1987 Ohio State Fair...

[ICEMAN JOHN SCULLY]

Originally was going to use this in my book...
"I had won my title five years to the month after first reading about the Ohio State Fair and seventeen year old Mike Tyson in "The Amateur Boxer" and it's funny because I used to sometimes imagine the same magazine doing a story on the 1987 version of the Ohio State Fair and it's 165 pound champion.

I won my title on August 16, 1987-the same day that future champions and contenders Tim Austin, Larry Donald, Clarence "Bones" Adams, Vernez Duskin, Virgil "Peanut" McClendon and Mark "Too Sharp" Johnson won theirs. Scott "The Pink Cat" Walker, another kid I got to be friendly with during that week, lost in the finals to Craig Wills of Cincinnati. (Later on as a pro, Scott won a ten round decision over a very faded Alexis Arguello. Sadly, Scott passed away far too early a few years ago of undisclosed causes).

Leo Nolan, the Detroit heavyweight that won a twelve round decision over Lou Savarese on ESPN in 2004, won the 156 pound Junior Olympic title on that day back in 1987 by walkover while future world title challenger Oba Carr beat Shawnta Brown from Cincinnati to win the 132 pound title in the junior olympic division. Carl Griffith, seen seven years later in Vegas losing to Oscar De La Hoya, won the 132 pound title in Ohio with a decision over Michael Garrow of Pennsylvania. Future world title contender Kady King (then known as Vernez Duskin) won the 178 pound title in 1987 with a decision over Mark Green of Ohio while another future title contender, Virgil "Peanut" McClendon of Columbus, won the 119 pound title by decision over Cecil Thompson of Washington, D.C.

David Palac, who would go on eight years later to be David Reid's chief rival in this country at 147 pounds in the open division, fought in the fair in 1987 as an 85 pound kid and lost in the finals. In what would be further proof that the world is indeed small, Reid also fought in the finals in the same ring as Palac (Palac was bout #3 and Dave was bout #12), also losing by decision to a kid named Telly Lockette of Miami.

Robert Salmaci, the brother of future "Contender" TV star Tarick Salmaci, competed as a 75 pounder there back in 1987 and lost in the finals to a kid named Marcus Cooper of Michigan.

Ironically, the guy I would defeat fourteen years later in my final professional fight, Cleveland Nelson of Detroit, fought that same day in 1987 in the 139 pound Junior Olympic division finals, losing a decision to fellow future contender Ravea Springs of Cincinnati. Would have been hard to believe if someone knew the future and brought him to me, asking "What would you say if, in fourteen years, you and this light-welterweight J.O. kid here meet up in your final professional fight?"

(In reading through the issue of "The Amateur Boxer" that I quoted from earlier about Tyson at age 17, I see where Nelson actually won the 90 pound title at that Ohio Fair back in the summer of 1983 and I have another magazine from 1985 that tells me Nelson won the title that year in the 125 pound class with a final round decision over Anthony Snow of Columbus.)

Other recognizable boxers that failed to take home titles the year I won mine include future IBO cruiserweight champion David Izegwire (178 open) and future lightweight title challenger Lamar Murphy (112 pound senior JO)."

[manno]

Hey John, from reading ur articles in BN i know u have a strong connection with ur amateur up-bringing. I was just wondering if you had ever heard of or come across a couple of 165 ams called Denard Trapp or Frank Savanah?cheers mate