SIMON BROWN vs. Maurice Blocker
vs. Lonnie Bradley
vs. Glenwood Brown
vs. Bernard Hopkins
vs. Al Long
vs. Mauro Martelli
vs. Jorge Maysonet
vs. Buddy McGirt
vs. Terry Norris I
vs. Terry Norris II
vs. Vincent Pettway
vs. David Reid
vs. Luis Santana
vs. Milton Seward
vs. Marlon Starling
vs. Tyrone Trice I
vs. Tyrone Trice II
vs. Jorge Vaca
vs. Troy Waters
vs. Bobby Joe Young
THE.OLD CHURCH on 14th Street off Columbia Road is now a day care center, and a walk down a dimly lit hallway leads to the inconspicuous gym. It is here that Simon Brown prepares to win the world's welterweight championship.
"I love to train," Brown says, "I love to be better than someone else. I love the people that train with me and I love the glory "
The word "love" receives extra emphasis.
Simon Brown, who turned 20 in August, was born in Jamaica and moved to Washington, D.C., with his family when he was 12.
"Jamaica was beautiful and I hope me day I can defend the title there," Brown says. "My family moved here because this is the land of opportunity."
"There was always this quiet little kid sitting on the stoop in front of the gym whenever I came down here," said his manager and trainer, Jose "Pepe" Correa, who has worked with Sugar Ray Leonard.
One day Brown got off the stoop and went into the gym. His progressed ram idly, winning the MU championship, the Washington, D.C., Golden Gloves title twice, and the Junior Olympics title. His amateur record was 542.
"Simon was fighting for trophies and King the house," Correa said, "so we decided to fight for money and fill the house."
~ . . ~
Brown turned professional in 1982 and quickly ran his record to 11~0. He fought mostly in Atlantic City, where casual fans and hardened boxing writers noted the conclusiveness of his knockouts.
On March 2, 1982, ESPN televised Brown's second fight, a six-round decision over tough Vito Masilli of New Jersey. Brown weighed in at 139 pounds, a junior welterweight . He showed good movement, a sharp, stinging jab, fast combinations, and the ability to avoid most of the charges of the powerful Masilli. But he didn't seem to possess knockout power.
Things changed quickly.
Just ask Maryland's Cookie James (KO 5), distance-fighter Carlos Santana (KO a), Sergio Bautista (KO 7), or New York power-puncher Allen Braswell (KO 1),
whether or 'not Simon Brown can knock man out.
"We've been trying to kill the myth about Jamaican fighters being runners, Correa said. "As far as Simon is cot corned, the myth is dead."
_ -HE DATE WAS December 14, 198 and the fight was billed as "The Homecoming." It was Simon Brown's fir professional fight in front of his local fan in Maryland. It took place in Prince George County, just outside Washington The opponent was veteran junior welterweight weight Ruby "The Snake" Ortiz, a ma who had Gone the distance with Esteban DeJesus and Alfredo Escalera and defeated Sean Mannion.
Most observers figured that Ortiz would try to psych out Brown with all the trick he had learned over the years. Ortiz'~ style has been classified as crafty, which is a euphemism for dirty.
Ortiz opened the scheduled eight rounder by circling the steadily advancing Brown. Brown moved in while Ortiz war against the ropes and unleashed a lightning-fast barrage of punches to the body before moving away. Ortiz held his hand over his head, mocking Brown and calling him in. Brown maneuvered Ortiz to the other side of the ring and pummeled ho body until The Snake slithered through the ropes and was counted out. A first round knockout—all body punches.
Brown kayoed veteran clubfighter Pete Seward in eight rounds in April. The Jamaican welterweight is 16-0 with 14 kayos.
THEY USED TO call welterweight I champion Jose Napoles "Mantequilla" in tribute to his smooth as butter fighting style. They call Simon Brown "Mantequilla" too.
"Simon patterns himself after Napoles
and Ray Leonard," says Correa, who gave him the tag. "He is as smooth as Napoles was."
Presently, Brown is 160 with 14 consecutive knockouts. His last two wins, a kayo of Pete Seward and a one-round knockout of Domingo Ayala, the faded one-time junior welterweight contender, indicate Brown is ready for meatier opposition.
" Most guys won't fight him," says Correa. "We've been trying to get Johnny Bumphus for six or seven fights and he won't touch us."
The danger in fighting Simon Brown is his style—he doesn't have just one. He adapts to whatever the opponent is doing. Before a fight, Correa will telephone boxing insiders like Angelo Dundee, Ralph Citro, and Don Elbaum (who promotes Brown) to find out how an opponent fights, and Brown is prepared from the information. But if the fighter changes his style during the bout, Brown has the ability to change accordingly.
If an opponent waits to counterpunch, as Pete Seward did, Brown will move in and aim his right to the body behind his jab. If an opponent moves toward him, Brown can fight backing up, counterpunching off the ropes, if need be, and throwing a wicked overhand right over an ~opponent’s jab'~ itch
~ ^
AS SIMON BROWN'S record grows, so does his confidence. The recent USBAI rankings list him as the eighth best welterweight in the world.
"That's too low," Brown said, "but people will soon see that I belong higher.
"I want [WBC welterweight champions Milton McCrory because he likes to fight inside and he doesn't have the strength to fight inside. I'll have one or two more fights and then go for it."
Brown's next fight is scheduled to be against ranked contender Roger Stafford, who just lost in his bid for Don Curry's WBA welterweight crown by first round knockout. The formative stage of Brown's career is near completion. He has passed all the tests.
THE BOXING Skills, the strength, I and, most important, the discipline, are all there in Simon Brown, the smooth skinned young man on the brink of worldwide recognition.
After a workout on the heavybag, he sits perspiring on a bench next to his stablemate, the USBA’s ninth-ranked welterweight, Maurice Blocker, who is simultaneously closing in on a welter weight title shot.
The two are close friends and work each other's corner, along with Correa, al every fight. They are reaching for the same goal, but neither feels he is in corn petition with the other.
"I would never want to fight Maurice and I hope that day never comes,' Brown says. "We both work-and supper each other."
Secretly, though, Brown must hope he reaches his goal first. He loves the spotlight too much to share it.
