Sunday, May 29, 2011
Saturday, May 28, 2011
No 'guts', no glory for Tyson in defeat - boxing - ESPN
No 'guts', no glory for Tyson in defeat - boxing - ESPN
WASHINGTON – Now it finally appears to be over for Mike Tyson.
Once the most feared fighter alive, the so-called "Baddest Man on the Planet," Tyson is no longer that man. Not even close.
Now he appears to be nothing more than a 38-year-old pug with little to offer other than his famous name.
Unheralded Kevin McBride ...delivered a beating to Tyson until the former champion quit on his stool...
WASHINGTON – Now it finally appears to be over for Mike Tyson.
Once the most feared fighter alive, the so-called "Baddest Man on the Planet," Tyson is no longer that man. Not even close.
Now he appears to be nothing more than a 38-year-old pug with little to offer other than his famous name.
Unheralded Kevin McBride ...delivered a beating to Tyson until the former champion quit on his stool...
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Monday, May 16, 2011
Boogaard's brain donated to Boston University - NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs 2011 - CBC Sports
Boogaard's brain donated to Boston University - NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs 2011 - CBC Sports
Derek Boogaard, left, begins his 70th and final NHL fight, with Ottawa Senators' Matt Carkner,
Derek Boogaard, left, begins his 70th and final NHL fight, with Ottawa Senators' Matt Carkner,
on Dec. 9, 2010. He would suffer a concussion and injured shoulder and miss the rest of the season. (Sean Kilpatrick/Canadian Press)
The 28-year-old Boogaard was found dead in his Minneapolis apartment Friday, five months after he sustained a season-ending concussion with the New York Rangers.
Boogaard's agent and a spokeswoman for the Boston University School of Medicine confirmed Sunday that his brain will be examined for signs of a degenerative disease often found in athletes who sustain repeated hits to the head.
"It's an amazing thing he did and his family did. Hopefully, that'll bring some information," agent Ron Salcer said. "We don't know exactly the impact that the concussions might have played."
Salcer spent three days with Boogaard in Los Angeles earlier in the week. Salcer remarked about his client's brightened demeanor, after suffering through a winter of not being able to play or even be active while his head healed.
"He seemed very good, and that's what makes it more painful," Salcer said. "He was really starting to feel better about everything. He was in great shape."
Minneapolis police said there were no outward signs of trauma, but results of an autopsy are expected to take several weeks. There is no known concussion connection to his death, but at Boogaard's wish his family signed papers to donate his brain to the BU Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy. The donation was first reported by the Star Tribune of Minneapolis.
Salcer said Boogaard was approached by researchers after the death of former NHL enforcer Bob Probert, who died last year at the age of 45. The BU centre found evidence in Probert's brain of the chronic traumatic encephalopathy, which is associated with cognitive and behavioral problems and eventually causes dementia.
"He had had a concussion. They played similar styles," Salcer said.
The centre also found previously that Reggie Fleming, a 1960s tough guy who played before helmets became mandatory, had CTE, as did Dave Duerson, an NFL star whose brain was donated after he committed suicide.
Boogaard's parents, Len and Joanne, sister, Kyrsten, and brothers, Aaron, Ryan and Curtis, all attended the memorial inside Xcel Energy Center, where the 6-foot-7, 265-pound enforcer became a fan favourite with the Minnesota Wild for his fighting prowess despite scoring all of two goals in five seasons with the team. They did not address the cause of Boogaard's death or comment on his decision to donate his brain to science.
Ryan politely declined to be interviewed in detail after the event. He said he was already in town to visit his brother, before they all planned to attend their sister's graduation ceremony at Kansas University next weekend.
With a few hundred fans, many wearing replicas of Boogaard's No. 24 jersey with the Wild, standing in the arena lobby, general manager Chuck Fletcher, former teammate Wes Walz and Boogaard's sister and brother took turns telling stories and reading tributes.
The memorial sprouted from a Facebook page urging fans to gather at the arena for a candlelight vigil. Katie Haag, the creator, had tears streaming down her face as she and her friend, Shelby Leske, talked about how much they enjoyed watching Boogaard play.
"That's kind of what made me love the game," Haag said.
Aaron thanked fans for showing up, but he was too choked up to read. Kyrsten took over and remembered her brother as a comfort provider — dependable, big, cuddly, loving and loyal.
"Derek was dependable to a fault. You could depend on him for anything you needed. At any time, your priority became his priority," she said.
Ryan then took over the reading as Kyrsten sobbed into her dad's shoulder.
"Derek was a teddy bear and will always be our teddy bear," he said.
A funeral is planned for Saturday in Regina, Saskatchewan.
Fans left flowers at a table in the lobby, and a replica of his jersey was on display. Boogaard's family took a few minutes to observe the makeshift shrine before departing. Then the song "Amazing Grace" broke out from the group while clips of Boogaard's charitable work and playing career played on television screens overhead.
Walz was joined by former Wild teammates Niklas Backstrom, Andrew Brunette, Brent Burns, Stephane Veilleux and Nick Schultz at the event, with several front office officials and team employees there as well.
"To all his teammates on all his teams, we know that you thought … he was your comfort," Kyrsten said. "In reality, every day, you guys gave Derek reason to come to work.
"
The 28-year-old Boogaard was found dead in his Minneapolis apartment Friday, five months after he sustained a season-ending concussion with the New York Rangers.
Boogaard's agent and a spokeswoman for the Boston University School of Medicine confirmed Sunday that his brain will be examined for signs of a degenerative disease often found in athletes who sustain repeated hits to the head.
"It's an amazing thing he did and his family did. Hopefully, that'll bring some information," agent Ron Salcer said. "We don't know exactly the impact that the concussions might have played."
Salcer spent three days with Boogaard in Los Angeles earlier in the week. Salcer remarked about his client's brightened demeanor, after suffering through a winter of not being able to play or even be active while his head healed.
"He seemed very good, and that's what makes it more painful," Salcer said. "He was really starting to feel better about everything. He was in great shape."
Minneapolis police said there were no outward signs of trauma, but results of an autopsy are expected to take several weeks. There is no known concussion connection to his death, but at Boogaard's wish his family signed papers to donate his brain to the BU Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy. The donation was first reported by the Star Tribune of Minneapolis.
Salcer said Boogaard was approached by researchers after the death of former NHL enforcer Bob Probert, who died last year at the age of 45. The BU centre found evidence in Probert's brain of the chronic traumatic encephalopathy, which is associated with cognitive and behavioral problems and eventually causes dementia.
"He had had a concussion. They played similar styles," Salcer said.
The centre also found previously that Reggie Fleming, a 1960s tough guy who played before helmets became mandatory, had CTE, as did Dave Duerson, an NFL star whose brain was donated after he committed suicide.
Boogaard's parents, Len and Joanne, sister, Kyrsten, and brothers, Aaron, Ryan and Curtis, all attended the memorial inside Xcel Energy Center, where the 6-foot-7, 265-pound enforcer became a fan favourite with the Minnesota Wild for his fighting prowess despite scoring all of two goals in five seasons with the team. They did not address the cause of Boogaard's death or comment on his decision to donate his brain to science.
Ryan politely declined to be interviewed in detail after the event. He said he was already in town to visit his brother, before they all planned to attend their sister's graduation ceremony at Kansas University next weekend.
With a few hundred fans, many wearing replicas of Boogaard's No. 24 jersey with the Wild, standing in the arena lobby, general manager Chuck Fletcher, former teammate Wes Walz and Boogaard's sister and brother took turns telling stories and reading tributes.
The memorial sprouted from a Facebook page urging fans to gather at the arena for a candlelight vigil. Katie Haag, the creator, had tears streaming down her face as she and her friend, Shelby Leske, talked about how much they enjoyed watching Boogaard play.
"That's kind of what made me love the game," Haag said.
Aaron thanked fans for showing up, but he was too choked up to read. Kyrsten took over and remembered her brother as a comfort provider — dependable, big, cuddly, loving and loyal.
"Derek was dependable to a fault. You could depend on him for anything you needed. At any time, your priority became his priority," she said.
Ryan then took over the reading as Kyrsten sobbed into her dad's shoulder.
"Derek was a teddy bear and will always be our teddy bear," he said.
A funeral is planned for Saturday in Regina, Saskatchewan.
Fans left flowers at a table in the lobby, and a replica of his jersey was on display. Boogaard's family took a few minutes to observe the makeshift shrine before departing. Then the song "Amazing Grace" broke out from the group while clips of Boogaard's charitable work and playing career played on television screens overhead.
Walz was joined by former Wild teammates Niklas Backstrom, Andrew Brunette, Brent Burns, Stephane Veilleux and Nick Schultz at the event, with several front office officials and team employees there as well.
"To all his teammates on all his teams, we know that you thought … he was your comfort," Kyrsten said. "In reality, every day, you guys gave Derek reason to come to work.
"
Monday, May 9, 2011
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Ruelas’ story finally told
http://www.fightnews.com/Boxing/ruelas-story-finally-told-81732#more-81732
It was more than fifteen years ago when then WBC Super Featherweight champion Gabriel Ruelas defended his title against Colombian Jimmy Garcia in a fight that would ultimately cost Garcia his life. The tragedy of that hot, fateful night in a Las Vegas ring, and its aftermath, has never been told – until now.
Mexican-born Araceli MartÃnez-Rose’s narrative in her new book, “Business of Pain” takes you, in great detail through the humble beginnings of Ruelas’ career as a young fighter, his rise to the world championship, and the devastating effect the Garcia tragedy had not only in his boxing career, but his personal life as well. Renowned Mexican journalist and best-selling Latin author MarÃa Antonieta Collins and WBC President Jose Sulaiman have written the prologue.
“Business of Pain,” recently acclaimed in its Spanish version, “El negocio del dolor” when it launched in Guadalajara, Mexico, is expected to be the literary star in the upcoming Feria del Libro LéaLA, April 29 – May 1 at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, CA. The event is expected to attract such renowned literary stars as Isabel Allende, Elena Poniatowska, Francisco MartÃn Moreno, and Laura Restrepo, among others. There will also be a national book tour, with stops scheduled in the New York City area; Canastota, NY; Las Vegas, NV; and Atlantic City, NJ.
A press conference to announce the launch of “Business of Pain” (the English version) will take place April 28 at JW Marriott, Los Angeles, CA.
It was more than fifteen years ago when then WBC Super Featherweight champion Gabriel Ruelas defended his title against Colombian Jimmy Garcia in a fight that would ultimately cost Garcia his life. The tragedy of that hot, fateful night in a Las Vegas ring, and its aftermath, has never been told – until now.
Mexican-born Araceli MartÃnez-Rose’s narrative in her new book, “Business of Pain” takes you, in great detail through the humble beginnings of Ruelas’ career as a young fighter, his rise to the world championship, and the devastating effect the Garcia tragedy had not only in his boxing career, but his personal life as well. Renowned Mexican journalist and best-selling Latin author MarÃa Antonieta Collins and WBC President Jose Sulaiman have written the prologue.
“Business of Pain,” recently acclaimed in its Spanish version, “El negocio del dolor” when it launched in Guadalajara, Mexico, is expected to be the literary star in the upcoming Feria del Libro LéaLA, April 29 – May 1 at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, CA. The event is expected to attract such renowned literary stars as Isabel Allende, Elena Poniatowska, Francisco MartÃn Moreno, and Laura Restrepo, among others. There will also be a national book tour, with stops scheduled in the New York City area; Canastota, NY; Las Vegas, NV; and Atlantic City, NJ.
A press conference to announce the launch of “Business of Pain” (the English version) will take place April 28 at JW Marriott, Los Angeles, CA.
Sunday, April 10, 2011
YouTube - Boxing Classics: Manny Pacquiao vs. Miguel Cotto (HBO)
Watching this fight again it strikes me that Cotto might have been able to finish the fight. He was hard to hit when he did not mix it up with Manny.
What will happen if a young faster fighter with an educated jab and who refuses to mix it up with Manny gets a shot at fighting Pacman.
My thinking is that Floyd Mayweather can beat Pacquiao but they may never fight.
Amir Khan
YouTube - Boxing Classics: Manny Pacquiao vs. Miguel Cotto (HBO)
The referee should have stopped it earlier but with Cotto on his bicycle Manny was swinging for air.He was hard to hit when Cotto did not mix it up with Manny.
Manny is one heck of a counter puncher.
What will happen if a young faster fighter with an educated jab and who refuses to mix it up with Manny gets a shot at fighting Pacman.
My thinking is that Floyd Mayweather can beat Pacquiao but they may never fight.
Amir Khan
YouTube - Boxing Classics: Manny Pacquiao vs. Miguel Cotto (HBO)
Saturday, April 2, 2011
MMA is popular with Gangsters
Nanaimo martial arts event attracted dozens with gang, organized crime connections
BY DANIELLE BELL, NANAIMO DAILY NEWS MARCH 30, 2011
NANAIMO — Dozens of people with connections to gangs or organized crime attended a mixed martial arts event in Nanaimo on the weekend, say police.
Specialized gang task force officers were requested by Nanaimo RCMP to the Battlefield Fight League Invasion 7 MMA event at Frank Crane Arena on Saturday. Police claim the sport is known to attract gangsters.
It is believed to be the first MMA event on Vancouver Island that was attended by the uniformed gang task force, a section under the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit based out of Vancouver.
Police said as many as 50 people associated to gangs or organized crime, specifically outlaw motorcycle groups, were identified at the fights, which drew approximately 2,100 fans from the Island and Vancouver.
Officers were there for violence suppression, to develop intelligence and send a message to gangsters they are being watched. Police have monitored other sporting events but say MMA, which draws a wide fan base but especially younger men, tends to attract people with ties to organized crime.
The night went smoothly, but police say violence can occur anywhere people involved in criminal activity gather.
City officials will meet next week with Battlefield president Jay Golshani, who has plans for another MMA bout in May.
"I have no concerns. Police do their job and we do ours and so far it's gone fine," said Nanaimo Coun. Merv Unger, also on the athletic commission. "Our job is to look after the participants, not spectators. That is a policing job and whatever they do I would not comment."
Gang task force officers were in Nanaimo as early as Thursday, with eight officers patrolling the MMA event and later the downtown Nanaimo bar scene with local RCMP. Organized crime is not restricted to the Lower Mainland, with gang activity migrating to the Island. Police have identified people with links to street gangs such as the Independent Soldiers and United Nations in Nanaimo.
"We know gang members and organized crime members frequent MMA. Certainly we did run across individuals known to us," said CFSEU spokesman Sgt. Shinder Kirk. "Most people are there for the event itself but having said that, we have seen that situations between rival groups can occur at any place."
Older patrons and children were among fans at the all-ages, alcohol-free event, which ran past midnight, but the majority of the crowd were men aged 18 to 35, according to the Vancouver-based promoter.
"It's just a misconception. There's no gang ties to our show," said Golshani. "We have never had a single issue with any of our fans getting denied or kicked out."
Last year, an MMA trade show scheduled for Abbotsford was forced to move after police expressed concern about potential gang violence.
DBell@nanaimodailynews.com250-729-4255
© Copyright (c) The Victoria Times Colonist
BY DANIELLE BELL, NANAIMO DAILY NEWS MARCH 30, 2011
NANAIMO — Dozens of people with connections to gangs or organized crime attended a mixed martial arts event in Nanaimo on the weekend, say police.
Specialized gang task force officers were requested by Nanaimo RCMP to the Battlefield Fight League Invasion 7 MMA event at Frank Crane Arena on Saturday. Police claim the sport is known to attract gangsters.
It is believed to be the first MMA event on Vancouver Island that was attended by the uniformed gang task force, a section under the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit based out of Vancouver.
Police said as many as 50 people associated to gangs or organized crime, specifically outlaw motorcycle groups, were identified at the fights, which drew approximately 2,100 fans from the Island and Vancouver.
Officers were there for violence suppression, to develop intelligence and send a message to gangsters they are being watched. Police have monitored other sporting events but say MMA, which draws a wide fan base but especially younger men, tends to attract people with ties to organized crime.
The night went smoothly, but police say violence can occur anywhere people involved in criminal activity gather.
City officials will meet next week with Battlefield president Jay Golshani, who has plans for another MMA bout in May.
"I have no concerns. Police do their job and we do ours and so far it's gone fine," said Nanaimo Coun. Merv Unger, also on the athletic commission. "Our job is to look after the participants, not spectators. That is a policing job and whatever they do I would not comment."
Gang task force officers were in Nanaimo as early as Thursday, with eight officers patrolling the MMA event and later the downtown Nanaimo bar scene with local RCMP. Organized crime is not restricted to the Lower Mainland, with gang activity migrating to the Island. Police have identified people with links to street gangs such as the Independent Soldiers and United Nations in Nanaimo.
"We know gang members and organized crime members frequent MMA. Certainly we did run across individuals known to us," said CFSEU spokesman Sgt. Shinder Kirk. "Most people are there for the event itself but having said that, we have seen that situations between rival groups can occur at any place."
Older patrons and children were among fans at the all-ages, alcohol-free event, which ran past midnight, but the majority of the crowd were men aged 18 to 35, according to the Vancouver-based promoter.
"It's just a misconception. There's no gang ties to our show," said Golshani. "We have never had a single issue with any of our fans getting denied or kicked out."
Last year, an MMA trade show scheduled for Abbotsford was forced to move after police expressed concern about potential gang violence.
DBell@nanaimodailynews.com250-729-4255
© Copyright (c) The Victoria Times Colonist
Thursday, March 24, 2011
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