Boxer's from your area..?

[mickey malone]

I live in North Jersey so I have too many to count. I meet a lot of them every month, including Emile Griffith, Vito Antuofermo, Iran Brakley, Chuck Wepner, Gerry Cooney, Randy Neumann, Bobby Czyz, Paulie Malignaggi, Junior Jones, Zab Judah, Buddy McGirt, Tony Ayala, Livingstone Bramble, Kirk Johnson, Jameel McCline, Stefan Redl, Virgil Hill, Imamu Mayfield, Maurice Harris, Mark Medal, Saoul Mamby, Tracy Harris Patterson, Ivan Robinson, Leo Randolph, Joey Gamache, Juan LaPorte, Johnny Bumphus, Rocky Lockridge, Omar Sheika, Freddy Curiel, Hector Camacho, Charles Murray, Jimmy Dupree, Johnny Persol, Richie Kates, Bobby Joe Young, Eddie Mustafa Muhammad, Eric Harding, James Scott, Rubin Hurricane Carter, Sammy Goss, Harold Knight, Mark Breland, Kendall Holt and George Khalid Jones.

I also was friends with former Champions and contenders that are no longer with us, such as Mickey Walker, Freddie Red Cochrane, Tippy Larkin, Ike Williams, Willie LaMorte, Joe Borrell, Tommy Elm, Paul Cavaliere, Charley Fusari, Freddie Russo, Joe Miceli, Tony Galento, Arturo Gatti, Freddie Archer, Gene "Ace" Armstrong, Vince Martinez, Allie Stolz and Solly Seeman, just to name a few.

I'd love your job Henry.. Let me know when you retire! lol

[mickey malone]

Just off the top of my head:

Ray Leonard
Rid**** Bowe
Simon Brown
Maurice Blocker

Poet

Yeah, i knew Leonard and Bowe were 'GoodOlCountryBoyz,' but for some reason, i had Brown down as Jamaican..

I didn't know 'The Thin Man' was from your neck of the woods.. His career was up and down like a 'yoyo' wasn't it? (i was gonna say 'whore's draws,' but that'll invite the trolls)

[mickey malone]

I'm surprised you have seen Aleem Whitfield, of the four I mentioned I thought he would be the least known especially in comparison to Porter and Thompson who both beat him in the amateurs.

Funny thing about Evans is I have a lot of friends whose older brother's either wrestled against him or played football against him as he went to one of my high school's biggest rivals. Most remember him as the running back on Niagara-Wheatfield who was hell to tackle.

Mesi got a brain bleed because of a rabbit punch in the Jirov fight. After he tried to get his license renewed in Nevada and he filed lawsuits against news outlets who had reported about his injury but he was unsuccessful at both. 2 years after the fight he had got his license in smaller states and Puerto Rico and fought about 6 or 7 times against limited competition winning handily in each. Finally he realized that his best days were behind him and he should focus on his health, he took his popularity in the Buffalo region and used it to run for New York Senate. He won the ********ic primary and lost the election and then accepted a cushy government job where I believe he currently resides. He is a very nice guy in real life it's a shame his career got sidetracked by such a lame rabbit punch but at least he is healthy and happy.

I haven't seen Whitfield fight, but i've seen a few pictures of him on the web, and he certainly looks the part, ala Jeff Lacy..

Yeah, Evans is a beast!.. Doesn't surprise me he played football the same way..

Thanks for the info on Messi.. I believe he was managed by Ray Leonard at one stage.. If this was still the case when he suffered the injury, i'd like to think he was well looked after?.. Seems maybe not?.. Nevertheless, he's done it all himself: credit to the man; from what you've told me, seems it couldn't have happened to a nicer guy..

Just as a side note; do you think Jirov cheated in that one?

[DeepSleep]

Thanks for the info on Messi.. I believe he was managed by Ray Leonard at one stage.. If this was still the case when he suffered the injury, i'd like to think he was well looked after?.. Seems maybe not?.. Nevertheless, he's done it all himself: credit to the man; from what you've told me, seems it couldn't have happened to a nicer guy..

Just as a side note; do you think Jirov cheated in that one?

Mesi was managed by SRL up until his 26th fight which was two fights before the Jirov fight. After his 26th fight he got in a big spat with SRL and split with him and let his Dad manage his career. After the Jirov fight Mesi's dad was in command of his legal effort and pushed for him to continue boxing, two very questionable decisions. I think Joe didn't realize how severe his injury was and his Dad's insisting on him continuing his career only amplified his willingness to fight again even though it put him in danger.

It's very tough to say, I'll say the punch was clearly in the back of the head. Mesi had his head already down when Jirov threw that chopping right hook that careened off the back of Mesi's head so it looked like a dirty punch. Most people around here think Jirov cheated since he saw Mesi's head was down and hit him in the back of the head anyways, but I must say being a southpaw myself that in the position Jirov is in I have also thrown a right hand just like that in an attempt to catch the temple area of my opponent as he raises his head from the crouched position. I'll say it's very hard to tell whether, Jirov clearly though a punch towards the back of Mesi's head but the way it was thrown makes you wonder if Jirov meant to catch his head as Mesi's head came back up.

[mickey malone]

Mesi was managed by SRL up until his 26th fight which was two fights before the Jirov fight. After his 26th fight he got in a big spat with SRL and split with him and let his Dad manage his career. After the Jirov fight Mesi's dad was in command of his legal effort and pushed for him to continue boxing, two very questionable decisions. I think Joe didn't realize how severe his injury was and his Dad's insisting on him continuing his career only amplified his willingness to fight again even though it put him in danger.

It's very tough to say, I'll say the punch was clearly in the back of the head. Mesi had his head already down when Jirov threw that chopping right hook that careened off the back of Mesi's head so it looked like a dirty punch. Most people around here think Jirov cheated since he saw Mesi's head was down and hit him in the back of the head anyways, but I must say being a southpaw myself that in the position Jirov is in I have also thrown a right hand just like that in an attempt to catch the temple area of my opponent as he raises his head from the crouched position. I'll say it's very hard to tell whether, Jirov clearly though a punch towards the back of Mesi's head but the way it was thrown makes you wonder if Jirov meant to catch his head as Mesi's head came back up.

Touch'e!.. I'm a southpaw myself, so fully understand where you're coming from.. I haven't seen this fight, but Jirov was a tough sob, and very difficult to break down.. I'd say Messi did particularly well just to survive this, let-alone win the fight..
Do you remember what round, the injury was sustained in?

[DeepSleep]

Touch'e!.. I'm a southpaw myself, so fully understand where you're coming from.. I haven't seen this fight, but Jirov was a tough sob, and very difficult to break down.. I'd say Messi did particularly well just to survive this, let-alone win the fight..
Do you remember what round, the injury was sustained in?

The injury occured from the rabbit punch during the 9th round in the last 25 or so seconds. The accumulation of punches in the 10th made the injury get worse.

Mesi was pretty good boxer for a Heavyweight, although it's going to sound like I have been drinking too much Buffalo kool-aid I think he would have been able to be a solid contender against the pretty poor Heavyweight division at the time. Outside of the Klitschko's and Chris Byrd I think he could give anyone a pretty good fight.

[mickey malone]

The injury occured from the rabbit punch during the 9th round in the last 25 or so seconds. The accumulation of punches in the 10th made the injury get worse.

Mesi was pretty good boxer for a Heavyweight, although it's going to sound like I have been drinking too much Buffalo kool-aid I think he would have been able to be a solid contender against the pretty poor Heavyweight division at the time. Outside of the Klitschko's and Chris Byrd I think he could give anyone a pretty good fight.

No, i agree with you.. He had a few fairly good names on his record, and b4 i knew of his injury, thought the Jirov victory was the springboard to winning a belt.. Just to survive the last round with a head-bleed against a concussive puncher like Jirov, leaves me with no good reason to say, he could never have accomlished it..

It doesn't surprise me he parted company with SRL.. I've read several articles and been told by literally hundreds of people, that he's an *******.. Do you have an opinion of him?

[DeepSleep]

It doesn't surprise me he parted company with SRL.. I've read several articles and been told by literally hundreds of people, that he's an *******.. Do you have an opinion of him?

I'm a bit too young to have heard much about Sugar Ray Leonard's lifestyle as I wasn't even born when he was in his heyday, to be honest. I respect the boxer SRL but his way of dealing with Mesi reeks of nonsense and I have heard my old man claim that he read quite a few nasty pieces about him before. Either way I hold a grudge against him for trying to screw with Mesi's career.

[CarlosG815]

Tommy Hearns lives about a mile from my office.

Emanuel Steward has a few houses in Detroit about 20 minutes from my home.

I was in Kronk a little while ago (not today) and I was talking to one of the youngsters and he told me I had just missed Hearns.

[cooper5]

Where I am now there alot but I don't know much about the local scene. When I get home there aren't many, does Sean O'Grady count?