By John Bardelli
Another fight bust! Pacquiao and Cotto. Great fight? Nada! At an earlier time when writing was more laborious than it is today, I might have called my folks after seeing the fight and told them in describing the fight ---- "Nothing to get excited about and nothing to write home about."
Anything but a great fight from my vantage! And, in reality, nothing really exciting about the match aside from some early anticipation about whether Cotto was going to be effective in some exchanges with Manny. Once that anticipation left us by the second, third, fourth or fifth round, the only question became whether or not Pacquiao really has the fire power --- which many think he has by virtue of his demolition of Ricky Hatton --- and whether Pacquiao would take out Miguel Cotto in the same fashion. It was clear after the fifth round that the hand writing was on the wall and Cotto was in survival mode.
Pacquiao made the fight as he was the aggressor, throughout, with the possible exception of the first round. Incidentally, while many gave the first round to Cotto because he caught Pacquiao with several jabs, I gave the round to Pacquiao as he controlled the tempo and landed the more effective and harder shots during the round. The only round I gave to Cotto was the 5th, ironically, where he showed a little aggressiveness after having been floored in the 4th round, the knockdown being a much more convincing knockdown than when he was caught with a right chop in the 2nd round.
I am thrilled my prediction of a Cotto knockout in the 9th or 10th rounds went astray. Not at any single moment did Cotto pose a threat to Pacquiao. Cotto fought a defensive fight throughout the evening as evidenced by where he held his gloves --- in a style reminiscent of a peek-a-boo stance sans hand speed, sans foot speed, and without an ounce of the type of ruggedness which I anticipated he would bring into the ring with him as he had done in mauling Zab Judah, and thereby bullying Pacquiao to places he didn't want to be and then let his power shine forth. There was no demonstration of power this evening. Marguerito took the fight out of Cotto as well as the desire he once had. I assumed he was still a powerful puncher.
Au contraire, the only power I saw this evening was that brought into the ring by Pacquiao --- and he didn't demonstrate that he had much power as a welterweight. As welterweights, if either Cotto or Pacquiao had to fight Philadelphia's Gil Turner, let alone Kid Gavilan of the 50's, I don't think either would be on their feet come the 7th round. YouTube - Kid Gavilan (Cuba) v Gil Turner (USA) Municipal Stadium USA PART 1 OF 2 1952
There is a difference folks.
Cotto is finished. Pacquiao has more fights left in him and, presumably, as the welterweight champion he will fight at that weight. The clamor is for Pacquiao to take on Floyd Mayweather, another safety first customer. Mayweather and Pacquiao makes for a boring fight twelve round fight --- a ton of hype and a ton of anticipation during the match --- but little else.
Strange how this fight business goes. Miguel Cotto beats Shane Mosley. How in the hell did that happen? The Miguel Cotto who entered the ring against Manny Pacquiao this evening would last less than 5 rounds against the Shane Mosley we've seen in his last two fights against Mayorga and Marguerito. That Mosley beats the Pacquiao who fought this evening.
The hand writing is on the wall. I am happy that Manny Pacquiao left the ring tonight having tasted only a modicum of leather. The fans want more of him. His aura of invincibility grows but, off this showing, I would say that he is in deep trouble if he defends against Mosley or Joshua Clottey. I know very little of the other contending welterweights aside from Marguerito.
The day may come when Edwin Valero moves out of the lightweight division and lays a challenge to Manny Pacquiao. Some think that Valero is a wild novice who would be taken apart by a now veteran campaigner such as Manny Pacquiao. Let's see how Valero progresses over his next five fights. I think this kid has the goods and when he punches with that left hand it is not sent to say hello as an attention getter. He punches to say "sayonara" or "adios amigo" and all of Mr. Valero is sent with the goodnight kiss. How will he react when he, himself, is on the receiving end of some leather? I don't know and, additionally, I can't say whether or not he has fought any tough fighters who have hit him on the button more than once. That, too, awaits definition.
Manny Pacquiao has thrilled all his fans and rightfully deserves a hero's welcome when he returns to the Philippines. Although boxing fans would disagree with me, if Art Aragon were to advise Pacquiao he would say, "Manny, you've made millions. You may think that there is more to be made and that there are more mountains to climb. Son, I can only tell you that a fighter can never retire too early but he certainly can retire to late. Get out while you can with your health and faculties intact."
A lot has been said and written about the impact that Freddie Roach has had in training, and let's face it, in managing Manny Pacquiao. If Freddie Roach and Manny Pacquiao are as close as it is written, then Freddie Roach owes it to Manny Pacquiao to parrot the sage words of Art Aragon and tell Manny precisely that.
Time will tell.
Showing posts with label John Bardelli. Show all posts
Showing posts with label John Bardelli. Show all posts
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Saturday, November 14, 2009
A FIGHT AND FIGHTER FOR THE DECADE
by John A. Bardelli
November 14, 2009
4:20 p.m.
Some great fights took place in the soon to be completed first decade of the Twenty First Century. Too, not being satisfied with its position within the world scene, the United States has launched yet another series of war at the commencement of the decade when it invaded Afghanistan in 2001 and Iraq, for the second time, in 2003, to sadly add to the United States' reputation as a bellicose nation which, in analysis, rightfully draws the ire and condemnation of the vast majority of nations and people within the world community as a consequence.
One wonders, with its penchant for attacking non-white countries with little or no standing armies to mass a defense, when and if the United States might launch warfare against Mexico in an endeavor to stem the tide of what it professes to be illegal immigration coupled with the professed claim that it must stop the importation of drugs into the United States --- while the Republicans in Congress, all the while, profess righteous indignation at the state of affairs, pretense and disdain for all that is Mexican.
Ironically, however, those same Republicans are silent with respect to the massive shedding of lives and blood by Latinos, blacks and other minorities, who adorn Army green in this all-volunteer military while "spreading democracy" for the United States territorial aspirations throughout the world.
Too, those same Republicans have long ignored the contributions of the Latinos in their keeping alive the strong work ethic once so prevalent in this country as the very term "Latino," in a word, has become synonymous with "labor" --- indeed back breaking and suffocating labor at that.
To select the greatest fight which has taken place, thus far within the decade, let alone trying to decide who was the greatest fighter during this same period of time, is an awesome task under any circumstance. Clearly, as far as the selection of the fighter of the decade, the Pinoy, Manny Pacquiao, has to be strongly considered for the honor of the single greatest fighter of the decade and one or more of his fights will undoubtedly come up for nomination as fight of the decade as well.
In fact, Pacquiao's dominance in the ring has been so great that should the United States ever decide to turn its military muscle southward with its sights on Mexico, it might consider engaging Pacquiao for the task at hand as he became a wrecking ball, as far as deflating talented Mexican fighters, who entered the ring with him, were concerned, literally destroying the creme de la creme which Mexico has had to offer as sacrificial lambs. Latino personages inclusive of Marcos Antonio Berrera, Juan Manuel Marquez, Erik Morales, Hector Velazquez, David Diaz, and Oscar De La Hoya all shed blood and were swept up in cyclonic fashion by Pacquiao despite engaging the Pinoy southpaw in some interesting and challenging contests.
When the English clamored --- we've seen enough of Mexican fighters try to bring the reign of Pacquiao to an end ---- and that it had the real McCoy to engage Pacquiao, enter one Ricky Hatton --- Pacquiao teamed with John Barleycorn working overtime behind the scenes, keeping fast company with Hatton to do a number on the best England had to offer when Great Britain gifted to the tigerish Pacquiao, another lamb who, before the bout was 60 seconds old was on the receiving end of some vicious right hooks --- and before the fight was three minutes old, received a left hand which rendered him totally unconscious and literally dead on the canvas as an strange silence swept over half of England which had trekked to Las Vegas for the occasion.
Yes, indeed, Frank Churchill and Joe Waterman, who brought many a great fighter from the Philippines to the United States, culminating in the great Pancho Villa, would be in seventh heaven witnessing this southpaw, heralding from General Santos City, Cotabato del Sur, Philippines, born Emmanuel Dapidran Pacquiao, and known world wide as Pac Man or Manny --- going through the lighter divisions like a scourge while remaining totally within himself as a person, as a man, as a fighter, and in his spiritual walk with God.
Pancho Villa, too, would understand and approve of Pacquiao becoming the heir apparent to Villa's own legacy as the greatest Pinoy fighter of them all. For the record, Villa amassed within the span of but 6 years in the ring, 82 victories within 90 recorded fights and destroyed England's Jimmy Wilde to annex the world's flyweight championship before succumbing to the ravages of a tooth infection which lead to his death following an ill advised fight with Jimmy McClarnin. Ill advised because Villa went into the fight with the infection spreading but he did not want to disappoint his fans by having the fight canceled.
Trained by Freddie Roach throughout the decade, from 2001 to the present, Manny Pacquiao has a collision course with destiny and the bestowal of boxing immortality upon his head as the two Boxing Hall of Fames, --- the International Boxing Hall of Fame and the World Boxing Hall of Fame, --- already have him within their respective scopes to pounce the minute Pacquiao becomes eligible for induction within the rules governing each entity.
But Pacquiao has business to attend to first, and is on a virtual collision course come Saturday, November 14, 2009, with Puerto Rican Miguel Cotto, a gifted and bullish strong welterweight who will offer Pacquiao his sternest test this far in Pacquiao's career. My reflective thought: Pacquiao will certainly take a hard long look at retirement when this fight is decided, however it should end.
In a rugged and vicious display of fighting by both fighters, Manny Pacquiao will be stopped in the 9th or 10th round if, after slicing Cotto to ribbons and bits within the earlier rounds, this fight has not been stopped and awarded to Pacquiao because of Cotto's cuts, by the sixth round. After the sixth round, the end will be sudden with Pacquiao unable to continue and he will be counted out as only Manny Pacquiao would have it were he given the alternative to retire in his corner rather than to go down fighting.
The speed and accurate punching of Pacquiao will rip and tear Cotto's countenance, having him bleeding from cuts around both eyes, his nose and mouth, to the point that the fight will be on the verge of being stopped before the bell for the sixth round rings. However, if not stopped by that time, the tide of battle will turn and the continual strength, punching power and numbing bombardment presented by Cotto will begin to reveal itself as Cotto, having absorbed and survived Pacquiao's right hooks, uppercuts, and combination punching, makes use of his ability to shift to his natural southpaw fighting style to his advantage and belabors a bewildered Pacquiao, --- who has to wonder what has kept Cotto upright for six rounds --- in a manner with punches to Pacquiao's body, hips, kidneys, head, where it becomes impossible for Pacquiao to keep up his own spirited pace as he tires due to the infliction and accumulation of punches he has to absorb from the non-stop pressure applied by Miguel Cotto. The single biggest factor in this fight is the ability of Miguel Cotto to counter Pacquiao's southpaw stance by, himself, shifting to his natural southpaw stance and landing viciously numbing left leads and left hooks from his natural fighting style --- punches which have the capacity to and which will eventually drop Manny Pacquiao.
Pacquiao will drop and be counted out while the nation of the Philippines rightfully descends into prolonged mourning and shock. Puerto Rico, on the other hand, will celebrate for weeks on end in token of the victory as it seizes its own moment in the sun and gives thanks to one of the great number of Puerto Rican fighters, indeed, athletes, --- who have risen from the ranks of squalor and deprivation to become well known athletes and, in the case of Miguel Cotto, to the pinnacle of his profession.
The pundits will cry for a rematch but Manny Pacquiao, having gone out on his shield like the warrior he is, was, and ever will be, will never fight again and the Philippines, in shock as a nation, never believing what transpired could be within the realm of reality, let alone fancy, will take years to regain the proudness of a people and nation given to them by their redeemer of this ensuing decade, the great Manny Pacquiao.
This is all gut stuff. It comes from a feeling --- a reaction, and a fear that Manny Pacquiao is going to the well one time too often. The boxing greats who moved up within divisions, --- down through the history of this gamest of all sports, --- with rare exception, were successful for a time but none knew when to call it a day and bit off more than each could chew in some particular fight. Boxing writers who put their reputations on the line in making predictions about the outcome of fights --- have to scope the unfolding scenario and ask but one compound question: Is this the hour and is this the consuming fight?
The rise in rank comes with age --- comes with the putting on of weight --- and comes with a slowing of reflexes --- all of which adds up to the incessant gamble engaged in by fighters who perceive that they are invulnerable to ravages brought through the passage of time and the toll that comes with an aging process which is a different process by degrees within all humans. Stepping up in weight is fraught with danger, the type of danger which will become manifest on November 14th.
As I was told when yet a youngster by Young Firpo, nee Guido Bardelli, during a general boxing discussion: "A fighter thinks he is tough --- you think you're tough? Remember this! There is always someone out there who is tougher than you and he'll show you what toughness is if you stay around too long."
The amazing run of victories over the elite from Mexico --- the demolition of Oscar De La Hoya, and the near decapitation of Ricky Hatton, have all served to generate an aura of invincibility when assessing where Manny Pacquiao fits in among the elite of boxiana. The outcome of those fights were predictable and, as a fighter, lend little to gauge Pacquiao's greatness.
For the record, this writer predicted the round in which Pacquiao stopped De La Hoya and also predicted Pacquiao to knock out Hatton --- but thought it would occur later in the fight. De La Hoya, physically, looked horrible the week before the fight and was a shell upon entering the ring to engage Pacquiao. Hatton's own career record was built on beating up fighters with losing records. Not facing tough opposition, he thought he could lead two lives. The dissipation caught up to him and he paid the eventual price --- thanks must go to John Barleycorn as much as to Manny Pacquiao for the apparent ease and dispatch which creates the confusion.
Frankly, I hope that this assessment, on the eve of battle, is awash with a fear that his magnified beyond all reality. I hope, too, that the warning given by a fighter from a different era, --- through the listening to the voice of experience, especially the experience of a fighter who was in that same ring over 100 times in his own career, always should be heeded, --- is a warning which will not be realized in the ring on November 14, 2009, despite the fact that, realistically, we all should know that the time is near. My sentiments are with Manny Pacquiao but if this fight is not over by a sixth round stoppage on cuts, look for Pacman to be counted out in the 9th or 10th round.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
COMMENTARY ON HAYE-VALUEV FIGHT
By John A. Bardelli
November 7, 2009
I've just finished watching several of the early rounds and the last three rounds of the Valuev - Haye fight. Well, the Brits know how to get, in long time fight trainer Mel Epstein's vernacular, ... "a champeen." The Brits, as a rule, are great, great, great fighters and have a long and storied history contributing to the saga of boxiana. So my comments should not be construed to denigrate England nor the storied history presented by a litany of fighters spread through the divisions the equal of any who tread resin from the paperweights to the heavyweights. I hope in time, on deeper reflection as time passes, that I will be proven wrong about the talents of David Haye --- and that, he too, will take his place among the elite of the sport of boxing. For the time being, I confess to seeing an imposter in the ranks.
The heavyweight championship has long been the obsession of British Boxing fans and pundits. Try, try, and try, as they might --- the haunting specter of the heavyweight championship, save for New Zealander Ruby Bob Fitzsimmons eluded the fancied imagination of the Brits for nearly a century before Lennox Lewis captured the crown with dignity. And the Americans, maintaining a stranglehold on boxing throughout the entire century, rubbed it in mercilessly as though the taunting was a vestige emanating from the hatred of the Brits engendered by the Revolution War and King George.
Sing, drink beer, wave flags and cause a commotion --- is the common lot and approach British fight fans utilize in supporting one of their own --- regardless of whether there is a fight underway or not --- as was the case on the evening of Haye - Valuev, a fight which took place, in Nuremberg, Germany. But the Brits were in full force, none-the-less.
One way to quiet such non-sense, mind you, is to wind up a package of dynamite in the form of a Filipino and turn him loose --- following that type of a two-fisted explosion, the Brits become so awed that their quieted submission takes on the overtones of a day spent within one of the beautiful towered churches within the Church of England --- another of that country's obsessions akin to making "heavyweight champeens" even if the religious pomp has to be borrowed in its own right.
When one examines the long storied history of boxing greats heralding from England and the English Commonwealth, it takes little imagination to understand that this latest pretender to the heavyweight throne --- David Haye --- is a poor imitation when contrasted with storied greats throughout the dvisions, not just the heavyweights, emanating from those Isles, --- starting off course with Jem Mace.
Flipping pages and we are presented with the likes of Bob Fitzsimmons, Joe Calzaghe, Lennox Lewis, Ted "Kid" Lewis, Jimmy Wilde, Jem Driscoll, Benny Lynch, Owen Moran, Rinty Monaghan, Peter Cane, Lloyd Honeyghan, John Conteh, Jackie Brown, Howard Winstone, Freddie Welsh, Ken Buchanan, Nigel Benn, Freddie Mills, Chris Eubank, Frank Bruno, Len Harvey, Randy Turpin, Tommy West, Jock McAvoy, Jackie "Kid" Berg, Bruce Woodcock, Seaman Tommy Watson, Henry Cooper, Lennox Lewis, Len Wickwar, Peter Jackson --- just a small sampling of fighters who came to fight.
David Haye is not a fighter --- he is a track man and a dancer. There was a time when a properly constituted boxing commission had rules to enforce --- rules which did not award fighters for running about the ring without returning some leather ---- Haye, in those times, would have been penalized for his "fight avoidance" --- up to an including disqualification for refusing to fight. Haye went into a four corner basketball stall --- for the entirety of the fight with Valuev.
[As a post script, inserted as this paragraph, to what I wrote last evening --- word now has it that David Haye hurt his hand during the fight and he maintains that his injury was the cause of his non-violent demeanor in the ring. Valuev is ready for the rematch. Let the injuries heal and let's have the rematch. My prediction is you'll see a repeat of the running --- injury or no injury --- and this time around the boxing commission should inculcate into the power of the referee the authority to disqualify the runner who is not throwing punching --- and I don't mean an occasional token jab in the guise of a punch as Haye threw last evening.]
From what I saw of the fight, Valuev retained his title if for no other reason than he was the pursuer, the aggressor, that he came to fight, was willing to mix --- but it takes two to tangle. Haye wasn't dancing --- let alone doing the two step --- he was pure and simply running. When Ali fought Foreman ... Ali still landed effective punches while on the move and hit Foreman with more shots prior to the end of the fight than Foreman had ever tasted in the ring on a collective basis save his two fights with Peralta.
Another fight which comes to mind and that is Carnera and Loughran --- in Florida. Carnera knew that when Loughran was at a distance he might land some effective blows ... so Carnera bulled Loughran repeatedly to the ropes and beat the hell out of Loughran --- really roughed him up with gloves, forearms, and elbows in equal distribution. When Carnera finished Loughran ... a tattered and tired Loughran wasn't in the mood for joviality with the crowd and the reporters as one witnessed David Haye at the end of the distance run.
As a pure boxer ---- David Haye doesn't hold a candle to light heavyweight turned heavyweight, Tommy Loughran. Look, yourself, at Loughran's record for goodness sake and then tell me I am wrong in my analysis. Haye was handed a gift this evening and its another black eye for boxing --- something stinks horribly in England --- they've got a paper champ who is yet another cheapened version of the concept of a champion.
For the record, also, let it be known than Primo Carnera would have slaughtered David Haye --- and the naysayers will taunt me with --- "well, look what Baer did to Carnera." I'll debate those naysayers, one on one or collectively any day of the week, and, indeed, invite the debate, because they have no clue what transpired before the Carnera-Baer fight started, nor an understanding as to what took place inside the ring when Baer defeated Carnera to win the title, even though they profess to have seen the fight footage 10 times or more. The fact of the matter is --- they saw it but still don't know or understand what they saw occur in June of 1934 in Madison Square Garden.
Regardless, this is not a commentary about whether Baer did or did not win the fight ---- unquestionably, he did win the fight with Carnera --- but most certainly not in the manner that is "visualized" on film and not without understanding that Baer was on the verge of being kayoed, himself, in the middle and latter rounds of the fight.
Give me Carnera for every Klitchko or Valuev whom any boxing writer or interested spectator wants to claim are "great" fighters. Carnera would have eaten the three of them alive --- and if Max Baer, who fought two follow-up exhibitions with Carnera, were alive, he would say the same thing. As it was, following the second of the two follow-up exhibitions with Carnera, a puffy and beaten Baer remarked: "I am just glad the championship was not on the line tonight." All the while Baer spoke, Carnera eyed Max as though to say --- "Now, what in the hell do you think about it?"
As it is, I feel sorry for Valuev for he sought to make a fight of it. For a tutor, he should watch film footage of Primo Carnera to see how to cut off the ring and rough up runners like David Haye --- examine the Carnera-Loughran fight footage. I hope they have a rematch and I hope Valuev uses his size, strength, and some punching capabilities to corner Haye and get some leverage with ripping shots that will sap the strength out of Haye to the point that he wishes he had never become a fighter. It may be far to late in the game for Valuev to follow suit.
As as sidelight --- either prime George Chuvalo, Jerry Quarry, or Floyd Patterson, for examples, would have kayoed David Haye. Imaging the concept of going to a fight and a track meet breaks out and the decision is awarded to the marathon runner? At best, he should get a blue ribbon --- but not the crown that fits the head of the world's heavyweight champion --- there was a time when the highest honor achievable in all of sportdom was just that --- the heavyweight champion of the world --- and I emphasize "the." Alas --- those days are long gone --- and not likely to ever return.
November 7, 2009
I've just finished watching several of the early rounds and the last three rounds of the Valuev - Haye fight. Well, the Brits know how to get, in long time fight trainer Mel Epstein's vernacular, ... "a champeen." The Brits, as a rule, are great, great, great fighters and have a long and storied history contributing to the saga of boxiana. So my comments should not be construed to denigrate England nor the storied history presented by a litany of fighters spread through the divisions the equal of any who tread resin from the paperweights to the heavyweights. I hope in time, on deeper reflection as time passes, that I will be proven wrong about the talents of David Haye --- and that, he too, will take his place among the elite of the sport of boxing. For the time being, I confess to seeing an imposter in the ranks.
The heavyweight championship has long been the obsession of British Boxing fans and pundits. Try, try, and try, as they might --- the haunting specter of the heavyweight championship, save for New Zealander Ruby Bob Fitzsimmons eluded the fancied imagination of the Brits for nearly a century before Lennox Lewis captured the crown with dignity. And the Americans, maintaining a stranglehold on boxing throughout the entire century, rubbed it in mercilessly as though the taunting was a vestige emanating from the hatred of the Brits engendered by the Revolution War and King George.
Sing, drink beer, wave flags and cause a commotion --- is the common lot and approach British fight fans utilize in supporting one of their own --- regardless of whether there is a fight underway or not --- as was the case on the evening of Haye - Valuev, a fight which took place, in Nuremberg, Germany. But the Brits were in full force, none-the-less.
One way to quiet such non-sense, mind you, is to wind up a package of dynamite in the form of a Filipino and turn him loose --- following that type of a two-fisted explosion, the Brits become so awed that their quieted submission takes on the overtones of a day spent within one of the beautiful towered churches within the Church of England --- another of that country's obsessions akin to making "heavyweight champeens" even if the religious pomp has to be borrowed in its own right.
When one examines the long storied history of boxing greats heralding from England and the English Commonwealth, it takes little imagination to understand that this latest pretender to the heavyweight throne --- David Haye --- is a poor imitation when contrasted with storied greats throughout the dvisions, not just the heavyweights, emanating from those Isles, --- starting off course with Jem Mace.
Flipping pages and we are presented with the likes of Bob Fitzsimmons, Joe Calzaghe, Lennox Lewis, Ted "Kid" Lewis, Jimmy Wilde, Jem Driscoll, Benny Lynch, Owen Moran, Rinty Monaghan, Peter Cane, Lloyd Honeyghan, John Conteh, Jackie Brown, Howard Winstone, Freddie Welsh, Ken Buchanan, Nigel Benn, Freddie Mills, Chris Eubank, Frank Bruno, Len Harvey, Randy Turpin, Tommy West, Jock McAvoy, Jackie "Kid" Berg, Bruce Woodcock, Seaman Tommy Watson, Henry Cooper, Lennox Lewis, Len Wickwar, Peter Jackson --- just a small sampling of fighters who came to fight.
David Haye is not a fighter --- he is a track man and a dancer. There was a time when a properly constituted boxing commission had rules to enforce --- rules which did not award fighters for running about the ring without returning some leather ---- Haye, in those times, would have been penalized for his "fight avoidance" --- up to an including disqualification for refusing to fight. Haye went into a four corner basketball stall --- for the entirety of the fight with Valuev.
[As a post script, inserted as this paragraph, to what I wrote last evening --- word now has it that David Haye hurt his hand during the fight and he maintains that his injury was the cause of his non-violent demeanor in the ring. Valuev is ready for the rematch. Let the injuries heal and let's have the rematch. My prediction is you'll see a repeat of the running --- injury or no injury --- and this time around the boxing commission should inculcate into the power of the referee the authority to disqualify the runner who is not throwing punching --- and I don't mean an occasional token jab in the guise of a punch as Haye threw last evening.]
From what I saw of the fight, Valuev retained his title if for no other reason than he was the pursuer, the aggressor, that he came to fight, was willing to mix --- but it takes two to tangle. Haye wasn't dancing --- let alone doing the two step --- he was pure and simply running. When Ali fought Foreman ... Ali still landed effective punches while on the move and hit Foreman with more shots prior to the end of the fight than Foreman had ever tasted in the ring on a collective basis save his two fights with Peralta.
Another fight which comes to mind and that is Carnera and Loughran --- in Florida. Carnera knew that when Loughran was at a distance he might land some effective blows ... so Carnera bulled Loughran repeatedly to the ropes and beat the hell out of Loughran --- really roughed him up with gloves, forearms, and elbows in equal distribution. When Carnera finished Loughran ... a tattered and tired Loughran wasn't in the mood for joviality with the crowd and the reporters as one witnessed David Haye at the end of the distance run.
As a pure boxer ---- David Haye doesn't hold a candle to light heavyweight turned heavyweight, Tommy Loughran. Look, yourself, at Loughran's record for goodness sake and then tell me I am wrong in my analysis. Haye was handed a gift this evening and its another black eye for boxing --- something stinks horribly in England --- they've got a paper champ who is yet another cheapened version of the concept of a champion.
For the record, also, let it be known than Primo Carnera would have slaughtered David Haye --- and the naysayers will taunt me with --- "well, look what Baer did to Carnera." I'll debate those naysayers, one on one or collectively any day of the week, and, indeed, invite the debate, because they have no clue what transpired before the Carnera-Baer fight started, nor an understanding as to what took place inside the ring when Baer defeated Carnera to win the title, even though they profess to have seen the fight footage 10 times or more. The fact of the matter is --- they saw it but still don't know or understand what they saw occur in June of 1934 in Madison Square Garden.
Regardless, this is not a commentary about whether Baer did or did not win the fight ---- unquestionably, he did win the fight with Carnera --- but most certainly not in the manner that is "visualized" on film and not without understanding that Baer was on the verge of being kayoed, himself, in the middle and latter rounds of the fight.
Give me Carnera for every Klitchko or Valuev whom any boxing writer or interested spectator wants to claim are "great" fighters. Carnera would have eaten the three of them alive --- and if Max Baer, who fought two follow-up exhibitions with Carnera, were alive, he would say the same thing. As it was, following the second of the two follow-up exhibitions with Carnera, a puffy and beaten Baer remarked: "I am just glad the championship was not on the line tonight." All the while Baer spoke, Carnera eyed Max as though to say --- "Now, what in the hell do you think about it?"
As it is, I feel sorry for Valuev for he sought to make a fight of it. For a tutor, he should watch film footage of Primo Carnera to see how to cut off the ring and rough up runners like David Haye --- examine the Carnera-Loughran fight footage. I hope they have a rematch and I hope Valuev uses his size, strength, and some punching capabilities to corner Haye and get some leverage with ripping shots that will sap the strength out of Haye to the point that he wishes he had never become a fighter. It may be far to late in the game for Valuev to follow suit.
As as sidelight --- either prime George Chuvalo, Jerry Quarry, or Floyd Patterson, for examples, would have kayoed David Haye. Imaging the concept of going to a fight and a track meet breaks out and the decision is awarded to the marathon runner? At best, he should get a blue ribbon --- but not the crown that fits the head of the world's heavyweight champion --- there was a time when the highest honor achievable in all of sportdom was just that --- the heavyweight champion of the world --- and I emphasize "the." Alas --- those days are long gone --- and not likely to ever return.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
MARCIANO, MOORE and THE INSIGHT OF HARRY KESSLER
By John Bardelli
Bardelli Response: Oh brother, is Mr. Craster on a mission to destroy the accomplishments of Rocky Marciano as is evident from this post and several others! Please, Mr. Craster, go back and look at the fight! And, I write these words as both a long time admirer of both Rocky Marciano AND Archie Moore. I'll share some of what I've written about Moore and the greatness of Mr. Moore in its proper forum --- now is not the place nor time for doing so.
When Marciano was floored by Moore for the count of one, perhaps two, Marciano arose and gave absolutely no indication of showing a lack of "control of his senses," as you state, from which anyone could conclude, as you are trying to do, that he was ready to go, implying that if Moore could have got to him quickly, Marciano would have been knocked out.
Kessler then describes the fight and the eventual knockout of Archie Moore in the ninth round. Kessler
continues in his biography:
"I have shown a film of [the fight] hundreds of times when lecturing to foundry organizations, service clubs or charitable groups." * * *
"It shows that Moore went to the far corner. I gave Marciano a normal count and when he got up, I gave the two of them the signal to begin mixing it up again. Archie Moore moved in -- but with a slight hesitation. Remember--he had taken a strong shot from Marciano before he put the champion down. I suspect he may have been a tiny bit reluctant to charge in too quickly!"
"Contrary to protecting Marciano, I probably did Rocky a disservice when I purposely dispensed with wiping his gloves on my shirt after the knockdown. It would have given him another second or two to recover! I was criticized by one sportswriter for my failure to do so but there wasn't enough resin on the canvas that early in the fight to make any difference. Maybe the reporter had a point. So did I: Rocky's gloves were not dirty."
"Archie's on going lament has reach me at infrequent intervals over the years. * * *
"Several months after the fight, Rocky and Archie met while changing planes at the Newark, New Jersey
airport. * * * [T]heir dialogue went this way:
Archie: "Well, Harry's a friend of mine and I just want to say that to build publicity for a return match. Harry
don't mind!"
Kessler from his autobiography: "But I do mind, Archie! And if you read it here, I wish to hell you would cease and desist!"
Kessler and his brother had a part in Moore's introduction to the world of boxing when Archie was 13 years old in St. Louis, Missouri at a time when Kessler had refereed about 25 of Moore's fights as an amateur and a pro in the St. Louis area. Kessler suspects that Moore was upset because he thought Kessler should have been more favorable to Moore. Kessler retorts: "I never favored anyone in the ring."
Craster Pushes On: You forget to add that the great beating Marciano gave Moore in rds 6-9 came from mainly low blows that brought AM's hands down and exposed his head.
Bardelli Responds: If you are interested in complaining about fouls, I submit that you dedicate a post to cover Evander Holyfield's 8 or more fouls of Mike Tyson in their second fight, with nary a warning or a point being taking away by Mills Lane, despite protests being lodged by Tyson's corner and by Tyson himself following his receipt of the multiple flagrant fouls inflicted by Holyfield. All of this, of course, lead Tyson to resort to the primitive and the law of the jungle as he responded as an enraged and wounded animal would and should, under the circumstances --- regrettable as Tyson's response was since this was a professional fight governed by rules prohibiting flagrant fouling.
[Author's Note: This essay was written circa 1999-2000, before the advent of You-Tube, and got its impetus as part of an on-going web-site dialogue where everything imaginable was being printed as gospel truth in terms of assessing the merits of fighters. Therein lies the backdrop for the reasoning behind the creation of this essay --- the rest is history. Craster was someone whose name I did not know, one of many individuals and characters who spoke what they no doubt believed to be true --- espousing solipsistic platitudes to the bitter end. However his beliefs, as I recall, were rather benign and mild compared to many on that site.]
Craster Writes: Marciano was floored by Moore in rd 2 and when he got up he wasn't in control of his senses! That is a fact nobody can change or hide, it is also a fact that RM got the usual gift from the ref in that he got a full 8 count when the rule didn't apply, for he had jumped up with loose legs at the count of 2.
Bardelli Response: Oh brother, is Mr. Craster on a mission to destroy the accomplishments of Rocky Marciano as is evident from this post and several others! Please, Mr. Craster, go back and look at the fight! And, I write these words as both a long time admirer of both Rocky Marciano AND Archie Moore. I'll share some of what I've written about Moore and the greatness of Mr. Moore in its proper forum --- now is not the place nor time for doing so.
[Note: This critique/analysis was written before any of us heard of U-Tube. I am throwing it in for the reader's convenience ... as a footnote to the analysis.]
Before submitting this response, I did just that, i.e., watched the fight in its entirety, simply because I could not believe what you had written about the fight. I have heard these stories before and the source of the "facts," as you deem them to be ... and in reporting these "facts," ... derive from the Old Mongoose himself. You are simply reporting what Archie Moore had to say in rationalizing his personal annihilation!
Marciano-Moore Yankee Stadium Ticket, September 20, 1955
Oftentimes, because they have such strong egos and cannot fathom the concept of defeat, fighters have to
justify or rationalize why they were defeated. If they don't, then their self-image is dealt a severe blow and
this impacts upon their ability to be an effective fighter. In other words, a defeat always has to be explained
away and there has to be a reason. Very rarely will you hear a fighter say in an interview that "the other guy
was better tonight." No, there has to be a justification, an excuse, a rationalizing of the defeat. As Ernest
Hemingway wrote in The Old Man and The Sea, "Man can be destroyed but he cannot be defeated."
justify or rationalize why they were defeated. If they don't, then their self-image is dealt a severe blow and
this impacts upon their ability to be an effective fighter. In other words, a defeat always has to be explained
away and there has to be a reason. Very rarely will you hear a fighter say in an interview that "the other guy
was better tonight." No, there has to be a justification, an excuse, a rationalizing of the defeat. As Ernest
Hemingway wrote in The Old Man and The Sea, "Man can be destroyed but he cannot be defeated."
When Marciano was floored by Moore for the count of one, perhaps two, Marciano arose and gave absolutely no indication of showing a lack of "control of his senses," as you state, from which anyone could conclude, as you are trying to do, that he was ready to go, implying that if Moore could have got to him quickly, Marciano would have been knocked out.
It is true that Marciano was hit with a titanic shot by Moore and the punch was a punch of the kind and nature which would have also dropped lesser fighters who would not have arisen from the scrap heap of ashes. However, Rocky Marciano was not a lesser fighter. He did not know the taste of defeat. On rising, Marciano's sense of balance and equilibrium was fully intact. He did not stagger nor lean up against the ropes --- nor did he appear, outwardly, to be incapable of defending himself in any manner, shape or form. He responded to the referee, Harry Kessler, who did not give Marciano a standing 8 count, --- as Archie Moore maintained happened. In fact, Kessler didn't even wipe off Marciano's gloves when he arose following a count of four, an event, had it happened, which would have benefited Marciano by giving him more recuperative time. To the contrary, however, Kessler's actions of not wiping Marciano's gloves, benefited Moore whereupon Kessler then motioned for the fighters to continue their battle.
Referee Harry Kessler was fight referee for many great fights. Here he is in the Ali-Williams Houston encounter
Any poster can watch the unfolding of events and reach their own conclusion as to who is reporting fact and who is reporting fiction. The full story might not be told and/or the viewing misconstrued. Additionally, I suggest an interested party also read or listen to the words of Harry Kessler from his memoirs concerning the Marciano-Moore fight, as set forth in his biography, Million Dollar Referee. At the outset, in covering the fight, therein, Kessler describes Moore landing a right hand shot to Marciano's jaw --- and then continues his description:
"Marciano got up at the count of four. * * * Marciano on the canvas in round 2 stunned the house. The most
surprised person was Rocky Marciano. Even more astonished perhaps was Archie Moore when Rocky
quickly stood up! Here the Mongoose had hit his man with the most powerful punch he had landed in more
than 20 years of barnstorming the country and taking on all comers, often just for eating money, and the guy
didn't stay down! Such a thing should not have been possible and certainly did nothing to bolster Moore's
confidence in himself. If Rocky could survive his best shot ever, what would it take to pack him in?"
surprised person was Rocky Marciano. Even more astonished perhaps was Archie Moore when Rocky
quickly stood up! Here the Mongoose had hit his man with the most powerful punch he had landed in more
than 20 years of barnstorming the country and taking on all comers, often just for eating money, and the guy
didn't stay down! Such a thing should not have been possible and certainly did nothing to bolster Moore's
confidence in himself. If Rocky could survive his best shot ever, what would it take to pack him in?"
Moore floored Marciano in the second round
Another camera angle of Marciano on the floor as Moore's confidence rises
"I didn't bother to wipe Marciano's gloves on my shirt before I waved them back to combat; that early in the drama there was no resin on the canvas. Archie hesitated a couple of seconds before he came in. Maybe he was still reflecting on the impossible rise of a Rock who should have been down and out; maybe he was remembering the right he had caught in the stomach before he decked Marciano."
Kessler then describes the fight and the eventual knockout of Archie Moore in the ninth round. Kessler
continues in his biography:
"I have shown a film of [the fight] hundreds of times when lecturing to foundry organizations, service clubs or charitable groups." * * *
"After [Archie Moore] had gone home to San Diego and had nothing better to do one day, Archie came up with the idea that I had protected Rocky Marciano after Archie had knocked him down in the second round! According to the ancient one, I gave Rocky an extra two seconds count after he had resurrected himself from the canvas. The film disproves Moore's charges."
"It shows that Moore went to the far corner. I gave Marciano a normal count and when he got up, I gave the two of them the signal to begin mixing it up again. Archie Moore moved in -- but with a slight hesitation. Remember--he had taken a strong shot from Marciano before he put the champion down. I suspect he may have been a tiny bit reluctant to charge in too quickly!"
"Contrary to protecting Marciano, I probably did Rocky a disservice when I purposely dispensed with wiping his gloves on my shirt after the knockdown. It would have given him another second or two to recover! I was criticized by one sportswriter for my failure to do so but there wasn't enough resin on the canvas that early in the fight to make any difference. Maybe the reporter had a point. So did I: Rocky's gloves were not dirty."
"Archie's on going lament has reach me at infrequent intervals over the years. * * *
"Several months after the fight, Rocky and Archie met while changing planes at the Newark, New Jersey
airport. * * * [T]heir dialogue went this way:
Rocky: "Arch, I keep hearing that you're raising hell that Harry Kessler protected me in the ring! You know
I knocked you out fair and square! I don't need anybody's protection! Why don't you get off Harry's
back?"
I knocked you out fair and square! I don't need anybody's protection! Why don't you get off Harry's
back?"
Archie: "Well, Harry's a friend of mine and I just want to say that to build publicity for a return match. Harry
don't mind!"
Kessler from his autobiography: "But I do mind, Archie! And if you read it here, I wish to hell you would cease and desist!"
Kessler and his brother had a part in Moore's introduction to the world of boxing when Archie was 13 years old in St. Louis, Missouri at a time when Kessler had refereed about 25 of Moore's fights as an amateur and a pro in the St. Louis area. Kessler suspects that Moore was upset because he thought Kessler should have been more favorable to Moore. Kessler retorts: "I never favored anyone in the ring."
Craster Pushes On: You forget to add that the great beating Marciano gave Moore in rds 6-9 came from mainly low blows that brought AM's hands down and exposed his head.
Bardelli Responds: If you are interested in complaining about fouls, I submit that you dedicate a post to cover Evander Holyfield's 8 or more fouls of Mike Tyson in their second fight, with nary a warning or a point being taking away by Mills Lane, despite protests being lodged by Tyson's corner and by Tyson himself following his receipt of the multiple flagrant fouls inflicted by Holyfield. All of this, of course, lead Tyson to resort to the primitive and the law of the jungle as he responded as an enraged and wounded animal would and should, under the circumstances --- regrettable as Tyson's response was since this was a professional fight governed by rules prohibiting flagrant fouling.
Harry Kessler starts his count as Marciano drops Moore this fabled September 1955 championship fight
To the contrary in the Marciano-Moore fight, Archie Moore was not fouled throughout the fight let alone during the 6th, 7th, 8th or 9th round. Furthermore, Moore, to my knowledge, never claimed he was fouled by Marciano. The media never claimed it. Now if your understanding of fouling is making a man age before one's very eyes, in the ring, as the fight continues round after round, and the beating gets more severe with each ensuing round, then, yes, Marciano did foul Moore ... and plenty! But in the conventional sense, no, Archie Moore was not fouled in this fight.
Marciano pouring it on before dropping Moore for good
Sheriff Moore signing arrest warrant for Marciano
I feel that your lack of understanding of what happened in this fight stems from (1) your failure to review the fight film, (2) your susceptibility to believe what Archie Moore had to say about why he lost the fight [rationalization] without looking at the film, (3) an inherent dislike of Marciano's ruggedness and capability of manhandling his opposition which you somehow interpret as fouling tactics, or (4) a combination of each of the noted basis.
Its about over as Moore down made a valiant attempt to rise before crumbling back to the canvas as Kessler tolled the count of 10 over him thereby ending a great heavyweight fight --- and Marciano's last defense and fight
Harry Kessler started refereeing fights in 1927. By conservative estimate, he donated over $200,000 to
children charities from his referee earnings before he retired as an active referee. Refereeing was a pastime and not a vocation to him as he owned a large company and he was its metallurgist --- by all accounts, Kessler was a pre-1950's millionaire. As Kessler stated, "I never favored anybody in the ring!" Indeed, it does a great disservice to the history of boxing and the memories of either Rocky Marciano and Harry Kessler, to revise history by reporting what is not factual and all of boxing suffers from it --- including the reputations of the principals involved in this September 1955 epic encounter --- Rocky Marciano, Archie Moore and Harry Kessler.
children charities from his referee earnings before he retired as an active referee. Refereeing was a pastime and not a vocation to him as he owned a large company and he was its metallurgist --- by all accounts, Kessler was a pre-1950's millionaire. As Kessler stated, "I never favored anybody in the ring!" Indeed, it does a great disservice to the history of boxing and the memories of either Rocky Marciano and Harry Kessler, to revise history by reporting what is not factual and all of boxing suffers from it --- including the reputations of the principals involved in this September 1955 epic encounter --- Rocky Marciano, Archie Moore and Harry Kessler.
by John A. Bardelli
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Mel Epstein and Young Firpo
Thanks to John Bardelli, I finally have a photo of Mel Epstein to share with you. Mel was my manager/trainer when I was boxing. This photo is from Mel's earlier years, along with his most famous and successful fighter Young Firpo. I am also sharing the letter that John sent me. For those of you that don't know, John Bardelli is the son of Young Firpo nee Guido Gardelli.
Dear Randy:
Thanks for your letter. We don't know for sure where this photo was taken but think it might have been taken in Kellogg, Idaho. These were amongst some of "the better days" which existed between Firp and Mel even though they carried on with correspondence through the exchange of letters well into the 1960s. I wish I could pinpoint what fight Firp had just been in ... it appears that they are both in a good and jovial mood ... leading me to believe that Firp crushed someone although there is evidence on his face that he caught some shots as well.
Years later, a fire storm of some sort ensued between them --- Firp, in a rage, took all the collected letters and threw them in the fire destroying great historical letters. Whatever might have happened to the letters Dad wrote Mel --- well, they might still exist as Firp was a prolific writer, I assure you. Whoever might be the recipient of those valuable letters is heir to a real treasure trove. Firp's letters --- and he wrote to many --- including letters to the editor on various subjects, history, environment, politics, religion, mining, prospecting, boxing, --- his own career --- were fact based --- philosophical in nature --- loaded with concepts of spiritual thought --- and above all espoused a deep and abiding belief that God was found in and part of nature.
He introduced his children, Cleo, Fred, and John, as well as his wife and our mother, Mary, to the concept of finding God in, about, through, and as Mother Nature, long before we were introduced to similar concepts through the writings of the Psalms and David, Thoreau, Emerson, Hopkins, Blake, Shakespeare, Wordsworth, Mills, Muir, Leopold, Wood, Carson, Frost, Krutch --- and so many others whose pens have captured imagery and imagination blessing my own personal love of literature and hours and days spent with an author as my friend.
But none of these literary giants brought to me the visual blessings of the enlightening all my God given senses --- of seeing the sheer athleticism and grace of Firp surrounded by the grandeur of nature --- whether he was wading a creek, climbing a mountain, brushing a trail, dropping a seasoned tamarack and, thereafter, reverently manhandling the fruits of his labor, --- he always had an aroma about him of the freshness of nature --- whether picked up from turning over fresh soil in the garden with a shovel or the aroma of firs and pines blessing him as he wandered through the woods, those ardent smells are with me this very hour.
Then, too, to visually see the ease employed with the mastery of strength reduced to least movement --- never wasting precious energy while digging ditches with a pick and shovel that would leave an observer or passerby to marvel and literally question whether a machine was tossing dirt from the ditch --- stories that stagger the imagination but which are true and still verifiable because there are still some who relate what they heard and saw, firsthand, of his laboring ethic beyond what he accomplished as a fighter blessed with unparalleled and prodigious strength --- and the reflexes of a tiger.
Sadly, the letters stopped coming and aside from Mel speaking with me and asking me to convey short messages to Dad during a number of telephone conversations I had with him --- as far as I knew they never exchanged words again. Mel, during a number of conversations which I was blessed to have with him before he passed on in 1980, spoke to me of Firp's exploits in, and his identification and affinity with the environment and the wilderness ... mainly, his love of the mountains.
If you detect a particular sadness, herein, --- no, there is no lamenting --- despite the fact that I always considered Firp my best friend --- and the skills he left me with in tackling any problem in life --- were and are prodigious --- to me this very moment --- and the fount from where the solution arises was for him and all his family based on a love of God --- and the fact that we work for God and not ourselves. Amazing saga.
I thank Rick Farris every day of my life for the vision he had concerning Young Firpo's greatness, once validated --- much like your own, Randy, --- a vision instilled by Mel Epstein who not only knew greatness when he saw it --- but lived it --- contributed to it --- and allowed it to become a teacher and motivational tool, in Mel's own right, as he sought to instill, motivate, and pack some of that greatness into others who sought careers as professional fighters --- Rick Farris and Randy De La O, included.
Rick Farris became a believer --- and his vision was thereafter set --- when George Parnasus and Jimmy McLarnin validated all that Mel Epstein had been preaching --- to countless fighters down through the years after Firp's career ended in 1937 --- preaching what so many thought were only the rantings and ravings equivalent to those of a Burgess Meredith as Mickey in Stallone's epic Rocky --- as Meredith sought to motivate Rocky. And, but for that chance meeting between Rick Farris, George Parnasus, and Jimmy McLarnin, --- youth confronting age --- and youth emboldened to ask, "Just how good was this Young Firpo?" --- perhaps, none of this would have come to pass.
In short order, Rick Farris got an earful from Parnasus and McLarnin which, then, in turn, rocked him and gave him a new found respect for Mel Epstein's veracity. In addition, Rick carried with him for the next 35 years the seeds and a spark which would lead him to draw on the sustenance of Mel Epstein having inculcated into him a sense of what greatness was all about, with the end result being was that he was the one individual responsible for the induction of Young Firpo, born Guido Bardelli, into the World Boxing Hall of Fame.
How ironic is it, indeed, that Mickey sought the wisdom and the particular nuances and idiosyncrasies of a fight manager from the genuine Mel Epstein who --- if the truth be known --- trained and managed one greater fighter and character than the fictional Rocky, --- real drama v. fiction and the real drama was stranger and more unique than the what Stallone captured on celluloid. Rocky Balboa was given birth through some small but meaningful contribution from Mel Epstein --- none could have contributed in the manner that Meredith captured the old-time fight trainer-manager. I wish I could have heard what Epstein might have said to Mickey. This is pure genius --- and how did he learn to do this --- YouTube - My favorite Rocky clip And when I see this clip --- I think of Rick and Randy, heirs to an era that they could not fathom at that moment in time.
Thanks for listening to my own personal thoughts.
Sincerely yours,
John A. Bardelli
Mel Epstein and Young Firpo
Thanks for your letter. We don't know for sure where this photo was taken but think it might have been taken in Kellogg, Idaho. These were amongst some of "the better days" which existed between Firp and Mel even though they carried on with correspondence through the exchange of letters well into the 1960s. I wish I could pinpoint what fight Firp had just been in ... it appears that they are both in a good and jovial mood ... leading me to believe that Firp crushed someone although there is evidence on his face that he caught some shots as well.
Years later, a fire storm of some sort ensued between them --- Firp, in a rage, took all the collected letters and threw them in the fire destroying great historical letters. Whatever might have happened to the letters Dad wrote Mel --- well, they might still exist as Firp was a prolific writer, I assure you. Whoever might be the recipient of those valuable letters is heir to a real treasure trove. Firp's letters --- and he wrote to many --- including letters to the editor on various subjects, history, environment, politics, religion, mining, prospecting, boxing, --- his own career --- were fact based --- philosophical in nature --- loaded with concepts of spiritual thought --- and above all espoused a deep and abiding belief that God was found in and part of nature.
He introduced his children, Cleo, Fred, and John, as well as his wife and our mother, Mary, to the concept of finding God in, about, through, and as Mother Nature, long before we were introduced to similar concepts through the writings of the Psalms and David, Thoreau, Emerson, Hopkins, Blake, Shakespeare, Wordsworth, Mills, Muir, Leopold, Wood, Carson, Frost, Krutch --- and so many others whose pens have captured imagery and imagination blessing my own personal love of literature and hours and days spent with an author as my friend.
But none of these literary giants brought to me the visual blessings of the enlightening all my God given senses --- of seeing the sheer athleticism and grace of Firp surrounded by the grandeur of nature --- whether he was wading a creek, climbing a mountain, brushing a trail, dropping a seasoned tamarack and, thereafter, reverently manhandling the fruits of his labor, --- he always had an aroma about him of the freshness of nature --- whether picked up from turning over fresh soil in the garden with a shovel or the aroma of firs and pines blessing him as he wandered through the woods, those ardent smells are with me this very hour.
Then, too, to visually see the ease employed with the mastery of strength reduced to least movement --- never wasting precious energy while digging ditches with a pick and shovel that would leave an observer or passerby to marvel and literally question whether a machine was tossing dirt from the ditch --- stories that stagger the imagination but which are true and still verifiable because there are still some who relate what they heard and saw, firsthand, of his laboring ethic beyond what he accomplished as a fighter blessed with unparalleled and prodigious strength --- and the reflexes of a tiger.
Sadly, the letters stopped coming and aside from Mel speaking with me and asking me to convey short messages to Dad during a number of telephone conversations I had with him --- as far as I knew they never exchanged words again. Mel, during a number of conversations which I was blessed to have with him before he passed on in 1980, spoke to me of Firp's exploits in, and his identification and affinity with the environment and the wilderness ... mainly, his love of the mountains.
If you detect a particular sadness, herein, --- no, there is no lamenting --- despite the fact that I always considered Firp my best friend --- and the skills he left me with in tackling any problem in life --- were and are prodigious --- to me this very moment --- and the fount from where the solution arises was for him and all his family based on a love of God --- and the fact that we work for God and not ourselves. Amazing saga.
I thank Rick Farris every day of my life for the vision he had concerning Young Firpo's greatness, once validated --- much like your own, Randy, --- a vision instilled by Mel Epstein who not only knew greatness when he saw it --- but lived it --- contributed to it --- and allowed it to become a teacher and motivational tool, in Mel's own right, as he sought to instill, motivate, and pack some of that greatness into others who sought careers as professional fighters --- Rick Farris and Randy De La O, included.
Rick Farris became a believer --- and his vision was thereafter set --- when George Parnasus and Jimmy McLarnin validated all that Mel Epstein had been preaching --- to countless fighters down through the years after Firp's career ended in 1937 --- preaching what so many thought were only the rantings and ravings equivalent to those of a Burgess Meredith as Mickey in Stallone's epic Rocky --- as Meredith sought to motivate Rocky. And, but for that chance meeting between Rick Farris, George Parnasus, and Jimmy McLarnin, --- youth confronting age --- and youth emboldened to ask, "Just how good was this Young Firpo?" --- perhaps, none of this would have come to pass.
In short order, Rick Farris got an earful from Parnasus and McLarnin which, then, in turn, rocked him and gave him a new found respect for Mel Epstein's veracity. In addition, Rick carried with him for the next 35 years the seeds and a spark which would lead him to draw on the sustenance of Mel Epstein having inculcated into him a sense of what greatness was all about, with the end result being was that he was the one individual responsible for the induction of Young Firpo, born Guido Bardelli, into the World Boxing Hall of Fame.
How ironic is it, indeed, that Mickey sought the wisdom and the particular nuances and idiosyncrasies of a fight manager from the genuine Mel Epstein who --- if the truth be known --- trained and managed one greater fighter and character than the fictional Rocky, --- real drama v. fiction and the real drama was stranger and more unique than the what Stallone captured on celluloid. Rocky Balboa was given birth through some small but meaningful contribution from Mel Epstein --- none could have contributed in the manner that Meredith captured the old-time fight trainer-manager. I wish I could have heard what Epstein might have said to Mickey. This is pure genius --- and how did he learn to do this --- YouTube - My favorite Rocky clip And when I see this clip --- I think of Rick and Randy, heirs to an era that they could not fathom at that moment in time.
Thanks for listening to my own personal thoughts.
Sincerely yours,
John A. Bardelli
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
John Blanchette: They broke mold after Bardelli
Courtesy of John Bardelli
Every time someone tries to give boxing last rites, someone else applies the cardiac paddles. Floyd Mayweather Jr. returned to the ring 10 days ago and did more than a million pay-per-view buys, punking a UFC card head-to-head and delaying for the moment the conclusion that all fight fans want their combat meaner, nastier, no-holds-barred.
So all is well. Except it’s not.
Boxing is now diced into 17 weight classes with four storefront sanctioning bodies crowning champions in each. If the average sports fan can name more than one, it’s because two of them are Klitschkos.
Boxing’s past is far more entertaining than its present, though the ongoing malaise can even fog history. For example, it managed to elude us or get boiled out of wire accounts that the most recent class of the World Boxing Hall of Fame included – a full 25 years after his death – one Guido Bardelli, known professionally as Young Firpo and colloquially as “the Wild Bull of Burke.”
That’s Burke as in Idaho, up the spooky canyon of the same name from Wallace. A virtual ghost town now, Burke produced not just mountains of silver ferried out by two rival railroads but an hombre so tough that his legacy got him into the hall of fame without a championship belt.
Of course, boxing titles are as often the residue of circumstance, luck, location, opportunity, politics, money and corruption as they are attributable to a hard right hand. The Bull of Burke never broke a sweat in Madison Square Garden.
He won two of three wars with a rugged customer named George Manley, who himself twice outpointed three-time light-heavyweight champ Maxie Rosenbloom, and fought a brutal draw with John Henry Lewis a year before that fighter would become world champion. Rosenbloom himself would fight nearly 300 times professionally – against the likes of Manley and Lewis, Tiger Jack Fox, Jimmy Slattery, Bob Olin and Lou Nova, and even here in Spokane and Stateline.
But he couldn’t be coaxed into a ring with Young Firpo, whose hammering right was developed singlejacking as a Silver Valley miner.
Never heard of him?
Well, sure. His career did crest 75 years ago, in a pair of fights in Portland just a month apart with Fox and Lewis.
At that point, Firpo had already won 67 fights and the Pacific Coast title and was an in-his-prime 27. But in the winter of 1934, he was driving to Butte for a fight with a former middleweight champ named Gorilla Jones when he was injured in a car wreck that hospitalized him for seven weeks. Fox – like Firpo an inductee in the Inland Northwest Sports Hall of Fame – was waiting for him when he recovered.
The two fought a savage affair in which both hit the canvas in the fifth round – Firpo first, from a right hand, and then Fox from a left hook when he bored in for the kill. But after 10 rounds, the decision went to Firpo.
There was more at stake in the Lewis fight. Rosenbloom had been stripped of his title, and a dubious “tournament” was concocted to fill the vacancy. This was purportedly an elimination bout for that tournament. Let John Bardelli, a Spokane Valley attorney and Firpo’s son, pick up the narrative:
“Lewis was a ferocious body puncher and one of the first ones he throws, a right uppercut, fractures Dad’s breastbone,” he recalled. “Dad knows he’s in trouble, but he has to bluff or it’s over in the first round. He couldn’t breathe for four rounds and then it starts to come back – and in both the sixth and seventh rounds he has Lewis on the verge of a KO, but couldn’t connect.”
The fight was ruled a draw. One newspaper account said the Portland crowd booed for five minutes, another said 10. Someone threw a knife in the ring. The tournament would go on without him. Olin would beat Rosenbloom in New York – and lose the title to Lewis in his first defense.
Firpo’s boxing career soon slowed. He had married and would start a family, and his work as a miner and prospector took precedence. Two knockout losses to a kid named Red Bruce in 1936 would all but close the book – truly close it. He revealed little of his ring story to his children, and lowered the boom if he caught them trying out his gloves.
“The only time I heard him lament anything about his career was when he said, ‘I didn’t know what I had,’ ” Bardelli said. “He really didn’t know how good he was.”
Long before pay-per-view, few did. And, yes, some knew all too well.
Get more news and information at Spokesman.com
Sunday, August 2, 2009
The Fight Has Just Begun - In the Courts and Not the Ring by John Bardelli
Special From John Bardelli
Several have sent me articles discussing the entry of Michael Baden, M.D., into the picture precipitating Arturo Gatti's body being exhumed and a second autopsy having been undertaken. The media is abuzz - Gatti's legion of fans lining up as though, somehow, sensing that a report is going to put Amanda Rodrigues away for life. There is a frenzy about the rabid name calling directed to Amanda Rodrigues which was brought on by the psychological concept of primacy when the Brazilian police prematurely stated that Amanda Rodrigues was responsible for the death of Arturo Gatti. Psychological primacy is the principal that what is first heard is most often believed and it becomes a irrefutable governing fact. Now, those exposed and believing have their hopes lifted by headlines which boldly declare and assert --- Baden Autopsy Does Not Rule Out Gatti Murder --- the headlines scream coast to coast and worldwide.
I was earlier alerted to Baden's being hired and sniffed it out for what it is. Regardless, make no mistake about it. Baden or no Baden, rule of primacy or no rule of primacy, Arturo Gatti committed suicide --- its that simple.
Now that pathologist Michael Baden, M.D., is involved - controversy is guaranteed - forever - and that controversy has an avowed purpose behind it. Baden was or is the chief forensic pathologist for the New York City Police Department. As far as I know, he is not conducting this examination at the expense of or on behalf of the citizens of the state of New York or for the New York City Police Department or for any other governmental entity. Most likely, he has been privately engaged and just who is footing the bill and the amount he is charging for his engagement is unknown at the present time. And why, might one ask, was he engaged at all?
There is a lot going on behind the scenes, legal maneuverings of a kind and nature which have not been, to my knowledge, disclosed anywhere ... either on line in cyber space or within any specific media coverage. When analyzed from the prospects of a civil litigant, it is apparent what is transpiring. At the outset, let us assume as one scenario, that Arturo Gatti left no Last Will and Testament. When one has no Last Will and Testament and that person dies, it is said that he/she dies "intestate." To die "intestate" simply means that the decedent left no Last Will and Testament. When that happens, his state of domicile or residence at the time of death, through statutory enactments, writes the Last Will and Testament for the decedent.
One of the arguments advanced by a Gatti family member, or one linked to Arturo Gatti through boxing ties, against the contention that Gatti committed suicide is that Gatti had millions of dollars in the bank and in investments. Ergo, we are supposed to believe that rich people don't commit suicide. That may be true and I assume that there is less of an incentive to take one's life when the accounts are filled. However, people commit suicide for multiple reasons --- rich or poor and for better and for worse. Regardless, let us assume that Gatti does have millions set aside. Who does that estate, i.e., those millions, pass to upon his death under the fact scenario of his having left no Will?
In New York and New Jersey, when a person dies without having left a Last Will and Testament, the intestate laws provide that the estate of the decedent passes (1) to the surviving spouse and, if no surviving spouse then to (2) surviving children, and if no spouse or children, then to (3) surviving parent(s), and if no spouse, children, or parents, then to (4) brothers and/or sisters (siblings), and beyond. At the forefront, note it is Amanda Rodrigues who stands first in line to inherit Arturo Gatti's estate and the Gatti family are in arms and vocal about that prospect..
If Gatti were to have died from natural causes or committed suicide, at first glance, Gatti's estate would pass to Amanda Rodrigues as Gatti's surviving spouse by operation of law. However, both New York and New Jersey have enacted "slayer statutes" which provide that a "slayer" cannot inherit from the estate of one slain nor be the beneficiary under a life insurance policy of the person so slain. Ergo, if it is established that Amanda Rodrigues is determined by a court proceeding to be "a slayer" as defined in the applicable statute, then she personally cannot inherit any portion of Gatti's estate either through the estate laws nor the insurance beneficiary laws. Consequently, one has to ask: Is there is a need to establish a "slayer" who meets the definition of Amanda Rodrigues or she will inherit the entirety of Gatti's estate and his life insurance proceeds if she is named as the beneficiary? If the Gatti family seek to prevent Amanda Rodrigues from becoming the sole beneficiary of Arturo Gatti's Estate, and she presently is in that position, most assuredly, if Gatti died intestate, one mechanism to prevent that from becoming a reality is to have her declared a "slayer" within the confines of applicable law. The answer to the posed question is, most assuredly, there is a need to have Amanda Rodrigues declared a "slayer."
I presume, in large measure, once Baden's report concludes that Gatti was murdered, the anti-thesis to one having committed suicide, then you will also see litigation simultaneously commenced as follows: (1) probate initiated where the administrator of Gatti's estate seeks to have Amanda Rodrigues declared a "slayer" thereby precluding her from inheriting any portion of Gatti's estate and (2) a custody action which seeks to deprive Amanda Rodrigues of custody of their son, Arturo, Jr., because as one of two surviving Arturo Gatti children, those children stand next in line to inherit once the Administrator can secure a court order which declares Amanda Rodrigues as a "slayer." Unless she challenges that finding, whoever has custody of Gatti's son will control at least 50% of his estate and the Gatti family, again, have been very is vocal that they intend to seek custody of Arturo, Jr.
I am sure that Gatti's family will do what it can do, as well, to preclude Gatti's daughter Sofia from inheriting her 50% of the estate. The Gatti family is at odds with Erika Rivera, a one time fiance of Arturo Gatti, the woman who Gatti referred to the public at large as "Satin's daughter," and worse, during their tumultuous relationship. From Ms. Rivera's perspective, their troubles grew in large measure because Arturo Gatti, though the acknowledged father of Sofia, did not want to pay support money to Ms. Rivera and she brought into play the Courts, much to Arturo Gatti's displeasure. However, it appears that Gatti's brother is on somewhat better terms with Erika than the rest of the Gatti family but when it all is cut, sliced, and examined, blood is thicker than water and whichever way the Gatti Family is drifting, one can be assured it will be with unanimity.
It is highly likely that Baden's engagement is no different than scenarios where unfortunate employees who are injured during the course of their employment. In the majority of instances when that happens, and a claim is thereafter made against the Department of Labor and Industries or Workers Compensation for any given state, the state puts the injured worked through a litany of medical examinations by doctors engaged as so-called "independent examiners" whereupon an unsuspecting worker, believing initially that a doctor would not lie about a worker's injuries and health, soon learns that the meaning of "independent" and "physician" are strange and twisted beyond all measure. Questions to be asked of individuals such as Michael Baden, M.D., and those "independent examiners" who, in reality, are hired guns, include: How much money do you make doing forensic examinations when hired by private parties during the course of the past 10 years and how many times did your report favor the party who hired you versus the adverse party and specific requests for written documentation in confirmation of the answer rendered must be sought as well.
Anyone subjected to the process, understands immediately the import of the message I seek to convey. As physicians, one would think they were honorable people engaged in the pursuit of truth and justice. Au contraire, as one suddenly learns at great expense and delay. These hired guns were engaged to create controversy and to force a settlement at the injured worker's overall expense. What the worker went through is being played out literally thousands of times a day in this country. I strongly suspect that it is being played out again through the engagement of Baden as well. And there is no intent to denigrate Michael Baden, M.D., as it may be that he has the best intentions of conducting an examination which is truly elevated to the concept of justice rather than for partisanship purposes. Who knows in this instance what his report will reveal? The proof is in the pudding.
Will Baden's report convince me otherwise as to what transpired in Brazil? I won't close my eyes to his conclusions and the report, in general, but it will not serve to change my analysis as to what transpired. It appears that the fight has just begun. This fight, however, pits the Gatti family against Amanda Rodrigues. This is not what Arturo Gatti would have wanted. This is not how Arturo Gatti wanted to be remembered.
Several have sent me articles discussing the entry of Michael Baden, M.D., into the picture precipitating Arturo Gatti's body being exhumed and a second autopsy having been undertaken. The media is abuzz - Gatti's legion of fans lining up as though, somehow, sensing that a report is going to put Amanda Rodrigues away for life. There is a frenzy about the rabid name calling directed to Amanda Rodrigues which was brought on by the psychological concept of primacy when the Brazilian police prematurely stated that Amanda Rodrigues was responsible for the death of Arturo Gatti. Psychological primacy is the principal that what is first heard is most often believed and it becomes a irrefutable governing fact. Now, those exposed and believing have their hopes lifted by headlines which boldly declare and assert --- Baden Autopsy Does Not Rule Out Gatti Murder --- the headlines scream coast to coast and worldwide.
I was earlier alerted to Baden's being hired and sniffed it out for what it is. Regardless, make no mistake about it. Baden or no Baden, rule of primacy or no rule of primacy, Arturo Gatti committed suicide --- its that simple.
Now that pathologist Michael Baden, M.D., is involved - controversy is guaranteed - forever - and that controversy has an avowed purpose behind it. Baden was or is the chief forensic pathologist for the New York City Police Department. As far as I know, he is not conducting this examination at the expense of or on behalf of the citizens of the state of New York or for the New York City Police Department or for any other governmental entity. Most likely, he has been privately engaged and just who is footing the bill and the amount he is charging for his engagement is unknown at the present time. And why, might one ask, was he engaged at all?
There is a lot going on behind the scenes, legal maneuverings of a kind and nature which have not been, to my knowledge, disclosed anywhere ... either on line in cyber space or within any specific media coverage. When analyzed from the prospects of a civil litigant, it is apparent what is transpiring. At the outset, let us assume as one scenario, that Arturo Gatti left no Last Will and Testament. When one has no Last Will and Testament and that person dies, it is said that he/she dies "intestate." To die "intestate" simply means that the decedent left no Last Will and Testament. When that happens, his state of domicile or residence at the time of death, through statutory enactments, writes the Last Will and Testament for the decedent.
One of the arguments advanced by a Gatti family member, or one linked to Arturo Gatti through boxing ties, against the contention that Gatti committed suicide is that Gatti had millions of dollars in the bank and in investments. Ergo, we are supposed to believe that rich people don't commit suicide. That may be true and I assume that there is less of an incentive to take one's life when the accounts are filled. However, people commit suicide for multiple reasons --- rich or poor and for better and for worse. Regardless, let us assume that Gatti does have millions set aside. Who does that estate, i.e., those millions, pass to upon his death under the fact scenario of his having left no Will?
In New York and New Jersey, when a person dies without having left a Last Will and Testament, the intestate laws provide that the estate of the decedent passes (1) to the surviving spouse and, if no surviving spouse then to (2) surviving children, and if no spouse or children, then to (3) surviving parent(s), and if no spouse, children, or parents, then to (4) brothers and/or sisters (siblings), and beyond. At the forefront, note it is Amanda Rodrigues who stands first in line to inherit Arturo Gatti's estate and the Gatti family are in arms and vocal about that prospect..
If Gatti were to have died from natural causes or committed suicide, at first glance, Gatti's estate would pass to Amanda Rodrigues as Gatti's surviving spouse by operation of law. However, both New York and New Jersey have enacted "slayer statutes" which provide that a "slayer" cannot inherit from the estate of one slain nor be the beneficiary under a life insurance policy of the person so slain. Ergo, if it is established that Amanda Rodrigues is determined by a court proceeding to be "a slayer" as defined in the applicable statute, then she personally cannot inherit any portion of Gatti's estate either through the estate laws nor the insurance beneficiary laws. Consequently, one has to ask: Is there is a need to establish a "slayer" who meets the definition of Amanda Rodrigues or she will inherit the entirety of Gatti's estate and his life insurance proceeds if she is named as the beneficiary? If the Gatti family seek to prevent Amanda Rodrigues from becoming the sole beneficiary of Arturo Gatti's Estate, and she presently is in that position, most assuredly, if Gatti died intestate, one mechanism to prevent that from becoming a reality is to have her declared a "slayer" within the confines of applicable law. The answer to the posed question is, most assuredly, there is a need to have Amanda Rodrigues declared a "slayer."
I presume, in large measure, once Baden's report concludes that Gatti was murdered, the anti-thesis to one having committed suicide, then you will also see litigation simultaneously commenced as follows: (1) probate initiated where the administrator of Gatti's estate seeks to have Amanda Rodrigues declared a "slayer" thereby precluding her from inheriting any portion of Gatti's estate and (2) a custody action which seeks to deprive Amanda Rodrigues of custody of their son, Arturo, Jr., because as one of two surviving Arturo Gatti children, those children stand next in line to inherit once the Administrator can secure a court order which declares Amanda Rodrigues as a "slayer." Unless she challenges that finding, whoever has custody of Gatti's son will control at least 50% of his estate and the Gatti family, again, have been very is vocal that they intend to seek custody of Arturo, Jr.
I am sure that Gatti's family will do what it can do, as well, to preclude Gatti's daughter Sofia from inheriting her 50% of the estate. The Gatti family is at odds with Erika Rivera, a one time fiance of Arturo Gatti, the woman who Gatti referred to the public at large as "Satin's daughter," and worse, during their tumultuous relationship. From Ms. Rivera's perspective, their troubles grew in large measure because Arturo Gatti, though the acknowledged father of Sofia, did not want to pay support money to Ms. Rivera and she brought into play the Courts, much to Arturo Gatti's displeasure. However, it appears that Gatti's brother is on somewhat better terms with Erika than the rest of the Gatti family but when it all is cut, sliced, and examined, blood is thicker than water and whichever way the Gatti Family is drifting, one can be assured it will be with unanimity.
It is highly likely that Baden's engagement is no different than scenarios where unfortunate employees who are injured during the course of their employment. In the majority of instances when that happens, and a claim is thereafter made against the Department of Labor and Industries or Workers Compensation for any given state, the state puts the injured worked through a litany of medical examinations by doctors engaged as so-called "independent examiners" whereupon an unsuspecting worker, believing initially that a doctor would not lie about a worker's injuries and health, soon learns that the meaning of "independent" and "physician" are strange and twisted beyond all measure. Questions to be asked of individuals such as Michael Baden, M.D., and those "independent examiners" who, in reality, are hired guns, include: How much money do you make doing forensic examinations when hired by private parties during the course of the past 10 years and how many times did your report favor the party who hired you versus the adverse party and specific requests for written documentation in confirmation of the answer rendered must be sought as well.
Anyone subjected to the process, understands immediately the import of the message I seek to convey. As physicians, one would think they were honorable people engaged in the pursuit of truth and justice. Au contraire, as one suddenly learns at great expense and delay. These hired guns were engaged to create controversy and to force a settlement at the injured worker's overall expense. What the worker went through is being played out literally thousands of times a day in this country. I strongly suspect that it is being played out again through the engagement of Baden as well. And there is no intent to denigrate Michael Baden, M.D., as it may be that he has the best intentions of conducting an examination which is truly elevated to the concept of justice rather than for partisanship purposes. Who knows in this instance what his report will reveal? The proof is in the pudding.
Will Baden's report convince me otherwise as to what transpired in Brazil? I won't close my eyes to his conclusions and the report, in general, but it will not serve to change my analysis as to what transpired. It appears that the fight has just begun. This fight, however, pits the Gatti family against Amanda Rodrigues. This is not what Arturo Gatti would have wanted. This is not how Arturo Gatti wanted to be remembered.
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Why, Arturo? By John Bardelli
Special From John Bardelli
Life is not as it always seems and rarely is it rewarding. As Ye Sow, So Shall Ye Reap.
Stated another way, the transforming laws of physics, as described by Newton, apply to the unfolding of human drama be it good, bad, or indifferent, in the same manner that those laws govern all motion in the Universe.
In the same respect that the immutable laws of physics apply across the board, equally, in non-discriminatory fashion, within and upon the life of every man, woman and child, those same laws of physics play themselves out in a morality play converting Newtonian laws of motion into human masks of sorrow, jealously, self pity, regret, guilt, remorse, as life weaves itself day in, day out, into a coat of varying colors and shades of meaning.
If one drinks to excess, the intangible messing with the human physiology, eventually takes its tolls in ways not known but in a predictable and steady fashion, as an ocean tide.
If one is unfaithful in a relationship, a ticking time bomb will explode…it’s only a matter of time.
If one is abusive of a loved one and oblivious to the needs of a family… the human emotion of guilt will raise its head and provide a response that the vast majority will never see evolving for they do not want to be exposed to an unfolding of the future of their own destiny. It is easier to enable and to put one’s head in the sand.
Add to the equation, the physiological damage to one’s brain from having entered that squared circle, where only Angels should dare to tread, and combine that act with the inevitable sheering of neurons taking place, therein, coupled with the sucking up of the compelling adulation, the bravado, and the cheering of the mob… all the while the forces of self-denial setting in which thereby induce the recipient to erroneously conclude that those punches are incapable of taking their toll---denial to the point of no return… and you have on your hands the making of a Shakespearean tragedy engulfing and consuming all who come within the circle of enabling denial.
History provides its answers in a manner we don’t like to reflect upon and, indeed, shun in examining in detail the closing chapters which are there for examination and reading. It is so transparent--- and so readily available for all to witness were we to look at only a few of the once glimmering and now imploded stars of the Universe:
Grim, Nelson, McCoy, Papke, Fontaine, LaMotta, Arguello, Robinson, Charles, Louis, Pep, Machen, Foley, Turpin, Mills, Chacon, Lopez, Quarry, Norton, Ali, thousands more and, … dare we say, … Gatti.
Ah Gatti… one can only wonder what demons grabbed you in your moment of extreme remorse--- a remorse for conduct transformed into guilt and shame… and a crying out for help… setting into motion conditions which took you down the road to an oblivion… where it was not bad enough to have not only assaulted the one you professed an undying love for on the night that you were about to forsake the world--- much in the same fashion Judas did when the enormity of his own transgressions sunk in and transformed Iscariot, a disciple no less, over the enormity of his own guilt and lead him to his own self inflicted strangulation,… but, indeed a state of mind which would allow you to engage in a contemptible act without foresight that your own death, taken by your own hand, would bring even more contempt and ridicule upon the same Amanda Rodrigues you professed to love and, thereafter, forever render her an obstacle of scorn and hatred by those whose lives mimic your own---wasting their allotted hours in debauchery until their souls can take no more, rendering as yourself, a plaintiff cry---”Enough” And the die is cast---the end is here-- and oh, what a tangled web we weave.
Life is not as it always seems and rarely is it rewarding. As Ye Sow, So Shall Ye Reap.
Stated another way, the transforming laws of physics, as described by Newton, apply to the unfolding of human drama be it good, bad, or indifferent, in the same manner that those laws govern all motion in the Universe.
In the same respect that the immutable laws of physics apply across the board, equally, in non-discriminatory fashion, within and upon the life of every man, woman and child, those same laws of physics play themselves out in a morality play converting Newtonian laws of motion into human masks of sorrow, jealously, self pity, regret, guilt, remorse, as life weaves itself day in, day out, into a coat of varying colors and shades of meaning.
If one drinks to excess, the intangible messing with the human physiology, eventually takes its tolls in ways not known but in a predictable and steady fashion, as an ocean tide.
If one is unfaithful in a relationship, a ticking time bomb will explode…it’s only a matter of time.
If one is abusive of a loved one and oblivious to the needs of a family… the human emotion of guilt will raise its head and provide a response that the vast majority will never see evolving for they do not want to be exposed to an unfolding of the future of their own destiny. It is easier to enable and to put one’s head in the sand.
Add to the equation, the physiological damage to one’s brain from having entered that squared circle, where only Angels should dare to tread, and combine that act with the inevitable sheering of neurons taking place, therein, coupled with the sucking up of the compelling adulation, the bravado, and the cheering of the mob… all the while the forces of self-denial setting in which thereby induce the recipient to erroneously conclude that those punches are incapable of taking their toll---denial to the point of no return… and you have on your hands the making of a Shakespearean tragedy engulfing and consuming all who come within the circle of enabling denial.
History provides its answers in a manner we don’t like to reflect upon and, indeed, shun in examining in detail the closing chapters which are there for examination and reading. It is so transparent--- and so readily available for all to witness were we to look at only a few of the once glimmering and now imploded stars of the Universe:
Grim, Nelson, McCoy, Papke, Fontaine, LaMotta, Arguello, Robinson, Charles, Louis, Pep, Machen, Foley, Turpin, Mills, Chacon, Lopez, Quarry, Norton, Ali, thousands more and, … dare we say, … Gatti.
Ah Gatti… one can only wonder what demons grabbed you in your moment of extreme remorse--- a remorse for conduct transformed into guilt and shame… and a crying out for help… setting into motion conditions which took you down the road to an oblivion… where it was not bad enough to have not only assaulted the one you professed an undying love for on the night that you were about to forsake the world--- much in the same fashion Judas did when the enormity of his own transgressions sunk in and transformed Iscariot, a disciple no less, over the enormity of his own guilt and lead him to his own self inflicted strangulation,… but, indeed a state of mind which would allow you to engage in a contemptible act without foresight that your own death, taken by your own hand, would bring even more contempt and ridicule upon the same Amanda Rodrigues you professed to love and, thereafter, forever render her an obstacle of scorn and hatred by those whose lives mimic your own---wasting their allotted hours in debauchery until their souls can take no more, rendering as yourself, a plaintiff cry---”Enough” And the die is cast---the end is here-- and oh, what a tangled web we weave.
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