THE MEMORABILIA ISSUE

5-Time World Champion

Sugar Ray Leonardj circa 1979 i

LORDS OF THE RING p.12by Steve Farhood

HEAVEN-SENT 6 World Champions stand together (1994).

INSIDE “SWEET PEA” WHITAKER p.3 • LEROY NEIMAN p.9 • TIGER WOODS p.20 ROUND1 is published by Clark Creative Media, Inc., which has sole and exclusive distribution rights. Copyright © 2007 by Clark Creative Media, Inc. / ROUND1™ All Rights Reserved.

WINTER 2007. ISSUE 2. VOL.1

“SWEET PEA” WHITAKER p.3 • LEROY NEIMAN p.9 • TIGER WOODS p.20 Cover Image: Jerry Wachter/Sports Imagery/Getty Images, Above: Mitchell Gerber/CORBIS.

THROWBACK jerseys, vintage clothes, TV Land, and the Mohawk cut— what’s old is new again. That’s not so true for boxing— what’s old is not new, it’s classic. Don’t believe me, just check out our choir boys (from left: Kevin Kelley, George Foreman, Oscar de la Hoya, James “Buddy” McGirt, Riddick Bowe, and James Toney) on ESPN Classic. You’ll be treated to boxing at its best.

If you want a piece of boxing history, check out our mem-orabilia guide— a collector’s wish list [p.5]. And for a boxing history lesson, read “Lords of the Ring,” [p.12] written by the highly respected Steve Farhood, first vice president of the Boxing Writers Association of America.

Created to celebrate boxing’s great moments, fights, and champions, this sophomore issue, just like our premier was regarded by you, the readers— is an INSTANT CLASSIC.

Now, touch gloves and good luck! —Lamar Clark

POUNDFOR POUND

THE BEST BOXING HAS TO OFFER Edited by GLAZZJOE.COM

THE KNOCK•OUT— A victory in boxing in which one’s opponent is unable to rise from the canvas within a specified time after being knocked down or is judged too injured to continue.

In Cradle of Champions: 80 Years of New York Daily News Golden Gloves, N.Y.C.’s hometown newspaper utilizes its archives to tell the story of the tournament through

more than 150 riveting images and detailed descriptions from veteran Golden Gloves reporter Bill Farrell. www.amazon.com • retail price: $24.95 Marciano KO’s Walcott (9/23/52)

NIKOLAI VALUEV The tallest and heaviest heavyweight champion

in history.

7 ft., 325 lbs. 5/5/07

OSCAR DE LA HOYA VS. FLOYD MAYWEATHER JR.MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas

DOUGLAS KO’S TYSON(2/11/90) Tyson was a 42/1 favorite. Douglas won “the

upset of the century.”

42/1Tale of the Tape

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CONGRATULATIONS TO THE CLASS 0F 2007on inductions into the International Boxing Hall of Fame and Museum.

Living inductees include four-division champion Roberto “Hands of Stone” Duran (Panama), two-division champion Ricardo “Finito” Lopez (Mexico), four-division champion (pictured above) Pernell “Sweet Pea” Whitaker (USA), trainer Amilcar

Brusa (Argentina), administrator Jose Sulaiman (Mexico), and artist LeRoy Neiman (USA). For information on the events planned for the 2007 International Boxing Hall of Fame Weekend, log onto www.ibhof.com.

3

Cedric Kushnerpresents

Once a month Gotham Boxing invades

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Edited by Morgan & Monroe

COLLECTING 1011. Choose reputable distributors.

2. Significance of the fight and fighters determines

collectibility.

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u ROY JONES JR. $192.95 • www.itsalreadysigned4u.comv JAKE LAMOTTA $139 • www.halloffamememorabilia.com

w ROBERTO DURAN $220 • www.onlinesports.comx MICKY WARD $90 • www.prosportsmemorabilia.comy JOE FRAZIER $153.95 • www.itsalreadysigned4u.comz RAY MANCINI $155 • www.prosportsmemorabilia.com

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MEASUREMENTS: 34D-24’-35’HOME: New Haven, Conn.WEBSITE: www.evalyn.net

RING EXPERIENCE: (1/7/06) Zab Judah vs. Carlos Baldomir; Madison Square Garden, N.Y.C. • (1/21/06) Arturo Gatti vs. Thomas Damngarrd; Boardwalk Hall, A.C. • (3/18/06) Hasim Rahman vs. James Toney; Boardwalk Hall, A.C.

8

Eva: ©M

ike Meken/Courtesy of Roundcardgirlz.com

; Neiman: Paul Hawthorne/Getty Im

ages; Inset: Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images

Eva

ROUND CARD GIRL OF THE MONTHSPONSORED BY ROUNDCARDGIRLZ.COMROUND CARD GIRL OF THE MONTHSPONSORED BY ROUNDCARDGIRLZ.COM

Tell us what it feels like being in the ring having all eyes on you.

“It’s like running naked through a sprinkler on a hot summer’s night.”

KBOXING AFICIONADOLR O U N D 1 ’ S F A V O R I T E F A N

LeRoy NeimanBest known for

his brilliantly col-ored, stunningly

energetic images of sporting events and leisure activities, LeRoy Neiman is one of the most popular living art-ists in the United States.

N E I M A N C O L L E C T O R ’ S P O S T E R } }

Neiman during weigh-ins for the championship fight between Oscar de la Hoya and Fernando Vargas.

R1: All-time favorite fighters? LN: “It comes down to three great heavyweight champi-ons: Joe Louis, Muhammad Ali and Jack Dempsey. I knew them all personally and admire the total man in all cases.”

R1: I love boxing because... LN: “...it is one-on-one. Each man is on his own. The artist is on his own — that is what I love about painting. Both the fighter and the artist receive advice from many quarters, but at the moment of truth, both must do their thing solo.” —edited by LC

©1974 Courtesy of LeRoy Neiman

12

John Lawrence Sullivan (1858 - 1918), the last bare-knuckle

heavyweight champion.

“I can lick any sonofabitch in the house.”

Hulton Archive/Getty Images

]

By Steve FarhoodFormer Editor-In-Chief, The Ring

Boxing is not a game. Or as some like to put it, You don’t play boxing. Given the nature of the competi-

tion, professional fighters are tested to the core. Each and every one of them clings to the same dream, but only a precious few become titlists, and even fewer earn the ultimate designation of champion.

In the boxing arena, world cham-pion summons images of superiority, grandeur, and magnificence. There are prerequisites, of course: The

LORDS OF THE RING

Equipped with two fists and the behavior of a gladiator, John L. Sullivan, Muhammad Ali, Alexis

Arguello and Sugar Ray Leonard demonstrated to the world what a champion is made of.

]

The champions of the prize ring wear their invincibility like a cloak. It’s no surprise, then, that the first high-profile champion of boxing’s modern era was known simply as “The Great John L.” (Sullivan). John L.’s attitude was summed up by his most famous quote: “I can lick any sonofabitch in the house.” And for quite a few years, anyone who doubted him was handed a beating.

Sullivan’s reign ended more than 110 years ago. Since then, there have been several champions who have defined the sport. Perhaps the best way to describe them is: You know them when you see them.

physical tools include speed and mobility, reflexes and technique, conditioning and power. But the intangibles are of greater signifi-cance. Champions must believe in their destiny and embark on their journey with tunnel-vision focus and dogged determination. Anyone who risks the indignity of a knock-out loss is emotionally vulnerable, so a jumbo-sized ego helps, too.

Lords Of The Ring

Lords Of The Ring

Liston, and many others. Nor was it solely because he defeated every one of them. Rather, it was what he overcame on his way toward achiev-ing victory. In winning his first world title, Ali conquered his youth, and in winning for the third time, he conquered Father Time. But it was his unlikely triumph over the

]

At first glance, Muhammad Ali didn’t fit the mold. In their early years, most champions are hun-gry in both a figurative and literal sense. But the former Cassius Clay was raised in a middle-class environ-ment. Moreover, as physically gifted as he was, Ali was a performer first, and a fighter only when he needed to be. The ring was his stage.

Even the best of champions cannot thrust greatness upon themselves. In a broad sense, Ali was a symbol of his era, and that era happened to include the deep-est talent pool in the history of the heavyweight division. But Ali did not establish his unique standing solely because he fought Joe Fra-zier, George Foreman, Ken Norton, Ron Lyle, Earnie Shavers, Sonny

Jr. Welterweight champion boxer Aaron Pryor strikes a blow to Nicara-guan challenger Alexis Arguello during the 1982 “Battle of the Champions” fight at Orange Bowl Stadium.

previously unbeaten Foreman—Ali was a 7-1 underdog—that set him apart. Only his belief that his fate was in greater hands allowed him to survive Big George’s punches. No one else could have done it.

]

Unlike Ali, Alexis Arguello didn’t challenge our preconceived notions about champions. Instead, he embodied what a champion had always been. What separated Arguello from even his most ac-complished colleagues was his class and consistency. The Nicaraguan viewed boxing as his profession and conducted himself like a world-class surgeon. There were smoother fighters and plenty of faster ones, but from late 1974 through 1982, Arguello won championships at three weights and compiled a title fight record of 18-0.

What illustrated Arguello’s char-acter more than anything else was a choice he made in 1982. Having won world titles at featherweight, junior lightweight, and lightweight,

Bettmann/CORBIS

“Whenever it was said that Sugar Ray couldn’t do something, his mission was instantly defined.”

18

Sugar Ray Leonard eyes his opponent in the ring during a match.

Focus on Sport/Getty Images

he repeatedly challenged himself. And his cue always came from the public and the press. Whenever it was said that Sugar Ray couldn’t do something, his mission was instantly defined.

In 1987, Leonard, inactive for al-most three years, rose in weight and challenged the best fighter in the game, middleweight king Marvin Hagler. Leonard acknowledges that he won because nobody thought he could. In a battle of great champi-ons, that was his edge.

I asked Leonard, at age 47, whether he still visualizes him-self against today’s best fighters. “That will never leave me,” he said. “That’s who I am.”

And that’s what a champion is. u

Lords Of The Ring

Arguello attempted to become the first fighter in history to win championships in four different divisions. Ris-ing yet again in weight, he opted to challenge undefeated superstar Aaron Pryor instead of the weaker titlist. “I wouldn’t have proved much if I had beaten one of the easier cham-pions,” he told me in 1986. Arguello’s back-to-back losses to Pryor were thrilling battles that will live in boxing fans’ minds forever. The lesson he taught us? Being a champion is not only about winning.

]

The irony of Sugar Ray Leon-ard’s career is that after winning a gold medal at the 1976 Olympics, he had no intention of turning professional. But with both parents incurring mounting medical bills, he quickly realized his blazing fists were cash machines.

But while Leonard followed Sugar Ray Robinson’s lead by never fighting for less than he was worth, the dollar provided his primary motivation only for so long. As Leonard advanced from titlist to champion to superstar to icon, he changed his focus. In time, he fought for history. In order to do so,

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HOLLYWOOD: uSylvester Stallone and wife Jennifer Flavin; LAS VEGAS: vAntonio Tarver and his fiancée Denise Boothe, wLou DiBella,xFloyd Mayweather Jr. and Leonard Ellerbe; LONDON: yJoe Calzaghe and guest.

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“I’m the Jerry Rice of boxing. My best fights are yet to come. I’m not saying I got 10 or 20 fights left in me, but I’m ready to

fight the fights that matter and that need to happen.” * —Bernard Hopkins, commenting on his much anticipated return to the ring against Winky Wright.

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(6/9/53) White City Stadium, London: Ava Gardner and Frank Sinatra ringside for Turpin-Homez.

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CLASSIFIED

WINTER 2007. ISSUE 2. VOL.1

PUBLISHER Lamar ClarkPHOTOGRAPHER

Nicholas StriniDESIGN

Morgan & MonroeBOxING CONSULTANT

Brian AdamsCONTRIBUTING WRITER

Steve FarhoodCOPY EDITOR

Terri Prettyman Bowles

®

ROUND1 THANkS THE FOLLOWING: Len Burnett, Elliott Ness, Keith Clinkscales, Cedric

Kushner, Richard Cox, Tito Ruiz, Shannon Briggs, Matt

McCullough, and Gavin McNally.

´

ROUND 1 OFFICIAL DISTRIBUTORS: NY— Trinity Boxing Club

NYC • Gleason’s Gym Brooklyn • Cedric Kushner’s

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THE FITNESS ISSUECOMINGSPRING’07

Sinatra: Topical Press Agency/Getty Images; Ross: Tim

e & Life Pictures; Stallone: Frazer Harrison/Getty Im

ages; Tarver, DiBella, Mayweather, Barkley, W

oods: Ethan Miller/Getty Im

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ith: Gustavo Caballero/Getty Images; Hopkins: Al Bello/Getty Im

ages; Rice: NFL Photos/Getty Images. *phillynews.com

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