Way back when the Don King-promoted United States Boxing Championship on ABC blew up into a major scandal with, among other things, the discovery that an editor named Johnny Ort was taking cash payments from King to rig the ratings, Teddy Brenner delivered a classic line.
Ort was bought and Ort was caught and it became obvious that Ring magazine?s rankings were as funky as could be. One of Ort?s glaring omissions was keeping a guy named Marvelous Marvin Hagler out of the middleweight rankings. I wonder whatever happened to that prospect from Brockton, Mass. Underground boxing newsletter writer Malcolm ?Flash? Gordon and an ABC Sports producer named Alex Wallau (later to become network president) combined to blow the whistle on the skullduggery.
To make matters worse, Ort also piped fake records into the sacrosanct Ring Record Book. Boxers involved Boxers who participated in the tournament and given inflated records were Donald “Biff” Cline,- given five first round knockouts in . Mike Colbert – given three wins in 1976. Ike Fluellen – given two wins in Mexico in 1976. Boxer Anthony House – and boxer Hilbert Stevenson – given five wins, and a draw with House in 1976 Underground boxing newsletter writer Malcolm ?Flash? Gordon and an ABC Sports producer named Alex Wallau (later to become network president) combined to blow the whistle on the skullduggery. From its inception, The Ring labeled itself ‘The Bible Of Boxing.’
?If that is The Bible, then I think it?s time for a New Testament,? the biting, caustic and acerbic but legendary Madison Square Garden matchmaker cracked.
Now the magazine is owned by Oscar de la Hoya?s Golden Boy Promotions, Manny Pacquaio promoter Bob Arum is echoing Brenner from 35 years ago.
I phoned Uncle Bob to tell him that, although The Ring presented its 130-pound belt to Megamanny in the ring after he barely beat Juan Manuel Marquez Saturday night, Editor Nigel Collins, Associate Editors Joe Santoloquito and Eric Raskin and scribe Bill Detloff all scored the 12-rounder for the Mexican fighter.
So at least for The Ring it was a unanimous decision for Marquez, 4-0.
?Oh, really?? Arum said, with a tone of sarcasm. ?No kidding. It?s amazing then that they gave Manny the belt on Saturday. They don?t have to agree with the decision but they should?ve shut up about it. They really should have shut their mouths on this.
?This is what happens when you have one of the promoters involved owning the magazine,? Arum said. ?As far as I am concerned, Ring magazine has no credibility. I mean zero credibility, really. The guys working for The Ring, what do you expect them to do? They?re always going to be loyal to one guy and that is the guy who is signing their paycheck.?
In the bitter postfight presser back and forth between himself and GBP?s Richard Schaefer, Arum also took a verbal shot at the Golden Boy-Ring connection. Arum said Pacman would fight David Diaz for Diaz?s WBC lightweight title and, that despite his heavy criticism of the alphabet groups over the years, ?you have to have some structure (in the sport.) I don?t want my guys fighting for the championship of a magazine especially when I do not own a piece of the magazine.?
Schaefer?s response to that and other Arum broadsides was, ?Typical Arum.?
According to Arum, a better name for the boxing publication would now be Wrong magazine.
Schaefer, Collins or the editor?s colleagues are welcome to respond herein anytime.
Please remember our motto at BC: ?We cannot be bought but we can be rented at reasonable rates.?
