Lou Duva Obituary: Legendary Boxing Trainer & Manager Passes at age 94

03/08/2017 Boxing Hall of Fame

Paterson, NJ, March 8-Legendary Hall of Fame boxing manager and trainer Lou Duva, the patriarch of one of the most influential families in the sport, passed away today at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Paterson, New Jersey. He was 94. He died of natural causes, according to his son Dino Duva. A fiery and charismatic character, Lou Duva’s career spanned seven decades in the corners of boxing champions.

Duva handled the careers of 19 world champions, and most notably trained heavyweight titlist Evander Holyfield, and welterweight kingpins Pernell Whitaker and Meldrick Taylor – all U.S.A. Olympic medalists – just to name a few. Duva’s first world champion was middleweight Joey Giardiello, who won the title in 1963.

Living legend Thomas Hearns has Detroit street named after him

02/19/201702/19/2017 James Slater

Boxing legend Thomas Hearns will never, ever be forgotten by fight fans and yesterday, in his beloved Detroit, “The Hitman” was assured a little more immortality by having a street named after him. The former multi-weight king – Hearns winning major belts at 147, 154, 160, 168 and 175 pounds – attended the televised ceremony where “Thomas Hearns Avenue” was officially opened.

James “Buster” Douglas: for one night only

02/11/201702/11/2017 James Slater

27 years ago today it happened: Mike Tyson, the “unbeatable” heavyweight king, was sensationally beaten up, defeated and knocked out in what still ranks as the biggest sporting upset in history. Whopping great 42-1 underdog James “Buster” Douglas pulled off the almighty stunner; a shock so great it commanded front page status on just about every newspaper on the planet the following day.

Twenty Years ago today: when “The Prince” was in his prime; Hamed unifies the featherweight titles

02/08/2017 James Slater

Exciting, abrasive, controversial and still talked about some 15 years after his final ring appearance. Who? Sheffield’s cocksure, blisteringly powerful featherweight king Naseem Hamed, a potentially great fighter who preferred to go by the nickname of “Prince.”

It was two full decades ago today (February 8, 1997) when Hamed scored what was arguably the most impressive and meaningful win of his 10 year, 37 fight pro career. Southpaw Hamed – who had burst onto first the British scene and then the world scene with thrilling wins and an extremely arrogant approach that included a pre-fight somersault over the top rope, a hands-held-low style and supreme self-belief – met the classy and experienced Tom Johnson in London.

20 years ago today: revenge, a mental breakdown and the weirdest heavyweight title fight ever seen!

02/07/201702/07/2017 James Slater

It was February 7, 1997 and heavyweights Lennox Lewis and Oliver McCall met in Las Vegas to both decide the vacant WBC title and to box a rematch. Lewis, who had been shocked by McCall in September of 1994, being bowled over in the 2nd-round, had revenge uppermost on his mind. McCall? To this day nobody really knows what the state of his mind truly was.

What followed twenty years ago today ranks as one of the craziest, weirdest and most disturbing of all heavyweight title fights.

Muhammad Ali: The Greatest would have turned 75 today – why we will never forget him

01/17/2017 James Slater

As surely any boxing fan knows, the great, the incomparable, the immortal Muhammad Ali would have celebrated his 75th birthday today, January 17, 2017. Sadly, as everyone does know, The Greatest left us in June of last year. What Ali left behind is far, far more than a legacy as the finest heavyweight boxer of all time.

Ali meant so much to so many people; from a political standpoint, to a sporting standpoint, to a racial standpoint and more. George Foreman perhaps said it best years ago, when he said that everybody, from any walk of life, was “lifted up a notch” when they met Ali. But speaking from a boxing standpoint only, Ali thrilled fans and gave a piece of himself in a manner that will never be repeated.

Joe Frazier still not getting enough respect – TV news channel wishes him happy 73rd birthday?!?

01/12/2017 James Slater

Heavyweight legend Joe Frazier would have been 73 years old today, January 12. Yet, sadly, as we all know, “Smoke” passed away in November of 2011 after a battle with cancer. As we all know? Well, the folks at Fox Philly certainly don’t appear to know that Joe has been dead for over five years, not if their morning broadcast from earlier today is anything to go by.

The female host wished Joe a happy birthday, informing viewers how:

Arturo Gatti Vs. Micky Ward: The last great boxing trilogy – further immortalised in new book: “Intimate Warfare”

01/02/201701/02/2017 James Slater

For those of you who, like myself, somehow missed it in 2016 when it was released, there is a great new book out on the simply unforgettable three-fight rivalry warriors Aturo Gatti and Micky Ward engaged in back in 2002/2003, that just has to be read. If you didn’t get a copy – released as it was just before Christmas – and you care anything for the Gatti-Ward fights, then “Intimate Warfare: The true story of the Arturo Gatti and Micky Ward trilogy” is a must.

What If: George Foreman never made his “impossible” comeback

12/22/2016 James Slater

Thirty years ago, to the attention of practically no-one, former heavyweight king George Foreman began training for a comeback that was mostly, if not exclusively inspired by a need for money. “Big George,” aged 37 and having been largely forgotten by the sports world, had not boxed, or even clenched his fist in anger (as he would say himself later) for a decade.

It was a dangerous decision to attempt a ring return, and if George had listened to the “experts,” he would not have donned the gloves again and tried, quite ludicrously the critics would say, to lure reigning heavyweight champ Mike Tyson into defending against him. We all saw this past Saturday how perilous it can be for a once great fighter to try and do it again when at an advanced age. And even if Foreman was far, far younger in his first comeback fight than Bernard Hopkins was in his (hopefully) final one, the age of 37 was seen as too advanced to be returning to action after ten years out – certainly in 1987 it was.

Muhammad Ali Retroactively Named Ring Magazine Fighter Of The Year For 1966

12/08/2016 ESB

Muhammad Ali was the best fighter of 1966, as he went 5-0 (with four knockouts) in defense of his heavyweight title. That included a third-round KO of Cleveland Williams, when Ali might’ve been at his very best.

The editors of THE RING Magazine at the time acknowledged Ali’s preeminence that year, stating clearly that no one could touch him.

However, they made an unusual decision when it came time to name the magazine’s annual Fighter of the Year: They announced that Ali would be denied the award because of his refusal to be inducted into the U.S. Army and his association with the Nation of Islam.