This Past Weekend Was Packed With Boxing
Action In Both Las Vegas And Worcester, Ma.

On Friday night I had the pleasure of attending the Boxing Writers Association of America's annual awards banquet at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. I also had the honor of presenting the award for "Fight of the Year," which went to the now-legendary May 2005 bout between Diego Corrales and Jose Louis Castillo. It was an entertaining night hanging with the writers who bring the sport to life with words, and with the fighters who give them something to write about. Newly crowned WBO heavyweight champ Sergei Liakhovich, middleweight contender Winky Wright and super welterweight contender Sugar Shane Mosely were just a few of the big names present. Even Rocky was there- Sylvester Stallone took home an award that night as well. After the ceremony I spent a few hours hanging with Sergei and his wife Irina. I continue to be impressed with this humble fighter who took Lamon Brewster's title back in April. He's an extremely likeable guy with a lot of heart- it's going to be fun watching him in the ring in the years ahead.

WBO Heavyweight Champion, Sergei Liakhovich, and his wife Irina.

On Saturday night's Showtime Championship Boxing doubleheader, former WBA welterweight champ Jose Rivera took the WBA super welterweight title away from Alejandro "Terra" Garcia in a 12-round unanimous decision in Worcester, Ma. The undercard saw Luis Perez retaining his IBF junior bantamweight title in a 12 round split decision over number one contender Dimitri Kirilov. Click on the links above for the full story; complete with pictures and video, on what went down in Wus-tah (that's how we Massachusetts natives pronounce it).

While I wasn't able to participate in this past weekend's SCB event, I was able to take in some boxing action in Vegas. You may have heard about a little get together between Oscar De La Hoya and Ricardo Mayorga? Well I was there, and it was an unbelievable fight. Oscar looked incredible- his defense was absolutely impenetrable and Mayorga never had a chance. So much for the trash-talking Nicaraguan. He was beaten so badly he didn't even stick around for the post-fight press conference: which isn't necessarily unusual for someone who just lost a big fight, but it just solidified the notion that he was seriously humbled by the WBC super welterweight champ.

With all that excitement behind me I'm now seriously looking forward to June 3rd, when WBC lightweight champ Diego "Chico" Corrales once again goes mano-a-mano with Jose Louis Castillo in "The War To Settle The Score." These two absurdly entertaining fighters have met twice before; their first fight, for which they won the aforementioned "Fight of the Year" award, has actually been hailed by the boxing world as one of the best fights in the last decade! Corrales won that fight with a 10th round TKO after being knocked down twice, but he lost the rematch in the 4th round when Castillo KO'd him. If you'd like a little primer on the rivalry, you can now download the fights from iTunes for only $1.99! Click here to read the press release on this very cool offering!

On April 11th, a press conference was held announcing the rematch. Afterwards I spent the day with Diego, his wife Michelle and their then four-week-old baby girl Daylia. You'll see the story on Showtime on fight night, but until then I can tell you that Chico is SERIOUSLY smitten with his adorable little daughter. He may be a ferocious lion in the ring but he's a cuddly lamb when it comes to his baby. And he's the first to admit that, so I'm not going to get busted for saying so. I hope.

Oscar De La Hoya with Sugar Shane Mosely at the post-fight press conference.

Thomas "Hitman" Hearns after the De La Hoya / Mayorga fight.

TV

So it's May, which means the networks will be pulling out all the stops in order to win the biggest audiences during sweeps season. Unfortunately, ABC has pulled "Commander In Chief" off the schedule till June, pretty much sending the message that President Allen won't be re-elected for a second season. The show started off with big ratings but it has been losing momentum for some time now. (Word is that there's been some behind-the-scenes drama with producers and showrunners.) I was hoping to see the show return in the fall: Geena Davis, star of my all-time favorite chick-flick "Thelma And Louise," plays the president well, but Donald Sutherland is just superb as her evil arch rival. With "The West Wing" going away it would be nice to see "Commander" stay on the air. Just a thought.

Speaking of Mr. Sutherland, his son Kiefer continues to kick ass on "24." And I love to hate Gregory Itzin, who plays President Logan! Monday night left us hanging- will he kill himself? I can hardly wait to see how it all plays out. I got into this show last season and now I'm absolutely hooked. I'm pretty certain that at some point this summer those early season DVDs will be hitting the flat screen.

"Prison Break" has still got my attention- that show is returning in the fall and next season will be all about the guys on the run. So it's a safe bet that at least some of the guys who scaled the wall in the last episode will be getting away. But who will be getting on Abruzzi's plane? Anyone?

And, of course, I'm feeling "The Sopranos" once again. I was a little nervous as the first few episodes unfolded. I wasn't looking forward to a hospital drama from these guys. But things have been interesting (Stay away from the smack Christopher!!!) so I'm still a fan after that impossibly long, rude hiatus. I suppose Paulie Walnut's hair makes it all worthwhile.

MOVIES

With Summer heading our way the big huge movies are about to take over, which is why I recommend seeing "Thank You For Smoking" before it gets pushed out of the theaters to make room for those action flicks with the outrageous budgets. Last week it was in 560 theaters, compared to 4,054 for "Mission: Impossible III," so you may have to look a little harder to find it. It's worth it. It's a smart, funny, cynical and satirical movie about a lobbyist for the tobacco industry, and it's based on the novel by Christopher Buckley. I read it years ago and loved it, (I also enjoyed Buckley's "Little Green Men") and I think Aaron Eckhart did a great job of bringing the conflicted hero to life. Plus, any time you get to see William H. Macy act is a good time in my book.

BOOKS

And I do love books! So let's not forget to read in the lazy days ahead. You still have a chance to read mainstream pop like "The Da Vinci Code" before the movie comes out. I finally broke down and read it just to see what the fuss is all about. Before the fluff, however, I conquered James Barth's "The Sot-Weed Factor," a very funny satire of historical novels. It's no easy read, but well worth it. On deck I’ve lined up a number of books culled from Time Magazine's All Time 100 Novels. I had already read many of the titles before I even saw the list: I recommend taking it with you as a handy reference the next time you go to the bookstore. Why not consider mixing one of these great works in with those beach reads, huh?

MUSIC

Lastly, I'm psyched about the new Red Hot Chili Peppers' double album "Stadium Arcadium." I'll be spending some quality time with these discs in the weeks ahead to be sure. I've loved this band since I first heard them in 1984. I remember the first time I saw them play not long after that at The Living Room in Providence, RI. It was the original lineup and they absolutely blew the room away. Over the years I have seen them play several times, I've interviewed them on the radio, for MTV and for Smoke Magazine, I've had dinner with them- once I even took them to see Eek-A-Mouse. I still love the Peppers! And in honor of their latest release I thought I'd share a couple of pictures from my vault.

In 1989 I was the Program Director at WBRU in Providence, RI when "Mother's Milk" came out. Flea, Anthony and John came to my station for an interview and we snapped these shots in my office. I have a whole series of them which still crack me up to this day.

This picture was taken back stage at Lollapalooza in 1992. I remember having one hell of a good time at that show. Thanks to Perry Farrell for coming up with such a great idea!

I'll be sharing more pictures from the vault in future newsletters, and I'll be sure to include some more goofy ones from my early, chubby days in radio and at MTV. Because if you can't laugh at yourself everyone else will anyway, and then you'll just feel stupid.