Marquez vs. Diaz will bring the goods…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
The old adage of styles make fights is one of the smarter things anyone can actually say in boxing. Sometimes you have two great fighters that simply don’t mix.
Then there’s Saturday when Juan Manuel Marquez takes on Juan Diaz at the Toyota Center in Houston. This has potential fight of the year written all over it.
This would be one of the better fights to try to get someone into boxing. Diaz is the poster boy right now for the Texas boxing scene and Houston in particular.
He bounced back beautifully after losing his first fight last year to Nate Campbell. The question is will the busier Diaz be too much for the getting-older-Marquez or will Marquez’s precision be enough to set Diaz back again.
As much as Alex Saucedo (the Capitol Hill freshman and potential huge boxing star in the future who loves Diaz) may not like it, I’m going with Juan Manuel Marquez either by close unanimous decision or maybe even a late-round TKO.
I don’t think JMM is as old as people think he is. He’s been in wars, but he’s never been overmatched or in a spot where he didn’t belong in the same ring. Could it happen Saturday? Possibly, but seriously doubt it.
Diaz is a volume puncher, but there’s not much pop in those gloves. He wears you down and it’s his will that eventually saps the energy and breaks the will of his opponents.
Diaz lands some beautiful, picture-esque punches, but Marquez is a great counterpuncher and should be right in his element Saturday.
You know what Diaz is going to do. He’s coming forward every minute, every second. But how will Marquez game plan? Is he going to stay back and wait for the eager Diaz to come in? Or is he going to be willing to have one last back-and-forth war?
I’m on the fence of what he should do, but I think he’s going to make a mid-fight adjustment. He’s going to wait it out, and if he sees an opening or feels Diaz can’t hurt him with his power, I see Marquez moving on in.
Anyway, the atmosphere should be electric as ticket sales have been fantastic and Houston has really embraced the Baby Bull. Once again, it’s HBO putting on a solid card. You can never say that too much. As an avid fight fan, it’s all we ask.
Back Sunday with postfight thoughts.
The EvenTTEnt…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
(here is an empty EvenTTent, so you can kinda get a feel of what it’s about)
I admit as being curious as all heck about this EvenTTEnt that C3 Fights masterminds David Beerley and Howard Pollack have thought up.
Extremely interesting and effective way of trying to bring events to places that maybe can’t hold an event.
It’s 30,00 square feet and can hold as much as 3,000 people. It’s just a portable venue that can go wherever, first of its kind as far as I know. And it’s going to be used again for the second time this weekend. It was used last month for a C3 Fights event at Lucky Star Casino.
It’s a great way to extend the brand name of C3 Fights (based out of Norman). A great way to attract new fans by going to some different places.
This weekend, it heads to Newkirk and the First Council Casino for a nine-bout card on Saturday. Love the motto: “Have venue, will travel.”
Drew Fickett, 36-9, 7X UFC Veteran, Phoenix, Arizona vs. Tyler Stinson, 10-4, IFO Veteran, C3Fights Oklahoma City Storm, Winfield, Kansas
Eric Schambari, 7-1, 3X WEC Veteran, C3 Team Joe Stevenson, Victorville, California vs. John Bryant, 2-1, United States Air Force, Wichita, Kansas
Wayne Cole, 12-9, IFL, StrikeForce, EliteXC, C3Fights Champion, C3Fights Oklahoma City Storm vs. Hector Andrade, 1-1, Sacramento, California
Tracy Willis, 5-0, C3Fights, Tulsa Tornados, Tulsa, Oklahoma vs. ”Sic” Nic Smith, Little Rock, Arkansas
Charles “Chuck Nasty” Jones, 1-1, C3Fights, Oklahoma City Storm, Edmond, Oklahoma vs. Rudy ”Bad News” Bears, 6-3, Kansas City Cage Kings, Independence, Missouri
Josh “The Predator” Robertson, 1-0, Columbia, SC vs. Dustin “The Ninja” Blake, 4-0, United States Air Force, Wichita, Kansas
Fred Mitchell, 4-2, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma vs. Brandon Hastings, C3 Team Joe Stevenson, WCL Veteran, 0-0 Pro Debut, Victorville, California
Bruce Redenbaugh, Pro Debut, Winfield, Kansas vs. Joel Traves, Amarillo, Texas
Lacey Schuckman, 1-1, Golden, Colorado vs. Tammie Schneider, 3-4, Kansas City Cage Kings, Raytown, Missouri
Special Celebrity Guest Meet and Greet with Joe “Daddy” Stevenson, Wrestling Great Danny Hodge, UFC Veteran Drew Fickett, UFC Legend, Anthony “MadDog” Macias, and WEC Stars Eric Schambari and Danny Martinez.
***
Unfortunately for any boxing/MMA events at this time, I just can’t make it out there with all the high school and Oklahoma City Blazers responsibilities. This might be the busiest month of the year.
Anyone who attended last month’s card at Lucky Star or if you’re planning on attending Saturday’s card in Newkirk, would love to know what some readers think about the EvenTTent.
The EvenTTent will be in Newkirk again March 13 for boxing as Lawton’s George Tahdooahnippah and Oklahoma lightweight champion Noah Zuhdi appear to be headlining the card there.
Be back with a brief preview of Juan Diaz and Juan Manuel Marquez.
And here’s the EvenTTent on fight night:
Redemption for Pavlik, Cotto…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
That might be too strong a word for it, but it was big mentally for both Kelly Pavlik and Miguel Cotto. Last weekend saw the middleweight champion and the welterweight contender Miguel Cotto get back on the winning track.
Pavlik was coming off a 12-round thrashing where Bernard Hopkins took him to school while Cotto was coming off what is now a controversial 11th-round TKO against Antonio Margarito.
The handwrap issues with Margarito now have everyone questioning that win. But that’s neither here nor there today.
Pavlik had no trouble stopping Marco Antonio Rubio in nine rounds while Cotto received little resistance in putting out Michael Jennings in five.
As a nececssary evil, the Top Rank card was put on Pay-Per-View from two different sites. Pavlik fought from his hometown of Youngstown while Cotto fought from his adopted hometown of New York.
I get why it was on PPV, but what I don’t understand is trying to convince anyone that this card was worth $44.95. Even if the economy was good, that would seem outlandish.
It had to be on PPV, I get that. It’s too pricey for either ESPN or any other Spanish language stations. And if HBO and Showtime don’t want to put up the money, then PPV is the only way to go.
But how about not insulting the fans’ intelligence. I even think $30 is too much for a card like this. I would top it out at $20 and hope that by doing that, you might get sway some fans over with the price.
At $45, forget it. You have to love either Cotto or Pavlik enough to want to fork over that type of change.
It’s the exact opposite this week as HBO continues its red-hot start to 2009 with Juan Manuel Marquez against Juan Diaz.
The fight is taking place in Houston, Diaz’s hometown and ticket sales are going great, according to all parties concerned.
This should be a good one, much more in-depth preview of this fight before the weekend. I’m leaning toward Marquez at this moment.
As much as bashing HBO is the “in” thing to do in 2009, its first two months have been exactly what fight fans have been clamoring for. No HBO-caliber fights on PPV and no events so far that haven’t been worthy of being on HBO. It’s a start.
***
Didn’t get to see much of UFC 95, except for the main event. Diego Sanchez has come a long way since I first saw him on TUF against Kenny Florian.
Sanchez defeated Joe Stevenson by unanimous decision and have no complaints on the verdict. I had it 30-27, but I could see a 29-28 scorecard.
His striking skills impressed me, especially little things like using the jab often. He’s always had an explosive game, and he’s only added to it.
Haven’t been able to see the big upset of Josh Koscheck losing in the first round to Paulo Thiago. Early candidate for Upset of the Year. Very early candidate.
Be back later in the week with a preview of Diaz and Marquez.
The Wrestler robbed…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
(Mickey Rourke as Randy “The Ram” Robinson in Darren Aronofsky’s masterpiece The Wrestler. AP Photo)
I don’t see nearly as many movies as I used to. Three years of college working at a theatre kinda turned me off to the experience anymore.
I don’t claim to know what great movies are. I just know when I’ve watched something I felt was great.
So now I only go to a theater a couple of times a year. This year, some of the only movies I saw were The Dark Knight, Wall-E and The Wrestler.
Though I hoped all three would be nominated for Best Picture, I have no problems at all that Slumdog Millionaire won.
With that in mind, I watched most of the Academy Awards last night in hoping for three things: Heath Ledger winning Best Supporting Actor. Wall-E winning best original screenplay (or at least Best Animated Film).
And the shoo-in and most important, Mickey Rourke winning Best Actor for his portrayal of Randy “The Ram” Robinson in The Wrestler. Ugh, one of three with only Ledger earning the honor.
By the way, great acceptance speech by the Ledger family. They didn’t make it a bunch of cliches and make it a contrived emotional speech. Because it was done the way it was with his father, mother and sister staying composed, actually thought it became more emotional because of it.
As a long time pro wrestling aficionado who still gets geared up for the big events, thought Rourke did as good a job as he possibly could have done.
Without giving away too much (hate to use the term Spoiler Alert), it was the little scenes that earned him The Boneman’s honor. The scenes in the deli or the scene where he’s playing Nintendo against the kid and is so competitive. Or the shopping for his daughter scene? Those are the ones that struck a chord with me more than the wrestling scenes.
There’s a reason legendary wrestlers like Ric Flair and Rowdy Roddy Piper got emotional watching this. Nearly any wrestler in the last 30 years can see themselves in “The Ram’s” shoes. The glory days are gone, you can’t let go, and you just want one more shot.
Though Marisa Tomei’s performance was great and added much to the movie, didn’t think she would win Best Supporting Actress. She didn’t. But her and Evan Rachel Wood did fine in their roles.
It was just the right blend of everything coming together. A great script and Rourke putting on his finest performance. I saw shades of so many wrestlers (or at least their characters) in the movie that it was easy to get attached to it.
Little nuances, little gestures and dialogue that rang so true in the wrestling world. Not caring about competing in a HS gym because at least you’re in front of the crowd again. The backstage relationships of the indie workers. All good stuff.
No doubt in my mind that Sean Penn is probably great in Milk. But he’s had his night before and probably will again. Last night should have been Rourke’s night, plain and simple.
I don’t want to hit you over the head with how it’s a story of redemption, both for the character and the actor. It’s still true, but it’s been said before and by better critics.
My only complaint on The Wrestler, a little too short for my liking. Was hoping for a solid 2:15-ish, doesn’t even clock in over two hours. Still a first-day buy when it comes out on DVD (I’ll even buy one of those gimmicky Special Edition sets if it’s out there).
If you haven’t seen Rourke’s acceptance speech from the Independent Spirit Awards this weekend, do so. His bluntness also would have made last night something memorable.
I want another “Ram Jam.” So he wasn’t acknowledged by the Academy, the wrestling crowd will embrace him. Why not come to WrestleMania XXV in Houston in April?
Back tomorrow with some UFC and boxing thoughts from this weekend.
Book review: Four Kings
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
(in all their glory, The Four Kings: Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvin Hagler, Tommy Hearns and Roberto Duran)
With the state of the economy, Boneman’s Christmas and birthday were pretty light. But one present did stand out: The Four Kings by George Kimball.
The book chronicles the four kings of the 1980s: Sugar Ray Leonard, Roberto Duran, Tommy Hearns and Marvin Hagler.
Not old enough to remember any of the fights live, this was a fantastic look at how things were and describing the atmosphere.
The quartet of greatness fought each other nine times. Leonard was 2-1 vs. Duran, 1-0 vs. Hagler and 1-0-1 vs. Hearns. Duran was 1-2 vs. SRL, 0-1 vs. Hearns and 0-1 vs. Hagler. Hearns was 0-1-1 vs. Leonard, 1-0 vs. Duran and 0-1 vs. Hagler. Hagler was 1-0 vs. Duran, 1-0 vs. Hearns and 0-1 vs. Leonard.
Most of the book was written from Kimball’s notes from the fights, and he does a great job of giving you enough backstory without hitting you over the head with minute details.
Think about what some of these confrontations led to: arguably the greatest welterweight championship fight ever in 1981 when Leonard knocked out Hearns in the 14th round.
The infamous “No mas” fight where Duran quit vs. Leonard in the eighth round of their second bout. Duran had no idea he would be looked upon as a coward. His mindset was sort of like ”this guy won’t fight, so I’m getting out of here.”
Hagler and Hearns in 1985, which may be the most ferocious eight minutes of fighting ever seen. If any fight occurred like that today, boxing would work its way back up the sports pages. For as great as the first round is (and will always be), the second round could win Round of the Year in any other fight. Hagler finished the deal in the third round.
And of course, a little controversy with Leonard defeating Hagler in 1987. That may have been the best written piece because Kimball did a great job of showing the confidence/arrogance of Hagler going into the fight. He gave in to a lot of Leonard demands (only being 12 rounds instead of 15, a bigger ring, etc). You also got to see the gamesmanship of Leonard and how great he was at getting things to go his way.
What I found most interesting was the dynamic between Leonard and Duran. In fact, Duran may be the most polarizing figure in the book. That’s probably because he’s the only non-American, so I don’t know as much about Duran. But that definitely has my interest in maybe his biography.
Not really much else to say about the book. It’s a great account of the emotion and intensity that existed in all the fights. And if you don’t know what happened in the fights, it’s another great reason to pick it up.
It’s about 300 pages, and at the end, it has the ring record of all four fighters, so that’s a treat, too.
Will there ever be another quartet like that? Thought there might be a chance with any combination of Shane Mosley/Oscar de La Hoya/Floyd Mayweather/Miguel Cotto/Antonio Margarito/Tito Trinidad/Zab Judah/ who else? Anyway, there was a chance for a golden age, but it didn’t really materialize.
***
Absolutely disgusted with what happened to Sergio Martinez on Saturday. Thought maybe a couple of days after that I wouldn’t be so fired up, but I am.
Martinez landed a crushing left hook in the final seconds of round seven against Kermit Cintron. Cintron thought it was a headbutt and took a knee. Referee Frank Santore began counting, and Cintron was still complaining.
Cintron was rising up at the count of 10, but too late, I says. Fights have been called off for less. Santore initially, I thought, called off the fight. But after about a three minute delay/confusion, Santore ruled the fight must go on.
Huh?
In the end, I had Martinez comfortably ahead and all he got was a majority draw. 116-110 for Martinez and two 113-113 cards. Oy.
***
Another UFC event is just around the corner. UFC 95 is Saturday night on Spike from London. The main event is Joe Stevenson vs. Diego Sanchez.
Videos from Remington…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
Like I said in the Cornerman post, nothing I could do about the glare in this video. However, whenever the fighters moved into the glare, it disappeared. Plus, you don’t miss any connected punches. But here for the first time ever, a fight in its entirety.
Noah Zuhdi TKO 1 Jason Jones.
And then, here’s a video interview with Zuhdi, following the win.
Collected Wisdom: Danny Hodge…
Collected Wisdom with Danny Hodge
Interviewed by Robert Przybylo, BPrzybylo@opubco.com
Age: 76
Hometown and residence: Perry
If you’re a fan of amateur or professional wrestling, then you know the name Danny Hodge. He was a three-time national champion at Oklahoma and competed in two Olympics, winning a silver medal at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia. He was never taken down in college and is the only wrestler to ever be on the cover of Sports Illustrated. Hodge’s trademark is to crush an apple with one hand, which he can still do today. The top amateur wrestler is given the Danny Hodge Award equivalent to the Heisman Trophy in college football. A book was recently released on Hodge’s life, Oklahoma Shooter: The Dan Hodge Story, written by Mike Chapman.
I was a lot like every other young man growing up. Our family didn’t have cars and my father worked a lot. I didn’t see him that much, but we did the best we could.
When I was 9, our home burned to the ground. My mother got burnt real bad, real bad. She was in and out of hospitals for a couple of years and needed 52 blood transfusions. About 70 percent of her body was burned.
My brothers and sister were split up. I was sent to live with my granddad. He used to beat me a lot with his cane. He drank a lot. He was a mean man. I got tired of it. One day I said he had beat me for the last time, and I left. I never went back.
My mother re-married and moved to New Mexico. I moved from place to place before finding a spot in a cot above the fire station and working at the Conoco on the weekends I would work from eight in the morning to 10 at night. I learned how to work hard at an early age.
I got into wrestling by accident. I was just watching the boys, and it looked like they were having fun. Coach John Divine did so much for me and taught me so many things that went beyond wrestling.
That first medal is something I’ll never forget. I got third place in junior high. You always remember that first one.
I found out wrestling was my thing. My senior year, I pinned everybody but one person and won state. That one kid from Ponca City ran away the whole time. Wrestling was such a pleasure for me.
I’ve always taught kids to pin. Fans love to see the fall. Pins sell the arena. The harder you work, the luckier you get. The fans meant so much to me. It was always such a thrill to be out there. Loved every minute of it.
The Olympics wasn’t something I thought a lot about. I knew about it some because of Jim Thorpe and Jack VanBebber. It was such a pleasure to be out there. Can you believe a young man from Perry representing his country like that?
I used to break pliers with one hand, and that’s how the crushing the apple started. And in wrestling, there is a lot of slapping. I wanted to break the next arm that slapped me. I would give a limp handshake to start off until the first time I grabbed them. Then they knew I was for real.
I was in the Navy for two years and then got a scholarship to Oklahoma. I figured ‘he can do it, he can do it, I can do it.’ In 1956, I pinned everybody. But I hope somebody will come around and break my record. That means they’ve pinned everybody, and that means they’ve deserved it.
A bad car accident broke my neck in 1976. I was in Louisiana, and I went to turn up the heater in my car, and then my car was bouncing around the highway. It ended up upside down and being submerged in about 10 feet of water. I thought ‘is this is for me?’ A piece of my hip was fused into my neck.
I started boxing and won the Golden Gloves. I was knocking out everybody and was wondering why I wasn’t being knocked out? I fought professionally 10 times but never got paid, so I went to professional wrestling.
My favorite opponent in wrestling was Hiro Matsuda. We’d go 90 minutes one night, and he’d get a fall. Then the next night another 90, and I’d get a fall. Then the next night another 90 and nobody would get a fall. I loved working with him and always felt I could go another 90. But you know what? So could he.
You always have to have time for the kids. They’re the future of the sport, and I still love watching wrestling. I’ve spent time with Ladd Rupp (current Perry wrestler who has won three state titles). I love teaching the kids. The key is hard work. Everyone works hard, so you have to do that something extra.
My family has been wonderful, what a blessing. I don’t know what to say about my wife, Dolores. She’s meant the world to me. I’ve had one son wrestle. I get to see my grandkids all the time. It’s been a pleasure.
It was great to see Sugar Ray Leonard again. We saw him the first time in 1980. He’s such a great person. We were guests to his second fight with Roberto Duran in New Orleans.
I just wanted to show the world I could do something. I’ve wrestled Lou Thesz. I’ve played golf with Joe Louis. Can you believe what a lucky life I’ve had?
Boneman the Cornerman…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
The expected timeline of my day with Noah Zuhdi didn’t take place because Zuhdi had not been feeling well all week.
But he joked afterward that I could have come over and watch him sleep the entire day before heading to Remington Park.
Instead, I was part of the Zuhdi corner, and here are some of my thoughts and observations from the night that was. For the record, Zuhdi scored a first-round knockout of Jason Jones.
- Meet up with Zuhdi around 5:45 just in time for Oklahoma State Athletic Commisioner Joe Miller to go over the rules. Nothing unusual, except for the whole no energy drink thing. Didn’t know about that one. Gatorade = OK. Red Bull = No wings tonight.
- Remington has changed it up. It used to be all the guys were together in one room, which could make it pretty awkward. Now it’s still one room, but there are a bunch of curtain dividers. That’s good. I wouldn’t want to be looking at my opponent or let him get a look at me.
- Zuhdi goes over his game plan and how even though Jones is a straight-forward wild brawler, that won’t change Zuhdi’s approach. It’s going to be like two triceratops colliding in the middle of the ring, thinking to myself.
- Zuhdi is not really into the trash talk. He introduced himself to Jones and Zuhdi said he had no problem with the guy. In fact, he has no issue at all with being nice and cordial to his opponents before and after the fight.
- Referees Gerald and Gary Ritter bring all the fighters together to go over what they expect. Nothing out of the ordinary there.
- Zuhdi busts out his black Jordan (or is it Jumpman now? shoes). These don’t look like the normal boxing shoes. Zuhdi explains “these are extremely heavy shoes, a puncher’s shoes.” He shows me his backup pair, and that’s kind I’m used to, the boxer’s shoes. Zuhdi says he doesn’t plan on boxing and moving around the ring. He’s coming straight forward.
- Zuhdi’s got a craving for chocolate and eats a Snickers. Huh? As someone who is so disciplined during his training, thought it was odd. He said he can’t even taste the chocolate because he’s so nervous/excited.
- First fight is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. It’s about 7:10, so not too bad. Watch his chief second Pete Ramirez tape up Zuhdi. To tape his hands took 20 minutes. To tape the gloves added another 10. By 7:45, he’s ready to rock and still wearing the same black trunks he had for his first fight.
- Zuhdi was lucky to have his own gloves. Some fighters had to wait until an early fight completed before they could put them on. He says he rather have them and be ready too early than too late.
- As he’s getting his hands taped, trainer Eddie Maese finally gets to take out the gloves and work ‘em in. No one is allowed to take the gloves out of their packaging until someone with the Athletic Commission is there to supervise it.
- Maese says the gloves are pretty easy to break in. “Some take a long time. You know, it just depends on the brand. These, these aren’t giving me any trouble.”
- Also speak to Ramirez about the intricacies of taping hands. He’s been doing it for 30 years now. “Every fighter is different. Some don’t want much padding, some want as much as is legally allowed. Some like it tight, some like it loose.
“With Noah, it’s actually been different just about every fight. His right hand has been bothering him, so we have to tape up differently.”
- While taping his hands, one of the women with the Athletic Commission says the tape needs to be thinner and not cover the knuckles. Ramirez explains “the tape can’t be over the knuckles. When he makes a fist, you see how the tape isn’t on the knuckle? But when it’s flat, it’s right on the side. And if they want it to be thinner, then it needs to be.” Ramirez and Zuhdi have no issues with the request.
- It’s interesting being in the dressing room for other fights. All you hear are the cheers from the crowd. You don’t know why and you don’t for who it’s for. In this case, it’s heavyweight Ty Cobb winning by KO in the third round.
- Some fighters’ cups ride up on them, and it can become annoying. Zuhdi’s mother placed velcro on both his cup and his trunks, so that has never been an issue. “Gotta give the credit to my mom on that one.”
- Zuhdi finds a good place to begin his initial warmup. Strictly shadowboxing. I use the time to speak with Zuhdi’s wife, Sara, for some background on this story.
- Get back, and we’re one fight away from Zuhdi coming out. He’s been hitting the mitts with Maese and said from this point on, “it’s all about breaking a sweat without over-exerting myself.” He’s doing this right by a door, so it’s naturally cold.
- Ron Aubrey is fighting next, so Zuhdi knows it’s time to get the vaseline put on his face. Aubrey’s fights don’t typically last long, and this one was no exception: Aubrey wins via first-round KO.
- Zuhdi gets told at 8:30, it’s showtime. Right before he’s about to head out, a strange almost disturbing request is made for a photo. I seriously couldn’t believe it. If I’m a couple of minutes away from a fight, I don’t want any of that stuff. I’ve done it before with stories to some of my best friends. Hey, got deadline, leave me alone.
- As soon as Aubrey is done fighting, I don’t speak with Zuhdi again. He’s given me enough of his time and insight, but it’s fight time.
- Music hits, and we walk out. A couple of people actually tap me like I’m part of the entourage (see, I flirted with fame).
- As Zuhdi heads to the ring, I head to my seat to shoot video of the fight. There’s a bad light glare in my shots, but nothing I can do about that.
- Zuhdi drops him once with a right to the ribs, followed by a right upstairs. Jones rises at the count of eight. Zuhdi chases him around before crippling him with a left hook to the body. Jones takes the count, and Zuhdi does some sort of celebration. He said at that point, it’s about releasing that pent up energy.
- Zuhdi leaves the ring, sees his wife and mother and that concludes his night as a fighter.
- Speak with Sara, who says “He’s going to be happy tonight because he finished him with a body punch. He loves going to the body.”
- Sara doesn’t pretend to know everything about the sport, but she doesn’t detest it, either. Her nerves are slowly going away (wouldn’t know with her still shaking minutes after the fight). It helps, she said, when she knows what to expect and that’s why she likes knowing about his opponent.
- Funny anecdote about Sara, and I’m out. Noah was telling me that after his first fight against Rafael Torres, Sara felt bad that no one was cheering Rafael, so she did. Yep, you can’t make up stuff like that. Noah didn’t get upset, actually thought it was kind of funny. “That’s just how good of a person, how nice of a person she is,” he said.
- And from there, Boneman the Cornerman turns into Boneman the Writer.
Official results
Brad Hill TKO 7 Kyle Sherman
George Tahdooahnippah TKO 1 Tyrone Dowdy
Noah Zuhdi TKO 1 Jason Jones
Ron Aubrey TKO 1 Mark Bier
Shadi Hamsho TKO 3 Chris Hill
Mike Dobbs UD 4 Jason McClure (40-36, 39-37 twice)
Ty Cobb KO 3 Zackary McMillan
Special thanks: catBOX Entertainment, the Oklahoma State Athletic Commission, Noah and Sara Zuhdi and the rest of the Zuhdi family, Pete Ramirez, Eddie Maese and Kyle Sherman.
Coming up: Video of Zuhdi’s fight and a postfight video interview with Noah.
Previewing the Remington card…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
And so here we are on the eve of yet another Remington Park boxing event, promoted by catBOX Entertainment.
Still remember when this was first proposed to me back in September 2007. Wasn’t sure what to think of it or how long it would last, I was just happy to be covering boxing and being paid for it.
The goal was to try to bring back boxing to Oklahoma City. And as catBOX ventures for its fifth outing, it’s working. The brand name is starting to catch on, and the audience is starting to feel like they know some of these guys.
A staple on every card is Oklahoma lightweight champion Noah Zuhdi. He made his pro debut there in November 2007 and won the Oklahoma lightweight championship there this last November.
Zuhdi takes on Jason Jones on Friday night.
Also appearing regularly are welterweight Kyle Sherman (Oklahoma City), middleweight George “Comanche Boy” Tahdooahnippah (Lawton) and former Oklahoma City Blazers enforcer Ron Aubrey.
Each time, there have been little tweaks made to try to make the experience better. It’s worked as the last couple of events have easily had more than 1,000 fans. While not much on the grand stage, it’s all about the little steps.
I’ll be there Friday night as I work on a rather unusual piece about following Zuhdi around the whole and day and playing the role of observer. I’m going to post the chronological diary Saturday.
The card
Welterweight: Kyle Sherman vs. Brad Hill, 8 rounds
Middleweight: George Tahdooahnippah vs. Tyrone Dowdy, 6 rounds
Lightweight: Noah Zuhdi vs. Jason Jones, 6 rounds
Heavyweight: Ty Cobb vs. Shawn Dismuke, 4 rounds
Heavyweight: Ron Aubrey vs. TBA, 4 rounds
Lightweight: Shadi Hamsho vs. TBA, 4 rounds
***
Very interesting stance by the California State Athletic Commission, who have suspended both Antonio Margarito and his trainer for a year.
For an in-depth account, I point you to Gabriel Montoya’s maxboxing piece.
Bob Arum, Margarito’s promoter, is outraged and said he is willing to take Margarito to Mexico to fight. If the ruling by the CSAC is upheld, that would force Margarito to leave the U.S. to fight as the decisions carry over from state to state.
I prefer the Alex Rodriguez approach than the Roger Clemens attitude. If Margarito will just admit it and be contrite, it’ll be a lot easier to forgive.
Don’t deny it and don’t try to say it was a one-time mistake. There are a lot of young fighters who look up to Margarito because of his heart and will and perseverance. The longer he puts off telling the truth, the more likely it will be he loses those youngsters.
Maybe I’m too harsh or not harsh enough, but his trainer had the padding in each glove, so it was a calculated move.
I want to forgive him and not question his big wins but the longer he delays the truth, the more I’m starting to think it might be easier to forget him than anything else.
And just think if Margarito had signed to fight Paul Williams in a rematch instead? Maybe none of this would be happening.
Back Saturday with Remington fight thoughts and diary recap.
Danny Hodge video…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
You don’t have to tell me what I already know: don’t quit my day job. I did enjoy doing this video, though. You can order the Danny Hodge story at amazon.com.
You can probably see Hodge on Friday night at the boxing fights at Remington Park because of his role with the Oklahoma Athletic Commission. Hodge has been there for just about every event so far at Remington.
Going to start his book today.
