Posts Tagged ‘Jack Loew’

Anthony Pietrantonio is finally getting a big venue break.  Pietrantonio will challenge undefeated Light Heavyweight Prospect, Sean Monaghan at Madison Square Garden this Saturday, October 22.  Monoghan is 9-0 with 6 KO’s but is the style of fighter that Pietrantonio can match up with.

“He is from Ireland, and those guys draw big, especially in New York”, said Pietrantonio of his opponent.

“He fights my style, very straight-forward, and to be honest with you, he doesn’t look any tougher than the last guy I fought.”

The scheduled six-round fight is part of the undercard featuring the main event of Nonito Donaire (26-1) against Omar Andes Narvaez (35-0), a couple of big name bantamweights.

Pietrantonio is thrilled about the chance to fight at The Garden.

“It is going to be awesome., it’s the biggest stage in the world and it is very historical and exciting”, claimed the underdog.  “I want to deliver and put on an awesome show.  I rise to the occasion when I get chances like this and have a habit of fighting to the ability of my opponent.”

Pietrantonio (7-7, 6 KO) has been training with Jack Loew after switching gyms.  He won his last fight at the Covelli Centre and ended a skid of consecutive losses that had him questioning his future in the sport of boxing.  The 34-year old feels like he is on the right track and wants to make the most of the opportunity.

“This is a great opportunity to showcase my skills”, said Pietrantonio.  “I am the underdog, no doubt about it.  People see my record and think that this will not be much of a fight.  I can’t wait to show the ‘experts’ who I am and why I am in that fight.”

Results from the fight will be posted when I get them Saturday night. Good Luck Anthony!

Anthony Pietrantonio is not a household name in the boxing world.  In fact, few reading this story have much of an idea of who he is or what he has done. Pietrantonio (7-7) made a positive impression on me when he fought on the Ghost Production card at the Covelli Centre on July 3.  He didn’t dominate the fight and was woozy by the end, but he showed some serious heart and guts staying up and continuing to throw punches against his opponent, Randy Campbell.  The guy looks like a fighter.  He has hit a good spot, switching over to Jack Loew’s Southside Boxing Club, and he may have better days in what he is calling ‘one last good run’.

Paneech: Your last fight was a slugfest.  No clinching, no tying up the opponent either way, just straight bombs from bell-to-bell and round-to-round.  Do you always fight that way?

Pietrantonio: I was more or less fighting that guy’s [Campbell] style.  It fell into his style, I wanted to make it a show so I slugged it out with him.  I feel like I fought down to his level and against a higher quality opponent, I would fight a higher quality style.

Paneech: You were training somewhere else, had a six-fight losing streak, and end up here with Jack Loew.   Has a change in scenery helped your career?

Pietrantonio: Me being here with Jack has helped a lot.  He stays on me to do what I have to do both in the gym and on the road.  The other gym, I had to work a job and was only training maybe two or three days a week.  I would get the call for a fight on a week or two of notice, and it would be pretty good money, so I would take it.  My age is rising and the opportunities are decreasing.  I was fortunate to be picked up by a sponsor who basically gives me money and allows me to focus on boxing more than working.

Paneech: Talk about how your age [Pietrantonio is 33] can effect things and how hard of a push you can really give because in some circles that is considered old for a boxer.

Pietrantonio: There was a point where I thought I peaked, but I am wondering if I have even found my true potential yet.  I was 5-0 to start my career.  I had a setback and got myself into a little bit of trouble.  When all that was behind me, I started back up and the opportunities were scarce because I had to work.  I am pushing myself harder than ever right now and feel like I am finally approaching a level where I can win consistently.

Paneech: Moving forward, can Jack make you a more polished fighter?

Pietrantonio: I definitely think so.  There are a lot of different guys in this gym, so I am getting many different looks.  The other gym, I was sparring the same people every day.  My first fight was against a guy named Henry White Jr., who had like 160 amateur fights and he beat me, but after the fight which I did well in, I was commended and learned that White was a five-time Golden Gloves champion.

Paneech: You said there was a point where you had to go work, what was it you did?

Pietrantonio: I was doing heating work.  Heating and air conditioning.  I did insulation, put furnaces in, installed air conditioning units, basically anything I had to so I could have some money.  I could have been on a job someday for ten hours, which would mean no training because I didn’t have the time.  I feel good knowing I don’t have to rely on that anymore.  I love doing this.  I started when I was about 20.  I was a friend of a guy who boxed named Willie Phillips, and after I went to the gym once with him, I was hooked and knew it was what I wanted.

Paneech: How far can you go with this?

Pietrantonio: I’m ready to go all the way!  If it takes me somewhere, then great, so be it.  If not, at least I know that I tried and put everything into it.  There is no doubt in my mind I am ready for anything.  I fought James McGirt Jr. and would have gotten some national recognition if I would have won, but I only trained two weeks for that fight.  Six of my seven wins are by knockout, I just have to put it all together.

Paneech: What is the dream fight for you at 175-pounds?

Pietrantonio: I was supposed to fight Andre Ward before I got into some trouble.  I have seen him go down a few times and thought I had at least a shot at winning against him.  If I were to catch Ward, and he goes down, he will stay down.  I would like to have that opportunity back someday.  I like to watch Miguel Coto.  He is like me, he doesn’t talk much and fights hard.

Paneech: Did you play any sports at Sharon High School?

Pietrantonio: I played midget football and later was active with track and field.  I ran the 100, 200, and 400.  I ran the 100 in about eleven seconds.  When I am not in the gym now, I still concentrate on training.  I have two girls I look out for and I like to spend time with them on the weekends.

One Word Answers

Favorite Meal of The Day: Dinner – Spaghetti.

Biggest Phobia: Drowning.

Worst Habit: Not running enough.

Favorite TV Show: Sopranos.

Favorite Drink: Fruit Punch Gatorade.

Fast Food Order: Big Mac Value Meal, Fries, and a Coke.

Favorite Candy: Snickers.

Best Boxing Movie Ever: Raging Bull.

Person You Are Closest With: Darnell Boone.

Favorite Team: Pittsburgh Steelers.

Musical Preference: Godsmack, newer metal.

Favorite Cartoon Character: Daffy Duck.

On Friday, August 12, Dannie Williams put his name on a bigger map, a national map.  Williams defeated Antonio Cervantes on ESPN Friday Night Fights with an impressive four-round performance ending with a resounding TKO.  The momentum and attention are both a little stronger after the victory, Williams’ seventh straight.

“We couldn’t have asked for a better week for Dannie”, said Williams’ trainer Jack Loew.  “Everything we did went well.  He had a very good press conference and gave impressive answers, he showed a lot of respect when he needed to, and most importantly, he fought one of his best fights ever, in front of a national television audience.”

Williams (19-1) is on the cusp of bigger things, very soon.  With his career taking shape in St. Louis, he formed an alliance with Steve Smith and Lights Out Productions to manage his business.  Smith is a good guy who I have met a couple of times and is really looking out for Williams.  Unfortunately, in this business, for Williams to take the next big step, change may be coming because of Smith’s lack of national prominence.

“Dannie is negotiating with [Lou] DiBella. Steve [Smith] has done great things for Dannie, but in order to move ahead, he needs to sign on with a major name and DiBella has shown interest”, said Loew.  “Steve [Smith] will remain involved in some capacity, we are just not sure to what extent right now.”

Williams plans on staying active in pursuit of a championship, he will probably fight again in November, but no deal has been signed as of this writing.

The first-ever Southside Boxing Club golf outing was held August 14th at Bedford Trails.  Jack Loew (above) was pleased with the outing and said that next year it will be even bigger and better than it was this time.

“It was a great day”, commented Loew.  “All of the golfers had a really good time, the food was outstanding, and I think when the word gets out about what a great time everyone had that spots will be much harder to get next year.”

There were continuous refreshment carts cruising around the fairways, yes I said carts, plural.  Usually at a bigger outing there is one cart and you dehydrate before you hit the turn.  Not this one.  The food table looked like an Italian wedding.

Kelly ‘The Ghost’ Pavlik was on one of the four-man teams and was having a good time.  Approaching Pavlik on the tenth hole, I was offered a chance to hit a ball with the champ’s driver.  He playfully joked with me because I passed on the opportunity and then proceeded to hit the first tree on the left with his drive.  Ultimately, I got blamed for being a jinx.  It was a fun moment.  I declined because if I break his $350 driver, I wished not to learn how hard he can really punch.

Many fun moments were had by all and if you missed it, you missed out.  Congratulations Jack for an outing that was really a first-class venture and a memorable day!

* Pavlik Photo courtesy of Trent Wazcop.

Dannie Williams won his seventh straight fight in impressive fashion on ESPN Friday Night Fights.  Antonio Cervantes took a Williams right to his chin at the 1:05 mark of the fourth round.  Referee Steve Smoger stopped the fight immediately, and Williams continued his escalation in raising his record to 19-1.

Williams knocked  Cervantes down in the first round and seemed in control the entire fight.  “I need to get national exposure so people can see what I am all about”, exclaimed Williams.  He got some love from ESPN and with this good showing, expect bigger things for Jack Loew‘s fighter.

When Williams caught Cervantes with the knockout punch, he knew it.  Once Cervantes hit the canvas, Williams smiled, and immediately realized that he landed the big one, he knew this fight was over.  Williams showed concern for his fallen opponent for a bittersweet minute before Cervantes got to his feet in a display of good sportsmanship.

Williams, a National Golden Gloves Champion in 2004, has handled his moderate success and seems poised to be on bigger cards very soon.  Coming off of a mediocre decision over Oscar Cuero in July, Williams stayed active and kept training for Cervantes knowing that the television exposure to a national audience would bolster his career.  This performance will definitely enhance that notion.

Dannie Williams, who trains in Youngstown, will be fighting Friday, August 12, on ESPN’s Friday Night Fights.  Williams (18-1, 14 KO’s) will face Antonio Cervantes (16-5-5)  in the nationally televised event.

There was concern that Williams injured his hand last time out and would not be able to fight with such short prep time.  Jack Loew, who trains Williams at Youngstown’s Southside Boxing Club addressed the hand issue.  “Dannie’s hand is fine.  He has been training very hard for this fight and we want to make a good showing on ESPN.”

In Williams’ last fight, a decision he won against Oscar Cuero in Youngstown, Williams struggled in the third to fifth rounds because his braided hair was laying in his eyes.  “We will cut his hair off between rounds this fight”, commented Loew.  “I will stop blacktopping driveways and learn how to be a barber real quick if that happens again.”

Before the Cuero fight, Williams said he was ready to take the next step and needed to get some television exposure.  ESPN Friday Night Fights is some good exposure.  If he wants to keep rising up in the rankings, he will have to perform better than he did against Cuero.  Currently, Williams is ranked ninth best in the United States (of 190 fighters) in the power rankings for lightweights according to Boxrec.com.

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.

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.