BoxRec

Max Molyneux wrote:UFC does not have a Calzaghe In It either so It Is not Moral.

josh fg wrote:clearly Bin Laden he's 6 ft 5 and has a reach advantage

Kevo wrote:

josh fg wrote:clearly Bin Laden he's 6 ft 5 and has a reach advantage

Holy Jihad Josh! You can't be serious!

josh fg wrote:clearly Bin Laden he's 6 ft 5 and has a reach advantage

Max Molyneux wrote:If I wanted a UFC event I would go out to Liverpool city centre. Most of them have the brains of your average UFC fighters after 20,000 Vodka and cokes.

Boxing Is beautiful, It can be like chess which Is also godly.

Max Molyneux wrote:Ah yes I remember your location saying Liverpool then the evil London which Is not a moral place.

I nearly see fights happen at night when out with my camera shame they don't. All I get Is drunk people wanting to talk to me and give me offers of joining In threesome or asking do I want to take pics of them kissing!

They don't walk away for ages either.

Scousers are Immoral.

Max Molyneux wrote:I should drive Students to the North End which Is perfect for them since It Is serpent seed land.

Kevo wrote:

Max Molyneux wrote:I should drive Students to the North End which Is perfect for them since It Is serpent seed land.

Behave, the south end is full of gun toting granny robbers.

Abbo wrote:FYI, had a response from Simon Block.

He picked me on Enza / Ezra spelling, and then cited the Carl Thompson result.

But added that it hadnt yet been sanctioned...

Ezra Sellers Retires!

February 15, 2005

By Scott Foster

In boxing, retirement looms as the ultimate decision. Some continue in the game far longer than they should, chasing after past glory, convinced that experience might eventually outweigh slowly eroding skills. Others are drawn back into the ring not to recapture the past, but to sustain a viable lifestyle, a simple matter of providing for their family by putting food on the plate. Retirement plans and 1031's are a given to most -- but boxing offers none of these -- and those who choose to hold on too long are often forced to confront this brutal reality, left with a meager savings as nagging injuries and the onset of middle age draws near. Boxing recently lost one of it's warriors, former IBO Cruiserweight Champion Ezra Sellers (27-7 w/24ko), but in retirement, Sellers has chosen the road less traveled, walking away on his own terms with a nest egg secured and his faculties fully intact.

Sellers began his boxing career growing up on the mean streets of Washington, D.C. Born into a close-knit, religious home, Sellers would follow the footsteps of his father, a local minister, drawing strength and wisdom daily from his faith in God. This unwavering devotion to the Lord sustained Ezra throughout his life, serving as a bedrock of clarity in a sport littered with consistent obstacles.

"[Faith] plays the biggest part," Sellers confided, "I feel that everything happens for a reason. I feel that God has a plan for us all...whatever happens is his will, I believe."

Training alongside D.C. veterans Marion Wilson, Garring Lane and Jerry Jones, a teen-age Sellers would compile an amateur record of 50-0 before the game offered up the first glimpse of it's soiled underbelly: a disputed disqualification loss in a politically motivated decision. Sellers trainer at the time urged his pupil to dismiss the lone loss, opting instead to join the professional ranks where his style would be better suited. So less than one month before his 21st birthday, Sellers heeded his trainers advice and entered the ring as a professional. His handpicked opponent, an undefeated, albeit smallish heavyweight, loomed larger than expected in the opposite corner, striking a confident pose as they both touched gloves. Sellers unknown challenger, however, is now known to us all, winning the WBA Heavyweight title less than 6 years later. Bruce Seldon (35-5 w/31ko), it seemed, would teach Sellers his 1st lesson as a professional.

"I had a trainer," Sellers recalled, "I still love him today...but he was a meat-market kind of guy. He didn't care if you won or lost. He got me to turn pro after my only loss as an amateur -- so I trusted his judgment and turned pro -- I had no idea who Bruce Seldon was." The loss to Seldon served as a wake-up call and Ezra emerged victorious in 14 of his next 15 bouts, leading to a fight with fellow D.C. native and gym mate Marion Wilson, a man who had left his indelible mark on a teen-aged Sellers.

"I was a little tenitive of Marion because I grew up with him in the gym," Sellers admitted. "We sparred over 100 hundred times when I was a teenager. I was one of the biggest kids in the gym and even though he was 25 years old, he was the only one I could spar when I first came in -- so I had to start with him. That was the reason I was a little hesitant...he used to beat me up all the time growing up as a kid. You always have that stuff in the back of your mind."

Sellers would allow the moment to overtake him, suffering a flash knockdown early in the bout. But an inspired Sellers would make it to his feet and wrest control of the fight, cruising to a unanimous 10 round decision that would kick-start his career. With a recognized name on his ledger, the brain trust behind Sellers secured a fight less than 4 months later with perennial heavyweight contender Alex Stewart (43-10 w/40ko), arguably one of the divisions heaviest punchers of the 90's. Outweighed by over 30lbs, Sellers entered the ring unaware he was about to involve himself in a time-capsule 3-round war, a 7 knockdown affair that would make Hagler-Hearns look like a slowly developing chess-match. Despite dropping Stewart 4 times in less than 9 minutes, Sellers found himself on the canvas for the third time before being counted out in a thriller.

"I had never been in a give and take fight like that before," Ezra conceded. "Stewart was the very 1st time. I felt good about the fight because Alex Stewart was a very big name, he did fight some of the best. George Forman, Holyfield, Michael Moorer, all those guys...and he fought excellent in all of those fights. I felt bad right after the fight because I knew I had him -- I had him but I got careless. He was so far gone, his face was so beat up, I just felt like I could do whatever I want -- but then I got caught. When I stepped in and got hit, I stepped directly into him. Being a southpaw, I should have stepped to the side, but I didn't. Alex was blessed that day."

The real blessing, though, would come in the form of a new team for Sellers, as well as a relocation to Pensacola, Fl., his newly adopted hometown. Square Ring Gym, under the tutelage of Alton Merkerson, Alfred Smith and Mario Francis, served as a base for the undersized Sellers, now campaigning in the cruiserweight division where skills and desire would trump brute strength and size.

"I came down to Square Ring as a sparring partner for Ray Mercer and Al Cole," Sellers recalled, "that was when Coach Merkerson first started working with those guys. I had been training with Louis Lowery out of North Carolina -- one of the greatest trainers ever -- but he just did not have the ability to get the fights. Fighting out of Square Ring was a huge change for me...I had never seen the bigger side of boxing. Working with Coach Merk, Mario Francis and Coach Smith was huge...I was fighting on Jones's cards and everyone was starting to see me."

Sellers career as a sparring partner may have gone largely unnoticed by the general public, but his usefulness as a skilled southpaw remained a trade-secret for years within the sport, with many top-tier fighters utilizing Ezra as their chief sparring partner.

"Bert Cooper, Tim Witherspoon, Oliver McCall, Roy Jones...I wasn't the chief sparring partner for Holyfiled, but we worked together. I gained a lot of confidence. Oliver McCall was the very 1st one I worked with when I left Washington. I went from sparring with Marion Wilson, Garring Lane, and Jerry Jones -- all big guys and true journeymen. They were all older than me, so I wasn't getting the best of them, but when I got to Carolina I started working with McCall as he was getting ready for Bruce Seldon. So I was like -- 'Wow, I get to help this guy beat the 1st guy I lost to' -- and he did."

With Roy Jones at his side and Square Ring in his corner, Sellers ability flourished on the big stage, fighting on Jones's undercards while developing a small, cult following who began to view him as a warrior, rather than a skilled boxer. This moniker would take hold several years later when Sellers traveled overseas to Manchester, England, contending for Carl Thompson's IBO Cruiserweight title in his backyard. Thousands of English fans were on hand to celebrate their hero, content they would most likely view what amounted to a tune-up, unaware they were about to witness 2001's Fight of the Year as their champion would be counted out before the end of four stanzas. As was the case with Stewart, Sellers recognition as a warrior did not come without a hefty price tag, having to pick himself up off the canvass twice before finally depositing Thompson on the mat for the fourth and final time.

"Thompson kept catching me with the same punch, so I adjusted and tried to make him do something else. I didn't know that much about Carl Thompson, but I found out afterwards that he was a great gentleman: a very respectful, kind young man. That fight did get a lot of attention, and me not knowing a lot about Carl Thompson, I didn't expect that amount of attention. When I went back there after we won fight of the year, they really treated us wonderfully. The English fans really embraced me -- they really wanted me to beat Johnny Nelson but it just wasn't meant to be."

Some of the luster of the Thompson win would become tarnished just months later by the loss to then WBO Cruiserweight title holder Johnny Nelson (44-12 w/29ko), but not before Sellers dropped the champion in Copenhagen, Denmark, once again solidifying his position as a player in the cruiserweight division. This performance, coupled by a growing worldwide recognition, gave way to another title shot for the vacant IBF belt two years later, facing brawler Kelvin Davis (21-2 w/16ko). Eight rounds later, Sellers would be forced to submit on the ropes as Kelvin Davis's activity and the injuries Sellers carried into the ring made continuing untenable.

"He was awkward to fight because he is so short, but he didn't have as much power as everyone said," Sellers surmised. "I expected him to just be this monster puncher, but he really wasn't. It wasn't the style so much -- and I don't like to make excuses -- but I just didn't have anything going that night. I had undergone neck surgery 6 months prior, I just wasn't focused enough. I saw so many things I could have done, but it just wasn't there. The uppercut was the only punch that was coming off clean that night." A large part of Sellers career was hampered by injuries he sustained along the way, but perhaps the single most devastating injury came at the hands of feared Nigerian powerhouse Ike Ibeabuchi (20-0 w/15ko) during an incident that served as a pre-curser to Ibeabuchi's subsequent imprisonment. Stories of "The President's" fragile mindset came as no surprise to Sellers, as he had witnessed Ibeabuchi's fury first hand.

"I spent four days in his training camp before the Byrd fight as his only sparring partner...nobody else would come but me. They kept telling me, 'We've got another guy coming, we've got another guy coming' but nobody showed up but me. I out-boxed him for days --- we sparred 4 days straight -- and the 3rd day he started to get madder and madder, he started throwing punches from South Carolina. I just kept making him miss, and I was counterpunching with 2 or 3 shots at a time...he just got so angry. The 4th day was even worse, he started pushing me around, and trying to throw me...I just stayed steady, making him miss. I hadn't thrown anything hard yet --- I was just using speed --- but when he started to show me he wanted to hurt me, I started to throw back. I was putting everything I had into every punch, and I hit him with an uppercut and cut him across the eye. The trainers jumped in and led him out of the ring, tending to the eye."

In recounting the incident, Sellers jovial speech and disposition were suddenly replaced with a somber, portentous tone, lending weight to the severity of his situation.

"I went and changed my clothes, getting ready to go. I came out of the locker room to get my gym bag, and I had put my wedding ring back on my finger. I was walking across the room and Ike yells, 'He's got a ring on --- that's how he did it --- he's got a ring on.' I didn't even think he was talking to me, I just kept walking. I get to my gym bag, putting my stuff away, and he comes running across the room and he grabs my wedding ring finger, twisting my finger like he was trying to break it. I snatched my hand back, and as I did that I went into my boxing position...I was like, 'What's wrong with this nut -- are we getting ready to fight?' When I pulled my left foot behind me, he kicked me in my right knee and I went down. He jumped on top of me and started hitting me in the face for nearly 30 seconds. I just covered up with my elbows...he wasn't going to stop. So I took my thumbs and jammed them in both of his eyes. That was the only way I could get him off of me."

The knee injury would plague Sellers for the remainder of his career...in fact, doctors today feel it will hamper his movement for the rest of his life. With Ibeabuchi locked behind bars and destined for deportation back to Nigeria, Ezra's hopes of settling a lawsuit for damages sustained - for which he has received no financial compensation -- appears to be little more than an act of futility.

"It ruined me," Ezra admitted, "because I was at the peak, I was so sharp at that time and it took me out of the game for a full year. I never, ever regained my sharpness or mobility. It was really over at that point... I thought I could keep going because things were really happing for me, because I really couldn't get a lot of fights until after the Alex Stewart fight. Then people were ready to fight me, but I had to turn down so many opportunities because I was laid up. I don't think anyone knows this, but I was in so much pain with the knee that I had been taking anti-inflammatory pain pills for years...I ended up taking what ever I had to take just to fight my way through."

Sellers rebounded from the knee and neck injuries, however, making one last run at a title, facing O'Neil Bell (23-1 w/22ko) this past September in Las Vegas. After a promising opening round, Sellers found himself victim of a dubious rabbit punch that went unnoticed by the referee. Counted out in the 2nd round, Sellers to this day reserves most if not all of his antipathy for O'Neil Bell and what he feels is a predisposition towards foul play.

"The only fight that still digs at me was my very last one, with O'Neil Bell. I was more ready for that fight than any fight since the injuries. I was winning the fight, and this guy just came running at me with his elbows out, pushing me around and hit me behind the head. I just feel like it was bad to end it like that. I was going to come back -- I wanted the rematch bad -- but it just wasn't meant to be. O'Neil bell is a bully, and when you get him in a predicament, he is going to cheat...he did the same thing against Kelvin Davis. He pushed Kevin back, hit him behind the head and stopped him the same way. It still digs at me today. After every fight -- win or lose -- I go into my opponents locker room to shake his hand, and as I walked into his dressing room, I heard Bell's trainer getting on his case about the illegal stuff, and Bell said, 'that's all I could do, I couldn't do anything else.'

"Rabbit punching is the #1 cause of brain damage...it just bothers me so much the way that ended. My manager/advisor, Sampson Lewkowitcz, wanted me to stop fighting anyway because he loved me so much...that is something you don't find that much in this game." All plans for a rematch become derailed this past Christmas, however, as Sellers found himself victimized again, this time in a devastating automobile accident, effectively ending his future within the sport.

With surgery and an untold amount of rehab looming, Sellers has taken the bold step to leave the game that has filled his life for so long, content in surrounding himself with his loving family and a future career as an x-ray technician, a field well suited for his comforting disposition. Ezra Sellers exits the sport a class act, but in doing so he leaves behind a larger legacy with many indelible moments, snapshots from a warrior fueled by hunger and desire, flashes of bravery that will remain nakedly on display for future generations to come.

Autobarn wrote:Ezra was definitely end of the road nearly 3 years ago. Maybe things haven't worked out for him. I have no qualms about him making a moderate level comeback, but a world title shot is just ridiculous. The Board and the WBO should both be against this.

Is this going to be the 2nd Enzo fight where Frank says he wanted it to have gone a couple rounds extra?

josh fg wrote:good lord the more I think about this the more this fight blows. Didn't see sellers come back fight anyone know how he looked?

Abbo wrote:

josh fg wrote:good lord the more I think about this the more this fight blows. Didn't see sellers come back fight anyone know how he looked?

Well he was fighting a guy that had lost his last ten fights, who's previous fight had been against a guy who'd lost his previous ten fights (bar fighting this tomato can of course!! )

Autobarn wrote:how about Enzo v Greenberg up at heavyweight? I'd pay to see that.