Archive for the ‘Boxing’ Category

Bedford Trails will be the setting for a golf scramble on August 14th.  The scramble is Jack Loew‘s first ever Southside Boxing Club outing.  Loew said there are a few openings left and that the event is a very exclusive and limited opportunity for boxing fans, golfers, or people who just want to come out and have some fun on a Sunday.

The cost to enter a team in the event is $340.00.  The entry fee includes 18 holes of golf and a cart for four members of a scramble team.  The cost also includes breakfast, lunch, snacks, unlimited beverages, celebration dinner, a golfer goodie bag, and a team photo.  You can register for the outing as an individual for $85 and will be put on a team and still get all of the meals and perks offered.

If you are a non-golfer but want to be included for the post-golf dinner, $40 will get you through.

Space for the event is limited and the spots are being sold on a first come / first serve basis.

Hole sponsors can get a sign at the event for $100.

To register or if there are questions, contact Jack Loew @ 330-501-5713 or Lori Greenwalt at 330-727-8278.

Visit Southsideboxingclub.com for a downloadable application and further details on the outing.

When Kelly Pavlik decided to back out of a fight with Darryl Cunningham, he left many people scratching their heads.  Pavlik was supposedly upset with being offered a 60-40 split to fight Lucian Bute that didn’t equal 60-40. Bute was set to make $6 million to Pavlik’s $1.3 million.  Do the math and you will find that if Bute were to make his end, Pavlik would have to make $4 million to call it a 60-40 split.  Pavlik said he would not “fight for peanuts” against a southpaw like Bute feeling he was being shortchanged by Top Rank.

Top Rank put up a statement saying they were upset with his decision.  One voice that had not been heard yet was that of Jack Loew, Pavlik’s longtime trainer.  Loew is no one trick pony, he has Dannie Williams fighting on ESPN Friday Night Fights on Friday, August 12.  I was able to talk with Loew about the table of events and wasn’t surprised with his answers.

When asked how he found out, Loew said, “Kelly called me and said he was not fighting Cunningham.  I tried to talk him out of it, but he  has his mind set on fighting in high-dollar fights, feeling he has paid his dues. “

Asked if this was it and Pavlik was done fighting, Loew commented, “I don’t think he is done.  I think he will have a bigger problem trying to get a big money fight because he backed out of this one. The longer he sits and waits for a big fight, the worse his chances will be of landing one.  He has never expressed a desire to quit or take time off, I’m not sure where we go from here.“

“I’m sure there is no remorse”, commented Loew about Pavlik’s frame of mind.

I am sure a part of Pavlik should feel slighted.  Top Rank offered the Bute fight to Mikkel Kessler for much more money.  Was it reason to back out of a Cunningham fight that was supposed to be proof that the timing was back and the pop was in his punches?  Absolutely not.  This move could spell career suicide for one of Youngstown’s most famous athletes.

Without much notice, Kelly Pavlik pulled the plug on his August 6 fight against Darryl Cunningham. Nobody is sure exactly why Pavlik backed out.  Pavlik had a smaller hurdle to clear in Cunningham en route to a million dollar payday against Lucian Bute that was scheduled to take place in November if Pavlik won the fight.

“Top Rank is very disappointed at Kelly’s sudden decision to discontinue the rebuilding of his boxing career,” said Todd duBoef, president of Top Rank, Pavlik’s promoter. “Kelly’s team specifically outlined a strategy for Kelly to return to the ring in an effective fashion. Kelly’s team gave us their objectives and we set them on a course, which began last May with Kelly’s fight against Alfonso Lopez and was to continue on Saturday against Darryl Cunningham. It seems Kelly has derailed this plan.”

Pavlik countered by saying he would not “fight for peanuts”, suggesting maybe his take of the purse was insufficient.

This jeopardizes the chances of a fight against Bute.  Ticket pre-sales were reportedly very subpar at best for the event that was to take place in Pavlik’s hometown of Youngstown, Ohio.  Those associated with the card were alarmed by stagnant ticket sales up to two weeks ago.  The one positive in the whole deal for Pavlik is that his critics claimed he was only fighting for money and lost his desire to win.  That notion has been dispelled as Pavlik has put a seven-digit payday in danger with the potential Bute match.

Pavlik seemed to be having a stellar training camp, was happy with his sparring and timing and claims to have regained his mojo when I spoke with him less than a week ago.  He sprouted up at the Motley Crue concert Friday night and was not drinking.

Jack Loew could not be reached for comment, however WFMJ-21’s Dana Balash quoted Loew saying that Pavlik was unhappy with the proposed $1.3 Million offer to fight Bute.

As details become more available, I will pass them along.

People on the inside recognize the name of Frank Duarte.  Duarte was an active professional boxer from 1973-1989.  He was once the number two ranked Bantamweight in the world.  Keep in mind, in those days there were only really two governing bodies controlling boxing – the WBA and WBC, so it was much harder to be highly ranked.  In his career, Duarte compiled an impressive record of 47-8-1.

After he left boxing, Duarte took on a new profession — cutting hair as a California barber.  “When I was cutting hair, I would really question myself as to why I was now a barber.  I missed boxing.  I started giving private boxing lessons and eventually quit the hair business.”

One of Duarte’s biggest fights was against Bernardo Pinango.  “It was a good fight”, recalled Duarte.  “I was 32 years old and it was my first title shot.  I knocked him down in the 12th round and he had three points taken away for low blows. Unfortunately, the three South American judges scoring the fight awarded Pinango with the decision.  I was never really hurt or dazed in that fight and it was one of the last 15 round fights to ever take place before boxing went to 12 round fights.”

In conversations with Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini, Duarte was told about a young fighter from Campbell, Ohio named Jake Giuriceo.  “Ray would talk to me about Jake and thought that I would be able to make Jake better because Ray saw how I taught. In February of this year, Ray sent Jake to me after I had watched some video of his fights.  In those videos, I saw a very aggressive fighter who stayed active and liked to throw a lot of punches.  I picked up immediately that he needed to move his head and his feet more.  The possibilities for Jake were endless that first training camp in preparation for his Angel Hernandez fight.  He was not a complete or polished fighter yet, but there was so much potential there.”

Giuriceo said he is not distracted when he is at home and that he is training hard in California in preparation for his August 13 fight at Cene Park against George Mchedlishvili (8-4-1).  “It is easier to focus when I am here because I don’t have to worry about work and can concentrate strictly on boxing”, commentd Giuriceo from California.

Duarte disagreed with the distraction factor.  “Going into his last fight, he trained hard but there are things that mentally take him out of that zone.  He was trying to sell a car, looking for an apartment, and making phone calls a lot.  When he is here, there is really nothing else for him to do except focus and stay dedicated, both physically and mentally.  I expect him to look like a polished contender and he has added stuff each fight that I have gotten to work with him.  It started with head movement and  his footwork, it has now progressed to angles and sliding away from punches.  He eats right, runs daily, and lives a very clean lifestyle, physically he is where he needs to be. He has sparred with some great fighters here and I am really happy with his progress and attitude.”

Duarte will be in the Youngstown area for the fight on August 13.  He will work with Giuriceo and his local trainer, Keith Burnside, in the week leading up to the Cene Park card.  Mike Cefalde is promoting the event and it will mark the third time that Giuriceo has headlined for Cefalde.

On a balmy day in late July, I entered Jack Loew‘s Southside Boxing Club to speak with Loew and Kelly Pavlik about the future and how serious a contender Pavlik can be going forward.  Having been pretty on-the-spot with Loew lately, I can sense a twinkle in his eyes when he talks about his most reputable fighter that has not been there for about three years.  When I talk to Kelly Pavlik, I sense a hunger that has not been there for three years.  This is vintage Kelly Pavlik, the hungry kid, not the tabloid poster child of Youngstown.

Pavlik returns to the ring to face Darryl  Cunningham on August 6, in Youngstown, at the Covelli Centre.  If Pavlik wins the fight against the savvy veteran, a trip to Montreal to face Lucian Bute looks like a reality.  Pavlik knows that winning a decision in Canada will not be easy, not in Bute’s backyard.

Here are some of the quotes Pavlik gave me during our exclusive conversation:

“Top Rank chose Cunningham because he is a lefty.  I think going forward we want to get a good look with a southpaw.  I have fared well against southpaws dating back to my amateur days.  Sergio Martinez was a different story and even if he fought right-handed he would have been hard to beat.”

“I feel like I am approaching my peak level again, like where I was for the Jermaine Taylor fights.  My timing is definitely back and my snap is back on my punches.  Everything is coming along pretty good for this fight and I am very excited to make a strong comeback.”

“I will find out if all the rust is gone on fight night.  I hate to call this a tuneup fight because you really can’t look past anyone.  Our game plan right now is to take care of business on August 6 and then we will have 12 weeks to worry about Bute.”

” I have been sparring with Darnell Boone.  He has been going southpaw against me and he is very fast.  I am not going to see that kind of speed come fight night.  Not taking anything away from Darryl Cunningham, but he is not as fast as Darnell Boone.  The sparring has been very good for what we need.”

”  I am training different.  The last fight I was more worried about bending and flexibility.  I have gone back to what got me here.  Take nothing away from the stretch bands, I still stretch out and do some work with them, but I am mixing in some of the natural stuff now too.”

Pavlik wants to make a statement when he fights Cunningham on August 6.  So go ahead and get your tablet out.  Write Pavlik off again – that worked well against Taylor (twice).  This 29-year old is rededicated and focused again and that’s bad news for the 168 field.  The Ghost is on the rise, again, and this time he knows what he has to do to be successful.

With a Main Event in place for the August 6 boxing card at the Covelli Centre, the undercard remains sketchy.  The fight will be televised on ShoBox, Showtime’s boxing affiliate.  ShoBox isn’t HBO Championship Boxing, but is a major media outlet with a loyal viewership.  To ensure a good crowd, Bob Arum and the fine folks at Top Rank would be wise to load the card with Youngstown area talent.

Jack Loew and Kelly Pavlik had their Ghost Promotions inaugural offering card in a parking lot at the Covelli Centre.  There were some competitive and entertaining fights on the card that drew about 1,500 with no fighter on the card in the Top-10 of any rankings list.  The reason why so many people showed up was because they knew the fighters, they were relatives or they were friends, and they respect the local boxing beat.  The attendance would not have been any different if the fights would have not been as good as they were.

With proven A-level talent like Pavlik, a more than fair amount of seats can expect to be sold.  However, when mixing in all of those friends and relatives of potential undercard locals, you have a better shot at packing the house.  I have always thought a good crowd made a televised event more exciting to watch.

The reality of the situation is that the television revenue will not be as high with ShoBox coverage than it would be with HBO.  There will be less money to split making it harder to bring in names of national recognition.  By employing the very capable local fighters such as Chris Hazimihailis, Marco Hall, Anthony Pietrantonio, Dannie Williams (above), and Juan Salinas, the crowd automatically doubles.  It’s not rocket science.

Tickets for the event go on sale Friday, July 15.

Kelly Pavlik will get into the ring in his hometown on August 6.  Pavlik (37-2, 32 KO) will square off against Darryl Cunningham (23-2) in the feature match on the Covelli Centre card.  The Ghost, in shape and of sharp mind these days, is really buckling down getting ready for the fight.

Tickets for the event will be on sale Friday, July 15 at 10 a.m.  You can purchase tickets from the Covelli Centre Box Office or through Ticketmaster .  Tickets will start at $152 for Ringside, $102 for VIP Seating, $52 for Gold Seating, and $27 for Silver Seating.

According to Jack Loew, Dannie Williams will also be on the card and Anthony Pietrantonio may get the call as well.  Details of the complete card will be posted once I get them.

Pavlik will use the fight to sharpen up before signing a major deal with Top Rank to face Lucian Bute, probably in Montreal, probably in November.

** Above photo, courtesy of Team Pavlik.

Anthony Pietrantonio hopes the worst is behind him.  Friday night at the Covelli Centre, Pietrantonio (above, left) broke a losing streak of six with a good win over Randy Campbell via TKO in the fourth round.  Pietrantonio (7-7), now training under Jack Loew, may see bigger things if he can remain successful and win a few more at the 175-pound weight class.

This fight had no holding, but rather was a constant exchange of punches from the opening bell until it ended in the fourth.  Campbell, fighting out of Zanesville, landed the first big punches of the fight less than a minute into the first round.  Pietrantonio would knock Campbell down by the end of the opening round and the appreciative crowd knew that these two guys were in a war.

In the fourth round, Campbell was floored with a short right uppercut, and the referee stopped the contest at 2:14 mark.  Pietrantonio had Campbell pinned against the ropes for a good thirty seconds and threw everything he had at him to force the stoppage in what was a very good, crowd-pleasing battle.

“He was a little tougher than I expected and he wore me out more than I thought he could have”, remarked Pietrantonio afterwards.  “I thought it was over in the first and unloaded a lot of useless energy trying to finish him, give him credit for hanging in there.”

I like the 33 year old Pietrantonio.  He is a marketable product who was in very good shape.  Under the watchful eye of Loew, who knows what he may be able to accomplish?

Jake Giuriceo went into Friday’s bout against Winston Mathis hoping to get good work in preparation for a hedlining gig at Cene Park in August.  Giuriceo got his wish defeating Mathis by unanimous decision in their six round Jr. Welterweight contest.  Mathis was not a punching bag though and did give The Bull problems at times.

Giuriceo was the aggressor most of the fight and dictated both the pace and the action from almost bell to bell, every round.  Mathis caught a strong Giuriceo left hook about halfway through round three which triggered an arsenal of shots by Giuriceo over the last minute of the third.  By the end of the fourth, Giuriceo was tagging Mathis with some serious body shots, doubling over the Georgia native more than once.

The judges awarded Giuriceo (12-0-1) the decision with score of 60-54, 59-55, and 59-55.  The Campbell, Ohio fighter was sharp in his scoring made good decisions and was well trained for the contest.  Credit to Keith Burnside (below) and Joseph Corvino for keeping Giuriceo very focused in the days leading up to this match.

A very spiritual person, Giuriceo wore trunks that had “Jesus” name everywhere and in different colors and thanked God after the fight for getting through it without harm.

“He was a very tough opponent and knew when to hold and not to hold, I was surprised”, Commented Giuriceo afterwards.  “My heart made the difference.  I was standing there thinking, man, should I keep bouncing with this dude? He was a very tough opponent.  I feel really tuned up and ready for August.”

Giuriceo will headline an outdoor card at Cene Park on August 13.  When details become available, you can read them here.

Dannie Williams sat in his locker stall with a dejected look on his face after his unanimous ten round victory shaking his head.  If you didn’t see the fight, you would have thought Williams lost, based on his reaction.  Truth of the matter is that Oscar Cuero, a grizzly veteran, had such an unorthodox style that Williams struggled at times to land good shots consistently.  I had the fight scored 97-93 for Williams who came out blazing and then struggled with Cuero for the remainder of the fight.

“I just wanted to fight and wasn’t thinking as much as I should have been”, said Williams.  “I give myself a D+ or a C- based on what I did out there tonight.  The physical part is good and I am a dog in the gym, but I need to work on the mental. I am happy with the win, but this will not get me to the next level, I need to come back stronger the next fight.”

Williams had other things to deal with in the fight.  He hurt his hand in the second round.  His hair was flying everywhere making it hard to focus on his target, Cuero.  The hair was such a big distraction that by the time the eighth round started, Williams started the round with white athletic tape holding his obstruction higher on his head to keep it out of his line of vision.

After the fight, I asked Williams’ trainer, Jack Loew, about the hair problem.  “You can bet your bottom dollar that will get taken care of very soon“, commented Loew.

Give Cuero credit.  He took what Williams had for most of the fight.  Battered and beaten, when it seemed he was going to get knocked down, he fought back with strong combinations.  This fighter deserves praise for showing up and giving all he had. Neither fighter seemed to have much gas left by the eighth round of the scheduled ten-rounder.

Williams was introduced to the partial Youngstown crowd with much fanfare including fireworks.  He was pumped when the opening bell rang and came out throwing big shots, maybe from being wound up.  Most of those shots missed, but one caught Cuero and there was a good amount of swelling to his right eye by the end of the second round.  In the second round, Williams slipped and later in the same round, his mouthpiece became dislodged, but the rest of the first couple of rounds went to Williams.

The fourth round was probably Cuero’s best of the fight and it was three minutes that he won decisively.  In the fifth, the hair started coming undone and leaking in front of Williams line of vision.  This was a quick two-sided problem because not only was Williams unable to focus on Cuero for any length of time, but he could also not see what was coming, and took a few good shots as a result.  After the fifth, John Loew tried some tighter rubber bands, but the hair would still get in the way.  By the eighth, white athletic tape, a new hot-seller at every beauty shop from here to Akron, was used.

Williams got a second wind toward the end of the ninth and was the better fighter in the tenth to pull out the convincing victory.  One of the judges scored it 99-91, which speaks sadly of boxing scoring.  The other two were more reasonable margins and the right score.  In the end, Dannie Williams (18-1, 14 by KO) did a good job and earned another victory in his march up the 135-pound rankings.

The fight was the main event for the first-ever Ghost Promotions card at the Covelli Centre in front of a great crowd of almost 2,000 fans.  Kelly Pavlik was there and signed a lot of autographs and took pictures.  The Ghost was introduced before a fight and got a nice ovation from the best boxing fans in the world.  Pavlik is fighting inside the Covelli Centre on August 6 against Darryl Cunningham.