By Thomas Hauser
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced today that Tom Hoover will be the next chairperson of the New York State Athletic Commission. Hoover will replace Melvina Lathan, who was appointed by Governor David Patterson in 2008.
Lathan’s tenure was marked by controversy, particularly with regard to fighter safety. The New York State Inspector General’s Office began an investigation of commission practices after Russian heavyweight Magomed Abdusalamov received what is alleged to have been inadequate medical care in conjunction with a November 2, 2013, bout against Mike Perez at Madison Square Garden. Abdusalamov suffered a cerebral hemorrhadge and lapsed into a coma after the contest. He will be seriously impaired for life. A lawsuit against the NYSAC and commission personnel is pending.
The Inspector General’s investigation soon broadened into a deeper study of the NYSAC during Lathan’s tenure. A scathing report is expected to be issued shortly.
Hoover comes to the chairmanship with excellent qualifications. He served as chief inspector and assistant deputy commissioner for the NYSAC in the 1980s and 1990s, In that capacity, he supervised fight cards, evaluated and approved boxer-manager contracts, coordinated television production work, and negotiated contracts with promoters for tax purposes on behalf of the state. Later, he was director of boxing for the Oneida Indian Nation in Verona, New York.
Before that, Hoover was a two-time basketball All-American at Villanova and a first-round NBA draft choice. His professional basketball career spanned seven seasons, highlighted by two years with the New York Knicks. After retiring from basketball, he served on Governor Mario Cuomo’s Traffic Safety Committee and as director of the New York State Inspector General’s “Adopt A School” program, which was subsequently combined with the Brooklyn District Attorney’s truancy program. He was also director of the governor’s “Athletes Against Drugs and Drunk Driving” program, and executive producer for “Voter Jam” (a national program to register voters on a non-partisan basis).
In addition, Hoover has maintained his ties to the National Basketball Association. He is president of the New York Metropolitan chapter of the National Basketball Retired Players Association, in which capacity he has helped develop programs to provide health care for former players and their families, finance academic scholarships, and oversee various mentoring programs.
His appointment is subject to confirmation by the New York State Senate.
Lathan was appointed to the NYSAC by Governor Eliot Spitzer in 2007. At the start of her term, the commission chairman was Ron Scott Stevens. Then, on March 17, 2008, Spitzer resigned in the wake of a prostitution scandal and was replaced by Lieutenant Governor David Paterson. Four months later, Paterson removed Stevens from his post and replaced him with Lathan.
The move was criticized in boxing circles. Stevens was not perfect, but he was a knowledgeable administrator and had begun the process of modernizing the commission.
Dan Rafael of ESPN.com wrote, “Paterson showed poor judgment by ousting Stevens. Stevens was eminently qualified to lead the New York commission and had proven his worth. He got the boot for no apparent reason, unless you count the fact that he would not openly support the sanctioning of mixed martial arts in New York, where it is outlawed but facing serious lobbying pressure from UFC officials. Paterson should be ashamed of himself.”
Lathan’s tenure was marked by drift. There was a perceived lack of standards and accountability at the commission and serious concerns regarding the NYSAC’s attitude toward fighter safety.
On June 5, 2010, Yuri Foreman fought Miguel Cotto at Yankee Stadium. Forty-five seconds into round seven, Foreman’s right knee gave way and he fell hard to the canvas. He rose in obvious pain, hobbling when he tried to walk. Thereafter, his trainer, Joe Grier, told referee Arthur Mercante that he wanted to stop the fight. Mercante refused. Lathan, sitting at ringside, supported the referee’s decision, and the fight continued. Foreman suffered more punishment before the bout was stopped, and his knee was further damaged.
On December 3, 2011, Cotto fought Antonio Margarito at Madison Square Garden. Prior to the bout, Margarito had experienced at least five problems with his right eye: (1) a retinal detachment; (2) a large retinal tear, necessitating the use of silicone oil as part of the repair process; (3) a fractured orbital bone; (4) a cataract with an artificial lens implant; and (5) a vitreous rupture. These injuries led to concern regarding the total construction of Margarito’s eye.
Lathan waited until the Garden was almost sold out for the bout before raising medical concerns and threatening to block the fight. That led Dan Rafael to write, “The NYSAC has handled this whole sorry episode like a bunch of amateurs. What is wrong, and what stinks here, is that the NYSAC waited until the eleventh hour to make a decision that should have been made months ago. This whole thing is a mess. And it's because of how irresponsibly the NYSAC has behaved.”
“The fight was agreed to in July,” Rafael continued. “The site was selected not long after that. Then there was a news conference in New York to formally announce the fight in late September; a news conference that Lathan attended, where she was one of the speakers. At that point, there wasn't a hint of a licensing issue. And it's not as though Margarito's eye injury and surgery were a secret. I have no quarrel with the NYSAC wanting to make sure Margarito is healthy enough to fight. But if the commission was so concerned, why didn't it have Margarito submit to an eye exam when he was in New York in September rather than wait until the last minute for this dog and pony show?”
Thereafter, the commission allowed Cotto-Margarito to proceed. The fight was stopped after nine rounds because of damage to Margarito’s surgically-repaired right eye. He has not fought since.
More recently, on April 2, 2012, Tim Lueckenhoff (president of the Association of Boxing Commissions) sent a letter to ABC members noting that the NYSAC was allowing muay Thai and kick-boxing competitors who were on medical suspension in other states to compete in New York.
The Abdusalamov tragedy followed.
On March 26, 2014, with the Inspector General’s investigation underway, Governor Cuomo announced the appointment of David Berlin as executive director of the NYSAC. Berlin assumed his position on May 1, and is responsible for overseeing the daily operation of the commission. Under his leadership, a number of pressing issues are now being addressed.
Berlin has been updating medical procedures; planning for a new generation of referees, judges, and inspectors; and revising protocols across the board. One of his first acts was to appoint the much-respected George Ward and Tim Duffy as co-chief inspectors. More personnel changes followed. On May 15, director of boxing Ralph Petrillo was dismissed.
The old guard resisted.
Two commission inspectors told this writer that they advised investigators for the Inspector General’s Office that Mike Paz (acting chief inspector at the time) made telephone calls to them and other inspectors over Memorial Day weekend asking them to help “blow up the commission.” The plan, as reported to the Inspector General’s office, was for inspectors to work a June 7 fight card featuring Sergio Martinez vs. Miguel Cotto at Madison Square Garden. Then, after the transfer of power to Berlin (who was to be given additional authority on June 9), the inspectors would refuse to work a June 14 fight card at Barclays Center. At that point, it was planned, Lathan would show her mettle and restore order.
When questioned about the matter, Lathan denied knowledge of the plan. Paz said that he had spoken with a few inspectors to voice discontent over Berlin’s leadership but never suggested a job action. Paz was dismissed by the commission.
Hoover’s appointment is a sign of support for Berlin and an indication that the governor’s office cares about fighter safety as well as the overall functioning of the commission.
The Inspector General’s report will be sent initially to the Secretary of State, who will forward it to the NYSAC for comment. The Secretary of State and NYSAC will have ten days to review the findings and recommendations in the report and send comments to the Inspector General’s Office. Then, subject to possible revision, the report will be posted on the Inspector General’s website with the commission’s comments.
Thomas Hauser can be reached by email at thauser@rcn.com . His most recent book (Thomas Hauser on Boxing: Another Year Inside the Sweet Science) was published by the University of Arkansas Press.
In the interest of disclosure, Hauser notes that he and Tom Hoover have maintained a long friendship.
