Posts Tagged ‘Jack Loew’

The standing-room only crowd at the Saxon Club was treated to a tremendous night of amateur boxing.  Jack Loew deserves a lot of credit for assembling such a great array of talent from all over the State of Ohio.

The main event featured a rematch between Popo Salinas and Jeremy Abrams.  Salinas, the crowned jewel of Loew’s fortified stable, had a rough one.  Abrams showed up as tough as Loew advertised him to be.  The two fighters exchanged solid blows in the first round.

In the second round, Abrams floored Salinas with a clean shot after taking some of Popo’s best shots.  Salinas got up and the bell rung seconds later.

In the final round, Salinas couldn’t make up the difference and Abrams earned a hard-fought decision.

Undercard Results

131 Marty Adams Decision Over Isaiah Archie

61 Tyshawn Dension Decision Over Chris Daniels

109 Carlos Figuoria TKO Terrance Graves (2nd)

87 Devion Daniels Decision Over Island Archie

151 Dominic Rogers TKO Dale Harrison (2nd, Retired)

123 Killion Santiago Decision Over Colton Elzer

160 K’Marr Cooper Decision Over Jack Trickett

189  Steve Spinelli Decision Over Brian Meyer

190 Demarkus Minter KO Octavius Webb (2)

158 Dwayne Rosebury Decision Over Lavelle Hadley

153 David Rodriguez Decision Over Ronnie Hamayle

Vic Toney (above, left), of the South Side Boxing Club, and Jose Rodriguez of Akron had a war at the 165-pound weight class.  Rodriguez’ father called Jack Loew asking for a rematch of Toney from last year feeling his son was slighted on the decision.  After this battle, Loew’s phone won’t be ringing with that demand again for awhile.  Toney looked like Sugar Ray Leonard dodging the punches thrown by Rodriguez.  He also landed quite a few of his own in picking up an impressive win.

Call Jack Loew grandma.  Loew has been preparing Alejandro “Popo” Salinas for bigger things for years.  There is no hurry, Salinas is still in high school, still fighting as an amateur, and like grandma’s sauce, is getting the right seasoning to be perfect when it is ready.

Salinas will headline Loew’s annual Southside Boxing Club show at the Saxon Club this Saturday as he faces Cleveland’s Jeremy Abrams in the 132-pound main event.  Salinas and Abrams have faced each other before with Salinas garnering a three round decision.  That fight took place in Cleveland in a higher-level tournament.

“We picked Abrams to fight Popo because he poses a good threat as a boxer”, said Loew.  “He is very composed and well-rounded and I want to see how Popo reacts to someone that can box with the skill set that Abrams has.  If he chooses to bang with Popo it could be a long night, but we feel he will box and force Popo to work.  It should be a great fight.”

About this time next year, Loew said Salinas might be making a move to go professional with one thing that may delay the process.

“If the US Olympic team wants to taste the sauce that I have been preparing, we may let them have some”, joked Loew in reference to my grandma  – sauce analogy.

“In all likelihood, he will go fight in the Cleveland Golden Gloves Tournament, and if he wins there, he will advance to the National Golden Gloves.  There are other events he will participate in such as the PAL and Ringside National Tournament before we will make a decision about his future.”

Loew has four fighters from Hubbard on the card.  Brothers Chris Danials (63 pounds) and Devion Danials (84 pounds) will be in action.  Jack Trickett, a YSU freshman who played soccer in Hubbard, will face K’Marr Cooper in a 164-pound clash.

“Trickett is a great athlete”, commented Loew.  “He has those big soccer legs and is training hard.”

In his boxing debut, Dale Harrison, the fourth Hubbard Eagle on the card, will face Dominic Rogers of Cleveland in a 153-pound clash.

Lavelle Hadley and Vic Toney, two more of Loew’s fighters will face tough challenges on the card.  Hadley is facing Dwayne Rosebury and trying to find his way in the open division, a higher skill level for amateur boxing.  Toney, meanwhile will face Jose Rodriguez.  Toney only fought three novice bouts before Loew decided to press him into the open category.  Rodriguez has about 80 fights in the open division.

“Those two [Toney and Rodriguez] fought already with Toney winning a close decision”, remarked Loew.  “I got a call from Rodriguez’ father asking for a rematch which is all Vic had to hear.  It will be another solid fight.”

Willie Nelson, a winner on ESPN’s Friday Night Fights will be in attendance with his belt.  Nelson is looking at a June 1 HBO contest against a yet-to-be-determined opponent as he continues his escalation in the junior middleweight division.

Proceeds of the card help offset expense of the Southside Boxing Club for equipment, trip planning, and as Loew joked, ‘that damn six-hundred dollar gas bill I get every month’.

The doors of the Saxon Club open at 6 with the first bell to ring at 7:30.  General admission tickets are $15, ringside tables for eight can be purchased for $300 and half tables will also be offered.  Contact Loew at 330-501-5713 to purchase tickets.

Willie Nelson will get a shot in the arm this Friday on ESPN’s Friday Night Fights. Nelson (19-1-1, 11 KO’s) will face Michael Medina at the MGM Grand Foxwoods in Connecticut.  The winner of this fight will get a shot against an elimination match winner with a potential title at stake.

Nelson last fought on September 15, winning a unanimous decision against previously unbeaten John Jackson in Las Vegas, will be representing Youngstown as he has been training at the Southside Boxing Club for just over a year.

Jack Loew calls his latest big-timer a gym rat and says he is very easy to train and will even run, lift, and do the things that some fighters try to sneak out of without supervision or being told to.

“He has had a great training camp”, remarked Loew.  “He knows what is at stake and is very eager to win.  He had some excellent sparring to get ready for this fight and has faced a few different capable sparring partners to prepare.”

Loew pointed out that Medina has three losses and two of them are to Vanes Matirosyan and John Duddy.  Matirosyan just fought a draw with Erislandy Lara, who will be in the eliminator fight against a yet-to-be named opponent.

“He is a tough kid who I think will be fighting with a sense of urgency like he knows he has to win this fight.”

If Nelson can win, the #5 ranked WBC light middleweight will vault up to at least #3 in the rankings because one of the fighters in the eliminator match will lose.

Jack Loew is putting on his 24th Annual Thanksgiving Feast boxing card.  This year, things are a little bit different.  The show was usually held the Wednesday night before Thanksgiving Day in the past, but was moved to a Saturday this year.

“As we all get older, we have children and grandchildren to spend time with around the holidays”, said Loew.  “So this year we are having the show on a Saturday night, but we are keeping the Thanksgiving theme alive.”

Popo Salinas was originally scheduled to fight Romero Hernandez of Cleveland, but Hernandez has pulled out of the fight.  Loew, scrambling madly, has found a worthy opponent after spending his entire Thursday on the phone.

The new opponent will weigh in around 150 pounds, much heavier than Salinas, who fights at 132 pounds.  Christian Maynor, a two-time Golden Gloves champion has been named the new opponent, probably a harder foe for the fast-rising Salinas.

The show will start at 7 pm and the doors of St. Lucy’s Hall in Campbell will open at 6 pm.  There are 15 bouts confirmed to take place on the card.

Loew will also corner members of his gym.  Vic Toney, Lavelle Hadley, Vince Hadley, and Chris Daniels will all get a chance to showcase their skills on the card.

Daniels is a 64-pounder from Hubbard, Ohio making his debut.

General Admission tickets are only $15 and ringside will sell for $25.

Popo Salinas is headed for bigger roads soon, real soon.  The Youngstown native and future East High School senior had a tough opponent in Lucian Clinkscale, but he was able to still impress the standing room only crowd at the Saxon Club with a convincing first round knockout.

Salinas entered the ring in a full camo outfit (below), and fought like he was in a war.  Salinas knocked Clinkscale down three times in the first round.  The third time, right at the three-minute mark, would end the fight.

“Lucian Clinkscale has probably fought the top four or five kids in the country, and he has never been stopped like this”, said Jack Loew.  “For a young 17-year old to come in here and knock him out cold says a lot not only about his strength, but where he will be in this sport very soon.”

Salinas is headed to Kansas City to compete in the Ringside National Tournament later this year.  If this fight was a tune-up, Salinas ran great.

Legendary Youngstown former champion, Greg Richardson, is Clinkscale’s uncle.  Richardson, who I have gotten to know better as a teammate in a nine-ball league, sat with us at ringside for the quick win.  After the first knockdown, Richardson leaned over and quietly whispered, “Man, this Salinas kid is good, it’s gonna be a long night for my nephew.”

Chronologically, Richardson could not have been any more off as the fight only went three minutes.

“It was a great night”, said Salinas.  “I really feel good right now and tonight makes me proud of how working hard at the gym is paying off.  I will continue to work as hard as I can to get ready for the Ringside Tournament and I will do my best to make Youngstown proud.”

Salinas has developed quite a following for a 17-year old amateur.  The crowd reacted almost every time he landed something and the three-minute battle provided plenty of electricity.

If Loew had his way, Salinas would be on HBO next week.  “The kid hits harder than most 30-year olds, he is ready to face men as he makes the transition to manhood.  His skills are so well developed and I can’t wait to see what his limits really are.”

The Saxon Club was the setting for the 5^th Annual Bob Roth Amateur Boxing Show.  Jack Loew promotes the show in honor of Roth who Loew claims, “did more than anyone could ever imagine” for the Youngstown boxing scene.  A good turnout of people came to the event which raises money for Loew to pay entrance fees and transportation costs to amateur national tournaments.

This year, Loew will take Popo Salinas, Lavelle Hadley, and Derrick Eggleston to Kansas City, Missouri to compete in the Ringside National Tournament later this year.

“Fighting against graduations, weddings, and vacations, I am really happy to pull in a standing-room only crowd in the middle of the Summer”, said Loew.

One of the three headed to Kansas City, Derrick Eggleston, has not been boxing very long, this was only his second fight, but he looked like a seasoned veteran for the majority of his fight.  Eggleston (below, right) is grateful for the opportunity to compete in the National tournament in just a few weeks.

“It’s going to be a good experience going to Kansas City, if I do well, we will talk it over and maybe turn pro”, said Eggleston.  “I’m going to push myself in the gym to make a statement at that tournament, to win the whole thing.”

“Lavelle [Hadley] is a boxer, he can fight.  We just have to eliminate some of his lazy tendencies.  Derrick [Eggleston] is raw and strong and doesn’t look like a kid who has only had one fight, I think he will do fine in the novice division”, remarked Loew.

The results of the undercard were as follows:

133 – Jimez Mire (Cleveland) stopped Chris Miller (SSBC) TKO 3^rd round

71  – Derrick King (Cleveland) def. Chanze Kelly (SSBC) decision

80 – Christian Archer (Cleveland) def. Davion Daniels (SSBC) decision

152 – Darien Wilder (Cleveland) def. John Gregory (SSBC) decision

Sup Hvy – Shawn Edge (Youngstown) def. John McNeil (Cleveland) decision

152 – Cody Luckey (SSBC) def. Devon Johnson (Cleveland) decision

183 – Derrick Eggleston (SSBC) def. Quincy Mitchell (Cleveland) decision

152 –  Ronnie Hamayle (SSBC) def. Dan Rozenburger (Burnside) decision

152 – Lavelle Hadley (SSBC) def. Miguel Acevado (Youngstown) decision

Bedford Trails in Coitsville will be the setting this Saturday for the Second Annual Southside Boxing Club Golf Scramble.  The event kicks off at 1:30 and there are still a couple of openings for teams.

The scramble format competition, created by gym owner Jack Loew, covers fees for the Southside Boxing Club to take fighters to national tournaments.  This year, Loew will escort Popo Salinas to the Ringside World Amateur Tournament, and entrance fees, travel costs, and lodging are not free, so part of the proceeds will cover some of those expenses.

“I pay my bills, it’s no secret that I do a lot of blacktop work and pay the bills”, said Loew.  “People should know where the money goes for this event, and it is a great thing for kids like Popo, giving them a chance to fight the best in the world.  This kind of fund raiser allows the trip to happen.”

The cost to play in the outing is $85 per player based on a four-person team, or $320 per team.  The fee includes food on the turn and a great meal at the end of the scramble.  Also included are 18 holes and a riding cart and refreshments to be carted around by some friends of the cause.

When I talked with Kelly Pavlik about writing an article focusing on athletes dealing with adversity, he could have easily dodged the conversation knowing I would have had a million other things to ask him.  However, the former champion embraced the idea and gave me very honest and well-thought out answers.

It wasn’t all that long ago that Pavlik shocked the boxing world and pulled himself up nearing a ten-count to storm back and beat Jermaine Taylor.  Many years later, Pavlik has found himself trying to get up from a different ten-count, the soap opera that his life was becoming.  Pavlik couldn’t sneeze and wipe his nose properly before one of his many critics would verbally insult him.

After the first Taylor victory (he beat him twice), Pavlik couldn’t walk into a bar where people would not be lined up waiting for their chance to buy the new champ a drink. The new champ, by the way, was barely of legal drinking age.  Most guys his age have the same trips and frequent the same places, they just don’t take the same criticism for doing any of it.

After a loss to Bernard Hopkins, Pavlik may have turned to the bottle for comfort to ease his mind.  Still not 25 years old, the pressure associated with the fame he was garnering might stress any mortal out a bit.  After this loss, the bar crowd, some of the die hard fans who rode his coattails, and even people he thought he could trust started yapping about what a big problem Pavlik had, how he was just an alcoholic, or how his best days were behind him.

“You really learn a lot about your friends and family during a period like that”, said Pavlik.  “People you thought you could trust, people you thought had your back no matter what, you hear things and are shocked to hear where others got their information, and it isn’t even accurate most of the time.”

Pavlik has faced plenty of adversity included a well-documented trip to rehab, a family squabble with his brother, a bitter separation from longtime trainer Jack Loew, and everybody running their mouth as fast as they could about what the former champions next gaffe would be.

So how does The Ghost deal with these issues?

“Adversity is a tough thing, really tough”, commented Pavlik.  “Everyone will have something in their life that they need to deal with, and we all know I have had my share.  Getting through the tough times are something you have to find within yourself.  I did a lot of soul searching these past couple of years and what matters most to me are my wife and kids, my family, and my friends.  For those fans that have stuck by my side, I am truly grateful and hope to make them happy again real soon.”

Pavlik still considers Youngstown home, but is now training under Robert Garcia in California.  He has a fight coming up on ESPN in just a couple of weeks against someone who typifies exposing the adversity of someone else when they are down.  Scott “Cujo” Sigmon (22-3, 12 KO’s) has drawn the ire of Pavlik with his tireless self-promoting rants on Facebook and to any media outlet that would listen.

“He made this personal, and I wanted this fight really bad.  I don’t think he has been in the ring with a fighter of my caliber yet and I am going to show up ready, I really want to shut him up live and in-person.  He is going to feel it when I hit him.”

As Pavlik trains for the fight, rumors are already circulating that with a good performance, The Ghost can look forward to a big-time fight in September or October either on HBO or on a Pay-Per-View card.  He returned to California a couple of weeks early to start training and to promote himself as a rekindled spirit in a sport that buries itself in adversity.

“I have made some mistakes and I am in a much better place in my life right now.  I feel great and I am rededicated to the sport of boxing.  I will be making a lot of noise in the near future and I can’t wait to prove my critics wrong again.”

After all of the trash talking, a couple of good fighters met in Connecticut for the NABF Championship.  Hank Lundy (22-1-1) got the best of Dannie Williams (21-2) in an entertaining slugfest of a main event on national television.

Williams got out of the gate fast with a knockdown, putting Lundy on the canvas in the first round.  However, Lundy, who is used to getting off of the canvas and finishing strong, dominated the middle rounds with a good jab and got the decision.

Williams was bleeding around the nose after the first, but scored a 10-8 round with the knockdown.  The second round, on my card, was even.  Lundy probably took the lead on the judges cards in about the fifth round and never really looked back.

The judges scored the fight 98-91, 97-92, and 97-92 for Lundy who came away with the unanimous decision.

The upsetting part of the whole night was the rotten commentary of the ESPN2 announce team.  Between rounds seven and eight coming back from a commercial, the announcers said, “This is why Lundy will win this fight”, as they showed him throw four jabs, landing one of them.  Very critical and obviously had some cash on Lundy.  In fact, Teddy Atlas and Joe Tessitore should try to be a little less presumptuous.

“He is the boss”, said Tessitore.  “Lundy is the boss and he has Williams working for him right now.”

Maybe they should quit crying about the controversy in boxing and focus on being a little more unbiased.

Give Williams an A for effort, he hung with a champion and even knocked him down.  He will be back in action soon.

Last August, Dannie Williams was fighting outside in the parking lot of the Covelli Centre.  In that bout against a journeyman named Oscar Cuero, Williams struggled. He fought a good fight, but his hair kept getting into his face, blinding him from oncoming punches.  By the sixth round, his trainer, Jack Loew, grabbed a roll of white athletic tape and turned his fighter into Gene Simmons.  Williams went on to win the fight.

As you can see by the picture, the hair is gone.  One must wonder if that was by Williams’ choice or if Loew slid the barber an extra twenty to lower the blade a bit. Either way, Williams (21-1, 17 KO’s) faces his toughest challenge to date in Hank Lundy (21-1-1, 11 KO’s) on Friday night in Connecticut at the Foxwoods MGM.  The fight will be nationally televised on ESPN2’s Friday Night Fights.

Williams, since the Cuero fight, has had a couple of tune-ups and stayed very active to set up this payday.  Now fighting out of the DiBella camp, a win could spell even bigger things like HBO in June.

“He brings some skills to the table, but he also brings the NABF title to the table”, said Williams.  “This is also a WBA eliminator, so something big can happen for the winner.”

“From here on out, every fight is the biggest fight of my career.  To beat Lundy, I want to score a knockout.  I will test his heart, if he can stand there and take the pressure, then this main event fight might go longer than I want it to, but I see a knockout, and it comes free with the basic cable.”

Williams is starting to get some national recognition.  Call it stronger promoting, better exposure, and defeating quality opponents the last few times out.  He has earned this chance and is anxious to be impressive and look like the more dominant fighter.

“I am real humble”, said Williams.  “However, after March 30, the fan base is gonna get real big.  Everything is going great and I am focused.  I got a nutritionist now, I am eating three times a day, just not eating the same stuff anymore, and I feel a difference, I feel much stronger.”

“It’s on…  I promise you wont want to miss it!”