Country singer Johnny Paycheck took his name from a Boxer who fought Joe Louis called Johnny Paycheck. Was that a cynical name given to a 'canvas back' sent in to lose and to build Joe's record of ko's...?
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Monday, June 11, 2012
Boxing Judges Suspended
Maybe we need to see more suspensions for hotly disputed decisions... or find out what kind of bias is built into the process and how judges are chosen.
One disputed scorecard earned three New Jersey boxing judges indefinite suspensions and no clear route back to ringside - NYPOST.com
Sacrificed
July 9, 2011: three judges suspended indefinitely after working the junior middleweight fight between Paul Williams and Erislandy Lara at a ballroom in Boardwalk Hall at Atlantic City.
Four days after Williams was awarded a controversial majority decision that drew boos from most in the crowd, all three judges — Bennett, Donald Givens of Linden, N.J., and Hilton Whitaker III of New Jersey — were put on indefinite suspension by Aaron Davis, the commissioner of the New Jersey State Control Board.
In
announcing the suspensions, Davis said in a statement, “we feel that
we did not provide our best officiating on July 9.”
Davis did add there
was no evidence of any corruption on the part of the judges.
Nearly
11 months later, the three judges remain suspended ...
There was outrage over the decision. HBO broadcaster Bob Papa told his audience, “This is a joke.”
Four days later, Davis announced the
unprecedented decision to put the judges on indefinite suspension.
Davis admitted the suspensions have been “long,” but offered no hint of ending the suspensions.
“Those tests are not that hard to pass,” he said. “I’d like for all our guys to pass the test with no problem. I’d like them to have some more ongoing training before I fully reinstate them. Then, after training, I’d probably like them to shadow a judge and come back with those scores.”
Suspending judges is nearly unheard of in boxing, but Davis defended his actions.
Davis said all the judges are “good guys,” but hopes the suspensions send a message to other judges in New Jersey and regulatory commissions around the country.
“We
can’t be satisfied with subpar performances,” he said. “We don’t
accept that from fighters. We shouldn’t accept it from our officials
either. If people know they’re going to be accountable for their
actions, hopefully they’ll take better actions.”
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Bradley Upsets Pacquiao: Bob Arum 'Ashamed' of Boxing, Calls Decision 'F***ing Nuts'
Will we see a recount of the judges' scorecards or an official protest to the IBF? I didn't see the fight but the internet is full of sho0uts of "ROBBERY!" There are official channels for a protest, unless Arum would rather see the matter settled in a money-making re-match... Grudge matches are good for business.
by 
Saturday, June 9, 2012
Pacman Lost
Many say Pacman lost his previous fight and only won because of a bad decision... NOW:
Pacman robbed at MGM
LAS VEGAS – Timothy Bradley had youth and confidence on his side. Manny Pacquiao possesses power and speed in abundance. Pacquiao made good use of his skills to pound Bradley, but he couldn’t convince two of the judges at ring side that he did enough to win.
So Bradley scored victory in a 12-round split decision before a stunned crowd at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Saturday night. Somewhere in a jail cell at the Clark County Detention Center, Floyd Mayweather, Jr. was screaming in outrage.
Pacman robbed at MGM
LAS VEGAS – Timothy Bradley had youth and confidence on his side. Manny Pacquiao possesses power and speed in abundance. Pacquiao made good use of his skills to pound Bradley, but he couldn’t convince two of the judges at ring side that he did enough to win.
So Bradley scored victory in a 12-round split decision before a stunned crowd at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Saturday night. Somewhere in a jail cell at the Clark County Detention Center, Floyd Mayweather, Jr. was screaming in outrage.
No Stare Down?
Being focused is not a problem for Bradley.
“I have never seen anyone more focused on getting stuff done than Tim,” said Bradley’s manager, Cameron Dunkin. “He has an incredible work ethic. He eats it, watches it, sleeps it, breathes it. He takes his career more seriously than anyone I have ever seen.’’
Should Bradley win, a rematch clause is already in place for a fight on Nov. 10. That would ruin hopes for a Pacquiao bout with Mayweather any time soon, who is currently in the Clark County (Nev.) jail serving a three-month sentence on a domestic violence charge. Bradley went so far as to have an oversized ticket made for the Nov. 12 fight and presented it to his wife, M
Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/boxing
Bradley continued to work harder and harder for the biggest fight of his life, and said he’s ready to rumble as well.
In the third episode of HBO’s 24/7, Bradley said he was done with training, and perhaps tired of it.
“I’m sick of training I (can) fight tomorrow. I (can) fight tonight,” said Bradley, bouncing around some track oval like a collegiate star.
He has maintained a strict vegetarian diet.
“I train like no other,” said Bradley who would sleep at the gym if that’s what it would take for him to win.
“Fights are won in the gym,” he said.
“I have never seen anyone more focused on getting stuff done than Tim,” said Bradley’s manager, Cameron Dunkin. “He has an incredible work ethic. He eats it, watches it, sleeps it, breathes it. He takes his career more seriously than anyone I have ever seen.’’
Should Bradley win, a rematch clause is already in place for a fight on Nov. 10. That would ruin hopes for a Pacquiao bout with Mayweather any time soon, who is currently in the Clark County (Nev.) jail serving a three-month sentence on a domestic violence charge. Bradley went so far as to have an oversized ticket made for the Nov. 12 fight and presented it to his wife, M
Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/boxing
Bradley continued to work harder and harder for the biggest fight of his life, and said he’s ready to rumble as well.
In the third episode of HBO’s 24/7, Bradley said he was done with training, and perhaps tired of it.
“I’m sick of training I (can) fight tomorrow. I (can) fight tonight,” said Bradley, bouncing around some track oval like a collegiate star.
He has maintained a strict vegetarian diet.
“I train like no other,” said Bradley who would sleep at the gym if that’s what it would take for him to win.
“Fights are won in the gym,” he said.
Timothy Bradley challenges Manny Pacquiao
Let's hope Timothy Bradley can do a better job of executing this strategy. It back fired on Ricky Hatton when he ran into a BIG punch!!!
George Willis: Timothy Bradley has gone to school on Manny Pacquiao, his superstar June opponent - NYPOST.com
His game plan includes being relentless.
Bradley (28-0, 12 KOs) is experienced enough, fast enough and determined enough to give Pacquiao trouble.
Bradley craves what Pacquiao (54-3-2, 38 KOs) has — fame, fortune and his face on an electronic billboard in Times Square.
It is part of a sponsorship deal Pacquiao has with Hennessy that includes a commercial. It prompted Pacquiao to plug his two favorite things during his press conference:
Christianity and Cognac.
***
Cooney’s charity work, personality a real knockout - NYPOST.com
Having just read a book about overcoming substance abuse and dependence that featured an interview with Gerry Cooney, it is uplifting to see him continuing on his path of recovery. He is a very inspiring guy who overcame his problems in noble style.
Cooney’s charity work, personality a real knockout - NYPOST.com
Cooney’s charity work, personality a real knockout - NYPOST.com
Posted: 11:08 AM, March 19, 2012
When you mention the name Gerry Cooney, flashes of vicious left hooks jump to the forefront of your mind.
But despite being one of the hardest hitting fighters the sport has ever seen, Cooney’s personality is his real knockout punch.
Cooney, whose career exploits include a 28-3 record (24 KOs), is famous for his 54-second knockout of Ken Norton and for going toe-to-toe with Larry Holmes for the World Heavyweight Championship in 1982.
Cooney uses his celebrity to help mentor trouble youths, visit prisons and talk to people in rehab clinics.
“I’m all about information,” Cooney told The Post. “We all have no idea how lucky we are, there are a lot of kids who have nothing. I tell them they have plenty of options, that you have to fight for your life.”
Cooney’s final fight came 22 years ago, but his legend still lives on. While in New York City for his weekly Sirius XM show “Friday Night Fights,” Cooney is regularly stopped in the streets of Manhattan by fans. Even those who are not familiar with Gentleman Gerry identify with the Long Island-raised fighter.
“Everybody identifies with the fight of life,” Cooney said. “I show [kids] a highlight reel of me and they are glued to that fight and they never forget me. Even when I see someone stop to want to take a picture or ask me a question, I appreciate it, it’s part of what we do.”
The struggles Cooney experienced growing up, and with alcoholism following his boxing career fuel the fighter’s desire to help others. Cooney visits 50-60 charities a year and doing countless other benefits year-round.
“It’s just a win-win,” Cooney said. “All of the people that come to support the charities get to hang around with us, rub elbows together, have some laughs and at the end of the day we sit down, have a dinner and say we raised this kind of money which would never have happened.”
Cooney, who now resides in central New Jersey with his wife and three children, feels guilty when he cannot attend a charity event.
“I feel bad because I want to be with my family, I want to be able to do [every event],but I can’t” Cooney said. “I have a great wife, a great family but sometimes they get put on the back too much and I don’t like that.”
In addition to the charity work he does, Cooney helps those within the boxing community and who are closest to him.
Former amateur boxer Mike Trapani has been tied to Cooney in many ways. As Trapani made a name for himself in New York City in the late 1970’s he crossed paths with Cooney in the sparring ring and the two have remained close for over 30 years.
Forced into early retirement following two retina injures, Trapani (40-3, 36 KOs) has been able to turn to Cooney when he needed him the most. Cooney has spoken at Trapani’s elementary school boxing academy, run at Villa Maria Academy in the Bronx, but it was a chance encounter at a Rochester boxing event where Cooney made the biggest impact.
“I was going through a difficult time in my life when I ran into Gerry at the event,” Trapani said. “Gerry asked me how I was doing and I said ‘I feel like Ken Norton already knocked out and lying on the ropes waiting to get nailed from a murderous puncher again.’ Gerry then told me to call him every day and that ‘we would fight this together.”
Trapani does not think his relationship with Cooney happened by chance. He calls Cooney’s presence a miracle.
“Once again having come off the canvass of life, I consider Gerry's support as being my moment of clarity,” Trapani said. “There is no doubt in my mind that God has put Gerry Cooney in my life.”
This June marks the 30-year anniversary of Cooney’s title bout with Larry Holmes. Cooney, who can recite Holmes’ phone number off the top of his head, laments the degradation of the sport over the past two decades, but does believe boxing is primed to make a comeback.
“I think boxing, for the last 20 years, was raped and robbed, from different promoters and managers. They took the heart out of the game,” Cooney said. “In the 1970’s we were a force to be reckoned with. But [boxing] is on the comeback, people want to see fights.”
Cooney admitted he could see himself as a figure in boxing’s return to prominence. With the passion for the sport still strong within him, Cooney said he would like to train a fighter, under the right circumstances.
“I would love to be able to train somebody,” Cooney said. “But the problem is if I want it more than they do, I’ve got no time for it, I’ll have to play golf instead.
“I’m a fighter, you never lose that fight, in whatever you do.”
But despite being one of the hardest hitting fighters the sport has ever seen, Cooney’s personality is his real knockout punch.
Cooney, whose career exploits include a 28-3 record (24 KOs), is famous for his 54-second knockout of Ken Norton and for going toe-to-toe with Larry Holmes for the World Heavyweight Championship in 1982.
Cooney uses his celebrity to help mentor trouble youths, visit prisons and talk to people in rehab clinics.
“I’m all about information,” Cooney told The Post. “We all have no idea how lucky we are, there are a lot of kids who have nothing. I tell them they have plenty of options, that you have to fight for your life.”
Cooney’s final fight came 22 years ago, but his legend still lives on. While in New York City for his weekly Sirius XM show “Friday Night Fights,” Cooney is regularly stopped in the streets of Manhattan by fans. Even those who are not familiar with Gentleman Gerry identify with the Long Island-raised fighter.
“Everybody identifies with the fight of life,” Cooney said. “I show [kids] a highlight reel of me and they are glued to that fight and they never forget me. Even when I see someone stop to want to take a picture or ask me a question, I appreciate it, it’s part of what we do.”
The struggles Cooney experienced growing up, and with alcoholism following his boxing career fuel the fighter’s desire to help others. Cooney visits 50-60 charities a year and doing countless other benefits year-round.
“It’s just a win-win,” Cooney said. “All of the people that come to support the charities get to hang around with us, rub elbows together, have some laughs and at the end of the day we sit down, have a dinner and say we raised this kind of money which would never have happened.”
Cooney, who now resides in central New Jersey with his wife and three children, feels guilty when he cannot attend a charity event.
“I feel bad because I want to be with my family, I want to be able to do [every event],but I can’t” Cooney said. “I have a great wife, a great family but sometimes they get put on the back too much and I don’t like that.”
In addition to the charity work he does, Cooney helps those within the boxing community and who are closest to him.
Former amateur boxer Mike Trapani has been tied to Cooney in many ways. As Trapani made a name for himself in New York City in the late 1970’s he crossed paths with Cooney in the sparring ring and the two have remained close for over 30 years.
Forced into early retirement following two retina injures, Trapani (40-3, 36 KOs) has been able to turn to Cooney when he needed him the most. Cooney has spoken at Trapani’s elementary school boxing academy, run at Villa Maria Academy in the Bronx, but it was a chance encounter at a Rochester boxing event where Cooney made the biggest impact.
“I was going through a difficult time in my life when I ran into Gerry at the event,” Trapani said. “Gerry asked me how I was doing and I said ‘I feel like Ken Norton already knocked out and lying on the ropes waiting to get nailed from a murderous puncher again.’ Gerry then told me to call him every day and that ‘we would fight this together.”
Trapani does not think his relationship with Cooney happened by chance. He calls Cooney’s presence a miracle.
“Once again having come off the canvass of life, I consider Gerry's support as being my moment of clarity,” Trapani said. “There is no doubt in my mind that God has put Gerry Cooney in my life.”
This June marks the 30-year anniversary of Cooney’s title bout with Larry Holmes. Cooney, who can recite Holmes’ phone number off the top of his head, laments the degradation of the sport over the past two decades, but does believe boxing is primed to make a comeback.
“I think boxing, for the last 20 years, was raped and robbed, from different promoters and managers. They took the heart out of the game,” Cooney said. “In the 1970’s we were a force to be reckoned with. But [boxing] is on the comeback, people want to see fights.”
Cooney admitted he could see himself as a figure in boxing’s return to prominence. With the passion for the sport still strong within him, Cooney said he would like to train a fighter, under the right circumstances.
“I would love to be able to train somebody,” Cooney said. “But the problem is if I want it more than they do, I’ve got no time for it, I’ll have to play golf instead.
“I’m a fighter, you never lose that fight, in whatever you do.”
Brain Damage Accumulates
Let's hope that Tony P. does not fight again for a few months after what was probably a serious concussion. In the boxing world's underbelly some fighters take a beating and get another fight too soon by boxing under another name.
Boxer Lavarn Harvell connects to the head of Tony Pietrantonio for a knockout during their third round of a light heavyweight boxing fight in Atlantic City.
Harvell, nicknamed Baby Bowe for his resemblance to former boxer Riddick Bowe, knocked out Pietrantonio in the third round after landing a devastating right hook.
In the photos from the fight, Pietrantonio's face appears to become distorted due to the punch.
Pietrantonio was reportedly unconscious before he hit the mat and the referee stopped the fight without a count.
“I felt that punch all the way up my shoulder and back, so I knew he wasn’t getting up.
ts brutal facial - NYPOST.com
Mayweather surrenders to begin jail sentence - NYPOST.com
Another one bites the dust - he says Pacman fight will never happen....
Why do so few Hollywood felons serve time compared to Boxers? Economic discrimination or worse???
Mayweather surrenders to begin jail sentence - NYPOST.com
Mayweather pleaded guilty in December to reduced domestic battery charges in a hair-pulling, arm-twisting attack on Josie Harris, the mother of three of his children.
Las Vegas police say that as a high-profile inmate, Mayweather probably will serve most of his time away from other prisoners in a small solo cell in the high-rise Clark County Detention Center.
Why do so few Hollywood felons serve time compared to Boxers? Economic discrimination or worse???
Mayweather surrenders to begin jail sentence - NYPOST.com
Mayweather pleaded guilty in December to reduced domestic battery charges in a hair-pulling, arm-twisting attack on Josie Harris, the mother of three of his children.
The plea deal allowed him to avoid
trial on felony charges that could have gotten Mayweather up to 34 years
in prison if he was convicted.
Las Vegas police say that as a high-profile inmate, Mayweather probably will serve most of his time away from other prisoners in a small solo cell in the high-rise Clark County Detention Center.
In jail, he'll have a cell about one-third the
size of a small boxing ring.
Bolxing Judges Suspended
Maybe we need to see more suspensions for hotly disputed decisions...
One disputed scorecard earned three New Jersey boxing judges indefinite suspensions and no clear route back to ringside - NYPOST.com
Al Bennett hasn’t been ringside since July 9, 2011.
That’s when he was one of three judges suspended indefinitely after working the junior middleweight fight between Paul Williams and Erislandy Lara at a ballroom in Boardwalk Hall at Atlantic City.
Four days after Williams was awarded a controversial majority decision that drew boos from most in the crowd, all three judges — Bennett, Donald Givens of Linden, N.J., and Hilton Whitaker III of New Jersey — were put on indefinite suspension by Aaron Davis, the commissioner of the New Jersey State Control Board.
Al Bennett remains suspended indefinitely as a boxing judge following his involvement in a controversial decision last year.
Nearly 11 months later, the three judges remain suspended, unable to work in any jurisdiction. Bennett, a judge for 25 years, and Whitaker, a 69-year-old who has been in boxing since age 15, say they feel like scapegoats. In interviews with The Post, they charge Davis with initially lying to them and ruining their reputations and careers.
“For him to do this to me after 25 years, it took me to a place I’ve never been before,” Bennett said. “You take one fight and flushed my whole 25 years down the toilet. He took me to a place where I was depressed. I was kind of ashamed to show my face out in public. It’s like we’ve been put in a dark closet and locked in the closet.”
Whitaker, a retired bus driver, also is angry and frustrated.
“To be told I’m one of the best judges in the world and have done all I have done to climb to where I have climbed to be at a standstill now is aggravating,” he said. “It has taken me out of something that I enjoy and love to do.”
Williams-Lara was televised on HBO, and the broadcast team, including former judge Harold Lederman, favored Lara after the 12-round fight. But Whitaker scored the fight for Williams (115-114), as did Givens (116-114). Bennett saw it a draw (114-114), giving Williams a majority decision. It was the 20th title fight for Bennett, the eighth for Whitaker and the first for Givens.
There was outrage over the decision. HBO broadcaster Bob Papa told his audience, “This is a joke.” Four days later, Davis announced the unprecedented decision to put the judges on indefinite suspension.
Nearly a year later, Whitaker is frustrated after following Davis’ recommendation to attend judging seminars held by the Association of Boxing Commissions in Washington and Raleigh, N.C., where he passed both tests and was recertified on Jan. 21, 2012.
Bennett attended the seminar in Washington, but failed the test. Bennett said he didn’t properly prepare for the test because he was angry over his suspension. He plans to retake the test at an upcoming seminar.
Davis admitted the suspensions have been “long,” but offered no hint of ending the suspensions.
“Those tests are not that hard to pass,” he said. “I’d like for all our guys to pass the test with no problem. I’d like them to have some more ongoing training before I fully reinstate them. Then, after training, I’d probably like them to shadow a judge and come back with those scores.”
Suspending judges is nearly unheard of in boxing, but Davis defended his actions.
“I just don’t go around suspending people with no reason,” he said. “I’d just like people to complete the training. If somebody got wind I reinstated somebody that failed the test that all the judges take, they would look at me crazy.”
Bennett, 62, is confident he will pass the test the next time he takes it. Not only does he miss the estimated $8,000-$10,0000 a year he earns judging, what makes him cringe these days is when they reference the suspensions during boxing telecasts.
“It’s just unfair,” Bennett said. “For me to get back in the game, I’ve got to build back up a whole new reputation. But I’m not going to quit because of this. I’ve been a judge for 25 years and didn’t have any problems until that night.”
Davis said all the judges are “good guys,” but hopes the suspensions send a message to other judges in New Jersey and regulatory commissions around the country.
“We can’t be satisfied with subpar performances,” he said. “We don’t accept that from fighters. We shouldn’t accept it from our officials either. If people know they’re going to be accountable for their actions, hopefully they’ll take better actions.”
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
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$$$ Rematch Clause
Read More: Many fan comments
Bradley Upsets Pacquiao: Bob Arum 'Ashamed' of Boxing, Calls Decision 'F***ing Nuts'http://www.manmademag.com/news/90cfb5/