SONAHR: April 3, 2016 – Whenever I count my blessings, one of them is the huge collection of Ring and other boxing magazines in my possession, some of them dating back to the 1930s. It?s a great pleasure to be able to pull out an old magazine at random and peruse contemporary accounts of what was going on in the realm of the squared circle earlier in my lifetime, as well as long before I was born.
Here are a couple of choice tidbits I?ve found in the pages of those publications: one from the 1980s, the other from the ?90s ? that?s the 1990s, not the 1890s.
First, the February 1986 edition of The Ring. Its cover features a face that is both familiar and unfamiliar. It?s the young Mike Tyson, a grinning, muscular, fresh-faced 19-year-old with a full head of hair, a sparkle in his eyes, and not a single tattoo defacing his skin. Back then, he was the hottest prospect among the heavyweights, with an undefeated, all-knockout record achieved at that point over a parade of journeymen and stiffs. But he was stopping those opponents spectacularly, and The Ring?s cover story spoke of his tremendous potential, as well as the back story of his bond with his recently deceased mentor, Cus D?Amato, who had previously tutored world champions Floyd Patterson and Jose Torres.
Back then, The Ring?s ratings recognized a champion in each division, plus the top 20 contenders. Michael Spinks was Ring and IBF champion, fresh from his upset triumph over Larry Holmes. The Top 20 were as follows: 1. Pinklon Thomas (WBC champ), 2. Larry Holmes, 3: Tim Witherspoon, 4. Tony Tubbs (WBA champ), 5. Greg Page, 6. Gerrie Coetzee, 7. Trevor Berbick, 8. Carl Williams, 9. Mike Weaver, 10. Michael Dokes, 11. David Bey, 12. James Broad, 13. Tony Tucker, 14. James Smith, 15. Frank Bruno, 16. Eddie Gregg, 17. Marvis Frazier, 18. Jeff Sims, 19. Mitchell Green, 20. Jesse Ferguson.
Even though 13 of its members held a portion of the heavyweight title at one time or another, this roster was not exactly a Murderers? Row. But at least it compares favorably with the Klitschko-dominated heavyweight wasteland of the mid-2000s.
Tyson?s name was not on The Ring?s list ? an understandable omission, as he had only been a pro for less than a year, and hadn?t yet fought anybody of note. However, between January 1 of 1986 and December 31 of 1989, ?Iron Mike? unified the splintered heavyweight titles and defeated 12 of that February 1986 listing (including champion Spinks), nine by knockout. Regardless of Tyson?s subsequent decline and fall, he accomplished the most thorough divisional clean-up job since Joe Louis blew through the heavyweights like a tornado back in the 1930s. The kid on the magazine?s cover did all right ? for a while, anyway.
The other magazine is the February 1997 issue of International Boxing Digest, a publication that unfortunately went out of business several years ago. One of the features of that issue was an interview with Donald Trump, who was at that time closely connected with boxing, having put on many shows at his hotels and casinos. The interviewer was Herbert G. Goldman, who was the editor of the magazine, and one of the finest of all boxing historians.
Trump thought the state of the game was fine at the time, though he lamented the reduction of the title-fight distance to 12 rounds from the traditional 15. The following answer to one of Goldman?s questions is very interesting:
I.B.D.: What people in the boxing business impress you the most?
Trump: You have to be most impressed with Don King because, whether you like him or not ? and I happen to like him ? he?s an amazing man. A lot of people are jealous of him; a lot of people question his ethics and all that. But, if you happen to be in boxing, he?s done an incredible job.
How about that ? Trump putting in a good word for the most controversial fight promoter of all time! Now, nearly 20 years later, the elderly King is still in the promoting business, though he is no longer the kingpin. And Trump is the front-runner in the race to become the Republican nominee in the November U.S. presidential election, and is probably the most controversial candidate for that office of all time.
