett gave his profession some legitimacy, as he came across as a sportsman as opposed to a brawler. Image is far from everything, though, and Corbett was champion for a reason – namely, that he was a top level ring tactician.

Footwork, timing, well placed jabs, defensive prowess, these were all things that led Corbett to rise above the pack when it came to boxing. And, unlike Sullivan, the man he had bested, Corbett didn’t seem intent on abusing himself by drinking all the way to the edge of the abyss. Here, in a sense, was a consummate professional. Yet Corbett was more than just temperate and skilled. The guy was tough as nails when the situation called for it. When Corbett had faced Peter Jackson, for instance, he had to become brutally aggressive in order to pull out a draw from the jaws of defeat.

In other words, there was more to Corbett than just the glistening image he presented to the world. No doubt, however, that Bob Fitzimmons was aware of the real threat Corbett presented in the ring. Like Corbett and Sullivan before him, Fitzimmons – himself a product of England and New Zealand – was of Irish stock. According to the International Boxing Hall of Fame, Fitzimmons also worked as a blacksmith and carriage painter. The man made his name, however, as a boxer.

After making his presence felt in Australia, Fitzimmons came to the States, where he eventually won the middleweight championship. He defended his middleweight crown a single time before setting his sights on the biggest prize of all – the heavyweight championship, currently in the possession of Gentleman Jim. A date was settled for the two men to meet in the ring: March 17th, 1897, Saint Patrick’s Day. The bout would be held outdoors, in Carson City, Nevada. The referee would be none other than the legendary Western gunfighter Bat Masterson. And if that weren’t enough, the bout would be recorded as a motion picture.

Movies were a new phenomenon at the time, to be sure. In fact, feature length motion pictures as we know them today had yet to make their entrance into popular culture. That, however, was all about to change, for the complete film recording of Corbett-Fitzimmons would later be shown throughout the nation to fans and the curious alike. For the first time in history, people who weren’t at a sporting event live and in person could see that event as it had happened – albeit in crude black and white. What’s more, the public would find itself being presented with moving pictures that ran on for more than a brief amount of time. A new age was about to dawn.

In spite of all the big name and high tech accompaniment, however Fitzimmon’s bold dash at glory may have come across like a fool’s dream in the lead up to the bout. Fitzimmons was over thirty when he stepped into the ring with Corbett.

What’s more, he weighed over fifteen pounds less than the champion – who himself was a very small heavyweight. No matter. The lean man with the red hair and a thunderous punch was nothing if not determined. According to Robert H Davis, Fitzimmons trained hard, extremely hard – in camp, focusing particularly on roadwork. His endurance would not be an issue.

As for Corbett, the man arguably still knew the value of holding a mental edge over his opponent. Shortly before the fight, both he and Fitzimmons, along with their respective camps, met on a road near Fitzimmons’ training facility. As Davis tells it, both men went to shake hands, only for Corbett to pull his hand away. It was a small matter, true, but fights can be settled on such small matters. Corbett had now lodged himself inside Fitzimmons’ head thanks to perhaps a slight bit of mastery that ultimately shouldn’t have mattered in the least.

Once the two men met in the ring for the fight, however, it was Fitzimmons who refused to shake hands with Corbett.

Mental chess, it seemed, could be played by two. Besides, who knew whether or not Corbett would snatch his hand away again?

Soon, however, all petty matters vanished into the Nevada air as the two men engaged each other in the bout. Corbett, as always, was incredibly slick and extremely hard to hit. Fitzimmons, however, was in phenomenal shape. What’s more, Davis claims Fitzimmons came around to feeling Corbett couldn’t hurt him.

Still, he couldn’t land hard on the lauded Gentleman Jim, either. Corbett, it appeared, was simply too advanced a fighter for the scrappy challenger. Late in the thirteenth round, however, Fitzimmons was said to have landed effectively to Corbett’s body. What’s more, Corbett looked to be genuinely impacted by the punishment.

It wasn’t until the fourteenth round, however, that Corbett learned just exactly how hard the determined Fitzimmons could wallop. The recorded footage of the battle says it all.

Corbett appears to attempt to angle to Fitzimmons’ left. Fitzimmons then goes to Corbett’s body. And Corbett goes down. The champion stumbles a bit, then gamely tries to get up, but the body shot is too damaging. Masterson counts…then the fight is stopped. Fitzimmons, that most unlikely of candidates, is the new heavyweight champion of the world.

Corbett desperately wanted a rematch with Fitzimmons, but the fight never happened.

Corbett would, however, get another chance at glory down the road. As for the Fitzimmons fight, the remaining footage says it all (fortunately, the ending of the bout is still available), and has said it all in the hundred plus years since the fight actually occurred.

Posted on 02/04/2017

Did A Boxing Match Give Birth To Pop Culture?
By: Sean Crose

After having been regarded as heavyweight champion of the world for about a full decade, John L Sullivan was still the man to beat in 1892. While it was true the guy hadn’t had a major fight for himself since 1889, Sullivan was still “the champ,” and, until bested, would remain “the champ” until he finally retired. No matter that he didn’t defend his title against black fighters. No matter that he didn’t defend his title against anyone at all for years on end. It was a different era, one where popular culture as we know it seems to have been on the cusp of being born. Sports icons, too, appear to have been a new development of the time.

And so, since Sullivan was basically the sole founding father of sports celebrities – and perhaps even all celebrities – the guy could pretty much do as he pleased until someone proved to be the better man in the ring. Yet boxing, like time, waits for no man, and there was no denying the fact that John L was now in his thirties and had led quite a hard, boozy life for himself on top of it. He had money. He had fame. He had influence. He undoubtedly still had power in his fists. Sullivan did not, however, have much time left in his reign as the dominant figure in the fight game. For up and coming fighter James J Corbett was calling.

The days of tough guys beating the hell out of each other with bare knuckles were over. The days of physical contests being held on barges away from the grasp of authorities were done, as well. In other words, the world that made Sullivan famous was fading away. To be sure, it was Sullivan himself who chose to fight under the Marquis of Queensbury rules when he agreed to face Corbett in September of that year. That meant the fight would go down in a ring, with three minute rounds and with both fighters wearing padded gloves.

What’s more, the bout would be held at night, in an indoor arena equipped with electronic lighting. Make no mistake about it, the Sullivan-Corbett bout may have rung in the dawn of modern American pop culture. Sport, spectacle and the latest in technological advancement were employed. To be sure, the lead up to the match was such a big deal that round by round updates were to be delivered to Times Square in New York City, so that the world could be kept up to snuff on the action in New Orleans, where the fight was to be held. America at the time was in the midst of a Presidential election. Guess what event, however, is said to have generated bigger headlines?

In truth, it’s hard to think of any other boxing match, or Super Bowl, or modern Olympic Games, or World Series that could match the significance of this single contest between two men from a looked down upon ethnic background. Yet Sullivan and Corbett, unalike accept for the fact that both were Americans of Irish stock who fought for a living, might well have ushered in a new era. Never mind the gamblers who placed money on the fight, masses of people were now keenly interested in a single event which had no direct bearing on their everyday lives. Attention was now being paid to something that didn’t directly involve politics, war, the overall state of the economy or scientific advancement. The times, quite simply, were changing.

As was the sport of boxing. Sullivan was a world class tough guy, but Corbett was a BOXER. More than anyone else, the San Francisco native drew the line between brawler and sportsman. Corbett’s style may not have made for good fighting, but it made for great boxing. Sullivan was essentially a fighter. Corbett was essentially a skilled boxer who employed a scientific and psychological approach to his craft in order to maximize the rules of the prize ring. Considering Sullivan’s age and lifestyle, the bout, for all intents and purposes, was over before it even began.

As Corbett went on to state in his autobiography, however, it was Sullivan, the bigger man with the meaner reputation, who was the betting favorite of the two. When the match finally began on the evening of September 7th, though, it soon became clear who the night belonged to. For Corbett employed footwork and timing to thoroughly frustrate his opponent for round after round. What’s more, when he unloaded on the famed champion, Sullivan felt it. Sure enough, in the 21st round, Corbett gave Sullivan everything he had. Sullivan went to the floor, the referee counted to ten…and an age was over. James J Corbett, who weighed less than one hundred eighty pounds, was now heavyweight champion of the world.

Corbett, ironically enough, was turned off by the crowd’s fickleness. The fans had started off being Sullivan’s supporters, Corbett later wrote. The fact that they were now cheering for the victor after Sullivan had been bested simply seemed tasteless to the newly crowned champ. It’s worth noting that Corbett also had the good grace to go on to write in his autobiography that the Sullivan he defeated in New Orleans was not the Sullivan of earlier times. As for Sullivan, he addressed the crowd after the fight to announce he was glad to have been bested by an American. For Sullivan, despite his flaws, was game enough to admit he’d been beaten, and grateful enough to give credit to the country that offered opportunity for men such as he and Corbett to find true success in. `
He may have been an alcoholic, a racist and a braggart, but Sullivan managed to leave the ring in good taste. It was, simply put, the man’s greatest moment.

Defeat brought out the best in him. As for Corbett, it was his moment in the sun. And, in more than one sense, it was boxing’s moment in the sun, as well. For a new type of athlete had arguably dragged boxing across the line from brawling to legitimate sport. And a quite popular one at that.

Posted on 01/30/2017

Sixty One Rounds Of Combat: Jackson Versus Corbett
By: Sean Crose

Heavyweight champion John L Sullivan was racist. Or afraid. Or perhaps both. Whatever the reason, the famous (or notorious) Boston Strong Boy refused to trade punches with a black fighter. Thus, the infamous “color line” was drawn. Black fighters could be good, even great, but they could never expect a crack at the biggest star in boxing (and perhaps the world) due to the color of their skin. Never mind the “microagressions” that overly gentle souls gripe about endlessly today. Sullivan had, in spite of whatever fine qualities he held (and yes, he held them), put forth a cruel obstacle for any black fighter willing and able to offer up a challenge.

It wasn’t fair. In fact, it was inexcusable. Still, it might have been more than simple racism that prodded Sullivan to employ his own version of “blacks need not apply.” For, by refusing to face a black man in the ring, Sullivan enabled himself to avoid one Peter Jackson without looking like a coward to the general public. Just who was Peter Jackson? Well, along with Sullivan and Jim Corbett (much more on him later), Jackson was indeed one of the top fighters of his day. Could the man have trounced John L in the ring? Who knows? It would have been some kind of fight, however.

Being black, though, Australia’s Jackson could never hope to be champion of the world by besting Sullivan. That didn’t mean Jackson would just evaporate into the vapor, though. The man dominated foes across the globe, earning himself a reputation of note. Besides, not every white fighter was so unwilling to meet the man Sullivan was able to avoid. Indeed, a young white pug from San Francisco proved more than willing to face Jackson in the ring – for a lot of prestige and money, as well. For while James J Corbett was, like Sullivan, of Irish stock, he was a completely different person than the heavyweight champ.

To begin, Corbett represented a new kind of fighter – an actual, dyed in the wool, contemporary boxer, who jabbed, moved, used footwork and essentially viewed his trade as a sport rather than as a lucrative saloon brawl. To be sure, it was said Corbett had never fought outside a ring in his life. What’s more, Corbett was upwardly mobile. He may have been seen as a lowly “Paddy” as the Irish were derogatorily called, but Corbett had high ambitions. He was not, to be sure, eager to present himself as an unseemly roughneck. To the contrary. Hence Corbett’s nickname, “Gentleman Jim.”

As for Sullivan, he had gone the easy route since besting Jake Kilrain in their brutal 1889 battle, and was well into his extended hiatus by 1891. Jackson and Corbett, however, gave the world the chance to witness two top fighters face off in high fashion. For the two men agreed to fight on May 21st of that year in Corbett’s home town of San Francisco. This was by far the most notable bout of both men’s careers up to that point and the winner would inarguably be considered worthy of Sullivan – whether Sullivan decided to face the challenge or not.

And so, on that late spring evening, Corbett and Jackson met in combat at the California Athletic Club to do battle. According to a piece in the “Salem Daily News” the following day, Jackson looked to be a bit bigger than Corbett, but both men appeared to be in terrific shape. Indeed, the paper reported that both men, Corbett and Jackson, were received warmly by the crowd that evening (apparently race didn’t prevent the crowd that night from respecting a top athlete). To be sure, it was also stated that Jackson was the betting favorite walking into the ring.

And indeed, Jackson was reportedly able to take control early on and was able to maintain it for a while. Corbett’s new, advanced style was so far proving to be futile against the experienced, skilled Aussie. Still, even though the fight employed gloves as opposed to bare knuckles, there was no modern time frame for the contest to be engaged within. In other words, things weren’t going to stop at the end of ten, twelve or fifteen rounds. And so the match went on. And on. And on. Then, in the twenty-fifth (that’s right, the twenty-fifth) round, Corbett reportedly engaged in an onslaught that seems to have been somewhat similar to the slick Ray Leonard’s desperate late fight rally against the dominant Thomas Hearns close to one hundred years later.

For the “Salem Daily News” reported that, although Corbett didn’t finish his man, he unloaded with body shots that kept Jackson from being aggressive afterward. Indeed, Jackson ended up with his ribs being broken that evening. Yet Corbett also reportedly busted at least one hand in the fight, a fact that eventually contributed to the fight grinding to a standstill. The brutal truth slowly became clear: both Jackson and Corbett were no longer able to effectively defeat one another. They both continued on gamely, but neither man could emerge victorious.

In the end, the fight was stopped after the 61st round, with neither man officially winning. For neither man was able to continue, the Salem Daily News claimed. What’s more, both fighters made it clear that they were willing to cease competing. Common sense may have saved each man from further physical damage, but it ended up hurting their wallets, as the significant fight purse was withheld. On top of that, none of the bettors were able to cash in on the affair. Many ended up being disappointed, true, but the right decision had clearly been made. When men such as Jackson and Corbett admitted they could no longer fight, there was no point in arguing the fact.

Sullivan may not have seen the bout, but there was little doubt he knew of it. Indeed, even though Jackson and Corbett hadn’t fought for Sullivan’s title, Sullivan’s days as champion were numbered. A new era was about to arrive, and that era didn’t include the famous Boston brawler.

Posted on 01/20/2017

Bare Knuckle Brutality: The Sullivan-Kilrain Fight
By: Sean Crose

Fame became John Lawrence Sullivan. Born in the 1850s in the Boston area to Irish parents, Sullivan wasn’t the type of person one would expect to go on to great things. To be sure, the Irish weren’t taken to kindly back then. And an Irishman who was good with his fists might have well have been laughed or shrieked out of polite society. Sullivan, however, was a self promoter. Even more importantly, the young man could back up his words with action. And so, an obscure product of Massachusetts would go on to become America’s first great sports celebrity. Names like Ali, Jordan, Ruth, Bryant and countless others have surely followed after him, but Sullivan looks to have been the original.

First off, Sullivan knew his craft, which was boxing. Here was a man who engaged in bare knuckle combat and laid out opponent after opponent, year in and year out, in a sport which was essentially illegal at the time. It was a hard way to make a living, true, but Sullivan was good at it. He was also good – scratch that, he was great – at making his presence felt. To be sure, Sullivan let the world know, whether through tough talk, or through tough looking photographs, that he was the roughest son of a bitch on earth. Again, the man was a forerunner. For Sullivan started a tradition that men like Jack Johnson, Ali and, less impressively, Adrien Broner would successfully follow years afterwards.

What’s more – Sullivan was willing to prove what a hard case he was in the ring. And, after he knocked out fellow hard case Paddy Ryan in Mississippi in 1879, the Boston Strong Boy, as Sullivan was called, became widely renowned as Heavyweight Champion of the World. The man toured. He offered money to anyone who could knock him out (he always won). He went to Europe and fought there. Oh, and he drank. And drank. And drank.
Things eventually got so bad that it’s said a priest was once called to Sullivan’s bedside. After a point, it became clear the man was no longer at his best.

What’s more, there was tough competition on the horizon. Jake Kilrain was a lean scrapper, who – like Sullivan – was a product of the Boston area. Kilrain was also known as a terrific wrestler, which was important in the era of bare knuckle fighting, as competitors were allowed to toss each other to the ground. Newspaper man Richard K Fox, an individual who was no fan of Sullivan’s, subsequently decided that Kilrain, not Sullivan, was the true heavyweight champ. Needless to say, a fight was arranged that would settle matters.

Sullivan, however, was far from fighting shape. To the man’s credit, though, he was smart enough to take Kilrain seriously. Therefore, he employed the help of William Muldoon, an early version of what we today would call a strength and conditioning coach. Heading to Muldoon’s New York farm, Sullivan kept from going on benders, ate wisely, and walked long distances while also engaging in such exercises as wrestling with Muldoon and bag work. In short, the man got himself into fighting shape. The training would prove to be well needed.

The two men finally met on July 8th, 1889 in Missouri, at a farm in a town called Richburg. Being under the London Prize Ring rules, the bout was fought with bare knuckles. The temperature that day was over one hundred degrees. Oh, and the fight lasted seventy-six rounds and ran over two hours from start to finish. It was a brutal affair indeed, with both men essentially becoming endurance incarnate.

According to the International Boxing Hall of Fame, Sullivan – more the striker of the two – took Kilrain down twice in the beginning, only to be dropped by his game opponent in the third. From there on out, however, it was all Sullivan. To be sure, the Boston Strong Boy was able to land on his opponent, and that proved to be all the difference. Kilrain, however, was not a man to give up – not, apparently, under any circumstances. To be sure, the bout turned into a grotesque affair, Sullivan got a cut on his foot. He also apparently got on top of Kilrain and tried choking him. What’s more, Sullivan is said to have absorbed whiskey that had been mixed with tea in between rounds.

Indeed, at one point, we’re told that Sullivan threw up, only to claim that he had merely vomited tea while maintaining the whiskey in his system. Such, it seems, was the scene on that sweltering July day. Ultimately, the bout was stopped by Kilrain’s corner between the 76th and 77th rounds, after a doctor in the audience reportedly made it clear that he believed Kilrain would die if he were to continue fighting. Needless to say, Kilrain was said to be quite displeased with his camps’ decision. Thus ended what’s considered the last of the major bare knuckle matches.

Yet, while boxing was still largely an illegal affair nationwide, the Sullivan-Kilrain fight was indeed a big deal. Lots of people showed up to that farm in Missouri. Lots of money changed hands. The fight had generated significant publicity, as well. To be sure, famed reporter Nelly Bly had interviewed Sullivan in training camp beforehand. Whether the powers that be liked it or not, boxing had become a force to be reckoned with. Things, however, were going to change for the sport. Sullivan-Kilrain was nothing if not an insanely harsh and, yes, dangerous affair.

Boxing, in short, would need to become a true sport and not a barbaric enterprise if it were ever to be embraced by American society in general. Better rules would have to be regularly employed. Matters like fighter safety would have to be of greater concern. Boxing could still be tough and grueling, but it would have to be more than two men brutalizing each other if it were to become at all respectable…or technical. Sullivan may have been in his exhausted glory after the Kilrain fight…but it would be the final shining moment of the man’s career, as well as of his raw style of boxing.

Posted on 01/19/2017

The Brothers Canizales Put Laredo, Texas on the Map!
By: Ken Hissner

Gaby Canizales, 48-8-1 (36), held the WBA and WBO Bantamweight titles while his younger brother Orlando held the IBF Bantamweight, THE IBA Featherweight and the IBC Super bantamweight titles.

Gaby was born in 1960 and turning professional in 1979 while Orlando was born in 1965 and turning professional in 1984. Both became world champion putting their town of Laredo, Texas, on the map!
Gaby turned professional in Mexico winning his first 3 fights by first round knockouts. In July of 1980 he made his US debut in Laredo scoring a second round knockout. He scored knockouts in his first 9 fights before losing to Mario Nava, 9-3-1, in May of 1981 in their first of two fights. In the re-match in December Gaby defeated Nava, then 13-3-1.

“Gaby was managed by Dr. Luis Mendoza a Laredo physician throughout his early career helped Gaby. He was trained by a Mr. Infante as well as Tony Ayala, Sr. before Jesse (Reid) and then and later worked with Emmanuel Steward (Kronk) at the end of his career winning the Happy Lara bout in spectacular fashion. I worked with him until after the Chandler bout until he went with Kronk,” said Spagnola.

Gaby made his eastern debut in Atlantic City in June of 1982 winning the USBA bantamweight title stopping Diego Rosario, 14-1-1, in 5 rounds. He would go onto win his first 15 fights scoring 10 knockouts earning him a WBA bantamweight title fight against champion “Joltin” Jeff Chandler, 29-0-2, of Philadelphia, in Atlantic City, losing a decision over 15 rounds.

Gaby would bounce back winning 9 straight and 7 by knockout defending his USBA title twice. He stopped Ron Cisneros, 17-3 the fight after losing to Chandler, then stopped James Pipps, 23-0, and in what would be his fourth defense he decision Kelvin Seabrooks, 13-7. Seabrooks would go onto defeat unbeaten 1976 Olympian Louis Curtis and in his next fight win the IBF bantamweight title stopping Miguel Maturana in Colombia, South American, in May of 1987.

On the card where Gaby defeated Seabrooks his brother Orlando made his debut scoring a knockout in 2 rounds. Gaby would get his second chance at the WBA bantamweight title this time against Richie Sandoval, 29-0, who dealt the first and only defeat to Chandler for the title. This one took place on Sandoval’s turf in Las Vegas, NV. Gaby scored knockdowns in the first, third and 3 times in the seventh to take Sandoval’s title in March of 1986 some 3 years since suffering his first loss up until then to Chandler.

In Gaby’s first title defense 3 months later in June at the Meadowlands Arena in East Rutherford, NJ, he would lose over 15 rounds to Bernardo Pinango, 17-2-2, of Venezuela. He would return to the ring the end of the year and win 4 straight before returning to Mexico losing to Raul Perez, 34-1, being stopped in 9 rounds. It would be the only time Gaby would be stopped in his career of 57 fights. Perez would go onto win the WBC bantamweight title the following year.

Two fights later Gaby would defeat 1976 Olympian Louis Curtis to re-win the USBA title in Atlantic City in November of 1987. In his next fight he would lose that title to Kenny Mitchell, 15-7-3 by a 12 round split decision in Houston, TX. He would come back to win 5 straight of which 4 were in Arizona and the last one in Michigan.

In July of 1989 Gaby would return to Atlantic City and lose to Greg “The Flea” Richardson, 24-4, who would defeat Raul Perez in 1991 for the WBC bantamweight title. It would be Gaby who got a shot at Perez prior to Richardson losing over 12 rounds in their re-match at the Great Western Forum, Inglewood, CA, in January of 1990.

For Gaby he followed with a draw and 3 knockouts to get a shot at the vacant WBO bantamweight title against Miguel “Happy” Lora, 33-1, of Colombia whose only loss was to Raul Perez. The fight took place at the Palace, Auburn Hills, MI, with Gaby gaining a world title for the second time, scoring a second round knockout in March of 1991. Just 3 months later he would fight his final fight in losing to Duke McKenzie, 28-2, in London, UK, over 12 rounds. McKenzie would lose that title in 1992 but go onto win the WBO Super bantamweight title that same year.

By this time Gaby’s brother Orlando, 50-5-1 (37) had made 6 title defenses of his IBF bantamweight title. He had a record 16 as a bantamweight and was never stopped. He was inducted into the IBHOF in 2009. Orlando was having some career since making his debut going 11-0-1 before losing to future world champion and 1984 Olympic Gold Medalist Paul Gonzales, 4-0, for his NABF title losing over 12 rounds though having him on the canvas in round 3. It was the first of two bouts they would have but would wait 4 years for that one.

“I recruited Orlando after seeing him in the Texas State Golden Gloves final destroying National contender Brian Lonon from the powerful U.S. Army team in the finals. Orlando’s older brother Rick, a school teacher in Houston area at the time and brought me to meet the family and help him convince I would take care of their youngest son. I agreed to arrange a part time job for their Orlando in case his boxing dream didn’t work out and rather to live with the other fighters in the apartment I had for them so he could live with Rick in his home.The Canizalesfamily are an amazing crew, five boys raised humbly and with incredible support by their parents. All five achieved a minimum of a four year college degree. I could not think of a single championship quality fighter I have ever known with this type of resume, let alone a family legacy. So proud of the fact both brothers I got to work with are great successes in their post-fight careers.Husbands, fathers and careers giving back to their communities,” said Spagnola.
Orlando would go on a 23 fight win streak following the loss taking the NABF flyweight title in November of 1987, and winning the USBA super flyweight title in his next fight stopping Olympian Louis Curtis, 14-2-1, in 2 rounds in Atlantic City. This earned him a IBF world bantamweight title bout with Kelvin Seabrooks, 25-13, who also lost to brother Gaby on the card when Orlando debuted. Orlando was well ahead stopping Seabrooks in the fifteenth and final round.

Four months later Orlando would defend his title at the Freeman Coliseum, in San Antonio, TX, scoring a first round knockout over Miami’s Jimmy Navarro, 20-1, who he had down twice. In June of 1989 he would give Seabrooks a re-match almost 11 months since their first fight stopping Seabrooks, this time in 11 rounds again in Atlantic City.

In January of 1990 Orlando would travel to the UK and defeat the British champion Billy Hardy, 22-4-1, in a 12 round split decision. In June Orlando would finally get a re-match with the only man to have defeated him by this time, Paul Gonzales, 14-1, in El Paso, TX. It would be his fourth defense and he made it a short fight stopping his opponent in the second round on cuts.

Just 2 months later Orlando would knockout the USBA champion Eddie Rangel, 23-4-2, in 5 rounds in Saratoga Springs, New York, in his fifth title defense. After a non-title win he would give Hardy a re-match in Orlando’s home town of Laredo at the Civic Center Arena in May of 1991. Their previous fight was in the UK by split decision. He had Hardy down in the third round and stopped him in the eighth. It was his first return to Laredo since making his debut almost 7 years previously. Before the year was out he made defenses over the NABF champion Fernie Morales, 28-4, of Mexico, in Indio, CA, easily winning over 12 rounds. Unbeaten WBA world super flyweight champion from Japan Katsuya “Spanky-K” Onizuka was in camp with Orlando preparing for a defense of his own. Then at the end of 1991 he stopped British Commonwealth champion Ray Minus, 39-6-1, of the Bahamas, back in Laredo in 11 rounds. It was the third world title try for Minus.

In April of 1992 Orlando made his ninth title defense defeating Colombian Francisco Alvarez, 32-5-4, in Paris, France, over 12 rounds. In his tenth defense he defeated Filipino Samuel Duran, 36-7-1, stopping his 15 fight winning streak. In his eleventh defense he had a close fight with Clarence “Bones” Adams, 26-0-1, before stopping him in the eleventh round in France. All three judges had it 96-94 through 10 rounds. Adams would eventually become the WBA super bantamweight champ.

In Orlando’s twelfth defense in Houston a No Contest in the third round against South Africa’s Derrick Whiteboy, 33-3-1, who was on a 20 fight win streak. It was a clash of heads that caused a badly cut left eye of Orlando’s. The NC was later changed to a TD3. There would never be a re-match. Two fights later Whiteboy lost his South African title.

It would be 5 months before Orlando’s next defense, his thirteenth defense, easily defeating Colombian Juvenal “El Zulu” Berrio, 24-3, in South Africa over 12 rounds. In making his fourteenth defense he stopped Mexican Gerardo Martinez, 29-1, of San Jose, at the San Jose State Events Center in 4 rounds. In his previous fight Martinez defeated Eddie Croft, 18-0, for the WBC Continental Americas super bantamweight title.

In Orlando’s fifteenth defense he stopped Filipino Rolando Bohol, 34-13-3, in the fifth round at the Convention Center in South Padre Island, TX.In his sixteenth defense he defeated 1992 Olympian Sergio Reyes, 10-0, of Ft. Worth, TX, at Martin Field, Laredo, TX. Reyes was knocked down in the third round.
In January of 1995 Orlando attempted to move up to challenge for the WBA World super bantamweight title that Puerto Rico’s Wilfredo Vazquez, 41-6-2, was champion. It would be his ninth defense and he was on a 13 fight win streak. The fight was held at the Freeman Coliseum, in San Antonio with Orlando losing by split decision. The two judges that voted against him had it 116-115 and 115-113 while the judge who favored him had it 117-113. He actually had more points than Vazquez when you added them up. It dropped his record to 38-2-1.

In June Orlando couldn’t make the 118 bantamweight anymore so he came in at 135 scoring a second round knockout over Kino Rodriguez, 8-5-2 who came in at 126. In July defeated Johnny Lewus, 16-1, out of Chicago, IL, for the international Boxing Council Super bantamweight title over 12 rounds, in Stateline, NV. Two months later he defended against Danny Aponte, 14-0, of Terrytown, LA, stopping him in 7 rounds, at Biloxi, MS, putting him into retirement.

Two months later Orlando defended against Mexico’s Julio Cesar Portillo, 14-4-1, stopping him in the second round. He would then travel to MSG in New York taking on New York’s Junior Jones, 39-2, the former WBA world bantamweight champion in his third IBC defense and lose by split decision over 12 rounds.Jones would go onto win the WBO super bantamweight title at the end of the year stopping Marco Antonio Barrera’s unbeaten streak at 43-0.

In Orlando’s next fight he won the International Boxing Association featherweight title in a rematch with Sergio Reyes, 11-2, stopping him in 10 rounds, in Chiba, Japan. He would score a pair of stoppages in non-title bouts and in July of 1997 win a majority decision over Dominican Edwin “Lightning” Santana, 22-1-3, in Las Vegas.

Over the next 15 months Orlando would win three non-title bouts as a lightweight. He would move down to super featherweight in December of 1998 and lose at the legendary Blue Horizon, in Philadelphia, to Puerto Rico’s Richard DeJesus, 13-5, out of Wilmington, DE, by majority decision. It was the seventh win in eight fights at the Blue Horizon for DeJesus. The decision was controversial so they would have a rematch. It would be 6 months before they would have a rematch at the Blue with Orlando winning by stopping DeJesus in 6 rounds.

Orlando would end his career in his next fight in September of 1999 in a super featherweight fight losing to Frankie Toledo, 35-3-1, of Paterson, NJ, by split decision. Toledo would go onto win the IBF world featherweight title.

Orlando would end up with a 50-5-2 record with 37 knockouts and was never stopped in those 57 fights. He
won the IBF bantamweight title defending it 16 times. He also won the IBC super bantamweight and the IBA featherweight titles. He was 34 while his brother Gaby retired at age 31 having won both the WBA and WBO bantamweight world titles. All together their combined records were 98-13-3 with 73 knockouts.

“Gaby was a wonderful fighter and very talented. Orlando was the best fighter I worked with,” said Spagnola. Reid added, “Orlando and Gaby were both tremendous fighters. Orlando was the super real deal.”

Posted on 12/30/2016

Ronda Rousey Returns After “Biggest Upset in Combat Sports History”? Not By a Long Way
By: Matt O’Brien

Friday night sees the long-awaited comeback of“Rowdy” Ronda Rousey following her shocking defeat to Holly Holm last November, in a result infamously described by UFC commentator Joe Rogan as, “the biggest upset in combat sports history”. Prior to her defeat,Rousey had demolished a string of 12 opponentswith only one of them making it out of the first round – a devastating record by any standard, and there’s no doubt that Holm’s knockout was a truly enormous upset, with the challenger overcoming odds of up to 12-1 against her.

That being said, it takes two people to make a fight, and the bookies’ published odds are not the only ingredient that goes into a big upset – the wider context of the underdog’s role is also vital. Ronda’s record was indeed formidable, but keen observers had noted that it could be a far more difficult task than anything she had faced before, with Holm being a former world-boxing champion and arguably the first bona fide world-class striker “Rowdy” had faced off against.

So while Rogan’s assertion that it was the “biggest upset of all time” might be right as far as UFC or even MMA history goes, once we include the sweet science the scale of Ronda’s defeat falls a few rungs down the list of “greatest ever upsets”. Here are five of my favourite shocks in boxing history that eclipse Holly Holm’s upset victory over Ronda Rousey:

1. James Douglas KO10 Mike Tyson, Undisputed World Heavyweight Championship, February 1990

This is the grand-daddy of upsets: not just the biggest upset in the history of boxing; not even the biggest upset in the history of combat sports. This one is arguably the biggest upset in the history of sports, period.

The reason for the scale of Douglas’ shock was twofold: firstly, “Iron” Mike was a destructive force the like of which had rarely, if ever, been witnessed before. Carrying an undefeated 37-fight record, all but four of Tyson’s victims had been knocked out, 17 of them in the first round. Tyson made a habit of making accomplished world-class boxers look like bunny rabbits caught in the headlights of a freight train. Secondly, Tyson’s awesome aura was set against Douglas’ far less-than-fearful persona. A competent yet unspectacular heavyweight, Douglas’ physique was rippled rather than ripped andhis style plodding rather than punishing.

Weeks before the contest though, Douglas’ mother had died, providing him with the kind of motivation and discipline he’d previously lacked. Meanwhile Tyson had fallen into the age-old trap of believing his own hype; his preparations consisted largely of hosting Japanese women in his hotel room and he was knocked down in sparring by Greg Page.

Even so, a listless Tyson was able to floor the challenger and almost pulled off a knockout victory in the eighth round. Douglas beat the count and continued to pummel the champion with a solid jab and powerful right hand. In the tenth, “Buster” unloaded a vicious combination punctuated by a huge right uppercut that sent Tyson sprawling. As he scrambled to put the gumshield back into his mouth, referee Octavio Meyran waved the finish and signaled the greatest upset in history, as the 42-1 outsider stunned the world.

*To his credit, Joe Rogan later admitted that this was actually a bigger upset than Rousey-Holm.

2. Evander Holyfield TKO11 Mike Tyson, WBA Heavyweight Championship, November 1996

It is a testament to Tyson’s fearsome aura and the magnetic grip he held on the public consciousness that six years after the Douglas defeat and following three years of incarceration, he was yet again considered invincible – despite Douglas’ evidence to the contrary. Tyson had demolished four challengers in just eight rounds since his release from prison, though he had yet to face anyone offeringmuch resistance. Frank Bruno looked scared stiff as he walked to the ring and Bruce Seldon put forward probably the meekest capitulation in the history of heavyweight championship boxing, surrendering in just 109 seconds. Evander Holyfield was a different proposition altogether, though few credited him with this distinction at the time.

Once again, the monumental scale of Holyfield’s upset was not just a measure of how highly Tyson was regarded – it also came from a foolish under-estimation of what “The Real Deal” had left to offer. A glut in recent performances in the ring, including a KO defeat to arch nemesis Riddick Bowe and a health scare regarding a heart condition had effectively erased memories of Holyfield’s fighting skills and warrior spirit.Many pundits argued that Holyfield was not just going to lose, but that he was in danger of being seriously injured.

The former champ opened as a 25-1 underdog, but his ironclad self-belief, granite chin and counter-punching strategy troubled “Iron” Mike from the outset. When Holyfield took Tyson’s vaunted power punches, retained his composure and kept firing back, it soon became evident that “the Baddest Man on the Planet” had no back-up plan. They say a picture tells a thousand words, but when Tyson was lifted off his feet by a left uppercut in the sixth round, far less than that were needed to describe the look on his face. Holyfield proceeded to administer a beat down until a dejected Tyson was finally rescued by referee Mitch Halpern in the eleventh round.

3. Hasim Rahman KO5 Lennox Lewis, WBC/IBF/Lineal World Heavyweight Championship, April 2001

Lennox Lewis had been knocked out before, but going into his fight with Hasim Rahman he was in the process of establishing himself as one of the most dominant heavyweight champions in history. He’d already made 12 defences over two reigns as WBC championand was making the fourth defence of the lineal and unified title he won against Evander Holyfield. He had also cut a swathe through potential heirs to the throne, blasting Michael Grant in two rounds and thoroughly outboxing dangerous New Zealander David Tua.

Unfortunately, Lewis had also spent time during preparation for his title defense schmoozing on the Hollywood film set of Ocean’s Eleven, while unheralded challenger Hasim “The Rock” Rahman grafted in the intense heat and high-altitude of a South African boxing gym.But while Rahman was a motivated and respectable contender, he’d done little in his career to indicate he posed a serious threat. Indeed, two years prior he had been brutally knocked out by Oleg Maskaev.

In the ring though, the difference in each man’s preparation showed, as a complacent Lewis blew heavily and struggled to assert himself. In the early rounds, there were warning signs that Rahman’s overhand right posed danger, but even so the end came suddenly and unexpectedly in the fifth round, as Lewis backed against the ropes and the 20-1 outsider unleashed a haymaker that landed flush on the jaw. The champion crumpled into a heap and minutes later was still in disbelief about what had occurred. To his credit, Lewis returned the favour when properly focused for the immediate rematch, knocking out Rahman in the fourth round to reclaim his title.

4. Muhammad Ali KO8 George Foreman, World Heavyweight Championship, October 1974

The 4-1 odds on Ali for this fight really don’t do justice to the monumental scale of the task he overcame on this momentous night. Foreman – much like Tyson years later – was considered to be an unstoppable force that had brutally manhandled some of the most dangerous heavyweights in the world. Joe Frazier, the undefeated heavyweight champion, conqueror of Muhammad Ali and one of the finest fighters the division had ever seen, was bounced around the ring like a rag doll and brutally stopped in two rounds.Ken Norton, a fighter who’d also taken Ali to the wire on two occasions (going 1-1 with The Greatest) was similarly dispatched by Foreman in less than 6 minutes.

In contrast, Ali was 10 years removed from his initial title-winning effort against Sonny Liston, had barely squeezed by Norton in their second fight, and looked sluggish in a dull rematch victory over Frazier.

A 32-year-old Ali offered his usual, charismatic, confident predictions before the bout, but few took him seriously, and even his own camp appeared to fear the worst. Norman Mailer described the atmosphere in Ali’s dressing room as, “like a corner in a hospital where relatives wait for word of the operation.” The dark mood failed to stop the irrepressible Ali, who boxed one of the most brilliant, bold fights ever witnessed to recapture the Heavyweight Championship and cement in his place in history with a truly unbelievable upset of epic proportions.

5. Ray Leonard W12 Marvin Hagler, WBC Middleweight Championship, April 1987

In 1982 “Sugar” Ray had retired following surgery to repair a detached retina, returning to the ring in 1984 in what should have been a routine victory over Kevin Howard, but announced his retirement again following the fight after suffering his first ever career-knockdown. Now, having only boxed once in five years, Leonard was moving up two weight classes from his favoured welterweight division to take on one of the greatest middleweight champions of all-time. It looked liked Mission Impossible on Viagra.

“Marvelous” Marvin Hagler hadn’t lost a boxing match since dropping a majority decision to Bobby Watts over a decade earlier, had won 13 consecutive middleweight title matches, and was ranked as the No.1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world by KOMagazine. It’s therefore a testament to Leonard’s star power that he opened only as a 4-1 underdog, and had even shortened these odds to 3-1 by the time of the fight. Among the “experts”, few gave the challenger a chance though, with 18 in a poll of 21 writers picking Hagler to prevail.

The eventual split decision in Sugar Ray’s favour is still bitterly disputed to this day. While there is a strong argument that Hagler did enough to win, there is no denying the success of Leonard’s psychological games, and the fact that he pulled one of the greatest examples of mind over matter in the history of boxing.

Honourable Mentions

The fights above comprise my personal favourite selection of huge boxing upsets greater than Holm’s defeat of Ronda Rousey, though there’s arguably a host of others than should make the cut. Here’s a brief selection of the best of the rest…

Randy Turpin W15 Ray Robinson, World Middleweight Championship, July 1951

Englishman Turpin probably caught the original “Sugar” Ray at the perfect time, as he came to the end of a busy European tour. Still, defeating arguably the greatest pound-for-pound fighter of all time was a stunning achievement.

Cassius Clay TKO7 Sonny Liston, World Heavyweight Championship, February 1964

On paper the 8-1 odds were even steeper than when the older version of Clay [Ali] defeated George Foreman, as the Greatest “Shook up the World” for the first time in his amazing career.

Frankie Randall W12 Julio Cesar Chavez, WBC Super Lightweight Championship, January 1994

Chavez was lucky to escape with a draw against Pernell Whitaker four months earlier, but was still officially undefeated after 90 fights, 27 of them for world titles, and he entered the fight as a massive 18-1 favourite.

Max Schmeling KO12 Joe Louis, June 1936

The young, undefeated “Brown Bomber” was widely perceived as unbeatable, but the German had studied his style and exploited his weaknesses to great effect. A more experienced Louis destroyed Schmeling in a single round in their famous rematch two years later.

Lloyd Honeyghan TKO6 Donald Curry, Undisputed Welterweight Championship, September 1986

Curry was considered one of the elite fighters in the sport and was being groomed for super-stardom, but he was struggling desperately to make the weight limit. Meanwhile Honeyghan paid short shrift to the champion’s undefeated record and bet $5,000 on himself at odds of 5-1, shocking the bookies and the boxing world in the process.

Posted on 12/29/2016

Three Tales from Joe “Shannon” Schabacker!
By: Ken Hissner

This former Olympic alternate back in the early 20’s had more than half a dozen tales but let’s hear about three of them.

Shannon had a professional trainer named Jack Blackburn. Yes, the trainer of Joe “The Brown Bomber” Louis. Shannon had him first. On a train to Baltimore where Shannon was to fight a “Billy Goat” of a boxer Blackburn pulled out a small bottle and put it under the nose of Shannon. He took one stiff and his vision went blurry. Blackburn wanted to put it under Shannon’s chin so that when the “Billy Goat” came up with his head the liquid from the bottle under Shannon’s chin would run down into his opponent’s eyes and guess what? Shannon won by technical knockout due to his opponent who couldn’t continue at the end of the round.

Shannon fought an opponent named Eddie Fisher. No not the singer. Shannon as an amateur had fought for the Catholic club called Shannahan. He went to get his trophies back after turning professional and the priest in charge refused to give them up. Seems Shannon being a Lutheran may have had something to do with it. The night of his next fight against Fisher Shannon was told the same priest who refused to return the trophies had bet against Shannon.

The fight was at the Cambria in Philadelphia that they called “the blood pit” due to the many wars held there. The boxers would walk down steps to get to the ring. Shannon entered the ring and soon was on the canvas. His wife was at ringside and yelled out “get up you bum you had your nap this afternoon!” Shannon not only got up but would eventually stop Fisher. On the way back up the stairs Shannon noticed the priest sitting there with his head down and went over to him and whispered “thanks for the prayers father.” Shannon would eventually go to Fisher who owned a diner in Jersey and asked Fisher to sign a contract so Shannon who was retiring could train and manage him. Fisher said “if I can’t beat a bum like you I don’t belong in the ring.” That was the last time the two met.

Shannon was a sign painter and that is how he paid for his gym dues at former light heavyweight champion Philadelphia Jack O’Brien’s gym. O’Brien had two rings in his gym. One day a boxer was shadow boxing in one while the other had a mouthy boxer from New England who was beating up each sparring partner put in front of him. He asked O’Brien “is that all you got?” As O’Brien started to take off his suit jacket Shannon volunteered to get into the ring with the bully. Shannon was a lightweight and entered the ring against a middleweight. The latter could not catch Shannon who was doing his “road work” circling the bigger man in the ring before exiting.

The boxer in the other ring asked the bully “do you need some work?” The response from the bully who was scheduled to fight several days later was “yeah, I need some work.” The “other boxer” came into the ring with the bully and proceeded to rip him apart to the point he cut his ear (no head gear) and put him out of the scheduled fight. As he left the ring Shannon followed him to the dressing room and said “thanks a lot buddy for sticking up for me.” The response from the other boxer was “I didn’t do it for you kid. A guy like that doesn’t belong in the ring. By the way (held his hand out) my name is Harry Greb.” Yes the former two-division world champion known as the Pittsburgh Windmill and who was the only boxer to defeat heavyweight champion Gene Tunney was that “other boxer!”

Posted on 11/14/2016

Barbara Buttrick’s Scrapbook: Emile Griffith vs. Benny Paret
By: Ron Scarfone

Barbara Buttrick is currently the Women’s International Boxing Federation (WIBF) President. Buttrick formed the WIBF in 1993 and it is the oldest sanctioning body for women’s boxing that is still in existence. Buttrick was known as “The Mighty Atom of the Ring” during her boxing career. Buttrick was the first world champion of women’s boxing. Buttrick was a flyweight and bantamweight world champion. Buttrick’s prime as a boxer was in the 1940s and 1950s. Buttrick ended her boxing career in 1960 with a record of 30-1-1. Buttrick is considered to be one of the pioneers of women’s boxing as a boxer and as the founder of a sanctioning body solely for women’s boxing which began in the early 1990s. It would be more than a decade after the WIBF was founded before any of the major sanctioning bodies began sanctioning world title fights for women. Buttrick has met many people in the boxing business: boxers, managers, trainers, promoters, etc. Buttrick has photos of her with some of the people that she has met. These are photos that have not been seen by the general public, but they will be revealed starting with this photo of Emile Griffith and Benny “Kid” Paret. Standing between them is Barbara Buttrick.

Buttrick told me that this photo was taken before the first Griffith vs. Paret fight. Paret (right side of the photo) was the reigning world welterweight champion. Griffith (left side) was the challenger. The fight was at the Convention Center in Miami Beach, Florida. The fight occurred on April 1, 1961. Griffith won by knockout in the 13th round. 15 rounds was the duration of world title fights in the 1960s. There was an immediate rematch a few months later. Paret defeated Griffith by split decision to regain the title. This rivalry was a trilogy and their third fight was on March 24, 1962. At the weigh-in, Paret called Griffith a “maricón” which means “faggot” in Spanish. Griffith was a homosexual, but he did not publicly admit that he was until 2008. The bout was scheduled for 15 rounds, but it ended in 12. Griffith pummeled Paret in one of the ring corners. After many consecutive blows to the head, the referee finally stopped the fight. However, it was too late. Paret slumped unconsciously to the canvas with his descent only slowed because one of the ropes was under his armpit. The official time of stoppage was 2:09 and Griffith won by TKO. Griffith became the world welterweight champion again. Paret was in a coma for ten days and died as a result of his injuries. This bout was on national television and there were people who were outraged and wanted boxing to be banned after seeing this fight.

Paret fought often in his career and usually against good competition which is something that is rarely seen today. After Paret won by split decision in the second fight against Griffith, Paret moved up in weight to challenge world middleweight champion Gene Fullmer. Paret’s fight against Fullmer was only about three months after his split decision win against Griffith. It was too much and too soon for Paret. Paret was knocked down three times in the tenth round and Fullmer won by knockout. Paret had chronic headaches as a result of that fight, but the third fight between Paret and Griffith was still scheduled. Paret went back to welterweight to defend his title, but he was not the same boxer who beat Griffith about six months before. Neither was Griffith who was more motivated than ever after hearing Paret taunt him about his homosexuality.

Before their first fight, Paret and Griffith faced off and Buttrick was there.

Posted on 08/18/2016

Angelo Dundee: Mauro Mina Would Have Been A Champion in Any Era!
By: Ken Hissner

The film “Imagining Mina” is a bittersweet, yet inspiring story about the great 1960’s Peruvian boxer Mauro Mina. This multilayered film follows Mina’s unlikely journey – from the cotton fields of rural Peru to Madison Square Garden. Set in the context of mid-twentieth century Latin America, the film also analyses the world in which Mina lived and the obstacles he faced. He was Afro-Peruvian and faced racism prior boxing from 1955 to 1965 until his death in 1993 at the age of 59.

Within the movie it tells how Mina was dedicated himself to boxing. He would talk to whoever called on him, rich or poor. He created his own world. For a President of Peru the former General Ricardo Perez Godoy to intervene in the career of an athlete because he was Mauro Mina and the economic impact was obvious. He awarded Mina with a Gold watch.

Mina’s mother left when he was an infant. His father doted on him but passed away when Mina was 7. He lived with his grandparents and the step-grandmother Susana beat him almost daily. After his grandfather passed when Mina was 12 he moved back in with his mother. A local friend of his mother’s had him work in the slaughter house. He became very strong at a young age. He went to school at 11 and quit at 14 to work full time. He went to Lima to box on an amateur show and decided to stay with an aunt and never see his mother again.

How Mina got started boxing was when he would pass by a group of boy’s each day who set up a gym on the outside. It took three times of asking him before he tried boxing. By the time he was 15 he was known as a knockout artist. When he was 17 he was asked to move to Lima to continue his amateur career. He moved to there and lived with his aunt never seeing his mother again. At 20 he joined the military thinking his boxing career was going nowhere.

He experienced racism as a descendent of Africans, the manipulation of the media and the curious politics of the boxing business. “Imagining Mina” weaves candid, first-hand accounts, newly recorded digital images; and rare archival images; to recreate the captivating story of common man who became a national icon and international sensation. Alfredo Bejar directed and promoted this film. This writer purchased this DVD telling the story to get the full depth from start to finish.

As an amateur Mina won the Latin American Games middleweight title in 1952. He won his first 6 professional bouts and by nearing the 2 year mark boxing his promoter Max Aguirre who as a promoter received criticism and an equal amount of praise. Mina had only fought 10 rounds so when it was decided to see what he was made of his promoter took him to Sao Paulo, Brazil to fight Luis Ignacio, 22-2-1. Mina scored a first round knockdown but lost a close decision.

Mauro Mina, Jr., today said of his father “he’d say I’m going to bring the sun for the light. And the sun would come out, by coincidence. He won people over.” He was getting robbed by those managing him only giving him $50-100 while fighting 10 round bouts. He may not have been making much money but he was fighting often.
“Life told me something” he would say. He would settle with an old ally who offers to help named Oscar Teran who would become his manager. He knew things and knew Aguirre who said “I’ll manage you, not Max. When I tell you something you do it.” His brother Alejandro said “he was a beautiful person. He was like a father to Mauro and involved with the government industry where he had contacts and was well off. He began to manage Mina without pay. Will Mauro be a South American champion which meant a lot to the Peruvian people? He defeated Antonio Diaz, 49-10-17, twice. He had a rematch with Ignacio in July of 1958 which ended in a draw in Lima.

Mina was matched with the South American champion Dogomar Martinez, 46-2-5, in Montevideo, Uruguay. “I trained just like before otherwise I wouldn’t make such a long trip. The problem was Martinez was also well prepared. He got a new trainer in Otto Salas. Mina looked quicker, He used his right hand more. “Before I had to tie his left hand so he’d work only with his right,” said Salas. Mina starts out countering and by the fourth round Martinez becomes more aggressive. Martinez was awarded the fight 6-4-5. Martinez said “that’s a future champion.”
On Mina’s return to Lima the journalists started their criticism saying “he doesn’t have the making of a champion.” Shortly after fighting Martinez he was driving with a friend who had an accident leaving Mina with a scar on his right cheek. Joe de Leon from Panama was considered to become his trainer. “For a long time, 30 years, until he got the opportunity to train the star of Peru, Mauro Mina,” said Joe de Leon, Jr.
A foreign executive came to Lima to run the phone company for IT & T. He became Mina’s sponsor and gave him a job. He agreed to have de Leon train him but said Mina was getting a new trainer with each fight and needed to stick with just one. “I’ll train him only if he wants me to train him. First I’ll train him, he’ll fight and if my work is satisfactory we’ll talk about compensation,” said de Leon. He was a class act, a real gentleman.

With all the pieces in place Mina returned to the ring after 6 months to face one of Argentina’s top prospects named Rodolfo Diaz, 4-0-1, defeating him in back to back fights. Mina was knocked down in the first fight which would be the only time during his career he was knocked down. “Rodolfo Diaz by the way was one hell of a fighter. He was a sturdy guy with a great chin. He had a big heart and was determined to hang in there. He wasn’t discouraged easy and made good fights. For Mina to lick this guy twice was quite an achievement,” said Hank Kaplan, Boxing Historian.

“De Leon taught him how to fight inside, up close and how to bob and weave. He was no longer a stiff boxer. He knew how to dodge and connect inside”, said Dr. Pamarino. (Former sparring partner) “My father said Mauro was too nice. He was too nice of a guy. To inspire to be a champion he had to make him nastier and turn him into an aggressive guy without being mean. He simply took on the attributes of a champion,” said De Leon, Jr.

After winning 12 straight Mina defeated Argentina’s Gregorio Peralta, 11-2-3, stopping him in 8 rounds. He got up to 16 straight when he fought Humberto Loayza of Chile whom he had defeated 2 months prior to this with this time ending in a draw. Within 30 days Mina was proclaimed South American champion the end of 1960. The following month they had their third meeting with Mina scoring a fifth round knockout.

“Mina’s popularity grows. Newspapers fill page after page. He does television interviews and becomes a national figure. The masses followed him wherever he went because they didn’t just value his athletic achievements. They valued his qualities in and out of the ring. He was always mindful of how he acted. To him everyone was a friend. There were no enemies. He was down to earth. Rich and poor people could call and talk to him.
“Fighters Mina was fighting were like the who’s who of boxing. He was like the Ray Robinson of his hometown. Boxing is no different than any other profession. You’re selling a product and if you have a product like Mina you have no problem because he can handle himself in any situations”, said Dundee. Former world light heavyweight champion who lost to Mina early in his career had this to say about Mina,

After winning 21 straight plus the draw Mina defeated Jesse Bowdry, 28-8, from the US, who had fought Harold Johnson 6 months prior to this for the vacant NBA title. This win put Mina in the NBA ratings at number 10. Mina knocked out Jamaican Allan Harmon, 27-7-3. In the dressing room after the fight Harmon still doesn’t remember the end of the fight due to the right cross from Mina had so much effect on him. “Harmon was a tough young man who fought a draw with Henry Hank in Miami Beach,” said Dundee.
Mina knocked out the number six contender Von Clay, 16-6-2, when Mina was number seven contender. The fight was exciting because Clay hurt Mina with a right cross. But one of Mina’s virtues was his ability to recover. Clay must have thrown 50 punches with only a handful landing. Mina landed a 5 punch combination in the sixth round before Clay dropped to the canvas. The people were ecstatic and applauded him for half an hour after this win. He followed this fight against Cuban Lino Rendon, 16-10-1. Mina was hit with a hard right that he said “temporarily blinded me.” Mina went on to win.

Mina took a trip to Philadelphia in 1962 when NBA champion Harold Johnson was defending against Doug Jones. Mina was introduced in the ring challenging the winner. Johnson won and was offered 50k to come to Lima but turned it down. A month after defeating Jones, Johnson traveled to Germany and defeated the European champion Gustav “Bubi” Scholz, 85-1-6. Johnson once told me Scholz was as good as the American fighters.

This writer only saw Mina fight one time in his only fight in the US in November of 1962 defeating Detroit’s “Hammerin” Henry Hank, 53-16-3, by split decision. Referee Arthur Mercante had it 6-3 while another judge Bill Recht 5-3 both for Mina. Judge Artie Aidala 6-4 for Hank. This writer had it 6-4 for Mina while pulling out those last 2 rounds. Prior to the fight Announcer Don Dunphy called it a carnival like atmosphere with mostly Puerto Ricans supporting Mina.

The matchmaker of the Garden had told Mina’s advisor “he will be the challenger.” In Hank’s previous fight he defeated future heavyweight champion Jimmy Ellis. Hank took the first two rounds before Mina opened up in the third round but Hank came back in taking the fourth. In the fifth a fight broke out with Mina coming out aggressively on top. He also took the sixth and seventh rounds. Hank landed uppercuts in the eighth to take the round. He looked like he thought he was ahead going into the last round as Mina finished the stronger of the two.

The Hank fight was in between a pair of wins over Seattle’s Eddie Cotton, 42-12-1, in Peru. It was marred by a plane crash the day before when 97 people died with little to cheer about when Mina returned from New York.

Cotton was the number one contender but Mina replaced him at that position after defeating him. Cotton agreed to come to Lima Mina was placed face to face with his destiny. The first fight had 32,900 in attendance in October of 1962. The second one had 35,000 in attendance in January of 1963. Previously in August of 1961 Cotton had lost by split decision to NBA world champion Harold Johnson. The winner of the first Cotton-Mina fight was to get a shot at Johnson’s title in Madison Square Garden which was later changed to the Convention Center in Las Vegas, NV.

Cotton brought his trainer, meat and water for this second fight. The second fight was a lot rougher for Mina. His management wanted him to have 3 more fights before challenging for the title. He won them with the last one defeating future champion Bob Foster. “Angelo Dundee sent me down to fight Mina. They didn’t know how tall I was or the puncher I was,” said Foster. Mina suffered a cut over his left eye.

Early in 1963 Mina was to get his title shot but claimed he hurt his right hand with pain from the hand to the elbow that felt like small snakes cancelling his fight with Johnson. He was moved to a private room with a sign saying “Dangerous Crazy Man” to keep the press away. He also had Glaucoma in his left eye. The hospitals doctor denied the eye operation. Mina denied having a problem with his left eye. Johnson would lose his title to Willie Pastrano who filled in for Mina. The Cotton-Mina second fight winner was to get a title fight with Pastrano but when Pastrano lost a non-title fight to Peralta he was obligated to fight him in 1964 retaining the title.
Boxing manager Jim Jacobs told me it was the worst decision he ever saw of the thousands of films he owned saying Johnson won it. Mina went to a hospital after this fight and it was hush-hush what his injury’s from the fight amounted to. Rumors were he had a detached retina. New York physician discovered this on a Mina visit and took away his license as did Peru and the rest of the boxing world. Madison Square Garden’s President John Condon was told by Mina’s former promoter Aguirre about the operation. Aguirre denied the accusation. The physician felt it was a successful operation but despite that it cost the Garden 100k for this cancellation. Mina would have gotten 20k for the fight.
Mina returned to the ring after 8 months and defeated Roque Maravilla, 34-9-1, of the US when the fight fell through between Johnson and Mina. “I would have loved to of had a kid like Mauro Mina. He was the kind of guy people wanted to see. Mauro Mina would have been great at any time,” said Angelo Dundee. The boxer who defeated Pastrano for the championship Jose Torres said, “Mina was a very nice guy, well- mannered and a thinker.”

Historian Kaplan said “Eddie Cotton had great techniques, a classic boxer. He danced well. He used his arms with a mastery that neutralized his rivals. Cotton the painter and Mina the sculptor. Not only poor people went to see Mina fight but from all social classes and Mina represented a national continent and a country like ours that needs triumph in all areas, not just in sports.”

Taking a look back to the beginning of Mina’s career after winning his first 6 fights starting in October of 1955, Mina was ill advised to take on the much more experienced Brazilian champion Luis Ignacio, 22-2-1, losing in Sao Paulo, BRZ. In a rematch in 1958 it ended in a draw, in Peru. In his next fight being just 10-1-1 he traveled to Montevideo, URG, and lost to Dogomar Martinez, 46-2-5, who was the South American champion by a score of 6-4-5. Mina would go onto win 16 straight including Argentine’s Gregorio Peralta, 11-2-3. It included in his first of 3 fights with Humberto Loayza, 37-18-4, of Chile. In their second fight it ended in a draw while Mina won the South American title in their third and last fight scoring a knockout.

In November of 1963 Mina defeated future world champion Bob Foster, 11-1, over 10 rounds. “We hurt each other. When I hurt him they’d ring the bell. I had a few lumps. He was a good fighter and the best I had fought in the light heavyweight division. He would have beaten Pastrano,” said Bob Foster.

Mina would fight Thomas again in Lima ending in a draw though the fight was scheduled for New York originally. Mina’s left eye was shut tight. He would go on a 20 fight win streak before losing in a rematch to Gregorio Peralta, 42-4-4, who was then the South American heavyweight champion in September of 1964. Mina had stopped Peralta when both were light heavyweights in June of 1960. He was 37-0-2 over 39 fights. Mina said he was tired of boxing after this fight. Dr. Francisco Levano of the Boxing Federation advised him to stop fighting because there was no guarantee the eye would be injured again.

Mina’s son said he’d tell us “you discriminate against yourselves sometimes. I won’t go to place’s because they may discriminate against me. He taught us that we’re not different from others. We are all equal.” In 1964 Mina was 31 and his wife Sophia 18 when they married after knowing each other for a year. There were 1,000 people in attendance and another 5,000 outside the church. It caused a negative reaction due to his wife being white by the black women in Mina’s circle. When they left the church Mina had one of his gloves and a hankie from him. They tried to take Sophia’s veil. They would go onto have 3 children. This wedding was marred by a riot during a soccer game between Peru and Argentina that killed 253 people.
Mina ended his career defeating Italy’s champion Piero Del Papa, 28-1-3, before 15,000 in attendance in November of 1965. Del Papa would win the European title in his next fight. He turned professional at the age of 21 and in his last fight he was 31 just weeks before his 32nd birthday. He announced his retirement in April of 1966. He continued with his boxing academy and built several apartments for added income. He taught at a Naval School and trained Peru’s National team and became a successful manager. He passed away at the age of 59 of complications from a stroke in June of 1993. He was known as a “champion without a crown!”

“Mauro Mina would have been a champion in any era. I’m talking about a 60 year span because I’ve been around for 60 years,” said Angelo Dundee.

Posted on 06/05/2016

Muhammad Ali: A Prizefighter Who Changed History
By Ivan G. Goldman

Moving with a special grace that any lightweight would envy, Muhammad Ali was probably the greatest heavyweight who ever put on the gloves, but it’s always a judgment call when you try to rate fighters from different eras.

What can’t be argued is this: he was one of the great figures of the 20th century. Ali not only changed our understanding of history, he changed history. By the time he died he was known as a wise and beloved hero around the world.

When he won the title in 1964 under his birth name of Cassius Clay and immediately proclaimed both his new name and loyalty to the black separatist Nation of Islam, he was considered hostile and dangerous by much of white America. Over the years he changed that perception not by compromising, but by persevering and staying true to his principles. He learned along the way, and we learned with him. He became our teacher.

Ali traveled a long, tough road after reaching the summit of boxing at age 22. He suffered years of rejection from the sport he’d mastered and many more years of physical impairment from Parkinson’s disease, not to mention crushing blows from Sonny Liston and Ken Norton, hellish body shots from George Foreman, and shattering hooks from the great Joe Frazier.

Ali wasn’t just a celebrity. The man could fight. The Greatest was a force of nature who defied the rules of physics and human anatomy.

Like all of us, Ali was imperfect and sometimes confused, but step by step he transformed himself into a deserving icon. There were many reasons to love him. In addition to charisma, tremendous talent, and quick wit, he had a genuine liking for people – all kinds of people, and the kindness in his spirit shined through and remained a part of him even in those last years, when his infirmity made everyday life a struggle.

When Ali refused the draft in 1967 and was quickly convicted and sentenced to five years in federal prison, he didn’t get much help from his mentor Elijah Muhammad. Muhammad encouraged him to stay out of the military but didn’t tell him how he could earn a living during the three and ½ years he was appealing his sentence and banned from the sport, separated from his title not by another prizefighter but by the stroke of a pen and a press release.

Stripped of his passport, he was locked inside the borders of a country that wouldn’t let him fight. Among the few sticking up for him was ABC sportscaster Howard Cosell, another man who broke boundaries.

Among Ali’s enemies were plenty of other fighters, particularly Frazier, who couldn’t understand why Ali was so crudely insulting to him even after Frazier had given him financial support during Ali’s forced layoff from the sport.

Frazier had a point. Back in the days of closed circuit TV, fighters signed for a specific sum. Ali had no need to build the gate but did so anyway by belittling and mocking Frazier. Liston, Foreman, and others got the same treatment, but it didn’t get under their skin the way it did Frazier’s.

Young Ali, after capturing the light heavyweight Gold Medal at the 1960 Olympics, decided he liked the way wrestlers marketed themselves as personalities. As he climbed the pro heavyweight ladder he did the same, but did it better, eventually adding serious political and social commentary. This was taboo in the world of sport. The world didn’t know what to make of him.

He’d been emotionally wounded growing up in Jim Crow Louisville, where African-Americans were segregated in almost every way and had limited opportunities. When he gained a forum for his opinions, he made them known.
Originally classified 1Y and ineligible for immediate conscription, Ali was reclassified 1A as the Johnson Administration began running out of flesh to sacrifice to its mistakes in Vietnam.

Had he served, it’s possible he’d have been steered into non-combat status giving boxing exhibitions for the troops, as Sugar Ray Robinson and Joe Louis did during World War II. Ali, however, refused to make a deal. Famously saying he had no quarrel with the Viet Cong, he did object to his country making him a second-class citizen because of the color of his skin.

There were still plenty of World War II and Korean War veterans around and lots of families – including black families — that had lost loved ones in those wars and in Vietnam. Most of them failed to see things Ali’s way.

Ali’s long layoff took place during what would have been his prime. Few fans got to see the best of him. In a more perfect world he’d have competed during those years and shaved years off the long end of his career when punches did more damage to his aging brain and he was less capable of avoiding them.

It was a terrible irony that this man so physically gifted was brought so low by infirmities that he couldn’t eat his meals without assistance and that the Parkinson’s was undoubtedly caused by the sport he loved – a sport that didn’t always love him back.

After Ali was readmitted to prizefighting and became a positive national figure, he was a prized guest on late-night talk shows. This lasted until the disease became apparent. The hosts sympathized with him, but he was bad TV, making audiences uncomfortable.

Now he rests the final rest, Muhammad Ali, American original.

Ivan G. Goldman’s 5th novel The Debtor Class is a ‘gripping …triumphant read,’ says Publishers Weekly. A future cult classic with ‘howlingly funny dialogue,’ says Booklist. Available from Permanent Press wherever fine books are sold. Goldman is a New York Times best-selling author.