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Confession: My thoughts on Peter "Kid Chocolate" Quillin's chances in his title defense against Fernando Guerrero were impacted by his difficulty making 160 pounds on the day before the fight. Quillin was 1 1/2 pounds over and I really wondered if he was even going to bother trying to carve off that weight in a scant hour, which was granted to him by the NY State Athletic Commission. He waved to photogs, posed, did an interview with Steve Farhood for Showtime and I truly thought he was willing to give up his WBO title on the scale. But the 29-year-old surprised me, to the upside, when he came back in a hour, and made 160. But, I wondered, would this process take something out of him, leave an opening for the Marylander Fernando Guerrero? That question was answered at Barclays, when Quillin showed himself to be an immensely strong middleweight as he whacked the challenger around until the fight was stopped in Round 7.

After the weigh in, Quillin told me he was still getting used to a new eating regimen, put together by new strength and conditioning coach Rob Garcia, who used to work with Oscar De La Hoya. I chatted with Garcia at Gleason's a few days before the faceoff and noticed that he had the press cred for the Pacquiao-De La Hoya fight on his gym bag. Why? Because, he said, he keeps it around to remind himself to keep control, as best he can, of what he can. "That was a nightmarish night as a coach," Garcia told me. That's because De La Hoya worked with trainer Nacho Beristain for the first time, and was over-worked by the trainer, Garcia told me.

Garcia said he was actually picked to work with Manny Pacquiao before his last fight with Juan Manuel Marquez, but on again-off again strength and conditioning coach Alex Ariza hopped back on board Team Pacquiao instead. Garcia bonded with Quillin, who like Pacquiao trains at Freddie Roach's Wild Card in California. He stuck with Quillin and blew off an opportunity, he said, to work with son of the legend Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., because his dad Ed Garcia sensed that Junior wasn't ready to focus fully on training.

Garcia and I chatted about the use of illegal PEDs in boxing, among other subjects. He said his guys are clean. "If you use illegals, you might rely too much on your strength in fights, instead of your intelligence," he said. Garcia said he has Quillin off all supplements and just eating organic foods.

This is the second fight Garcia has been with Quillin and the boxer has exhibited a noticeable bump in power; he dropped Hassan N'Dam N'Jikam to win the belt last October, and Guerrero twice in the second and seventh. Garcia told me that he only wants to work with coachable people and that he sees similarities in De La Hoya and Quillin. "They both work really hard and came from nothing," he said.

With many sensing Sergio Martinez nearing the end of the line, people are adjusting their view of the middleweight division; Quillin is on the rise and that leaves me that much more curious what is the next challenge for him.

Seems like everyone I come across is impressed with Marcus Browne's progress as a pro thus far. The Staten island hitter, a light heavyweight, rose to 4-0 with a KO2 takeout of Taneal Goyco at Barclays on Saturday night.

I asked the lefty, who repped the U.S. at the London Olympics, for his takeaway on the victory.

"It was a good win, now for our next time out we're doing six rounds for the first time," the 22-year-old told me. "We're trying to get a decent opponent and I'm just going to continue to work hard so fights can be easy, although not every fight will be."

Browne is being guided by Al Haymon, who is sort of a "Wizard of Oz," man-behind-the-curtain type who is rarely seen in public -- he didn't even appear to accept his Boxing Writers Association of America Manager of the Year award at the April 11 awards gala in NYC -- but is one of the three (two, one?) most powerful people in the sport. Haymon is not prone to risk-taking as he builds his prospects, to the point that many fans grumble that Haymon fighters don't subject themselves to risk early or often enough, but if you're a fighter, you have to feel comforted that your manager isn't one to throw you into waters that might be too deep, or shark-filled, before you're ready.

Browne said Haymon told him he would likely fight on the June 22 Barclays card which is topped by Paul Malignaggi's welterweight title defense against Adrien Broner, who is coming up from 135 pounds.

And who does Browne like in Saturday's Floyd Mayweather-Robert Guerrero fight? "Floyd is in a higher class than this kid, to me personally we'll see that display itself from the fifth round on," Browne told me. "If it even goes that far ... I got Floyd in round eight or nine."

 

 

More than 300 people attended this past Sunday's second annual New York State Boxing Hall of Fame (NYSBHOF) induction dinner, sponsored by Ring 8, at Russo's On The Bay in Howard Beach, New York, as 20 inductees from the Class of 2013 were honored.

"This is the second year for the New York State Boxing Hall of Fame," NYSBHOF and Ring 8 president Bob Duffy said. "This is for New York but it could be the Brooklyn Boxing Hall of Fame with so many of this year's inductees from Brooklyn. The New York State Boxing Hall of Fame is for New Yorkers and run by New Yorkers."

The 2013 NYSBHOF inductees were (participants) Jack Dempsey (61-6-9, 50 KOs), Johnny Dundee (83-32-20, 17 KOs), Sandy Saddler (144-16-2, 103 KOs), Maxie Rosenbloom (207-39-26 (19 KOs), Joey Archer (61-6-9, 50 KOs), Iran Barkley (43-19-1 (27 KOs), Mark Breland (35-3-1, 25 KOs), Bobby Cassidy (59-16-3, 27 KOs); Doug Jones (30-10-1, 20 KOs), Junior Jones (50-6, 28 KOs), James "Buddy" McGirt (73-6-1, 48 KOs), Eddie Mustafa Muhammad (50-8-1, 39 KOs); (non-participants) Bob Arum, Shelly Finkel, Tony Graziano, Larry Merchant, Teddy Brenner, Mike Jacobs, Tex Rickard, and Don Dunphy.

All boxers needed to be inactive for at least three years to be eligible for induction, and all inductees had to have lived in New York State for a significant portion of their boxing careers.

Here are two of the best quotes from the gala.

Iran Barkley: "When I fought [Thomas] Hearns, nobody thought I could beat him, but I wasn't afraid. I'm a Bronx guy and I was used to getting hit by bricks and bats. I won with blood, sweat and tears. I said to get ready to pick him up and carry him out."

Bobby Cassidy: "I truly appreciate and I'm honored to be standing here today. I started boxing in 1963. Teddy Brenner said I was a million-to-one shot but his long-shot paid off. Like a lot of guys, boxing saved me. It was go in the ring or go to jail."

Danny Garcia and Zab Judah were in each others' faces leading up to their Saturday clash at Barclays Center, to the extent that they were kept separate for the weigh-in Friday. They sorted it out in the ring in Brooklyn, and the fighter from Philly backed up the bravado slung by his dad and trainer, Angel, all week, with a sharp right hand which tagged the Brooklyn-born Judah hard and often.

Zab was buzzed badly in the sixth and went down in eighth. But to his immense credit, he didn't fade or shrink. In Round 10, he found a home for his left hand and had Garcia a bit wobbly. Judah couldn't finish off the young rumbler, though, and we went to the cards. The N.Y. judges did themselves justice and gave the interloper the nod by scores of 115-112, 114-112, 116-111.

After Judah said it was a great camp and that he will not hang 'em up. "I thought I did good but I thought the scores were closer than the fight actually was," he said. He said that the hoopla was sort of for show, "welcome to world championship boxing at its best."

Manhattanite Peter Quillin made the locals happy, as he took out challenger Fernando Guerrero in Round 7. He scored four knockdowns and the ref said no mas after the fourth. Guerrero was no match for the WBO middleweight champ Quillin, who truly impressed with smart craftsmanship, and a nasty right hand, on the lefty from Maryland.

Danny Jacobs looked sharp in taking out Keenan Collins in round four at Barclays Center Saturday night. The Brownsville-born middleweight was putting combos together from the start on Collins, a Pennsylvania fighter.

Now living in Park Slope, Jacobs weighed in after his TKO victory, which raised him to 25-1.

"I was definitely more aggressive and in better shape than he was," said the 26-year-old fighting for Golden Boy Promotions. "I wanted to test him. We were working on a combo in the gym called 'the rumble,' when my corner called for it, I threw punches and didn’t stop."

Looked to me like Jacobs, who was diagnosed with a tumor on his spine in May 2011, and was absent from the ring for a year and a half because of surgery and recuperation, is ready to take on a top 30 type. Does he feel the same? "I feel amazing, I don’t question the shape I’m in or my skills and I want to step up accordingly."

An aside: Jacobs is an immensely likeable kid, a person I’ve never heard utter a cross word or seen him so much as frown. He is trying to get a foundation going, which will bring attention to the fight against cancer, bullying and childhood obesity. As Jacobs explained, "I’m not just fighting for myself, I’m fighting for people with cancer, and to show that boxers, we’re dogs in the ring, but gentleman outside the ring."

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Monte Barrett has known Zab Judah for practically forever and while I think it's fair to note that Barrett could be biased, because he's friends with Judah, the heavyweight did tell NYFightbog that he thinks Judah is on message, and ready to rock tonight at Barclays Center.

Barrett, age 41, has been on the phone a lot with Judah, the 35-year-old Brooklyn-born hitter who makes Las Vegas his home and challenges light welter champ Danny Garcia this evening. Barrett told me Judah has been talking the right way, with some humility, and with more insight than he's shown at times in the post. Since the main knock on Judah is his mental makeup, not his talent -- he still has blazing hands -- you might want to factor this Barrett tidbit into your prediction.

Often, in defending the sport of boxing against those who see it as pointless brutality, I point to the multitudes who have been lifted up by the sport. On an annual basis hundreds of children in the United States and thousands worldwide find the gym, lace up the gloves and find a positive outlet, a way to escape the lure of the street and instead focus on a meaningful goal. Yes, I concede that the road they have chosen isn't without bumps. But, as I heard Jim Lampley of HBO say once, do the people calling for the abolition of boxing think working in a coal mine for 40 years doesn't do things to a person's body, long-term?

I was reminded of the uplifting nature of the sport when talking to Fernando Guerrero (25-1 with 19 KOs; age 26; sole loss to Grady Brewer in June 2011, has won four straight against B or lower grade opposition) who fights WBO middleweight champion Peter Quillin at Barclays Center on Saturday night, in a bout to be shown on Showtime.

Guerrero told NYFightblog that he came to the US from the Dominican Republic in 1995, with his parents. "My dad brought us here to get an education, to better ourselves," he said. They settled in Salisbury, Maryland, a community Guerrero is proud to be part of. "The most famous person from Salisbury is that woman from "The Terminator" (Linda Hamilton)," he said. "I want to beat Quillin and represent all the people touched by poverty."

Young Guerrero grew up poor and didn't truly realize how much so till he came here. Without shoes in DR, he came to America, and realized what was missing. He's hoping a win over Quillin sends a jolt through his homeland. "In the Dominican Republic, it's all about baseball, they've never had that person to idolize in boxing. I want to be the Sammy Sosa of boxing."

The left-hander Guerrero took some hits on the message boards that he got this shot not because of his talent, but who he knows. He's repped by influential advisor Al Haymon; I asked Guerrero if that line of thinking insulted him. "Those people are opinionated," he said. "I'm not a matchmaker. I'm trying to do my dream. Whoever they put in front of me, let the best man win."

Excited for MMA in New York?

We've heard New York Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, one of the biggest critics of the legalization of MMA, say it was inevitable.

So how is UFC president Dana White feel about MMA coming to the Big Apple?

"It's not even that I'm pessimistic," Dana White said. "I just don't care anymore."

"I'm just over it," White said.

Let's recap: Why isn't MMA in New York legal?

"The Las Vegas culinary union," White said. "What's funny is that they're sending all these letters to people in New York, the politicians and everything else, why aren't they sending those same letters out in Las Vegas? ... because they would get laughed out of the city."

But what about the people who are against the violence in MMA?

"These people that are saying this are just pawns of the culinary union of Las Vegas," White added.

QUESTION: Do you guys buy that White is really "over" having MMA in New YorK?

If the Saturday clash between WBA and WBC 140-pound champion Danny Garcia and ex-junior welter and welter titlist Zab Judah contains half the drama that the buildup to the fight has provided, then fans at Barclays Center and watching on Showtime will have gotten their money's worth.

Team Garcia and Team Judah butted heads on Tuesday, at a promotional appearance held at the Modell's sporting goods store across from the arena, with the Garcia crew maintaining that Judah crashed the event and thus spurred a dustup. No punches were thrown, but Garcia's dad/trainer Angel Garcia yelled at Judah, the 35-year-old Brooklyn-born hitter, and tried to flip a table. Promoter Golden Boy didn't want a repeat performance, or even a full-blown rumble, so they sent out word on Wednesday night to both camps that the final press conference would run differently than normal. The fighters would appear at the arena separately, and wouldn't cross paths, the promoter decided.

So, after Oscar De la Hoya talked about the headline bout, and the undercard attractions, and let fighters like Peter Quillin and challenger Fernando Guerrero speak, the dais was cleared, and the Garcias sat down. Angel, who has history of being incendiary and provocative, apologized to Modell's for the dustup the other day. The 25-year-old Philadelphian Danny Garcia (25-0 with 16 KOs) then took to the mic and said he was "gonna destroy" Judah (42-7 with 29 KOs). "I'm injury free, the most motivated I've ever been, and I'm more dangerous than I was before," Garcia said. He promised to "beat the s---" out of Judah and then sat down.

The press was then told that Judah had been waiting at the arena, but had left. De La Hoya commented to the press that Judah's conduct was "unprofessional." Lo and behold, 10 minutes later, word spread that Judah was on his way back, and would make an appearance.

Fifteen minutes later, after Team Garcia was hustled out, Judah, along with his father-trainer Yoel and about eight other crew-members, took to the mic. "You called me unprofessional," Judah accused De La Hoya, who was about seven feet away from him, on the stage. Bernard Hopkins stepped between the men, to blunt any escalation.

"He made a comment," Judah said of De La Hoya. "You got to fix your facts first. I never had a problem with you!" Oscar took sips from a water bottle, a tight look on his face, but he didn't respond.

Judah complained that he'd been in the arena, with some of his crew, since 11 a.m. He said that he felt disrespected, a second class citizen and deserved better with almost 17 years in the pro game. He took questions from the press and said that he did indeed return to Barclays after reading on Twitter that De La Hoya called him "unprofessional."

He said he crashed the Modell's event not to make trouble, but to support fellow Brooklyn and New York talents Danny Jacobs, Peter Quillin and Marcus Browne. He implied that he did so to send a message that Brooklyn is his turf. He said, "I was born and raised in Brooklyn!" The veteran fighter had choice words for the senior Garcia, who he called a "dopehead" and a "custie," which is street slang for a user.

Judah then got off the stage and was barraged with more questions from the press. After a few minutes, Oscar came over and shook his hand, nodded at him, without saying anything, and left. Judah explained further that he came back for the presser to show he's "not a quitter, not a runner."

A source from Showtime told NYFightblog that Judah called Showtime executive Stephen Espinoza after the boxer left and said he was coming back, to clear his name. The source said that both camps were informed Wednesday night that the press conference would be formatted like this, so Judah should not have been surprised at the lengthy wait.

A weigh-in is to be held Friday at Barclays, at 1 p.m., and is to be open to the public. A source close to the promotion told me that switching the weigh-in to a private event is likely not an option, so probably arrangements will be made so once again, Team Judah and Team Garcia don't cross paths.

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Security was tight at Gleason's Gym in Brooklyn on Wednesday, the day after Team Garcia and Team Judah skirmished at Modell's across from Barclays Center during a meet'n greet for fans ahead of the Saturday Golden Boy/Showtime card, topped by Danny Garcia's title defense against Zab Judah.

Judah on Tuesday night crashed the party at Modell's and riled up Angel Garcia, the trainer-father of junior welter titleholder Danny; this was a virtual repeat of their clash during a December presser to hype the fight, which was originally set for Feb. 27 but was postponed after Garcia injured a rib in training. This scrum actually lasted a bit longer, spilling out into the parking lot. Garcia the elder told NYFightblog that Judah spit at the car he and Danny were in, and slammed his fist on the hood after the two teams butted heads inside. "He's lucky I wasn't driving," the dad told me. "I would have run the car in reverse." But he held his temper, he said, and didn't hop out of the car because he realized where it would have ended up. "If we had gotten out we would've ended up in jail or prison," he said. "You don't spit on a vehicle. Little girls do that."

To make sure the Gleason's media gathering was without incident, security made sure to double-check that only invited media and people who had business at the gym were in the building when the Garcias were there. I was carded twice entering. We can be sure that the press conference on Thursday will be overloaded with security.

The dad, to NYFightblog, said the conflict would only make his son more focused. "Judah has never faced people like us," he said, with confidence and menace.

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Danny Jacobs, the middleweight prospect from Brownsville who will fight Saturday night at Brooklyn's Barclays Center against 36-year-old Keenan Collins (15-7-3, 10 KOs), of York, Pa., felt a lump in his back a few weeks ago and an alarm bell went off. A tumor on his spine nearly killed the 26-year-old Park Slope resident two years ago.

So about a week ago he went to see a doctor, who did tests and came back with the immensely gratifying news: no cancer. The lump arose just from the stress of training, Jacobs (24-1, 21 KOs) told NYFightblog on Tuesday at the Judah Brothers Gym in East New York, during a press event to hype Saturday's Showtime card topped by Danny Garcia-Zab Judah.

"I'm glad I got it checked out; now I can go into the fight with a clean mind," said Jacobs, who has been working hard to get his Get in the Ring Foundation -- which targets cancer, childhood obesity and bullying -- off the ground.

I asked Jacobs, does the possibility of a recurrence stick in your head? "Every day," said the man who was diagnosed in May 2011, with admirable and appreciated candor. "Every day."

If you enjoy analyzing and dissecting characters in boxing, then you have to like Zab Judah, who will fight Danny Garcia Saturday night in Brooklyn.

Only a few hours after impressing me with his poise and apparent serenity on the subject of the combustible Angel Garcia, the trainer-father of Danny Garcia, the 35-year-old Judah crashed Garcia's press event at the Modell's Sporting Goods store across the street from Barclays Center, where they will tangle in a few days.

Judah did a press event at Judah Brothers Gym in East New York on Tuesday afternoon and Garcia had his own event at Modell's at 6 p.m. Judah knew about it, but nobody thought he was going to attend. But he did and that's when things went off the rails. (Video link here -- caution, language is NSFW.)

Judah and his posse approached Garcia and his father-trainer, Angel. The elder Garcia did what he often does. He went off. "You don't scare me. If you kill me, so what?" said the senior Garcia, as he gestured wildly, as his son looked on, slightly bemused, among a crowd of crew members, some boxing fans and a lone Modell's employee trying to calm the budding drama.

"Who wanna kill you?" Judah answered, as the elder Garcia let loose some profanity and then slammed a table set up for the event, while undercard boxer Danny Jacobs, ready to greet autograph seekers, looked on. Judah egged Angel on, and Garcia's father then tried to flip the table, but was stopped.

A "Broooooklyn" chant started from the Judah crew, to taunt the Pennsylvania interlopers. "Do that s--- outside, not in here," yelled the Modell's employee, a young lady who deserves a combat-pay bonus in her next check. The two teams yelled at each other while Team Garcia was ushered out the rear exit amid flyers advertising the Saturday card at Barclays laying on the floor. "Who's talking about killing you, man? He's scared. Shut up," said Judah to remaining press.

As Judah headed to the door, a member of his posse, with eyes on the bottom line, said, "Yo, buy your tickets. It's gonna be a good fight."

I can't figure out who is in whose head, or if everyone involved is in everyone's head. What do you think?

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Gosh, he sounded good. Zab Judah, whose talent is undeniable, sounded like his head was screwed on straight. It was like the 35-year-old was dialed in and ready to show Danny Garcia that the Brooklyn-bred ole dog wasn't ready to concede his turf, and let the kid from Philly toss him to the retirement scrap heap.

At the Judah Brothers Gym in East New York on Tuesday afternoon, I found myself talking to the family and friends of Judah. Yes, ok, they are people who are fond of him and may, in fact, be irreparably biased in his favor ahead of his Saturday scrap at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. It is entirely possible that these folks were thinking that the former junior welterweight and welter champion could spring the upset versus the champion Garcia.

Judah (42-7, 29 KOs, has been stopped 3 times; 4-1 in last five fights) conceded to press at the open workout that, at the age of 16, he was handed the keys to the kingdom and misused that power frequently.

Doors opened for the mega-talented Brownsville hitter. He'd stride into the room, and grab the goodies with both hands. There were hijinks, brushes with authorities, reports of over-partying and under-training. There were dustups with dad-trainer Yoel. There were breakups and periods of uneasy truces with dad. And yet, here we are, almost 17 years after he debuted as a pro, Zab Judah is still on the big stage, getting another chance to show off the high-grade hand speed and power that, when properly channeled, stamp him as a superlative sweet scientist.

The boxer's humility impressed me, as when he said, "What do I do? I fight people and knock them out or vice versa." That's pretty new for Zab, who has never lacked for confidence. Here, he was allowing for the possibility of a loss, and not in a way, to my eye, which betrayed a lack of confidence. Instead, I read in his voice a respect for Garcia (25-0 with 14 KOs), the 25-year-old who holds stoppage wins over Amir Khan and faded Erik Morales.

Judah told one and all that he was ready to rock and that he sees this fight as a potential entry into the Hall of Fame. He said would be "bringing back the Zab Judah you guys know." He meant the A-grade Zab, who would be focused and ready to exhibit the best of his arsenal. Not the man whose focus sometimes wavered and shrank away from showing off his attributes.

I sensed a serenity and firm belief in self. Was I reading too much into his voice and inflection? We will have to wait till Saturday to get the answer whether we'll see him in the best of form, or a sub-par version which tantalizes, and then disappoints.

If you aren't heading to Barclays, Showtime will televise the Judah-Garcia scrap, which is being promoted by Golden Boy.

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Promoter Lou DiBella stands out as a character in a sport populated with scores of folks who think, act and talk outside of "normal" parameters. Harvard-educated, combustible and profane, with an attention span that at times wanders but can be corralled when his heart is touched by the right fighter or hard-luck story, DiBella is, in my opinion, tailor-made for the first real boxing personality reality show.

Besides his compelling persona, the former HBO boxing programming head warrants your attention because he is struggling with his relationship with the sport which he adores, but which also repulses him. In this mini-doc, called "No Way Out," by director John James, DiBella talks about his love-hate relationship with the sweet science, which he is sometimes sour on. He doesn't care for "dealing with people [who make] you want to shower after you speak with them," he says. He also talks about the saints who take street kids off that certain path of self-immolation to a path of self-esteem, glory and possible financial security. I found myself wondering, as I watched, how much longer the New York native will stay in the game. A win by his guy, Sergio Martinez on April 27 against Martin Murray in Argentina, will surely cheer him up for a spell, as the middleweight titlist Martinez is on the path for a fat rematch payday against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.

Check it out for yourselves, readers. Do you sense that DiBella will stay in this relationship, or he will reach a point where he walks away from a wondrous but tragically flawed sport?

Tyson Fury thinks Steve Cunningham is a masquerade artist, a pretender best suited for cruiserweight, who will be out of his depth in the ring at the Madison Square Garden Theater on Saturday.

The 36-year-old Cunningham, no great surprise, begs to differ. He seemed to be quite acclimated to the heavyweight division when he met Tomasz Adamek back on Dec. 22, a fight which many folks thought he won, though the judges said otherwise.

I asked Don Charles, the man who trains Dereck Chisora, who fought and lost to Fury (age 24; 20-0 with 14 KOs; lives in Cheshire, England) back in July 2011, to assess the Fury-Cunningham scrap, which is promoted by Main Events.

"Fury beats Cunningham," Charles said to me in London, on Friday morning, before Chisora weighed in for his Saturday Wembley Arena clash against Hector Avila. Charles said the 6-foot-9 Fury is too big, hits too hard, and that it will be hard for the 6-3 Cunningham, in his third heavyweight fight after campaigning at cruiserweight, to get inside his jab. "Fury has fighting in his blood," Charles said, noting that the Brit is a Traveller, a nomadic people whose fighting roots go back generations.

Cunningham is a Philly fighter who you can't help but root for. We chatted a couple months back when this bout was announced, and actually talked matters other than boxing. Cunningham told me he's been a gun owner since 1996, after his Navy stint, and I admitted I don't quite see the fascination with guns in the U.S. He explained that he grew up rough, in South Philly, and he knows what bad people are capable of. "I know what it's like when your mailman is a crackhead," he told me. "I've seen how grimy the world is." Therefore, he obtains a sense of security knowing he is armed against the possibility that evil could unfold in front of him. "It's better to have it than not have it," he explained.

Of a Fury fight, which will run on NBC, Cunningham said he will fight the same way he did against Adamek, utilizing constant movement, and won't be put off by losing a controversial decision.