In last week’s “…Squared Circle” I shared why I love boxing. This week we will turn to the other side of the coin and share the issues that bother me about the sweet science. To be honest, there isn’t much. The sport is called the “theater of the unexpected” for a reason so you must take most of the bad with the good. But there is one thing that chaps my hide and it can be summoned up with a statement that has been swirling around my head since last week:
The circus has nothing on boxing.
What I mean by that statement, that just like the circus, boxing is full of charlatans. A charlatan is a person who claims to have special knowledge or a skill, a fraud. Basically, a liar.
Boxing is full of them in all shapes and sizes and who perpetuate their lies in all sorts of ways.
For a more recent example, take the bout between Kermit Cintron and Sergio Martinez this weekend. In the seventh round, Martinez connected with a short straight left hook that stun CIntron and sent him to his knees. Cintron was so stunned, that the Puerto Rican believed that he was head butt. As the official counted him out as the bell rang, Cintron began to protest that the hit was from a head butt and he began to protest furiously.
Whether Cintron truly believed that the hit came from a head butt or a fist is the question but he convinced the referee enough to let the bout go on that finished as a draw.
Just as a charlatan at the circus might make you believe that he can guess your exact weight.
Without mentioning last week’s hearing which dealt former Antonio Margarito and his trainer Javier Capetillo a one year suspension each from the CSAC for what the state alleges that the Margarito team knowingly added hard pads to his hand wraps while Capetillo claims it was a mistake, there is a more blatant example of cheating when it comes to the hands of a fighter.
In July of 1983, trainer Panama Lewis had his boxing license permanently revoked by New York for removing some of the padding of his charge Luis Resto in his ten round defeat of the then undefeated Billy Collins Jr. Collins Jr., who was badly beaten, suffered a torn iris and blurred vision which ended his career.
In 1986, both Resto and Lewis were put on trial and convicted of illegal assault earning a six year sentence. Each served 2.5 while Collins Jr. committed suicide by driving off a cliff.
The circus has nothing on that.
Possibly the best example of hiding the truth in boxing comes from none other than Top Rank’s Bob Arum. In what has become a classic quote in the annals of the sport, Arum is more widely known for uttering this phrase:
“Yesterday I was lying, today I am telling the truth.”
it almost sounds like poetry, doesn’t it? That was Arum’s response to a reporter’s question regarding Arum contradicting himself. Through out the years, Arum has has been accused of may things including admittingly bribing the IBF in 2000 to gain a better rating for one of his fighters. But because of his grandfatherly looks and acerbic wit, you can’t help loving the guy.
There is not enough room on the internet to go over why Don King is the truly that, the king of boxing charlatans.
But elite fighters, trainers or even promoters do not have a monopoly on this kind of behavior. Sometimes you don’t even have to look past your backyard to find examples of charlatanism.
It can happen anywhere, even here in San Diego.
Thanks Edgar. I’m about 20 minutes from Warminster outside Philly, so I have to admit to a local bias/pride for Kerm and wanting him to reach his full potential and always succeed. But by the same token, I’ve tried to be objective and have also watched with at times bewilderment at the bizarre events and hard luck which Kerm seems to get in the middle of (such as last Saturday)–and for which, as I tried to make clear in my post above– he must shoulder some of the blame as well. My problem is that he always seems to be the subject of extreme and over the top villification time and again and usually with the ugliest of terms often being utilized (and I’m sorry but “charlatan”, “fraud” and “liar” goes to a man’s integrity and are ugly in my book, especially when utilizing those terms while simultaneously mentioning him in the same breath as creeps like Lewis and Resto). Don’t get me wrong— as I said above: any opinion/debate about continuing deficiencies/weaknesses in Kerm’s skills/performance are fair game– but questioning a man’s character and integrity crosses the line and I just thought this was yet another example of such unfair piliing on, so I thought it was time someone had Kerm’s back for a change. (I acknowledge that the McCarthy (non)comparison was equally over the top– but heck I was on a roll (at least in my own mind) and my back was up). Bottom line: I know that Kerm’s one of the (many) great guys in the sport – maybe even more so out of the ring than in– with a heartwarming story of overcoming adversity growing up, a positive attitude and refreshing candor, and a demonstrated willingness to confront the toughest challenges time and again (witness the immediate talk of a Cotto fight next), yet one who also continues to wears his heart on his sleeve (which may be to his career detriment) but in my mind makes him that much more decent. And he most certainly doesn’t deserve much of the poisonous venom directed his way out here in the internet world. I just thought it needed to be said amidst this tsunami of negative press .
By the way— in a DiBella press release today Kerm was quoted as saying that– having seen the replay, he now knows he was mistaken, that the knockdown was in fact legitmate, and implied that, with such scoring, his claims to winning the fight probably get a lot weaker (his exact words were more or less that he was “OK” with the draw rather than insisting he “won the fight”). I’m sure he’ll have more to say in future interviews and deal with them honestly and forthrightly. Sure sounds like a man of integrity to me. So let’s stop the slander and character assassination of a decent fellow and get back to the nuts and bolts boxing analysis shall we? If you think Kerm’s a “fraud” as a contender becuase he doesn’t possess sufficient skills then make your case and I’m fine with that opinion —- but make that the focus of your article and not this crap..
The ref lost all control and chaos ensued in the ring– how does that make Kerm BY YOUR OWN DEFINITION “a fraud” and “a liar”. Sure, Kerm’s arguing while on the canvas during the count was a big (nearly costly) mistake and he takes a share of the blame for events, but I don’t think there’s anything dishonest to it as you seem to be insinuating, or that it was all an intentional ruse to gain him that extra time (do you REALLY think Kerm was thinking in the heat of the freaking moment: geez– let me nearly get counted out when I’m not really that hurt on the CHANCE I get me an extra few minutes to clear my head if the ref “falls” for it? Cmon). I also think Martinez also shares part of the blame to a lesser degree for prematurely sprinting cross corner and beginning his “knockout” celebration BEFORE the 10 count was given also contributing to the chaos. And I think the respective corners and officials who piled into the ring also share some blame as well. But mainly, the fault for the between round chaos lies with the refs lack of control. I wish it didn’t happen because we’ll never know for sure, but I really don’t think in the end it made any difference– Cintron took a knee and didn’t seem to be in that much trouble and apparently had most of his faculties (if not, how else could he engage in such a grand scheme to dupe the referee?) and the bell rang and a minute’s recovery was probably sufficient. And Martinez never came close to hurting him again for the rest of the fight. Regrettable? Surely. Evidence that Kerm was somehow engaged in mendacious conduct (which as far as I can tell seems to be the point of your article)? Hardly.
And you most certainly compared Cintron to Margarito, Lewis and Resto by putting them in the same article as your examples of IN YOUR OWN WORDS “liars” and “frauds”. How else is one to take that? I guess I’m not getting the your point, or, more likely, your point just isn’t a very good one to lump them all together– if nothing else creating the impression to the reader of guilt by association. Sensational? Yes– Joe McCarthy (and maybe Ann Coulter) would be proud. If I may borrow from the great Joseph Welsh. . . . .Kermit Cintron is a great kid both in and out of the ring who has overcome obstacles in his life that I wouldn’t wish on anyone, and in your recklessness you somehow manage to draw parraells between his passionate conduct during Saturday’s moments of confusion/bizarreness with the intentional cheating of Margarito and the crimes of Resto/Lewis. Let us not assassinate this lad further. You’ve done enough. Have you no sense of decency, sir, at long last? Have you left no sense of decency?
But I’m not comparing you to Joe McCarthy by mentioning you both in the same post.
In no way, shape or form did I try to compare Cintron’s actions this weekend to Lewis’ or Capetillo’s transgressions. All I was stating was that his behavior was a type of charlatanism that has been on display in boxing before.
I understand that the referee did not agree with Cintron’s account of event, but he did fall for the act. If he didn’t, why would he of let the in between rest period go for more than two and a half minutes?
The referee fell for Cintron’s charlatanism. Exactly my point.
When you compare Cintron’s protestations (incorrect though they may have been in the heat of the moment and even after the fight) to Margarito’s and Lewis/Resto’s intentional CRIMES which chip at the very integrity/safety of the sport , I think the author himself is demonstrating himself to be the same type of charlatan he thinks he is exposing. Give me a freaking break.
And get the facts straight for criminey’s sake— the ref never agreed with Cintron that he was head butted or “allowed” his protest– the ruling was he got up (barely) before the full ten count was given. Any chaos after that lies at the feet of the ref for not making his determination clear.
If Kerm is sticking to his headbutt story weeks from now, having seen the replays, I’ll grant you he is not being honest with himself. But until such time, he doesn’t belong with the rest..
Comments are closed.