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File:2AaronPryor.jpg

2005-01-08T22:50:53Z

Scrumwarrior: Aaron "The Hawk" Pryor

Aaron "The Hawk" Pryor

Ingemar Johansson

2005-01-08T22:36:31Z

Scrumwarrior:

'''Born''' 09/22/1932 in Gothenburg, Sweden

Won the Heavyweight silver medal for Sweden at the 1952 [[Olympics]] in Helsinki, Finland. In the final against [[Boxer:Ed Sanders:034909|Ed Sanders]] of the United States, Johansson was disqualified after the 2nd round by French referee Roger Vaisburg for "not giving of his best". Johansson was not actually awarded his medal until 30 years later.

Inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame in 1988.

Inducted into the [[International Boxing Hall of Fame]] in 2002.

Named [[Ring Magazine Fighter of the Year]] for 1958 and 1959.

[http://www.boxrec.com/boxer_display.php?boxer_id=012711 Fight Record]

[[Category:World Heavyweight Champions|Johasson, Ingemar]]
[[Category:IBHOF Members|Johasson, Ingemar]]

Another Bio

Press coverage of the Floyd Patterson-Ingemar Johansson match of 1959 focused on Johansson's training methods primarily because Patterson, the defending champion and prohibitive favorite, was often uncomfortable around the press and provided little in the way of exciting copy. And his training methods, when compared to the conventional wisdom of the time, were unorthodox. Eschewing the notion that a fighter ought to be miserable while preparing for a match, Johansson set up shop in the open air of Grossingers resort hotel. While Patterson, who trained in a barn, spent his evenings playing cards with his sparring partners, Ingemar could occasionally be seen at local night spots dancing the night away with his "secretary", Birgit.
But the press erred when they characterized Johansson as less than a serious professional. They hadn't taken into account his impressive victories over Joe Erskine, Henry Cooper, and Joe Bygraves. And they hadn't taken into account his victory over number one ranked Eddie Machen. It was this match, held on September 14th, 1959, that showed what Johansson could really do.

Machen arrived in Sweden expecting easy money and some low-risk prep work for a shot at Patterson's title early the following year. He received neither. Early in the first round Johansson landed with a straight right, a punch he affectionately referred to as "Toonder and Lightning". Machen went down as if shot. He managed to beat the referee's count, but Johansson scored with "Toonder" a few more times and Machen took the full count his with his head resting on the ring apron. The victory should have won him instant acclaim, but it didn't. The location of the fight - Johansson's back yard - coupled with the bias typically shown against European boxers, caused the public to regard his victory as a fluke.

Another factor contributing to Johansson's slight reputation can be traced back to the 1952 Olympics at Helsinki. Matched in the semi-finals against the huge American, Ed Sanders, Johansson kept his distance and rarely threw a punch, prompting the referee to disqualify him for not trying. Denied the Silver Medal, Johansson was branded a coward in Sweden. Years later, in his autobiography Seconds Out of the Ring, Johansson wrote that it had all been a big mistake, that the referee hadn't understood his battle plan, which , according to Johansson, called for a strict defensive strategy over two rounds, and a surprise attack in the third. In light of future events, he may have been right. In any case, his performance at Helsinki seriously damaged his credibility. On the eve of his first fight with Patterson, Johansson was a five to one underdog.

The fight, held in New York's Yankee stadium on June 27, 1959, began as expected, with Patterson the aggressor and Johansson on defense. Through the first two rounds Johansson was content to move around the ring and throw soft left jabs that annoyed Patterson more than anything else. The right hand that destroyed Machen was nowhere in sight. By the third round, Patterson, according to his memoirs, was convinced that Johansson's fabled right hand, his "Toonder" , didn't exist, that it was just a myth manufactured by the press.

Big mistake.

Patterson's downfall began with a simple shift in strategy. In the first two rounds the Champion avoided Johansson's jab by bobbing under it, but by the third, a complacent Patterson started picking off the jab with his right glove. About a minute into the round Johansson turned the jab into a wide left hook and Patterson moved his right glove out of position as Johansson hoped he would. Johansson then drove his own right hand straight down the middle, catching Patterson flush. The Champion crashed to the canvass. Glassy eyed, he staggered up at the count of nine, out on his feet. Referee Ruby Goldstein should have stopped it right there, but instead, wiped off Patterson's gloves and waved Johansson in. Trapped in a deep fog, Patterson turned his back on the charging Johansson and walked to the neutral corner believing that he had scored the knockdown. Johansson indicated to Patterson that this was not so by slamming a hook into the back of his head, dropping him a second time. Five more knockdowns followed before Ruby Goldstein stopped the fight, making Ingemar Johansson the first European since Primo Carnera to win the Heavyweight Championship the World.

He was a popular champion. Unlike the moody, introspective Patterson, Johansson enjoyed the limelight. He appeared on television, made a movie, and even cut a hit record in Sweden. Many critics believed that the charismatic Swede was the best thing to happen to boxing in years. While the victor cavorted in public, the vanquished lived in a self-imposed exile. Criticized in the past for a lack of killer instinct, Patterson became a man consumed by hate, a hate that served him well in the rematch staged in the Polo Grounds.

Many predicted a rerun of their first fight, including Johansson. He was fond of telling anyone who would listen that the next time he hit Patterson with old "Toonder" the referee might as well count to a thousand. And history was on his side as well. Never had a heavyweight champion regained the title after losing it, though many had tried.

Unfortunately for Johansson, a different Patterson showed up on the night of June 20, 1960. Fighting with an intensity missing in the first match, Patterson negated Johansson's counter punching with tremendous pressure. Johansson's "Toonder" found the mark only once, in the second round, but Patterson took it well and Johansson couldn't follow up. When in close, Patterson worked the body furiously, and when on the outside he fired a hard left jab that had the dual effect of hurting Johansson and keeping his big right hand from exploding. Early in the fifth, Johan- sson was dropped to the canvass for the first time in his career. He made it up at the count of nine, but he was in bad shape. Patterson attacked in a frenzy; punches poured in from every angle. During the attack, Johansson lost his equilibrium and found himself turned around, vulnerable to the same back-of-the-head blow that he struck Patterson with a year earlier. Patterson passed on the cheap shot and whirled him around with his right hand and threw his trademark punch, a leaping left hook. It was a direct hit. Johansson crashed to the floor in much the same way Patterson had when hit by "Toonder" a year earlier. But unlike Patterson, Johansson didn't get up. Many at ringside feared for his life as blood trickled out of the left corner of his mouth and his right foot twitched in a manner that suggested brain damage. Floyd Patterson became the first man in history to regain the heavyweight title.

Johansson recovered from the beating and engaged Patterson in a third fight on March 13th, 1961, in Miami Beach, something promised to him by the new champion while unconscious on the floor. Around this time Johansson unwittingly became part of the early Muhammad Ali legend while training in Miami at the Fifth Street Gym. It came about when Johansson showed up for a sparring session and there was no one to spar with, except Ali, then known as Cassius Clay. Though nineteen and only four pro fights to his credit, young Clay treated Johansson as if he were the sparring partner. He jabbed, he danced, he made him miss. He taunted him throughout. He told him he was a no-talent bum, told him he ought to be fighting Patterson instead. Johansson tried to shut him up but it was no use. He never even came close. After two rounds Johansson's handlers called it off.

He had better luck connecting against Patterson, and for a brief moment it seemed Johansson would become the second man to regain the heavyweight championship. Twice in the first round Johansson found the mark with his right hand and twice Patterson went down. That Johansson believed he was repeating his performance of 1959 was evident by the broad smile on his face while waiting in the neutral corner following the second knockdown. But his moment of glory passed when Patterson scored a knockdown of his own near the close of the round, one of the wildest in heavyweight history. Both had their moments in rounds two through five, but in the sixth, weary from Patterson's ceaseless body attack, Johansson went down and out from a Patterson hook, thus ending the three bout series.

Johansson returned to Europe where he continued his career with knockout wins over Joe Bygraves, Wim Snoek, and Dick Richardson. Talk of a challenge to Sonny Liston, who had relieved Floyd Patterson of the championship in the fall of 1962, began circulating.

On April 21st, 1963, Johansson took on Brian London in a bout scheduled for twelve rounds. Near the close of the last round , London, who ranked in the top ten but was held in low esteem, flattened the former champ with a right hand. The bell rang at the count of four, saving Johansson from a knockout. The referee and sole judge of the fight awarded the decision to Johansson, a decision greeted with jeers and catcalls. Johansson had gotten lucky and he knew it. He never fought again.

The highlight of Johansson's post boxing career happened in 1982 when the International Olympic Committee forgave him for his tepid performance at the Helsinki Olympics, and presented him with the Silver Medal. For Johansson, it was a special moment. In that same year, Johansson took a break from his many business activities and entered the New York City Marathon along with his old nemeses, Floyd Patterson. Though severely overweight, he managed to finish the race. But, as in two of their three championship fights, he finished well behind Patterson.

Aaron Pryor

2005-01-08T22:20:40Z

Scrumwarrior:

Just another boxing story? Well, not exactly. Consider:

-Aaron "The Hawk" Pryor was the product of a one-night stand and didn't meet his biological father until age 17. His father became a crack addict.

-His mother Sara was half-Japanese, half-African-American. An alcoholic, she gave birth to seven children with five different fathers.

-His grandmother was shot dead by an angry boyfriend.

-He was raised on welfare and sexually abused at age eight by a Baptist minister.

-One of his sisters had 12 children, all with different fathers, and all of whom were raised in foster homes. One of those children died in a fire, the result of mother's neglect.

-One of his brothers, who was also sexually abused as a child, became a transvestite and a street prostitute.

-Another brother is serving a 25-to-135-year sentence for armed robbery.

-Yet another brother is a former crack addict. He was married to a fellow addict who became a prostitute.

-Still another brother was shot in a domestic dispute and was paralyzed for life.

-Pryor was shot in the forearm by his second wife ... He was tied up and had a gun held to his head in a Miami crack house ... He was shot in the hand by drug acquaintances ... He once held a gun to his own head ... He's been hospitalized with bleeding ulcers ... He did three months in prison as inmate number 15197 ... He's been married four times, and his current wife is a recovering crack addict as well.

-And now Pryor is a deacon, a trainer of young fighters, a member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame, and an inspiration to the world.

If Sugar Ray Leonard was the best fighter of the '80s and Thomas Hearns was the most exciting, Pryor was the best fighter who was also exciting. Campaigning one division below the superstar-studded welterweights, Pryor reigned as 140-pound king from 1980 to 1985. He made 10 successful defenses, including a pair of signature fights vs. Arguello, and remained unbeaten until 1987, by which time he was a full-fledged crack addict.

Having suffered a detached retina while in training for the second Arguello fight, Pryor fought for the last time in 1990. He retired with a career mark of 39-1 (35). They'd make a movie of his life, but who in his right mind would ever believe the storyline?

"I remember when I was a kid, my grandma saying I was gonna make a lot of money and lose it," Pryor said. "A lot of people had big ideas of where I was going in life. But I had no pattern to follow at home.

"I was put in the ring with two hall of famers [Arguello and Antonio Cervantes] and I beat both of them. Cervantes was the only guy I ever questioned my abilities against. After I beat him, I felt I could beat anybody."

For Pryor, boxing was the easy part. It was life that treated him like a four-round prelim kid. He began smoking crack after the second Arguello fight (in 1983) and didn't stop until 1993. He's been clean for almost eight years. Several years ago, I recall talking to Arguello. "Yes, Aaron did beat me twice, but I'm the winner in life," Arguello said, referring to Pryor's well-documented drug problems. In a twist of fate that redefines the word irony, Arguello subsequently became a crack addict, too. When he and The Hawk reunited at a WBA-sponsored anti-drug seminar in Venezuela last December, they shared more than those 24 unforgettable rounds in the ring.

"At one point, Alexis contemplated killing himself," Pryor said. "I knew he had a problem before it got out to the public. But in December, he looked great. We played a game of pool, eight-ball. I won. I think he got pretty mad."

Pryor, who remains one of the most likeable fighters I've ever met, lives in his hometown of Cincinnati. At age 45, he described how his days unfold. "I wake up through the grace of God," he said, "and I drink my coffee. I'm at the gym, the Shamrock Gym in Covington, Kentucky, about 15 minutes away, by 1:00 p.m. I always get calls from people who want rides. I spend the day there, working with [bantamweight champion] Tim Austin, my son Stephan, who is 1-0 as a pro junior middleweight and others. Stephan is pretty good. He helped [Cincinnati native] Ricardo Williams get ready for the Olympics. He also spars with Timmy.

"I'm giving Stephan 24 months. Young people nowadays, they want it to happen now. They don't want to take the chance of climbing the ladder, the ups and downs. They just want to take it."

"I get a lot of motivation looking at Eddie Mustafa Muhammad and Ronnie Shields. Both of them were great fighters during my days [Muhammad was a light heavyweight champion, and Shields was a top-rated junior welterweight], and both are top trainers today."

In addition to the gym, Pryor spends time at the New Friendship Baptist Church, where he became an ordained deacon five years ago. He travels to nursing homes and provides communion for those who can't make it to church. He helps in a program for chemically dependant people, and he participates in Bible-study classes.

"I'd rather have no money and have my sanity and work with kids and serve the Lord," he said, "than have lots of money and have that addiction. I really hurt my children, my parents, my friends, my fans. But I couldn't help it. "It's a miracle that I'm alive."

I last saw Aaron and Frankie at a fund-raiser for F.I.S.T., Gerry Cooney's organizations that helps recently retired fighters, last October. The celebrities included legends like Joe Frazier, Larry Holmes, Jake LaMotta, and Magic Johnson, but the guests gathered around Pryor as much as any of them. No one who ever saw him fight will ever forget him. That's because The Hawk fought with a passion and crazed sense of purpose that simply overwhelmed his opponents.

After a distinguished amateur career that ended with his disappointing loss to Davis, Pryor turned pro in 1976. He ran off a string of wins, but when he cracked the ratings, none of the lightweight champions wanted to fight him. So he jumped to junior welterweight and challenged legendary Colombian Antonio "Kid Pambele" Cervantes, who had made 17 successful defenses over the course of two reigns. Cervantes was pound-for-pound material, but after the 24-year-old Pryor suffered a flash knockdown, he punched and punched and punched some more. Cervantes crumbled in the fourth round.

Pryor-Cervantes was held at the Riverfront Coliseum in Cincinnati. The moment meant almost as much to The Hawk's hometown as Thomas Hearns' kayo of Pipino Cuevas, held later that same night, meant to Detroit.

Many of Pryor's defenses were classics; his 1981 KO of the power-punching Dujuan Johnson was chosen as Fight of the Year by "KO" magazine. But the fight he'll always be remembered for was his November '82 defense against Arguello, who was trying to make history by becoming the first fighter ever to win world titles at four different weights. Pryor received death threats before that bout, then climbed through the ropes and fought as if his life were at stake.

"I had bigger goals than Alexis," Pryor said. "I had Ray Leonard on my mind. I figured I could make $5-6 million against him. I had been a sparring partner for Ray, and I know it would've been a tough fight. I spent hundreds of hours taking beatings from him, doing my job. But he got his lumps, too. I would've come in about 144, 145, and he would've been 147. I would've been fighting coming into the ring, and fighting going out." As if he knew any other way.

Those interested in learning more about The Hawk can do so by checking out his website, aaronpryor.com.

TOUCHPOINTS

What would your life be like without boxing?

That question is hard. I don't know. I would've been an ordinary Joe. Looking at my family background, no one graduated from high school. I had to graduate to box. It's why I'm where I am today.

If you could give one piece of advice to a young person who is interested in boxing, what would it be?

Be consistent, and be your own best friend. Come to the gym every day and don't hang with nobody.

What makes a champion?

Belief in yourself. Believe that you can do what others think you can't do. This is in life, not just boxing. When I became a deacon, people were saying, "What if he relapses?" These are challenges. When people say I can't do it, that means I can do it.

What was the high point of your boxing career?

I'm gonna go somewhere you wouldn't think I'd go. In 1976, after I lost in the Olympic Trials to Howard Davis Jr., I was at home crying. I saw a big bus pull up in town, and Muhammad Ali was there, on the side. I talked to him and he told me I was gonna bring home a world title to Cincinnati.

What would you call your turning point, your low point, or your downfall?

The lowest point was knocking out Arguello in the second fight. I got up there (at the post-fight press conference) and I cried, telling everyone I was quitting. I think I needed a big hug that night, but (former trainer) Panama Lewis wasn't there, (former manager) Buddy LaRosa wasn't there. I went home and tried to get my life together, but it got worse. I came home and got caught on drugs.

Who is your favorite fighter right now, and of all time?

I like Roy Jones. All-time? Ali and Joe Frazier-as fighters and people.

If there were one thing you could do over differently, what would it be?

I can't say anything in the ring; I had the right fights, made the right moves. I would've changed the promoters. I wouldn't have fought for Don King.

If there were one piece of advice you could give to the partners and families of fighters, what would it be?

I'd tell them that the fighter needs your support and love so much. Family members shouldn't press fighters for money. You have to show you can give your love without the money. Let the fighter give you something without you asking for it.

Written by Steve Farhood

http://www.secondsout.com/legends/legends_31491.asp
Inducted into both the International Boxing Hall of Fame:
http://www.ibhof.com/pryor.htm
and the World Boxing Hall of Fame:
http://www.wbhf.org/Inductees_1980-2001/inductees_1980-2001

Jerry Quarry

2005-01-08T22:09:47Z

Scrumwarrior:

BORN; MAY 15, 1945
WHERE; BAKERSFIELD, CALIF

Jerry Quarry first put on a pair of boxing gloves when he was three years old. By the time he was eight, he had won the Jr, Golden Gloves- 45lb Champion. he continued in the amateurs until 1964 when he culminated a great amateur career by winning the National Golden Gloves Heavyweight Championship and was the Tournaments most outstanding fighter. He set a record that is still standing today. Jerry won the title by knocking all five opponents out in three days.

Under the watchful eyes of his co-managers, his dad and veteran fight manager Johnnie Flores, Jerry turned pro in May of 1965. He ran off 12 wins in a row before running into Tony Doyle and was held to his first draw. He also had two draws with Tony Alongi. His first loss came in his 20th pro bout, against a tough veteran Eddie machen. his loss was attributed to poor conditioning and at the time Jerry promised that poor conditioning would never cost him another loss. He beat Joey Orbillo, Alex Miteff, Billy Daniels, Floyd Patterson, Buster Mathis, Brian London, Jack Bodell, Mac Foster, Ron Lyle, Thad Spencer just to name a few.

Jerry lost a disputed 15 round decision to Jimmy Ellis for the WBA version of the Heavyweight title that was stripped away from Muhammad Ali.

Boxing Illustrated named Jerry the most popular professional boxer in the world in 1968,1969 and in 1970 was tied with Muhammad Ali to share the honor. Jerry fought Muhammad Ali in what was billed as the return of the champ. jerry got cut early in the fight and received eighteen stitches plus the loss.

Jerry came along in a boxing era that many considered to be the best of all time. In the middle 70's Jerry managed him self and was trained by Gil Clancy. jerry continued to fight off and on until his last fight in 1992. From 1964 to 1992, 28 years 53-9-4 33 ko's

NOW JERRY IS FIGHTING TO HELP ALL ATHLETES WHO BECOME INJURED FROM BLUNT FORCE TRAUMA AND SUFFER FROM BRAIN DAMAGE.

Brother of fellow pro fighters Mike Quarry and Robert Quarry.
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=7447
Inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame:
http://www.wbhf.org/Inductees_1980-2001/inductees_1980-2001.html
The Jerry Quarry Foundation for Dementia Pugilistica: http://www.jerryquarry.com

Andrew Golota

2005-01-08T22:02:41Z

Scrumwarrior:

'''Born''' 01/05/1968 in Warsaw, Poland

Won the Heavyweight bronze medal for Poland at the 1988 [[Olympics]] in Seoul, South Korea.

A great "Natural" athlete whos career has been marred by psychological shortcummings. Started with an impressive career as an amateur in Europe (111 wins) culminated in a bronze medal at the 1988 Olympics. After marrying in 1990 he emigrated to Chicago where he intended to look for work as a truck driver. A kindly immigration official guided him to a gym and he turned pro in 1992. As he notched up a succession of wins he altered his style from that of an upright 'European' approach to more of a puncher, suiting his natural power.

[http://www.boxrec.com/boxer_display.php?boxer_id=004345 Fight Record]