Tag Archives: louis

Posted on 11/13/2016

Ortiz-Scott Redefines What A Bad Fight Is
By: Sean Crose

As I sit here at five PM on a Saturday afternoon in Connecticut – the blue hour – I honestly can’t believe the sheer terror that is the fight before me on the television. Indeed, the Luis Ortiz-Malik Scott heavyweight bout transpiring before me is so amateurish, so sluggish, so entirely unprofessional that it represents for me all that’s wrong with boxing at the moment. Make no mistake about it, Scott – who is throwing nary a punch – is engaged in the low risk-high reward philosophy. He’s getting a decent payday for fighting on HBO, no doubt, AND he’s avoiding risk by literally not engaging with his opponent. Sad…of=r comical. Or both.

Ortiz has struck me as a surly dude, but I actually feel bad for the guy right now. Here he is, the supposed menace of the heavyweight division, and he’s engaged in a bout with a guy who will – not – fight. Max Kellerman is essentially offering apologies on behalf of HBO while Twitter is groaning in dismay. There’s a big UFC fight on pay per view this evening. It promises excitement. Those who will compare boxing to MMA this weekend will be looking at a one sided contest indeed (and yes, I’m still keeping Danny Garcia’s upcoming tuneup this evening in mind). I say this, by the way, as someone who clearly prefers boxing out of the two sports.

I care about boxing, too, which is why I feel the pain of my fellow fans of the sweet science at the moment. Still, there’s a silver lining her. Next week promises to the single most definitive matchup since Mayweather-Pacquiao. That’s right, I’m talking about the Sergey Kovalev-Andre Ward pay per view event next weekend. It may not guarantee thrills, but it guarantees the best fighting the best…and two skilled pros giving it their all. There’s also a great boxing lineup set up for the rest of this year and well into next.

To be sure, this travesty – we’re in the eighht right now – is emblematic to me of a very bad stage the sport has gone through. Yet, in a sense, this is the most perfect of ways to wrap up what has been a truly dark time for the sport. Ducks, mismatches, pay cable blackouts…things have been bad, friends. But now they’re coming to an end, and I’m seeing this circus as the perfect closing summation of a bad era which – hopefully – is soon to become history.

By the way…as of this very second, the fight is still going. Will this never end?

Posted on 11/12/2016

In a very boring affair, Luis Ortiz wins by Unanimous Decision

By: Matthew N. Becher

Live from the Salle des Etoiles in Monte Carlo, Monaco, an afternoon edition of HBOs Boxing After Dark presented a heavyweight fight between Malik Scott (38-2-1 13KO) against the man who is mostly seen as the most avoided Heavyweight in the world, Luis Ortiz(25-0 22KO).

Scott has been very vocal on social media that he is constantly working towards the top of the division and in his own words “rebuilding rome brick by brick”. Scott last fought a year ago in October of 2015 against Tony Thompson and has only fought twice since losing a one round knockout to Deontay Wilder. Oritz will only be fighting for the 2nd time this year, with his last win coming against the same Tony Thompson in March of this year. Ortiz hasn’t been able to get very big named fighters to step in the ring with him, and recently took his talents to UK based Matchroom Boxing.

Both fighters were put in a position to get title shots with a win, either with the two current belt holders in Deontay Wilder (WBC) and/or Anthony Joshua (IBF). Also the titles that have been relinquished by the Lineal champion, Tyson Fury will be up for grabs in the near future. Ortiz already has a future fight date set up for one month away on December 10th.

Malik Scott came out jumping around the ring and clinching if Ortiz got even an inch to close. Ortiz twice put down his hands and gestured to Scott to come forward and actually fight. The referee was even inclined to make reference of Scotts no punching, running around the ring technique and asked Scott to engage.

The second and third rounds were more of the same with Scott moving around the ring with his back against the ropes. Ortiz, the stalker, began throwing
body shots, since Scott is trying his hardest to cover up his head and move away from Ortiz.

At around the two minute mark of the fourth round, both fighters clinched and Ortiz was able to land a left hand that dropped Scott. Scott tried to complain that it was a rabbit punch, and was even helped up by the referee. Scott went down one more time, which seemed like a very clean knockdown, but was waved off as a slip. Scott asked the ref to help him up with both gloves outstretched. Scott has little bounce left in his legs and seems to already be looking for a way out of this fight.

Within the first 45 seconds of the 5th round Ortiz dropped Scott again with a nice left hand. Scott was able to get up, but did nothing for the rest of
the round.

The 9th round showed a big body shot that dropped Scott within 30 seconds of the round. It was the only knockdown where he couldn’t accuse Ortiz of landing
a rabbit punch.

Ortiz did not look very sharp, maybe because of his long layoff or because he is 37, but he never put his shots together, looking only for the big
left hand knockout. Scott never looked like a fighter that wanted to fight, but rather survive, not get hurt and make a paycheck. A fight that was supposed
to be a coming out party for the new Ortiz/Matchroom partnership looked more like a dud. The brightside is, maybe one of these top heavyweights will see this
as an opportunity to take on Ortiz, and a big fight can get made.

120-105, 120-106, 119-106 (Ortiz UD12)

Posted on 10/07/2016

Billy Conn: The Anti-Low Risk Fighter
By: Sean Crose

Let’s just start right off by saying Billy Conn was most certainly not like many contemporary boxers. We live, after all, in the era of the catchweight, of the long marination, and of the slow weight acclimation. Conn would simply have rolled his eyes at this sort of thing. Oh, and before dismissing Conn as being some old timey lug, keep in mind that his footwork and overall skill was impressive even by today’s standards. While it’s true most fighters of long ago wouldn’t do well in the ring today, Conn might well be one of the few exceptions to the rule. Yup, he was that good.

Allow me a moment to be crass here – Conn had balls. Real balls. And while it’s true that even the biggest modern cherrypicker is far from a coward if he’s willing to get hit in the face for a living, Conn was a rarity even by boxing’s tough standards. For Conn – wait for it – fought for the heavyweight championship of the world weighing no more than 175 pounds. And, as if that weren’t enough, he did so against none other than the great Joe Louis. That’s right, Conn stepped into the ring to face Louis in the spring of 1941 at a twenty pound weight disadvantage.

Think that’s crazy? Here’s what’s crazier – Conn almost won. Believe it. The slick Pittsburgh native made Louis look slow and uncomfortable for minute after minute that night at the Polo Grounds in New York City. Conn, a true “scientific fighter” just wouldn’t let Louis control the tempo. What’s more, he even hurt Louis late in the fight, buckling the great fighter’s knees. Yet that may have proved to be the gutsy fighter’s undoing.
For Louis, realizing it was time to really turn up the heat, started coming on strong. And Conn? Well, Conn did the absolute worst thing he could have done – he went toe to toe with the man. Why Conn, who had flustered Louis in the fight, decided at the worst possible moment to turn tough guy may be one of the sport’s great mysteries. Needless to say, Conn went down and out in true highlight reel fashion before the thirteenth round was over. He later blamed his stupidity – is there another word for it? – on his being a thick headed Irishman.

No matter. The man’s mistake cost him dearly. Although there was a rematch held at Yankee Stadium five years later – which was to be the first televised bout in history – the moment had passed. Louis, who famously claimed beforehand that Conn could run but not hide, won the second match by eighth round knockout. Regardless, Conn offers a lesson to modern fighters keen on the low risk – right reward school that seems to permeate boxing’s current consciousness. There’s no honor in getting hurt, to be sure. What’s more, boxers have every right to protect their well beings and finances. Yet they’re also fighters. And fighters fight.

They’re also athletes. And athletes challenge themselves – at least they do if they want to make the most of their careers.

Posted on 08/07/2016

“Save Me Joe Louis – Save Me”
By: George Joseph

My name is George Joseph. I moved to Las Vegas from Detroit in 1974. Born and raised in the Motor City and attended Wayne State University. I had the real honor and pleasure in Las Vegas to know the greatest heavyweight boxing champion of all times, Joe Louis. I had the even greater honor and pleasure of marrying one of Joe’s daughters, Candice…The most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen in my life. We’ve been together thirty seven years, which of course means…”I haven’t won a fight in 37 years.” My official record is 0 & 37.

When I speak of Joe Louis, I sum it up by saying…”I had an accidental
contact with greatness.” No other athlete in the past century was more closely
associated with America and Democracy and standing up for America as was Joe Louis. I argue occasionally with guys in my age group who point out the fact that Muhammad Ali lost three years of his prime for refusing to go into the US Army, and that’s true. But here’s a newsflash, Joe Louis lost four years of his prime because he did go, and still holds every significant record in boxing in spite of his four year layoff for service to this country;

• The longest reign of a heavyweight champ…11 years 9 months
• The most successful title defenses in boxing history…25
• The most knockouts in title fights…22
• The most consecutive knockouts in title fights…14
• The most first round knockouts in title fights…5

And kids, that’s just what Joe Louis accomplished in boxing history.

When this country was in real crisis and palpable fear after the bombing
of Pearl Harbor, kind of like we felt after the 9‐11 attacks, Joe Louis did
something that was unprecedented in the world of sports or the history of
this country. Joe put his heavyweight title on the line, and everything that
goes along with being the heavyweight champ . . . the money, the prestige,
the celebrity and fought a championship fight and gave every penny of the
purse to the United States Government . . . the Navy Relief Fund.

Joe was criticized by some for fighting for nothing, especially in the face of the blatant racial discrimination in both society and the armed forces at the time.
Joe answered, “I’m not fighting for nothing, I’m fighting for my country”.

He added, “There’s a lot of things wrong with this country…But Hitler ain’t gonna fix em.” And then Joe did it again. He put his heavyweight crown on the line and gave every penny of the purse to the Army Relief Fund, saying “I’m only doing what any red blooded American would do.” And then he joined the Army, refused a commission and fought 96 more times for the government…96 More Times. During one of those fund raisers, Joe Louis provided a national slogan for the war effort and gave real comfort to the people of this country when he said, ”We’re going to do our part and we’ll win because we are on God’s side.”

Today, it all sounds pretty corny. Well this world could use that kind of corn
again, I know this country could.

Joe was instrumental in the eventual desegregation of the military. Joe
refused to fight exhibitions unless the audience was integrated. (Most don’t
know that Joe paid for poor soldiers (black & white) who couldn’t afford
admission.) Joe intervened to clear Jackie Robinson of court martial charges
at Fort Riley Kansas, before Robinson broke the color barrier in baseball.
Joe Louis broke the color barrier in golf by being the first black man to play in a PGA sanctioned event in the previously all white sport.

Joe Louis was honored by this country with burial in Arlington National
Cemetery. We’re told by the Honor Guards at Arlington, that the most requested grave sites are…John F. Kennedy, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and Joe Louis.

Joe was also honored by his country as the first black athlete on a US Postage
Stamp.

The stamp was issued in Detroit on June 22nd, 1993 at the Joe Louis
Arena…”Oh, “The Joe!”

The city of Detroit and the owners of the Detroit Red Wings honored Joe Louis
and the sporting world by dedicating the Joe Louis Arena on October 8th, 1983.

It should be interesting to note;
• There is no Babe Ruth Stadium
• There is no Jack Dempsey Arena
• There is no Muhammad Ali Arena
• There is no Michael Jordan Arena
• There is a Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Michigan
• No other sports icon has an arena named for him except…
The Joe Louis Arena…In Detroit, Michigan

Let me put this another way;
• The Greatest Heavyweight Boxing Champion of All Time
• A Savior to His Race
• A Hero to the Free World During World War II
• Helped Desegregate the Military, Baseball & Golf
• A Hero’s Burial at Arlington National Cemetery
• The Grandson of Slaves
• The Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Michigan

It’s hard for us to imagine the significance of Joe Louis to an entire generation of our parents, grandparents and the down trodden of those depression times.

There is no one in today’s sports world who inspires the hope and dignity that
Detroit’s Brown Bomber did for so many. His June 22, 1938 title fight with Germanys’ Max Schmeling was seen by the world as Democracy VS. Nazism. After the fight, and with war clouds looming, much of white society began to see Joe as an American worthy of admiration…A small change which opened a big door in sports and the country.

It was reported that in 1939 in a Southern State a black inmate was to be the first person to be executed in that states’ gas chamber. The prison officials wanted to determine if the gas chamber was more humane than the electric chair, so they installed a microphone. At the last moment of his life he could have called out to the governor for mercy, to his mother for comfort or to God almighty for salvation. Instead he yelled out,

“Save Me Joe Louis…Save Me.”

George Joseph – Las Vegas, NV 08-16