Aaron Pryor is a former boxer from Cincinnati, Ohio. He was World Junior Welterweight Champion from 1980 to 1985 and was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1996. Pryor was voted by the Associated Press as the #1 junior welterweight of the 20th century in 1999.
Pryor, nicknamed The Hawk, had a record of 204 wins and 16 losses as an amateur. He won the National AAU Lightweight Championship in 1973. In 1975, Pryor again won the National AAU Lightweight Championship and a silver medal at the Pan American Games. He beat future great Thomas Hearns in the lightweight finals of the 1976 National Golden Gloves but lost to Howard Davis Jr. at the 1976 Olympic Trials. Pryor participated as an alternate in the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal.
Pryor fought eight times in 1977, winning all but two by knockout. The only two fighters who heard the final bell versus Pryor that year were Jose Resto and Johnny Summerhayes, each losing by an eight-round unanimous decision. After the fight with Summerhayes, Pryor won 26 fights in a row by knockout. It was one of the longest knockout streaks in the history of boxing.
On August 2, 1980, Pryor faced two-time world champion Antonio Cervantes of Colombia for the WBA junior welterweight championship. His purse was $50,000. The fight took place in Pryor’s hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio and was nationally televised by CBS. Pryor was dropped in round one, but he rose and knocked out Cervantes in round four to become champion. He made his first title defense on November 22, 1980, knocking out Gaetan Hart in the sixth round. Pryor made $100,000 for the fight.
On November 12, 1982, Pryor defended his title with a fourteenth-round TKO of Alexis Arguello before a crowd of 23,800 at Miami’s Orange Bowl and a live HBO audience. The fight, dubbed The Battle of The Champions by promoter Bob Arum, was eventually named the Fight of the Decade by The Ring.
Pryor made $1.6 million while Arguello was paid $1.5 million. Arguello, a 12-5 favorite, was attempting to become the first boxer to win world titles in four weight divisions.
The end of the fight was controversial. Arguello landed a punch in the thirteenth round that seemed to stun Pryor, and despite trailing on two of three scorecards, Arguello had things tilting in his direction. Between the thirteenth and fourteenth rounds, HBO’s microphones caught Pryor’s trainer, Panama Lewis, telling cutman Artie Curley, “Give me the other bottle, the one I mixed.”
It seemed to revive Pryor. Coming out quickly for the fourteenth round, Pryor landed a barrage of unanswered blows before referee Stanley Christodoulou stopped it. Arguello collapsed to the canvas near the ropes, where he lay for several minutes.
Many speculated that there was something illegal in the bottle, but nobody checked the contents and the Miami Boxing Commission failed to administer a post-fight urine test to the boxers. Lewis and Pryor steadfastly denied that there was anything illegal in the bottle.
Pryor had a rematch with Arguello at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada on September 9, 1983. Pryor made a career high $2.25 million and Arguello made $1.75 million.
Panama Lewis had his license revoked after he removed the padding from the gloves of Luis Resto before his fight with Billy Collins Jr. on June 16, 1983. Pryor hired Richie Giachetti to train him, but they had a falling out. Two weeks before the Arguello rematch, Pryor brought in Emanuel Steward as his trainer.
The rematch was not as competitive as their first one. Pryor dropped Arguello with a right cross in the first round and again with a left hook in the fourth. Pryor put Arguello down for the count in the tenth round.
After the fight, both Arguello and Pryor announced that they were retiring from boxing.
By the mid-1980s, Pryor’s life had become consumed by drugs. In December of 1985, Pryor was stripped of the IBF title for failure to defend. Alexis Arguello said he saw Pryor in December of 1986 and “was shocked at his appearance. He must have weighed 110 pounds. I went up to him and said, ‘Help yourself, Aaron, help yourself.’ But I don`t even know if he heard me or understood what I was saying.”
After 29 months out of the ring, Pryor, insisting he was now clean from drugs, attempted a comeback. He fought welterweight journeyman Bobby Joe Young in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on August 8, 1987. Pryor was a shell of his former self and was knocked out in the seventh round.
We attended the following Retail Tour locations in Manhattan:
Whole Food Markets: With around 350 stores nationwide today, the store first opened in 1980 in Austin Texas, with 19 employees .Known for its passionate and impeccably trained staff as well as its mission to sell fare trade,natural and organic items,the supermarket brought large grocery shopping to a new experience for consumers .
Fairway Market: Fairway Market is a high –growth food retailer offering customers a differentiated one-stop shopping experience Fairway established itself a leading food retailing destination in the Greater New York City metropolitan area, with stores that emphasize an extensive selection of fresh ,natural and organic products, prepared foods and hard –to find specialty and gourmet offerings along with a full assortment of conventional groceries Fairway is headquartered in Manhattan.
Grand Central Market: The Grand Central Terminal is a cornucopia of gourmet snack options ,including Eli Zabar’s,Ciao Bella Gelateria ,Murray’s Cheesecake,Joe Coffee, and even in a outpost of Junior’s , the famed Brooklyn restaurant known for its classic cheesecake.
Gotham West Market: Located in the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood ,Gotham West Market is an exciting destination that hosts eight artisanal food purveyors in an upscale food hall. Guests can dine at communal tables in the center of the market , at the individual eateries ,or order food to-go and enjoy their meal in the markets stylish and open seating area.
Gourmet Garage : From a single store in Soho,Gourmet Garage expanded to five locations now serving Greenwich Village, Lincoln Square , the upper East Side and Carnegie Hill. Each store extends trademark high-quality ,meat,seafood,artisan baked local bread and pastry ,as well as friendly knowledgeable customer service , and award-winning catering .
Eataly:A Unique food experience to entice the senses ,the Italian –concept eatery and gourmet market offers guests everything from exotic produce to imported pastas. The establishment houses two cafes ,five to-go counters and seven restaurants .
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Located in the media capital of the world, The New York Produce Show and Conference serves the interests of the trade by running a substantial media outreach program. The program has various aspects. One element serves financial journalists interested in the business of produce. Another aspect serves journalists with culinary, shopping or homemaking interests. A final element is an outreach to consumer influencers of non-traditional types, such as those who blog, tweet or maintain Facebook presences speaking about food, restaurants and how people should eat.
The umbrella under which these media/consumer influencer programs function is called “Connect with Fresh.”
At the center of the program is a Media Luncheon. In the past we have had keynote speakers such as Florence Fabricant, Sara Moulton, Maricel Presilla. This year, we are honored to host the noted author, John Mariani. By a fortuitous circumstance, pundit sister publication PRODUCE BUSINESS has a Contributing Editor — and noted author himself — by the name of Paul Frumkin. Paul is a CIA-trained chef and has known John for many years and so we asked him to fill us in about Mr. Mariani and talk to him about his take on today’s New York food scene:
For the past 35 years, author and journalist John Mariani has traveled the world writing about food, wine, restaurants and culture. A columnist for Esquire magazine and Bloomberg News, Mariani has covered everything from the rise of nouvelle and American cuisines to the best pizza in Naples, the best barbecue in Texas and just about everything else that impacts restaurants. Over the last three decades he has been responsible for selecting the Best New Restaurants of the Year for Esquire, and for the past five years, he has written a wine column for Bloomberg News. He also publishes a weekly blog, Mariani’s Virtual Gourmet Newsletter.
Called “the most influential food-wine critic in the popular press” by the Philadelphia Inquirer, Mariani began his writing career in 1973 with an article that appeared in New York magazine.
Two fantastic sponsor companies, Frieda’s and Davik, were in attendance and making presentations and John Mariani Author and Journalist was the keynote Luncheon Speaker.
4th Annual Global Trade Symposium ,Presented by The New York Produce Show and Conference ,titled: Produce, Import & Export: The Disruption of Established markets.
The Following Topics were discussed at The 4th Annual Global Trade Symposium:
Responding to Disruptive forces in the convenience economy.
Retail Disruptors.
Food Service Disruptors:
“Think Different “ working Luncheon : Comparing the US and UK markets- The Same or Different.
Disruption at the Wholesaler level.
How new technologies and new export markets are increasing the role of Mexico in the Global Produce Trade.
Latin America opportunity Check.
Direct importing :the promises and Pitfalls of Global Procurement Operations.
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The Eastern Produce Council and PRODUCE BUSINESS magazine have once again joined forces to present an exciting world-class event for the industry. The three-day event includes networking opportunities, a trade show of over 400 companies, retail “thought-leader” panel hosted by Perishable Pundit Jim Prevor, educational micro-sessions and tours of the region’s vibrant industry, including the local retailers, wholesalers, foodservice distributors and urban farms and unique eateries.
The program also includes an outreach to students and faculty at regional universities as well as distinguished culinary schools; a media immersion program involving print, radio, TV and online outlets, plus a “Consumer Influencer” luncheon and show tour reaching out to bloggers, consumer editors and those working with all forms of social media.
Back by popular demand are two mini conferences for those who wish to come early and/or stay later. On Tuesday, December 2, the Global Trade Symposium will offer attendees the latest insights on produce importing and exporting to and from the Northeast Region. On Thursday, December 4, the Foodservice Forum “Ideation Fresh” will cover the role of produce in culinary innovation.
Tuesday’s Opening Cocktail Reception and Wednesday’s events are free to representatives of buying organizations, including retailers, wholesalers, and chefs, menu-planners and procurement executives at restaurants and other foodservice operators.
Other business types in the industry can purchase admission to the trade show and enjoy our Opening Night Cocktail Reception and Keynote Breakfast .
“Celebrating Fresh” is the theme of our conference, and there’s no better way to start celebrating than to be in New York City on December 2-4, 2014.
