HEADLINES -- March 22-24, 2003

March 24, 2003
* Charles Jay: Pryor-Arguello memorable in more ways than one
* Pedro Fernandez: Revised - Three of boxing's pimps and more
* Phila. Daily News: The Hatchet vs. The Executioner has better ring than Hopkins vs. Hakkar
* Steve Kim: The best Barrera in boxing?
* AP: Infamous "Fan Man" is dead
* The Desert Sun (Cal.): Quinonez back on track after winning NABF title
* David Avila: Quinonez wins NABF title; Vargas retains belt
* Doug Fischer on "Latin Fury"
* Houston Chronicle: Savarese saying so long
* Arizona Republic: Steward banking on Valley fighter to garner Olympic gold
* Clev. Plain-Dealer: Featherweight Neal having problems picking fights
* Mansfield News-Journal: Veteran's fight was in the ring
* Eastside Boxing: Referee's ruling proved correct
* USA Today: Harrison puts some heavy hits on McCullough
* Belfast Telegraph: Wayne's life was on the line - BJ
* The Independent (UK): Battered McCullough discharged to uncertain future
* Glasgow Herald: Harrison delivers his message
* London Times: Warren sets sights on Hampden Park for Harrison's next bout
* The Mirror (UK): Wayne hits out at Croom critics
* Alan Davidson: Noble art's guardians shamed in glory night
* Eastside Boxing: Hitman Hatton at large
* Eastside Boxing: The Latino championship
* Japan: Koshimoto retains OPBF feather title

March 23, 2003
* AP: Spinks win decision for IBF welterweight title
* Sporting Life: Johnson keen to land Lennox showdown
* George Kimball: Jones Jr. faces heavy decisions
* Paul Upham: Hopkins promises to punish Hakkar
* AP: Harrison wins unanimous decision over McCullough
* Sporting Life: Harrison keeps his belt
* The Scotsman: Harrison's title win soured
* London Daily Telegraph: Classy Harrison powers toward pot of gold
* Steve Bunce: Brutal Harrison is the casual assassin
* The Independent (UK): Harrison proves a fight too far for McCullough
* The Scotsman: Some luck, Audley enough
* Sunday Herald (UK): More ample than amazing
* Boxing Talk: Interview with Frank Maloney
* Steve Bunce: Final proof there's no fool like a heavyweight fool
* Sunday Times (South Africa): Corrie told to fight a "nobody"
* Deon Potgeiter: A Byrd in the ring is more valuable to Sanders
* Derek Bilton: Hamed vacates IBO belt
* Steve Tobey: Pemberton scores repeat KO over Easley
* Eastside Boxing: Sandman stops Easley in six; Balletto wins
* San Diego Union-Tribune: Boxing card set at Pechanga
* Clinton Mollett: Max Kellerman - For love of the game
* Eastside Boxing: So long, Harry "Kid" Matthews
* Grand Rapids Press: Mayweather "student" passes test at DeltaPlex
* RGJ: Tam leads Wolf Pack boxers into finals
* Detroit News: Old police site may host gym
* Detroit News: Boxer sharpen punches and ring skills in Howell
* The Independent (UK): Boxing is back on the school timetable, and no one gets hurt
* Sporting Life: Alex continues "amazin" run
* Anthony Evans: Tapia, Chacon short-listed for Brodie
* UK: Magee gets a date with Urkal
* Sporting Life: Eastman-Dann confirmed
* UK: Bruno now heavyweight champion of the DJ world
* Neal Collins: The future of the fight game
* Bangkok Post: WBC imposes tough medical measures
* Paul Upham: Nedal Hussein staying cool
* South Africa: Mabuza wants to show he's tops
* Leonard Neill: Night of high farce in South Africa
* Sun Star (Philippines): DC boxers are champs

TODAY'S FIGHTERS UNITED FOR A BETTER TOMORROW

This letter was written by lightweight contender Brian Adams with the help of Angel Rodriguez about what a fighter goes through. This letter was wholeheartedly approved and supported by this generation’s boxers fighting for a better tomorrow: Mark Breland, Shannon Briggs, Kevin Kelley, Derrick “Smoke” Gainer, Vivian Harris, Buddy McGirt, Junior Jones, Aaron Davis, Lawrence Clay Bey, Ray Olivera, Jerson Ravelo, James Butler, David Reid, Monte Barrett, Billy Giles, Tokunbo Olajide, Harold Knight, and Dominick Quinn.

The reason why Mike Tyson's mentality is the same as a Mike Coker's is that the average human being's first, second, and third reaction when facing danger is to hide, run, cry, or freeze up. Every boxer who ever stepped into that ring has to go against what's normal, ignore his body, and tell himself that he can fight through the type of pain and punishment that most people cannot even for one second imagine, much less survive.

Win, lose, or draw you take hits in boxing that sometimes don't come out. No matter how tight your defense is, you can get hit and stay hit for a while, or sometimes forever. Wilfred Benitez and Pernell Whittaker took less flush punches in a year than most Hall of Famers did in a round. Even still "Sweetpea" slurs today while Benitez is brain damaged. We know all of this going into the sport that we chose and love so we still go all out anyway, even when it's for small money, because gladiators is who ! we are. But warriors need shields and armor too, not just swords to attack with.

The problem with too many swords and not enough shields is that you fight until you have nothing left but scars and wounds. Kid Gavilan, who just died, was on TV at Madison Square Garden every month having Gatti type fights when Gatti's dad was a kid. But Kid left the world like he came into it, with nothing in his pockets and a weakened body. Kid could easily be the before and after version of Julio Cesar Chavez, Meldrick Taylor, Frankie Randall, Terry Norris, and a lot of others. The years change but the story stays the same.

For the longest time boxers jump into the ring, doesn't matter if its a four round smoker or TVKO main event, with injuries that would have most people stuck to their bed collecting disability or workers' comp checks. Since boxers are going to fight through the pain no matter what, we need something there that is going to balance out the bravery.

Balancing out the bravery means being able to go to the doctor when our injuries last way longer than the promoter's fight night insurance does. It means if I get hurt in sparring, I don't have to keep it secret until after the fight when I tell everyone that I got hurt during the fight just so that the fight night insurance will take care of my old injuries like Larry Holmes coming into his fight with Ken Norton with a torn bicep. It's about knowing that I will have someone to nurse me or look after my family after those fights when my body quits for good because my heart wouldn't. The families of Bobby Tomasiello, Randie Carver, Pedro Alcazar, Beethoven Scottland, and a lot of other dead fighter's families are just that one bad punch away from looking like our families.

We need to end the madness by getting together and with other people to watch our backs in the ways that matter the most. We need to make sure that when we get paid, we stay paid. We need to make sure that we have health and life insurance to stop training, living, and fighting in pain. Every time we catch ourselves looking away from Gerald McClellan or Greg Page and a lot of other guys who gave too much to the sport, we do it because we are looking at the mirror opposite of where we want to be.

The problem with looking away is that we don't want to be ignored like that, if that's how it goes down for us. The only way that we can avoid ending up alone and forgotten if, God Forbid, we ever have to bite the bullet is to bring our own shields to the battle. Health and Life insurance that covers us on the street, gym, and ring like everybody else out there gets with their regular jobs.

Angel Rodriguez, the visionary who patented the new boxer’s insurance system, is currently putting together local and national seminar tour to teach boxers, managers, casinos, state commissions, and the promoters. The seminar breaks down the facts of health and life insurance, pensions, tax shelters and benefits, and how to get our money right for the future.

For too long the only guarantee in boxing is that boxers take hits. So let’s start getting this tour started today so that everybody can know about what is out there and how it can be gotten. Contact Brian Adams at litew8adams@hotmail.com or Angel Rodriguez at bigange1@msn.com / (407) 484-5150 to get more info about the different ways that boxers can stop leaving the boxing game with less than what they came into it with.




March 22, 2003
* Thomas Hauser: Conflicts of interest
The SecondsOut columnist takes on conflicts in boxing from A to Z
(or A-to-Zed, as they say in some parts of Europe)
...Including new revelations from Nevada

BALLROOM BOXING
* Washington Post: Methodically, Powell improves to 7-0
* Gary "Digital" Williams: Gardner tops Dos Santos

* Ft. Worth Star-Telegram: Arum - no deal yet for Mosley
* Angel Rodriguez previews the weekend
* Pedro Fernandez: Three of boxing's pimps and more
* Royce Feour: Pay-per-view not limited to megafights
* Toronto Sun: Lewis can't find anyone to fight
* Max Boxing: Duva in talks with Lewis about Johnson
* AP: Spinks confident against Piccirillo
* Belfast Telegraph: It's back to the future for Wayne
* The Mirror (UK): Scott's on the rise, Mac is on the wane
* Paul Upham: Harrison, McCullough meet head-on
* UK: McCullough will fight on if defeated
* Belfast Telegraph: Wayne will lose, says McGuigan
* The Scotsman: Harrison banking on title defense
* London Times: Harrison may have final say after war of words
* Glasgow Daily Record: "I'll take him apart bit by bit"
* New Zealand Herald: Tua's eyes on the prize
* Baltimore Sun: Rahman out to make most of second chance
* SecondsOut: The Buzz - Hopkins is the main event
* Ron Borges: Hopkins unplugged.....again
* South Africa: Klitschko rematch in the cards for Corrie
* Paul Upham: WBC ratings analysis - when is Oscar's mandatory?
* Press Release: Arguello and Pryor to reunite for Hall of Fame weekend
* Steve Kim: The Fight of the Year in 2002 that WASN'T Ward vs. Gatti
* Kevin Iole: Miguel Barrera vs. Roberto Leyva - more thrills promised
* Press Release: Dariusz - "I want to fight Jones at heavy"
* Montreal Gazette: Lucas, Interbox sign three-year pact
* LVRJ: Abelyan claims easy decision win
* The Independent (UK): Carnera's family sheds new light on tale of sad exploitation
* Monterey County Herald: Celaya takes huge step
* Thomas Gerbasi: No joke - Stewart batters Chucky T
* News-Journal (Del.): Stewart wins USBA title
* Delaware Capitol Review: Stewart packs a punch in Dover
* Jason Probst: A look at four hot divisions
* San Jose Business Journal: Golden Boy books HBO bouts into HP Pavilion this summer
* David Avila: Angel in my corner for Julio Diaz
* Ed Castro: For Diaz, it's not about wins and losses
* Pensacola News-Journal: Festival delivers a knockout performer
* AP: War delays release of film about Kallen
* Knoxville News-Sentinel: Johnson turns corner with Golden Gloves
* Sudbury Star: Boxing's "churn" remembered
* Belfast Telegraph: McCullough has desire to revive Irish amateurs
* Edinburgh News (UK): Gomez wants capital bout with Arthur
* UK: Boxer Thaxton may quit
* Sydney Morning Herald: Dynamite fires blast at Mundine
* Barbados Daily Nation: Greenidge and Cox lead boxing team
* Barbados Advocate: Greenidge ready and raring to go
* Uganda faces AIBA ban
* Baku: Intl. boxing tourney starts

Copyright 2003 Total Action Inc.