Larry Holmes was one of the greatest champions to ever grace the boxing ring.  Holmes achieved so much in his career and his legacy is cemented among the elite heavyweights in the history of the sport.

The “Easton Assassin” posted a professional record of  69 wins against just six losses.  He recorded 44 of his 69 victories by knockout.  Some of his notable wins as a champion came against Ken Norton to claim the championship, Mike Weaver, Earnie Shavers, Trevor Berbick, and of course, Muhammed Ali.

Holmes also gave Evander Holyfield, Ray Mercer, Carl Williams, Renaldo Snipes, Gerry Cooney, Tim Witherspoon, and David Bey, their first losses as professionals.

Holmes, always quick with a quote, talked with me about the current state of the heavyweight division, his relationship with Don King, and about how he is enjoying retirement.

Paneech:  Give me your opinion of the heavyweight division that we see today.

Holmes:  It sucks.  I don’t see anything happening when I watch these fights, they are very boring.  Not only that, but you never heard of any of the fighters.  It is very hard to watch.  It upsets me to turn on my television set and never be able to look forward to a good fight in that weight class.

Paneech:  How does that differ from the seventies and eighties when that was probably the most enjoyable weight class in boxing?

Holmes:  Well, the seventies and eighties are when the division was really good.  The fights were very enjoyable and everyone knew when the next fight was.  Nowadays, you don’t even know who won a fight three days after it happens.  We need heavyweights, the people want heavyweights.

Paneech:  So we are relegated to watching fighters who weigh less.  What fight do you want to see happen the most?

Holmes:  Everyone still wants to see Mayweather and Pacquaio fight.  When the talks start though, it always seem like it is all about Mayweather, and I think the people hate that.  That guy [Mayweather] is throwing his money around like there is no tomorrow.

Paneech:  Who was weirder?  Tex Cobb, Mike Tyson, or Oliver McCall?

Holmes:  (laughs) Tex Cobb would call me every day after we fought, I got sick of talking to him.  I liked him a lot as a fighter, and as a person, and feel that sometimes he was misunderstood.  Oliver McCall was someone who I never really got to know too well, and he had some well-publicized problems.  Tyson was not a bad guy, he just kicked my butt when I wasn’t ready for it.

Paneech:  In many of your pre-fight and post-fight interviews, the word money came out of your mouth.  What kind of things are you into to generate the money today?

Holmes:  I’m tired.  I am 63  years old and I have never quit pursuing my goals.  I am heavily involved in real estate right now, but I am trying to get out of it altogether, I am just tired.  I make appearances, but I really want to spend more time fishing.  That is what I really enjoy doing with my spare time.

Paneech:  In your book, you really take some shots at Don King, but you also claim that he made you a lot of money.  On the record, in this interview, I want your feelings on Don King.

Holmes:  Don King ain’t a bad guy.  He cut my earnings, but I don’t hold any hard feelings toward him.  It’s like this…  I did a job, he took money, probably more than he should have.  If I was supposed to get $10 million, I was lucky to get $6.5 million.  It happens and you can’t do much, you decide whether to take it or leave it.  King was a promoter, and he was good at it.

Paneech:  There was an incident (see video below) leading up to your fight with Trevor Berbick where you came out of a limousine through the sunroof, ran down the hood of the vehicle, and jumped off, kicking Berbick in the face.  What caused that?

Holmes:  He was talking a lot of shit.  He accused me of being with his wife.  His wife was merely the friend of a friend and nothing ever happened between us.  He wanted a fight, so I gave him one.  Leading up to the fight he took every opportunity he could to badmouth Larry Holmes and I just blew up.  After I beat him in the ring, he tried to get me going again, saying he deserved another fight, wasn’t happening.

Paneech:  One of your most admirable qualities is that you tell it like it is.  What is your biggest regret in life?

Holmes:  I don’t know if I have any regrets, I have had a pretty successful life.  I have learned good, bad, and ugly.  I have learned that promoters can love you, hate you, then love you again.

Paneech:  Who hit you harder?  Ali or Tyson?

Holmes:  Neither.  Kenny Norton hit me so hard that it still hurts.  Now there was a case of two fighters who did not like each other.

Paneech:  You were once quoted as saying that Rocky Marciano couldn’t hold your jockstrap.

Holmes:  The media loves to take things like that out of context.  There was no harm meant when I said that, but plenty of harm came from it.

Paneech:  With that being said, who was more annoying to you, Howard Cosell or Larry Merchant?

Holmes:  I liked Cosell.  I don’t like Larry Merchant.  He thinks he knows everything about a sport that he was never in.  He walks around with papers and studies what he writes, he just pisses you off.  I cursed him out once, and I told him that he was a phony.

One Word Answers With Larry Holmes

Favorite Meal of The Day:  Spaghetti, everyday — with sausage.

Favorite Sports Team:  Boston Celtics, and least favorite, the Miami Heat.  They think that their shit don’t stink.

Favorite Junk Food:  Watermelon.

Favorite Musician:  I sing in a band – so me.

Shows You Watch On TV:  NBA and The Price Is Right.

Biggest Phobia:  I’m afraid of my own shadow.

Typical Fast Food Order:  Chicken McNuggets with BBQ and Sweet and Sour sauces.

Worst Habit:  Drinking too much Budweiser when I get angry.

Jake Giuriceo has had a rough 2012 in the ring.  In his last fight, on December 1, at Mountaineer, “The Bull” lost a split decision to Peter Oluoch.  The two fighters butted heads, and the result was not only a loss in the record book, but perhaps a loss of a career as Giuriceo suffered a detached retina.

According to Giuriceo’s manager, Joe Corvino, the junior welterweight had successful surgery on Monday.  Unfortunately, as in the case of Sugar Ray Leonard, a detached retina is a tricky obstacle to overcome and Giuriceo has to be patient and follow the doctor’s orders before he will be cleared for in-ring action.

Giuriceo lost a unanimous decision on March 31 to Michael Clark in Columbus.  That was his first loss as a professional fighter.  With this most recent setback, his record now sits at 16-2-1.

Jake Giuriceo Is Meant For More, Courtesy of Alex Vo Films And Vimeo

Giuriceo is a very strong and spiritual individual and if anyone could come back from such an injury, my money would be on him pulling it off.  I have covered several boxers in this area and nobody works as hard as Giuriceo in the gym.

The video clip above is very telling of what Giuriceo has endured so far in his life.  He is now a married and responsible adult who has overcome adversity in every form.  He still has the potential to be a fresh breath of air in a sport filled with pollution and corruption.

I will pass along more details as I get them.

Youngstown State pushed their record to 7-2 on Sunday as they easily handled Division-III Wilmington College, 83-52.  The Penguins rode Monica Touvelle for 20, Brandi Brown for 17, and got 11 from Taylor Hvisdak (above), an undersized freshman from the undersized town of Lowellville.

In fact, about half of the paid attendance were Hvisdak’s relatives, Touvelle’s relatives, and friends from Lowellville.

“They support me every game and it was nice that they were in the stands today”, said Hvisdak.

If you were wondering, Wilmington is just to the Northeast of Cincinnati and if you are female, the first thing you receive at orientation is a basketball uniform.  The Quakers (6-3) had 24 players on their roster (19 dressed and played), and had won five in a row before dropping this one.

For YSU, it was a final tuneup heading into finals week and a meeting with #23 West Virginia next Sunday.

“It is a stressful week”, addd Hvisdak.  “All the teams are going through the same thing with finals.  We will be practicing hard though and getting ready for West Virginia. It is a big game for us.”

In the first half, Youngstown State raced out to an 11-2 lead as they hit three baskets from three-point range within the first three minutes.  The Penguins had the lead as high as 17 points in the half, but when the buzzer sounded to end the first twenty minutes, YSU was ahead 37-23.  Brandi Brown had 15 points and seven rebounds in the opening half.

Coach Bob Boldon took advantage of the padded advantage to use his bench throughout the contest.  Ashley Lawson, redshirted all of last season with a torn shoulder in two places, saw her first action as a Penguin.

In the second half, YSU kept Wilmington at arms length, maintaining between a 17 to 20 point advantage.  With 14:04 left in the game, Karen Flagg stole a pass and dribbled up the left side to find a hustling Hvisdak for a bucket that made it 47-31.  The layup accounted for Hvisdak’s first points as a Penguin, and she finished the game with eleven and emerged as a new weapon in Boldon’s growing arsenal.

Brown finished with 17 points and nine rebounds.  Flagg finished with nine points and five rebounds, and is looking more and more like a younger Brandi Brown each game, with the ability to be a difference-maker on both sides of the court.  Monica Touvelle was firing up threes and ended up making 6 of 9 attempts and finished with 20 points in all, to lead all scorers.

Liz Hornberger did not dress for the Penguins.

“Liz sitting was precautionary, we were resting her, and I expect her to play every other game from here on out”, said Boldon.

Wilmington got 11 points from Wippel Makenzie.

To think the Penguins would be 7-2 at this point of the season might have been a stretch for the casual fan.  In reality, they should be 8-1, and if you asked the players, they should be 9-0.  Credit to Boldon, his players, and his staff for really turning the program, well beyond respectability.  The Horizon League will surely take notice.

“I am happy we are 7-2.  We have only played three games at home.  Since the first week, I feel that we have shown significant improvement as players and as a team”, said Boldon.

Jerry Slocum launched a good coaching career at Geneva.  He won championships and solidified a small legacy as mentor of the Golden Tornadoes in his nine years at the helm.  Now in his eighth season at Youngstown State University, Slocum is starting to prosper.  On Thursday, his past was mismatched by his present as the Penguins coasted to a 93-50 win.

During a timeout with just over two minutes left in the game, the YSU public address announcer declared that Slocum had just moved into second place on the all-time wins list at YSU.

“I honestly did not know about that”, said Slocum.

The Penguins wasted little time racing out to a double-digit lead before halftime.  Blake Allen and Bobby Hain had ten points each in the opening half to propel YSU to a commanding 47-24 lead.  More impressively, the Penguins bench logged 29 first half minutes.

“I thought it was great to see our bench get a lot of playing time tonight.  They work very hard in practice and Bobby [Hain] is probably the best passer on the team and showed he can play inside or down low.  Everyone played well and I liked the business-like approach and unselfish play”, echoed Slocum.

One of the weirder statistics of the game was the fact that YSU only committed one foul in the first half.  They also scored twelve points off of Geneva turnovers and 24 points in the paint.

In the second half, Geneva felt the sting of the whole Penguin array.  There was a Kendrick Perry breakaway facial dunk.  There was a Shawn Amiker slam a couple of minutes later, and Damian Eargle swatting balls away like a Chinese ping-pong medalist.

On one hand, it was nice to see what the Penguins can do when firing on all cylinders, they are a very exciting basketball team when it all clicks.  On the other hand, it was a rewarding victory because the bench was able to get so many quality minutes.

At the 12:48 mark of the second, Ryan Weber had back-to-back breakaway steals for dunks to increase the Penguins lead to 74-32.  It was at that point of the game that Slocum pulled all of his starters to ensure good health and to keep the reserves active.

In the blowout win, the Penguins got balanced scoring.  Hain led the way with 16, Allen added 15, Perry had 11, and Amiker knocked in ten.  Eargle had five blocks for the Guins who improved to 5-4 on the season.

Geneva has a great story on their team.  Brian Rice, from New Castle, PA, is a 43-year old freshman for the Golden Tornadoes.  Rice did 20 years of active military duty and has enrolled at Geneva.  He made the basketball team and played very hard, even when the outcome had been determined.

Slocum talked about what it was like playing his past.

“It [Geneva] is a place I love.  I was there for nine years.  It is a wonderful school and I am glad we could help them a little and have them here.”

The Penguins next game is on Saturday at the Covelli Centre in the first game to be played off campus since 1972.  YSU will welcome Hiram to town for the experimental contest.  After the Hiram game, YSU heads back to the road after finals and will have to stash their Christmas presents on the bus with games at South Florida on the 18th and Bethune-Cookman on the 21st.

The Youngstown State women’s basketball team battled through 37 turnovers by shooting 50 percent and held on to beat IUPUI 58-57 on Monday evening at The Jungle.

Brandi Brown scored 25 points and grabbed 16 rebounds, and her 11th bucket of the night gave the Penguins their 58-57 lead with 1:27 left. That was the game’s final score, but there was plenty of drama in the final 87 seconds.

Kerah Nelson missed two free throws for IUPUI with 29 seconds left, but the Jaguars got the offensive rebound. Heidi Schlegel forced a tie-up to give YSU possession, but Schlegel missed the front end of a one-and-one with 13 seconds remaining. IUPUI called timeout to draw up a play for Nelson, but the fifth-year senior missed the go-ahead attempt in traffic.

Liz Hornberger scored all of her 11 points in the first half, including eight in just over two minutes. She played all 40 minutes. Schlegel added 11 points off the bench in 28 minutes. Brown was 11-for-16 from the field, and YSU made 23-of-46 from the field. The Penguins were an efficient 6-for-11 from 3-point range.

The Penguins are 6-1 for the first time since the 1997-98 season and improved to 4-1 on the road.

YSU out-rebounded the Jaguars 47-22, which helped offset the Penguins’ turnovers.  Still, the Jaguars attempted 17 more field goals and six more free throws than the Penguins. YSU was averaging 14.8 turnovers per game and had a high of 19 through the first six games.

Youngstown State will remain on the road to play at Cincinnati on Wednesday at 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on 570 WKBN.

Youngstown State University took advantage of a great defensive effort and got more than enough offense in a 76-43 win over Stony Brook.  The win gives the Lady Penguins five in the month of November, only the second time that has been done in school history.  It was also the largest margin of victory since the ’06-07 Penguins campaign.

In the first half, no Penguin had double digits in the points department, but YSU had six players with at least three points.  Brandi Brown had nine to lead the way.  Karen Flagg was a force on the boards with six first half rebounds, four were on offense.

Defensively, the Penguins forced Stony Brook into shooting less than 35% in the first half.  YSU was also able to convert ten turnovers into 13 points and the Penguins held a comfortable 33-24 lead.

in the second half, the Lady Penguins exploded out of the gate with a 9-0 run to push the lead to 42-24.  Liz Hornberger hit her fourth three-point basket of the game to encapsulate the nine point outburst that covered just the first minute-and-a-half of the second stanza.

“Nobody practices shooting more than Liz and Brandi during our practice weeks”, said Boldon.  “It is encouraging to see those two team leaders also step out and take charges.  They have been fantastic vocal leaders whether they go 5-10 or 0-10.”

The Penguins (5-1) pushed the lead to 22 with 11:02 left in the game when Heidi Schlegel hit a pair of free throws.  Brandi Brown made it a 62-36 lead with exactly eight minutes left when she went the length of the court and made a nice layup while contested by to Stony Brook defenders.

As good as YSU looked, Coach Boldon will surely find something that he feels the team needs to improve on, it is the approach he has to coaching.  One thing this YSU team will not be is complacent.

The Penguins got 15 from Hornberger who finished the game 5-9 from three-point land.  Brown played solid, again, contributing 13 points, four rebounds, and being a force on both sides of the court. Karen Flagg (above) played like a mini Brandi Brown as she snared eight rebounds and had nine points.  Schlegel tacked on 14 more points for the potent Penguins offense.

“I’m angry that we are 5-1, we should be 6-0”, said Hornberger.  “We are celebrating winning the rebounding edge 34-33, it doesn’t happen as much as we would like.”

Stony Brook’s leading scorer was Jessica Previlon who knocked in 13 points.  This team was not chopped liver.  They entered the game with three wins in their last four contests.

YSU heads to the road for games with IUPUI and Cincinnati next week.

The transformation that Bob Boldon and his staff have made in three years is beyond comprehension.  Boldon took over a team that went 0-30 the year before he took over and has gradually built a powerful program comprised of mostly undersized sharpshooters who now have the right mindset and work ethic to compile a winning season.

Leading the path for this years Lady Penguins team is Brandi Brown, one last time. Brown will break more records during the season before departing, but she has proven in the past few seasons that she would trade every individual accolade she ever received for her teams success.

Having that weapon one last time, does Boldon feel a sense of urgency to win this season?

“You try to win as many games as you can every year and it is a process”, said Boldon. “There may be a sense of urgency in Brandi.  She is definitely playing the best basketball I have ever seen her play.  She will definitely be missed, and it is exciting to coach somebody that talented who is working as hard as she is right now.”

Paneech:  Now in your third season, where do you feel you have taken this program?

Boldon:  Offensively, we are significantly better than we were at this time two years ago. You can assume that we will score some points, but the question is, can we play good enough defense to win some games?  That was our point of emphasis all Summer.  I think we are in a situation now that we are taking defense as seriously now, as we took offense in the past.

Paneech:  Is it realistic to assume this team should win 15 to 20 games this season?

Boldon:  I have never sat down with our staff and projected how many games we could win.  We try to win every game.  Now, we probably wont go undefeated this year, but by saying you will win 15 games, you are also assuming that you will lose 15 games.  I can’t prepare our kids properly if I think it is a game that we can’t win.

Paneech:  All kinds of new faces here this year, as well as some faces that are no longer around.  Discuss the turnover within your program.

Boldon:  The new kids have brought a plethora of new things.  We got a little bit quicker, a little bit taller, and a little bit more basketball savvy.  I think we became a better basketball team, which was the goal when we were recruiting.  We had gaps to fill, and I think we did a good job filling them.  Once everything gels and the new kids start to learn everything that we are teaching, they will blend with the veterans we have who already understand the system.  The new kids are very athletic and have added a fun dimension to our practices.

Paneech:  What is the strength of this team and what needs developed?

Boldon:  Our biggest strength is Brandi.  You get a player who can score, rebound, pass the ball, and play defense.  She epitomizes what we are trying to do.  Those things I mentioned  are things we are working on with everybody and every practice – to make them better shooters and passers, and to play better defense and get rebounds.  I would be doing someone who is shooting pretty good a huge disservice if I said ‘that is good enough’.  43% from three isn’t good enough, we have to try to get to 45, or 47, or 52.  Constantly raise the bar.

Paneech:  So, at this level, no matter how good something is, you convince your players that it could be better?

Boldon:  Absolutely.  That is how we do it.  We meet weekly and talk about player development as a staff.  Monica (Touvelle) shot 69 out of 75 from the three-point line at practice the other day.  It doesn’t leave a lot of room for improvement, but we will encourage her to strive for 70.  They really want to be challenged and they will fight you sometimes, but you can never get complacent.

Paneech:  The league is tough, how can you keep the team focused throughout the season?

Boldon:  Last year, we played Green Bay as tough as anybody in the conference.  There was a confidence and the returners have done a good job keeping that mentality and keeping that edge.  The new kids are starting to buy into it.  It is never going to be beautiful, but there is a strong level of competitiveness, which to me, is really, really exciting.

Paneech:  With Butler dropping out of the league and the schedule falling to pieces with little time to fix it, how challenging was it to find the games?

Boldon:  It’s difficult for Coach Jackson and I, as we share the making of the schedule responsibilities.  We don’t share that information with the kids until it is the right time, and really, they just want to know what time practice is and what time the bus is leaving.  We have most of next year scheduled already.  For Coach Jackson, it creates headaches to space games.  He did a nice job putting it together.

Paneech:  Two Big East teams and a Big-12 team on the schedule this season.  Two years ago, no shot, but this year can they all be wins?

Boldon:  Two years ago, I think we would have been intimidated.  This year, we are a lot better suited for those types of challenges.  These teams are incredibly more athletic than us, and certainly taller than us.  The taller than us thing is something we have learned to deal with.

Paneech:  What is harder?  Trying not to be embarrassed every game in your first season, or in your third year to win every game?

Boldon:  The first year is worse.  This team is getting really close to being really good.  We are getting more consistent.  We encourage and challenge the kids to work their hardest and to make the people in this city proud to say this is their team.

I think they get it done this season.  Credit Boldon and staff for mandating a system that yields positive results.  I will be opposite the preseason pollsters who picked this team to finish eighth and say these girls will win 20 games.  18 in the regular season and two more in the tournament.  They can shoot and are fearless – a basketball coaches dream.

Youngstown State was glad to be playing anywhere but Pittsburgh, and seven days off meant a well-rested team could handle some overtime.  Unfortunately for the Penguins (3-4), Kent State was up to the challenge and came out on the right end of a very competitive basketball game, 85-78.  The Penguins demise in the game was a 4-20 shooting performance from three-point range.

“We had chances in a hard fought ball game, but we did not shoot well from three and we are not playing good in big moments”, said Jerry Slocum.

In the overtime, both teams lit it up, but a three-point play by Kent’s Darren Goodson with 2:21 left gave the Flashes (5-2) a 78-74 lead.  After cutting it to a two-point game, the Penguins threw the ball out of bounds and had to go into foul mode.  Kent State did well to convert and hold a lead.

The Penguins and the Golden Flashes played a pretty even first half.  YSU got ten points from Damian Eargle and ten more from Kendrick Perry (above) in the opening stanza.  KSU got nine apiece from Mark Henninger and Randal Holt, but it was the Penguins who headed into the locker room ahead, 36-34.

Kent State used a 13-3 run to open the second half.  Holt knocked down a three which gave the Flashes their largest lead in the contest at 47-39 with 16:14 left to play in the game.  Kamren Belin cut the lead to 47-43 with just over 15 minutes to go on a nice drive from the right of the paint, in.

Perry than did what he does best, throw the Penguins on his back for a stretch of time when everything seems to be going wrong.  First Perry hit a three to make it 49-46, and on the next possession, he hit a runner straight down the lane to trim the Kent lead to one.  Perry then hit a three with 12:14 left in the game to give YSU a 51-50 lead.

DJ Cole (above) gave the Penguins a spark when he grabbed  rebound and went the length of the floor, finishing his drive with a wicked crossover dribble.  The basket pulled the Penguins to within one at 59-58 with just over eight minutes to play.

With 5:37 left in the game, the Penguins tied the game at 63 when Blake Allen knocked down a three with a hand in his face. The next basket either team would score came at the 2:36 mark, three minutes later, when Eargle connected on a pair of free throws that gave YSU a 65-63 lead.

Melvin Tabb completed the traditional three-point play to put Kent back on top.  Belin would tie things up on a free throw with 1:14 left.  Kent got the ball in a tie game with 26 seconds left,and after a timeout, failed to convert forcing an overtime.

“We have played a lot of really good teams”, added Slocum.  ” I do feel like we have beaten ourselves in each loss though.”

YSU was paced by Perry who finished with 26 points.  Eargle finished up with 18 points and 10 rebounds, and Allen chipped in 12.

“They made a couple more plays then we did”, said Perry.  “We have to get better at finishing games.”

Kent State got a good night out of Chris Evans who finished with 24 points.

Liz Hornberger scored a career-high 18 points, and the Youngstown State women’s basketball team scored 51 points on 63.6-percent shooting in the second half to defeat Miami (Ohio) 76-56 on Sunday at Millett Hall.

The Penguins improved to 4-0 for the first time since the 1996-97 season and won at Miami for the first time since 1979. The RedHawks appeared in the WNIT last season and were picked to win the East Division of the Mid-American Conference prior to this year.

Hornberger scored 12 of her points in the second half, and Heidi Schlegel scored all 12 of her points in the second half in her first game of the season. Brandi Brown added 18 points while Shar’Rae Davis had 12 points and Karen Flagg finished with a career-best 10.

Courtney Osborn finished with 15 points to lead Miami, which dropped to 3-2.

Following a sloppy first half that saw the teams tied at 25 after 27 combined turnovers, Youngstown State scored 13 points in the first 4:14 of the second half to go up 38-30. Jessica Rupright made a bucket for Miami to cut the deficit to six, but Hornberger answered with her second triple of the period to start a five-point run for the Penguins. The RedHawks did not get closer than eight the rest of the game.

Youngstown State will remain on the road to play Northern Kentucky on Tuesday at 7 p.m.

Youngstown State senior women’s basketball player Brandi Brown has been named the Horizon League Co-Player of the Week for the period ending Nov. 18, the conference office announced on Monday.

Brown averaged 25 points and 17 rebounds in leading the Penguins to victories over Buffalo and Bryant last week. She registered game highs of 24 points and 15 rebounds at Buffalo while adding three assists and three steals. She had 14 points and eight rebounds in the first half alone. Brown then improved to 26 points and a career-high-tying 19 rebounds against Bryant in the Penguins’ home opener on Sunday. She had 20 points and 13 rebounds in the second half against the Bulldogs.

Brown is the League’s Player of the Week for the fourth time in her career and for the first time since her sophomore year. So far this season, the native of Pomona, Calif., is averaging 22 points and 15 rebounds in helping the Penguins to their first 3-0 start since 1999.

Brown shared the weekly honor with Shareta Brown from Detroit.

The Penguins will head back on the road to play at Miami (Ohio) on Sunday at 2 p.m.