 |
 |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 05, 2010 |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
| LUIS RAMOS |
|
|
Name: Luis Ramos
Record: 16-0, 8 KO
Division: Lightweight: 135 lbs
Luis Ramos, of Frank Espinoza’s “Espinoza Boxing Club”, is already looked upon as one of the hottest young prospects in boxing. After a decorated amateur career spanning more than 100 fights and 6 national championships, Ramos turned to the professional ranks in late 2007. Having already built an impressive record of 16 wins, 8 coming by way of knockout, Ramos’ following in the Southern California area is impressive, to say the least. Ramos is never in a dull fight, and fights with a crowd-pleasing style. Keep an eye on Ramos in the near future, as his next scheduled bout is set to be televised on Telefutura on September 17, 2010, from Los Angeles, California. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
A PHIL BERGER VIEW FROM ABOVE: BOXING FANS IN THE YANKEE STANDS |
|
A Phil Berger View From Above: Boxing Fans in the Yankee Stands
By Robert Brizel, Official Scorecard Staff Writer
Phil Berger wrote boxing articles for the New York Times for seven years, and many sports books including boxing, both fiction and nonfiction. The original Yankee Stadium 'event of the century' between Muhammad Ali and Ken Norton took place in 1976, and the old Yankee stadium was packed. Phil would have loved to attend the Yuri Foreman versus Miguel Cotto fight card in the new Yankee stadium on Saturday, June 5, 2010. Because the event was an attempt at recreating history, Phil would have tried to contrast the original event back in the Ali era-of which Phil knew so much about, to the Cotto era-which Phil never new. Phil wrote books on Mike Tyson, Joe Frazier, and Larry Holmes,
Phil would have looked at the promotion of the first event versus the second one. Far above center ring on the baseball diamond, in grandstand section 411, the view-and the fans-were much different than Phil would have remembered. In interviewing all of the fight fans in Section 411, who they were, where they were from, the promotion of the event and their views of the fight, this author captured a lot of the spirit of Phil Berger.
Unlike the days of old, of Muhammad Ali, George Foreman, Sugar Ray Leonard, Alexis Arguello, Ray 'Boom-Boom' Mancini and Thomas Hearns (coincidentally Mancini and Hearns were at ringside for Cotto-Foreman, with Hearns with posing for pictures after the bout), Phil would have noted Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao, Paul Williams-and perhaps Cotto-were the closest to marquee names today. Certainly, Phil would argue, it was not the same as it used to be. The view from the grandstand would have confirmed it.
Ali-Norton was an action-packed sellout. Foreman-Cotto was not, owing to waiting too long and then poorly promoting the fight card, which was partially televised on Home Boxing Office. From the grandstand, section 401, right of right field, and heading to the right, fans were there. Left of section 401, all of the decks-out of view of the television cameras-were noticeably empty. Strangely, Bob Arum's Top Rank and Cotto Promotions co-promoted the event, meaning money for both sides from television rights and ticket sales-yet all stadium seats were not offered for sale. Muhammad Ali was a great fighter, but never promoted an event, for fighters of his era never did double duty in the zone of matchmaking and promoting. Oscar De La Hoya later rewrote the book, with many of today's fighters promoting, co-promoting, and signing amateur and professional fighters.
Perhaps Latino zest and pride affects many of today's Latin fight cards. This reporter witnessed New York One's Latino Spanish channel (big in New York City) interviewing
fans outside Yankee Stadium as the crowds began to arrive for Cotto-Foreman.
In interviewing fans in Section 411, many of them called attention to the poor manner Foreman-Cotto was promoted and sold. Many fans felt ticket prices should have been low and the stadium completely filled, to give the publicity its due. If the event was meant to be an enticement of better things to come, then it failed. The venue of new Yankee Stadium caused speculators to buy up all the available tickets and attempt to resell them.
Considering the large number of seats still available at fight time on Craig's List, Ebay, Ticketmaster, Stubhub, and other sources, the event was not promoted well enough in advance and failed to realize its potential. Outside the stadium, furtive tee-shirt salesmen, obviously illegal, fought over shirts they were trying to sell in the middle of the street in front of Billy's Bar. Most shirts, illegal event souvenirs, were sold at the ten dollar cheapie rate-far less than the twenty dollars and up they should have commanded.
Phil would have looked on from ringside, and looked up at the big screen television to the right. In the main event, he would have seen Yuri Foreman limping around the ring with a knee wrap on his right knee, trying to fight but unable to do so. As the Jewish Rab bbi Foreman (as opposed to George Foreman) continued to stumble and fall, Phil would have wondered how an injured fighter with such limited mobility could have passed the pre-fight physical and cleared the New York State Athletic Commission. Fight fans in the grandstand realized that no thunderstorms nor injury to either fighter would have stopped this event once the fight was signed and the venue secured. Could the desire to give boxing and professional sports a 'short in the arm' with great publicity have caused individuals at the top to compromise their principles and allow a fighter in 'questionable' physical condition to fight? Phil, a grandmaster of detail, would have wondered about this to no end, and whether the purse took precedent over the fighter's health.
The eighth round brought mystery and intrigue, when the towel came flying out from the Foreman corner into center ring, causing others to enter the ring in the mistaken belief that the bout was over. Surprise! Referee Arthur Mercante Jr. (whose dad Arthur Mercante Sr. died earlier this year) did himself proud by clearing the ring and restarting
the bout. For it seems the action in the ring was fine, and the fighters wanted to continue.
Phil Berger would have written, this referee is going to get many more fights now. It seems Mercante Jr. set a precedent-surpassing even Top Rank-by making a statement: he, not the promoters, fighters, or officials at ringside-was in control of the ring=and he was.
Meanwhile, the crowd in the grandstands began chanting "Derek, Jeter!" nonstop, followed by a tempo rhythmic series of applause. The Derek Jeter chant was not related to Cotto versus Foreman, but served to alleviate some boredom during the long hot night.
Alas, Foreman continued to have problems with his problematic right knee, but he survived to reach the bell ending round 8, this much to the chagrin of many fight fans in the house who had mistakenly left Yankee Stadium too soon. They saw the towel thrown into the ring, and missed boxing history within history as the bout restarted shortly after.
During round nine, a Cotto left to Foreman's liver sent the champion down to the canvas, unable to get up from all fours due to the injured knee. Referee Mercante wisely waved the bout to an end, and all fans in the stands seemed in agreement. Both the Cotto and Foreman fight fans hugged each other, signaling an end to the brief rivalry from above.
The boxing fans in the stands interviewed by the author came not just from America, but many countries. American places represented included Michigan, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia, covering the Eastern corridor of the United States from Upstate New York to Tampa, Florida and San Juan, Puerto Rico. Foreign countries represented in the stands included the Dominican Republic, Ireland, the Philippines, India, Pakistan, and Ukraine.
The fans had a lot of different views before the main event on who they liked and who they thought would win. All were friendly to meet, and their background included everything you could imagine. There were artists, doctors, nurses, lawyers, accountants, singers, dancers, amateur and professional fighters, office workers, students, government employees, music producers, store employees, housewives, retired folks, even a fair number of people who live around the block from the new Yankee Stadium or close by.
The first fans interviewed had a real gripe. According to a woman in the grandstand front row, " Would you believe I paid ten dollars for this beer, and it's in a 2009 Yankee cup. For the price paid, we should get a new souvenir of the fight. The people promoting this event are using last year's old stadium cups, which is cheap, cheap, cheap!"
However, many fans took note on the living history of boxing at the new stadium, remembering Ali versus Norton in 1976, and hoping the evening's fight card would be the start of monthly boxing at the new Yankee Stadium. Many felt a Cotto win would set up a Cotto versus Manny Pacquiao rematch in the stadium later this year at 154 pounds, or a fight with Alfredo Angulo. Today's biggest boxing draw, Pacquiao, at ringside with everyone from Israeli government officials to filmmaker Spike Lee, did nothing to dispel the rumor. Fight fans felt Pacquiao versus Floyd Mayweather would never take place.
Local fight fans from Brooklyn, Bronx, Manhattan, Harlem, Staten Island, Long Island and Westchester had Cotto as the clear betting favorite, including orthodox Jews wearing white yarmulkes-with Puerto Rican flags on them! Was this sincere? Or an attempt to maintain their religion while avoiding the wrath of the crowd? This was hard to tell. Many fans waved Puerto Rican and Israeli flags. Flag sticks were removed on entry.
Some fans were plain ridiculous. Some supported the fighter whoever drove them to the event supported. One fan was more blunt. "I don't know why I'm here! I don't know anything about boxing." Many others supported Cotto because he was Puerto Rican, like themselves, or supported Foreman because they were religious Jews like him. One girl had a simple answer. "I support Miguel Cotto because he's cute!" Fair enough.
Many Cotto fight fans in the stands had long and complex answers. "I'm Filipino, and I support Miguel Cotto because he's my favorite non-Filipino boxer! I don't think Foreman is that strong. Foreman has never fought anybody, and has faced that kind of pressure from a real champion like Cotto. Also, Cotto's defense is better. Foreman faces a hostile crowd by the numbers, the crowd is mostly for Cotto. The crowd makes a difference. This is Cotto's last chance. If he loses, he's past his prime and his career is over."
A number of Foreman fight fans had deep thoughts on why Foreman should win. "Foreman is a smarter boxer, he knows how to box. Cotto is too slow and washed up. Yuri Foreman has got height and power, but he's not George Foreman! (laughter in the stands) If Foreman goes toe-to-toe with Cotto in the stadium, Cotto will knock him out. Foreman is a straight up fighter with a great style. he's the champ, he's undefeated. Foreman will surprise Cotto. The last couple of fights, Cotto isn't what he used to be."
One fan had a neutral view. "Who is more prepared is going to win this bout. Foreman has a good jab, but he's the clear underdog. I think we'll find out what happens. Cotto versus Foreman is a good hook. It's not history. The Daily News should have publicized the event more. They're doing college football here, boost the revenue and pay the loans."
Some fans cited cheating by Antonio Margarito and others as the reason behind Cotto's losses. "Cotto in seven rounds. he's got power, and he's got to avenge his brother's recent loss. Foreman has never faced this type of opposition. A lot of fans are thinking with their hearts. Cotto's been defeated by two cheaters. Margarito with the hand tape. Pacquiao is suspect. Look at the Luis Resto fight. A lot of issues ride with that. We can't write this off as an ethnic thing. Cotto is being given up tonight to sell tickets. Foreman is going to be a rabbi, it's being played up so much. The truth is Cotto has a 75% knockout ratio, Foreman 25%. If Cotto loses, he's like Felix Trinidad, it's over. A rabbi boxer is a hook, a contrast. If the bout goes the distance, Foreman could win. The biggest problem tonight is Emmanuel Stewart as Cotto's trainer. Cotto owns his corner. Joe San Diego was Cotto's trainer, and Cotto had a disastrous corner in the Pacquiao fight. Stewart is old school, he switched corners in this fight. It's all about money."
A majority of fans saw the fight card for what it represented in the long run." It's great publicity, being here at Yankee Stadium. We want to see a god fight in the main event, a slugfest, as advertised. This is good publicity for Yankee Stadium and is good for boxing. The is the first fight card in the new stadium. it's a new era. It's a great exposure, living history. Nobody really knows who Foreman is-and he's the champion. If Cotto wins tonight, he'll be able to do more events here at the stadium (as a fighter and promoter)."
Predictions in the stands varied. " Cotto will work the body. Foreman is naturally bigger and will be more active. Cotto by late round stoppage or decision. " "Cotto's got to knock Foreman out. Foreman's taller with longer arms. He'll outbox him. " "If Cotto catches him early, he might knock Foreman out. otherwise Foreman on points or by cut stoppage." "Cotto's a great boxer and a better fighter. My little sister can beat Foreman, he's only got eight knockouts." "Cotto's from my home land. I'm for my country. Cotto by knockout in the eighth round or by unanimous decision in twelve." "Foreman will win. He doesn't have many knockouts, so it'll probably go the distance. "I'm here to see Cotto fight. Cotto will win. The fight will go the distance. The rest of the fight card is not that interesting."
"We're from Sunnyside, New York, and we're here to see out friend James Moore fight on the undercard. He's had a rough go, it'll be a tough fight for him against Wolak." "I'd like to see Cotto win more than the other guy. He (Cotto) needs a title so he can get back into the game." "I've always been a fight fan of Cotto. Cotto by knockout in seven rounds. He's got more to prove."
One fan was as far from reality as reality could be, his mind in another place in boxing history. The fan lamented the pending sale of the old Muhammad Ali training camp in Deer Lake, Pennsylvania, to develop the Deep Lake tract into condominiums, and wanted this reporter to go there and cover the story. "If only there was a way to save Deer Lake, it is a part of boxing history," noted the fan. The analogy is significant because it represented the psychic connection between the old boxing era, and the new boxing era. Most fight fans at Yankee stadium would not remember Deer Lake. Phil Berger would.
Looking out over the top of the stadium at the dirt pit where the old Yankee Stadium, 'the horse that Babe Ruth built' used to be, with only a few rusty flagpoles serving a testament to what was, Phil Berger would have understood how times have changed in the boxing world. For there was once a time when Deer Lake was the place everyone talked about, boxing journalists and fight fans alike. As new history arrives, old history is forgotten. Like some old book or article written by Nat Fleischer or Hank Kaplan, the boxing profiles and stories written by Phil Berger belong to the ages.
Exiting the stadium, the author found Thomas 'Hitman' Hearns in a suit posing for pictures in the parking garage across the street. Polish Spring Water in the ice trough across from the stadium was one dollar a bottle, cheaper than the five dollars a bottle at the stadium. Down the street, past Stan's Sporting Goods Store, the car belonging to the author's party was parked in an unofficial 'garage', an alleyway of cars for twenty dollars for the evening, and they watched your car. Atop one of the cars, a frustrated street vendor bemused a pile of unsold Cotto-Foreman designer tee-shirts. The author's party bought several of the shirts, but the man was still stuck with a great number of the shirts, just like the speculators who bought all of the tickets for this event. And so it was. |
|
| ...back to front page |
|
|
|
