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Let's start with the less desirable side of the coin. There are some very bad jobs in boxing.
Being an "opponent" is the hardest job imaginable in the sweet science.
Working for Lou DiBella has to be rough, although Seth Abraham (who was president of Time Warner Sports when Lou was making fights at HBO) observes, "If you think working for Lou is hard, imagine what it was like to be Lou's boss."
Isadore Bolton is Don King's valet. There's job security because no one else wants the job. Bolton works irregular hours and is called upon to jump on planes to far-away places at the drop of a hat.
Andy Olson, Steve Brener, Ed Keenan and a few others are responsible for credentialing the media at big fights. Every person they deal with is screaming that he (or she) is entitled to a ringside seat.
And how about the unfortunate souls who serve as Mike Tyson's accountant, Gary Shaw's tailor and ticket scalpers for an Artie Pelullo fight?
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Lou DiBella
Jeff Julian/FightWireImages.com
Can you imagine being Lou DiBella's boss?
Still, a handful of people in boxing have truly great jobs. In no particular order, some of them are:
Michael Buffer: The pay is great. When Buffer intones, "Let's get ready to rumble," thousands in attendance and millions watching around the world have a Pavlovian response. And when a closely-contested fight goes to the judges' scorecards, these same millions hold their collective breath, hanging on his every word. As Buffer himself said recently, "It beats working for a living."
Harold Lederman: Lederman has a great seat for boxing's showcase events and television exposure to boot. He's a fanatical fan and everyman as a sports icon. "I love it," he says. "It's a lot of fun, but I'm still working at Duane Reade [as a pharmacist] because I don't get paid like Jim [Lampley] and Larry [Merchant]."
Ross Greenburg: Greenburg might say, "Are you nuts? You can't believe the headaches I have in this job." But by virtue of his position as president of HBO Sports, Greenburg is the most powerful person in boxing and thus in position to do the most good. Also, the perks are great.
Tomas Mendoza: Tomas is the balding guy with a red mustache often seen on television, waving the flag of a fighter's country as he leads the fighter to the ring. Sharing the ring walk is a rush and since Mendoza is waving the flag, the crowd is cheering for him, too.
John Bailey: As chairman of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, Bailey has considerable power and the ability to influence the sport and business of boxing for better or worse. It's a part-time job. And under the rules and regulations of the NSAC (which violate the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act), he gets six free tickets for every fight.
LeRoy Neiman: Neiman sits at ringside and sketches. Then he sells his work for hundreds of thousands of dollars. But there's a catch. Most boxing insiders think they could perform the other great jobs on this list. But to do what Neiman does, one needs unique talent.
Rope-splitters: These are the guys who sit next to round-card girls and have the arduous task of separating the ropes so the women can enter the ring between rounds. Enough said.
High-profile ring judges: Judges have the three best seats in the house. They have a say in the outcome of historic fights. And the pay is great (up to $7,500 for a megafight).
Me: I've sat on the sofa in my apartment with Muhammad Ali watching tapes of "The Rumble in the Jungle" and "The Thrilla in Manila." I've been in the dressing room with fighters like Evander Holyfield, Roy Jones, Bernard Hopkins, James Toney, Jermain Taylor, Ricky Hatton and Kelly Pavlik before a big fight. I write what I want to write. I sit at ringside. And people pay me to do this.
The other Merkerson
Alton Merkerson is well-known in boxing circles as Roy Jones' trainer and an all-around good guy. But he's not the most famous member of the Merkerson clan. His cousin, Epatha Merkerson, is a celebrity in her own right.
Epatha is familiar to television audiences as Lt. Anita Van Buren on "Law & Order." She has also appeared on Broadway, receiving a Tony nomination for her role in August Wilson's "Piano Lesson."
Last week, Epatha returned to the stage as Lois Delaney, the lead character in "Come Back, Little Sheeba." How good is her performance? Ben Brantley of The New York Times called it "a rare accomplishment that stops the heart. Ms. Merkerson allows a kind of intimate access traditionally afforded by cinematic close-ups. She just seems to feel, and we get it, instantly and acutely."
In other words, Epatha Merkerson on stage is like Roy Jones in the ring on a good night.
The Rime of the boxing promoter
How bad is Cedric Kushner's luck? The consensus in boxing circles is that, if the longtime promoter bought a cemetery, people would stop dying. But Kushner soldiers on.
His latest quest is the promotion of regularly-scheduled fights in New York under the banner of Gotham Boxing. The next installment in Kushner's series takes place at Roseland Ballroom in Manhattan on Feb. 28, when junior bantamweight titleholder Dimitri Kirilov defends his crown against Cecilio Santos. Dmitriy Salita is also slated to be on the card.
"Life isn't always fair," Kushner said. "And boxing rarely is. But I keep plugging along."
Thomas Hauser is the lead writer for Secondsout.com. His most recent collection of boxing columns -- "The Greatest Sport of All" -- has been published by the University of Arkansas Press. He can be reached by e-mail at thauser@rcn.com
Let's start with the less desirable side of the coin. There are some very bad jobs in boxing.
Being an "opponent" is the hardest job imaginable in the sweet science.
Working for Lou DiBella has to be rough, although Seth Abraham (who was president of Time Warner Sports when Lou was making fights at HBO) observes, "If you think working for Lou is hard, imagine what it was like to be Lou's boss."
Isadore Bolton is Don King's valet. There's job security because no one else wants the job. Bolton works irregular hours and is called upon to jump on planes to far-away places at the drop of a hat.
Andy Olson, Steve Brener, Ed Keenan and a few others are responsible for credentialing the media at big fights. Every person they deal with is screaming that he (or she) is entitled to a ringside seat.
And how about the unfortunate souls who serve as Mike Tyson's accountant, Gary Shaw's tailor and ticket scalpers for an Artie Pelullo fight?
[+] Enlarge
Lou DiBella
Jeff Julian/FightWireImages.com
Can you imagine being Lou DiBella's boss?
Still, a handful of people in boxing have truly great jobs. In no particular order, some of them are:
Michael Buffer: The pay is great. When Buffer intones, "Let's get ready to rumble," thousands in attendance and millions watching around the world have a Pavlovian response. And when a closely-contested fight goes to the judges' scorecards, these same millions hold their collective breath, hanging on his every word. As Buffer himself said recently, "It beats working for a living."
Harold Lederman: Lederman has a great seat for boxing's showcase events and television exposure to boot. He's a fanatical fan and everyman as a sports icon. "I love it," he says. "It's a lot of fun, but I'm still working at Duane Reade [as a pharmacist] because I don't get paid like Jim [Lampley] and Larry [Merchant]."
Ross Greenburg: Greenburg might say, "Are you nuts? You can't believe the headaches I have in this job." But by virtue of his position as president of HBO Sports, Greenburg is the most powerful person in boxing and thus in position to do the most good. Also, the perks are great.
Tomas Mendoza: Tomas is the balding guy with a red mustache often seen on television, waving the flag of a fighter's country as he leads the fighter to the ring. Sharing the ring walk is a rush and since Mendoza is waving the flag, the crowd is cheering for him, too.
John Bailey: As chairman of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, Bailey has considerable power and the ability to influence the sport and business of boxing for better or worse. It's a part-time job. And under the rules and regulations of the NSAC (which violate the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act), he gets six free tickets for every fight.
LeRoy Neiman: Neiman sits at ringside and sketches. Then he sells his work for hundreds of thousands of dollars. But there's a catch. Most boxing insiders think they could perform the other great jobs on this list. But to do what Neiman does, one needs unique talent.
Rope-splitters: These are the guys who sit next to round-card girls and have the arduous task of separating the ropes so the women can enter the ring between rounds. Enough said.
High-profile ring judges: Judges have the three best seats in the house. They have a say in the outcome of historic fights. And the pay is great (up to $7,500 for a megafight).
Me: I've sat on the sofa in my apartment with Muhammad Ali watching tapes of "The Rumble in the Jungle" and "The Thrilla in Manila." I've been in the dressing room with fighters like Evander Holyfield, Roy Jones, Bernard Hopkins, James Toney, Jermain Taylor, Ricky Hatton and Kelly Pavlik before a big fight. I write what I want to write. I sit at ringside. And people pay me to do this.
The other Merkerson
Alton Merkerson is well-known in boxing circles as Roy Jones' trainer and an all-around good guy. But he's not the most famous member of the Merkerson clan. His cousin, Epatha Merkerson, is a celebrity in her own right.
Epatha is familiar to television audiences as Lt. Anita Van Buren on "Law & Order." She has also appeared on Broadway, receiving a Tony nomination for her role in August Wilson's "Piano Lesson."
Last week, Epatha returned to the stage as Lois Delaney, the lead character in "Come Back, Little Sheeba." How good is her performance? Ben Brantley of The New York Times called it "a rare accomplishment that stops the heart. Ms. Merkerson allows a kind of intimate access traditionally afforded by cinematic close-ups. She just seems to feel, and we get it, instantly and acutely."
In other words, Epatha Merkerson on stage is like Roy Jones in the ring on a good night.
The Rime of the boxing promoter
How bad is Cedric Kushner's luck? The consensus in boxing circles is that, if the longtime promoter bought a cemetery, people would stop dying. But Kushner soldiers on.
His latest quest is the promotion of regularly-scheduled fights in New York under the banner of Gotham Boxing. The next installment in Kushner's series takes place at Roseland Ballroom in Manhattan on Feb. 28, when junior bantamweight titleholder Dimitri Kirilov defends his crown against Cecilio Santos. Dmitriy Salita is also slated to be on the card.
"Life isn't always fair," Kushner said. "And boxing rarely is. But I keep plugging along."
Thomas Hauser is the lead writer for Secondsout.com. His most recent collection of boxing columns -- "The Greatest Sport of All" -- has been published by the University of Arkansas Press. He can be reached by e-mail at thauser@rcn.com