By David Martinez / dmboxing.com
I want to tell you about a man for whom I, and many others, have the utmost respect – Maurice “Dub” Harris.
I first met Dub in November 1996, when I was introduced to him by Deborah Sutherland- Hocamp. At that time, Dub was president of the World Boxing Hall of Fame and Deborah was Vice President and Advisor. That October, Deborah had heard me doing play-by-play commentary for a boxing show broadcast on KVEN-AM Ventura radio with Barry Turnbull and, knowing Barry, she later asked him “Who is this guy David Martinez who knows so much about boxing?”
The rest is now history and, as it turned out, meeting Dub began a huge chapter in my life and in my passion for boxing. Dub interviewed me at his Los Angeles (Commerce), California office. Although nervous, I was confident during the interview, and he immediately, on that day, on the spot, welcomed me into the organization, asking me to start officially in January 1997 as a member of the Board of Directors.
Dub told me something at that initial interview that I will never forget, and I applied it to the fullest during my ten year (1997-2007) tenure in the World Boxing Hall of Fame. The quote was “Don’t ever let me down, Martinez.” I must admit, that single phrase prompted me to become the best I could be while serving in the World Boxing Hall of Fame and that quote still motivates me to this day.
