By Michael Marley
About the only time you might think that quick tempered boxing promoter Lou DiBella becomes reflective is when he stands in front of a mirror.
I mean, they don’t call him “Volcanic Lou” or “Diabolical DiBella” for nothing.
It runs in the family, it seems.
“My Mom, Anna, is recovering in a hospital, she’s going to be OK, thank God. She still drives and she totaled four cars and got seven broken ribs,” DiBella said. “She said to me, about my driving, ‘Hey, I'm 77, what’s your excuse?”
So it was that, on Tuesday night after sharing happy birthday wishes with also born May 17 Sugar Ray Leonard, the Tufts University and Harvard Law School grad was looking to the past, present and future.
Taking a page from comedian Jack Benny’s book, DiBella was celebrating his 39th natal day. (So what if it was for the tenth, eleventh or twelfth time? There are vicious rumors that DiBella could've had 51 candles on his pineapple upside down cake but I don't know for sure.)
Noting his unusually introspective mood, I spoke with the head of DiBella Entertainment and the former HBO boxing bossman about a range of topics.
Here’s DiBella Unplugged:
On speaking to Bob Arum, 79 year old spring chicken, on his own "39th natal day"
"Bob just told me, 'Happy birthday, you schmuck!' (Laughing) But then Bob said, 'No, I really like you.'
On his “frenemy,” Bernard Hopkins, who has a Montreal rematch with Jean Pascal Saturday night
“He’s a remarkable old man with great cardiovascular capacity at age 45 or 46. What he’s doing in the ring is historical. Put it this way, I’ll watch the fight and I ain’t rooting for Bernard but I won’t root against him, either.”
On his company’s scrappy underdog status lodged in between giants Top Rank and Golden Boy
“There’s only one promoter I’d never work with and that’s if Murad Muhammad came back into the business but, other than him, there’s no promoter I won’t work with. Maybe Arum and Golden Boy are the 800 pound gorillas but…(Richard) Schaefer once called my company a Mom & Pop store and I don’t mind that description. Actually, I’m proud of that. The way out sport, our industry, is now Golden Boy and Top Rank should stop their nonsense. We should all work together to put on the very best fights.”
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On his current “cash cow,” dashing Argentinean and middleweight champ Sergio Martinez
“Sergio needs that one, big defining fight because at age 36, he’s in his prime right now. If Paul Williams wants a third fight, then fine. I’d also like to make Germany’s Felix Sturm against Sergio and we may after Sturm has one more fight over there. If I was Williams, I’d saty at 154 pounds but…the third fight between Sergio and Paul is a big fight, not on PPV but a big HBO fight.”
On getting a San Francisco Giants World Series ring shortly (DiBella is an owner of the affiliated Class AA Richmond (Va.) Flying Squirrels minor league club)
“As a kid, my two favorite ballplayers were Willie Mays and Roberto Clemente, so this is a big thrill for me. The Giants stayed with me through some tough years when we were located in Connecticut. So getting this ring is pretty cool. Ideally, I’d like to get a second minor league team. Ideally, I’d split my time 50-50 between baseball and boxing. I’d only leave boxing if I was involved with a major league franchise.
Best moment over 21 years working in boxing
“I’d have to say when Jermain Taylor beat Hopkins in their first fight. That exorcised a lot of demons. Second, when Sergio knocked out Williams. Third, when I created Boxing After Dark, my baby, for HBO and our first show had two great fights, Marco Antonio Barrera-Kennedy McKinney and Arturo Gatti-Wilson Rodriguez. Another great one on BAD was Orlando Canizales-Junior Jones. Oh, and put down having lunch with great man, great fight fan Nelson Mandela.”
Worst times as a promoter
“Losing my guy, Leavander Johnson (who died after a bout.) Such a tragedy. His parents kept me going. My biggest disappointment was all the problems I had with Hopkins...And Paulie Malignaggi, he just became a disappointment to me.”
