About: Abbey Muneer

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Interview with Perry Reynolds VP Marketing & Trade Development for International Housewares Association – NY, 2012

Perry Reynolds is the vice president of marketing and trade development at the International Housewares Association (IHA). He served as a buyer and merchant for retailers in the mass market, supermarket and distributor channels before moving to housewares manufacturers EKCO and Progressive International in marketing roles. He joined IHA in 1997 when it was known as the National Housewares Manufacturers Association. Among his responsibilities, he oversees the design events and activities at the association and the International Home + Housewares Show, including the Student Design Competition, IHA Innovation Awards, Innovation Theater and Going Green exhibit.

Ecofocus, The Green Technology Showcase by Pepcom – 2012

EcoFocus (SM), the green technology showcase which took place April 19th, a few days before Earth Day, in New York City at New York City at the Metropolitan Pavilion.
Pepcom® Inc., based in Delray Beach, FL, is the leader in technology showcase events. Each event joins the world’s top technology companies with the most influential press and analysts. Pepcom’s showcases include DigitalFocus®, MobileFocus®, EcoFocus(SM), Digital Experience!®, Holiday Spectacular!® and Wine, Dine & Demo!®.
World Liberty TV’s Executive Producer had the pleasure of speaking to Jon Pepper, Co-Founder and partner for Pepcom .

Jonathan A. Schein, President & CEO Schein Media Events – 2012

Green Real Estate Investment & Development Conference New York – 909 Third Avenue, 6th Floor NYC – October 26, 2010. With over 400 million square feet of office and commercial space, New York is ripe with opportunity as green and sustainability becomes the new normal. This event will explore the challenges, potential successes and investment rationale in existing and new development.

Propel Media’s Green Products Expo Vendors – 2011

This exciting Green Products Expo was designed to build a relationship between media and exhibitors on how to promote and support earth-friendly products and services in the marketplace. It was a fun-filled and informative, as exhibitors handed out press materials and offered lucky guests samples of some of the latest green products out in the market today.

New York State Boxing Hall of Fame Honors Boxing’s Legends at Russo’s on The Bay – New York 2012

“Boxing in New York will not be forgotten,” said NYSBHOF founder Tony Mazzarella. Each inductee received a Hall of Fame belt, reminiscent of the championship hardware they received throughout their careers. Inducted into the first NYSBHOF class were “Sugar” Ray Robinson, Jake LaMotta, Mike Tyson, Carmen Basilio, Riddick Bowe, Carlos Ortiz, Vito Antuofermo, Emile Griffith, Mike McCallum, Gene Tunney, Benny Leonard and Tony Canzoneri.

LaMotta, McCallum, Griffith, Ortiz, Antuofermo, Acunto, Glenn and Lederman attended the gala, while Robinson, Canzoneri, Tunney, Arcel, Gallo and Mercante were represented by their families.

The 90-year-old LaMotta, who is as famous for Robert DeNiro’s portrayal of him in “Raging Bull” as his legendary career, spoke about the greatest fighters he ever saw in his acceptance speech.

The non-boxing inductees were judge/HBO analyst Harold Lederman, coach/instructor Steve Acunto; trainer/cutman Jimmy Glenn; trainers Gil Clancy and Ray Arcel; The Ring Magazine founder Nat Fleischer; New York Daily News boxing reporter/cartoonist Bill Gallo; and referee Arthur Mercante Sr.

The inductees are selected by a six-member NYSBHOF nominating committee.

To be eligible for hall of fame induction, boxers need to be inactive for at least three years and have had resided in New York for a significant portion of their boxing careers.

“The greatest fighters all fought in New York,” said Lederman.

Commemorative plaques listing the names of the inductees and NYSBHOF board members and nominating committee will be on display at the Waterfront Crabhouse in Long Island City.

Interview with Harold Lederman – Professional Boxing Judge 2012

Harold Lederman is a celebrated boxing judge and analyst. He began his career as a boxing judge in 1967 and joined the cast of HBO World Championship Boxing in 1986, where he has been ever since.

In 1986, HBO executive producer Ross Greenburg invited Lederman to join HBO’s boxing show World Championship Boxing as an expert commentator.

Lederman retired from active judging in 1999, but remained with the HBO show as an unofficial ringside scorer. His voice can be heard when official HBO commentator Jim Lampley introduces him with, “…and now the rules with our unofficial ringside scorer, Harold Lederman.”

After the introduction, he reads the rules of the fight (often beginning by saying, “Ok, Jim…”) and occasionally the rules for scoring fights to the audience and cuts back to Jim. During the fight, after the 3rd, 6th and 9th rounds, and immediately after the fight, while waiting for the official scores, Lampley will have Lederman tell the fans what his unofficial card looks like – often calling it the Lederman Card. HBO also runs a graphic at the beginning of each round with his preceding round’s score.

Boxing Trainer & Cutman, Jimmy Glenn – New York, 2012

From the moment that the sport of boxing entered his life, it has been James Lee Glenn’s greatest growing passion. He has pursued it like he has pursued all the truly important things in his life: with passion tempered by patience.

Glenn worked as a trainer and cut man. He has worked with Floyd Patterson, Bobby Cassidy, Ralph Correa, Howard Davis Jr., Terrance Alli, and Mark McPherson. Soon after settling into his job as a bar owner, James began his search for a new gym. He opened The Times Square Boxing Club in the late 1970’s.

From this new venue, James welcomed everyone with an interest in boxing and a willingness to follow his simple rules: honesty and respect. Young fighters fought their way through the seedy streets of Times Square, where greed and crime ruled, up to the second floor gym, where respect, perseverance, and hard work were the order of the day.

Though many of them lacked the skills or the talent to be the next Hagler, Leonard, or Spinks, they kept coming back to learn the sport of boxing. They learned from the big man, with the soft voice, who they all called Mr. Glenn. Though few of them became champions, he helped them all become men.

James Glenn has been in the sport of boxing for over 50 years. Though his accomplishments within the boxing world are numerous and his knowledge of the sweet science is vast, he is a man whose true value goes beyond his trophies and champions. James Glenn has touched the boxing world so profoundly not because he teaches men to be fighters, but because he teaches fighters to be men.

Ray Robinson II, Son of Boxing Great Sugar Ray Robinson, inducted in the NYSHOF 2012.

Sugar Ray Robinson was an American professional boxer. Frequently cited as the greatest boxer of all time, Robinson’s performances in the welterweight and middleweight divisions prompted sportswriters to create “pound for pound” rankings, where they compared fighters regardless of weight. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990.

Robinson was 85–0 as an amateur with 69 of those victories coming by way of knockout; 40 in the first round. He turned professional in 1940 at the age of 19 and by 1951, had a professional record of 128–1–2 with 84 knockouts.

From 1943 to 1951, Robinson went on a 91 fight unbeaten streak, the third longest in professional boxing history. Robinson held the world welterweight title from 1946 to 1951, and won the world middleweight title in the latter year. He retired in 1952, only to come back two and a half years later and regain the middleweight title in 1955. He then became the first boxer in history to win a divisional world championship five times, a feat he accomplished by defeating Carmen Basilio in 1958 to regain the middleweight championship. Robinson was named “Fighter of the Year” twice: first for his performances in 1942, then nine years and over 90 fights later, for his efforts in 1951.

World Liberty TV was on hand to interview Sugar Ray Robinson’s son Ray Robinson II at the New York State Boxing Hall of Fame, where his father was inducted posthumously.

Exclusive Interview with Emile Griffith and his son, Louis Rodrigo Griffith – New York, 2012

Emile Alphonse Griffith is a former boxer who was the first fighter from the U.S. Virgin Islands to become a world champion. He is best known for his controversial third fight with Benny Paret in 1962 for the welterweight world championship. Griffith later won the world middleweight title and claimed an early version of the junior middleweight world championship, a claim that has not been universally recognized, although some consider Griffith a three-division champion fighter. Griffith captured the Welterweight title from Cuban Benny “The Kid” Paret by knocking him out in the 13th round on April 1, 1961. Six months later, Griffith lost the title to Paret in a narrow split decision. Griffith regained the title from Paret on March 24, 1962 in the controversial bout in which Paret died.

Griffith waged a classic three-fight series with Luis Rodriguez, losing the first and winning the other two. He defeated middleweight contender Holly Mims, but was knocked out in one round by Rubin “Hurricane” Carter. Three years later, on February 3, 1966, he faced middleweight champion Dick Tiger and won a ten-round decision and the middleweight title. He also lost, regained, and then lost the middleweight crown in three classic fights with Nino Benvenuti.

Many boxing fans believed he was never quite the same fighter after Paret’s death. From the Paret bout to his retirement in 1977, Griffith fought 80 bouts, but only scored twelve knockouts. He later admitted to being gentler with his opponents and relying on his superior boxing skills, because he was terrified of killing someone else in the ring. Like so many other fighters, Griffith fought well past his prime. He won only nine of his last twenty three fights.

Other boxers he fought in his career were the world champions American Denny Moyer, Cuban Luis Rodríguez; Argentinian Carlos Monzón; Nigerian Dick Tiger; Mexican José Nápoles, and in his last title try, German Eckhard Dagge.

After 18 years as a professional boxer, Griffith retired with a record of 85 wins (25 by knockout), 24 losses and 2 draws.

World Liberty TV interviewed Emile’s son Louis Rodrigo Griffith, who talked about his career as a fighter and trainer. Emile was also present, in a wheel chair, but due to declining health was not able to speak. He was inducted in the New York State Boxing Hall of Fame, an honor greatly deserved for his dedication and victories in the sport of boxing.

Interview with Former Three–Division World Boxing Champion, Mike “The Body Snatcher” McCallum – 2012

Mike McCallum is a retired boxer. Nicknamed “The Body Snatcher” for his fierce body punching. McCallum won world titles in three weight classes. Mike McCallum turned professional in 1981. As a professional, he fought almost exclusively in the USA. He first became a world champion in 1984 by defeating Sean Mannion to win the vacant WBA light middleweight title. McCallum would defend that title six times, winning all six fights by knock out.

His first prominent opponent was future world champion Julian Jackson, who McCallum fought in his third title defense. McCallum survived some punishment in the first round and came back to stop the undefeated Jackson in the second round.

McCallum really came to prominence when he knocked out former WBC welterweight title holder Milton McCrory and former undisputed welterweight champion Donald Curry in 1987. Curry was ahead on all three scorecards going into the fifth round when McCallum knocked him out with what some have called a “perfect” left hook.

McCallum had a professional record of 49-5-1 (36 knockouts). He was never knocked out as a professional. After McCallum retired, he moved to Las Vegas and became trainer. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2003.

Mark Breland, Former Two Time Boxing Champion and Great Boxing Amateur – 2012

Mark Anthony Breland is a former world champion boxer, who won five New York Golden Gloves Titles and a gold medal at the 1984 Olympics. He is also an actor with a wide range of movie and television credits, having made his debut in The Lords of Discipline.

Breland turned professional in 1984. In 1987, Breland won the vacant WBA welterweight title. He lost it in his first defense to Marlon Starling. In 1989, Breland again won the vacant WBA Welterweight Title. He made three successful title defenses before losing it to Aaron Davis in a thrilling 9-round contest that was nearly called off twice because of injuries to Davis’ eye before Breland was knocked out in round 9.
In 1997, Breland retired with a professional record of 35–3–1 (25 KOs).

Breland is currently a boxing trainer, having trained Vernon Forrest among other notable boxers.

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