BERT RANDOLPH SUGAR
Hi Doug Hope this makes your mailbox because I want to know if The Ring is planning a tribute to Bert Sugar? I started reading The Ring all the way from Nigeria when Sugar was editor and that habit has endured till today. He will be missed. R.I.P. Mr. Bert Randolph Sugar. ? gbenga X-adebija, Lagos, Nigeria
Thanks for emailing me with this question. It gives people an idea of how far reaching Sugar?s presence was. I also started reading THE RING when Sugar was the editor and publisher of the magazine. The first boxing magazine I ever purchased was the April 1980 issue (with Vito Antuofermo on the cover ? I still have it).
And yes, THE RING will pay proper respects to ?The Hat.? Sugar?s passing occurred a day before the June issue was put to bed, so there will only be one-page mention of his death in that magazine, but there will be a proper tribute to him in the July issue.
THIS AND THAT
Hey Doug!
How’s it going? I’m gonna get right to it. Last Saturday in Texas was BS. Danny Garcia gets the beating of his life from Lucas Matthysse. I like Sergio Martinez, I really do. But can his star still shine bright without a megafight? Or will we just be treated to another Matthew Macklin-level fight every six months? Don?t get me wrong, I happen to believe the middleweight division is loaded, it only lacks star power. Forgive me, but I’m workin on beer number 10.
In response to the cover of the latest Ring magazine, who are your top one-punch KO artists of all time? What do you think of the boxing show on NBC Sports Net? I know it’s about two years too late, but didn?t Tomasz Adamek’s legs look iffy against Chris Arreola, or is his footwork just weird?
I will leave you with a fantasy match-up, Walt Disney style! The Beast (Beauty and the Beast,1991) vs. Mufasa (The Lion King, 1995)! I gotta go with Mufasa, his name alone screams epic manliness!!!! ? Tyler B.
Oh hell yeah, Mufasa would tear that old ass up. The Beast has too many issues (female troubles in particular) to have his s__ tight enough to hold off a ?young lion.?
Adamek has very solid footwork. His problem with Arreola was a pair of cheap-ass boxing shoes. The soles were coming off during the bout. His corner actually had to use glove tape to hold the soles on through the 12-round bout.
I think NBC Sports Net?s Fight Night is a welcome boxing series. It isn?t championship boxing, but it?s quality matchmaking with national-to-world-class talent. Kathy Duva is doing very well (with the help of hall of famer Russell J. Peltz), and I hope she keeps it up.
Who are my top one-punch KO artists of all time? I?ll give you my top five:
1) Ray Robinson
2) Joe Louis
3) Bob Foster
4) Julian Jackson
5) Thomas Hearns
Martinez will get his ?mega-fight,? and probably sooner rather than later. Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. is reportedly willing to challenge THE RING middleweight champ after his next fight. If James Kirkland?s management can?t make a deal with one of the 154-pound beltholders, the Texas southpaw is crazy enough to want to get in the ring with Maravilla. And the winner of Mayweather-Cotto just might be bold enough to take on another major challenge if Martinez is willing to drop down to 154 (or 150) pounds.
I favor Martinez against any ?major attraction? in the game, so my guess is that his star will be shining brighter than ever by the end of 2013.
I would favor Matthysse, Timothy Bradley, Lamont Peterson, Amir Khan, and Zab Judah to beat Garcia at 140 pounds ? but those are the only junior welterweights I?d pick to beat the 24-year-old beltholder, which means the kid is pretty darn good.
