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.
If you enjoyed this post, please consider to leave a comment or subscribe to the feed and get future articles delivered to your feed reader.
Comments
No comments yet.
Leave a comment