AIR DATE:
EPISODE: Episode 1
Our group of panelists, including Tim Witherspoon, provide another weekly roundup of boxing headlines and an array of updates about upcoming bouts and boxers
Transcribed
Oh yeah, hello, boxing fans around the world thanks for tuning in to today’s episode of the Friday night panel with yours, truly Mike Orr and Amanda Eisen Lou.
It’S just me and you tonight yeah for the beginning, we’re gon na open it up yeah.
I guess I guess we’ll talk about well, let’s, let’s talk about this Eubank Fiasco that me and you me and you last week were sure that this wasn’t going to happen because of the wonderful performance that Leo Smith put on in the uh the first boat.
But I guess you know what they’re one piece there’s got to be a Trilogy, yes, absolutely and you, and earlier in the week when we were all meeting Neil said to me after the meeting.
Well, I guess you and Mike were wrong.
I guess old Neil was right and I said yeah Liam Smith had to lose something like 40 pounds a month out from the from or five weeks out from the fight – and I said that’s not an excuse, you know he could have said.
I can’t make the wait, there’s no fight and he didn’t look into it right when he was walking from the dress room.
His body wasn’t sweating.
No and he didn’t look in shape and he just didn’t look into it.
What do you think? No! It’S him same.
I didn’t think I think he looked you know I’ll tell you, though, I put on both fights side by side screen screen to screen uh.
You know first round kind of look the same as as the opening of the you know, the first bout.
Second, you could kind of see that fatigue kind of set in early and uh it was.
It was kind of kind of from there where uh, I feel Eubank kind of just started started owning them.
You know uh Smith, just just didn’t look like he.
He was about it but 40 pounds.
That’S a lot, I’m not making any excuses.
He he knew that this rematch was coming up uh.
Maybe he took it a little too lightly because of the way that you know the first match went.
I guess he wasn’t expecting.
You know Eubank to uh to be as good as he.
He looked uh that fight, but I guess it sets it up for a Trilogy yeah.
Absolutely and as you you and I were saying last week, it’s a lack of discipline.
There’S no excuse for this correct.
You know, you know the fight’s coming up and I always go back to this.
During the making of Cinderella Man one one night, we were sitting in Angelo Dundee’s, hotel room, a bunch of the actors and we’re watching a football game, and he was from Miami.
You see a Miami Dolphin guy, get a pass in the end zone and there’s no one within 20 yards of them and he drops it and Angela said dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb mother, you know, everyone said: hey he’s human come on people make errors.
He said not Pros not when you get 20 million a year, that’s not excusable and for Liam Smith for the money he got he should have been in shape.
He should have known what he was getting into and I hope this fight gives credit to bomac to Brian McIntyre, because before the fight when he was interviewed, I love what he said um.
He said I loves me a fish sandwich.
No, he said that um when he was asked.
What did you do? What did you change with with um Eubanks? He said nothing, you don’t change a Fighter’s natural style.
I told them to forget what everyone else had said: go back to your natural style and just remember to move your feet constantly, keep turning them and that’s what he did and that’s what church Goldman used to say and Angelo and Ray arcel and Bill Clancy.
Don’T alter a guy’s natural style, just augment it, so Womack did a great job and you’ve got to give him credit for being a great trainer, not a great traveler, but a great trainer.
Definitely definitely.
I was very impressed with you know that that constant movement – that’s one thing that we did see a lot more from Eubank – was that that constant movement not keeping his feet flat.
He was more on his toes.
You know more on that that hoppy step more than you know that flat-footed kind of style, but you know that’s, that’s that flat-footed style shows shows you know, fatigue and honestly he looked.
He looked in great shape.
You know he was bouncing around when he jumped over the ropes.
You could tell and look on his face when he was throwing punches in the ring before the fight he thought he’s into it.
Yeah he’s waiting a lifetime for this.
Now it’s his chance at Redemption and he’s not gon na, let go of it and he looked in shape and you could hear Paul.
Mack, yelling, jab, jab jab move your feet.
Jab and that’s you know he had a better corner.
I think yeah and, and maybe it’s not the corner but but but um um, you know Smith, just he wasn’t there mentally.
He was not in the fight.
He had checked out yeah that that’s what I believe all right.
You know I give it to him.
For last time, as long as he did because you know he took, he took some punishment in in, he really did he’s.
Oh and you know, with with Smith, I’ve noticed he does have that that a lot of scar tissue in the eyebrow problem.
You know that that one shot will just bang slap it open and then that bleeding you know Mr beefy there he does take a lot of shots.
You know he’s got all that Spirit tissue.
He looks beat up.
He took a lot of punishment in that.
I think you know for the next fight we’re gon na have to see uh, See a different Liam Smith.
Definitely and he’s gon na have to wonder if he wants that next fight, if he can still make the weight yeah yeah, because you know to drop 40 pounds, that’s that’s a lot man, you shouldn’t, be you shouldn’t.
You shouldn’t be 40 pounds up past your fight weight like that’s no and you here’s.
The thing I mean for me, drop as you can tell dropping 40.
Pounds is a haircut right, but if somebody said to me you know it’s six weeks you got ta fight in six weeks.
You can drop 40 pounds, I would say realistically I can drop two knowing me yeah.
No, that’s not gon na happen.
It’S a lot of dehydration and and send Fighters into the ring like that.
That’S what happens when you have to your only struggle is losing weight and being dehydrated.
There’S nothing left to focus on in training camp right right.
Just as you said, we took a fearful beating yeah, I mean he stayed in there and he didn’t want to quit when the referee stopped that, but that’s all fighters yeah you sometimes you get to save them from themselves.
You know there’s that point where, where you know they’re taking damage, you know they’re causing law terms.
You know there’s going to be long-term issues from some of the damage these guys take, and you know, as a fighter, you got that Warrior heart.
You don’t want to stop until you’re done so you’re on that ground, but you know it takes good people to know when to stop it.
You know, congratulations on the refer making that that bold choice and just you know, cut it off right, like I agree his corners should have – and this has happened too many times Mike.
You know with Magda Med after Solomon Mike Perez, but you and I could sit here for you know next 30 Years and well, I won’t be alive then, but it will and we could name what five six hundred fights where guys you’re looking and you’re hitting your Head going, stop the fight, it’s not competitive, yeah yeah! You know it’s there’s, there’s a lot of that uh! I think there should you know they should they should put something into into place where these refs take some sort of uh.
You know course to really recognize recognize when that’s then that’s going on, you know it’s it’s a big responsibility on their hands.
That’S a wonderful idea, because you know doctors at ringside, as you well know, don’t need permission to examine a fighter or stop a fight right, and you know it was very unusual for Buddy mcgirt after after Maxine datashev died.
He had another fighter six, seven months later.
He was taking a beating and he just said that’s enough and the title complained he said you took 12 unanswered shots to the head.
That’S enough! It’S over you’re done and more guys have to do that if the corners aren’t willing to do it um.
I know Russ Amber would have loved Russ, but he he was, he was the cut man.
He wasn’t in charge of the corner and Russ has always taken a Fighters.
You know what’s best for the fighter first, but so many guys don’t and they let the fighter continue in the hopes that they’ll regain the upper hand and win, and they often don’t.
But if they do, as you said, they still take terrible damage.
Yeah yeah they do they do from from that.
First from that first concussive blow every blow after that causes damage yeah, it’s it’s at the end of the day.
Do you want to speak when you’re retired, or do you not want to speak when you’re retired? That’S? That’S essentially what it is: yeah yeah, it’s it’s sad that it happens.
Uh, maybe maybe in the future, they’ll be able to implement something that will you know, help the refs recognize uh.
You know when, when they should be calling these fights, because you know for us to sit back and watch it from TV and be able to see it happening or being you know in the audience watching it and we can see the outside.
Sometimes it’s hard for that ref to kind of see it because he’s looking for other things, maybe not noticing you know the gloss over the eyes or you know not noticing that he’s sure he might be blocking, but he’s not intelligently blocking it’s more of an inch.
Instinctual block right right and you know I was really glad when I mean sad when you know in Montreal, when Jeanette Zachary’s died, she was 18.
yeah.
He wasn’t really a fighter, I mean she wanted to be, but it’s like you’re always saying hey.
We should get to play for the leads, because we live in Toronto doesn’t work that way and her husband was the guy that brought her up with other Fighters.
They were there to lose, and one of the uh people in the Montreal boxing Community said well.
There was no evidence in her brain that she had former brain bleeds and the neurosurgeon at the Montreal Polytechnic said: that’s because it was swollen.
You can’t tell anything until the brain.
The swelling goes down right and you’ll see it.
You know you can’t check the transmission on a car after a car crashed away yeah.
Obviously, if the swelling goes down and you check it, it will be previous brain bleeds.
In fact, she was told before she came up.
She had a serious brain injury and she shouldn’t fight, but that’s boxing yeah it’s, it is what it is, there’s not much.
We can do about it at the moment and I I love the sport.
I love watching it and – and you know it’s just it’s sad – that some of these Fighters end up end up the way they do it’s yeah.
It is and as you as you and I know, there’s no feeling in the world in any sport or anything like that, one minute before a great fight, yeah right but before Chavez Mayweather, but not Chavez, Mayweather, Mayweather, Canelo, yeah, no and and or Sergio Martinez, Julio.
Cesar Chavez Jr before a fight that one minute of anticipation when the wrestler gives them the instructions, and you go – oh man, the woman call I’m not.
I don’t care, you know if Julia Roberts is stripping over there, I’m not turning my head.
I cannot miss this yeah yeah.
You want to see you want to see that first, that initial meeting in the center of the Ring – that’s that that’s right for that.
That’S what drives you to watch this stuff.
You know I I used to love back in the day when when when I would get that and it would be like Mike Tyson well, you know you know you’d get in there.
The anticipation you’re like all right, all right, everybody shh, and then it was over yeah and Mike Mike Tyson.
I mean he came in like Jack Dempsey, one of his Heroes.
He was a warrior yeah.
He came in to fight I’m not there to fool around.
I’M not your friend.
This is an athletic competition.
I’M there to pass your Stalin and you know the look on on um.
Conroy Nelson’s face the Canadian fighter of sheer Terror before the fight and also you know before the Michael Spence fight.
They had a joining dress rooms and Tyson put his hand through the wall.
When he was warming up and sphinx, they said almost fainted like his jaw dropped.
I can’t believe I’m I’m fighting this guy.
You know Marsha Warfield, the comedian had that joke about.
You know Desiree Washington and he said if you go to Mike Tyson’s uh hotel room at four in the morning, you’re either there to fight or to you know, to have sex, and I didn’t notice any title belt around her waist.
No, you know I mean Tyson was, was, must see TV, oh yeah, you had to yeah and, as you know, people for days after the punch, that’s unbelievable, yeah and – and I was doing stand up at the time when Douglas beat him, and I went on stage After the fight – and I told people and they laughed – and they said that’s the funniest thing – you said all night – this was in Hamilton, so he just smells as good as it looks at the Steel City, there’s still City and no one believed me.
They said yeah Tyson lost a bugger Buster Douglas yeah right.
You know that’s right, you’re, right buddy.
What’S next at least one of the Stanley Cup yeah, you won’t believe me.
No one believed it.
It could happen, but no, no! That’S the great thing about the sport.
Any man or woman at any time can rise from obscurity to to World Glory, yeah yeah and in the blink of an eye that all it takes is one good punch.
One time one well-timed, punch placed and the way to follow up and capitalize on on that either either that one punch catches them and they go down or it’s just the entire fight in your favor and you end up coming out as Victor in the in the Decision or you know it takes a bunch of shots, and you know technical Market yeah tell you what fight I loved recently was the was it the featherweight Oscar um? Was it Rivera um against against Navarette, never ready? Oh, yes, big fight and Navarette he was winning.
Is it Rivera? Is that the correct name yeah? I believe it’s Rivera and don’t know why someone’s calling me but I’ll decline it? The thing is that uh Rivera is getting his face, punched in, but I I loved him because he never quit.
Yeah never come forward and kept trying to win.
Those are great for you.
You know I I know I I know those guys they’re very they’ve got heart.
They’Ve got heart that nobody else.
Nobody else has and it’s just it’s it’s incredible.
Yeah yeah it was.
It was happening sorry refusal to be beat yeah Heritage corner.
I don’t care if I can’t see out of the eye, I’m not quitting you’re gon na kill me, I’m not quitting it’s not gon na happen and and what I liked about it too.
It was over.
He said the better man won, yeah he’s a great friend.
The only thing I didn’t like, as we said at the time, was it shouldn’t take 40 minutes to wrap a fighter, one Fighter’s hand a single hand, and there was a lot of tape on that.
Already stand but then again we’re very cornerman weren’t there right right.
Well, that was a that was a big fight.
I love you know what never any.
Never you know he never.
He never ceases to amaze me with the you know the way that he fights he’s just uh he’s very resilient.
Uh he’s one of those guys that can get in there.
He can take punishment and give it at the same time.
Yeah – and you know when he got knocked down by the Australian, I thought that may have been the worst thing.
The Australian guy did yeah, oh yeah, because you know right then, and there that it’s uh it’s it’s bad for me, yeah.
It’S almost like he got up and said you know what I was content to have some fun and beat you on points.
But now I’m gon na have to knock you out yeah.
You know I’ve seen that so many times if Alexis said well in fights where he had fights that you know it was doing well and the other guy dropped him and then he got up and he just shook his head and went okay now it’s over.
You know the same story about Sam Langford uh, the Great Canadian fighter from nostalgia’s greatest fighting everyone in the world title and he he was in a fight in London, England um against iron hay was the guy’s name and he comes out in the eighth or ninth Round – and he touches gloves and the guy says what are you doing Sam? You only touch clubs in the last round and he said that’s right son and for you this is the last round, [ Laughter ], and then he he positioned them in the ropes over right.
Where a reporter was, he would call The Langford, yellow and a coward, and he knocked him out cold one shot.
That’S like that’s like Babe Ruth calling the shot right yeah and he he he did.
Apparently he didn’t say I’m going to hit it there yeah.
Apparently, what he said was um.
It only takes one yeah and they snapped the picture.
The Cubs bench was really riding him and – and I I wish I could remember the name of great author um creamer – was his name and he wrote a great book on Babe Ruth and he said he he.
He was at the game and he said Ruth just he said it only takes one, so he would never admit after.
If you know right, that’s the great thing about sports right yeah, it should be a show.
I tried a picture show on greatest sports Mysteries to find out what happened in certain things and a lot of it’s.
You know boxing, so it’s just very difficult to push box in these days.
So there’s not much boxing for this weekend.
That’S televised.
I know we do have uh one going on tonight.
Uh in Billy Nicholson runs on ESPN plus uh.
It’S already started uh this one, Christian and Billy will defend his WBC Continental America’s title in a 10 round main event with Contender uh demon Nicholson, uh.
You know born in Cameroon, 2016 Olympian for France in Billy Bush, an impressive record 24-0 20kos.
I do like this kid.
I’Ve been watching him for a while uh.
You know he clinch out Continental America’s belt in September uh with a third round TKO against Ronnie uh lindetta.
That was back in 2001 uh since any last.
Several top level wins uh beating, uh American Ronald Ellis uh.
This past March and Billy came out on top in a tough fight against uh Carlos gagora uh.
Winning by unanimous decision Nicholson.
He’S got a 26 5-1 record with 22 Knockouts is a power puncher fighter with a decade-long, professional, clear career, he’s coming off that uh decision defeat over formal dual Weight Champion: Demetrius Andre in January uh.
So what’s uh? What are your thoughts on in Billy? Well, I.
I had a question to ask you before that.
Okay, I like Billy, I think, he’s a good fighter and I like watching it.
Why are there so many negative comments about Demetrius, Andre? I don’t know, I don’t know I I like him too.
I’Ve liked them.
I’Ve.
Never seen any anything wrong with them.
There’S a lot of negative comments about him.
I’M not sure why people hate – I just you know he doesn’t call people.
You know he’s not rude to anyone.
He’S got a lot of class he’s a good fighter.
He hasn’t had big fights, but no one’s gon na no one’s wanted to fight him.
Charlo on the other guy, on the other hand, is classless yeah, you know so was Adrian Broner, but they picked on on drug and he doesn’t do anything wrong.
I think I think it’s because he’s just too soft in the media he’s not.
You know, he’s like okay, you, you look at fights, you come up.
You know you find out a fight’s gon na happen in four weeks.
You know for four weeks.
These guys usually are on social media.
You know I’m gon na do this to this guy, I’m gon na.
Do this Andre just zip-lipped, he doesn’t.
He doesn’t really talk too much crap.
He kind of just stays very low-key he’s never really in the media.
Until you know the press conference and the press conference happens, yeah yeah he’s just very I don’t know, I guess I guess they believe that you know.
Maybe he can’t feel seats like I.
I like him as a fighter.
I think he’s a great.
You know, talented boxer he’s, you know, shows Great Glass in the ring outside of the ring.
You know he’s got he’s, got an impressive record, you know, he’s got he’s, got wins and he’s beating some great guys and uh definitely lockdowns to put asses in the seats and in comedy it’s dick jokes to put asses and terrorists like us, will always love Sugar Ray Robinson or Willie Pepper, Muhammad Ali, but people want to see Knockouts.
Yes.
That brings me to my next question, for you does Charlie really have a chance against Canelo going up to weight divisions? Ah, I don’t you know, I don’t know he carries a lot of power in the week that he’s in is whether or not it’s, whether or not that power is transferable up to weight classes right because yeah there are those guys.
There are those guys who you know fight it away that is lower than what they naturally feel good at, so that power tends to transition very well, where you know you got these guys who are trying to pack on weight first, when you pack on the weight You got to learn how to you got ta, learn how to gain your power back in a different way.
It’S a completely different process.
So you know what the thing is with turlo.
I do like he’s got that ability he’s got that ability to really close the distance fast and he’s got that explosive power in that hand, and he knows how to use the he knows how to capitalize on it, and I think you know he likes he likes To play that center of the Ring he likes to press his guys on the ropes.
If he can catch Canelo, there might be an opportunity for him to.
You know, rally against that catch him and make a problem, but farming yeah yeah.
Absolutely I mean, let’s not forget Canelo himself came up from 154 to 160 to 168 175 and did it gradually.
I just don’t know why Canelo didn’t go after his brother who’s, a natural 160 and and would only have to jump up a weight class.
I I don’t know I don’t know you know what a lot of people say that Canelo has been playing that uh.
You know pick your partner game very, very well throughout his career, which you know he kind of has, but that’s what you’re supposed to do.
Yeah make the most money of your title.
While you have it that you know for the least amount of risk, yeah there’s you guys like Ray Leonard or Muhammad Ali or Joe Lewis, that took on guys that could do damage right and and beat them all.
But you know uh Charles, a bigger man and definitely doesn’t have any fear, he’s faster and everywhere I’ve been reading.
I don’t know why, but that they say Canelo looks like he may have lost a step.
I haven’t seen it and I haven’t either.
I haven’t either he’s not.
He hasn’t been in uh in media as much as he has in the past um.
I I don’t think he’s ever been knocked down.
Has he I I not that I recall not that I recall he’s got a good chin because he’s got great balance.
He takes a good shot.
Yeah I mean a lot, can really hit him and it hurts nothing yeah, I’m you know.
I believe that that his ability to you know that that that elusive, be you know that elusiveness that he has he’s able to absorb a lot of those a lot of the power that’s coming in off those shots when he does get hit right.
When you pull back, he is taking a lot of that pressure off but see the thing is with Charlo is: is he can close that Gap? So quick right, you might not have you might not have that ability to move back fast enough to be able to take off that sting of that shot because right, yeah! Well, it reminds me Mike when he thought Brian castano, and I think this was the second fight and castano who’s winning and then it was over.
It was just over that quickly.
You shook your head, you know how did this happen yeah and he just turned it up to like four or five notches.
You know a couple uppercuts a couple Hooks, and that was it because Donna was done and and Gerald turned it up and it looked and he has that ability he has that ability to turn it on uh.
You know like when you watch when you watch his highlight reels it’s how the reels are all the same.
It’S Wham come in huge hit play that angle.
Boom boom boom boom.
It’S over same thing.
It’S it’s his recipe.
You can watch it every single knockout.
It’S like the same thing and I think he’s able to catch catch Canelo the right way.
He might be able to drop him and you know, but anyone can be dropped or knocked out anyway.
Anyone anyone and it’s you know it’s whether or not canelo’s chin can still stand up to that kind of punishment.
Right I mean I don’t personally like uh uh uh a journal, but he’s a great fighter without a doubt.
Right and you know, I’ve had people say I’ve heard people say.
Excuse me, no he’s really full of himself well to get in the ring and have someone try to kill you? You have to be yeah you’re, getting a boxing ring and not be full of yourself.
Yeah uh on on this undercard tonight, uh in the co-main event, we have Steve Claggett wow.
I haven’t seen this guy out in a while Local Hero uh.
You know: 35 72 uh 25 Kos he’s defending his nabf title against the Mexican veteran Colonel Sanchez who’s 24-1.
With 19 Kos what uh? What are your thoughts on flagget? Well, I I like him, here’s an interesting story.
People will say about Fighters like him, like you were just saying, haven’t seen him in a while, and one of the reasons for that in boxing is a guy like that, may you know he’s trying to get fights and then somebody will call him and say I Got ta fight for you in four weeks.
It’S this amount of money, you’re fighting this really good guy and he’ll say: can I have an extra month, no take it or leave it and a lot of times guys like him just say no yeah, I’m not ready.
I’M not gon na get hurt right and I’m not gon na be a punching bag, but I think he’s a great fighter and I like to see more of them.
There’S more Fighters like him in boxing than there are.
You know, Floyd, Mayweather’s yeah.
You know you know why he’s you know he’s been fighting he’s actually been fighting quite often this year.
It’S just.
We haven’t seen too many televised ones for him.
That’S a problem uh! He has fought.
He has fought three times this year, uh Rafael, Guzman Lugo.
That was back in March and then he fought again in June, so this is uh pretty good.
That he’s never seen a little bit more of him.
You know maybe he’s uh, maybe he’s looking for that.
Uh World title yes and he’s not fighting bombs.
He’S fighting he’s like to really do damage and he’s you know: yeah they’re still not giving him his do that.
That’S people don’t understand how incredibly frustrating that is.
Oh, that’s good! It’S got to be.
It’S got to be just mind-boggling to them.
You know like he took on Alberto machito, Carlo, like he’s taking on Carlos Sanchez tonight uh.
You know his last fight machito, the one before that Lugo he’s taking on uh.
You know Tony Lewis he’s fighting a bunch of like you know, not no sludges Elite level Fighters and he’s you can’t take a round off against him.
No, he doesn’t have it easy.
You can’t just say how close to this round.
No, I’m thinking if I can knock this guy down or beat him that helps my career yeah, and so it’s it’s tough for him, especially because since a network like HBO doesn’t do boxing, which I thought was a very financially foolish move that that and it’s proven To be that um, you know there were more spots and boxing goes through these Cycles, but a guy like that should be on TV.
You know you can easily become a fan favorite and get the momentum behind them for a world titled shot, and he should definitely definitely, I believe so, there’s a lot of Canadians, man that that don’t get the recognition that they should uh.
You know, there’s there’s a bunch of good shot, the good fighters on this undercut too uh.
You know uh Alexander gomont, this kid 8-0 Ulysses October, Rivera uh who’s.
Eight note both these guys going ahead to have two ranked 237 versus 271 in the middleweight division.
That’S going to be a great fight: uh we got Vanessa LePage, uh, taking on Tim and Naggy.
That’S gon na be a nice girl fight there, uh Louis Santana, 9-0.
There’S another kid to watch out for uh.
You know we are Christopher Guerrero, another kid to be watching out for sub 10 fighter, but he’s you know 7-0 right now in that welterweight division.
There’S gon na be some great fights on this.
I know that already started at 6 30.
uh eye of the tiger man, they’re they’re, really scared they’re stepping up their game yeah.
I, like Camille Lester, fan a lot and I, I honestly think I know you’re too modest, but I honestly think it fights like these.
Would be great if you were helping broadcast them or you were there in the audience, and you could explain to the people there.
This is what this guy does.
This is what he’s capable of this is why you’re in for a great fight, so don’t talk and tell jokes and look at your phone watch.
His fight, these guys have skills Mad Skills and they deserve to be recognized, definitely definitely and honestly, um.
You know I.
I, like there’s another guy that I like contradict Baxter uh.
You know shout out to him he’s doing some good things.
Uh for the Canadian scene, uh he’s been putting on a lot of really great shows.
You know Niagara he’s done a couple: uh really like Rebel Rebel, entertainment, complex uh, Toronto right on the water, what a great place to have an event uh, both three of the ones that have been there now uh, you know, sold out, show great fights uh.
You know we had: we had a championship, fight or Brian Acosta.
That was a good one for the WBC American Channel.
You know he’s signing good Fighters he’s putting together good fights, uh he’s putting nasas in the seats, and you know he’s he’s worked with the zone.
Now the zone is starting to show some of his events, so it’s nice to see that Toronto and Canada are finally getting a little bit of recognition.
I’D like to see more, what do you think we need to do? Well, that’s a good question.
Um! I had one of the best times of my life with my wife, Cynthia out of Adam or Lee Baxter, my very dear friend, who I really love.
Adam Harris was working with him at the time and we were in Niagara, Falls and, and he had a fight card there and and clue still Clayton was on and we had a wonderful time and we were talking everyone around us.
It’S such people don’t understand when you go to fights it’s such a convivial thing.
I think what you need to do to answer your question is I always go off on him, but you know me, I repeat everything, so if you miss everything you miss nothing.
Newspapers have to get back into carrying the sport of boxing radio stations and TV and what’s frustrating for me when a guy like Steve, buffering retires from from the sun.
We lose a great boxing writer and in the states they cover it, but up here they don’t and it it comes down to you and me and other people, Graham Eric.
You know talking about it because they don’t know what they’re missing and I have you know.
It’S very upsetting to me that Canadians going back 150 years world champions, don’t get the recognition, so Americans eventually claim them.
But what upsets me and I’ve said this so many times before it’s it is when you speak to people at The Fan, radio and and different.
I mean most TV shows newscast for all networks that drop their sportscast.
It’S just a regular person talking about the Jays or the leads or the Raptors, and they don’t cover box and they say well.
Mma is more popular, that’s not true! The get live, gate numbers and the pay-per-view are much better for boxing than MMA.
Mma is just new and they don’t care about that.
We need to get these local people involved and promoting the sport more on the news yeah, and these are Fighters that damn well excuse me deserve to be recognized.
Are we still athletes and, and the majority of them that I know are also gentlemen and gentle women outside of the Ring? They do a lot of community work and they work very hard on what they do and I wish people I wish to God.
People would give them credit and go to their fights.
Bob seems one of the few Sports in Canada that you can afford to actually get a good ticket.
Yeah 30 bucks and see you go to a Chase game you’re, paying two 300 bucks for a good ticket.
You’Ve got a Raptors game, you’re paying 1502 Grand same with the leaves it’s ridiculous, yeah and Victor in boxing you can get it you’ll get a full night.
You know United promotions and dear friend, Tyler box, Dan and Don McDonald they’re, putting on the great card and Pickering it’s a great card.
Actually yeah.
It is a great card.
There’S no stephs, there’s no easy fights, there’s no setups! These are all great Fighters fighting each other because they want to, and that is a credit for that, and that should be promoted, but they have enough.
They have a deal with eye of the tiger, but it should be broadcast.
It wouldn’t cause TSN or Sportsnet that much to send one camera or two cameras and record it and and put it on, and people would watch it definitely or we could broadcast it and people will watch it.
Yes, definitely we need to talk to Tyler that’d.
Be perfect for you because you know the Canadians seem better than anyone in Canada and seriously, and you know you do and you could you could, you know be on camera, you could be there broadcasting the fight, but before you could do your own show explaining why It’S an important fight who these people are and why you, as a Canadian, should support them.
Yes, definitely you know, I do I’ve done my due diligence.
I I have gone to these smaller gyms.
These amateur shows, and I’m telling you the amount of talent that is coming up through the Canadian boxing team right now is incredible: yeah, absolutely Angela Dundee.
When I did when I did Cinderella, Man said the next big Power in boxing is going to be Canada.
You said the town here is phenomenal: it’s just that you Canadians, don’t get behind your own people, no, no we’re too busy uh too busy getting behind our Leafs and our Jays and our Argos and TFC and we’re not we’re.
You know we’re not watching we’re not watching our boxers.
It’S it’s sad! No, and you know there’s, I think 13 Canadians in the international Boxing Hall of Fame.
One of them is a Jewish one in some Vancouver Eileen Eaton, who became the top promoter in California and physically kicked on King out of one of her shows she wouldn’t want to pay.
But you have the first black man ever to be a world champion.
George Dixon for Nova Scotia, what’s happening now in the states, and I told you I sent stuff into Canada Post.
I said if you don’t claim: George Dixon and Sam Langford and all these great Fighters, Americans will do it and that’s what the Americans are doing now.
We’Re referring to them as American because they fought in the states and and they’re coming out with scams for them.
I mean that’s, that’s pathetic.
They belong to us they’re Canadians, they never change their citizenship.
No! No! No! I remember.
I remember back in the day when we used to have what was it Friday night fights at the gardens? Yeah, that’s like man, we what happened.
Well, I I can I kind of know what happened Ken Hayashi kind of kind of messed that up yeah.
I actually didn’t have the experience or the tact to deal with promoters.
I understand promoters and managers always trying to get something by you.
That’S the way the Sport’s been for 300 years right and I understand how she didn’t want to take a chance.
But I think he went way overboard when you know when he would make agreements with people right and then go back on them.
And I know for a fact, because I worked for Lennox Lewis and Les Woods at Global Legacy boxing, and I remember and Les Woods like Linux is a gentleman I never saw him raise his voice, even if he was angry, and I remember Ken I actually calling Him, where the F do you get off, putting on 25 fights? Who Do You Think I’m Gon na Supply you with 25? Who the hell do you think and it kept cursing at him unless said uh uh Ken there’s, there’s seven fights there’s 25.
No! Our lawyers met last week.
We have a deal, there’s seven fights, I offered it well, we pay for it right, but I said the government doesn’t have to pay.
I will pay everything you’re off the hook.
Well, don’t you tell me that and you just you know, I got a call like that from him one time on my phone and I was just a PR director.
He was yelling at me.
I said who the hell.
Do you think you are I’m just doing publicity so, but that’s the kind of person you’re dealing with right and and it’s since thankfully moved on, he stagnated boxing.
He didn’t like boxing.
He heard boxing right, it’s not good for boxing and he wasn’t open to discussion.
I offered to interview him and not alter anything.
He said no of managers and promotional companies that can we at least sit down.
Just talk, no wow, so you you can’t.
You know he wasn’t familiar with it like they are in New York right LA and Montreal yeah.
He was just trying to.
He was going by his own agenda and that’s it and and not taking not taking any any sort of opinion from anybody else and – and you know I knew of several Fighters.
That said to me, the problem was this: that they they have.
They presented a medical report and he said this medical report is five weeks old.
I need one from today and they said, but oh hip won’t cover that.
I need it from today.
It’S 10 a.
m.
You have the one to get a person to go, pay the money, get it and get there at like 1205.
Ken’s gone for the day yeah, so they just I mean he would do that deliberately to people.
That’S unprofessional and also the hand wrapping situation the hand wrap rules in Ontario haven’t been updated in 100, literally 100 years.
When you wouldn’t hear anything about it, wow, so we’ve thankfully moved on from him.
People say you don’t want someone in boxing running it.
I think we do.
There are honest people unboxing.
You know someone like yourself myself, Graham you know someone like that could easily run it not easily, but run it above board.
We’Re not stupid yeah.
We know when someone’s trying to pull a fast one.
We can look at a record and say you know this guy’s not 14-1.
I know who he is.
You know right right, he’s lost all these fights so and and Hayashi would also um Nick’s fights and I would say to them: you’re, not a promoter.
That’S not your legal purview.
Your purview is to correct, is to collect taxes and provide doctors and referees and judges.
That’S the only power you have yeah, but he didn’t.
He didn’t care.
You know at one time for a fight.
He was checking gloves that were encased in Cellophane in a box to see if they’ve been tampered with they’re not going to be tampered with when they’re coming from the factory no they’re going to be tampered by the trainer just before the fight yeah.
How to do that see? That’S now! That’S ridiculous, like it’s like one, the fighter knows the manufacturer and he’s like put some lead in those gloves or something you know like come on.
That’S ridiculous! Well, you know what I’m glad, I’m glad that that he’s no longer involved uh.
We do have a great group of guys coming up.
You know come to mind.
You know Lucas bady’s, another one uh, I like him a lot.
I like him like him that kid he’s been through tons of stuff.
You know, uh we’ve got.
We got the Wilcox Clan right, those guys wow they’re, just if Canada Goes to War.
I want them on my side right.
Those guys are going to win and they’re not gon na quit.
I love their father.
Their father is a wonderful man and a great trainer, and these guys are as tough as it gets.
They’Re real gentlemen yeah.
When you speak to them yeah – and you know I – I spoke to them and Steve molitar – who I just love yeah.
You know who gives back, but I spoke to molitar Logan, cotton, McGinnis, uh um, Mr Wilcox, and a bunch of them when Margarita was taking a beating from Pacquiao, and I said: should they stop it and they all gave me a look like no? No, no.
He cheated he loaded his gloves.
Let him feel it let it certainly it’s like to take a pity.
Oh my God, yeah yeah, there’s a great bunch of guys.
Definitely uh.
You know we support their local um.
Very they support all the local gyms uh.
You know I’ve been to many many fights where these guys have have.
You know just showed up just randomly sitting in the audience.
You know supporting those those you know those youngins man uh another good kid, Josh, lupiah love this kid.
Another super lightweight uh, this kid man’s got a story.
Uh you know shot in a drive-by or something like that.
He’S bounced back.
You know he they told him.
He was gon na get his leg cut off uh.
You know that kind of stuff and this kid’s bounced back he’s 11-0 right now.
He keeps he keeps just destroying things uh.
He fought uh.
He actually fought uh yesterday uh in Montreal, and I believe he won he’s known 11-0, so be on the lookout.
For this kid or no sorry, 12-010 Kos wow yeah Mike I’d, be remiss.
If I didn’t mention this week, we lost a tremendous member who I adored of the boxing community in Toronto and Canada Everett and the killing.
Oh wow.
He was a wonderful trainer.
He always had a smile on his face and every time I saw him he’d say you should come to my gym and help me train and I would say, I’m not really a trainer, I’m just I’m a writer who’s, a big mouth.
You know sorry, my computer’s caught anyways and he would say that and – and I I love them – he always had a smile.
He helped everyone and he asked me one time he had a fighter who came.
I think I don’t know if it was from Ghana or Somalia, who was part of a youth who was indoctrinated as a kid to be a killer and a gang, and this kid won his first fight.
It was sorry about this.
It was a great story and in second fight he was goofing off and he lost and he went nuts and everyone’s everything.
Can you talk to him and – and I did because it was Everett, but he was kind to everyone.
It was a wonderful trainer and most people don’t know he was trained to be a trainer By Angelo Dundee, fell in love with him and said this guy’s, a class guy Pro Street Gym right, yeah, Fifth Street Gym, yeah Angelo trained him and Everett came back to Canada – and he was just a wonderful person – it’s a it’s a huge personal loss.
For me, it’s a huge personal loss for you and for everyone in the sport that had had the privilege to know him and and talk to him and just spend time with him, and I can’t tell you how many times I was with him.
There were two fights in particular where his fighter I said, how’s this going to go and he said my guy’s gon na take it in under a minute and the guy did.
He said the other guy can’t fight, doesn’t know what he’s doing and he’s wealthy he’s arrogant and he’s going to get a, unfortunately, a tough lesson, yeah and the other fight.
He said this will go, maybe two rounds.
He was right both times.
He knows he knew he knew his people, he knew his Fighters yeah and he loved the sport.
He supported other athletes, always every time I saw him.
He always had a nice smile and a hug, and I always when I wrote for the fight – and I would mention him how great he is and how blessed and lucky Canada is to have someone like him same with Dwight, Frazier and and other people event proposal And and and someone like Steve moliter, I mean was a world champion and he goes out and gives back to so many fighters all the time and he never gets to credit he’s due for how great he was and for how kind and generous right right.
You know, there’s there’s a lot, there’s a lot of guys out there that didn’t get their credit.
They deserved.
You know that’s right, tons of them tons, tons of Canadian boxers uh, you know man I can just think of.
I can think of so many there’s.
Just too many to list that well, no one today would know Johnny culon.
He was from Toronto.
He grew up beside the house where Mary Pickford lived and he was the world Banning weight champion and he he ended up living in Chicago.
He was best friends with Jack Johnson and told them not to go down south in 46.
.
Johnson died in the car crash, he said you know, they’re bigots.
You know you’re going to get angry and you know you’re going to speed and Johnson loved him.
He was famous and I’m sure, you’ve seen this for people couldn’t pick him up he’s only five two, but he put his hand on a nerve behind their neck, so people from Dempsey to Alley can and Foreman could never physically lift him up, and I’m I’m one Of the books, I’m pitching a book, I just fired my brother chair and went to another publisher thing, a real publisher, but another book I wanted to pitch and do it as a TV documentary as well.
No one knows: George budge buyers and George Godfrey and George Godfrey and buyers were first cousins.
They were born in the 1860s and 1880s in Prince Edward Island.
Now, if you think about a smaller black community, there is today it was even smaller, then, and they end up moving to Boston and becoming World Champions.
John O’Sullivan wouldn’t fight Godfrey twice and he won the colored heavyweight title.
Buyers won the middleweight and colored heavyweight title and beat everyone, but the champion.
The white middleweight champion, Tommy Ryan, wouldn’t fight him and and here’s the great thing about George Godfrey.
He died, unfortunately, at 40 of tuberculosis in 1902, but he died extremely wealthy because all the money he made he invested in land in Massachusetts and he said to his children and his wife never sell the land only rented and to this day in in September, in 2023, his family is worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
Oh wow, George Godfrey looked like George Clooney with a mustache, you know and George budge Byers had the best clothes.
He was a gentleman fought for nine years and he said: listen if, if Ryan’s not going to give me a chance, then why bother? You know no point taking more shots to the head.
I got all the money.
I need Barbados, Joel Walcott uh.
He beat a lot of great Fighters and he trained Sam Langford, so just an incredible story, but no one in Canada knows them well.
Yeah then uh, you know that’d be a great book.
Yes, Cedric! What’S up brother, hey guys good evening Cedric from The Smart Card? Yes, sir, yes, sir Cedric, are you going through a heat wave in Britain? Now am I going for a heatwave where sorry uh? Where are you located, I’m in Windsor, Windsor Ontario? Oh, is Windsor going through a heat wave? Yes, we are actually.
Yes, we are going through a little bit of the Heatwave, so in the gym right now I just finished right now.
That’S why I’m just hopping on right now, but what’s the name of your gym West Windsor boxing gym, we just not officially open yet, but I just got to work with some new Fighters, but the gym that I was at before is the Windsor amateur boxing club With the legendary Charlie Stewart, do you know Cedric that in the early 1900s late 1890s there were a fair amount of world title fights in Windsor between American fighters and American and Canadian Fighters.
I don’t know the details, but I did.
I did hear um Charlie used to tell me stories about that, like um um, I’m pretty sure who wasn’t I’m pretty sure, George Foreman trained here for one of his training camps, um and, of course, all you know, a lot of the the the crunk guys would Just come over just um just to get away yeah talking about the great Joe Gans lightweight champion, oh wow, history in early 1900s and Frank earned the man he beat and other Fighters back then, with that being said, it’s got to say thank you for your show.
I really appreciate your show and the history that you bring because there’s not anything you can find like that.
So um, I really appreciate it.
The trainer you just mentioned, Charlie yeah, should be a household name.
Yes, yes, definitely right.
People should be taught who he is in Canada.
These are our heroes and we don’t respect them well enough.
People should know him yeah yeah.
I think it’s it’s fortunate right now, with the the if social media was was alive back then you know their their names.
Would would be out there a lot more, but so I guess it’s up to this generation, for people like myself and and yourself with your historic show to uh to keep their names alive right.
It kills me when I read about Canadian Fighters in the last 100 years in any decade, and I think how can Canadians not know them? These guys were Undisputed world champions known throughout the world.
George Dixon was was not only the most famous black men on Earth.
He was one of the most famous man on Earth, the first ever black man and Canadian to be a world champion and vented the heavy bag, the speed bag, Shadow Boxing and and won the world Banner.
The right title lost it regained it and no one remembers him here.
No, I think the reasons for that is most of the uh most of the bigger networks that promote Sports and specifically boxing are more American, so they don’t really focus more on the you know the Canadian history they’ll focus more, but so I think so another reason Why it’s important to like And subscribe to talk and fight, because it’s the only YouTube channel, you’re gon na find stuff like this here, yeah right, I’m like I’m on my sub stack Once Upon a Time in the ring.
I talk about these these guys and how great they were and who they beat, and you know Dixon was 5’3 and and maybe a hundred and eighteen hundred and twenty pounds and would take on guys 145 and beat them easily.
I mean his skill level was not.
It was incredible, but the thing people – and I think prior to the reason not recognized, is that there’s still a fair amount of racism and with and there’s certain ones back then, when Dixon fought and a lot of black Fighters fought back then uh Joe Gans.
They had to worry during a fight they couldn’t fight on the ropes, because the cornermen for the other guy, the white guy or his fans would hit them in the legs with pipes or straps or knives.
And that’s the one time rolled his pants up.
The flesh missing from his legs, that’s why, when they they said to him, why do you fight in the middle of the Ring? He said.
I have no choice: wow wow.
What spider was that again? Sorry, George Dixon, I met his great great grand nephew, who was a school teacher along with my sister and there’s a book.
A friend of mine has out on them now Jason Winters, it’s a new book.
It’S been out for about a year, maybe on George Dixon, and he was called The Fighter without a flaw.
They would watch him for 70 rounds Cedric and the writers bought somebody to say he didn’t make a single mistake in 70 rounds, wow, not one.
It was on a scar on him, there’s not a bruise, there’s no swelling.
When he had you hurt.
He went with a head shot to the head.
He threw a left hook to the liver when he wanted to get ill.
He put his hands up too high and when you went forward for his stomach, he’d shift his stance and hit you with a left hook on the chin, pretty unorganized, and he had to agree like all black Fighters back then that he wouldn’t destroy his opponent.
In the first round or two because no one would fight him, others right, he had to agree to let it go eight or nine rounds same with Sam Langford, Sam Langford was the same way.
You know Langford, there’s a story before fight in England where he sees the cornerman for the other guy, putting different stools in the ring, and he goes.
What are you doing? He goes I’m trying to figure out what stool is the best.
He said you, ain’t gon na need no stool, no more than 60 seconds.
We knocked him out in about 48 seconds, [ Laughter, ], that’s hilarious, oh yeah! He and I was telling Mike the story before Cedric about he was fighting a guy named iron, hay and Langford, went out in the eighth round touch gloves and the guy says to him.
What are you touching gloves for Sam? You only touch gloves in the last round and he said you’re right son and for you this is the last round and then knocked him out yeah yo that is walking the walking talking to talk for sure bro.
Oh yeah, that’s that’s some serious stuff.
There are no reviews yet.