Views and Opinions Archives:

MYSPACE RING QUEENS GETTING THE 411 OUT TO THEIR PEEPS

MANNING'S BOXING BLOG: CALI COMMISSION MELTDOWN LEAVES MANY DOING A FAST BURN

NEW 'KONG' COMING TO TOP OF EMPIRE STATE BUILDING

GOLDFATHER PREDICTS PYROTECHNICS BETWEEN KLITSCHKO/BRIGGS

MARLEY BOXING BLOG: TYSON HITS VEGAS JACKPOT

'SHARP SHOOTER' AIMS TO GO FROM GHETTO TO GETMO

REMEMBERING DICK TIGER

JAMEEL MCCLINE: MONSTER OR CHURCH MOUSE?

UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL; CHICO CORRALES DOES THE BIG APPLE

The Incredible Mitch 'Blood' Green

Book Review - Battling Siki - A tale of ring fixes, race and murder in the 1920s

1982 vs. 2006 story Marley Boxing Blog

Exclusive Interview Scott Hirsch WCBMI

Bronx Bomber Mancuso join FightNightNews.com

Gourmand Greg is Back: When it Hasta Be Pasta

PRESS RELEASE - Rodriguez vs. Dyer - David versus Goliath

Remembering The Real Raging Bull

Shannon Briggs: "I'm bringing the belt back to America!"

Boxing History 101

Boxing Quote of the Week

Karmazin versus Spinks: Spinks is in Purgatory

Shannon Likes His Ukrainian Chicken 'Fried'

TWELVE QUOTABLE ROUNDS WITH RING LEGEND MIKE TYSON

MARLEY COLUMN

Manny Gives Hope to Millions

BATES ON BOXING: Separating Champs And Chumps,

Shannon Briggs: People Want To See Blood

TICK, TICK, TICK, IT MAY BE TUA TIME

GHOST GETS REVENGE

BROCK RHYMES WITH SHLOCK

COOL CUSTOMER CALVIN TOO MUCH FOR TIMID IBRAGIMOV

ME AND JULIO DOWN BY THE SCHOOLYARD

JOAN GUZMAN NEEDS TO FIGHT SOONER, NOT LATER

REMEMBERING ACTOR PAUL GLEASON

NO CAKE BUT PUNCH IS SERVED

BOXING SATIRE - LEGAL LETTER SENT TO LOU DIBELLA

GOURMAND GREG KNOWS WHERE USA'S BEST BEEF IS

MYSPACE RING QUEENS GETTING THE 411 OUT TO THEIR PEEPS

The MySpace Queens of Boxing by EDDIE GOLDMAN At many of the boxing media conferences held in New York, often seated between the rows of rumpled men who look like they down shots and eat steam table food every day beginning at noon, are two attractive African-American women in their late 20?s. They are not someone's party girls or, as some members of a misguided generation prefer to say, biatches. They are there to cover the fights and speak with the fighters, and have actually succeeded in bonding with many of them, especially young up-and-comers, much faster and better than their older, usually whiter, and rarely wiser colleagues.

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CALI COMMISSION MELTDOWN LEAVES MANY DOING A FAST BURN

MANNING'S BOXING BLOG: EDITOR'S NOTE: Hotter than a croissant from your local boulangerie, www.fightnightnews.com proudly dishes up on Bastille Day ('apre me le deluge' and like that) a heaping help of the Fearless and some say Peerless Fiona Manning blog. This comes direct from Lost Angeles where, when you scratch the tinsel, plastic surface you find more tinsel and more plastic. Enjoy tout le monde!) By FIONA MANNING R.I.P California's Governator Arnold Schwarzenegger, has turned the sport of boxing on its cauliflower ear by disbanding the California State Athletic Commission, which oversees the lucrative sport of boxing. Okay, so what if a recent Sports Group Marketing poll ranks it behind dog fighting, wrestling and female basket ball? Boxing has capably filled the state's coffers for decades since the Commission's inception in 1924. I am working on a big expose, but offer these advance nuggets: Without a single ring death since 1985, our safety record is second to none. With a state that has more fights per month than most states have in a year, was this the best decision Arnie could have made? Granted, fightnightnews.com's own Eddie Goldman once said that, CSAC has long been the dumping ground for the politically connected. Props to ya, Eddie. Still, despite the passing of CSAC receiving scant much media attention, I promise you, insiders are reeling from the impact. Fighters, promoters and ringside officials say the situation is staggering, since Arnie and his favorite hausfrau, Maria Shriver, are ringside at every big boxing show. Insiders say it was a political decision and that Arnie plans to restructure the Commission in January, 2007. All right, so there have been boo-boos. Big boo-boos. Who was it that allowed an HIV-positive fighter to get into the ring last year? Nobody's perfect. Except for me and Michael Marley. And my cat. Armando Garcia, tapped to replace the wildly inept Rob 'Who'? Lynch as Executive Director, has not exactly had a shining tenure. He has been demoted to the title of Chief Official up there in smoggy Sacramento. Dean Lohuis, who used to be the Chief Official, has been demoted to Naughty Boy and now sits in his LA office, unhappily shuffling papers. Confusion reigns supreme as promoters don't know who to call with important questions and the Sacramento hacks arbitrarily make decisions on weigh-ins and bouts that have everybody scratching their heads. They say Arnie believes the Commission employs too many people. It's a waste of state expenditure. What? Though I am not a fan of Dean Lohuis, he has been very committed to the sport. He's also been doing the job of four people for years now, hence the mistakes. Oh, he once had an assistant. She must have been one of Eddie's politically connected. You could never get through to Lohuis. She would trap you on the phone, trying to sell you Amway. With boxing's red-headed stepchild, Mixed Martial Arts fast supplanting boxing as the state's friendly cash cow, what does the future hold? As it stands, boxing has been placed directly into the hands of Charlene Zettel, head of California's Department of Consumer Affairs. This department, under which CSAC has been operating, has never had a strong love or even passing knowledge of the sweet science. Zettel, who has a background in the Airport and Clean Air Authorities, has not spoken with reporters but she's got herself under my well-aimed microscope. I am curious to know if she knows a fish hook from a left hook. Stay tuned. It's a sad passing, the end of CASC, said Patrick Russell, one of the state's top referees. Russell, who is a just retired San Diego homicide detective, says boxing's top names are afraid to say too much for fear of not getting plum ring assignments. Everybody has some juicy things to say. Most want anonymity. But trust me, we'll get to the bottom of this. No Reyes label will be left unturned in the pursuit of truth, justice and Amway. I asked one CSAC official what he thinks about the new, allegedly streamlined boxing commission planned for the new year? Only this, he said. 'Don't' piss down my neck and tell me it's raining. I'll be back. For questions or comments, e-mail me at bondigirl@aol.com.

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NEW 'KONG' COMING TO TOP OF EMPIRE STATE BUILDING

Promoter Don King is calling his various minions and henchmen together in NYC on Tuesday for an all-day meeting to plan an upcoming, six-week USA publicity tour for 7-0, 320-pound WBA heavyweight champion Nikolay "Best From The East" Valuev. King is closing or has closed an October 7 or October 14--baseball playoffs be damned--title defense by the monster man against lightly-regarded Monte Barrett. As previously reported exclusively by www.fightnightnews.com, King is working feverishly to sell that show to Showtime and Madison Square Garden, possibly with another heavyweight title defense matching WBO champ Sergei Liakhovich against #1 contender Luan Krasniqi. The tab for the twin bill is likely to be a budget buster for the Showtime suits so cutey King is pitching it to his good friends at HBO also. The massive publicity blitz--and here's where they could've employed the late Fay Wray, femme fatale and love interest of the great gorilla in the original, 1933 "King Kong--will include a cross-country hype tour. And the featured stop will be--where else?--on top of the Empire State Building. That's where Kong swatted airplanes in the 1933 film. For the remake, the big monkey moved downtown to the World Trade Center. The tour, with King yelling and screaming in his usual P.T. Barnum manner as Valuev sits silently by is likely to revive the old joke. You know, why talk to the monkey (Valuev) when you can talk to the organ grinder (King)? Valuev's lead promoter is Germany's Wilfried Sauerland. He's about to get a "Only In America."

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GOLDFATHER PREDICTS PYROTECHNICS BETWEEN KLITSCHKO/BRIGGS

EXCLUSIVE WWW.FIGHTNIGHTNEWS.COM INTERVIEW KRONK'S GOLDFATHER PREDICTS PUGILISTIC PYROTECHNICS AS HE RECONFIRMS KLITSCHKO TO FACE BRIGGS NOV. 11 AT MSG By MICHAEL MARLEY EXECUTIVE EDITOR

He is always a man on the move but I was fortunate enough  to catch Kronk's Goldfather, Emmanuel Steward, by phone at Detroit Metro Airport just before he boarded a flight to Vegas. Steward, of course, will be behind the HBO mike for Mosley-Vargas Redux Saturday night. Steward spoke about Sugar Shane and Ferocious Fernando but his lead topic was the heavyweights, specifically his IBF champion Wladimir Klitschko. As if to answer any nattering nabobs of negativity--and is boxing ever infested with those --Steward confirmed, reconfirmed and then rereconfirmed that Klitschko will climb into the Madison Square Garden ring on Nov. 11 to defend his belt against the resurgent Briggs. And the pugilistic pundit predicts nothing but heavyweight pyrotechnics when Briggs and Dr. K finally collide. "Oh, yeah," the Main Man from Motown told www.fightnightnews.com, "Briggs and Klitschko will be getting it on. It is really ironic because the two challengers I fear most we're fighting them back to back. For different reasons, I feared Chris Byrd. Slick boxer, very tricky, so much movement but Wlad stopped him (in seven rounds). "Now next up is the other guy I really fear. Let me be clear, Wlad doesn't fear anybody. He is in a class by himself in the heavyweight division and he knows it. But I fear Shannon Briggs because I know him like a book, I know him for cover to cover. "There will be fireworks at the Garden, for sure," Steward said. "Shannon is a big, strong guy with a great amateur background. He knows how to fight and how to punch. He's not no Sam Peter throwing those clumsy, clubbing punches. Shannon has the physicality, the strength and all that. But it's how he throws his punches that makes him so dangerous. "It's not Wald that is worried about Briggs, it's me. Wlad is getting to be super confident in the same way that Lennox Lewis did as he matured. Wlad is growing into the title so to speak. But I am telling you that Briggs is nobody to play with." Steward discounts those who say Briggs 11-bout victory streak was accomplished against tomato cans. He sees a mentally focused Briggs so very unlike the wide-eyed kid who fought Big George Foreman and Lewis. "That was Shannon as a man-child," Steward said. "But, as the Brits say, he showed his 'bottle' (courage) in charging after Lennox that time. I just see a mature guy now. I always said a truly motivated Briggs is extremely dangerous and now I see him as totally motivated." Still, Steward feels Briggs' battle plan will be predictable, a jet rocket start in hopes of notching a KO over Dr. K. "He won't change that. That is Shannon's m.o.," Steward said, laughing. "He has always been a fast starter. But I also don't count on him running out of gas. They used to say Wlad had no stamina but now he's proved that is not the case. I consider Briggs to be a danger man from the opening bell to the finish." In case you think the Kronkmeister isn't qualified to do a head and gut check on Briggs, think again. He has literally been in Briggs' corner. "Oh, yeah," Steward said. "I trained Shannon for his fight with Francois Botha. I know what Shannon is capable of. I am looking for two, three or maybe four rounds of pure hell from Briggs. Briggs will come out quick and you will see fireworks. It will be two big men going at it and it will be explosive." Boom. Bang. Pow. And like that sayeth the Goldfather. As far as Mosley-Vargas Redux, Steward is leaning, ever so slightly, to 'Nando. It might be a case, Steward said, of who is the lesser "punched ticket" as the old boxing phrase for shopworn fighters goes. But he worries about Vargas staying in the breakdown lane. "Fernando has clearly lost some speed. He's a few steps slower than he used to be. Both of these guys have been in some rough, tough fights and they both have given boxing fans lots of thrills. Vargas needs to forget about punching to the head because he can't contend with Shane's head movement. Vargas needs to concentrate on body punching and not worry about the head." A Vargas vote from Manny, yes, albeit a less than enthusiastic one. And so the Goldfather has spoken.

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MARLEY BOXING BLOG: TYSON HITS VEGAS JACKPOT

Bob Dylan on Ellis-Quarry; Casamayor In, Arnaoutis Out; Prince Of Camden

KA-CHING, KA-CHING, MIKE TYSON HITS VEGAS JACKPOT AT ORLEANS  Names make the hot, steaming boxing news so let's start naming them. MIKE TYSON--Psst, don't tell the IRS but Iron Michael just hit the jackpot, ka-ching ka-, in a big way at the off-Strip Orleans Hotel in Las Vegas. Tyson grabbed a $1.5 million fee to be a casino boxing host for 10 shows at the hotel-casino. It's unclear who the promoter of the events will be but what does Tyson care? Now his pockets won't be so mad at him. Maybe he will invite Mr. Holyfield to be his guest at the Orleans. Wouldn't that be earie, I mean eerie?.... MOTORMOUTH MIKE MICHAELS and LESS THAN MIGHTY MIKE ARNAOUTIS After all that blather about how the Greek kid was going to beat Vicious Vivian Harris like he was his paternal unit Arnaoutis has pulled out of the July 29th HBO BAD showdown. Gary "Buffet King" (I should talk) Shaw is working those phone lines for a replacement for the main event at the Chumash Casino in Santa Ynez, Calif. Btw, that is the area where the flick "Sideways" was filmed so maybe it's not a surprise that Arnaoutis went sideways. Motormouth Michael, whoever he is, had just put out a press release blasting ex-champ Harris as "a nothing" when Shaw was told a cut on the left eyelid forced Arnaoutis to pull out. Jose Nunez, peripatetic manager of Harris said the news reminded him of the old joke. "What's a Grecian urn, or in this case, earn? Nunez said. "Nothing, zero, nada, zilch..." Meanwhile, the buzz-buzz is that Joel Casamayor may step in against Harris... BASKETBALL ROY JONES Speculation grows that promoters of his July 29th Boise fight with Prince Badi Ajamu may look to pull the plug. They are incensed with Roy's continued lack of assistance to the promotion. Ajamu is all over the Boise area but the unsophisticated fight fans there are asking in which African nation is the Prince considered royalty. Roy used to be ring royalty but no one is biting for $700 ringsides in Idaho where you can buy a season ticket for Boise State Broncos football for $120. It would not be shocking to hear that Basketball Jones got "hurt" shooting hoops and they call the whole thing off. As far as blue-collar Ajamu, who hails from the Republic of Camden, NJ, I hope he got an advance, training expenses and more. It's not his fault the promotion is not humming... BOB DYLAN Yes, he did "Who Killed Davey Moore" and the Hurricane Carter song but if you think the pride of Hibbing, MN., is anti-boxing then you are 100 percent wrong. For several years, as he toured, Dylan worked out every day as boxer. He even hired the legendary Bruce "The Mouse" Strauss to train him. Dylan's passion for boxing is mentioned in his bestselling book "Chronicles, Volume One." Of all the fights in all the world, Dylan refers to the heavyweight elimination match between Irish Jerry Quarry and Jimmy Ellis which went down in Oakland with Ellis winning on points. " Of Ellis, Dylan writes: (he) was a take the money and go home kind of guy--boxing was a job to him, no more no less. He had a family to feed and he didn;t care about becoming a legend or breaking any records." of Quarry, he writes: "...a white boxer, was being touted as the new Great White Hope--an odious designation. Jerry, whose father had come to California on a boxcar, wanted no part of it. The white vigilante groups who came to cheer him didn't move Quarry. Nor did the intense atmosphere--he wouldn't accept their bigoted alliance and resisted the dementia swirling around him.. He didn't need any gimmicks. I identified with both Ellis and Quarry. Like Quarry, I wasn't going to acknowledge being an emblem, symbol or spokesman either, and like Ellis, I too had a family to feed." I don't know if you ever noticed but this Zimmerman fellow does have a way with words...

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'SHARP SHOOTER' AIMS TO GO FROM GHETTO TO GETMO

Kallen, Roach,. Scully In His Corner By FIONA MANNING Staff Writer www.fightnightnews.com

MANCHESTER, CT: They say fighters don’t come from Beverly Hills, they come from the ghetto. But what happens when the ghetto is of a fighter’s own making? Just 20-years old, Matt Remillard (9-0, 6 KOs) is on the verge of huge things; one of the most-watched guys in the ranks of the up-and-comers. On July 21, the rising super featherweight fights on the undercard of Steven Luevano vs Cristobal Cruz at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Mashantucket, CT.  But things weren’t always so rosy for the kid they cal ‘Sharp Shooter.”

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REMEMBERING DICK TIGER

ADEYINKA MAKINDE

There perhaps have only been few in the modern epoch of boxing that have represented the themes of blue collar fighter and ageless ring warrior as Richard Ihetu, better known by his ring pseudonym, Dick Tiger. Indeed, it was once written that he "was the type of fighter who rolled up his sleeves, spat on his hands and went to work, giving an honest labouring mans effort. Each time. Every time."   A succinctly unglamorous portrayal of a simple and uncomplicated man who bore the struggles and travails of a lifetime with admirable courage and dignity. Read More

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JAMEEL MCCLINE: MONSTER OR CHURCH MOUSE?

By LEE BATES Staff Writer www.fightnightnews.com

When you envision in your mind what a heavyweight champion of the world should look like. a description of Jameel McCline(36-6-3, 23 KOS) is maybe what you will come up with. This mammoth heavyweight stands 6-foot-6 and weighs in at 270 pounds of solid muscle. He is very handsome as well. But you can't be world heavyweight champion just by looking in a mirror. The physical make up of a fighter is not what makes one a champion. It is truly amazing how someone so naturally talented and large in stature can fight so timidly on a consistent basis. When you expect McCline to come out like a monster, he is more often a church mouse. McCline burst onto the scene in 2001 with his consecutive wins over once -beatens Michael Grant and Lance Whitaker. He continued the trend with his win over former world champion Shannon Briggs. Going into his WBO world title fight with Wladimir Klitschko the expectations were very high on McCline and it was on this night that McCline's pattern of inconsistency in big fights would start. McCline basically did nothing in the fight. Promoter Cedric Kushner felt that McCline sold himself short because of what his opponent was doing. "All Jameel really had to do was initiate the action," Kushner said. "All Jameel has to do was to attack and he would've been the winner." Klitschko basically did nothing for the first five rounds of the fight. McCline would go on to lose the fight by 10th round knockout. No big deal ,right? Everyone has an off night. McCline would then reel off three consecutive victories and all were by knockout leading him to his IBF title fight against champion Chris Byrd. McCline appeared to be ahead on all the scorecards through the first half of the fight when once again he did the unthinkable and managed to do virtually nothing for the remainder of the fight. Keep in mind this was against Chris Byrd who basically has no power whatsoever and was giving up at least five inches to him in height and was 56 pounds lighter. "He knocked Byrd down in the second round and had clearly won five of the first seven rounds and did nothing the rest of the way. I just don't get it. He was living out a dream fighting for the world heavyweight title in his home state of New York at Madison Square Garden. What more could he ask for? How much more do you need to motivate you?" Kushner asked Byrd would go on to retain his title by split decision and McCline was now being labeled as a reluctant fighter. McCline would go on to lose two of his next three fights, one against unbeaten Calvin Brock in a crossroads bout. He had Brock down in the fight but once again he could not capitalize. But then something worse happened. McCline was upset by Zuri Lawrence, a fighter who entered the fight having never scored a knockout in 33 fights There really is no logical reason why McCline fights so scared. " I think it could be that he�'s not really confident in himself at times because a lot of fighters he fights have a huge edge in amateur experience on him ," Kushner said. The problem clearly seems mental, not physical. Whatever the reason, McCline better solve it real quick because the window of opportunity is closing fast on him. It's all up to McCline. Monster or church mouse? Champion or palooka? Is he a multimillion dollar airport with a ten cent control tower? Tick, tick, tick. The boxing clock on the wall says it is time that Jameel McCline provided those answers.

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UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL; CHICO CORRALES DOES THE BIG APPLE

By RICH MANCUSO Staff Writer FightNightNews.com

Normally in this business one doesn't get too close to an athlete. You could lose your objectivity that way. Exceptions do occur, though, and this was the case with lightweight champion Diego Corrrales who visited New York this past weekend. Photo by Tom Casino/Showtime Corrales, perhaps considered one of the top fighters by the experts with one of the legendary fights in boxing history last year, a dramatic 10th round come from behind knockout over Jose Luis Castillo, seems to enjoy life out of the ring.  He came to the city last weekend to do a spot on the ESPN Friday Night Fights and also took in a  few Broadway plays with his wife, Michele, and 13-year old daughter.

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THE INCREDIBLE MITCH 'BLOOD' GREEN, BY THE NUMBERS

Special to FightNightNews.com Ring History 101

1. Mitch was the #1 Gangsta in NY as the leader of the notorious Black Spades. Many claim his gang was the inspiration for the movie, Warriors. Mitch claims he used to beat up members of the Jolly Stompers for laughs. 2. Mitch fought Mike Tyson twice, one in the ring and once in the street. Fared much better in the ring but was paid more by a jury for the street fight than by Don King for the one in the ring. Mitch was awarded $45,000 by the jury for his Harlem beatdown. 3. Mitch's three drugs of choice are PCP, crack and marijuana .Mitch doesn't drink alcohol as a matter of religious principle. 4. Mitch is the first man in history to win four New York Heavyweight Golden Gloves 76, 77, 79, 80. 1976 was novice class the rest were open class. The only thing keeping Mitch from five straight was a badly sprained ankle in 1978. 5. Mitch Green has been shot five times including when he shot himself in the head testing a home made zip gun. I guess it worked. 6. Six hundred dollar bills were handed to Mitch by former foe Mike Tyson last time they met on the streets of Harlem. Mitch needed the $600, Mike needed to get in his limo. All is forgiven now. 7. Mitch robbed the same gas station seven times. Oddly enough he got caught! After having tied up the attendant, motorists drove in. Unfazed, Mitch forgot about his getaway, pumped the petrol and got paid by the suckers. Of course the cops did drive in also and took Mitch to Rikers Island in a jiffy. 8. Mitch has been stabbed eight times. Don't hold me to this number it could have gone up as I haven't heard from Mitch in a few days. 9. 5+4 = 9 and fifty-four is divisible by nine. OK, we're stretching it on this but how could we leave out Mitch has had his New York drivers license suspended an amazing 54 times. I did a record check in Albany and they say that may be a world record for bad driving. 10. Mitch was as good as any TopTen contender in the 80's. He went 10 tough rounds with future world heavyweight champions Mike Tyson and Trevor Berbick. He gave Berbick all he could handle and even frustrated a young prime Iron Mike for a few rounds. 11. Homo sapiens or just homos? Mitch has labeled Mike Tyson as "Cicely" Tyson and often says that "Lennox Lewis has a boyfriend." Mitch is not invited to the Gay Pride events in NYC. 12. Retired heavyweight contender Gerry Cooney helps Mitch pay his phone bills. Mitch loves to talk.

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BOOK REVIEW: BATTLING SIKI - A TALE OF RING FIXES, RACE AND MURDER IN THE 1920s

by ADEYINKA MAKINDE

The written word is a most powerful tool. It has the capacity to mould, shape, build and destroy the reputations of both the living and the dead. But if there is any grain of truth to the cynical adage that historians are granted a power denied even to the gods; that is, to alter what has happened, then it is perhaps also true to aver the inverse proposition that historians are invested with the power to re-mould the distortions and alterations of the past.

Such was the task faced by Peter Benson, an American academic, in his work on the first African to win a world title, Battling Siki.

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1982 vs. 2006 story Marley Boxing Blog

By MICHAEL MARLEY

Once upon a time, when nobody in America could tell Lennox Lewis from Butch Lewis I had to accompany a still amateur Lennox into the wilds of Flatbush, Brooklyn. Mike Jones, best known for co-managing Gerry Cooney, had a plan to become the Canadian clouter's manager. I was going to work with them and Lewis career was going to be based in NYC. This was after we saw Lewis win a Canadian national title. I think Jones gifted Violet Lewis with some new furniture to get the relationship going. Jones died soon after and Lewis wound up moving to London. But, on that particular snowy day, LL and I rode the 3 train over to Brooklyn so he could buy reggae tapes at music shops. Years later, I reminded LL of our shopping excursion when he was poor and unknown. He smiled and said, 'That was a moment in time." So was July-August of 1982 when KO magazine ran this Top Ten Pound For Pound poll of the boss boxing scribes. Look at this awesome list and tell this Old Fogey that these 10 don't make any Top Ten list from 2006 look like a sick joke.   1. SUGAR RAY LEONARD 6. LARRY HOLMES 2. ALEXIS ARGUELLO 7. JEFF CHANDLER 3. MARVIN HAGLER 8. EUSEBIO PEDROZA 4. SALVADOR SANCHEZ 9. AARON PRYOR 5. WILFRED BENITEZ 10. TIE, THOMAS HEARNS & DWIGHT BRAXTON

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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: SCOTT HIRSCH

By Brad Cooney http://www.boxingtalk.com

Boxingtalk hooked up with professional boxing manager, Scott Hirsch. Scott gives us an in depth update on his entire stable, starting with Heavyweight Contender Shannon Briggs. Hirsch talks about Shannon's big upcoming Heavyweight Title shot against current IBF/IBO Heavyweight Champion, WladimirKlitschko, which is scheduled for November 11th, at New York's Madison Square Garden. BT - Scott let's start off by giving us an update on Shannon Briggs, have the contracts been signed yet ? SH - The deal is done in principle, we are in the process literally as we are speaking. We are at the finish line though. BT - When do you think this deal will be all locked up, and done ? SH - Well I don't know the answer to that right now, but I would like to think that within the next 24hrs it will be a done deal. I imagine it will be fairly soon. BT - Talk about Shannon Briggs Scott. Shannon has quite a story behind him. SH - Shannon above all is a terrific guy, he's a loveable person. Shannon and I clicked from the moment we met, and his story is heart wrenching. Shannon's father died in prison, and his mother suffered through a number of things. Shannon slept in cars, building, subways, and he isn't bitter about it. You would expect someone that has gone through what Shannon has gone through for them to be bitter about it all. Shannon holds himself high, he's a people person, but I don't think he has forgotten where he came from. Shannon represents the average person out there,the person that has been through hard times, and struggles. When it comes to boxing I think Shannon is as talented, if not more talented than any one in the Heavyweight Division today. Shannon self admits that he had taken for granted his talent when he was younger, and hasn't put in the training that he should have. These things have changed now, Shannon has fought 6 times in the last year, and he's knocked out all of 6 opponents. Shannon has been impressing everyone, and I think he's ready to step up for this next fight. BT - Scott, some of Shannon's critics say that he loses his stamina, and fades late in fights. You bring in Jeff Mayweather, probably the best trainer out there the people haven't heard of. Did you bring in Jeff Mayweather to help Shannon get deeper into fights ? SH - I brought in Jeff for a couple of reasons. I think as far as stamina goes, that's something that Shannon needs to work on himself. I brought Jeff in to work on Shannon's defense, and I also brought Jeff in to work with Shannon on punching straighter, and to improve on his jab. I think that these two improvements will bode well in a Championship fight. BT - There are a lot of people that are emailing me saying that Shannon Briggs has a real chance to win this fight Scott. SH - We didn't take this fight to get one payday, or a crack at the Title, we took this fight to win the title. Shannon can re-write history, and correct some things from the past. This is an outstanding opportunity for Shannon, five of Wladimir's past opponents have put him down in the ring. I don't take nothing away from Wladimir, he's a great boxer, and he has earned the Championship. Wlad deserves what he has, but I think Shannon Briggs matches up very well against him. I don't see this fight going very long. BT - Scott you think Shannon Briggs is going to knock out Wladimir Klitshcko ? SH - Yes, absolutely. I truly believe within the first 5 rounds Shannon will knock him out. BT - Scott, just to confirm, this fight will be at Madison Square Garden correct? SH - Yes, it's at Madison Square Garden, the mecca of boxing. I was at the Peter vs Klitschko fight in Atlantic City, and I was amazed at how many Ukranian fans were in the crowd supporting Klitschko. Shannon is so popular in New York being from Brooklyn, I think this is going to be the hottest fight at the Garden in a long time, this is a big event. BT - Scott Hirsch is calling all New Yorker's to come out to the Garden on November 11th to support the local guy in Shannon Briggs. SH - Absolutely! I think that one other thing that Shannon brings to this fight is that he is a natural promoter. I have a few other fighters that I work with that you have to beg to get to say anything. With Shannon you have to beg him to stop talking (laughs). BT - Scott, I can attest to that (laughs). Shannon is an easy interview because he loves to talk, makes my job easier. SH - Shannon would do an interview a minute if we would let him (laughs). I think Shannon's ability to promote had to have come into the minds of Team Klitshcko. They probably realize that Shannon will work hard to sell this thing out. BT - Scott, take a minute and talk about your other fighters. SH - Well I have 3 other fighters, right now my mind is totally on Shannon Briggs because of this big shot we have with Klitschko. I have Jameel McCline, who was in a similar situation as Shannon when I first starting working with him. BT - Jameel has Terry Smith next, no ? SH - Yes, Jameel will be fighting Terry Smith on the 21st on ESPN in Oklahoma. This fight is a win or go home for Jameel, and he knows that. Jameel's career is on the line with this fight. BT - Terry Smith is a tough fighter, he took Calvin Brock to the cards when he fought him. SH - Yes he did, Terry Smith is tough. In Jameel's case we knew that he had to take, and win some tough fights to win back the crowd. If Jameel wins this fight against Terry Smith, I think you will see him back in the rankings, and lined up for some big fights again. Jameel knows that if he doesn't win this fight that it's basically over. I am extremely confident that not only will Jameel win the fight, but he'll knock him out very impressively.         BT - Shannon always stays in the gym, but when will camp start officially for Shannon Briggs ? SH - Shannon is in the gym, he's working on basic conditioning right now. When we go into camp in September we want him to be in shape. Shannon        has always admitted that he hasn't always been in the best shape. Shannon will be in the best shape of his life for Klitschko, so he's working every day on conditioning, and he's in the boxing gym every other day. Shannon is trying to get himself into good shape before camp, so that when camp starts he can get into great shape. I have a few other fighters I want to talk about, I have Eliseo Castillo who's the NABO Cruiserweight Champion. Castillo has a crossroads fight coming up against Emanuel Stewards fighter, Johnathan Banks. They will be fighting on the 26th in New York. David Tua is also on that card as well. Eliseo Castillo is the best fighter in that division, bar-none! Nobody will beat him in that division. BT - When do you see Castillo being in line for his title shot ? SH - I think sometime this year Eliseo Castillo will be fighting for a title. I think this fight against Banks is a good fight for Castillo to show everybody just how good he is, Banks is one of the top 5 fighters in the division. If he beats Banks, we'll go for one of the top fighters in the division. BT - Back on Shannon Briggs for a minute, when you guys start camp I am guessing you will be looking for really big sparring partners for him, no ? SH - Absolutely, we'll probably spar Shannon with Ray Austin, Zuri Lawrence, and Jameel McCline. BT - I think Big Jameel would be a good guy for Shannon to spar with for Klitschko being he's so big. SH - Yes he would be, they have sparred before, and they are friends outside of the ring. I think that Jameel McCline, Ray Austin, and Zuri Lawrence together with Shannon Briggs makes a really nice camp there, and then Jeff Mayweather as well. BT - Jeff Mayweather is a class act, and told me that he was very flattered that you invited him to come on board the Briggs team. SH - Yes, Jeff is simply put just a good, good guy. A lot of the time when you look at teams, it's character that wins. Jeff Mayweather is a man of character, and he brings that to this team. BT - Shannon Briggs told me that what he loves about Jeff the most is the positive vibes, and energy that Jeff brings to the camp. SH - Absolutely, he's extremely positive, and he's real. Jeff is a caring man, and he puts in a hard day. Jeff is training Ray Austin, he's training Shannon        Briggs, he's training J.D. Chapman. Jeff is the best trainer that nobody talks about. BT - Scott is there anything that you would like to say in closing ? SH - I want to thank all of Shannon's supporters, I don't know how they find him, but man he gets a lot of emails. BT - Scott, Shannon has a Mypace web-site (laughs) SH - (Laughs) Ahh, so that's how they are finding him (laughs). That's it, that's how they are finding him. I get personal mail from different countries supporting Shannon, and even postal mail. Shannon is living the dream, and he's going to do this not only for himself, but for all of his friends fans, and supporters. BT - Scott, nice talking to you I look forward to a follow up. SH - I want you to know that I am an avid reader of Boxingtalk, it's the first boxing site that I go to in the morning. Thanks for having me.

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BRONX BOMBER MANCUSO JOINS FIGHTNIGHTNEWS.COM

Rich Mancuso is an accomplished sports journalist form the Bronx, New York, where he got his first taste of boxing with Charlie Caserta, trainer of amateur champions in the Little Italy section of the Bronx known as Belmont. For 20 or more years he has been covering the sport of boxing along with other sports. He has written extensively for newspapers, including the Bronx News where he has been the recipient of many awards.

He also contributes to the Associated Press and at one time hosted a radio sports talk program on sports radio WFAN in New York. Currently Rich, who remains in the Bronx and still writes for the Bronx News as well as features for Boxing Digest Magazine and freelances sports and boxing features to other publications. But boxing is his passion, and as he says to all, ?It is a great sport that deserves more attention because it can take a kid off the street and lead to unlimited success. His motto 'Keep it in the Ring' was established on WFAN. He has seen those success stories over the years in the Bronx with guys such as Alex Ramos, and champions such as Iran Barkley, Aaron Davis and many more. He can be heard every Tuesday and Thursday evening hosting 'Sports with Rich' from 9pm-midnight on 1460AM WVOX, a telephone sports talk program that originates form Westchester County New York and one of the few that devotes coverage to the sport. The program can be heard live on the internet at www.wvox.com

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GOURMAND GREG IS BACK: WHEN IT HASTA BE PASTA

Greg "Red Sauce" Marotta, our wining and dining columnist, has returned from his recent junket to Lower Slobbovia where, Gregster reports, he could not tell the Upper Slobs from the Lower Slobs. The entree in every joint he went to "over there" was Mystery Meat which Marotta says resembled spam and not the email variety. Anyway, Greg says to check out his list of America's Top Ten Italian restaurants and send in your boquets or brickbats accordingly. Btw, Marotta says to mention his name to Big Brian, the Irish bartender at Elio's (an old Marley and Shandog Briggs hangout from the "king" and "legend" and "wind man" era.) Greg says every 32nd drink is "on the house" per Celtic Brian, another King hailing from the County of Queens. Brian is an old school chum of highly-regarded Queens Judge Denis Butler. Do not mention Greg's name to the legendary "El Duro," at the King Cole Bar at the NY St, Regis Hotel off Fifth Avenue. Something about "El Duro" betting the French soccer thug would thug it up in the finals of the World Cup. "Tonto" is what El Duro calls the disgraced Zindane.   AMERICA'S TOP TEN ITALIAN RESTAURANTS, PER MAROTTA:   1. Babbo NYC 7. Elio's NYC 2. La Famiglia Philly 8. Saloon Philly 3. Il Forno Providence 9. Vino e Cucina SF 4. Da Silvano NYC 10a. Dan Tana LA 5. Impastato's Metairie, La. 10b. Berta's Wanaque NJ 6.  La Villetta Boca Raton 10c. Carmine's Chicag

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PRESS RELEASE  Rodriguez vs. Dyer David versus Goliath

Texas based heavyweight hopeful David Nino Rodriguez 21-0 (20 KOs) will go toe to toe against the 6'9 Oklahoman Big Rick Dyer 10-0 (10 KOs) this Saturday night July 15th at the Fifth Third Ball Park at Comstock Park in Grand Rapids, MI in what is the biggest fight of both combatants careers when the two undefeated heavy hitting heavyweights collide in a scheduled ten round all out battle to keep their untarnished records in tact. Standing at 6'4 Rodriguez is giving up five inches in height, but feels confident in his abilities against the heavy handed southpaw, Any man that size is going to be dangerous, but all though he is much bigger than me doesnt necessarily mean he is stronger, I think he will be surprised with my power, stated Rodriguez. Rodriguez a native of El Paso, TX has ripped through his opposition stopping all by knock out except for one unanimous decision victory but has banged out nineteen first round stoppages, Dyer a KO artist as well and a former Tough Man champion in the Arkansas/Oklahoma area has knocked out all in his pathway, with eight first round victories. Rodriguez holds the Texas/New Mexico State Titles while Dyer carries the Oklahoma State Heavyweight strap, and this battle of the big men should be a barnburner of an event, somebody will fall! The two are looking forward to this match up in hopes of earning another victory to their repertoire in their journey to break through as the next hot heavyweight. For ticket information call (616) 784-4131

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REMEMBERING THE REAL RAGING BULL -- 84 YEARS YOUNG TODAY

By MICHAEL MARLEY

As if my Italian friends don't have enough to celebrate this week...did you realize that today is Raging Bull Jake LaMotta's birthday? That's right, born Giacobbe LaMotta in the Bronx on July 10, 1922, which makes for 84 sparkling candles on LaMotta's cake. They should throw him a party over on Arthur Avenue, maybe at Roberto's or another pasta palace in the Little Italy or Belmont section of the Boogie Down.

A couple of quick notes on LaMotta. One night at a sports dinner I asked Jake to sign a pair of gloves for me. He looked at me as if I asked to play three-card monte or some other sucker's game. Having written some nice columns about Jake when I scribbled for the New York Post, I felt this was only a small favor. "Yeah, yeah, I will do it," LaMotta said. "But I ain't gonna just sign my name. If I do, you will go and sell them gloves. I know that trick, pal. So I will sign them to you, to Mike." Was I outfoxed by the man who fought Sugar Ray Robinson six times (or "so many times I should've got diabetes" as Jake puts it)? "OK, Jake," I said, "but how hard would it be for me to find another guy named Mike and sell it to him." Jake laughed. I still have those gloves. Two other stories of a more serious nature. A punchy Robinson was trotted out to Vegas by Bob Arum to sit alongside Jake as Marvin Hagler and Ray Leonard climbed into the ring at Caesars Palace. Trying to make a little convo, Jake asked the mentally-addled Ray who he felt would win. "I don't know." Robinson said, did I fight either one of them?" LaMotta told me about that and I promised not to print it while Robinson was still alive. I kept the promise. In a different light, Carmine Tilleli of Brooklyn (maybe you recognize him as ex-middleweight king Joey Giardello) once blasted LaMotta to me. And Giardello said I could print his comments forthwith. It seems Giardello's beef was with LaMotta's big mouth. "He threw the fight with Billy Fox, so what? Giardello said. "When the gangsters ran boxing, I was told to go in the tank a few times. I never did but I did worry about the mob doing something bad to me or my family. I understand the pressure a fighter could have and I know other guys who threw fights. I'm not saying I would've refused under certain circumstances. I wouldn't let anyone hurt my wife or my kids, for sure. "What pisses me off about LaMotta is he threw the fight, everyone knew it and then he couldn't keep his big mouth shut. He told everyone he met like it was something to be proud of. I got no use for a guy like that." I get Giardello's point but it could not have been easy to brush off Blinky Palermo, Frankie "Mr. Gray" Carbo and their ilk. In recent years, two of LaMotta's sons have died. One died in a plane crash and I think the other had a heart attack. His gorgeous ex-wife, Vicki, is dead also. Jake has had his heartaches. So happy birthday, you boxing Bull, and many more. Come to think of it, it was DeNiro who took the dive against Billy Fox, not you. You want to measure the man? Check out the St. Valentine's Day Massacre, Chicago Stadium 2/14/51, when Robinson brutalized LaMotta. That was their sixth and final fight and the final score was Sugar 5, Jake 1. One final point about Jake. Matcmaking legend Teddy Brenner said it about both Giardello and LaMotta. Both of them fought all the tough black guys who were their contemporaries.They didn't discriminate like some other white fighters did or tried to. BUON COMPLEANNO, MISTER JAKE!

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Shannon Likes His Ukrainian Chicken 'Fried'

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TWELVE QUOTABLE ROUNDS WITH RING LEGEND MIKE TYSON

• "I really dig Hannibal. Hannibal had real guts. He rode elephants into Cartilage."
• "I might just fade into Bolivian, you know what I mean? I ain't got nuttin' to do or nowhere to go."
• "I like the British bikes. I like British people. They're real mellow."
• "I can sell out Madison Square Garden masturbating."

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MARLEY COLUMN