Category: Boxing

Spending Time in the Garden By Bernie McCoy May 23, 2003

To many boxing fans my age, and that means those who saw Floyd Patterson fight an eight-round main event in Brooklyn's Eastern Parkway Arena because he wasn't old enough to be licensed to fight ten rounds, "the Garden" can mean only one thing. Its the arena that was on 50th Street and 8th Avenue in New York City and it was the Mecca of boxing in the forties and fifties. This, of course, was decades before it was ever conceived that "big fights" would be held in casino parking lots or ballrooms and most people thought Zaire was a bakery in the Bronx that had bagels "to die for". Friday night was fight night at the Garden, not once a month or every other week, but every Friday, most weeks of the year. The main event started at ten o'clock, since it was televised as part of the "Gillette Cavalcade Read more [...]

The One and Only By Bernie McCoy

He began life eighty three years ago this month, May 3, as Walker Smith Jr in the small town of Ailey,Georgia. His birthplace was one, maybe the only, of the small town elements about the man who was known throughout his career as "Sugar Ray". He lived large outside the ring and inside the ropes he was the largest presence of his, or possibly, any other generation of fighters. There have been other boxers who have appropriated the sobriquet "Sugar Ray" throughout the years, some who have even carried the proud name into the ring with a modicum of distinction.  However, to most knowledgeable boxing fans, "Sugar Ray" goes with Robinson the way "Babe" goes with Ruth. He had nearly 200 bouts in his career and won 173 of them, 109 by knockout, but these are only the unrefined statistics of Sugar Read more [...]

Drama Without a Script… By Bernie McCoy

Its been written that sports is "drama without a script". Every so often, however, a sports event plays out exactly according to a script,  like the last act of a play. On October 26, 1951, that play was, in the eyes of many, a tragedy. The day before, October 25th, I had, chronologically, become a teenager. I could now truthfully proclaim that "I was in my teens" and look forward to all the wonders life had to offer a teenager in Brooklyn. It didn't take long. October 26th was a Friday and Friday was fight night at Madison Square Garden. I usually had to argue, cajole, persuade, and, usually, as a last resort, grovel, to get my dad to take me with him to McGuire's, the neighborhood gin mill, to watch the Friday Night Fights on TV. Once in a great while, he'd give in, particularly if Read more [...]

Women’s Boxing: TV or Not TV – By Bernie McCoy

Have you ever heard of the United States Basketball League?  Its a sub-NBA league existing primarily in medium sized markets around the country and populated with  players not ready for the prime time of the National Basketball Association. Have you ever heard of the Champions Tour, formerly the Senior Golf Tour? Its a sub-PGA tour existing on medium sized golf courses around the country populated with players past their golfing prime and no longer competitive on the Professional Golf Association tour. Don't look in your "local listings" for the next USBL basketball game, they aren't on TV. However, the Champions Tour is regularly telecast and has been for the last fifteen years, providing viewers with "compelling" telecasts of fifty and sixty year olds, climbing in and out of Read more [...]

Talkin’ Boxin’ by Howie Reed – Latest News on Boxing in April of 2003

THERE are perks that come with covering or competing in sport that come only to those that do. It probably takes a singer to fully enjoy Frank singing "One for My Baby" from his Wee Hours of the Morning album. Having the opportunity to watch some of the sporting artists at work, I put Marco Antonio Berrera right there at the top. He’s Jerry Bailey on a horse. He’s Gordie Howe going into the corner with elbows failing and coming out with the puck.. He’s Willy Mays cashing down a fly hit directly over his head in center. He’s Roberto Clemente making the throw from the right field foul line to third. He’s Dale Ernheart giving a little nudge to the car in front. He’s Donnie Gay riding a bull. He’s John Lowe playing a game of darts. He’s every great running back you’ve ever Read more [...]

Heavyweight Memories… By Bernie McCoy

Its amazing how easy memories come back. I'm watching what I thought would be a very compelling heavyweight fight between Roy Jones Jr. and John Ruiz. The quicker Jones is having no trouble with the plodding Ruiz. As I attempt to tune out the announcer's inane comments designed to keep the audience interested in this one sided affair, I am suddenly transformed, in my mind, to a long line leading to a movie theater on the upper Westside of Manhattan on a cold February night.I'm with a friend and we're standing right behind Lauren Bacall and Jason Robards, married at the time, 1964, waiting to see what everyone, including these celebrities in front of us, thinks will be a very compelling heavyweight fight. Similar to the Jones and Ruiz bout, this long ago title fight, featured a big heavyweight Read more [...]

Talkin’ Boxin’ by Howie Reed – the top mens Boxing News – March 30, 2003

THIS is a column is suppose to and actually sometimes does "Talk Boxin". In perspective boxing is but a very small pebble in the lake of life. What those inside boxing take as important or noteworthy is many times hardly worth reporting. There are times, many times to few, when boxing does something that makes me proud and honored to be a part of the sport. One of those events took place last Friday night at the ORLEANS Casino in my hometown of Las Vegas. It was the monthly reasonably priced professional fight card. I was pleased when walking in as one of my favorite people associated with the sport, Jody by name, was standing just inside the area where tickets are collected. She was handling out miniature American Flags. They were a popular item. Those who substitute cynicism for common Read more [...]

Talkin’ Boxin’ with Howie Reed – a Rundown on Men’s Boxing

HE came, he saw, he conquered and he did it all in under a minute. That about sums up Mike Tyson's one punch victory over Cliff Etienne. Fortunately I ate my popcorn while waiting for the fight to begin or it would have been to late. Maybe now the "experts" will shut the F up. For two weeks we’ve read and heard from every segment of the population. Mike shouldn’t fight----he’s not in shape. No difference he won. Good night and drive home safely. Etienne, at the end, looked like the old photo of Jack Johnson lying on his back shading his eye from the Havana Sun when Ko’d by Jess Willard on April 4, 1915. Many in the crowd felt the same way as Etienne had to fight his way to his dressing room being bombarded with taunts ("Sticks and Stone will break my bones") and other object of a Read more [...]

Talkin’ Boxin’ by Howie Reed – Latest on Men’s Boxing in February 2003

"Hi Howie, Just wanted you to know that I enjoyed your last column. Keep up the good work...or whatever it is that you do... Keep Happy. Larry." Name withheld to protect the guilty. MOM always use to say, "Always finish what you start." In those day long past every command was wrapped with a message. "Eat everything on your plate. Clean it up. People in Europe are starving." "Then send them the cauliflower." As I was picking myself up off the floor of our small dining area at 1921-105 Avenue in Oakland California I realize that "Mom is always right." So Mom if you’re looking down I will finish what I started last week. After listening to the "Braying Asses’" on HBO during the Mosley "encounter", can’t call it a fight, I was questioning my very own ability to see and or think clearly. Read more [...]

Talkin’ Boxin’ by Howie Reed – More news on men’s Boxing in February of 2003

I’LL bet ya that a lot of you out there have said, when there is a lull in the conversation at the quiche and fondue party featuring a clever new white wine, "Boy that Talkin Boxin column seems to wander around aimlessly. It’s incoherent most of the time." Not my fault. The effort is the product of a Bi-Polar disorder that can only be treated with medication. That medication comes in either tall clear bottle with a black label or a short can in gold with a black label. On the bright side being Bi Polar gives you twice as many chances in dating polars. Onward we go. Where we’re going is the real question. Well we, that would be me, were going to play boxing reporter this week. It’s one of these events that comes upon me when I’ve been away from the MGD too long. At the Latin Fury Read more [...]

Talkin’ Boxin’ by Howie Reed – Top news in Men’s Boxing February of 2003

NOT a day, week or month goes by when I’m not asked, "Howie, how is it that you are able to do such an outstanding job of covering the World of Boxing." My answer is always the same "alacrity". There are those that prefer "Smoke and Mirrors ". That is their decision. I choose "alacrity". (And thank you Al Michaels for that.) Piece of cake. No hill for a climber. That aside in these dog days of boxing (it’s like spring training only different) there are hundreds of useless story’s floating around.. The tough part is to make the decision as to which story is of interest. This week was particularly difficult. Spring came to Las Vegas. There are only one few things better than Spring in Las Vegas. I combat the emergence of spring by visiting a Dollar Store. Any Dollar Store will do. There Read more [...]