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Thursday, February 12, 2009

Kimball's story about Irish Ropes & John Duddy‏

Battles in the ring the easier ones for Duddy

AMERICA AT LARGE: Since falling out with Irish Ropes, the Derry fighter has become the object of an ugly lawsuit, writes GEORGE KIMBALL

WHEN EDDIE McLoughlin hired Patrick Burns to be John Duddy’s new trainer last summer he didn’t anticipate he might be inviting the fox into the henhouse, but in the view of the Mayo-born promoter, that’s pretty much how it worked out.

At Jack Dempsey’s pub off Herald Square in Manhattan yesterday, McLoughlin presided over a press luncheon officially launching what has become a New York staple – Irish Ropes’ annual St Patrick’s Day card at Madison Square Garden. This year’s edition will showcase not Duddy, but another Irish middleweight, Limerick’s Andy Lee, fighting three-time world title challenger Antwun Echols.

Barely four months had elapsed since, following another press conference in the same pub on October 8th, McLoughlin sent Duddy off to Burns’ Miami training camp to begin preparations for a November 21st tune-up bout against Sam Hill. Within weeks Duddy had a new de facto manager, Craig Hamilton, the seven-year-old relationship between the boxer and his promoter was in tatters, the Hill fight (along with an even more lucrative January bout against Ronald Hearns) had been scuttled, and Duddy’s contract with Irish Ropes was the object of an unpleasant lawsuit, filed in US District Court.

At the centrepiece of the court case, which alleges financial improprieties in Irish Ropes’ handling of the Derry middleweight’s affairs, Eddie and Duddy’s erstwhile manager Tony McLoughlin stand accused of being brothers.

The McLoughlins do not deny that relationship, but point out they were already brothers in 2006, when Duddy, in the presence of a representative of the New York State Athletic Commission, signed separate contracts with each. In fact, from 2003 until last autumn, Duddy lived, rent-free, in an apartment owned by Tony McLoughlin, who also provided the boxer with the use of a car and several hundred dollars a week living allowance.

When Duddy appeared at Madison Square Garden a week ago to announce his February 21st date with Matt Vanda, he thanked Hamilton, attorney Gary Friedman and author Thomas Hauser for having effected his nascent emancipation from Irish Ropes. Hauser, himself a lawyer, subsequently objected to our having described him in these pages as a Duddy “adviser”, calling that characterisation “a disservice” to Hamilton and Friedman.

“The only advice I gave to John came when [Duddy’s proposed fight against Verno Phillips] fell through and I told him he should become more proactive in terms of charting his own career,” said Hauser, whose 4,000-word treatise The Truth About John Duddy on the website SecondsOut.com has, in the absence of dissenting views, been widely cited as the definitive view of a complex situation.

“In that same conversation, in response to a question from John, I said I wasn’t the right person to ask about the intricacies of managing a fighter and suggested he talk with Craig Hamilton. John was already aware of Hamilton because Craig manages Kevin Burnett, and Burnett is trained by Pat Burns,” added Hauser.

Within days of that advice, Hamilton (and his long-time lawyer, Friedman) were in charge and Irish Ropes was on the way out. Burns acknowledges having vouched for Hamilton’s integrity, but he also denies having initiated the poaching expedition.

Following the debacle against Walid Smichet last February (Duddy eked out a majority decision but was cut to ribbons, and blew a $1.4 million payday to fight middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik), it was clear to McLoughlin and matchmaker Jim Borzell trainer Don Turner would have to go.

McLoughlin says that even before the Smichet fight Hauser, whose opinion he valued, had lobbied on several occasions for Burns to replace Turner.

While acknowledging a long-time relationship with Burns, Hauser says the Florida trainer’s name was just one of several, including those of Nazim Richardson and Freddie Roach, he put forth to Irish Ropes.

In any case, McLoughlin and Borzell flew to Miami and met with Burns. (That the promoter and his matchmaker and not the manager conducted the job interview with the new trainer underscores the blurring of traditional roles at Irish Ropes, but both McLoughlins insist they acted in Duddy’s best interests.)

“When I asked him about his fee, he said it was ‘No problem, just a few hundred bucks a week’,” recalled Eddie. “He also talked about John’s conditioning, and about accommodation down there. He said neither was a problem, since he had a brother who was a qualified nutritionist who would work, again, ‘for a couple of hundred a week,’ and that his wife would arrange to rent a house for just a thousand or so a month.”

“That is inaccurate,” Burns insisted yesterday. “I simply couldn’t work for ‘a few hundred’ a week,’ and I wouldn’t have said I would.”

In the wake of the Smichet fiasco it was also clear Duddy needed to redeem himself with a tune-up bout against an unthreatening opponent. Charlie Howe of Ohio, knocked out in the first round of his last fight, had a deceptively impressive 17-3-2 record and seemed to fit the bill perfectly. When the New York commission refused to approve Duddy-Howe, the venue was shifted to Boston. And Burns became Duddy’s new trainer.

Once Irish Ropes had severed connections with Turner, according to McLoughlin, the picture changed dramatically. Between his own weekly fee of $850 and another $650 for Joseph Burns, the “few hundred a week” had grown to $1,500, and the $1,000-a-month house turned out to cost $1,800 a month.

In Boston on June 28th last year Duddy fought well and posted a unanimous decision over the 33-year-old Howe. Because that fight was a low-budget exercise away from the scrutiny of television cameras, Irish Ropes had anticipated running the show at a loss, and Duddy had agreed to a $20,000 purse, and $5,000 for training expenses.

Burns insists the financial terms had been spelled out before he took the job. McLoughlin claims he wouldn’t have agreed to it if that had been the case.

A few days ago, Eddie McLoughlin sifted through a pile of cancelled cheques showing that in May and June of last year alone he had written checks totalling $21,000 to various permutations of the Burns family.

Under the arrangement, Burns’ fee was supposed to cover gym expenses. For the Howe fight, Duddy sparred at the Phantom Gym in Miami. Phantom manager Artie Artwell says that for that camp, Pat Burns paid $60 a month for the use of the gym.

Given the unhappy beginning to the relationship, McLoughlin says he no longer considered Burns trustworthy, but acceded to the fighter’s wishes only because Duddy felt comfortable with him.

So who’s telling the truth? Consider this: that October 8th press conference was a veritable love-fest between Duddy and Irish Ropes, yet less than two weeks later he had new representation. Somebody gave John Duddy Craig Hamilton’s phone number, and it’s a pretty safe bet it wasn’t Eddie McLoughlin.

This article appears in the print edition of the Irish Times

See you at the Fights.
Thanks for your time.

Starlite Boxing's Sweetscience The Video Channel Online http://www.youtube.com/ELEmpress1

EL Boxing Empress Keisha Morrisey's Myspace http://www.myspace.com/Keishadivine

Honorable Keisha Morrisey http://www.keishamorrisey.com

©®™2007, 2008 All photos by "EL Boxing Empress" Keisha Morrisey- Empire Morrisey Photo-Studios, Khris Kirkpatrick Morrisey for Bloodline Boxing Communications Entertainment and Starlite Boxing's Sweetscience Magnews-Online Publication all rights reserved

ROY JONES JR. RETURNS TO FIGHT IN PENSACOLA AGAINST OMAR SHEIKA IN “MARCH BADNESS” ON SATURDAY, MARCH 21 LIVE ON PAY-PER-VIEW

Pensacola, FL– Roy Jones Jr., Eight-Time World Champion, returns to Pensacola to fight for the first time since January, 1999 when he battles Omar Sheika at the Pensacola Civic Center on Saturday, March 21, 2009. The fight card will also feature a bevy of Mixed Martial Arts stars headlined by Seth Petruzelli, who most recently knocked out Internet legend and previously undefeated Kimbo Slice. The event is being promoted by Square Ring Promotions in association with Hirsch Borao Boxing and the Pensacola Civic Center and will be broadcast live on pay-per-view.

Tickets, priced at $128, $103, $78, $53 & $28 go on sale Wednesday, February 11th at 10:00 a.m. and will be available at all Ticketmaster locations, the Pensacola Civic Center Box Office and Ticketmaster.com.

It wasn’t that long ago that Roy Jones Jr. (52-5, 38 KOs) was the consensus “pound-for-pound” champion and just over 20 years since the exuberant, talent-brimming Jones was denied an Olympic Gold Medal by corrupt judges. In a contradictory but unofficial admission the “Silver Medialist” Jones was named the Most Valuable Boxer at the ’88 Seoul Olympics. Jones later used that unfortunate episode as inspiration to become an eight-time world champion in four weight classes, claiming belts at middleweight, super middleweight, light heavyweight and heavyweight.

He blew through the 90s and well into the 21st Century in unstoppable fashion, stunning his opponents with blinding quickness and brutal power, beating the top names in the sport, including Bernard Hopkins, James “Lights Out” Toney, Mike McCallum and Virgil Hill. He made history on March 1, 2003 when he stymied then-heavyweight champion John Ruiz to become the first former middleweight champion to win the heavyweight title in more than 100 years.

Following the Ruiz triumph, Jones was to take on “Iron” Mike Tyson, but when the deal fell through he had to lose twenty-five pounds of solid muscle in six weeks to drop not one, but two weight classes to regain the light heavyweight championship from Florida rival and nemesis Antonio Tarver on November 8, 2003. It was an unprecedented feat in boxing history, going from middleweight champion to heavyweight champion then back down to win the light heavyweight championship once again. However, the sudden weight variations had taken a toll on Jones’ body and he subsequently lost consecutive bouts against Tarver (twice) and Glen Johnson.

Down, but not out, Jones came back to score wins in his next two fights, setting up a highly-anticipated duel with Puerto Rican legend Felix “Tito” Trinidad at Madison Square Garden on January 19, 2008. A renewed Jones looked sharp and focused, flooring Trinidad twice, in capturing a hard fought unanimous win. In his most recent bout, on November 8, 2008 in “Battle of the Superpowers” Jones fought undefeated and the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world, Joe Calzaghe. Jones started out strong, knocking Calzaghe down with a left-right combination in the first round and had “Super” Joe practically out on his feet. To his credit, Calzaghe mustered the heart to get through the round, gaining strength in the next few rounds until Jones rocked him in the sixth with a deadly uppercut. The fight, however, took a significant turn in the seventh when Jones was cut for the first time in his career from a Calzaghe right hand. Jones’ corner was unable to stop the bleeding, and the steady stream of blood running over his eye was wreaking havoc on his vision and his pace had slowed considerably. Calzaghe went on to win a unanimous decision. To Roy, this was just another valley, and he will now begin another trek back to the peak and the first step takes place on March 21 against the always game, exciting brawler Omar Sheika.

Sheika (27-8, 18 KOs) of Paterson, N.J. accomplished something Roy Jones Jr. did not: he beat Glen Johnson, on June 2, 2000 at the famed Blue Horizon in Philadelphia. In the fourth-round, Sheika was getting inside of Johnson’s jab and began to nail him with uppercuts. He then floored Johnson with a powerful right hand. The fight went the distance and Sheika won a majority decision.

The Johnson win catapulted Sheika to a world title fight against reigning super middleweight champion and another Jones common opponent, Joe Calzaghe on August 12, 2000. In the fifth round of that bout a nasty laceration was forming above Omar’s left eye due to an accidental clash of heads earlier in the fight. However, the referee had ruled it had come from a punch and when it was decided that Omar could not continue, the fight ended as a technical knockout loss for Sheika.

But Sheika may mostly be known for his two brawling and brutal bouts against Scott Pemberton. The first meeting took place on July 25, 2003 and was ESPN2’s Fight of the Year. Pemberton won a 12-round split decision after being knocked down by Sheika in round two and surviving a late round rally. Their January 23, 2004 rematch, again for the NABF super middleweight title, was just as action-packed and an early candidate for 2004’s Fight of the Year. Sheika knocked Pemberton down in round two and in the sixth, drove Pemberton into the ropes with an overhand right leading to a mandatory 8-count. Pemberton survived the round and in a reversal of fortune, knocked Sheika down for the first time in his career in the tenth and the fight was soon stopped. In Sheika’s last bout, on September 29, 2007, he stopped Tiwon Taylor in the fourth round in Atlantic City.

Mixed Martial Arts Fights

Seth “The Silverback” Petruzelli vs. Doug “Rhino” Marshall
Bobby Lashly vs. TBD
Roy “Big Country” Nelson vs. Jeff “The Snowman” Monson

Headlining the Mixed Martial Arts portion of the card will be Seth “The Silverback” Petruzelli (10-4, 9 KOs) a wrestling/karate specialist from Fort Myers, FL. Seth has had only three of his fourteen bouts go longer than one round. Most recently, on October 4, 2008, Petruzelli took a fight against Internet Legend Kimbo Slice on one hour notice in an event broadcast on national television. Petruzelli attacked Slice from the opening bell and the fight was stopped 14 seconds in, giving Kimbo his first professional loss…and a new MMA star was born.

Doug “Rhino” Marshall (9-3, 6 KOs, 3 Submissions) is a Muay Thai and Jiu Jitsu specialist from Visalia, CA. Doug began his MMA career at heavyweight and won his pro debut in 32 seconds. “Rhino” was given the opportunity to fight for a title in only his third pro fight and won that in 22 seconds! Doug’s thirst for winning was motivating him to train harder and his new regimen dropped him down to light heavyweight. On August 17, 2006, Doug won the WEC light heavyweight championship and had three successful defenses.

Bobby Lashley (1-0, 1 KO) is 6’3”, 265 lbs and cut like a Greco-Roman statue. He hails from Junction City, Kansas and was a three-time NCAA wrestling champion (1996-’98) and four-time All-American while at Missouri Valley College. After college, Lashley joined the Army and was a two-time Armed Forces Champion and 2002 Silver Medalist at the Military World Championships. In 2005, he began working in professional wrestling and before long was a WWE superstar. In 2007, Lashley was the star of Wrestlemania 23, representing Donald Trump in a bet against Vince McMahon. Lashley won the match and helped Trump shave Vince McMahon's head in the ring. Lashley then began to train in MMA full time and made his debut on December 13, 2008 by stopping his opponent in 41 seconds in Miami, FL.

Roy “Big Country” Nelson (13-3, 6 KOs, 3 Submissions) is a grappler and Jui Jitsu specialist from Las Vegas, NV. Nelson played football and baseball and wrestled in high school. “Big Country” became motivated to learn martial arts after watching “The Karate Kid” and now trains with Ken Shamrock in The Lion’s Den. The 250 lb. heavy-handed Nelson is the current International Fight League (IFL) Heavyweight Champion. He’s a fan-favorite for two reasons…his body type (soft) and his skill (outstanding).

Jeff “The Snowman” Monson (27-8, 2 KOs, 17 Submissions) from Olympia, WA is 5’ 8” 240 lbs of solid muscle and was recently featured in a 3-page spread in ESPN The Magazine, as the world’s most intimidating MMA fighter. Monson got his nickname while in a 1999 grappling tournament in Brazil. He came in unknown and beat four Brazilians in a row, each tougher than the one before him, to win the tournament. They said he was like a snowball: white, compact, rolling downhill while getting bigger and stronger. In a fight, he is an avalanche headed straight for you. From 2002 to 2006, Monson won sixteen consecutive fights over the four and a half year time period. Monson, who has run into problems with the law as an open anarchist, comes into the ring using John Lennon's "Imagine" and is a card-carrying member of the Industrial Workers of the World (Wobblies). Not only a superb athlete, Monson is an intellectual and idealist, and these attributes coupled with his skills as a fighter, make him one dangerous and unpredictable opponent.

"March Badness" is being distributed by Square Ring Promotions, Inc. live on pay per view at 9:00PM ET/6:00PM PT in North America, on cable and satellite via iNDemand, TVN, DirecTV and Dish Network in the United States, as well as Viewer's Choice, Shaw Cable, Star Choice and Bell TV in Canada, for a suggested retail price of only $29.95.

See you at the Fights.
Thanks for your time.

Starlite Boxing's Sweetscience The Video Channel Online http://www.youtube.com/ELEmpress1

EL Boxing Empress Keisha Morrisey's Myspace http://www.myspace.com/Keishadivine

Honorable Keisha Morrisey http://www.keishamorrisey.com

©®™2007, 2008 All photos by "EL Boxing Empress" Keisha Morrisey- Empire Morrisey Photo-Studios, Khris Kirkpatrick Morrisey for Bloodline Boxing Communications Entertainment and Starlite Boxing's Sweetscience Magnews-Online Publication all rights reserved

No Holds Barred: For Scandal-Ridden Boxing, Tougher Regulation orAbolition?

No Holds Barred: For Scandal-Ridden Boxing, Tougher Regulation or Abolition? On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman comments on the implications of the latest major scandal in boxing, involving former welterweight champion Antonio Margarito and his trainer, Javier Capetillo. Both Margarito and Capetillo had their licenses revoked for at least a year on Feb. 10 by the California State Athletic Commission after the commission found that Capetillo had placed pads in Margarito's hand wraps which reportedly contained a hard, plaster-like substance,before his Jan. 24 fight with Shane Mosley. These pads were discovered by Mosley's trainer, Naazim Richardson, during a prefight inspection,and then removed. Mosley, an underdog, then went on to dominate Margarito and scored a ninth-round TKO victory. In this commentary, we discuss what are really the only two alternatives for the sport of boxing: tougher regulation by the often incompetent and ineffective bodies which are supposed to control the sport, or abolition of the sport itself. You can play or download No Holds Barred athttp://nhbnews.podOmatic.com/entry/2009-02-12T11_17_22-08_00. You can also download No Holds Barred at http://www.mediafire.com/?xdbxmoylng4. If one link does not work, please try another. The show is in MP3format, so may take some time to download. The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by musician IanCarpenter (http://iancarpenter.com/). No Holds Barred is free to listen to and is sponsored by: Gladiator Magazine (http://gladmag.com/), for in-depth coverage of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, submission grappling, and MMA, as well as lifestyle articles on surfing, cars, movies, and more. GladiatorMagazine is available at any major bookstore and online at BJJMart.com(http://bjjmart.com) or Jiu Jitsu Pro Gear (http://jiujitsuprogear.com/). BJJMart.com (http://bjjmart.com), your premier source for all Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gear, videos, books, and much more. Wrestling 411 (http://wrestling411.tv), providing coverage of the sport of wrestling on TV, the Internet, and radio. Wrestling 411 is produced by Media Sports Productions (http://www.mediasportsproductions.com/), whose sole mission is the marketing and promotion of the sport of wrestling. Thanks, Eddie Goldman http://eddiegoldman.com

See you at the Fights.

Thanks for your time.

Starlite Boxing's Sweetscience The Video Channel Online http://www.youtube.com/ELEmpress1

EL Boxing Empress Keisha Morrisey's Myspace http://www.myspace.com/Keishadivine

Honorable Keisha Morrisey http://www.keishamorrisey.com

©®™2007, 2008 All photos by "EL Boxing Empress" Keisha Morrisey- Empire Morrisey Photo-Studios, Khris Kirkpatrick Morrisey for Bloodline Boxing Communications Entertainment and Starlite Boxing's Sweetscience Magnews-Online Publication all rights reserved

www.Ropicsuk.co.uk

www.Ropicsuk.co.uk

See you at the Fights.
Thanks for your time.

Starlite Boxing's Sweetscience The Video Channel Online http://www.youtube.com/ELEmpress1

EL Boxing Empress Keisha Morrisey's Myspace http://www.myspace.com/Keishadivine

Honorable Keisha Morrisey http://www.keishamorrisey.com/

©®™2007, 2008 All photos by "EL Boxing Empress" Keisha Morrisey- Empire Morrisey Photo-Studios, Khris Kirkpatrick Morrisey for Bloodline Boxing Communications Entertainment and Starlite Boxing's Sweetscience Magnews-Online Publication all rights reserved