• Tag Archives: KOs

    Academy Award Winning Actor Danny Aiello Jr. Interview

    Academy Award Winning Actor Danny Aiello Jr. Interview

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    “Danny” Aiello Jr. is an American actor who has appeared in numerous motion pictures, including Once Upon a Time in America, Ruby, The Godfather: Part II, Hudson Hawk, The Purple Rose of Cairo, Moonstruck, Léon: The Professional, Two Days in the Valley, and Dinner Rush. He had a pivotal role in the 1989 Spike Lee film Do the Right Thing as Salvatore “Sal” Frangione, the pizzeria owner, which earned him a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Aiello is also known for his role as Don Domenico Clericuzio in the miniseries, Mario Puzo’s The Last Don.

    Aiello broke into films in the early 1970s. One of his earliest roles came as a ballplayer in the 1973 baseball drama, Bang the Drum Slowly, with Robert De Niro. Aiello had a walk-on role as small-time hood Tony Rosato in The Godfather Part II (1974), ad-libbing the famous line “Michael Corleone says hello!” during a hit on a rival gangster Frank Pentangeli (Michael V. Gazzo).

    In 1980, Aiello had a co-lead role with Jan Michael Vincent in Defiance, about some Manhattan residents who fight back against the thugs terrorizing the neighborhood. The next year, he received considerable acclaim for playing a racist New York City cop in Fort Apache, The Bronx (1981) with Paul Newman.

    In 1981, Danny Aiello won a Daytime Emmy award for his appearance in an ABC Afterschool Special called A Family of Strangers.

    Aiello’s singing has been on display in films such as Hudson Hawk (1991), Once Around (1991), and Remedy that starred his son Ricky Aiello and Jonathan Doscher. He has released several albums featuring a big-band sound including I Just Wanted To Hear The Words (2004) and Live From Atlantic City (2008). Aiello and EMI songwriter Hasan Johnson released an album in 2011 of standards fused with rap entitled Bridges.

    He played the title character for the video of Madonna’s song, “Papa Don’t Preach” (1986).

    Aiello’s Broadway theatre credits include Gemini, The Floating Light Bulb, Hurlyburly, and The House of Blue Leaves. He also was in the 1976 Broadway play Wheelbarrow Closers, directed by Paul Sorvino.

    In July, 2011, opened Off Broadway in the two-act drama The Shoemaker, written by Susan Charlotte and directed by Antony Marsellis. The play is a stage version of his 2006 movie A Broken Sole, which began life in 2001 as a one-act play.

    Tony Perez: One of the Greatest Boxing Referees of All Time – 2013

    Tony Perez: One of the Greatest Boxing Referees of All Time – 2013

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    Tony Perez is considered one of the great referees. His career began in 1968. That bout was at Madison Square Garden that had Buster Mathis TKO James Woody in the 6th Round. He was the third man in the ring for Frazier VS Ellis, Ali vs Frazier, Ali vs Wepner, Ali vs Quarry, Mancini vs Arguello and so many more bouts. Tony was honored with the acclaimed Jose Torres Renaissance Man Award for 2013.

    World Liberty TV team was on hand to interview Mr. Perez at the 3rd Annual Ring 10 Gala.

    Marlon “Magic Man” Starling 2 time World Welterweight Boxing Champion, 2013

    Marlon “Magic Man” Starling 2 time World Welterweight Boxing Champion, 2013

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    Marlon “Magic Man” Starling was a two-time US world champion boxer.

    Starling was born in Hartford, CT in 1959. He turned professional in 1979. After 25 straight wins, he lost his first fight. He lost a 12 round decision to Donald Curry in 1982. Starling had a rematch with Curry in 1984, challenging for the WBA and IBF welterweight titles. Starling lost by a 15 round decision.

    Starling’s second world title fight came in 1987. He knocked out Mark Breland in the 11th round to win the WBA welterweight title. In his third title defense, Starling lost the title in controversial fashion to Tomas Molinares. Molinares hit Starling with a punch that was clearly thrown after the bell. Starling went down for the only time in his career, and the referee counted him out. Molinares was declared the new champion by knock out. However, the decision was later changed to a no contest but the Colombian kept the title.

    In 1989, Starling knocked out Lloyd Honeyghan to win the WBC welterweight titles. The following year, Starling challenged Michael Nunn for the IBF middleweight title, but lost by decision. In his next fight, Starling lost his welterweight titles on a close decision to Maurice Blocker. That was Starling’s last fight. He retired with a record of 45-6-1-1 (27 KOs).

    Exclusive interview with Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini former World Lightweight Boxing Champion – 2013

    Exclusive interview with Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini former World Lightweight Boxing Champion – 2013

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    Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini is a retired American boxer. He held the World Boxing Association lightweight championship from 1982 to 1984. Mancini inherited his distinctive nickname from his father, veteran boxer Lenny “Boom Boom” Mancini, who laid the foundation for his son’s career.

    On May 8, 1982, in a match held in Las Vegas, he challenged the new World Boxing Association lightweight champion, Arturo Frias. Fifteen seconds into the fight, Frias caught Mancini with a left hook to the chin. Another combination made Mancini start bleeding from his eyebrow. Mancini recovered and dropped Frias right in the center of the ring with a combination. Dazed, Frias got back up but Mancini went on the offensive and was on top of Frias the moment the referee said they could go on. Mancini trapped Frias against the ropes. After many unanswered blows, the referee stopped the fight at 2:54 in the first round, and the Mancini family finally had a world champion.

    Mancini’s first defense, against former world champion Ernesto España, went smoothly with a Mancini knockout win in the 6th round.

    His next defense would change both his life and the face of boxing: On November 13, 1982, a 21-year-old Mancini met 23-year-old South Korean challenger Duk Koo Kim. Kim had to go through the process of losing several pounds immediately before the fight to make the weight. The title bout, at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, was televised live at 1pm PST on CBS Sports. It was, according to many observers, a fight filled with action, but Mancini had an easy time hitting Kim during the 14 rounds the fight lasted. Kim suffered brain injuries that led to his death four days later. The week after his death, the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine showed Mancini and Kim battling, under the title “Tragedy in the Ring”.

    Mancini went to the funeral in South Korea, but he fell into a deep depression afterwards. He has said that the hardest moments came when people approached him and asked if he was the boxer who “killed” Duk Koo Kim. Mancini went through a period of reflection, as he blamed himself for Kim’s death. In addition, Kim’s mother committed suicide four months after the fight, and the bout’s referee, Richard Green, killed himself in July 1983.

    As a result of this bout, the WBC took steps to shorten its title bouts to a maximum of 12 rounds. The WBA and WBO followed in 1988, and the IBF in 1989.

    Mancini retired officially in 1985, but continued to fight unofficially until 1992, leaving a record of 29–5, with 23 knockouts. A made-for-television movie based on Mancini’s life aired in the 1980s. The former champion was able to keep 75 percent of his $12 million in purse money, which enabled him to pursue a broad range of interests in retirement.

    Mancini appeared in and produced a handful of films, and became a fight analyst for the Fox reality series Celebrity Boxing. Mancini, who as of 2007 resides in Los Angeles, California, owns the El Campeon Cigar Company and operates two movie production companies. He also owns a wine-tasting shop in his native Youngstown, Ohio.

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

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

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    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.

    Jake “Raging Bull” LaMotta, Former World Middleweight Boxing Champion, Inducted to the NYS Boxing Hall of Fame 2012

    Jake “Raging Bull” LaMotta, Former World Middleweight Boxing Champion, Inducted to the NYS Boxing Hall of Fame 2012

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    Jake LaMotta, nicknamed “The Bronx Bull” and “The Raging Bull,” is a retired American professional boxer and former World Middleweight Champion. He was portrayed by Robert De Niro in the 1980 film Raging Bull.
    LaMotta fought former Welterweight Champion Sugar Ray Robinson in Robinson’s middleweight debut at Madison Square Garden, New York. LaMotta knocked Robinson down in the first round of the fight. Robinson got up and took control over much of the fight, winning via unanimous decision.
    A rematch took place months later in Detroit, Michigan. The eighth round was historic. LaMotta landed a right to Robinson’s head and a left to his body, sending him through the ropes. Robinson was saved by the bell at the count of nine. LaMotta, who was already leading on the scorecards before knocking Robinson out of the ring, pummeled and outpointed him for the rest of the fight. Robinson had trouble keeping LaMotta at bay. LaMotta won via unanimous decision, giving Robinson the first defeat of his career.

    The victory was short-lived, as the two met again three weeks later, once again in Robinson’s former home of Detroit. Robinson was knocked down for a nine-count count in round seven. Robinson later stated, “He really hurt me with a left in the seventh round. I was a little dazed and decided to stay on the deck.” Robinson won the close fight by decision, utilizing a dazzling left jab and jarring uppercuts.
    LaMotta is recognized as having one of the best chins in boxing. He rolled with punches, minimizing their force and damage when they landed, but he was also able to absorb many blows.

    In the Saint Valentine’s Day Massacre, his sixth bout with Robinson, LaMotta suffered numerous severe blows to the head. Commentators could be heard saying, “No man can take this kind of punishment!” But LaMotta did not go down. The fight was stopped by the referee in the 13th round, declaring it a TKO victory for Robinson.

    Jack Hirsch – Chairman of the Nominating Committee for the NYS Boxing Hall of Fame, Inducts Steve Acunto, Co-Founder of the Association For The Improvement of Boxing

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    Acunto is the head coach of boxing at Westchester Community College in Valhalla, New York, where he developed and teaches the only boxing class for college credit in existence. He has also taught pugilism at Fairfield University, Concordia College, Sarah Lawrence College, at YMCAs and the Purchase...
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