Curtis Cokes (born June 15, 1937) is a former boxer from Dallas, Texas, United States. Cokes was world welterweight champion, and he was famous for his training regimen, which he also imposed on other boxers training with him.

On March 24, 1958, he began to box professionally, defeating another boxer who would later fight for the world title, Manuel Gonzalez, by a six round decision. He won eleven fights in a row, including a second match with Gonzalez, before losing to Gonzalez in their third fight, on April 27, 1959. His next fight, against Garland Randall on June 18 of the same year, ended in a three round no contest. He and Randall had an immediate rematch and on August 27, he knocked out Randall in the first round. He had an additional fourteen fights, going 11-2-1 in that span (his one draw was against Kenny Lane, a boxer who twice challenged Carlos Ortiz for world championships), before facing Luis Rodriguez, another world welterweight champion, on September 3, 1961. He beat Rodriguez by a ten round decision, outpointed Gonzalez in their fourth fight, and lost to Rodriguez in their second fight, also by points. He went 13-4 in his next seventeen fights, and, after losing by a ten round decision to Eddie Pace at Los Angeles, California, on August 27, 1964, he announced his retirement. On October 14 of that year, however, he announced he was returning to boxing.

After winning three fights in a row, he and Gonzalez were matched for a fifth time, on August 24, 1966, this time for the WBA/WBC vacant world welterweight title, in New Orleans. Cokes outpointed Gonzalez to become world welterweight champion. On November 28 of 1966, he retained the crown against Jean Josselin of France by a fifteen round decision. Nat Fleischer was one of the judges for that fight.

On May 19, 1967, he retained the title with a tenth round knockout of Francois Villeiman, and on October 2, he met Charlie Shipes, who was recognized as champion in California. He knocked Shipes out in eight rounds in Oakland.

Cokes lost the world welterweight title on April 18 of 1969, being knocked out by Mexican José Nápoles in thirteen rounds, in Los Angeles. On June 29 the pair had a rematch,in Nápoles hometown of Mexico City, Mexico, and Nápoles repeated his victory, this time by a tenth round knockout.

Cokes had eleven more fights before retiring, winning seven, losing three and drawing in one. His last three fights were in South Africa. He retired after a ten round decision win against Ezra Mnzinyane on October 5 of 1972.

Reference

Curtis Cokes. (2014). Retrieved on April 27, 2014, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curtis_Cokes.

Juan Félix "Tito" Trinidad García (born January 10, 1973) is a retired Puerto Rican professional boxer, considered one of the best in Puerto Rico's history. After winning five National Amateur Championships in Puerto Rico, he debuted as a professional when he was 17. He won his first world championship when he defeated Maurice Blocker for the International Boxing Federation's welterweight belt. Trinidad holds the record for second most welterweight title defenses . However, Trinidad holds the record for longest reign as Welterweight Champion, six years, eight months and fourteen days. During his career he fought Oscar De La Hoya winning the Lineal and World Boxing Council welterweight champion, Fernando Vargas in a unification fight where he won the International Boxing Federation's light middleweight title, and William Joppy for the World Boxing Association's middleweight championship. He lost to Bernard Hopkins by technical knockout and retired for the first time. Trinidad returned to action in a fight against Ricardo Mayorga and, following a fight against Winky Wright, retired a second time. In 2008, he returned to the ring to fight Roy Jones, losing the contest by unanimous decision. Subsequently, Trinidad entered a five-year hiatus without clarifying the status of his career.

Trinidad debuted as a professional on March 10, 1990, when he was 17 years old. The fight was against Angel Romero, another debuting boxer, in a contest that Trinidad won by knockout in the second round. In the beginning of his career he knocked out nine of his first 10 opponents. He then competed against more experienced boxers like Jake Rodriguez, whom he fought on December 6, 1991. Trinidad won the fight by unanimous decision but suffered an injury on his right hand. He was then inactive for five months while recovering from the injury.

Trinidad traveled to San Diego, California and defeated the IBF welterweight champion Maurice Blocker in two rounds, in a fight card that took place on June 19, 1993, televised by Showtime. Trinidad spent the first two minutes of the fight analyzing Blocker's style. With 11 seconds left in the first round, one of Trinidad's punches injured Blocker, who barely survived the round. In the second round, the champion's condition appeared to improve, but after the first 30 seconds, another Trinidad punch injured him. Trinidad followed with a combination, scoring a knockout at 1:49 in the round when the referee stopped the fight. Afterwards, tournament organizer Don King's exclusive relationship to stage fights for the cable channel Showtime meant that Trinidad would be showcased regularly on Showtime Championship Boxing.

Trinidad defended his title for the next three years against several opponents. Trinidad's first fight in Las Vegas was against Héctor Camacho on January 29, 1994. He was cautious during the first rounds and received a cut over his left eye. In the third round he connected a solid combination that made Camacho change to a defensive stance. Throughout the fight Trinidad was on the offensive and won the fight by unanimous decision, in what was his first decision since he won the world championship. The scores awarded by the judges were 117–109, 116–110, and 119–106.

On September 17, 1994, Trinidad traveled to the MGM Grand for a second straight fight to compete in a title defense against Yori Boy Campas, who had a record of 56-0. In the second round Campas scored a knockdown, the second knockdown in Trinidad's career. Following this Trinidad exchanged several combinations, injuring Campas' face and breaking his nose. In the fourth round, the referee stopped the fight, the first defeat in Campas' career.

Trinidad's fourth fight outside Puerto Rico or the United States took place on Estadio de Beisbol in Monterey, Mexico. Trinidad was scheduled to defend his title against the undefeated Oba Carr. In the second round, Carr scored a knockdown, which was the product of a quick right hand punch. Trinidad continued the fight and pursued the challenger, who displayed a quick pace throughout the fight. In the fourth round Trinidad connected a solid punch that injured Carr, and in the eighth he scored three consecutive knockdowns before the referee stopped the fight by technical knockout.

On February 20, 1999, Trinidad defended the welterweight championship against Pernell Whitaker, winning the fight by unanimous decision in a contest that marked his thirteenth successful defense. The fight began with both boxers displaying aggressive styles, which included excessive pushing. In the following rounds both boxers used their jabs most of the time with Trinidad gaining an advantage when Whitaker attempted to attack inside, eventually scoring a knockdown in round two. In the fourth, fifth and sixth rounds the fighters exchanged combinations. Later in the fight both boxers fell to the floor in what were ruled as "accidental slips." On the seventh round Whitaker displayed more offense, trading power punches with Trinidad, but the champion retained control in the fight's tempo during the eight, ninth, and tenth rounds. In the last round Whitaker, with a badly swollen right eye, displayed a purely defensive stance, avoiding his opponent throughout the round while Trinidad continued on the offensive until the fight concluded. The judges gave the champion scores of 117–111, 118–109 and 118–109.

In the spring of 1999, Don King and Oscar De la Hoya's promoter, Bob Arum, agreed to co-promote a mega-fight for the Lineal, World Boxing Council and International Boxing Federation welterweight championships on September 18, 1999 at the Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas. Early in the fight De la Hoya employed boxing to connect combinations while avoiding Trinidad's attacks. The second round began with both boxers trading punches but De la Hoya quickly returned to his previous tactic, which he employed in the third round. In the fourth round Trinidad pressured the offense while De la Hoya tried to avoid his punches by moving, both boxers eventually exchanged punches, with De La Hoya getting the better of it. In the fifth round Trinidad continued in the offensive while De la Hoya attempted to remain on the outside corners of the ring, Trinidad's eye was swollen following a trade of punches, and nose was also bleeding. Trinidad was having a lot of problems finding De La Hoya and couldn't connect many effective punches or mount any type of effective attack. In the eighth round the swelling on Trinidad's eye was worsening and his shorts covered with the blood from his nose. Oscar was having his way with Trinidad but half way through the tenth, De La Hoya stopped sticking and basically disengaged. Thinking that they had an advantage on points, De la Hoya's corner urged him to be conservative, a strategy benefiting Trinidad who became more active in the offensive, but still struggled to land effective punches. Both boxers continued this pattern in the final round, with De la Hoya continuing to move but unwilling to trade punches , as Trinidad continued to press the action. The judges gave Trinidad a very controversial majority decision, with scores of 115–113, 115–114 and 114–114.

In 2000, Trinidad vacated the welterweight championships and moved to the junior middleweight division, in order to challenge the World Boxing Association's champion David Reid. Early in the fight Trinidad concentrated his punches on Reid's body, connecting hard punches to his ribs and belly. In the second round Reid connected a solid punch to his opponent's jaw, and in the third round scored a knockdown. In the fourth and fifth rounds Trinidad used his jab consistently, gaining control of the fight's tempo in the sixth round. The fight's score was close at the beginning of the seventh round but Trinidad opened the second half of the contest in the offensive, scoring the fight's second knockdown. Controlling the fight in the eighth, ninth and tenth rounds, and opening a cut over Reid's eye. Trinidad dominated the eleventh round, scoring three consecutive knockdowns. Reid tried to close the fight on the offensive but his opponent boxed and countered his attacks. The judges gave scores of 114–107, 114–106 and 115–106, all in favor of Trinidad.

On December 2, 2000, he was scheduled to fight in a unification card against Fernando Vargas, the International Boxing Federation's junior middleweight champion. The fight began in a fast pace with Trinidad connecting a solid combination that led to his opponent being knocked down. Vargas was able to stand up, but another combination injured him a second time and led to another knockdown. Early in the second round Trinidad was in the offensive but Vargas connected a solid combination at the round's closing moments which opened a cut over Trinidad's right eye. In the fourth round's opening seconds one of Vargas' punches connected on Trinidad's jaw and he fell, marking the eighth knockdown in his career. In the fifth round Vargas was in control of the fight's offensive, connecting combinations to Trinidads' body. In the sixth round Trinidad regained control of the fight's tempo that lasted throughout the contest, connecting punches on Vargas' head and left jabs to the ribs. In the eighth, Vargas displayed signs of exhaustion which slowed his offensive while Trinidad then pursued the offense with combinations to the body. This pattern continued throughout the ninth, tenth and eleventh rounds. Opening the final round Vargas was on the offensive, connecting a solid left hook. Trinidad countered the attack with a left hook that made Vargas collapse; Vargas was able to stand up, but was subsequently knocked down for a second time. With Vargas injured, Trinidad continued connecting combinations, until the referee stopped the fight by technical knockout.

Following his fight with Vargas, Trinidad moved up in weight – this time to participate in Don King's middleweight unification tournament featuring IBF champion Bernard Hopkins, WBA champion William Joppy, and WBC champion Keith Holmes. Trinidad was matched with Joppy, whom he defeated by technical knockout in the fifth round of a contest that took place on May 12, 2001. Joppy opened the first round on the offensive, but late in the round Trinidad scored a knockdown with a combination of punches that came close to throwing Joppy underneath the ropes. Trinidad subsequently scored a knockdown in the fourth round, during this stage of the competition he was using combinations of left hooks and right punches to the head. In the fifth round Trinidad scored another knockdown, Joppy attempted to continue the fight, but while he was using the ropes to help him stand, the referee stopped the fight. When the contest was over, Trinidad explained his strategy by stating: "I knew he wanted to impose his will, his weight, and I wouldn't let him do it".

The middleweight unification fight between Hopkins and Trinidad was originally scheduled for September 15, 2001, at the Madison Square Garden. On the morning of September 11, terrorists attacked the World Trade Center. Following this incident, the fight was postponed indefinitely. After receiving assurances from Madison Square Garden officials and the City of New York, Don King rescheduled the fight for September 29. The pace of the fight in the early rounds was slow, with each boxer studying his opponent. In the second round Hopkins connected some combinations while Trinidad pursued the offensive in the fourth round and both boxers traded sequences of punches. This pattern continued in the fifth round with Trinidad showing an aggressive style while Hopkins relied on jabs. In the sixth Trinidad continued an offensive stance and won the round after trading several combinations. Both fighters continued to exchange punches in the eighth and ninth round with Hopkins connecting three consecutive solid punches. In the twelfth round Hopkins' scored a knockdown, but before the contest could continue Trinidad's father entered the ring, which led to the referee stopping the fight by technical knockout.

Trinidad was subsequently scheduled to fight against Hacine Cherifi in a contest that he won by technical knockout in the fourth round. The event was part of a card that took place on May 11, 2002, and was organized in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Early in the first round Trinidad's strategy consisted of using his jab while Cherifi did not try to directly engage in the offensive. In the last minute of the round a punch by Trinidad hit Cherifi's chin leaving him disoriented, he followed this with a combination and scored a knockdown. In the second round, Trinidad displayed more boxing and was on the offensive by using combinations to the head and ribs. In the third Cherifi landed more punches than in the previous two, but Trinidad relied on throwing left jabs. One of his punches hit Cherifi's liver, followed by a punch to the jaw, making Cherifi fall to the floor. In the fourth, a series of combinations injured Cherifi, who collapsed to the floor twice, forfeiting the fight on the second occasion. Following this contest Trinidad announced his retirement, at the moment leaving the sport with a record of 41 wins, one defeat, and 34 wins by knockout.

Trinidad announced a comeback on March 2, 2004. On October 2, 2004 he fought against Ricardo Mayorga, in Madison Square Garden. Early in the first round Mayorga was on the offensive connecting several combinations, later in the round Trinidad connected some punches to his opponent's face. Mayorga reacted defiantly while lowering his defense, which Trinidad used to continue the offensive during the closing seconds. In the second round he continued connecting with combinations to Mayorga's face which caused him to bleed from his nose; the round concluded with both fighters exchanging punches. In the third round Mayorga attempted to counter with punches to the body but did not do significant damage to his opponent, however later in the round one of these punches made Trinidad lose his balance and touch the floor with one glove which the referee counted as a knockdown. In the fourth round both boxers traded hard combinations. In the fifth Trinidad displayed control of the offense's tempo injuring Mayorga and opening a cut under one of his eyes. This pattern continued in the sixth and seventh round, and the cut on Mayorga's face began to swell. In the eight round Trinidad scored several knockdowns, Mayorga continued after two knockdowns, but lost by technical knockout following a third knockdown.

On May 14, 2005, Trinidad competed against Winky Wright, in a fight where the winner would become the World Boxing Council's number one challenger in the Middleweight division. Wright won the fight by decision, receiving scores of 120–107 and 119–108 twice by the judges. Trinidad's fighting style appeared to be out of rhythm in the first round, while Wright presented a defensive stance and relied on jabs. During the first three rounds Wright was in the offensive scoring with jabs. On the fourth round Trinidad connected a solid combination. In the sixth, Wright continued the strategy used in the previous rounds while Trinidad employed a strategy where he tried to neutralize his opponent's punches by standing in front of him. In the later rounds Trinidad tried to take the contest's offensive but his adversary managed to block most of his punches while continuing his previous tactic. In the twelfth round Trinidad pursued Wright while trying to score a knockout, but his opponent boxed away from him until the round ended. Following this fight, Trinidad retired temporarily, after his father informed him that he would not continue in his corner.

Trinidad came out of his second retirement for the fight against Roy Jones, a former four-division champion on January 19, 2008. According to the contract, it was to be at a catch weight of 170 lbs; and was broadcast live on HBO Pay-Per-View. The card took place at Madison Square Garden in New York city. Trinidad began the fight on the offensive and won the first two rounds. The third and fourth rounds were won by Jones who relied on the velocity of his punches. This pattern continued in the fifth and sixth rounds. In the seventh round, Jones scored a knockdown following a right hand. Following this Jones continued to use his speed while Trinidad pursued the offensive, in the tenth round Jones scored a second knockdown after landing a combination. The judges declared the fight a unanimous decision in favor of Jones with scores of 117–109 and 116–110 twice.

After this fight, Trinidad was inactive for almost two years, before announcing on October 14, 2009, that he was "between 95 and 98 percent sure (that he would) not do anything more within boxing". During this timeframe, he made sporadic public appearances, attending boxing cards and participating in public activities, including a ceremony where Juan Manuel López and Iván Calderón received rings for five successful defenses of their world championships. Beginning in July 2009, Trinidad became involved with the World Wrestling Council, participating as a guest referee at their anniversary show. Three months later, he was included in a storyline that also included Orlando Colón. In 2010, Trinidad expressed interest in purchasing the Changos de Naranjito.

According to an interview with Bernard's trainer Bouie Fisher, prior to the fight members of Hopkins' team visited the Trinidad dressing room in what is considered a normal boxing custom to watch the taping of Trinidad's hands before his gloves were placed on. The Hopkins camp claimed that Trinidad's hands were wrapped in an incorrect fashion, and threatened to cancel the fight unless they were wrapped correctly. Fisher also stated that the Chief Inspector of the NYSAC insisted to Trinidad's camp that they needed to re-wrap his hands in a correct fashion. Additionally, according to the New York State Athletic Commission, Layering (which is layers of gauze, then layers of tape, then more gauze and tape, is against the rules), is illegal.

In 2013, Trinidad became eligible and was voted into the 2014 Class of the International Boxing Hall of Fame. He will be officially inducted into the hall during a ceremony held on June 4, 2014, becoming the tenth Puerto Rican to receive such an honor.

Félix Trinidad was born in Fajardo, Puerto Rico, to a mother of Dominican and Puerto Rican descent (Irma García), and a Puerto Rican father (Félix Trinidad Senior). During his childhood the family moved to Cupey Alto, a subdivision of San Juan, Puerto Rico, where he grew up. His future wife, Sharon Santiago, lived in Cupey and first met Trinidad in the home of her neighborhood friend, a classmate of Trinidad's. Trinidad pursued a relationship with Santiago, including an attempt to impress her with his red Ford Mustang. He continued to press for her affection and, with the help of Santiago's neighbor, Trinidad was able to win her over. Early on, Santiago's mother thought that Trinidad was related to her daughter's friend, but she realized the true situation when she visited the friend's house and he acted nervous in her presence. Santiago's father objected to the relationship because Trinidad was an athlete; at the time many athletes had a negative public image. Santiago became rebellious, but Trinidad eventually won her family's trust. The couple was married four years after they began dating and have had four daughters. Trinidad has a fifth daughter, named Alondra Nicole, from another relationship.

Reference

Félix Trinidad. (2014). Retrieved on April 27, 2014, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F%C3%A9lix_Trinidad.

Johnny Saxton (July 4, 1930 – October 4, 2008) was an American professional boxer in the welterweight (147lb) division. He was born in Newark, New Jersey, learned to box in a Brooklyn orphanage and had an amateur career winning 31 of 33 fights, twice becoming World Welterweight Champion.

Saxton was managed by Frank "Blinky" Palermo, a member of the Philadelphia crime family. Palermo was imprisoned in 1961 for conspiracy and extortion for the covert ownership of prizefighters. Saxton's career was often marred by rumors of shady dealings. His two biggest wins, against Gavilan and Basilio, were both controversial and unpopular with many in the boxing world.

SAXTON CLOWNS WITH KID GAVILAN

Saxton outpointed Kid Gavilan to win the world welterweight title on October 20, 1954. The decision was very controversial and Gavilan complained bitterly about getting "the business." His accusations were bolstered by rumors of a fix that had swirled prior to the match. The Saxton-Gavilan outcome appeared to be widely known in advance. Bookmakers in New York reportedly refused to accept wagers on Saxton. "It was an open secret," Budd Schulberg told The Observer years later. "All the press knew that one--and other fights--were fixed.".

SAXTON FIRES A RIGHT AGAINST TONY DEMARCO

Saxton had a rematch with Basilio on September 12, 1956. Saxton had been banned from fighting in New York State due to his underworld associations. However, Julius Helfand, Chairman of the New York State Athletic Commission, consented to stage the bout in Syracuse because he was convinced that Basilio could not get a fair shake anywhere else.

SAXTON FACES OFF AGAINST CARMEN BASILIO

There came to mind the picture of Jack Dempsey at Toledo, with steel-hard fury in his fists, battering down the helpless hulk, Jess Willard. Johnny Saxton was no dull Willard, of course. He was a good welterweight ex-champion of high defensive skills. But Champion Carmen Basilio on this night in Cleveland was a 147-pound Dempsey, trained to perhaps the keenest fighting edge of his career, a vicious little man who came out of his corner like a sprinter off the starting blocks. With no thought of defending himself he devoted every second thereafter to an obsession, the destruction of Johnny Saxton. He ignored Saxton's jabs. He drove his gloved fists into Saxton's liver and heart, he rocked Saxton's head with lefts and rights and he never paused to consider what to do next. He just did it. "Pace yourself," his mind warned him. "You can't keep this up all night."

BASILIO TAGS SAXTON

He believes he did pace himself, that he slowed down a trifle toward the end of the first round, but witnesses detected no special slackening in the speed of his attack. Regardless of what his brain advised, Carmen Basilio could no more ease up than a pit bull terrier could give quarter. So the third of the Basilio-Saxton fights was the thriller of them all, not because there was much opposition from Saxton—there was practically none—but because Basilio had come to prove that subtlety and deviousness are no match for his kind of fighting. Saxton had made it plain before the bout that never again would he stand and slug it out with Basilio, as he had bravely and foolishly tried when he was all but knocked out in the ninth round of their second fight. He would, he said, revert to type and try to win points with his normal jab-and-retreat style, a tactic that had won him a most dubious decision in Chicago. The fans knew Saxton's plan, and many of the 8,500 booed him when he climbed the steps of the Arena ring. But almost from the opening bell they were cheering in frenzy as Basilio disclosed his own plan to counter what his challenger referred to as "science and skill." It was, very simply, to force his way past Saxton's jab and to punch as hard and fast and unrelentingly as superb condition would let him. Basilio's bruised right hand, which had caused one postponement of the fight, was not altogether healed. At the weigh-in he tucked it protectingly into a jacket pocket and shook hands with his left. But in the ring there was no sign that he favored the right. He threw it hard and often. "The hand was all right," he said afterward, peeling an orange in the dressing room. "When I'm fighting I don't notice pain." So, in the very first round, the third punch that Basilio threw was a right to Saxton's hard head. And in the very first minute Saxton was staggered by another right to the jaw, a cross that was followed instantly by a left hook. The combination slowed Saxton so that he was unable thereafter to run backward fast enough to get out of the way. He was caught on the ropes three times and was groggy at the-bell. At least five smashing rights had landed on Saxton's head during those first three minutes. One of them set Saxton's-mouth to bleeding but in Basilio's opinion they were not so important as his body blows. These must have been among the most punishing any fighter of his weight ever delivered. Basilio is properly proud of his infighting. "The head shots were all right," he said, "but those punches to the body, that's what takes it out of them." They took so much out of Saxton that he was scarcely able to defend himself in the second round. Basilio battered him from rope to rope. At one point he hooked a left cleanly into Saxton's solar plexus and almost ended the fight. Saxton's big, staring eyes turned glassy and one of his legs jerked in a convulsive movement.

In the 1990s, Saxton was found living in squalor in a New York City apartment without electricity. Eventually, he wound up in a retirement home in Lake Worth, Florida, where he was diagnosed with Dementia Pugilistica.

Reference

Johnny Saxton. (2014). Retrieved on April 27, 2014, from http://boxrec.com/media/index.php/Johnny_Saxton.

Johnny Saxton. (2014). Retrieved on April 27, 2014, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Saxton.

The last act of Carmen in the Basilio. (2014). Retrieved on April 27, 2014, from http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1132555/index.htm.

JOHNNY SAXTON DVD COLLECTION

Over the course of Field's amateur career, he participated in 54 fights, winning 51 of them. During the 1924 Summer Olympics, Fields won a gold medal in the featherweight division. He was 16 years old.

On July 25, 1929 Fields faced Joe Dundee in a match for the welterweight championship. Fields was awarded the fight in the second round after Dundee, having been knocked down twice, delivered a foul blow which left Fields incapable of continuing the fight. Dundee, who had taken a $50,000 advance to participate in the fight, claimed that the foul was unintentional. Fields stated he believed Dundee, but noted that it was the only bout he had ever won on a foul.

Young Jacob Finkelstein took the name Jackie Fields from the Fields Department Store in Chicago and grew up on Maxwell Street on the city’s West Side. This section of the city produced some amazing fighters in the ‘20s and ‘30s, guys like Barney Ross and Kingfish Levinsky. Fields knew many of these men. But they were not all boxers, far from it. They were just other kids in the neighborhood. I’m gonna run some names by you, so you get an idea of what an interesting place this was in the early decades of the 20th century. Bandleader Benny Goodman was the son of a tailor on Maxwell Street, as was Admiral Hyman Rickover. Supreme Court Justice Arthur Goldberg’s father was a fruit peddler. Actor Paul Muni’s dad owned the neighborhood theater. Even William Paley, President and Chairman of CBS, emerged from Maxwell Street. There must have been something in the water!.

When they arrived in California Jackie was just fourteen years old. His dad bought a restaurant in Ocean Park, but it would always lose money. Jackie didn’t like school, so like many kids in those days he dropped out of Lincoln High and looked around for a way of helping out his family. A neighborhood friend, Irv Glazer, was working his way through Stanford University by boxing professionally. He hooked Jackie up with trainer George Blake at the Los Angeles Athletic Club. Blake had taught Barney Ross how to fight when they both lived on Maxwell Street back in Chicago. Jackie had a lot of natural ability. He came in five days a week to work out and learn from his mentor. Blake liked what he saw in the young man. The kid had guts and determination, and Blake taught him the basics of the ring.

It wasn’t long before Fields got his first fight against Fidel LaBarba, who at the time was the Pacific Coast Flyweight Champion. George was hesitant about putting Fields in with someone who really knew how to box. Since it was just a three-rounder for some local banker’s dinner in exchange for twenty dollars, Blake took a chance with the kid. No surprise, Jackie lost the decision. George however was impressed by the boy’s courage. Blake, I know I can lick him, but I wasn’t in shape. I want to fight him again.” George shook his head and said that it wasn’t necessary, his boy did fine. (Fields had fifty-three more fights as an amateur, losing only three.) He came in the next day to pick up his twenty dollars worth of merchandise. As an amateur he wasn’t allowed to receive cash, but instead of a watch, camera or trophy, he took it in groceries for the family.

Jackie grew much bigger in the next couple of years. He was no longer a boy and now had the body of a grown man. He had to move up and fight as a featherweight. His amateur winning steak impressed Avery Brundage, the head of the U.S. Jackie was picked to go to Paris as part of the U.S. He won the gold medal that year, 1924, as Olympic Featherweight Champion. He was only sixteen years old.

Jackie was a boxer who had the unique ability to box an opponent or slug it out. He was a smart fighter who knew how to use the ring to his advantage. Fields was a tough opponent but didn’t have a heavy punch. He was quick, skilled and had a lot of staying power in a fight. One of his later managers, the infamous Doc Kearns, who also managed Jack Dempsey, said of him, “Best all around battler the United States ever produced.”.

Jackie had wanted to fight his old newspaper buddy Mushy Callahan—they both delivered newspapers before their boxing careers took off—for his NBA Light Welterweight title. Rooney even offered Mushy $25,000 to put up that anemic title, but Mushy wouldn’t do it. Jackie was very aggravated about it. He had fought Mushy a couple of times in the gym and felt that he had his number.

So instead he fought a rematch Young Jack Thompson on March 25, 1929 at the Coliseum in Chicago for the vacant NBA World Welterweight Title. Fields won that fight by a UD10 going away. He was now the welterweight champion of the world but things were not yet completely settled. Joe Dundee, aka Pal Joey, had the New York State version of the title. So the two gents had to meet in the ring to settle things and determine exactly who the true champion was.

After fighting and winning three tune-ups, Fields met Dundee at the State Fairgrounds Arena in Detroit on July 25, 1929. The bout only lasted two rounds. In the first, Dundee was knocked down twice by Fields. In the second round the slaughter continued, with Dundee hitting the canvas three more times. Joe got up and Fields knocked him down again. The New York State Champion crawled to the ropes, pulled himself up, and then deliberately punched Jackie—in the groin! The next thing Fields knew, he was in his dressing room and the undisputed champion by DQ. Why the deliberate punch to the groin by Dundee? He wanted to save his side bet of $50,000 on himself to win. You see all bets are off in case of a foul, even a deliberate foul. Or as Jackie poetically called it: “That bum and his buddies had bet money on the fight.”.

After a three-month rest, Fields returned to active duty. He had ten fights in the next five and half months, including bouts against Vince Dundee (57-6-11), Gorilla Jones (36-6-2), Young Corbett III (83-8-21), and Tommy Freeman (77-10-14), which set up a third fight with Young Jack Thompson.

Fields-Thompson III was on May 9, 1930. In a hard fought contest, Jackie lost his crown by decision over fifteen rounds. He was disgusted by his performance and impulsively decided to retire.

A few weeks later Jackie bumped into Doc Kearns who told him he could get him another shot at Thompson and the welterweight title. Jackie came out of retirement. In the meantime, Thompson had already lost the title to French Canadian Lou Brouillard. If anyone could straighten this mess out it was Kearns. Look what he had done for Dempsey’s early career. (He also later managed Mickey Walker, Joey Maxim and Archie Moore.) They signed a “no cut” contract. All the purses Jackie won in his first year with Kearns would belong exclusively to the fighter. “I want nothing,” Doc told him. “I want you to win the title back. After I win the title back for you than we will be partners.” The sportswriters had already written Fields obituary by describing him as “all washed up.” He wanted to prove them wrong. Jackie Fields wasn’t an old man. He was only twenty-three years old at the time!.

Jackie had ten fights between September 1930 and January 8, 1932, when he met Brouillard at Chicago Stadium. The French Canadian was a southpaw with a 64-7-1 record. Fields was 63-6-2 at the time. Brouillard could jab and hit with either hand. One had to watch both Lou’s hands real close. Jackie knocked him down in round eight on the way to a unanimous ten-round decision. Jackie Fields was welterweight champion again.

Jackie fought a few non-title bouts after that, to pick up some easy money. On the way home from a bout in Louisville, he was involved in a bad car accident in Hammond, Indiana. He lost the sight of his right eye (a detached retina) on a country road, but he and Kearns managed to keep it under wraps.

Later in Field’s dressing room Kennedy confessed, “I made a mistake.” He had raised the hand of the wrong boxer! Doc Kearns was so enraged that he jumped on Kennedy right there and beat the hell out of him! The title was gone, “spilt milk” as they said back in the day. Jackie fought one more time, outpointing Young Peter Jackson at the Olympic Auditorium over 10 rounds. This time retired for good with a record of 74-9-2-1 NC, with 31 of those wins coming by knockout.

Reference

Jackie Fields: Two. (2014). Retrieved on April 27, 2014, from http://www.boxing.com/jackie_fields_two_time_welterweight_champion.html.

Jackie Fields. (2014). Retrieved on April 27, 2014, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackie_Fields.

Akins was considered lanky, but proved nevertheless to be a powerful hitter with either hand. He began his career as a Lightweight in 1948, continuing to fight in that division for 6 years before finally growing into the Welterweight class. He was long considered to be an effective operator and boasted wins over future World Champions Joe Brown and Wallace ‘Bud’ Smith, as well as ending the incredible forty-seven fight winning streak of Ronnie Delaney, by way of knock-out in 1955.

VIRGIL AKINS IN FIGHTING PRIME

Akins had powered his way up the rankings in both divisions and finally got his chance of a World title once Carmen Basilio relinquished the Welterweight Championship to concentrate on defending his new Middleweight crown. An elimination tournament including six of the World’s top-rated Welterweights was swiftly established in an effort to find Basilio’s successor. Akins emerged the victor and new World Champion on June 6, 1958 by pounding favorite Vince Martinez to a fourth round destruction. All told, Martinez went down nine times, having never seriously recovered from a shattering right delivered early in the First.

VIRGIL AKINS WORKS THE HEAVY BAG IN LONDON

Less than a minute of the first round had gone by and handsome Vince Martinez was a slack-jawed, wobbly-legged travesty of the serene stylist he had always been before, even in rare defeat. Until now he had never been more than momentarily confused by an opponent. Largely because he has always known how to back off from sudden adversity, no one ever had knocked him out or even properly knocked him down. A tactical retreat, like so many he had organized in the past, was now called for but he had lost the knack.

HECTOR CONSTANCE VS VIRGIL AKINS

One rather obvious defect in an otherwise superb boxing style was his undoing. Instead of slipping a straight punch he has a trick of pulling his head straight back from it. In pre-fight studies Virgil (Honey Bear) Akins had noted the defect and now, at the first opportunity, took savage advantage of it. He won thereby the welterweight championship of the world, estimated to be worth a quarter of a million dollars at going rates. It was quite a step up in class for a fighter who less than two years ago fought in Holyoke, Mass.

VIRGIL AKINS VS ISAAC LOGART

The fight was a tragicomic melodrama of calculation and miscalculation. Before the bell, the ringside buzz in the St. Louis Arena had been that, since Akins was notoriously a slow starter, nothing much would happen in the first few rounds except that Martinez would outpoint him. It was felt that after those few rounds the 2-to-1 odds favoring Akins would be justified, once Honey Bear began his stretch run. The Martinez corner had the early rounds figured that way, too. The Akins corner, in turn, had figured that that was the way the Martinez corner would figure it. Akins, therefore, fought as he never had fought before against a major opponent. He made a surprise party of it. Instead of waiting, Akins delivered the key punch of the fight a mere 30 seconds after the opening bell. He forced his opportunity with a long left jab, nothing much in itself. All it did was to send Martinez' head straight back, not from the power of the blow, which landed lightly, but because that is the characteristic Martinez way of neutralizing a jab. It is an unorthodox way, unworthy of him. By classical standards, and Martinez is in all other respects a classical boxer, a straight punch should be avoided by a slip—a sideways movement of the head that lets the punch glide harmlessly over a shoulder.

VIRGIL AKINS VS DON FULLMER

But for years Martinez has been getting away with his backward movement. Until last week none of his opponents had thought to follow a jab with an overhand right to the well-exposed, upward-tilted chin that results from the maneuver. Akins thought of it and did it. Martinez, off balance, went down.

Down he went for the first time in his career of 65 fights and 60 victories, and when he arose there was written on his face the astonishment of a sinful man finally facing an unexpected judgment. After the fight Martinez said he thought he had been knocked out in the first—"or maybe the second"—round. He had no clear memory of it. Despite dousings with sponges dipped in ice water he never fully recovered from that punch. He went through the motions of fighting from a deep wellspring of courage in his subconscious. In the past he had been denounced for lack of courage in adversity when, in fact, he has never lacked courage. He has simply exercised more intelligent caution than is appreciated in ring society. Now, with intelligence blanked out, he responded from a natural resource that forced him to rise to loose-ankled feet time after time—and get knocked down, time after time. He was knocked down four times in that first round, stumbled stupidly to the canvas another time without a punch being thrown and went down four times more in other rounds for a total of eight clear knockdowns in the fight. The eighth, in the fourth round, ended it. Referee Harry Kessler, who had resisted a plea from Akins' corner that he stop the fight between the third and fourth rounds, called a halt without a count.

VIRGIL AKINS, RING MAGAZINES NAT FLEISCHER AND DON JORDAN

Akins proved himself a true successor to Carmen Basilio, who had given up the title so that he might briefly rule over the middleweight division. The fact that he did not take out Martinez with a single punch by no means implies that Akins is not a deadly puncher. Martinez proved long ago that he is no glass-jawed Fancy Dan. Most fighters could not have survived a round of the punishment he took, not only to the head but to the body, where Akins landed telling blows in fits of fury that sent Martinez reeling about the ring.

VIRGIL AKINS VS ISAAC LOGART

Basilio was at ringside to study a possible future opponent. There was instant speculation that a Basilio-Akins fight was in the sometime offing, and Akins was more than willing, foreseeing the greatest gate the welterweight division has had in years. Basilio wisely ducked the issue for the time being. There was, he pointed out, the matter of Sugar Ray Robinson's uncertainty about the future of the middleweight title, which Carmen would like to win back. Sugar Ray, on his part, was chasing a mysterious star that told him he could get a million dollars fighting Floyd Patterson for the heavyweight title in California. The matter of a Robinson-Basilio fight will, it is clear, be in abeyance for some little time.

VIRGIL AKINS DEFENDS AGAINST JOE MICELI

The fight went on against serious competition from the Municipal Opera, which featured that glorious tenor, Andy Devine, in Show Boat and drew 9,527 admissions; a Cardinals-Phillies baseball game which drew 17,599; and nighttime Thoroughbred racing at the Cahokia Downs track just across the Mississippi which attracted 6,740. Even so, 9,777 fans paid $62,810 to get into the arena, a most respectable showing in view of these counterattractions.

Akins's reign would not last long however. Six months later, he lost his title to Don Jordan by way of unanimous decision and in only his first defense. Akins disputed the result but fared no better in the return, held the following Spring. From that moment on, it was downhill all the way for the former champion, who would win just ten of his last twenty-three fights before hanging up his gloves in 1962.

VIRGIL AKINS IN HIS LATER YEARS

Reference

Virgil Akins becomes welter champion by finding a fatal. (2014). Retrieved on April 27, 2014, from http://www.cnnsi.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1002393/index.htm.

Virgil Akins. (2014). Retrieved on April 27, 2014, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virgil_Akins.

VIRGIL AKINS ON DVD

Perhaps second only to Jimmy Wilde, Ted “Kid” Lewis (192-32-14 79 KO’s) would be the greatest boxer that Great Britain would ever produce. Noted heavyweight champion and boxing historian Mike Tyson would exclaim, “Lewis would win bouts in all eight boxing divisions of his time.” In total, Lewis would win nine titles ranging from the featherweight to middleweight division. Despite never exceeding the current super- middleweight division Lewis would fight and defeat natural heavyweights. Ted “Kid” Lewis was born as Gershon Mendeloff in London’s east end to parents of Jewish heritage. The Judean Athletic Club would be the place where Lewis at the age of 14 would start to box. Lewis would win the sixpence and a cup of tea. However, he left with five pence as he gave back a penny for the cup of tea. The teenage Lewis would appear on the weekly Sunday show at the club and capture their flyweight title. Lewis would have an unsuspicious start as he lost his professional debut to Johnny Sharpe in 1909.*.

At the age of 17, Lewis would win both the British and European featherweight title against Alec Lambert in 1913. Lewis would successfully defend the European title against Paul Til in 1914 via DQ victory. Lewis reputation increased with each victory and gain notoriety for popularizing the use of a mouthpiece. At the time, it was called “Gumshield.” Lewis would increase his international appeal by fighting in Australia, Canada, and than coming to the United States.

In 1915, Lewis would face his biggest rival in his career Jack Briton for the world welterweight title. These two adversaries would meet for a total of 20 times in become of the biggest epic rivalries in the sport’s history. Briton an Irish-American detested Lewis due to his English Citizenry and perceived history of unsportsmanlike conduct. Lewis would suffer six disqualification losses in 238 official decisions. After their first match was declared a no decision, Lewis would win the welterweight title in Boston on August 31, 1915. Lewis won despite coming in under the lightweight limit. Lewis would evolve into more of a boxer puncher when he fought in the in United States. This played to a new audience that preferred slugfests over a pitchers duel. Lewis would play musical chairs with Britton as he would both lose and recapture the welterweight title in the next two years. In 1918, Lewis would meet Benny Leonard who is widely considered along with Joe Gans and Robert Duran as one of the top three lightweights of all time. The 8 round contest held in Newark, New Jersey would be ruled a draw. In St Patrick’s Day 1919 Lewis would again lose the welterweight title to Britton. Despite being a no- decision the rules stipulated a knockout would be the only way Lewis would lose the title.

In the ninth round, Lewis would get stopped by the Irish-American who was motivated by the Irish holiday. Lewis would fail in his attempt to capture the middleweight title against Mike O Dowd on September 1, 1919. It appeared that the best days of Ted Kid Lewis were now past him. Lewis would prove his detractors wrong by capturing both the British and European middleweight titles. He would eventually add the British light heavyweight and welterweight titles. Lewis would fall short of the European heavyweight title after the controversial “sucker punch” knockout loss to Charles Carpentier in 1922. Lewis would have his final bout in the states in 1928 when he lost to light heavyweight Maxie Rosenbloom via sixth round disqualification.

his post-fight career work in the world of politics and film. His son was a noted British filmmaker and Lewis would help in production of film. Lewis would also work for the New Party chief Oswald Mosley. However, when Lewis discovered the anti-semitic policies of the British Union of Fascists were also endorsed by Mosley he would resign after an infamous fisticuff altercation with Mosley and two of his associates. Lewis would be elected into the Boxing Hall of Fame in 1964, the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 1983, and the old-timers section of the International Boxing Hall of fame in 1992.

Reference

Ted . (2014). Retrieved on April 27, 2014, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_%22Kid%22_Lewis.

Ted “Kid” Lewis – The Greatest Boxer From Great Britain .... (2014). Retrieved on April 27, 2014, from http://www.boxinginsider.com/columns/ted-kid-lewis-greatest-boxer-great-britain/.

Pernell Whitaker (born January 2, 1964 in Norfolk, Virginia), nicknamed "Sweet Pea," is a professional boxing trainer and retired American professional boxer. Whitaker was the lightweight silver medalist at the 1982 World Championships, followed by the gold medalist at the 1983 Pan American Games and the 1984 Olympics. Whitaker then embarked on a pro career in which he became world champion in four different weight divisions. During his career, he fought world champions such as Julio César Chávez, Oscar De La Hoya and Félix Trinidad. For his achievements, he was named the 1989 Fighter of the year by Ring Magazine.

Whitaker was a "southpaw" (left hand dominant) boxer, known for his outstanding defensive skills and for being a strong counterpuncher. He was not an over-powering hitter on offense but applied a steady attack while, at the same time, being extremely slippery and difficult to hit with a solid blow.

Whitaker had an extensive amateur boxing career, having started at the age of nine. He had 214 amateur fights, winning 201, 91 of them by knockouts, though he says that he has had up to 500 amateur fights. He lost to two-time Olympic Gold medalist Ángel Herrera Vera at the final of the World Championships 1982 but beat him four times, notably in the final of the Pan American Games 1983 in Caracas. He crowned his amateur career with an Olympic Gold Medal in 1984.

In just his eleventh and twelfth pro bouts, Whitaker beat Alfredo Layne on December 20, 1986 and former WBA Super Featherweight title holder Roger Mayweather on March 28, 1987. Whitaker won both bouts before hometown crowds at the Norfolk Scope, less than a mile from where he lived as a child in a Norfolk housing project. Whitaker would fight nine times in the Scope arena during his career.

On March 12, 1988, he challenged José Luis Ramírez for the WBC Lightweight title in Levallois, France. He suffered his first pro defeat when the judges awarded a split decision to Ramirez. The decision was highly controversial, with most feeling that Whitaker had won the fight with something to spare. In his 1999 edition of the 'World Encyclopedia of Boxing,' Harry Mullan stated that the decision in this bout was "generally considered to be a disgrace.".

Whitaker trudged on, winning a decision over Greg Haugen for the IBF Lightweight title on February 18, 1989, becoming the first boxer to knock Haugen down by dropping him in the sixth round. He then added the vacant WBC belt by avenging his loss to Ramirez on August 20.

He met Oscar De La Hoya on April 12, 1997, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Whitaker, defending his WBC championship and the mythical status as the best fighter "pound for pound", succeeded in making De La Hoya look bad through his crafty defense, but he was unable to mount a sufficient offense to convince the judges. Although Whitaker was awarded an official knockdown in the 9th round and outlanded De La Hoya in overall punches & connect percentage (according to CompuBox stats), De La Hoya won by a disputed unanimous decision. At the end of the fight, the judges' scores were 111-115, 110-116, 110-116. The fight was a lot closer than what the final scorecards showed, and there were many boxing analysts & sportswriters at ringside who felt that Whitaker actually won the fight. It was another controversial decision against Whitaker, but it wasn't seen as a blatant robbery like the Ramirez or Chavez fights.

De La Hoya himself didn't seem too pleased with his own performance and had hinted at a possible rematch to prove that he could do better. However, his promoter at that time, Bob Arum, declined the notion.

Whitaker's next fight was against Andrey Pestryaev in a WBA title elimination fight, with the winner being named the #1 contender for the WBA Welterweight title, held at the time by Ike Quartey. Whitaker originally won by decision, but it was nullified & changed to a no decision after Whitaker failed a post-fight drug test.

On February 20, 1999, Whitaker suffered his first sound defeat against the much bigger, much fresher Félix Trinidad, gamely taking the Puerto Rican the distance in an attempt to win Trinidad's IBF welterweight title. The fight began with both boxers displaying aggressive styles, which included excessive pushing. In the following rounds, both boxers used their jabs most of the time, with Trinidad gaining an advantage when Whitaker attempted to attack inside, eventually scoring a knockdown in round two. In the fourth, fifth and sixth rounds the fighters exchanged combinations. Later in the fight, both boxers fell to the canvas in what were ruled as "accidental slips." On the seventh round, Whitaker displayed more offense, trading power punches with Trinidad, but the champion retained control in the fight's tempo during the eight, ninth and tenth rounds. In the last round, Whitaker, with a badly swollen right eye, displayed a purely defensive stance, avoiding his opponent throughout the round while Trinidad continued on the offensive until the fight concluded. The judges gave the champion scores of 117–111, 118–109 and 118–109.

His last fight came on April 27, 2001, against journeyman Carlos Bojorquez. Whitaker, the former lightweight, entered the ring at 155 pounds. He broke his clavicle in round four and was forced to retire; at the time of the stoppage Whitaker was trailing in all the judges' scorecards by 28-29. Following this fight, Whitaker officially announced his retirement. He finished his professional career with an official record of 40-4-1 (17 knockouts).

As a youngster, Whitaker was known to friends and family as "Pete" and when he began to emerge as a top amateur, fans in his hometown of Norfolk used to serenade him with chants of "Sweet Pete." This was misinterpreted by a local sportswriter as "Sweet Pea." When this erroneous report came out in the local newspaper, the new nickname stuck.

As of December 2005, Whitaker has taken on the role as trainer in his home state of Virginia. While the decline of speed and agility pushed him into retirement, his knowledge of the ring and components have led him to seek out up-and-coming boxers and train them to fight the way he did.

Once a celebrated millionaire boxer and 1985 Olympic gold medalist, Whitaker is now struggling to pay his bills and needed to sell the house which he gave to his mother nearly 30 years ago, according to his lawyer. His fall from grace and solvency involved numerous incidences of drug abuse and a history of arrests and run-ins with police. But Whitaker's final falling out with his family came to an ugly end in a Virginia court on Wednesday.

Whitaker, 50, bought the two-story brick home near the Botanical Garden in Norfolk, Va., for his mother in 1984 when he was still flush from his many wins in the ring.

“He’s limited to what he can make training other boxers,” Gould said. “It’s significantly diminished over the years and he’s not able to maintain this $400,000 house for his mother and siblings to live in.”.

"He’s not happy that it was necessary to go to court," Gould said. “But he now has two mortgages on the house and the alternative was if he didn’t sell, it was going to go to foreclosure.”.

A grandson of Mrs. Whitaker, former NFL player Ronyell Whitaker, has also come forward to offer his assistance to his grandmother and make sure she is cared for.

Reference

Pernell Whitaker. (2014). Retrieved on April 27, 2014, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pernell_Whitaker.

ABC News. (2014). Ex. Retrieved on April 27, 2014, from http://abcnews.go.com/US/millionaire-boxer-evicting-mom-beautiful-moment/story?id=22699214.