By David Martinez / Boxing Historian
This is the first of a six part series on my personal accounts of Muhammad Ali.  I will display each part for viewing about every ten days.

I will start this series #1, by saying that the best closed circuit fight that I ever attended was with my late father, Daniel J. Martinez and two of my best friends, Al Garcia and Hector Ybarra, at the Santa Barbara, California “historic” Granada Theater. On March 8, 1971, we saw the most eagerly anticipated championship fight that I have ever been involved with in my 48 years in boxing … Joe Frazier vs. Muhammad Ali.

I was so excited come fight time that I left my work early on that Monday afternoon just to be sure I was the first one in line to get tickets and the best seats: front row center balcony. I got both to view the fight.

This was simply known as “The Fight of the Century” and still ranks as one of the most famous in heavyweight boxing history.

Both fighters entered the ring unbeaten with both having legitimate claims to the heavyweight title.

The fight lived up to all of it’s hype, with Frazier punctuating his victory by landing a tremendous left hook which dropped Ali in 15th and final round. Smokin’ Joe won a unanimous 15 round decision, giving Ali his first professional loss.

It was simply a night that will forever remain – as it will with me – as one of the best in boxing!

Rusty Rubin is a veteran boxing writer

Congratulations to David Martinez, boxing guru, on three great years for his website, dmboxing.com.

It’s been a long time since I last watched soccer, so I decided to give it another chance. I saw the second half of the USA v. Ghana, and found little/no excitement in it. They call if football, but I don’t see it. My opinion only, but I found it boring. I tried to compare it to boxing, but the only thing these two sports seemed to have in common are the dives some of the athletes take.

Like I said, soccer is not for everyone, and for those who can say that they really enjoyed the event, great. I’m looking forward to four years from now, for the next major soccer event. A long time in this case, at least for this old scribe, is not soon enough. But until then I can watch real sports, news and the always dumb infomercials on the idiot box.***

The Los Angeles based World Boxing Hall of Fame event will be held on November 19, at the Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas. Among the new honorees expected to attend are Julio Cesar Chavez, Mike Tyson, Dwight Muhammad Qawi and Bennie Briscoe. In the expanded category, Graham Houston, Jimmy Montoya and Joe Goossen get their well-earned rewards as well.***

In the who gives a damn department, the aforementioned Mike Tyson may forego his Hall of Fame award to fight again, this time against Evander Holyfield.
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July 4, 2010 will mark the 100th anniversary of Jack Johnson vs. Jim Jeffries, “Fight of the Century”, for the heavyweight championship of the world.

Leading up to this fight, Jeffries won the title in 1899 against Bob Fitzsimmons and after defeating all challengers he retired undefeated in 1905. Johnson won the title in 1908 against Tommy Burns to become the first black fighter to win the coveted crown.

The build up to this fight was nothing less than controversial with a white champion coming out of a five-year retirement to try to win the title back from a black champion.

Scheduled for 45 rounds, the fight took place in Reno, Nevada on July 4, 1910, with Tex Rickard as the promoter and referee. Prior to the fight, Rickard had invited United States president William Howard Taft to be the referee, but Taft declined.
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By Jim Amato / Senior Boxing Writer

June 23, 1969 at New York’s Madison Square Garden, Joe Frazier met the popular Irish fighter, Jerry Quarry, for the New York State recognized heavyweight title. Back in the day, the New York State Boxing Commission wielded quite a bit of power. Commissioner Edwin Dooley wasted little time stripping Muhammad Ali of his heavyweight title when Ali refused induction into the Armed Forces. The World Boxing Association did the same and they set up a tournament to determine a new champion. Eight top contenders were selected, with unbeaten Joe Frazier being one of them. Frazier’s management declined the invitation, however. The eventual winner of the tourney was Jimmy Ellis, who defeated Jerry Quarry in the finals.

The N.Y.S.A.C. offered Frazier a chance to fight Buster Mathis, who like Frazier, was undefeated. Mathis had defeated Frazier twice in the amateur ranks. The winner would be the champion in New York and a few other states. Well, Frazier met Big Buster and took him out in the eleventh to gain revenge and also win a piece of the heavyweight title.

Although the talented Jimmy Ellis held the more recognized WBA tilte, Frazier was considered by most as the best active heavyweight. They would eventually meet to settle their differences.
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By David Martinez / Boxing Historian

Steve Corbo was introduced to me by my friend Harold Lederman of HBO World Championship Boxing, and over this past year we have bonded very well as friends ourselves.

Steve is a professional announcer from Chicago and formerly did all the NHL Chicago Blackhawks games as a back-up with a truly wonderful voice that I find so unique.

A couple of weeks ago he traveled over the Atlantic to Hamburg, Germany to do the ring introductions for a big heavyweight fight there. I am simply delighted to post this video for you on my website … the singer is Katherine Jenkins, who is Britain’s top classical recording artist.

I hope you enjoy this as much as I did, and thank you Steve Corbo – my friend – for sharing!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDM3ZpOM_20&hl=en_US&fs=1&]

 
CLEVELAND WILLIAMS (Oct 1997)
photo courtesy
David Martinez
private collection

By Jim Amato / Senior Boxing Writer
    
  When Cleveland “Big Cat” Williams passed away a few years back, it
ended the final chapter of a story about three gifted heavyweights from the
50’s and 60’s. Williams joined Eddie Machen and Zora Folley to form a trio
of hard luck boxers who met tragic deaths after a career of frustration.
Machen lost a decision to Ernie Terrell in a 1965 W.B.A. title bout. Later
Eddie suffered some mental problems and eventually committed suicide. Folley
who was stopped in seven by Muhammad Ali in 1967 died of injuries suffered
in a poolside accident. Machen and Folley passed on several years ago.
Williams lived to be 66 before being struck down by a moving vehicle. All
three would finally receive their title shots long after their prime. One
wonders how they would have made out if they got their chance five years
earlier against Floyd Patterson. To Floyd’s credit he did win a twelve round
decision over Machen in 1964, two years after he lost his crown to Sonny
Liston.

      Williams began his career in 1951 and won his first 27 fights, 23 by
knockout. In 1954, he suffered a knockout loss to Bob Satterfield. Cleveland
did not box in 1955 because he was in the Army. When he resumed his career
he ran off 12 straight wins leading him to a match with the feared Sonny
Liston. The two traded bombs until Sonny put over the sleeper in round two.
Eleven months later they met again in another war with Sonny winning in
round three.
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Article by David Martinez – Boxing Historian,
Photo of Peter Jackson, from David Martinez Private Collection

Let me bring you a feature story that you will probably not read any where regarding, all together, the five best black heavyweights at the turn of the 20th century.

I got the idea when I over heard some mutual friends talking about the best black baseball players that never got the chance to play in the major leagues, and had to settle playing against each other in the old negro league.

I have rated many boxers in many categories throughout my 50 years of boxing … on this website alone you will find that I have rated the best heavyweights, the best lightweights, the best Mexicans fighters, and now I will personally rate the best black heavyweights in a time period that but only one of them, Jack Johnson, had the opportunity to fight for the heavyweight championship.

But before Johnson came into the scene, I must acknowledge Peter Jackson. He was a true pioneer in the brass knuckle days, and the first black heavyweight that set the stage for the top recognition of the black boxers, and that was before the turn of the 20th century.
Racial prejudice was the only thing that kept Jackson from his chance to win the heavyweight championship. In a ten year span, 1882-1892, in which Jackson was in his prime, the heavyweight champion was John L. Sullivan, who stated that he would never fight a Negro for his crown.

Just before Sullivan lost his coveted belt, in 1892, to James J Corbett, a year prior to that fight in 1891 Jackson fought Corbett to a grueling 61 round draw, in a bout that lasted over four hours. Jackson would never fight Corbett once he held the title, and lost to another future heavyweight champion Jim Jeffries seven years later after the Corbett fight, in a fight that virtually ended his career.
Jackson “aka” The Black Prince was considered by many boxing experts (even to this to this day) at the peak of his career as one of the most complete heavyweights ever.

After the turn of the 20th century, I rate Jack Johnson the best at that time, and in his prime he was truly the top heavyweight. Johnson was a master defensive boxer, and well ahead of his time among any of the great boxers, black or white in his era. He won the heavyweight championship when he was 32 years old, Ali was 22, and Joe Louis was 23. He was the central figure in the most dramatic fight in heavyweight boxing history; his July 4, 1910, bout with Jim Jeffries caused more national repercussions than any thing ever seen in the sport. Johnson fought the best in his time, and lost the championship to Jess Willard on a “controversial” knockout. The late Nat Fleischer, Ring Magazine founder, and in my opinion, said Johnson was simply the best heavyweight champion ever.
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Jerry Quarry
photo courtesy
David Martinez
private collection

NOTE: this is article #1 of a series of eight for your enjoyment from boxing writer Jim Amato. The order of articles are listed (in order) below and will be featured from September 2009 through November 2009 with each article based on boxing greats had they met at peak of their careers in ring:
1) Jerry Quarry vs. George Foreman
2) Carlos Monzon vs. Gene Fullmer
3) Joe Frazier vs. Ron Lyle
4) Manny Pacquiao vs. Roberto Duran
5) Salvador Sanchez vs. Alexis Arguello
6) Nino Benvenuti vs. Vito Antuofermo
7) Julio Cesar Chavez vs. Alexis Arguello Ray Mancini vs. Harry Arroyo

By Jim Amato

Superfights.. It is a very over used term these days. Some of the PPV “superfights” of today would have been nice Saturday afternoon feature bouts on ABC’s Wide World Of Sports in my day.
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