It has often been said that unlike other sports, you don’t play boxing. True. Boxing is a unique competition in many ways, but there is one primary aspect of it that makes it truly different from other athletic endeavors; the requirement that in order to be successful, a boxer most become proficientat inflicting physical damage, even brain injuries, on his opponent. This some times leads to death, and more often, too often, to CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy).
While it is true that participants in other sports, most notably football, also risk severe brain damage from concussive trauma, boxing is the only sport where success is measured by how well a person is able to become in causing physical harm to the person with whom he is competing. There is no getting away from this.
Can boxing be made safe? Not unless it is banned. Can boxing be made less dangerous? That is the question boxing historian Mike Silver tackles in his deep dive into reforming this hazardous sport in When In Doubt,Stop The Bout A Revolutionary Approach To Boxing Safety And Reform.
Mike has done extensive research into the subject of boxing safety. He hasaccumulated statistics dealing with the number of boxer deaths over the years as well as what effect the length of a fight has on increasing the risk of one or both of the participants being seriously injured.
Mike Silver
Early in the book Mike comments on how the lack of regulation plays a role in putting the fighters at risk. He rightly observes that to become a boxing trainer in most locales around the world, all you have to do is walk into a gym, throw a towel over your shoulder and say you are a boxing coach. This is criminal. Young kids with an interest in boxing are put into a situation where when they first walk into a gym they are trusting someone who can get them killed. Where’s the oversight? There is none.
Mike spends time later in the book exposing the corruption higher up the ladder in the boxing world. From the alphabet soup organizations to promoters such as Don King. In 1997 King was inducted into the International Hall Of Fame, an action that speaks to just how low the standards are in boxing.
Reading about the sordidness and corruption in the sport may leave the reader with a terrible stench in his nostrils, but that is just one section of the book. Mike saves his best when offering up ways to mitigate the dangers faced by pugilists. They all have merit even though a few sound counterintuitive.
Take the case of the boxing glove. It has become dogma in the minds of most people that the padded covering for the hands prevents head injuries. Mike makes a strong case, one which I have long believed, that the glove actually makes the sport more dangerous and the blows more lethal. Once you read his argument you will see the boxing glove in a whole new light. Mike even quotes actor James Cagney on the subject.
His chapter contrastingMMA fighting with boxing is also an eye opener. Here is a sport that is perceived as more brutal than boxing, but, as the author points out, actually has many more safety measures built into it, and brain injuries are far fewer. Heavily padded boxing gloves are not used by the combatants, a point that bolsters Mike’s argument about the dangers of the boxing glove.
The most controversial, and most likely the change that would do the most good comes down to the author’s proposal to limit the rounds of fights. Many of us remember when title fights were scheduled for fifteen rounds. That was done away with after the death of Duk Koo Kim in a bout versus Ray Mancini in 1982. The fight was seen live on national TV. After that tragedy, title bouts were limited to twelve rounds.
Mike contends, today even twelve rounds is unsafe for most boxers. In years past fighters would slowly work their way up to longer duration matches by starting out in four rounders, then moving up to six, eight, and finally ten round bouts if they showed they had the ability to handle the distance. This was done over time. It was a sort of an apprenticeship approach.
Now, it is not uncommon to see fighters in their ninth or tenth fight challenging for a world title in a twelve round fight. Mike points out that no matter their physical conditioning, and these fighters are athletes, they have nowhere near the experience to handle going that distance. And the lack of experience is most notable in their lack of defensive skills. Boxing today is mostly about exchanging punches, basically fighters taking turns hitting each other in the head. It is no longer the Manly Art Of Self-Defense.
There is much more in this treatise on making such a dangerous sport less unsafe. Mike delves into training for referees, the role of the ringside doctors, when a fight be stopped (this is quite interesting), and the case for head guards.
This is an important book, one that should be read by members of every boxing commission, referees, physicians, and those with influence over the rules of boxing. Will that happen? It is unlikely.
Boxing has been around a long time, and while there have been some very decent people involved with the sort, it has also been a home to many lowlifes who don’t give a damn about the welfare of the men and women who step into the squared circle.
The fact that Mike is able to come up with so many reforms for boxing shows just what a mess the sport is and the danger it poses for healthy young athletes.
My take away from this book, one not intended by Mike, is the conclusion that reforming boxing is a lost cause. Not because his proposals aren’t valid, they certainly are, but rather because the swamp that is boxing will look to bury his work. I do urge people to delve into this highly readable work and draw their own conclusions. In a sane sport, Mike Silver would be garnering praise for his dedication and research into finding a way to fix boxing and protect the athletes. However, boxing is far from a sane sport, and a good man who truly cares for the welfare of it’s participants will most likely be shunned.
I hope I am wrong, and maybe if enough people read When In Doubt, Stop The Bout, it will lead to a discussion that will lead to lessening the terrible injuries inflicted upon those who step into the ring.
Legend has it that a 12 year old from Louisville, Kentucky was drawn to a boxing gym so he could learn to box in order to punish the person who stole his brand new bicycle. He never did find the bike or the thief, but that fateful event set the course for Cassius Clay, later Muhammad Ali, to go on to become one of the greatest heavyweight champions of all-time, as well as an iconic historical figure. But what if his two-wheeled transport hadn’t been absconded with? Would he have gravitated to another sport? Seeing that he also enjoyed drawing, would he have followed in his father’s footsteps and become a sign painter?
Fate is a funny thing. Small events in people’s lives can result in huge consequences. Ali’s life is one example of this. It is also true that all our lives are intertwined with one another. What happens to one person can effect many others, even millions. This can be positive or negative, and I am sure you can pretty quickly come up with names both good and evil that have, by a stroke of happenstance, caused someone to achieve a position of power or a place where they can influence events.
I will not go into the ramifications on all of mankind for such things. Rather I will focus on what may have happened in the career of one man had the events surrounding a stolen bicycle of another had not occurred.
The Fastest, Prettiest Man On Two Wheels
After the retirement of heavyweight champion Rocky Marciano in 1955, there was a void in boxing’s most cherished title. As often happens when a great champ steps down, his shadow lingers, making it difficult for the excitement to return to boxing. In the case of the post Rocky days, this was exacerbated by the fact that the man who became recognized as his successor refused to take on the leading contenders.
After winning the vacant title with a suspicious kayo over Archie Moore, Floyd Patterson was protected by his manager Cus D’Amato against anyone who might prove a real challenge to the tile holder. Instead of giving shots to such men as Zora Folley, Eddie Machen, and Cleveland Williams, Cus chose to put him in with the likes of Pete Rademacher who was getting a title shot in his first professional fight, as well as two unranked challengers in Brian London and Tom McNeeley. Hardly the opposition expected of a world heavyweight champion.
Brought Together By Fate
Most notable among those being avoided was Charles Sonny Liston. In fact, Liston was fast becoming the de facto champion by facing and beating the top heavyweights. He beat Cleveland Williams twice, Eddie Machen, Zora Folley, and Nino Valdez. Everyone, including Floyd, knew Sonny was long deserving of a title shot.
The public also knew Liston deserved a chance at the crown, but they also were not in love with him as he had a pretty shady background. Of course, boxers have never been graduates of finishing schools, but Sonny was a rough customer even by pugilistic standards.
Sonny would eventually get his chance and prove his superiority by knocking out Floyd in one round in 1962 and then again in 1963, also in the opening round.
As 1963 was closing out, Liston was looking at a list of top ten contenders that hardly made him nervous. He had already beaten four of them, Cleveland Williams, Zora Folley, Floyd Patterson, and Eddie Machen. He beat Williams and Patterson twice.
The rest of the pack consisted of Doug Jones, Ingemar Johansson, Robert Cleroux, Billy Daniels, Archie Moore, and Henry Cooper. Oh yes, and that kid who was mad about his stolen bike, Cassius Clay.
Out of this group Clay had beaten Jones and Daniels. Moore and Johansson would soon retire, Cleroux would lose to Folley, and, as he wrote in his autobiography years later; Cooper said he would never have fought Liston because he knew he had no chance against him and feared being seriously injured.
Nobody Stole Sonny’s Bike
It was slim pickings and nothing to excite the fight fans. Clay did manage to stir interest in a challenge to Sonny by the shear force of his powerful personality. History was made as Clay, soon to become Ali, scored one of the biggest upsets in boxing history to win the title. It turns out the fate that set him on the road to boxing stayed with him in the fight with Liston. Boxing history would be changed forever.
But what if things had been different? What if Clay had not become a boxer? What would a Liston championship reign had looked like. It can be conjectured that another upset may have occurred. Perhaps Sonny would have underestimatedone of the contenders and come in out of shape and been taken. Looking at the opposition he would have been faced with over the next few years, I’m doubtful even an out of shape Liston would have been beatable. A Cassius Clay is not someone who comes along everyday. This was a very rare human being who combined skill, athleticism, and supreme confidence.
Liston would have ended up fighting many of the same men as Ali did with the exception of Henry Cooper. He would not have stepped in with three of those who faced Muhammad, Williams, Patterson, and Folley because he had already twice stopped Cleveland and Floyd, and kayoed Folley once.
That leaves George Chuvalo, Brian London, Karl Mildenburger, and Ernie Terrell, the other four men, bedsides Liston, that Ali defended against.I doubt anyone believes any of these challengers would have stood a chance if put in with Sonny. The only one I see possibly going the distance is Terrell, and that would be in a fight that would have had a lot of grabbing and holding by the challenger.
No doubt, London and Mildenburger would go out early. Chuvalo likely would have had his first loss by stoppage on account of cuts and swollen eyes.
By now Liston would have been aging, but the next group to face him would have been not terribly experienced and not ready for prime time. Would a young Jerry Quarry, Joe Frazier, Oscar Bonavena, or Thad Spencer have had a chance. Not likely, unless Sonny had started to really falter.
This may surprise you, but the one out of that young crop of fighters at that time whom I believe would have had the best chance was Jimmy Ellis. Ellis is a vastly underrated heavyweight who had the speed to give Liston trouble along with a tremendous right hand that would have given Sonny pause. Set this fight at around 1968 and it proves interesting. I’m going to give it some thought and perhaps explore what would have happened in afuture column.
In the meantime, don’t be afraid to tempt fate; you never know where it may lead you.
What Went Wrong—And How to Fix It By Mike Silver 10/22/2025
(Note: Some of the material in this article is excerpted from Mike Silver’s new book, When in Doubt, Stop the Bout: A Revolutionary Approach to Boxing Safety and Reform).
Never in the entire 133-year history of modern gloved boxing, have two fighters on the same card died from brain injuries sustained in separate bouts. Yet that unprecedented milestone was reached on August 2, 2025, in Tokyo, just nine weeks after another Japanese fighter collapsed into a coma after a bout in Osaka.
Yes, boxing is a dangerous sport but what happened in Japan was not unavoidable. These tragedies were the foreseeable result of negligence, incompetence, and corruption—resulting in a form of legalized manslaughter.
The Warning Sign: Ginjiro Shigeoka
The chain of events leading to the Tokyo double fatality began months earlier. On May 24 in Osaka, former IBF light flyweight champion Ginjiro Shigeoka (11-1) lost a punishing 12-round decision to Pedro Tadura (17-4-1). Video of the fight shows Shigeoka absorbing a sustained head beating, especially in the final three rounds. Moments after the bell, he collapsed. Surgeons removed a subdural hematoma from the right side of his brain. He remains in a coma.
That fight should never have taken place. Ten months earlier, Tadura had taken the title from Shigeoka in a savage ninth-round stoppage. Twice the referee nearly halted it before finally stepping in. Shigeoka collapsed unconscious in his corner and required surgery for a fractured orbital bone. He had suffered a severe concussion.
The Japanese boxing commission should not have allowed him back into the ring for another fight against the same opponent. Considering the crude style and limited experience of both fighters, a repeat of their first slugfest was inevitable. The rematch would almost certainly guarantee another head beating for the doomed fighter. Which is exactly what happened. The only difference between the first and second fight was this fight went the full 12 rounds. It is a medical fact that a brain rendered fragile by a previous concussion is more vulnerable to catastrophic damage from a second concussion.
Shigeoka was cleared by the boxing commission to fight, but he was “damaged goods”—an accident waiting to happen. His best chance for survival would have been for the commission to limit the scheduled distance to not more than eight rounds—a distance more suitable to his limited experience and defenseless style of fighting.
The boxing commission’s failure to protect its fighters is not unique to Japan—it is an international problem, repeated too many times with too many fatal consequences.
Fight One
On August 2, super featherweight champion Yamato Hata (17-2) defended his Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation title against Shigetishi Kotari (8-2-1). Both men weighed 130 pounds.
Shigetoshi Kotari (right) trading punches with Yamato Hata.
Kotari had just 11 professional bouts. In an earlier era, he would have been a six-round preliminary fighter—not a title challenger. Yet today’s alphabet soup of sanctioning bodies routinely crowns champions with 10 to 15 fights, giving promoters a belt to market and fighters a dangerous distance to endure.
Kotari fought evenly for eight rounds, but fatigue and punishment mounted. Judges’ scorecards reflected the shift—he lost nearly every round from the ninth through twelfth. The heaviest damage came in those “championship rounds.” He collapsed in the dressing room, underwent brain surgery, and died a week later.
Had the fight been capped at eight rounds, Kotari would have likely survived.
Fight Two: A Rock ’Em, Sock ’Em Slugfest
The same card’s preliminary bout was just as deadly. Lightweights Yoji Saito (8-4-2) and Hiromasa Urakawa (10-3) fought toe-to-toe for eight brutal rounds, trading nonstop headshots like mindless robots. Defensive skills were virtually absent, including very little body punching, no footwork, and no slipping or parrying of punches. The strategy (or lack thereof) was basically “you hit me, now it’s my turn to hit you”.
Both men took an inordinate amount of punishment, absorbing hundreds of blows to the head. But no doctor entered the ring between rounds to examine the fighters.
In the closing seconds, Urakawa was knocked out and became unconscious. Despite emergency brain surgery, the 28-year-old never regained consciousness. Once again, too many scheduled rounds killed a fighter. Had it been a four, or five-rounder, Urakawa would almost certainly be alive.
Systemic Failures
These tragedies are not isolated—they stem from the following systemic failures:
1. Too Many Rounds for Too Little Experience
Statistics compiled from the Manuel Velazquez Boxing Fatality Collection show bouts longer than five rounds increase fatality risk by 70 percent. The fifth round should be considered an important demarcation. Also, a third of all deaths since 2000 occurred in the final scheduled round. Yet inexperienced fighters are constantly thrust into 10- and 12-round “title” fights for the sake of marketing and to provide the nefarious “sanctioning organizations” with thousands of dollars in fees taken from the fighter’s earnings for the “privilege” of fighting for the organization’s title belt.
2. Collapse of Standards and Skills
From the 1920s through the 1970s, fighters averaged 50–70 pro bouts before a title shot. Today’s champions often have fewer than 20. The problem is compounded by a lack of qualified trainers capable of teaching the finer points of boxing technique. With most of today’s pro fighters averaging only two to four fights a year, most never get the opportunity to develop and craft an effective defense on their own. Instead, fight after fight (and presumably when sparring in the gym) they engage in artless brawls devoid of strategy or adjustment. Every round looks exactly like the one that preceded it.
3. The Dehydration Madness
His swollen and battered face a testament to the beating he received, ill fated Shigetoshi Kotari leaves the ring after losing a 12 round decision. He collapsed in the dressing room shortly after this photo was taken.
Since weigh-ins moved to 24–36 hours before fights, too many boxers starve and dehydrate themselves to make weight, then binge to rehydrate. But the brain can’t rehydrate in a day. Dehydration reduces cerebrospinal fluid, the brain’s cushion against trauma, increasing the risk of catastrophic injury. In addition, a dehydrated fighter cannot perform with the same quickness and precision and will tire in the later rounds, making it more difficult to avoid punches. It is not clear whether weight cutting was a factor in the bouts mentioned in this article.
Legendary referee Mills Lane once made this observation: “Have you ever heard of a heavyweight dying of a subdural hematoma? I haven’t. It’s always the little guys—the featherweights and lightweights—because their handlers dry them out, starve them, then pump them full of water and food. What they’re really doing is setting that fighter up for injury.”
Statistics back up Mill’s observation. A study published in the January 2022 issue of Combat Sports Medicine, published by the Association of Ringside Physicians, found that sixty-two (75 percent) of eighty-three fighters fatally injured between 2000 and 2019 weighed between 108 and 135 pounds. According to BoxRec.com, 43 percent of all known professional bouts at that time involved fighters in the lightweight class (135 pounds) or lower.
The study offered no explanation for the disproportionally higher number of deaths in the lighter weight divisions, but it is possible that fighters weighing between 108 and 135 pounds average more punches per round than their heavier counterparts, resulting in more sustained and repetitive head punishment. The punches of lighter-weight fighters may not look as heavy or powerful as a middleweight’s or heavyweight’s, but they may be doing more damage because of their number.
It is also important to consider the fact that boxers in lighter weight classes (108 to 135 pounds) generally cut a higher percentage of their total body weight than those in heavier divisions, such as middleweight and light heavyweight. While fighters across all weight classes may aim to cut a similar number of total pounds, that amount represents a larger percentage of body mass for smaller fighters.
Reform Is Possible—If There’s Will
To reduce deaths and brain trauma, boxing must adopt the following reforms now:
Eliminate 12-round fights. Restrict most matches to 4–6 rounds. Reserve 8–10 only for elite, well-matched fighters.
Restore same-day weigh-ins. Fighters must weigh in within 10 hours of fighting to end the dehydration cycle and be encouraged to fight at their natural weight.
Suspend defenseless fighters. Boxers who consistently absorb excessive head shots, win or lose, should be barred until demonstrating improved defense.
Improve education and oversight. Referees must be trained to recognize concussion and have greater confidence in knowing when to stop a fight. Every ringside doctor must also receive adequate neurological training and not hesitate to examine one or both fighters after a particularly punishing round.
Limit the authority of the sanctioning organizations. Commissions must stop ceding authority to alphabet groups that invent titles and sanction mismatches for profit. What must end is the proliferation of fake “titles” that lure inexperienced fighters into dangerous 10- and 12-round bouts.
The Historical Perspective
From the early 1900s to the 1960s, fighters like Kotari or Urakawa would have been considered promising prospects with much to learn. No competent manager or responsible boxing commission during that era would have agreed to a 10- or 12-rounder after just a handful of bouts. The proliferation of fabricated “world titles” has dangerously distorted matchmaking today, with often fatal consequences.
The evidence is overwhelming: shorter fights save lives. The Association of Ringside Physicians has confirmed it. The Velazquez Collection confirms it. The history of the sport confirms it.
The Real Enemy
Boxing did not kill these men. Greed, negligence and incompetence did. The usual suspects are easy to identify. They include noxious sanctioning bodies that continually invent new titles to generate additional fees; promoters eager to sell them; incompetent referees and doctors who are slow to act; negligent boxing commissions incapable of enforcing effective safety measures.
All the above created the circumstances that made these deaths inevitable. New reforms and stricter rules, including reducing the number of rounds, will not eliminate all risk—but they can dramatically reduce deaths and brain trauma.
The alternative is more of the same: more funerals, more shattered families, more empty words about “warriors who died doing what they loved.”
Enough is enough.
End
Mike Silver’s new book, When in Doubt, Stop the Bout: A Revolutionary Approach to Boxing Safety and Reform should be mandatory reading for everyone who cares about boxing and the fighters who put themselves at risk.
A Silver Lining In The Cloud Over Ali’s Suspension
By Bobby Franklin
Muhammad Ali And Joe Frazier In 1967
With the recent passing of former heavyweight champion George Foreman, we are hearing much said again about the 1970s being the Golden Age of Heavyweight Boxing. To be sure, it was an exciting time for the division, and boxing fans have a lot of fond memories of that time. But how and why did it happen?
Muhammad Ali was back on the scene after having been banned from the sport in 1967 for refusing induction into the United States Army. He was sidelined for three years before returning in 1970. In 1971 he took on Joe Frazier who now was recognized as the champ. Their epic battle lived up to its billing as The Fight of The Century. This started a decade of very interesting and exciting fights.
At first it appeared that the ban on Ali performing in the ring would hurt boxing. In fact, in a backwards way, it was a shot in the arm for the heavyweight division. Before he was denied access to the ring, Ali had been cleaning out the ranks of top heavyweights. His blinding speed and phenomenal reflexes were too much for the slower moving contenders. There was really no one left who was considered a serious threat to the champion.
Ali was a very active champ. After defeating Sonny Liston for the title in 1964, he didn’t remain idle. He put the championship on the line nine times. He had five defenses in 1966 alone, and started 1967 with two fights by March before being suspended.
Ali had finished off most of the old guard of the division with his wins over Sonny Liston, Floyd Patterson, Cleveland Williams, Ernie Terrell, and Zora Folley. He traveled to Europe where he took on the best that continent had to offer in Brian London, Henry Cooper, and Karl Mildenberger. He crossed the border to Canada to win over George Chuvalo. Who was left?
Promoters would have had to start rushing the younger contenders into challenging the champ. None were ready to go up against Ali.
There were a number of young contenders on the scene at this time. These included Jerry Quarry, Thad Spencer, Manuel Ramos, Oscar Bonavena, Leotis Martin, Jimmy Ellis, and 1964 Olympic Champion Joe Frazier. Floyd Patterson and Sonny Liston were still active but there was no interest in seeing Ali face these two former champs again. Ernie Terrell was a bridge from the older contenders to the current ones, but Ali had also beaten him in a one sided fight, so again, not much interest in seeing a rematch.Promoters would have had to start rushing the younger contenders into challenging the champ. None were ready to go up against Ali.
This is where the three year exile of Muhammad comes into play. It allowed these younger fighters to gain experience. While a Joe Frazier/Muhammad Ali fight would have been a draw in 1968 or 1969, it would not have been a fight where Frazier would have been considered to have had much of a chance. By 1971 when the two did finally meet, it was a different story.
Another thing happened during this time. The WBA (World Boxing Association) held a tournament to find a successor to Ali. Joe Frazier refused to take part, but the other leading contenders did. They were Jimmy Ellis, Floyd Patterson, Thad Spencer, Leotis Martin, Ernie Terrell, Oscar Bonavena, Jerry Quarry, and Karl Mildenberger.
The three men who had challenged Ali didn’t make it out of the quarter finals. Patterson lost to Quarry, Terrell to Spencer, and Mildenburger to Bonavena. In the other quarter final matchbetween two younger fighters, Jimmy Ellis beat Leotis Martin. The semi-finals became a battle of the rising stars with Ellis beating Bonavena and Quarry stopping Spencer.
In the final, Jimmy Ellis won a close 15 round decision over Jerry Quarry. This gave him the WBA Heavyweight Crown. The tournament, which had been broadcast live on home TV, gave all of these young fighters much public exposure. None of them embarrassed themselves, and they all gained fans.
Meanwhile, Joe Frazier had taken on Buster Mathis in a fight that was recognized as being for the title by the commissions in New York and Massachusetts. Frazier proved to be as active a champ as Ali had been. Joe defended his piece of the title six times between June of 1968 and November of 1970. In his fifth defense he fought a unification fight with Jimmy Ellis, stopping the WBA Champ when Ellis couldn’t answer the bell for the fifth round.
At this point, Ali had announced he was retiring and giving up the title since he wasn’t allowed to fight. Ring Magazine, which had stood by Ali, now recognized Frazier as champion. The public also now pretty much accepted Joe as the one champion.
But as with Ali, Frazier was facing a dearth of suitable challengers. He had already beaten Chuvalo, Ellis, Quarry, and Bonavena. Young contenders such as George Foreman and Mac Foster were not considered ready for a shot at the hard punching champion.
Fortunately, in 1970 Ali regained his license to box. He took on Quarry and Bonanvena, defeating both. This led to the showdown between two undefeated men, both of whom had legitimate claims to the title. This had never happened before. Both men also received 2.5 million dollars for the fight, an unheard of sum at the time.
Boxing was now entering a new age of exciting fights and huge paydays. More young contenders joined the current crop. Those who had lost fights were able to reestablish themselves. Often they fought one another in competitive battles. One of the things that made this era so exciting was the fact that with so many of these matchups, no one could be sure who would win before hand. It was the fact that so many of the fighters from that period were on a par when it came to ability that made so many of these contests interesting.
It was a new day for the heavyweight division, one that would last over a decade. But could this have happened if Ali had not been exiled? I very much doubt it.
While not allowing the champ to defend his title while his case was being heard was morally wrong, it did allow for a break in which the division was able to grow. Normally, it would have been seen as a blow to the game, but it turned out better for all involved. Fans got to see competitive fights, the fighters got much bigger paydays, and we still ended up with one recognized heavyweight champion even though the title changed hands a number of times.
I certainly am not trying to justify the taking of the title from Ali, but rather just reflecting on what happened back then to find a silver lining.
It’s hard to believe today in this age of pay-per-view boxing, but there was a time when people would actually go on a regular basis to a local venue to watch live in-person boxing matches. Most cities, and even smaller municipalities had places where fights were held frequently. The 1930s and 1940s were really the heyday for well attended local fight cards.
In the 1950s, with the advent of television and with most homes having a TV set, the smaller fight clubs were being hurt. Not only were fights being broadcast up to four times a night weekly, but there were plenty of other popular televisions programs that had people hooked. This alternative also cut into other entertainment business such as movie theaters and nightclubs, but I would argue boxing was hit the hardest.
One by one the smaller clubs started to disappear. Not only was the lack of paying customers causing a problem, but the people promoting the televised fights were moving fighters along quickly in order to keep their fight schedules filled. This resulted in many boxers being put in over their heads early in their careers, resulting in their never being able to develop to their full potential.
The lack of local venues also meant less opportunities for those just starting out to find work. Because of this, many boxing gyms disappeared as well. The lack of gyms resulted in their being fewer and fewer boxers able to move up into the professional ranks. This shortage would eventually take its toll on the televised fights. The weekly TV fight cards started to be cut.
Today, boxing is run more as an entertainment industry, or perhaps more in line with something like professional wrestling. It is driven by social media and marketing experts. Fans will pay to watch hyped up fights on pay-per-view, but most don’t follow closely the careers of the participants, especially from their early careers. They are sold on the hype. The sizzle, not the steak.
Reading boxing historian Jerry Fitch’s book Cleveland Arena: Ohio’s Professional Boxing Mecca 1937-1973, brings us back to that time when fight fans could buy a reasonably priced ticket to see highly talented fighters compete. Undercards would often showcase local up and comers while the semi final and main events would consist of solid pros in competitive contests.
The Cleveland Arena with a seating capacity of 14,000 for boxing was one of those places. It was in operation for 36 years, and the rise and decline of boxing is mirrored in it’s history.
Mr. Fitch has compiled a complete listing of every card that took place in this storied location. In this beautiful book he has supplemented his listings and brief commentaries on these cards with an incredible collection of photographs of the fights and fighters who fought there. The photos are from the author’s personal collection as well as from the archive of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Many of these photos will be new to long time fight fans, and are to be treasured.
The list of great and near great fighters who fought at the Arena is endless. There are also some interesting things to note. In particular, Jake LaMotta fought there four times but had only one win, that being in his final fight at the venue.
In the 1930s when the Arena was first in operation, had you been attending shows you would have gotten to see Henry Armstrong make three title defenses.
Lloyd Marshall
The Cleveland Arena really hit its stride in the first half of the 1940s. From 1940 to 1944, all-time great Jimmy Bivins headlined 23 cards. Others to step into the ring during this period were Tami Mauriello, Lloyd Marshall, Ezzard Charles, Abe Simon, Billy Soose, and Joey Maxim to name just a few. It is staggering to think that if you lived in the Cleveland area at that time you could have purchased a reasonably priced ticket to see this remarkable talent in person.
Mr. Fitch chronicles this history with precision along with the affection he has for the sport that he has followed since he was very young. Over his lifetime he has met just about every noted boxer as well as becoming close friends with many, most notably Jimmy Bivins.
The book takes us on a thrilling ride, with the excitement of those early years leading to the sadness of seeing the local boxing scene start to fade in the 1960s, with only 11 shows being promoted in that decade.That was quite a drop from the 37 shows held in the 1950s. This decline was not confined to Cleveland. It was happening all over the country. Fight fans attending Cleveland Arena fight cards still got their money’s worth in those final years as they saw cards headlined by the likes of George Chuvalo, Zora Folley, Joey Giardello, and Doyle Baird.
1973 saw the last of the promotions at the Cleveland Arena. Local boxing was on its last legs by then, and there was no stopping the inevitable. The remaining cards headlined some future contenders and champions such as George Foreman, Ken Norton, along with former champs Floyd Patterson, Emile Griffith, and Ernie Terrell. Boston boxing fans may also remember that one of our own, Mike Pusateri traveled to Cleveland to beat local favorite Doyle Baird. Baird came back to defeat Iron Mike in two rematches. All three were very exciting fights.
Jerry Fitch Flanked By Jimmy Bivins And Sandy Sadler
Jerry Fitch’s history of the Cleveland Arena is a must have for any boxing library. The historical information is invaluable, and the photos are something to be treasured. This is not a volume to remain on the shelf, but one to be left out where it can be perused over and over. While dipping into it you can close your eyes at times and hear the roar of the crowd and smell the cigar smoke that was ever present in those days gone by. It was quite different from sitting on your sofa watching fights on a big screen TV.
While Jerry has worked tirelessly to bring those days back to us, I think I would add a final line to this volume; “You had to be there!”
Former Champ Speaks Out About The Brain Damage Suffered By Ali
And Warns Against Choosing A Career In Boxing
By Bobby Franklin, March 9. 2025
“The price one pays for pursuing any profession, or calling, is an intimate knowledge of its ugly side.” James Baldwin
Recently, I came across comments made by Bernard Hopkins in a 2014 interview with BBC Sport. I was surprised at what he said but also pleased to see how honest he was about the sport of boxing, and more so by his willingness to mention Muhammad Ali as an example of why young people should not take up boxing.
Here’s what he said:
“I would never want anybody I care about to box. In fact, I would tell my worst enemy’s kids not to box. I don’t believe that the body, especially the head, was made to be hit. So if any of your kids or grandkids want to box, distract and discourage them early. You want to teach kids about the dangers of violence on the streets? Take them to the morgue, let them see the victims of gun crime. You want a kid not to smoke crack? Show him a crack-head. Your kid wants to box? Start off by showing him Muhammad Ali.” Bernard Hopkins, BBC Sports, April 17, 2014
“You want a kid not to smoke crack? Show him a crack-head. Your kid wants to box? Start off by showing him Muhammad Ali.”
Hopkins spoke the truth. For too long boxing has been romanticized, and the damage it has done to those who participate in it has been downplayed. While studies have been done, books written, and documentaries made about the tragic fate that awaits the majority of boxers at the end of their careers, little if anything has been done to stop this carnage.
I write about the history of the sport and those figures who became well known because of their careers in the ring. When doing research for each column I pen about these men who spent years in the ring I inevitably find that most ended up suffering from dementia caused by the punches they took during the time they spent in the ring. There is even a name for the affliction visited on them because of the sport: Dementia Pugilistica. Today it is more commonly referred to as CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy).
The condition also happens to those who are active in other sports, most notably football, but boxing is the only sport where the cause of CTE is the very object of the game.
In boxing, the way to win is by inflicting head injures on the opponent.
In football where there is also a high rate of brain damage as a result of the hits the players take on the field, the point of the sport is to score more points than the opposing team in order to win. In boxing, the way to win is by inflicting head injures on the opponent. The ultimate victory comes via a knockout which is a concussion. A concussion is a brain injury, and brain injuries are cumulative and progressive.
For an example of just how awful it is watch “Anyone Seriously Considering Being A Boxer Should See Jerry Quarry” and look at what happened to this once top rated heavyweight and how he ended up after a career in boxing. It’s both heartbreaking and sickening to see what happened to this highly intelligent man. It’s also infuriating to know that he got this way while being paid to entertain people.
There is another prime example of what this sport does to even the most gifted of its practitioners. I am, of course, speaking about Muhammad Ali. While in Jerry Quarry’s case his family wanted it to be known what happened to him in hopes it would discourage others from suffering the same fate. With Ali, excuses have been made for how he ended up. The most popular being that he suffered from Parkinson’s Disease which supposedly would have happened even if he had never boxed. To believe Ali’s brain was not damaged by the thousands of blows he took to the head is ridiculous. To try to hide it from the public is doing a disservice to our youth who may be thinking of making a career in this cruel profession.
Propagating this myth has done much damage. Instead of convincing people that the thousands of blows Ali took to the head had nothing to do with the horrible condition he ended up in, they could have been forthright and told the world that no matter how great you are in the ring, this is the fate that will likely await you from the damage you will receive when making a career out of boxing. This would have been the noble thing to do, and it would not have taken away from the champ’s accomplishments in the ring. In fact, it would have enhanced his reputation.
This is why I was pleased to read the quote from Bernard Hopkins. Sure, it can be said Hopkins owes everything he has to boxing. His life was tragic with years spent in prison, and boxing was his ticket out. But most young people who take up boxing aren’t in such dire straits. Also, what does it say about us as a society when we celebrate boxing as the best career choice for troubled youth? We really can’t come up with better options?
Bernard Hopkins so far seems to have come out of the sport with his faculties intact, though he remained active for way too long. But what of the Jerry Quarrys of the sport? Even worse, what of the thousands of fighters who never made any money but still suffered the same fate? I can name dozens of them. Was boxing their ticket toa better life?
Bernard Hopkins is right and his comments should be widely circulated. The time has come to stop encouraging young people to practice a sport that harms their brains. They have better choices. It’s really a shame the legacy of Ali hasn’t been used to help prevent the brain damage that happened to him from happening to others. We need more people like Bernard Hopkins speaking the truth about the dangers of the sport of boxing, and fewer people making excuses for the way Ali ended up. It’s time to end the Myth of Ali.
A few years ago I wrote about the career of Tommy Farr and speculated on the reasons he was never given a rematch with Joe Louis.Link Here Farr had been the first man to challenge the Brown Bomber, and he gave the champion a go of it, extending Joe the full fifteen rounds. While Tommy wasn’t robbed, the fight was closer than most expected. The fact that Farr was still standing at the final bell earned him the respect of the fans and a second fight would certainly have drawn a crowd.
Of course, in that era fighters weren’t automatically given a second shot at the title. They had to beat another contender to earn their chance. Even Jack Dempsey had to defeat Jack Sharkey before being allowed to fight Gene Tunney a second time.
At first glance it appears the choice of James J. Braddock for a matchup with Farr makes sense. In Braddock’s last fight he had lost the title to Louis. In Jimmy’s case he was kayoed, so it was pretty decisive and the public was not clamoring for a rematch. But the match was still logical. It could also be assumed by the Farr team that Tommy would beat Braddock and then move on to a fight with Louis.
Things didn’t turn out as planned, or did they?
As I pointed out in my earlier article, the Louis fight was Tommy’s first appearance in the States. He was a bit naive about how the boxing game worked in this country at that time. He also didn’t know that in order for Louis to get the shot at Braddock, Louis’s managers had to guarantee Jimmy 10% of future earnings should Joe win the title. It was in Jimmy’s interest to have Joe remain champion for as long as possible. Off of Farr’s performance against Louis, Joe Gould, Braddock’s manager, could have seen Farr as a threat to that income. While a Farr return fight with the champ would have drawn a decent gate, the huge money was in Joe’s rematch with Max Schmeling who had kayoed him before he won the title. That fight was being negotiated at this time.
You can see there were some extenuating factors involved in the Farr/Braddock fight. It’s quite possible Jimmy’s management wasn’t confident he could beat Farr. However, if Jimmy lost, Farr would most likely get his Louis rematch. Alternatively, they could refuse the match and Farr could go on to beat another contender and earn his title shot.
So what other choices were there? Joe Gould, Braddock’s manager always had something up his sleeve. Contrary to the nice guy image of Gould portrayed by Paul Giamattiin the movie Cinderella Man, Gould was a shady character. He knew how to navigate the dark side of boxing.
Recently, I watched the existing footage of the Braddock/Farr fight. All ten rounds are available but are truncated. You can see about one to two minutes of each round. While not an exciting fight, it is interesting to watch against the backdrop of all that was at stake then.
The fight took place on January 21, 1938 at Madison Square Garden before a little over 17,000 fans. This was about six months after Braddock lost the title to Louis, and five months since Farr fought the champ. It would be Braddock’s final appearance in a boxing ring.
Braddock (Left) And Farr
At the opening bell both men came out using decent left jabs. Farr was faster on his feet and moved in and out. Jimmy was content to stay at long range and would grab and hold whenever the two got to close quarters. The fact that Braddock was content to stay at distance also meant that his right hands were falling short of their mark. Why didn’t he step in more when throwing those rights? Why was Jimmy reluctant to mix it up inside? Farr wasn’t known as a tremendous puncher.
To me it looked like Braddock didn’t want to take any chances on getting kayoed. He was a man intent on going the distance. By grappling with Farr on the inside he turned this into a fairly boring fight, one that makes both fighters look bad.
Braddock Parries A Left Thrown By Farr
At the final bell, Braddock’s hand was raised in victory, though the crowd did not approve. Tommy, who never complained when he came up short against Louis, was incensed over the verdict. He said“I was bloody-well robbed. I’ll get him again and a decision won’t be necessary.”
Farr never did get a rematch with Braddock. Jimmy retired after the fight content to collect on the revenue from Joe Louis’s fights. Incredibly, Joe Gould took over as Tommy’s manager. As I said, Farr was very naive about the boxing business on this side of the pond. His career was all downhill in the hands of the ruthless Joe Gould.
I believe the decision in the Farr/Braddock fight was preordained. It was the perfect outcome for Braddock. He and Gould threw a wrench into any chance of a Louis/Farr rematch, thus protecting their investment. Gould had the where withal to influence the judges.
It has to be remembered that this all took place during the Depression. Boxing was a rough business. Fighters were in the profession to make money. Winning fights and titles was secondary. Lots of deals were made during that period. Braddock had a family to feed and they came first.
It is interesting to note that while being managed by Joe Gould, Tommy Farr lost every fight he had. In fact, Farr never won a fight in the United States. He lost to Louis, and then was beaten by Max Baer a fighter he had handled easily a year earlier. He then went on to lose decisions to Lou Nova and Red Burman before returning home to Wales.
Back with his original management, he now returned to his winning ways. He fought a rematch with Red Burman getting the nod over twelve rounds. He then went on to beat Larry Gains, Manuel Kid Abrew, and Zachary Nicholas. At this point with WWII raging in England, Tommy retired. He did make a comeback in 1950 but that didn’t go anywhere.
I don’t fault Jimmy Braddock for any of this. He was one of the few to come out of boxing with money and his brains intact. Joe Gould on the other hand was a real sleaze.
While Tommy Farr was a stand up guy, his decision to leave his Welsh manager Joby Churchill and go with Joe Gould was a catastrophic mistake. For all I know, Churchill may have encouraged him to do this believing Gould would be able to open doors for him. Instead, he got the door slammed on his career.
Doug Jones is best remembered for his fight with Cassius Clay. The fight took place in 1963. It was young Clay’s 18th fight and the closest he would come to being defeated in his early career.
At the time of the fight Doug Jones had an impressive record. While not undefeated, he had scored 21 wins in 25 contests. His losses were to Eddie Machen, HaroldJohnson (in a bid to win the World Light Heavyweight Title), and Zora Folley. He would avenge the loss to Folleywhen he kayoed him in 7 rounds. This was just before Jones took on Clay.
Jones also scored a kayo over a young Bob Foster. In another fight, he went to Europe, where he fought a draw with Erich Schoppner.
In total, Jones had 25 fights to Clay’s 18. Cassius had fought some decent opposition at this time as well, going up against Billy Daniels, Alejandro Lavorante, Charlie Powell, Archie Moore, Alex Miteff, and Sonny Banks. On paper, it appeared Jones had fought the better opponents and should have had the edge in experience on Clay.
Doug Jones
There was a difference, though. While Clay was fighting solid competition, he was being brought along thoughtfully. Yes, he was in with some tough guys, but they weren’t of the world-class status as Jones’s opponents were. In fact, if Jones had been guided in the same manner as Clay, his career might have ended up very differently.
In 1960 Doug Jones fought another fighter named Clay, Von Clay. This Clay was also an up-and-coming prospect. Jones had 13 fights at this point with 13 wins. Von Clay had a record of 11 wins, 1 loss, and 2 draws. The fight took place at St. Nicks Arena in New York with Jones winning a ten-round decision. The two were matched again three months later. This time it was a closer fight with Jones winning a split decision after ten rounds.
Von Clay
Here’s where it gets interesting for both fighters. Clay was still a good prospect but obviously not ready for the big time. However, after just two subsequent wins, his managers threw him into a title fight against the great Harold Johnson. Clay had only 18 fights at this point in his career, while Johnson had been to the post 71 times. Clay was dropped once in the first round and three times in the second, resulting in a knockout win for the champion.
After this loss, Clay was back in the ring just two months later. After being dropped in the first round, he kayoed Kirk Barrow in the sixth round. A month later, the two fought again, with Clay stopping Barrow in the fifth round.
Now, just a month after beating Barrow, and just three months after being kayoed by Johnson, Clay was matched once again with Doug Jones. This fight was scheduled for August 26, 1961 at Madison Square Garden. It would be Clay’s 6th fight in that year.
Meanwhile, since the second go-round with Clay, Jones had stayed busy and undefeated. He scored a kayo over former middleweight champ Bobo Olson, stopped Pete Rademacher, and kayoed Floyd McCoy.The third fight between Clay and Jones is available to watch on Youtube. It is an interesting fight in that you get to see two very good young prospects go at it.
At the opening bell Jones came out, took control, and appeared on his way to a one-sided victory. Von Clay rallied in the 3rd and 4th rounds and evened the fight up. Jones regained control in the 5th round and began landing heavy shots on Clay, culminating in his knocking Von out in the 10th and final round. At this point Clay was an exhausted and beaten fighter.
Doug Jones Kayos Von Clay
It was not only the blows Clay took from Jones but also the toll that had been exacted on him in his fights leading up to this bout. He was a young fighter who was brought along much too fast and was already getting burnt out at this point in his career. In the final 17 fights of his career, he lost 10. A sad ending for a promising fighter.
Ironically, Jones’s career began to follow the same path as Clay’s after their third bout. In his very next fight he was put in with Eddie Machen. Interestingly, Jones was originally slated to fight Harold Johnson, but Johnson pulled out due to an injury. Machen won a one-sided decision in the fight.
Jones would then fight Johnson in his very next bout. This was for the title, with Jones losing a one-sided 15-round decision. You’d think Jones would be given a rest after all of these tough fights, but no. Just three months later, on August 8, 1962, he was facing top heavyweight contender Zora Folley. Once again, Jones lost though this fight was closer, with Zora winning a 10-round decision. Just a month later, Jones faced Erich Schoppner in Europe, resulting in a draw.
A month after that, he returned to New York and defeated the young Bob Foster. His intense schedule continued without pause. Two months later, he fought Zora Folley again and, in a surprising upset, knocked him out in the seventh round.
This led to his fight with Cassius Clay on March 13, 1963. Jones matched Clay’s speed and challenged him throughout most of the bout. However, Clay secured a close decision victory by finishing strong in the last two rounds.
At this point in his career, Doug Jones had only had 26 fights but was battle-scarred. He had been in with formidable opposition and taken quite a few punches. In the third fight with Von Clay you can see the great ability Jones had. He was an aggressive boxer-puncher with great head movement and terrific combinations.
As good as he looked at that stage of his career, he was still developing and quite a ways away from being put in with the likes of Harold Johnson and Eddie Machen. If he had been guided more carefully, he very well might have beaten Cassius Clay in 1963. Alternatively, he also could have remained fighting as a light heavyweight and seen success in that division.
As good as he looked at that stage of his career, he was still developing and quite a ways away from being put in with the likes of Harold Johnson and Eddie Machen.
Unfortunately, Jones ended up becoming an opponent. He had name recognition because of the Clay fight, but he was pretty much through as a serious prospect. He had three wins after the bout with Cassius. In his fourth fight he lost a decision to Billy Daniels whom he had previously beaten. In his next fight he was kayoed by George Chuvalo.
The descent continued, with his only wins after that coming against second-raters. With losses to Ernie Terrell, Thad Spencer, Joe Frazier, and Boone Kirkman, Jones finally hung up the gloves in 1967.
Both Jones and Von Clay were talented and promising prospects. Their careers may very well have turned out quite differently if they had been managed better. Instead, they were thrown in for the quick money and never were able to fully develop. Unfortunately, their story was not an uncommon one in boxing.
“Boxing’s appeal is its drama and grace, a blizzarding grace that amounts to an impromptu, exigent ballet, especially in the lighter and nimbler weights. Hands, arms, feet, legs, head, torso—more is done per moment than in fast ice hockey; and since there is more motion, the athletes in other sports cannot surpass a consummate boxer for grace.”
–Edward Hoagland
‘I’m not a fighter, I’m an artist. Boxing should be beautiful. . . . It should be like ballet dancing.’
Alexis Arguello
International ballet star Edward Villella hitting the heavy bag. Villella possessed the perfect physique for a dancer—or boxer.
Edward Villella began taking ballet lessons at the age of ten. He was an outstanding all-around athlete who also enjoyed boxing. In the mid-1950s he became the welterweight boxing champion of New York’s Maritime College and was undefeated in 20 fights. Several boxing managers expressed interest in signing him to a professional contract, but his love for dance was greater than it was for boxing. Edward Villella eventually gained international fame as one of the world’s premier ballet dancers. He became the lead dancer for the New York City Ballet under the direction of the legendary George Balanchine. Villella has won numerous awards including an Emmy, the National Medal of Arts and Kennedy Center Honors. He is the only American ever asked to dance an encore at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow. In 1985 he was named founding artistic director of the acclaimed Miami City Ballet and served in that role until 2012.
In 2005 Edward Villella agreed to be interviewed for my first book The Arc of Boxing: The Rise and Decline of the Sweet Science” (McFarland & Company Publishers). I wanted to ask this great artist how boxing compared to ballet since he had experienced and trained in both disciplines. The following is an excerpt from the book:
Mike: I think you will agree that a properly trained boxer is built more along the lines of a buff ballet dancer like yourself rather than a tightly knotted bodybuilder or beefed up football lineman. I have been critical of a recent trend in boxing that emphasizes weight training for boxers similar to how professional football athletes use weights in order to increase poundage and add extra muscle to their physiques. I’d like to read you a quote from an old school trainer who disdained the use of weight training for his boxers: “Old time fighters had a sleek shape. They were not carrying extra weight through muscle. Fighters in the 1920s through the 1950s, heavyweights included, were trimmed down. They had long smooth muscles. There was no need to oxygenate big muscles.” Have you ever recommended weight training for your dancers?
“Boxers and dancers are finely tuned instruments. Lifting weights would not be good for them. It’s like putting sand in the gas tank of a Ferrari.”
Edward: I have never asked my dancers to do weight training. As dancers, we have long use of the muscle tone. We don’t want to short the muscle tone. We want speed and elasticity. I don’t think that you have to dismiss all weight training. You can exercise with four or five pounds, and you’d be surprised what that will do for you. When I was a dancer I’d occasionally put a one or two pound weight on either ankle. And then when I took them off my speed was just terrific, and my feet moved so quickly. And that’s what we need to do; we need our feet to move. Our feet are like a fighter’s hands. My great mentor George Balanchine said, ‘the floor upon which we dance is the music’, which is the timing…it’s the phrasing. The dancer does not stay in one rhythm. You have to move in and out, in and out, up and down, slow, fast, set it up, go, go, go.
Mike: That is very similar to how a boxing match develops.Why do you think so many of the new breed of boxing trainers are bringing in “strength coaches” from other sports and are having the fighters lift weights far exceeding four or five pounds in the belief the added muscle will increase the fighter’s punching power?
Villella, like all professional ballet dancers, was a superbly conditioned athlete.
Edward:Without a comprehensive understanding of your muscle tone and the purpose of exactly what it is that you want to accomplish with a weight training routine you could end up training against yourself. You don’t want the training to go against your talent.That is the thing you cannot do. You have to understand your talent and know how to feed it. And that is why I don’t want our guys to do that kind of thing. Guys are normally thicker muscle toned than women and I don’t want them to bulk up because they will lose that agility. Boxers and dancers are finely tuned instruments. Lifting weights would not be good for them. It’s like putting sand in the gas tank of a Ferrari.
Mike: I agree. A properly conditioned boxer, or a professional dancer, is a fine-tuned instrument. Interfering with the machinery of that instrument bybulking up and losing agility is to be avoided.
Edward: What we seek is to eliminate tension. If you train against that purpose it’s not going to work for you. For instance, if I were preparing our dancers for a style that requires very quick and light footwork their training would be different than what is needed to dance in the much slower 19th century Russian Grand Imperial style. There is heaviness to that style. The moves have a beginning and an end, and then you start all over again. Whereas in neoclassicism, which George Balanchine provides us with, the moment your heel got to the floor that was your propulsion for the next step, therefore the continuity of it had terrific natural connection. So you didn’t ‘stop, gesture, stop, gesture’.It’s like when you watch a heavyweight. They wind up and throw a big punch but they have no combinations. These guys are huge and they have four yards of left jab but it’s just hanging on ‘em.They can’t go low, high, down. They can’t get that jab working. Pump that jab. Work those combinations…boom, boom, boom (demonstrates by shadowboxing and throwing combinations). I relate to that kind of attack and speed.
Mike: That is an interesting analogy.
Edward: There is a whole connection about the approach to any physical gesture that we are about. It’s all totally connected and if you can be relentless in the way you approach these rotations, so that they are there and available for you any given second, you begin to dance instead of just doing a trick. And for me that is what differentiates fine dancing and fine fighting. It’s not enough that you’ve got a heavy right hand and a neat left hook and you throw two punches. There is more to it than that.
Mike: I wasn’t aware there were so many different styles of ballet.
Edward: My dancers have a repertoire where we have to dance in probably five, six, seven different styles, seven different periods, seven different choreographic approaches. They have the variety and they have the broader horizon. That was the beauty of my growing up at the New York City Ballet, which had a phenomenal repertoire. I danced everything from Swan Lake to Tarantellas. You can’t get further away from being Oberon in Mid Summer’s Night’s Dream to being the Prodigal Son, or Apollo. So unless you can counter and balance off all of these other things you become a one trick pony.
Mike: Unfortunately, there are too many “one trick ponies” in boxing today who continue to follow the same pattern round after round without knowing how to make the necessary adjustments due to a lack of experience and quality instruction.
Edward: Dancing, as George Balanchine said, is a conversation; I offer a hand, somebody gives me their hand. Do I hold the hand, or do I just use what is necessary?For instance, if we are having a conversation I’m not going to shout at you the whole time. Nor am I going to talk like this (speaks haltingly). So you have to have all of those ups and downs, sideways, expansions, extensions, all of this kind of flexibility that constitutes the purpose that you are about.
Mike: It sounds like you are referring to athletic intelligence which every great boxer must possess. I assume that is also true for a great dancer?
“You need dance intellect just as you need boxing intellect if you are going to reach your potential. You need the intelligence that relates to your talent. And if you can combine that talent and that intelligence you are so far ahead of the game.”
Edward: It’s really your mind driving your talent. So you need the talent and you need the mind that comes with the talent. It’s not like you’re trying to be a brain surgeon, but you need dance intellect just as you need boxing intellect if you are going to reach your potential. You need the intelligence that relates to your talent. And if you can combine that talent and that intelligence you are so far ahead of the game. So it becomes this mental exercise. I’m fond of saying our physicality is ‘mind driven’. It’s not just the talent. It is the mind analyzing the talent, and all of the nuances that are available can be used.
Mike: Both boxers and ballet dancers share fundamental requirements that include balance, coordination, rhythmic and fluid movement and precise timing. The most graceful boxer I have ever seen is Sugar Ray Robinson. At his best he possessed an almost ballet like grace and is generally acknowledged to be the greatest boxer of the 20th century. In fact, after his first retirement, Sugar Ray Robinson had a brief career as a professional dancer and he was pretty good at it.
“Dancing, like boxing, is moving through balance…My favorite boxers are the ones who move and are beautiful to watch. The way Sugar Ray Robinson executed his combinations…the speed and accuracy…the timing aspect of it.”
Edward: Dancing, like boxing, is moving through balance. And the athlete that you remember is the beautiful dancing athlete. I once took a bunch of athletes and intercut them with dancers and made it into a whole one-hour show. It was called “Dance of the Athletes”. Joe DiMaggio covering center field. His swing when he was at bat. Ted Williams, Stan Musial, Frank Robinson. These, to me, were the athletes who were the dancers. My favorite boxers are the ones who move and are beautiful to watch. The way Sugar Ray Robinson executed his combinations…the speed and accuracy…the timing aspect of it…the way a good defensive fighter could stand in front of somebody and bob and weave and pull their chin back, maybe just a quarter of an inch, and the punch would miss them. To me, that is absolute talent, which is so practiced, so rehearsed, so completely understood it becomes a conditioned reflex.”
Mike: You mentioned growing up in New York City in the 1940s and 1950s and that you were a fight fan. Do you still keep up with the sport?
The perfectly balanced Sugar Ray Robinson jabs Tommy Bell with ballet like grace during their 1946 title bout.
Edward: Unfortunately, with my schedule, I rarely get to watch the fights today, and I can’t follow them. There was a fight on the other night, but it was all one sided. Let’s face it; a lot of the matches today are awful. They’re mostly mismatches, and it’s all setting up for the big payday, and to me that’s not what it’s all about.
Mike: What are your earliest memories of boxing when you were growing up?
Edward: My father ran a trucking business in the garment center and his two closest buddies were former professional fighters. And they used to have poker games every Friday night and in the middle of the poker games the Friday Night Fights came on. Everybody stopped to watch the fights on TV and when it was over they went back to the poker game. I remember seeing great fighters like Willie Pep and Sandy Saddler, Tony Zale, Rocky Marciano, Carmen Basilio, Kid Gavilan and his ‘bolo punch’. I can’t even think of all the names now.
Mike: Did all the years you had ballet training give you an advantage when you boxed.
“When I was an amateur boxer in college I had a tremendous advantage because I had trained as a ballet dancer for about seven years. Therefore, my legs were mine. They were in terrific condition for boxing.”
Edward: When I was an amateur boxer in college I had a tremendous advantage because I had trained as a ballet dancer for about seven years. Therefore, my legs were mine. They were in terrific condition for boxing. I’d wait until the third round and by then my opponent would be standing on spaghetti legs (laughs).
Edward Villella and Mike Silver meet after a performance by the Miami City Ballet at the Tilles Center in Long Island in 2008.
Addendum:
The best “dancer” among today’s top fighters is the current 135 pound champion Vasyl Lomachenko. He is a throwback to an era when mobile footwork was taught and emphasized as an essential element for offense and defense. Lomachenko and Villella have something else in common. Ironically, Loma’s father wisely insisted that his young son take ballet lessons for several years with a Ukranian dance company before being allowed to box. That experience gave the youth a “leg up” on the competition, so to speak. Loma’s amateur record was spectacular. He lost only one of 397 amateur fights and won consecutive gold medals in the 2008 and 2012 Olympics. He has also held multiple professional world championships from featherweight to lightweight. Perhaps all aspiring professional boxers should consider donning ballet slippers and start practicing pirouettes before learning how to jab and hook.
Mike Silver’s newest book, When in Doubt, Stop the Bout: A Revolutionary Approach to Boxing Safety and Reform(Hamilcar Publications) will be available in December 2024. Mike’s previous books include The Arc of Boxing: The Rise and Decline of the Sweet Science; Stars in the Ring: Jewish Champions in the Golden Age of Boxing; The Night the Referee Hit Back: Memorable Moments From the World of Boxing.
Urinetown: The Musical
The Lyric Stage Boston
140 Clarendon Street,Boston
Through October 20
Reviewed By Bobby Franklin
Photos By Nile Hawver
Bobby Strong (Kenny Lee)
Urinetown: The Musical was an unlikely hit when it first appeared at the New York International Fringe Festival in 2001. Not only did it have, as the character Little Sally says, an awful title, it had been scheduled to move from Off-Broadway to Broadway just nine days after the attacks of 9/11. Many plays had folded or been canceled before opening when the theaters had to shut down due to that horrific attack.
Not only did Urinetown: The Musical open, it became a huge hit running for 965 performances and garnering three Tony Awards. It has worn well with time, though the lens through which it is seen has changed. Given that, it’s still a play that makes you both laugh and think.
The current run at the Lyric Stage in Boston is in keeping with that theater’s long standing success in bringing large scale productions to a small stage. As has been so often the case, the Lyric team often improves on the work while adding an intimacy that can only take place in a small theater. Urinetown: The Musical is no exception.
Director Courtney O’Connor, along with musical director Dan Rodriguez and choreographer Christopher Shin have worked their magic, along with some wonderful ingenuity, to give Boston a musical that is not to be missed.
“Not only funny, but highly entertaining and quite clever.”
So, what do you call a play with that awful title, that includes suffering, unbridled greed, government corruption, police brutality, and people struggling to come up with cash so they can use the public facilities to relieve themselves? Funny! Not only funny, but highly entertaining and quite clever. It is also not what it may appear to be at first.
The people of an unnamed city are suffering under the heavy hand of Caldwell B. Cladwell (Christopher Chew), the head of Urine Good Company, a corporation that controls the limited water supply. Because of the water shortage, people are forced to pay large fees for The Privilege To Pee.
Caldwell B. Cladwell (Christopher Chew)
Chew is terrific in portraying the greedy Cladwell with a caricature that both conveys the joy he brings in making money off of the misery of others while treading a line of making him almost likable. This comes across inDon’t Be The Bunny where Cladwell tries to teach his daughter Hope (Elliana Karris) how to make it in the world.
Bobby Strong (Kenny Lee) works at the public facility under the watchful eye of Penelope Pennywise (Lisa Yuen). It is a dirty job but has its privileges, if you get what I mean. Ms Yuen’s Pennywise sets down the law with an iron fist in “It’s A Privilege To Pee”. You’d better have your money when it’s time for you to use the public facility or you will be sent to Urinetown, a place from where no soul returns.
Bobby begins to question his work when his father (Remo Airaldi) is sent to Urinetown as punishment for breaking the anti public peeing laws. It is upon learning of the elder Strong’s gruesome demise that Bobby is pushed over the edge and is compelled to stand up to the powers that pee, I mean be.
“Mr. Lee commands the stage in his role as Strong. His singing is sublime and his comic timing impeccable.”
Strong and Hope Cladwell fall in love while singing Follow Your Heart. Mr. Lee brings down the house while leading the cast in the gospel inspired Run Freedom Run. Both numbers bring laughs while also touching a deeper chord.Mr. Lee commands the stage in his role as Strong. His singing is sublime and his comic timing impeccable.
Bobby Strong (Kenny Lee) And Hope Cladwell (Eliana Karris)
Elliana Karris is amazing in her ability to bring huge laughs using just her eyes. This was necessary in one scene because her character was bound and gagged while being held hostage. Yes, I’m not kidding, it really is a funny play.
While Kenny Lee is a powerful force on the Lyric Stage, the rest of the cast is solid as well. There is not a weak performance among them. Lisa Yuen is commanding as Miss Pennywise. Paige O’Connor and Anthony Pires, Jr. as Little Sally and Officer Lockstock respectively serve as chorus in addition to their roles within the story. They are hilarious as they have constant back and forth about what makes a good musical. “You don’t want too much exposition.” Ms O’Connor is clearly in her element as Sally, while Mr. Pires can be scary as the heavy handed Lockstock, yet you can’t help but like him.
Officer Lockstock (Anthony Pires, Jr.) And Little Sally (Paige O’Connor)
Urinetown: The Musical is both social commentary and satire. You will catch many take offs on musicals past, most notably Les Miz. There are also touches of Brecht and even William Shakespeare. Add into the mix that it is an ambiguous work as well.
Throughout the first act the story seems to be a pretty formulaic one of evil corporations exploiting the helpless people of the city. However, as the story progresses we find it is more complicated than that. The challenge of dealing with a shortage of natural resources coupled with government corruption makes me think of how so many make sure a crisis should never go to waste. In fact, a crisis, when properly exploited, can be quite profitable for many.
In the twenty plus years since it has first appeared, trillions of dollars have been spent on dealing with climate change making billions of dollars for the well connected both in and out of politics. Has this solved the problem? As seen now, I believe that question can be one of the take aways from this musical. What at first glance was a fairly simple story really leaves the audience with much to ponder. It is not preachy, but rather provoking.
“Get to the Lyric Stage before it’s too late.”
Most importantly, Urinetown: The Musical is great fun. You will leave the theater humming the tunes you have heard as well as feeling connected to the characters. It’s a rare feat to portray not one, but two executions in a way that has the audience breaking into side-splitting laughter, but it happens here. What a terrific musical! Get to the Lyric Stage before it’s too late. You won’t be disappointed. And don’t worry, there won’t be too much exposition. Little Sally promises that to you.
Urinetown: The Musical
At The Lyric Stage, 140 Clarendon Street,Boston
Through October 20
617.585.5678
www.lyricstage.com
