THE MEMORABILIA ISSUE
5-Time World Champion
Sugar Ray Leonard j circa 1979 i
LORDS OF THE RING by Steve Farhood p.12
WINTER 2007. ISSUE 2. VOL.1
HEAVEN-SENT 6 World Champions stand together (1994).
ROUND1 is published by Clark Creative Media, Inc., which has sole and exclusive distribution rights. Copyright © 2007 by Clark Creative Media, Inc. / ROUND1™ All Rights Reserved.
INSIDE “SWEET PEA” WHITAKER p.3
•
THROWBACK
jerseys, vintage clothes, TV Land, and the Mohawk cut— what’s old is new again. That’s not so true for boxing— what’s old is not new, it’s classic. Don’t believe me, just check out our choir boys (from left: Kevin Kelley, George Foreman, Oscar de la Hoya, James “Buddy” McGirt, Riddick Bowe, and James Toney) on ESPN Classic. You’ll be treated to boxing at its best. If you want a piece of boxing history, check out our memorabilia guide— a collector’s wish list [p.5]. And for a boxing history lesson, read “Lords of the Ring,” [p.12] written by the highly respected Steve Farhood, first vice president of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Created to celebrate boxing’s great moments, fights, and champions, this sophomore issue, just like our premier was regarded by you, the readers— is an INSTANT CLASSIC. Now, touch gloves and good luck! —Lamar Clark
Cover Image: Jerry Wachter/Sports Imagery/Getty Images, Above: Mitchell Gerber/CORBIS.
LEROY NEIMAN p.9 • TIGER WOODS p.20
POUND FOR POUND
THE BEST BOXING HAS TO OFFER
Edited by GLAZZJOE.COM
THE KNOCK•OUT— A victory in boxing in which one’s
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n Cradle of Champions: 80 Years of New York Daily News Golden Gloves, N.Y.C.’s hometown newspaper utilizes its archives to tell the story of the tournament through more than 150 riveting images and detailed descriptions from veteran Golden Gloves reporter Bill Farrell. www.amazon.com • retail price: $24.95
Tale of the Tape
BOXING STATS, DATES AND RECORDS!
Marciano KO’s Walcott (9/23/52)
7 ft., 325 lbs.
5/5/07
42/1
NIKOLAI VALUEV The tallest and heaviest heavyweight champion in history.
OSCAR DE LA HOYA VS. FLOYD MAYWEATHER JR. MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas
DOUGLAS KO’S TYSON (2/11/90) Tyson was a 42/1 favorite. Douglas won “the upset of the century.”
Valuev: Michael Kienzler/Bongarts/Getty Images; De la Hoya: Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images; Mayweather: Al Bello; Walcott: Herb Scharfman/Sports Imagery/Getty Images. Whitaker: Eddie Adams/Sygma/Corbis.
opponent is unable to rise from the canvas within a specified time after being knocked down or is judged too injured to continue.
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE CLASS 0F 2007 on inductions into the International Boxing Hall of Fame and Museum.
L
iving inductees include four-division champion Roberto “Hands of Stone” Duran (Panama), two-division champion Ricardo “Finito” Lopez (Mexico), four-division champion (pictured above) Pernell “Sweet Pea” Whitaker (USA), trainer Amilcar Brusa (Argentina), administrator Jose Sulaiman (Mexico), and artist LeRoy Neiman (USA). For information on the events planned for the 2007 International Boxing Hall of Fame Weekend, log onto www.ibhof.com. 3
Cedric Kushner presents
Once a month Gotham Boxing invades New York City to showcase and provide live boxing in an upscale, exciting atmosphere
GOTHAMBOXING.COM
212.755.1944
ia.*
S ’ R O T C E L L O C
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CASSIUS CLAY “THE LIP” ROBE Estimated: $40,000-60,000**
RAHMAN-TONEY FIGHT PROGRAM • $25 www.spboxing.com
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WHAT’S IT WORTH? Signed boxing gloves by...
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COLLECTING 101
COR NER
1. Choose reputable distributors. 2. Significance of the fight and fighters determines collectibility.
Edit Mor ed by gan WILLIE PEP EXHIBIT CARD • $18 &M www.antekprizering.com on
*All prices listed as of 3/6/07 (subject to change); **Christie’s L.A., The Paloger Collection of Muhammad Ali Memorabilia (10/19/97); Jones: Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images; La Motta: Keystone/Getty Images; Duran and Frazier: Courtesy of CCM; Ward and Lewis: Al Bello/Allsport; Mancini: Otto Greule/Allsport. Still by Elizabeth Jackson.
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Signed boxing trunks by...
EARNIE SHAVERS • $75 www.halloffamememorabilia.com I RUBIN HURRICANE CARTER • $106 www.halloffamememorabilia.com I VINNY PAZ PAZIENZA • $153.95 www.itsalreadysigned4u.com I MUHAMMAD ALI • $1,999 www.halloffamememorabilia.com I LARRY HOLMES • $190 www.onlinesports.com
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u ROY JONES JR. $192.95 • www.itsalreadysigned4u.com v JAKE LAMOTTA $139 • www.halloffamememorabilia.com w ROBERTO DURAN $220 • www.onlinesports.com x MICKY WARD $90 • www.prosportsmemorabilia.com y JOE FRAZIER $153.95 • www.itsalreadysigned4u.com z RAY MANCINI $155 • www.prosportsmemorabilia.com { LENNOX LEWIS $250 • www.onlinesports.com
ROUND CARD GIRL OF THE MONTH SPONSORED BY ROUNDCARDGIRLZ.COM
Eva MEASUREMENTS: 34D-24’-35’ HOME: New Haven, Conn. WEBSITE: www.evalyn.net
RING EXPERIENCE: (1/7/06) Zab Judah vs. Carlos Baldomir; Madison Square Garden, N.Y.C. • (1/21/06) Arturo Gatti vs. Thomas Damngarrd; Boardwalk Hall, A.C. • (3/18/06) Hasim Rahman vs. James Toney; Boardwalk Hall, A.C.
“It’s like running naked through a sprinkler on a hot summer’s night.”
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Eva: ©Mike Meken/Courtesy of Roundcardgirlz.com; Neiman: Paul Hawthorne/Getty Images; Inset: Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images
Tell us what it feels like being in the ring having all eyes on you.
K
BOXING AFICIONADOL R O U N D 1 ’ S
F A V O R I T E
F A N
LeRoy Neiman
B
est known for his brilliantly colored, stunningly energetic images of sporting events and leisure activities, LeRoy Neiman is one of the most popular living artists in the United States.
Neiman during weigh-ins for the championship fight between Oscar de la Hoya and Fernando Vargas.
R1: All-time favorite fighters? LN: “It comes down to three great heavyweight champions: Joe Louis, Muhammad Ali and Jack Dempsey. I knew them all personally and admire the total man in all cases.” R1: I love boxing because... LN: “...it is one-on-one. Each man is on his own. The artist is on his own— that is what I love about painting. Both the fighter and the artist receive advice from many quarters, but at the moment of truth, both must do their thing solo.” —edited by LC N E I M A N
C O L L E C T O R ’ S
P O S T E R } }
Š1974 Courtesy of LeRoy Neiman
“I can lick any sonofabitch in the house.�
Hulton Archive/Getty Images
John Lawrence Sullivan (1858 1918), the last bare-knuckle heavyweight champion. 12
LORDS OF THE
RING
Equipped with two fists and the behavior of a gladiator, John L. Sullivan, Muhammad Ali, Alexis Arguello and Sugar Ray Leonard demonstrated to the world what a champion is made of.
] By Steve Farhood Former Editor-In-Chief, The Ring
B
oxing is not a game. Or as some like to put it, You don’t play boxing. Given the nature of the competition, professional fighters are tested to the core. Each and every one of them clings to the same dream, but only a precious few become titlists, and even fewer earn the ultimate designation of champion. In the boxing arena, world champion summons images of superiority, grandeur, and magnificence. There are prerequisites, of course: The
Lords Of The Ring physical tools include speed and mobility, reflexes and technique, conditioning and power. But the intangibles are of greater significance. Champions must believe in their destiny and embark on their journey with tunnel-vision focus and dogged determination. Anyone who risks the indignity of a knockout loss is emotionally vulnerable, so a jumbo-sized ego helps, too.
] The champions of the prize ring wear their invincibility like a cloak. It’s no surprise, then, that the first high-profile champion of boxing’s modern era was known simply as “The Great John L.” (Sullivan). John L.’s attitude was summed up by his most famous quote: “I can lick any sonofabitch in the house.” And for quite a few years, anyone who doubted him was handed a beating. Sullivan’s reign ended more than 110 years ago. Since then, there have been several champions who have defined the sport. Perhaps the best way to describe them is: You know them when you see them.
Lords Of The Ring ] At first glance, Muhammad Ali didn’t fit the mold. In their early years, most champions are hungry in both a figurative and literal sense. But the former Cassius Clay was raised in a middle-class environment. Moreover, as physically gifted as he was, Ali was a performer first, and a fighter only when he needed to be. The ring was his stage. Even the best of champions cannot thrust greatness upon themselves. In a broad sense, Ali was a symbol of his era, and that era happened to include the deepest talent pool in the history of the heavyweight division. But Ali did not establish his unique standing solely because he fought Joe Frazier, George Foreman, Ken Norton, Ron Lyle, Earnie Shavers, Sonny
Jr. Welterweight champion boxer Aaron Pryor strikes a blow to Nicaraguan challenger Alexis Arguello during the 1982 “Battle of the Champions” fight at Orange Bowl Stadium.
Liston, and many others. Nor was it solely because he defeated every one of them. Rather, it was what he overcame on his way toward achieving victory. In winning his first world title, Ali conquered his youth, and in winning for the third time, he conquered Father Time. But it was his unlikely triumph over the
previously unbeaten Foreman—Ali was a 7-1 underdog—that set him apart. Only his belief that his fate was in greater hands allowed him to survive Big George’s punches. No one else could have done it.
] Unlike Ali, Alexis Arguello didn’t challenge our preconceived notions about champions. Instead, he embodied what a champion had always been. What separated Arguello from even his most accomplished colleagues was his class and consistency. The Nicaraguan viewed boxing as his profession and conducted himself like a world-class surgeon. There were smoother fighters and plenty of faster ones, but from late 1974 through 1982, Arguello won championships at three weights and compiled a title fight record of 18-0. What illustrated Arguello’s character more than anything else was a choice he made in 1982. Having won world titles at featherweight, junior lightweight, and lightweight,
Bettmann/CORBIS
“Whenever it was said that Sugar Ray couldn’t do something, his mission was instantly defined.”
Focus on Sport/Getty Images
Sugar Ray Leonard eyes his opponent in the ring during a match. 18
Lords Of The Ring Arguello attempted to become the first fighter in history to win championships in four different divisions. Rising yet again in weight, he opted to challenge undefeated superstar Aaron Pryor instead of the weaker titlist. “I wouldn’t have proved much if I had beaten one of the easier champions,” he told me in 1986. Arguello’s backto-back losses to Pryor were thrilling battles that will live in boxing fans’ minds forever. The lesson he taught us? Being a champion is not only about winning. ] The irony of Sugar Ray Leonard’s career is that after winning a gold medal at the 1976 Olympics, he had no intention of turning professional. But with both parents incurring mounting medical bills, he quickly realized his blazing fists were cash machines. But while Leonard followed Sugar Ray Robinson’s lead by never fighting for less than he was worth, the dollar provided his primary motivation only for so long. As Leonard advanced from titlist to champion to superstar to icon, he changed his focus. In time, he fought for history. In order to do so,
he repeatedly challenged himself. And his cue always came from the public and the press. Whenever it was said that Sugar Ray couldn’t do something, his mission was instantly defined. In 1987, Leonard, inactive for almost three years, rose in weight and challenged the best fighter in the game, middleweight king Marvin Hagler. Leonard acknowledges that he won because nobody thought he could. In a battle of great champions, that was his edge. I asked Leonard, at age 47, whether he still visualizes himself against today’s best fighters. “That will never leave me,” he said. “That’s who I am.” And that’s what a champion is. u
Celebrate The Allure Of
FLASHBAC
K FIGHT PA
FLASHBACK FIGHT PARTY
RTY
FIGHT NIGHT!
(6/9/53) White City Stadium, London: Ava Gardner and Frank Sinatra ringside for Turpin-Homez.
ROCKY BALBOA
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(7/12/70) Madison Square Garden, N.Y.C.: Diana Ross ringside for Ali-Bonavena. x
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PREMIERE WORLDWIDE
HOLLYWOOD: uSylvester Stallone and wife Jennifer Flavin; LAS VEGAS: vAntonio Tarver and his fiancée Denise Boothe, wLou DiBella, xFloyd Mayweather Jr. and Leonard Ellerbe; LONDON: yJoe Calzaghe and guest.
Rice
B-Hop
Charles Barkley Mandalay Bay Events Center, Las Vegas
Anna Nicole Smith (R.I.P) Seminole Hard Rock Hotel, Florida
Tiger Woods Mandalay Bay Events Center, Las Vegas
“I’m the Jerry Rice of boxing. My best fights are yet to come. I’m not saying I got 10 or 20 fights left in me, but I’m ready to fight the fights that matter and that need to happen.” * —Bernard Hopkins, commenting on his much anticipated return to the ring against Winky Wright.
Sinatra: Topical Press Agency/Getty Images; Ross: Time & Life Pictures; Stallone: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images; Tarver, DiBella, Mayweather, Barkley, Woods: Ethan Miller/Getty Images; Calzaghe: Claire Greenway/Getty Images; Smith: Gustavo Caballero/Getty Images; Hopkins: Al Bello/Getty Images; Rice: NFL Photos/Getty Images. *phillynews.com.
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WINTER 2007. ISSUE 2. VOL.1
PUBLISHER Lamar Clark PHOTOGRAPHER Nicholas Strini DESIGN Morgan & Monroe boxing consultant Brian Adams contributing writer Steve Farhood COPY editor Terri Prettyman Bowles ®
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