Toronto to Montreal to L.A.
I had barely left my seat at the Marcos Maidana – Victor Cayo bout late in March, when I started to chart my April boxing road map. Up first would be the annual shmoozer at The Royal York Hotel. As I have stated in earliar blogs, the Shaw Festival Boxing card was one of the more entertaining of recent years and allowed me to visit with many of the local (Ontario) boxing insiders and aficionados. I was looking ahead to the week of the 18th though, as the Bute – Miranda fight at the Bell Centre promised to be an exciting event (and a social rodeo).
The spring showers outside didn’t put a damper in the Bell Centre’s packed “Cage aux Sports” gathering of media for the Friday afternoon weigh-ins. The ‘Cage’ is a 50 unit sports bar chain in Quebec that also runs Quebec’s main boxing promoter Interbox (with all due respect to GYM Promotions). The atmosphere was electric as the room was jammed with insiders and dozens of reporters (mostly from Quebec, U.S., and me from Ontario). I was working the room with my good friend Adam Harris of Hennessey Promotions (who treated us to a great dinner at a restaurant back room that could have been in ‘Goodfellas’) when I happened upon boxing trainer/broadcaster/ambassador Russ Anber at the steps to the weigh-in stage. Russ was giving me some excellent insight into the failure of TSN to reach an agreement with himself (and Dutchy) to continue their informative (& essential in boxing wastelands like Ontario) news show “In This Corner”. We also weighed in on the Bute card, the incredible health of the game in Quebec and Europe/the preventable sickness and flubbing of the game in Ontario and the U.S., and mutual future projects.
I was fortunate to be engaged in a good power chat with flamboyant California Promoter Dan Goosen (Goosen/Tutor), who is as sharp-witted as any comedian could hope to be. We did discuss his fighter’s (Miranda) chances against Bute, but I was truly impressed with his offhand knowledge of hockey. Especially insightful was Goosen’s admission that he and his brothers have been life-long Kings fans (which led us to names like Jerry Korab, Gary Sargent, Dave Shultz and Tiger Williams). I’ll never forget Goosen’s line that hockey players are the toughest athletes alive – boxing included. I was hardly surprised that his fighter Miranda was stopped in three short rounds the next night. Bute is a skilled force at 168 lbs and will certainly be matched with the cream of the division once the Super Six tourney winds down.
It was cooler than it should be when our plane hit the tarmac at LAX on the 22nd , as we(Tony Cruise; Lennox Lewis security attache) made our way to our limo. The most essential resource when travelling in various cities is a knowledgeable/connected driver, and Jack fit the bill. Over the course of “six days in L.A.” (should be a movie) Jack was a navigator, tour guide, night-club advocate and traffic accessor. We really didn’t have to leave our swanky hotel (SLS at Beverly Hills) as it had a great roof-top pool and lounge, and a bar/resto/lounge that certainly fulfilled my requirements. Friday’s fighter meetings were being held near the Hilton Ontario (California), and provided us with a great brunch as well as some insight into the main event. Firstly, I was able to size-up Tomasz Adamek and Cris Arreola in person. There was much talk of Arreola’s big size advantage and he would be too much for the former lt. heavy/cruiserweight champ. There was about an inch in height advantage but Tomasz is in far better shape, and is a straighter puncher (versus looping, wide) than Cris. That was the difference in the fight as Adamek won a deserved decision over 12 rounds, and would be a great opponent for David Haye in London.
Bawdy Shots:
It was hard to decide if I have ever had a nicer suite than the one in Montreal’s Le Crystal, but the SLS Hotel would at least be it’s equal (but verry pricy)…
I am repeating myself but Quebec has the best (passion/knowledge) fight crowds in North America, as well as an abundance of talent, gyms, trainers, promoters who Promote and a couple of provincial tv networks (RDS and TVA) who don’t have their heads up their asses…
I stopped in at Freddy Roach’s Wild Card Gym in Hollywood on the 27th with Lennox Lewis. I had a good time watching the prospects working at their craft,as Lennox was tutoring a heavyweight on the heavy bag. I was happy to get to talk with Freddy and was not shocked with his assertion that they (Amir Khan) will knock-out Paulie Malignaggi in three rounds on May 15 in New York…
I have to laugh, but it is becoming a predictable/tiring circle of faux pundits (they are not journalists because of the lack of focus/objectiveness) who can’t seem to blog about their chosen sport (mma) without mentioning stronger/wealthier big brother – boxing. The tear-leader is forgettable blogger Jak Rossen. After any boxing event that does big numbers (which would be huge in mma ppv numbers) or giant numbers (which is impossible in mma) this guy is spinning some proclamations that waver around boxing’s last/few/diminishing big fights. It really plays out like whiny little brother who can’t stop mentioning his big bro’s name at every stop, to try to get some attention a la Frank Stallone, Jim Belushi or any Baldwin not named Alec…
I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw this wiseguy walking toward us at a big pharmacy in Beverley Hills. It was none other than “Beansie” from the Sopranos (actor Paul Herman) looking like he is in-character 24/7 as a mobster. Herman was doing some power-shopping and still looks like the character he played (the”Pittsburgh Connection”) in “Goodfellas” twenty years ago…
Paul Williams should be able to garner a decision over Kermit Cintron this weekend by virtue of a busy work ethic. Kermit is on a good tear since his two beatings at the hands of Tony Margarito, but he clearly lost to Williams conqueror Sergio Martinez (ruled a draw) last year and we know how tough a fight Williams- Martinez was in December. Edge to Big Paul…
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