Classic American West Coast Boxing

[Randyman]

Believe or not, but I remember seeing that kid in the black T working out during my visits to the Main St. Gym back in the day.....

Are you serious? Was I catching right hands? Not too long after this photo was taken, I had returned to the Main Street Gym. Mel had passed away and Larry Soto was training me.

Randy

[Randyman]

So, where is Randy?

Right here Frank. I've been putting in a lot of hours at work. Sometimes it takes it's toll on me. I was on a self imposed break. There's been a lot of good stuff since I was last on. This thread is the best!

Randy

Randy . . . I understand long hours and how it can interfere with our posting. I was in the same position as you a month ago, however, I have a couple more weeks off and I'm taking advantage of the time to catch up with this fast moving history machine.

I would like make a suggestion to all of us who are regulars and that is to copy this thread and put it on a seperate disc. What if something were to wipeout all this great information? It happened before on another great thread in another on-line forum. I think I'll lift this info just in case.

Good advice Rick, Brian mentioned it too a while back and I have yet to do it. It needs to be done. It would border on tragedy (relatively speaking) if this thread disappeared. The boxing history written here is invaluable.

Randy

[Rick Farris]

Frank . . . I forgot what a great record Mark Davis had put together. One thing that always surprises me is seeing a record such as Mark's and wonder how he could go 13-0 (8 KO's) and then quit after one 10 rd. dec. loss to Adrian Arreola? He never stepped back into a pro ring? I never could understand how one loss could ruin a fighter? The best lessons are sometimes learned thru a loss. Real fighters deal with their losses, as well as their wins. In fact, I prefer to see how a kid reacts to adversary . . . knockdowns, KO losses, a serious ass-whipping?

A fighter has to be able to get over things, especially themselves!

-Rick Farris

Rick, I now remember Mark's brother Ken Jr., I knew Mark better then Ken Jr. and I alway got the impression that he didn't really wanted to fight, the impression I got was that he was doing it because his dad wanted him to fight. not a good reason to fight....

That says it all, Frank. Fathers can get their kids killed. You may have given your boys the opportunity, but I never saw any reason to push Frankie, Tony or Bobby. Those kids climbed in and out of rings from the time they could walk. They were at home in boxing rings, you can see in a kid if they have fighter qualities. They love to box. I'm sure the Davis boys were well schooled in boxing techniques and they seem to have inherited some power. However, it comes down to the heart. Your sons all radiated that passion, it came out in the ring. I liked that Bobby walked away with an unbeaten KO record, he wasn't forced out due to a loss or insecurity. He had some big options and made a smart choice.

Rick Farris

[Randyman]

Rick, we were "talking" about gyms a few days ago. I think that modern gyms, high tech equipment and nutritionists are ruining fighters. A boxing gym should be spartan, stripped of niceties. A fighter should be reminded everyday that he is hungry, where he came from, what he is trying to achieve. The gym should reflect that. As seedy and run down as the Main Street gym was, it had the right stuff for boxing. So many great fighters came out of that gym, and gyms just like that. Of course, once upon a time, there were great trainers too. Guys like us, we know the difference. I envy Hap and Frank, they saw boxing's heyday.

The same with roadwork. The treadmill is fine once in a while but nothing beats a run out in the country, taking in all that good, clean, fresh air. Maybe chopping some wood, and not just for a photo op. The same with running in the city. Run uphill, downhill, mix up the speed, run backwards. Make it real.

The same with food. A fighter should be eating real food. So many fighters have stepped into the ring in a weakened state, courtesy of a nutritionist. What the hell do they know about boxing?
My theory is that a fighter should eat the food he grew up with, the food that made him strong. In moderation and with other foods but you get the idea. I'll bet Manny ate good Filipino food. I'm just guessing but Oscar probably had some meal specially prepared by a nutritionist geared toward endurance. He should have had a bowl of Menudo con patas. At the very least, he might have got up off that stool.

Speaking of the Main Street gym, Jeri and I were out Saturday. We went to Canter's Deli on Fairfax on the West side, for some corned beef and pastrami on rye. On the way back, we took the "scenic route" through downtown. We were at the corner of 4th and main. There was a lot of construction going on but the lot where the gym once stood is still empty. I just let out a small sigh and said very quietly "That's where the Main Street gym used to be". "I know" she said. She should know I've only shown here about a thousand times. Still, whenever I pass by, It's almost an instinctive comment or perhaps just thinking out loud. Like the song says "Those were the days, my friend, I thought they'ed never end".

Randy

[Randyman]

Deleted

[Randyman]

Rick, Ernies sister is Tammy Terrel.
She sang with The Supremes as you mentioned.
Lovely voice .Very talented.
There are some cool pictures floating around of Ernie and his sister from long ago.

Brian . . . I recall pics of Ernie with his sister. Ernie himself was a singer, I've read. Anybody remember when Joe Frazier tried his hand at singing? Had a band he called "The Knockouts". They only did one song that I remember . . . Sinatra's "I Did it My Way".

Good for Joe he didn't leave his day job.

-Rick

Famed civil rights attorney and radio talk show host Leo Terrel claims both Tammy and Ernie Terrel are his cousins.

[Rick Farris]

Rick, we were "talking" about gyms a few days ago. I think that modern gyms, high tech equipment and nutritionists are ruining fighters. A boxing gym should be spartan, stripped of niceties. A fighter should be reminded everyday that he is hungry, where he came from, what he is trying to achieve. The gym should reflect that. As seedy and run down as the Main Street gym was, it had the right stuff for boxing. So many great fighters came out of that gym, and gyms just like that. Of course, once upon a time, there were great trainers too. Guys like us, we know the difference. I envy Hap and Frank, they saw boxing's heyday.

The same with roadwork. The treadmill is fine once in a while but nothing beats a run out in the country, taking in all that good, clean, fresh air. Maybe chopping some wood, and not just for a photo op. The same with running in the city. Run uphill, downhill, mix up the speed, run backwards. Make it real.

The same with food. A fighter should be eating real food. So many fighters have stepped into the ring in a weakened state, courtesy of a nutritionist. What the hell do they know about boxing?
My theory is that a fighter should eat the food he grew up with, the food that made him strong. In moderation and with other foods but you get the idea. I'll bet Manny ate good Filipino food. I'm just guessing but Oscar probably had some meal specially prepared by a nutritionist geared toward endurance. He should have had a bowl of Menudo con patas. At the very least, he might have got up off that stool.

Speaking of the Main Street gym, Jeri and I were out Saturday. We went to Canter's Deli on Fairfax on the West side, for some corned beef and pastrami on rye. On the way back, we took the "scenic route" through downtown. We were at the corner of 4th and main. There was a lot of construction going on but the lot where the gym once stood is still empty. I just let out a small sigh and said very quietly "That's where the Main Street gym used to be". "I know" she said. She should know I've only shown here about a thousand times. Still, whenever I pass by, It's almost an instinctive comment or perhaps just thinking out loud. Like the song says "Those were the days, my friend, I thought they'ed never end".

Randy

Randy, you are right on about the gyms and a lot of the training techniques, the state-of-the-art bullshit. The "conditioning trainer"? Now what the hell is that? Oscar had one, and an internet manager, a PR guy, a real trainer, and his assistant. The cutman/hand wrapper which is a part of the gym action, not just in the corner. Hell, who else would wrap a fighter's hands? The fighter himself? Not today. The conditioning trainer will "stretch out" the boxer. I guess Floyd Mayweather Sr. didn't understand that? Now, if you're lucky the conditiong trainer will prepare all the meals, otherwise, you gotta have a nutritionist. A Dr. in the house would be a good idea. And the fighter's attorney, as well. The wife will needs a nanny for the kids because she'll be too busy spending the fighters money while he ignores her training. She's depressed and has retained an attorney to discuss divorce options. This requires an accountant on hand 24/7 to watch the boxer's money and portfolio. And the chauffer. The fighter will hire one of his homey's and pay him out of his pocket. This way it can be a cash deal which benefits the driver who supplements his income providing the champ with cocaine, or whatever his poison may be. Lots of money changing hands, some of it falls on the floor and just disappears.

Boxers. What tangled webs they weave.

-Rick

[Rick Farris]

Rick, Ernies sister is Tammy Terrel.
She sang with The Supremes as you mentioned.
Lovely voice .Very talented.
There are some cool pictures floating around of Ernie and his sister from long ago.

Brian . . . I recall pics of Ernie with his sister. Ernie himself was a singer, I've read. Anybody remember when Joe Frazier tried his hand at singing? Had a band he called "The Knockouts". They only did one song that I remember . . . Sinatra's "I Did it My Way".

Good for Joe he didn't leave his day job.

-Rick

Famed civil rights attorney and radio talk show host Leo Terrel claims both Tammy and Ernie Terrel are his cousins.

Has anybody told him that his "cousins" aren't related to each other? Ernie's sister is Jean.

[bennie]

Weaver never pushed on as heavyweight champion, winning the title in 1980 but making just a couple of defences before Mike Dokes relieved him of the belt in about 80 seconds in late 1982. That was a waste.

If my memory serves me right. This fight was stopped too soon. As I recall Dokes was throwing a lot of punches that either missed or landed on Weaver's arms. He didn't appear to be hurt. The ref, I don't recall who it was, stopped the fight needlessly.

Randy

Yes, it was the same ref who allowed Wilfredo Gomez to dish out a brutal beating to Derrick Holmes a little earlier. I felt sorry for the ref. When he asked Weaver if he was "OK" after an early knockdown, Mike did not respond to him. You could see such a thing bothered the ref (I think his name is Joey Curtis) and he jumped in with Weaver on the ropes and not throwing punches back moments later.
It was a premature stoppage, of course, especially in light of the 15-round draw they fought out a few months later, but Weaver was not too smart in ignoring the ref's question. He broke a golden rule.

[kikibalt]

Believe or not, but I remember seeing that kid in the black T working out during my visits to the Main St. Gym back in the day.....

Are you serious? Was I catching right hands? Not too long after this photo was taken, I had returned to the Main Street Gym. Mel had passed away and Larry Soto was training me.

Randy

Randy....I didn't recognize you with out a MM glove in your face....

This reminds me of what I once said to my friend Dub Huntley, you might know Dub, he was on the Nation G.G. team with Jerry Quarry and now is a top L.A. trainer. anyway one day he walks up to me and I looked at him like "who're you" he goes "Frank, its me Dub", "Dub, I didn't recognize you", "you didn't?", "well, no, you're standing up, lay down, see if I can recognize you better"... on me....

[raylawpc]

Rick, we were "talking" about gyms a few days ago. I think that modern gyms, high tech equipment and nutritionists are ruining fighters. A boxing gym should be spartan, stripped of niceties. A fighter should be reminded everyday that he is hungry, where he came from, what he is trying to achieve. The gym should reflect that. As seedy and run down as the Main Street gym was, it had the right stuff for boxing. So many great fighters came out of that gym, and gyms just like that. Of course, once upon a time, there were great trainers too. Guys like us, we know the difference. I envy Hap and Frank, they saw boxing's heyday.

The same with roadwork. The treadmill is fine once in a while but nothing beats a run out in the country, taking in all that good, clean, fresh air. Maybe chopping some wood, and not just for a photo op. The same with running in the city. Run uphill, downhill, mix up the speed, run backwards. Make it real.

The same with food. A fighter should be eating real food. So many fighters have stepped into the ring in a weakened state, courtesy of a nutritionist. What the hell do they know about boxing?
My theory is that a fighter should eat the food he grew up with, the food that made him strong. In moderation and with other foods but you get the idea. I'll bet Manny ate good Filipino food. I'm just guessing but Oscar probably had some meal specially prepared by a nutritionist geared toward endurance. He should have had a bowl of Menudo con patas. At the very least, he might have got up off that stool.

Speaking of the Main Street gym, Jeri and I were out Saturday. We went to Canter's Deli on Fairfax on the West side, for some corned beef and pastrami on rye. On the way back, we took the "scenic route" through downtown. We were at the corner of 4th and main. There was a lot of construction going on but the lot where the gym once stood is still empty. I just let out a small sigh and said very quietly "That's where the Main Street gym used to be". "I know" she said. She should know I've only shown here about a thousand times. Still, whenever I pass by, It's almost an instinctive comment or perhaps just thinking out loud. Like the song says "Those were the days, my friend, I thought they'ed never end".

Randy

Randy, you are right on about the gyms and a lot of the training techniques, the state-of-the-art bullshit. The "conditioning trainer"? Now what the hell is that? Oscar had one, and an internet manager, a PR guy, a real trainer, and his assistant. The cutman/hand wrapper which is a part of the gym action, not just in the corner. Hell, who else would wrap a fighter's hands? The fighter himself? Not today. The conditioning trainer will "stretch out" the boxer. I guess Floyd Mayweather Sr. didn't understand that? Now, if you're lucky the conditiong trainer will prepare all the meals, otherwise, you gotta have a nutritionist. A Dr. in the house would be a good idea. And the fighter's attorney, as well. The wife will needs a nanny for the kids because she'll be too busy spending the fighters money while he ignores her training. She's depressed and has retained an attorney to discuss divorce options. This requires an accountant on hand 24/7 to watch the boxer's money and portfolio. And the chauffer. The fighter will hire one of his homey's and pay him out of his pocket. This way it can be a cash deal which benefits the driver who supplements his income providing the champ with cocaine, or whatever his poison may be. Lots of money changing hands, some of it falls on the floor and just disappears.

Boxers. What tangled webs they weave.

-Rick

I don't see any problem with every fighter having an attorney at training camp . . .

[bennie]

Unbeaten Colombian banger Breidis Prescott faces seasoned Mexican Ivan Hernandez in the States on February 20.
Prescott, 20-0 (18), makes his first appearance since he smashed Amir Khan in 54 seconds in Manchester last September, smashing Khan's unbeaten record in the process. The 25-year-old Prescott looks like an explosive prospect, a particularly explosive starter, with 15 wins inside three rounds. He clearly struggles for lightweight opponents. Hernandez steps up from featherweight to take him on but has not fought since last May and must have put on a few pounds in the interim, one hopes. Hernandez also brings plenty of top-flight experience. The man nicknamed "Choco" went in quite recently with a now half-blind Israel Vaszquez and was stopped in four rounds but comes off a decent eight-round decision over useful Ghanaian Anyetei Laryea. Altogether, he is 24-3-1 (13).
Hernandez should be able to cope, at least for a few rounds, with the weight, the height and the power of Prescott.

[raylawpc]

Hey bennie, can you help out on the Lonsdale belt thread? Thanks.

[scartissue]

Yes, it was the same ref who allowed Wilfredo Gomez to dish out a brutal beating to Derrick Holmes a little earlier. I felt sorry for the ref. When he asked Weaver if he was "OK" after an early knockdown, Mike did not respond to him. You could see such a thing bothered the ref (I think his name is Joey Curtis) and he jumped in with Weaver on the ropes and not throwing punches back moments later.
It was a premature stoppage, of course, especially in light of the 15-round draw they fought out a few months later, but Weaver was not too smart in ignoring the ref's question. He broke a golden rule.[/quote][/quote]

Bennie, it was Joey Curtis. Ironically, Curtis was always known for allowing a fight to go on a bit too long. Aside from the Gomez-Holmes fight, he was also know for the Ray Leonard-Pete Ranzany near-decapitation. However, in Dokes-Weaver he goes against his grain, stops the fight way too soon and then tells the media, "I don't want a Du-Koo Kim on my hands!" Kim's recent death at that time caused a real knee jerk reaction it seems.

Scartissue

[bennie]

Yes, it was the same ref who allowed Wilfredo Gomez to dish out a brutal beating to Derrick Holmes a little earlier. I felt sorry for the ref. When he asked Weaver if he was "OK" after an early knockdown, Mike did not respond to him. You could see such a thing bothered the ref (I think his name is Joey Curtis) and he jumped in with Weaver on the ropes and not throwing punches back moments later.
It was a premature stoppage, of course, especially in light of the 15-round draw they fought out a few months later, but Weaver was not too smart in ignoring the ref's question. He broke a golden rule.

[/quote]

Bennie, it was Joey Curtis. Ironically, Curtis was always known for allowing a fight to go on a bit too long. Aside from the Gomez-Holmes fight, he was also know for the Ray Leonard-Pete Ranzany near-decapitation. However, in Dokes-Weaver he goes against his grain, stops the fight way too soon and then tells the media, "I don't want a Du-Koo Kim on my hands!" Kim's recent death at that time caused a real knee jerk reaction it seems.

Scartissue[/quote]

Great point, Dan.

[dagosd2000]

Joe Louis

That's a great one! One of my favorites to date, Roger. I see Louis wearing the yellow sweater. One of the things I appreciate most about your art is the choice of colors. For some crazy reason, that yellow sweater really strikes me as Joe Louis.

-Rick

Thanks Rick

[dagosd2000]

El Gato, Mantequilla & Manos de Piedra . . .

Last time I saw these three champions together was at the 2006 WBHOF autograph signing session, at the Airport Marriott Hotel the morning of the annual banquet. I was with Dan Hanley and we were doing some "on-the-spot" video interviews with a few of the Hall of Famers.

Dan and I hoped to corner Duran, who would be inducted into the HOF later that evening. However, Roberto was surrounded by reporters, admiring fans and just about everybody else aware of his presence. Dan and I opted to wait for a better opportunity, and turned our attention towards Matthew saad Muhammed and Yaqui Lopez.

As we moved around the room with our camerman Greg Patterson, we'd grab a boxer and I'd set up the shot, Dan would tap into his brilliant memory of the boxer's career and the interview would begin. We were just having fun and seeing what we might come up with. As we scanned the room for potential interviews, we saw three of our all time favorites, standing side-by-side posing for pictures. All were three were holding their legendary fists out toward the camera, and the flash bulbs popped, providing a light show as the champions smiled.

Gonzalez, Napoles and Duran. I couldn't help but imagine what might have happened had any of these three fought one another. Napoles-Duran, a pick 'em match? Gonzalez-Duran? Gonzalez-Napoles? The undisputed winners of such match-ups would be the fans. These guys came to fight, and nobody did it better.

The following year, we ended up getting "El Gato" in our studio for an emotional interview. Duran was a "no show" in 2007. Maybe we'll get Napoles this year, and if Duran is there, we will not allow the opportunity to escape us as it did in 2006.

By the way, I'm in the process of finally editing the studio interviews that Dan Hanley and I did in 2007. When they are ready for a "rough draft" viewing, I'll see if I can some how link them to this thread.

-Rick Farris

Sad to say I heard that Napoles is a bit addled now, and failed to recognize and (for several minutes) remember Emile Griffith at a recent function. That's hearsay, and I hope the information was incorrect.

Tom
I've heard similar. Jose ,supposedly,didn't pick up on Emile Griffith at a recent function. Emile had to say to him,"Remember me?"

[dagosd2000]

Don Fraser and Howie Steindler

Two of L.A.'s finest. Howie will always have special place in my memories.

Good job Rog

Randy

Thanks. Welcome back pal

[dagosd2000]

So, where is Randy?

Right here Frank. I've been putting in a lot of hours at work. Sometimes it takes it's toll on me. I was on a self imposed break. There's been a lot of good stuff since I was last on. This thread is the best!

Randy

Randy . . . I understand long hours and how it can interfere with our posting. I was in the same position as you a month ago, however, I have a couple more weeks off and I'm taking advantage of the time to catch up with this fast moving history machine.

I would like make a suggestion to all of us who are regulars and that is to copy this thread and put it on a seperate disc. What if something were to wipeout all this great information? It happened before on another great thread in another on-line forum. I think I'll lift this info just in case.

This thread has been the best therapy for me.Better than staring at a shrink. Save a hundred bucks an hour and don't have to take Prozac

[dagosd2000]

So, where is Randy?

Right here Frank. I've been putting in a lot of hours at work. Sometimes it takes it's toll on me. I was on a self imposed break. There's been a lot of good stuff since I was last on. This thread is the best!

Randy

Randy . . . I understand long hours and how it can interfere with our posting. I was in the same position as you a month ago, however, I have a couple more weeks off and I'm taking advantage of the time to catch up with this fast moving history machine.

I would like make a suggestion to all of us who are regulars and that is to copy this thread and put it on a seperate disc. What if something were to wipeout all this great information? It happened before on another great thread in another on-line forum. I think I'll lift this info just in case.

Rick
I've been worried about that too. The thread is priceless

[Rick Farris]

El Gato, Mantequilla & Manos de Piedra . . .

Last time I saw these three champions together was at the 2006 WBHOF autograph signing session, at the Airport Marriott Hotel the morning of the annual banquet. I was with Dan Hanley and we were doing some "on-the-spot" video interviews with a few of the Hall of Famers.

Dan and I hoped to corner Duran, who would be inducted into the HOF later that evening. However, Roberto was surrounded by reporters, admiring fans and just about everybody else aware of his presence. Dan and I opted to wait for a better opportunity, and turned our attention towards Matthew saad Muhammed and Yaqui Lopez.

As we moved around the room with our camerman Greg Patterson, we'd grab a boxer and I'd set up the shot, Dan would tap into his brilliant memory of the boxer's career and the interview would begin. We were just having fun and seeing what we might come up with. As we scanned the room for potential interviews, we saw three of our all time favorites, standing side-by-side posing for pictures. All were three were holding their legendary fists out toward the camera, and the flash bulbs popped, providing a light show as the champions smiled.

Gonzalez, Napoles and Duran. I couldn't help but imagine what might have happened had any of these three fought one another. Napoles-Duran, a pick 'em match? Gonzalez-Duran? Gonzalez-Napoles? The undisputed winners of such match-ups would be the fans. These guys came to fight, and nobody did it better.

The following year, we ended up getting "El Gato" in our studio for an emotional interview. Duran was a "no show" in 2007. Maybe we'll get Napoles this year, and if Duran is there, we will not allow the opportunity to escape us as it did in 2006.

By the way, I'm in the process of finally editing the studio interviews that Dan Hanley and I did in 2007. When they are ready for a "rough draft" viewing, I'll see if I can some how link them to this thread.

-Rick Farris

Sad to say I heard that Napoles is a bit addled now, and failed to recognize and (for several minutes) remember Emile Griffith at a recent function. That's hearsay, and I hope the information was incorrect.

Tom . . . I know that Rodolfo Gonzalez sees Napoles and his wife at boxing functions thruout the year. The former champs have been close so I'll check in with Gato regarding Mantequilla's condition. I've seen Napoles at several WBHOF events but we haven't spoken. The last time Napoles and I exchanged words was in 1971, when he was training for his first match with Hedgeman Lewis at the Forum. I was a sparring partner for Ruben Olivares at the time, who was preparing for his title defense against Jesus Pimentel on the same card.

-Rick

[Rick Farris]

Unbeaten Colombian banger Breidis Prescott faces seasoned Mexican Ivan Hernandez in the States on February 20.
Prescott, 20-0 (18), makes his first appearance since he smashed Amir Khan in 54 seconds in Manchester last September, smashing Khan's unbeaten record in the process. The 25-year-old Prescott looks like an explosive prospect, a particularly explosive starter, with 15 wins inside three rounds. He clearly struggles for lightweight opponents. Hernandez steps up from featherweight to take him on but has not fought since last May and must have put on a few pounds in the interim, one hopes. Hernandez also brings plenty of top-flight experience. The man nicknamed "Choco" went in quite recently with a now half-blind Israel Vaszquez and was stopped in four rounds but comes off a decent eight-round decision over useful Ghanaian Anyetei Laryea. Altogether, he is 24-3-1 (13).
Hernandez should be able to cope, at least for a few rounds, with the weight, the height and the power of Prescott.

Bennie . . . Bredis Prescott's name came to my attention when he flattened Amir Khan in less than a minute. The fight is on YouTube and his KO was impressive. It also did a number on Khan's head, motivating him to fire his trainer, disappear to L.A. seeking out the help of Freddie Roach (maybe he was just looking for a good luck charm?). If Prescott has the goods in the smaller division he needs to come here and showcase them on the big cards. Keep us posted on anything you hear regarding this one.

-Rick

[bennie]

Unbeaten Colombian banger Breidis Prescott faces seasoned Mexican Ivan Hernandez in the States on February 20.
Prescott, 20-0 (18), makes his first appearance since he smashed Amir Khan in 54 seconds in Manchester last September, smashing Khan's unbeaten record in the process. The 25-year-old Prescott looks like an explosive prospect, a particularly explosive starter, with 15 wins inside three rounds. He clearly struggles for lightweight opponents. Hernandez steps up from featherweight to take him on but has not fought since last May and must have put on a few pounds in the interim, one hopes. Hernandez also brings plenty of top-flight experience. The man nicknamed "Choco" went in quite recently with a now half-blind Israel Vaszquez and was stopped in four rounds but comes off a decent eight-round decision over useful Ghanaian Anyetei Laryea. Altogether, he is 24-3-1 (13).
Hernandez should be able to cope, at least for a few rounds, with the weight, the height and the power of Prescott.

Bennie . . . Bredis Prescott's name came to my attention when he flattened Amir Khan in less than a minute. The fight is on YouTube and his KO was impressive. It also did a number on Khan's head, motivating him to fire his trainer, disappear to L.A. seeking out the help of Freddie Roach (maybe he was just looking for a good luck charm?). If Prescott has the goods in the smaller division he needs to come here and showcase them on the big cards. Keep us posted on anything you hear regarding this one.

-Rick

Will do, Rick. Prescott seems to have quite a following over here and there was talk of him appearing on the Khan-Fagan bill last month in London, but I don't think anyone wants to go in with him.

[Rick Farris]

Bennie . . . Secondsout.com reports that Vitali K. will defend his WBC title against Juan Carlos Gomez instead of David Haye, and of course younger brother Vlad is in negotiations to fight Chris Arreola. I knew it was too good to be true. I'm still not familiar with Haye so I appreciate your input regarding the Brit heavyweight. Of course, it was hard to believe that either Klitschko would deliberatly agree to step into a ring with anybody who could offer a challenge. With Arreola, I see him having a very slim chance of landing his big bomb on Vlad's chin. If he does, it will be all over, of course. However, I haven't seen any hint of skill in Chris Arreola.

-Rick

[bennie]

Bennie . . . Secondsout.com reports that Vitali K. will defend his WBC title against Juan Carlos Gomez instead of David Haye, and of course younger brother Vlad is in negotiations to fight Chris Arreola. I knew it was too good to be true. I'm still not familiar with Haye so I appreciate your input regarding the Brit heavyweight. Of course, it was hard to believe that either Klitschko would deliberatly agree to step into a ring with anybody who could offer a challenge. With Arreola, I see him having a very slim chance of landing his big bomb on Vlad's chin. If he does, it will be all over, of course. However, I haven't seen any hint of skill in Chris Arreola.

-Rick

Haye was a top amateur who picked up heavyweight silver in the 2001 world championships in Belfast. He nearly knocked out Cuban Odlanier Solis in the opening seconds of the final with a cracking right uppercut but Solis somehow stayed on his feet and survived the round and came back to win in the third round. Haye was on his feet but shipping punishment. Haye said later he was "busted" after a hard run to the final but Solis was just too good. There is no disgrace in losing to a Cuban in ANY amateur boxing final.
Londoner David turned pro at cruiserweight and flattened everyone (often with the first punch he threw) up to a match with 40-year-old Carl Thompson at Wembley in September 2004. It was the first big fight at Wembley for years and Haye bragged beforehand: "I've never fought anyone who didn't quickly respect my power." Thompson promptly soaked up everything Haye could throw at him and came back to win in the fifth round. Haye was utterly, utterly exausted, he could barely speak he was so exhausted.
Crucially, it was a defeat (his only defeat) he learned from and he came back with a series of punch-picking wins and tested the heavyweight division when he blasted big Pole Tomasz Bonin in the first round in early 2007, again at Wembley. He knew his destiny but there was unfinished business at cruiserweight. He dropped back down and ventured to the Lion's Den of Paris and ripped the undisputed world cruiserweight title from French bull Jean Marc Mormeck in seven impressive rounds. Mormeck hurt Haye in the early rounds, but David took a knee and rode out the storm. He showed new-found maturity. Then he came back hard and finished Mormeck with a right hand any fighter would have been proud to land. Haye used to be all right hand but his left hook is now much better, as is his jab. His right uppercut is a real danger shot. He had one more fight at cruiserweight after Mormeck, blowing away British rival Enzo Maccarinelli in two embarrassingly easy rounds and then officially moved up to heavy with that recent win over division gatekeeper Monte Barrett. He floored Barrett five times.
Haye might be a bit 'chinny' but can certainly whack, whips himself into great shape, goes for it and has real charisma. He is a licence to print money, a heavyweight who can fight and who wants to fight. I met him on a train to Sheffield a couple of years ago. He was with his trainer Adam Booth. The train was packed and Haye and Booth walked past on the way to the buffet compartment and I said my hellos. They came back and sat on the edge of my seat, chatting boxing, for the rest of the journey.