Sad.


Former Contender Gary Bell against the Ropes

By ES Boxing | October 26, 2014 | Leave a comment



Share the post "Former Contender Gary Bell against the Ropes"
1Facebook
4Twitter
2Google+

New York, NY (October 26, 2014) – In his prime, Gary “Bring Da Pain” Bell was a noteworthy heavyweight. As an amateur, the Brooklyn native captured three New York Golden Gloves championships and had his sights set on a world title in the paid ranks.

In 1996, world champion and future hall of famer Evander Holyfield enlisted the ultra-aggressive Bell as a sparring partner leading up to his first bout against Mike Tyson. Throughout camp, Bell did his best to mimic Iron Mike and reportedly got the best of Holyfield during some of their sparring sessions. Impressed with Bell’s ability, Holyfield signed on to become his manager. The two sparred again for Holyfield’s rematch with Tyson. This time, Holyfield reportedly got the better of Bell.

The fearless Bell also spent time sparring with champion Lennox Lewis and the Tyson-esque David Tua, a rough and heavy hitting Samoan star that knocked out almost every fighter he faced. Ironically, Tua would have a major role in Bell’s future as a boxer.

In 1999, the two met for the USBA title. A victory for Bell would mean he’d receive a world ranking and be on the shortlist as a potential opponent for the heavyweight division’s elite. Unfortunately, he was on the wrong side of a first round knockout. A few bouts later, Tua made a significant amount of money to fight Lennox Lewis for the world title and went onto have a successful career. Bell was never the same, fighting just four more times and ending his career with a second round knockout loss. Between countless rounds of sparring with the Holyfield’s and Tua’s of the world and 28 professional fights, Bell took a tremendous amount of punishment.

Shortly after his career ended in 2002, Bell showed the scary effects that boxing can have on a former fighter. Between memory loss, poor balance, slurred speech and a lack of focus, his associate degrees in both medical billing and AutoCAD weren’t enough to help him find a steady 9 to 5 job. With countless job interviews leading him nowhere, the desperate Bell committed multiple street crimes for money and is facing jail time for grand larceny and burglary.

Due to his condition and instability, Bell was seen on multiple occasions by forensic psychologist Marc Janoson. He ran multiple tests on Bell, showing an impaired thought process and various other personality flaws. His time with Bell led to diagnoses of Pugilistic Dementia, Bipolar I Disorder and Bipolar II Disorder. Dr. Janoson recommended multiple neurological evaluations and medicines that could potentially rehabilitate Bell.

Still, Bell is facing multiple years in prison instead of a mental institution where he’d be served best.

“Gary Bell is a very sick man,” said Mitchell Rose, who is assisting with getting Bell the proper help. “He’s looking at multiple years in prison and while it’s a fitting penalty for most, prison isn’t what he needs. Gary’s boxing career caused severe mental and physical damage that could only be helped if he’s in an institution where he’s given the proper medication. There have been many instances where mentally incompetent suspects in criminal cases were put into the proper institutions and not standard prisons because that is the proper way to rehabilitate them. We’re going to continue fighting for Gary to get the help he needs and not just throw him into a prison where he’ll never have the chance to become a functioning member of society upon his release.”

To assist with Bell’s legal bills and assist him in getting the proper help, fans can donate via Paypal to garybellfund@gmail.com.

Szpilka defeats Adamek on “Night of Upsets” in Krakow, Poland


By Przemek Garczarczyk at ringside

In a heavyweight grudge match, +175 underdog Artur “The Pin” Szpilka (17-1, 12 KOs) scored a ten round unanimous decision over former two division world champion Tomasz Adamek (49-4, 29 KOs) in front of 17,000+ at the Krakow Arena in Krakow, Poland. The 25-year-old Szpilka was a little quicker and and energetic than the 37-year-old Adamek. Adamek had his best round in round eight, but Szpilka finished well to win by scores of 94-90??, 98-92, 96-94. After the fight, Adamek told Polish TV “I think this is over for me.”

In his first bout following a two year incarceration, formerly world rated light heavyweight Dawid Kostecki (39-2, 25 KOs) was surprisingly upset by Andrzej Soldra (11-1-1, 5 KOs) in an eight round slugfest. Kostecki dropped Soldra in round two, but slowed down later in the bout. Scores were 76-75, 77-75, 77-75, all for Soldra.

In another upset, previously unbeaten Maciej Sulecki (19-0, 4 KOs) knocked out former middleweight title challenger Grzegorz Proksa (29-4, 21 KOs) in round seven. A Sulecki right hand put Proksa down face first.

In a clash between unbeaten jr welterweights, Michal Syrowatka (11-0, 3 KOs) annihilated Michal Chudecki (10-1-1, 3 KOs) in round one. This was another mild upset.

What has been of Adamek? he was a promising boxer not long ago....
Be interesting to know if Bloodworth is still with him.

Angove: Code-hoppers deserve our respect


MIKE ANGOVE

CODE-HOPPERS: Anthony Mundine, Sonny Bill Williams and Quade Cooper have all tried their hand at boxing.

OPINION: Code-hoppers like Sonny Bill Williams and Anthony Mundine draw the ire of the sporting community not because they have committed a great sacrilege against their beloved code, but because they have the talent and courage to break the mould.

When a successful athlete from one code shifts to another, there is a constant wail from blinkered wowsers, either that they've been betrayed or they are stealing the limelight from the hard grafters, those who have committed years of their life to a given sport.

But I have to ask: would those grafters ever have actually appeared on the big stage in the first place? Talent and ability to win will trump admirable but ultimately unspectacular grafters every time.

It may not be fair, but professional sport doesn't give out merit badges for participation.

We are in the midst of a fortnight where code-hoppers are receiving plenty of coverage so it seems apt to explore the core of why these super athletes are both loved and reviled in the same breath.

The divisive Anthony Mundine faces his final roll of the dice against Sergey Rabchenko in Brisbane on Wednesday, but love him or hate him, you can't deny he has always been a special athlete.

Just over a year after turning professional with no amateur background, "Choc" fought for a world title against a dominant, undefeated champion in his 11th fight.

Sven Ottke may have knocked him out, but "the man" went on to win the WBA super-middleweight and light-middleweight crowns, and the IBO middleweight strap, beating the likes of Antwun Echols, Danny Green, Sam Soliman and Bronco McKart on the way. You can't put together a record like that without x-factor in your make-up.

New Zealand's own Monty Betham - world junior karate champion, national rugby league captain and professional boxer, though not scaling the same heights as Mundine - also bears the same unwavering sense of self belief which saw him agree to fight Shane Cameron (a world class 29-fight veteran at the time) in just his sixth bout. Forgetting for a moment the 16oz. gloves and two-minute rounds, Betham's ability to survive and execute a well-constructed game plan after taking this bout on just two weeks notice was nothing short of impressive.

Sonny Bill Williams, of course, is the ultimate code-hopper, shifting from league to rugby to boxing, then back to rugby via league again. He's currently touring with the All Blacks as he tries to secure a place in the world cup squad, but after that, don't be surprised to see SBW back in the boxing ring.

No doubt he does have a padded record, but no more so than most 10-0 fighters looking to clamber over a few corpses and old men on the way up the food chain.

People complain about the exorbitant PPV charge to watch Sonny Bill fight, but we are an obsessed fan base in a country which would turn up to watch an All Black fart and have only ourselves to blame for succumbing to the undoubted star factor.
And, to be fair that complaint should really be directed at the constant dubiousness of matchmaking on undercards he appears on across the Tasman (not New Zealand where there is far better control), but that is a story for another day.

The truth is, in his last bout, for eight and half rounds of 10 against Francois Botha, he boxed well against an experienced and wily veteran. For a part timer, he was succeeding where really he had no right to do so. Surely this can only be a testament to his freakish athleticism and mental capacity to execute a game plan in the trenches. It is however a pity we haven't yet seen the result of him committing to the sport full time.

The addition of world-class kickboxing phenomenon, Israel Adesanya, to the upcoming SUPER 8 Last Man Standing tournament as the New Zealand wild card has similarly created huge consternation amongst the local boxing community, who felt the place should have gone to a committed local boxing tradesman. But lets face facts, this kid is a once in a generation fighter with a 42-win (22 KOs), 2-loss professional fight record at the highest level, a record only David Tua can match in terms of credibility.

Yes, the sports have different ranges, which the 25-year-old will need to adapt to, but take away the kicking and you are left with ... boxing. Last time I checked, the punches used are exactly the same.

What's more, the three-time kickboxing eight-man winner has plenty of experience in the three-round format, and the preternatural ability and confidence to pull it off. I'd go further and suggest there are several outspoken people in the boxing community who may have to quaff a few sour grapes come November 22nd.

Mohammed Ali once said, "He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life." I have to wonder if the reason these special athletes or "code-hoppers" garner so many haters is simply jealously.

Most of us don't have the talent, confidence or imagination to do what these special athletes can, and there is a small part of our psyche that hates that fact.

- Stuff

Unparalleled but underappreciated, world heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko looked more dominant than ever on Saturday in his Round 5 knockout win over previously undefeated contender Kubrat Pulev in Germany.


Klitschko floored the tough and determined Pulev twice in Round 1, each time toppling the square-chinned slugger to the canvas with an explosive left hook.




Frank Augstein/Associated Press/Associated Press
Pulev was no match for Klitschko.


Pulev was down again from the same punch in Round 3, this time after being wobbled seconds earlier by Klitschko’s patented straight right.

After Pulev landed a few punches of his own in the next two rounds, Klitschko stepped in and ended things with perhaps the prettiest left hook he’s ever thrown. Pulev went down for the count quickly, landing straight onto his back, barely able to move as referee Tony Weeks counted to 10.

The win was Klitschko’s 17th straight heavyweight title defense, third-longest in the history of the division behind Joe Louis’ 25 and Larry Holmes’ 20.

Unlike some of Klitschko’s other performances, such as his clinch-filled victory over Alexander Povetkin last year, the Pulev win had U.S.-based boxing writers salivating over him.

CALCULATED RISK: Joseph Parker is taking another step up after beating Sherman Williams last month.


Rising New Zealand heavyweight boxer Joseph Parker has been handed a tricky assignment to headline next month's Fight For Life promotion, tangling with world-ranked Brazilian Irineu Beato Costa Junior.

It's been a long and difficult search to find an opponent for Parker.

His management wanted to provide a pressure test to finish off a busy year for the 22-year-old and have discarded veteran American Vinny Maddalone in preference for Costa.

The 34-year-old comes with a WBO ranking of 15, one lower than Parker who has also lifted to No 10 with the WBA.

Victory would bring Parker further reward on the rankings list as Duco Events look to manoeuvre him towards a title shot.

Matchmaker Stuart Duncan had no doubts that this will be Parker's sternest test in an unbeaten career that has notched 11 wins since turning pro in mid-2012.

Costa has 15 wins and just one loss to his name. That loss came in his last fight, a unanimous decision over 12 rounds in Germany in October to Christian Hammer, the WBO's European champion and world No 6.

It's the nature of Costa's wins that signals danger for Parker - 13 of the 15 have come via knockouts and 11 of those have come in the first two rounds.

Parker's trainer Kevin Barry has been working overtime on his homework after Costa was confirmed to him just three weeks out from the December 6 bout in Hamilton.

Parker has been busy with his fitness in anticipation of his Hamilton date and that department, plus his speed, should be an advantage over Costa who has had his movement questioned at times. But it's now about working on a fight plan to counter Costa's obvious strengths.

"I know he's dangerous. He's a very, very heavy hitter. You don't have that record if you don't have heavy hands," Barry said when asked what he knew of Costa.

"He's the WBO Latino champion, he's the Brazilian champion . . . he's got very solid credentials."

Barry noted that Parker had survived "a couple of concerning moments" in his last tangle with a Brazilian when he recovered to knock out Marcelo Nascimento in the seventh round of their April clash in Germany on Wladimir Klitchsko's undercard.

"Costa is much heavier-handed than Nascimento," Barry said. "But since then Joe has developed and improved quite a bit too.

"This is a risk versus reward fight. We were expecting an easier lead up to Christmas but have struggled attracting many of the top 15 rated guys and when one comes along we've got to take the fight, even if it is at short notice."

Barry said the situation demanded total focus from Parker.

"It's very important that Joe fights with discipline and patience. He can't be careless because one punch [from Costa] could finish this."

Parker and Barry face a busy final week of training in Las Vegas before arriving in New Zealand for a 10-day tapering period up to the fight.

- The Dominion Post

DUNCAN JOHNSTONE


Veteran heavyweight boxer Kali Meehan says his main focus in life now is to protect his promising son Willis from "the wolves" that chewed up his own true potential.

First he gets a chance to redefine his own legacy by taking on Shane Cameron for the WBA's Pan African title in Auckland on Saturday night, the feature bout on the Super 8 promotion.

The 44-year-old has had a storied career, wracking up 41 win with just five losses, fighting around the world and getting to be the WBA's No 1 contender and contesting world title eliminators and an actual world title fight in 2004.

But the cards didn't always fall his way and the Aucklander with island connections, who has based himself across the Tasman, has been unfairly lost in the Kiwi sporting consciousness.

He's happy to cash in on the sport's revival here, even if it is in his twilight years.

He impressively won the first Super 8 tournament in Auckland in June and didn't hesitate when offered a chance to return and take on Cameron.

With son Willis making his professional debut on the undercard against New Zealander Will Quarrie, it's a family affair that has Meehan excited.

Outrageously talented, super-heavyweight Willis won 28 of his 29 amateur fights in Australia, including the national title, and now juggles boxing with a league career at the Sydney Roosters where the comparisons with Sonny Bill Williams are obvious. He has size and athleticism.

"And he can fight," Kali said proudly of his 19-year-old monster.

"My main focus is on my son Willis and guiding his career and making sure that he doesn't make the same mistakes that I made, that he doesn't trust the wrong people . . . protect him from the wolves."

It's a game littered with carcasses and Meehan is a survivor, though he does have some bruises and a bit of bitterness.

"There were a lot of mishaps and politics in my career," he said.

It's why he's so excited about his current situation.

"I've gone all around the world to try to make things happen and now I've come back home and things have started to fall into place. I know it can't keep going forever but right now I'm hoping.

"I sort of gave up on planning things . . . if it happens it happens."

And it's happened. Now he's got a chance to come out of the shadows of the likes of David Tua, Jimmy Peau and even Cameron.

"It really is good to get recognised. I hold this as something dear to me, it's nice."

Beating Cameron, even at this late stage, will reinforce his claims and reputation. That's a done deal in his mind.

"I've got no doubt that I will win it. I'm not big-headed but I'm very confident in my ability, I'm very confident in my fitness," Meehan said.

"I believe I know Shane's style well enough to counter everything he does and try to make him do want I want him to do.

"It's do or die. One of us is going on and one of us is not. But I have a lot of edges . . . my height and reach, my speed and power.

"I've put in close to 80 rounds of sparring. I've done a lot of work. I do feel confident."

Also Quarrie vs Meehan:


http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/other-sports/63339316/Quarrie-plans-to-give-Meehan-boxing-lesson

I think this new site looks great and should work better. And you'll get status rewards for posting--so get going. Just a few rules as usual:

If you want to post on the forum, you will need to register first. Go to "Register" and enter your email, screen name, and password. Once you're logged in you can go to your Profile to enter signatures and upload avatar pictures. Please email me at nzboxchat@xtra.co.nz if you have problems.

And remember, all members are expected to refrain from racial, personal, or offensive comments. If Diehard perceives your post to be inappropriate, he will delete it. A series of problem posts leads to a one week suspension, further offenses lead to a month's suspension, and if they are continued, you will be banned from the site.