CHICAGO ?This is your official Michael Marley Monday Morning Memo. Quick hits after a long, satisfactory weekend of boxing near this great city:
More I think about it, Manny Pacquiao and Juan ?Baby Bull? Diaz makes for a very exciting fight. Megamanny can only win by KO and the precocious Bull can only win by decision. Glossed over in the wake of Juan?s shining performance against Julio Diaz was how many times Juan got hit solid shots. Julio was never a dynamite puncher but Juan could not afford to let Pacman score such direct blows?
Which reminds that the headline in the Union-Tribune will soon read: “PACQUIAO COMING TO SAN DIEGO? and it won?t be a lie. The Sycuan Ringside Promotion crew is lining up two shows at their small but lavish casino theater and one will headline Bobby ?Sniper? Pacquiao and rebounding Carlos Baldomir. More info to follow because when Bobby fights there, it?s possible that brother Manny will be on the scene with a Pinoy idol lean. Bobby P and Baldy are in the featured bouts on a Telefutra show Sycuan will co-promote with Bobby’s promoter, Top Rank Willie Tucker, Glenn Quiroga and Scott Woodworth will really roll out the red carpet if Megamanny pays them a visit especially with the huge Filipino and other Asian clientele their growing casino attracts….
Fast Fres Oquendo was at ringside and he told me to inform Evander Holyfield not to worry. Fres will grant the old man a rematch even though Sultan Iggy outpointed him handily in Moscow. Fres O was with his sidekick, Tom Tsatas?
One report said the crowd at the arena in Moscow was ?sparse.? I always said Holyfield could never draw in Russia?
Somebody played games with ring announcer Michael Buffer because he was introducing celebrities such as Rev. Jesse Jackson who were nowhere near the Sears Centre. Which is a reminder of the famous story when the late writer Pat Putnam hollered to Buffer at a show at Lake Tahoe or Reno, ?Don?t forget Joe DiMaggio.? Innocently, Buffer went into a big spiel about ?Number 5, the legendary Yankee Clipper?.? DiMaggio was not in the state of Nevada at the time of the introduction?.
Ran into old friend and 1970s lightweight contender Johnny Lira at ringside. I kidded Lira, a Chicagoan who had many fights at the fabled Silver Slipper in Las Vegas, about never fighting his local rival, Irish Leroy Haley. It would?ve been a good battle but Haley may have been too quick for Lira. I was reminded of when Lira fought I think for the WBA title and the bout was on ABC. Trainer and Vegas legend Johnny Tocco asked Lira why he brought a gun into the dressing room. As I recall, Lira suggested it was so he could demand an immediate correction if the ref or judges did something inappropriate. But those were the Wild Years for Lira?
We may have to cancel plans for Cedfest now that promoter Cedric Kushner, who has suffered one smashing blow after another, came up with a world champion as Dmitriy Kirilov won one of those Diana Ross weight titles on the Iggy-Holy show in Moscow. It sounds as though Kirilov against Lou DiBella?s Jose Navarro was the best fight on the show?
Maybe our Getting Jiggy With Iggy special correspondent Slava Koza can explain why Ernest Borgnine lookalike and Sultan manager Boris Grinberg was not in Moscow but in South Florida as his guy defend the WBO title against the ancient Commander ?Vander?
Nate Campbell said he?s got a top flight lawyer who will make his recent domestic violence charges in Florida go away in time. In time, not with the Galaxxy Warrior doing time?
Props to the patient Felix ?Tito? Trinidad, who must have signed autographs and posed for photos with 200 or more people around the ringside area Saturday night?
They?ve got two different m.o.?s but Chitown has two crackerjack fight publicists in Tracye Zimmerman and Bernie Bahrmasel. Both do first class work so open up your chintzy checkbooks you promoters and managers. If you do, you?ll get a thrill when you see TZ or BB shill for your shows or boxers. Ben Bentley must be proud…
Strange to be a Chicago fight card and not see towering Tribune beat writer and classy gent, Michael Hirshley. The white-haired and bearded scribe has retired from the WGN, World?s Greatest Newspaper?
Note to all the Marley haytas such as Sky-Osk and all the rest. Start clicking on those votes so I can make the Boxingconfidential Most Despised Writer poll into a runaway. I am looking to win this one by the huge margin that Hillary Clinton romp with over Rude Dog Giuliani…
