By Pedro Fernandez

THE VACATION IS OVER!

First of all, there was no Tsunami of boxing stories to write about of late.  Thus, I was astonished at the number of you that expected www.RingTalk.com to be cranking out stories during Christmas and New Years.  Now if we were a Pay Per View site, that wouldn’t have been the case believe me.  That being said, expect stories daily and from multiple writers during the next yule tide season, if you get my drift!

 

ESPN 2 AND HOW THE “BRISTOL BOYS” FINALLY REACTED

Glancing back at 2004, it was a pretty good year for the sport and business of boxing.  But before I go to the positives, let’s get real on some of the negatives.  After Bob Yalen single handedly ruined the “Friday Night Fights” series on ESPN 2, due in part to a Sexual appetite that was out of control, he was fired in February.  The fact he received “Sexual Favors” from Porn star Tyler Faith that were procured by Promoter Jimmy Burchfield is well fact!  Blow jobs aside, I feel for the guys who didn’t get the dates that “Bobby The Trick” gave to “Jimmy The Pimp.” For they, and the fighters who Yalen forced into agreements with a certain Promoter, these were the individuals who suffered most during his reign.  And lastly, you the fans were shorted as week in and week out the fights for the most part, they sucked!

 

DEAL WITH “DUVA DIVA” PUTS ESPN ON STRAIGHT PATH!

The deal reached by Main Events CEO Kathy Duva and the suits in Bristol, CT at ESPN headquarters have brought us a potential star in WBA lightweight champ Juan Diaz.  Unbeaten in 25 scraps, this College educated Texan brings an abundance of ability, class, and fan appeal to the ring with him each and every time out.  Aghast when ESPN 2 first announced they wouldn’t be airing the Friday night series in October, November, and December, the move to quality instead of quantity turned out to be a positive move.

FIGHTER OF THE YEAR IS HOPKINS!

Although there are some of you that feel James Toney, Marco Antonio Barrera, or even Vitali Klitschko may deserve the “Fighter of the Year” honors, I’ve got to disagree.  And even though World middleweight champion Bernard Hopkins had a couple of easy touches in Robert Allen & Oscar De La Hoya in 2004, the Philadelphian is my choice hands down!  At 45-2-1, with 32 early endings, and with  his 20th title defense set for February against Howard Eastman, to not give the 2004 honors to Hopkins would be negligent on my part.  Like, love, or hate him, Bernard Hopkins is feted here for all that he is.  A champion, a good husband and father, and in the words of Frank Sinatra, Bernard Hopkins did it “My Way.”

 

THE GRIM REAPER STRUCK BOXING TWICE OF LATE!

As I was packing for a cross country trip last week, Tommy “114-114“ Kaczmarek sent me a note stating that Referee Dick Flaherty’s wife Roe Flaherty had passed away after a 15-round battle with Cancer.  And as I was preparing for dinner Saturday, the “Refried Genius” called to say that the father of Promoter Arthur Pelullo had left us as well!  Roe was the life of many a WBC & NABF Convention.  And Artie, he only cherished one thing more than his Dad, his kids!  They will both me dearly missed! 

 

LENNOX LEWIS IS MAKING MOVES I’M TOLD!

Either former World heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis is bluffing, or he’ll be back in the ring late this year against Vitali Klitschko.  Still thicker than thick, Lewis is walking around somewhere in the neighborhood of 280 lbs.  Now to get down to a comfortable fighting weight, Lewis says he’ll need around nine months!  And while this irked HBO Godfather Larry Merchant, I see it as the proper way to go!  You see while anybody, including LL, can work off the pounds in a few months, one cannot get your hands, timing, and punching power in sync in that short a time.  Props to Lewis for doing things right and insuring he will be the best that he can be at 39 years of age!  Presently Lewis is 41-2-1, with 32 whacks!

TAPIA, LENNY, DICKIE, & PEDRO TO DO HIDALGO, TX!

Looking to get back some respectability and a title shot at 122 lbs., ex-champion Johnny Tapia will shake off the cob webs Saturday night January 22nd when Promoter Lenny Fresquez brings a fight card to Hidalgo, TX.  At 53-4-2, with 28 KO’s, Tapia will engage a formidable foe in Nicky Bentz who comes in at 36-3-2, with 29 abbreviated endings!  I’ll be in attendance for the Tapia comeback, as will Texas Boxing Commission head Dickie Cole.

 

SPEAKIN’ OF “DICKIE & THE TEXAS MAFIA”

When the WBC was the premier sanctioning body in boxing, Texas had a voice in the organizations direction.  Besides Dickie Cole, there was Steve Crossen, Spider Bynum, and Bob Busse.  Haven’t seen Crossen since Clinton was President, but I hear he still throws one show a year for charity.  Bynum is still willing to kick the snot out of anybody that’ll cross him.  “King Cole,” or Dickie as we underlings call him, he’s content running boxing in Texas.  And last, but certainly not least, Bob Busse is the last of this group of stand up guys!  Bob  is retired and living on a lake in Austin, TX.  In closing, the WBC mucked up when they let these guys get away!

MILLS LANE MENTIONED BY PRESIDENT!

In September of 1964, Sen. Richard Russell of Georgia called President Lyndon Johnson to voice his opposition to the “Single Bullet Theory” involving the murder of President Kennedy.  Russell was a member of the Warren Commission, a panel that investigated Kennedy’s death in Dallas the prior November.  After telling Russell that he “Didn’t believe it either,” the chat moved on to the impending Vietnam war.  After that Johnson blurts out, “What about this Mills Lane?”  Later this week, I’ll bring you the conversation and its involving the ex-Referee Mills Lane, who has been out of the limelight since suffering a stroke in 2002.        

LOOKING FOR SOME FRESH NEW MUGS!

Still looking for a couple of competent writers who would like to join the www.RingTalk.com crew.  Send an article of less than 1,000 words to Pedro@RingTalk.com Be advised, the pay is ridiculously low.  And, I’m not looking to spend hours rewriting or editing somebody’s work.

 

“24-KARAT” ROLD ROLLS TUESDAY AT WWW.RINGTALK.COM

Still vacationing in his native Fresno, CA, Cliff “24-Karat” Rold has some thoughts that he will share with you Tuesday morning regarding 2004 & 2005 here exclusively at www.RingTalk.com

Pedro Fernandez

Note: Not your typical boxing writer, Pedro is a schooled Journalist, this in addition to winning four Golden Glove championships, and an eight-year stint with the San Francisco Police Dept. He can be reached with your comments at Pedro@RingTalk.com