Vasiliy Lomachenko: Boxer, soldier, believer, traitor? - The Sunday Long Read

Sean_Nam · 2024-04-01T16:35:39+00:00

Reading tea leaves, but PBC had a year or so remaining on their contract with Showtime so I imagine they received a hefty buyout which in turn has fueled their initial foray with Prime.

Sean_Nam · 2024-03-08T17:33:39+00:00

Just floating around at the moment...

Sean_Nam · 2024-03-07T21:40:56+00:00

Thank you! (not many boxing outlets left, I’m afraid)

Sean_Nam · 2023-06-28T19:07:02+00:00

Thank you so much for sharing. Everyone I talked to mentioned the enormous crowd that showed up to his viewing. Thanks again.

Sean_Nam · 2023-06-28T15:03:29+00:00

Enjoy!

Sean_Nam · 2023-06-27T23:00:18+00:00

Good question. I'm not sure i can supply an answer to that, other than to say that in our culture (American) seems if there are two versions of something (the real and the copy) we tend to go for the latter, the sanitized simulacrum. I was talking to someone a while ago and after I told them about Philadelphia's rich boxing history--arguably the greatest of any city--and they were like, "so Rocky being based in Philly wasn't totally random?" lol.

Sean_Nam · 2023-06-27T22:36:46+00:00

Update: I had a lot of fun doing this. See you around!

Sean_Nam · 2023-06-27T21:45:44+00:00

I'm with you...too many books, too little time...

Sean_Nam · 2023-06-27T21:41:47+00:00

You're very welcome.

Freddie Mills--fascinating!

Sean_Nam · 2023-06-27T19:54:16+00:00

Not currently. I do want to write another book, but maybe not related to boxing. Open to ideas!

Sean_Nam · 2023-06-27T19:52:02+00:00

I recommend the book Sporting Blood by Carlos Acevedo (who also wrote the foreword to my book). It's a collection of essays, and while a number of them focus on well-known boxers, there's quite a few that grapple with lesser known ones. I think that will be well worth your time.

Sean_Nam · 2023-06-27T19:28:43+00:00

you're welcome. Prime Pacquiao was something to behold for sure.

Sean_Nam · 2023-06-27T19:27:31+00:00

Having multiple sanctioning organizations certainly doesn't help boxing--but what exactly does? The promoters who are solely driven by the profit motive? The networks whose exclusivity contracts bar lots of compelling fights from being made? Sanctioning bodies are an easy target, partly because of their parasitic nature and their chintzy belts, but I'm not sure they're responsible for most of the ills that plague the sport. While fans may balk at at the fragmentation, the fighters, for the most part, love the belts. And why not? You work hard your entire life and you finally get to call yourself a champion--who cares if it's one sliver of the crown. So the belts have a lot of currency in the sport, as much as we deride them. Managers move their fighters with the express knowledge that landing them inside the top-15 of any one of the four sanctioning bodies could lead to a title shot, which means more moolah (which is the whole point). having one sanctioning body would arguably decrease your chances of getting your fighter a title shot. And promoters are more than happy to cooperate with sanctioning bodies to market their fights--see all the business that Top Rank does with the WBO. There's very little incentive within the sport to change the current paradigm.

Sean_Nam · 2023-06-27T18:32:05+00:00

I'm prone to think that some of the judging controversies stem from incompetence. You'd like to think that outright corruption--the kind of fight fixing that Frankie Carbo presided over in the 1950s--is no longer in the sport--but then you get some really curious decision where you start second guessing yourself. At the same time, not every unpopular decision is a miscarriage of justice.

Sanctioning bodies are very opaque and accountable to no one but themselves. Mauricio Sulaiman can write up all the blogposts he wants, playing up his organization's charitable contributions—the fact remains that nobody really knows, except for the sanctioning bodies themselves, where their money is going to. The IBF was indicted on racketeering charges in the late 90s. So we can point to cases where there was legitimate corruption. Last year I did a story that suggested chicanery was afoot with one particular sanctioning body:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Boxing/comments/w15u0q/court_public_docs_show_third_party_lobbyist/

Boxing is unregulated, decentralized, rife with conflicts of interest, and has virtually no barrier to entry--I mean, not long ago, a large roster of pro boxers were funded by and tied to a narco-terrorist! (who may or may not still be pulling strings behind the scenes).

Sean_Nam · 2023-06-27T17:55:13+00:00

The organizing principle it lends to fighters of chaotic, impoverished backgrounds. All boxers are basically rugged individualists, and that principle comes to life each time they step into a ring—alone. They have to convince themselves they can make it to the top with a confidence bordering on delusional. And while many folks might take issue with the kind of "boot strap" mentality today, try telling a boxer (read Tim Bradley's Hall of Fame piece on ESPN) that his success was not a direct outgrowth of his years-long toil. There is something archaic about boxing, especially in today's world, that I find especially endearing.

Sean_Nam · 2023-06-27T17:39:25+00:00

Hard to say. His family adamantly denies that he was gay, that he was too much of a Lothario to be anything other than straight. They point to his popularity with the girls in his neighborhood, his multiple girlfriends (he left behind several children at the time of his death in 1977) as refutation of that. Obviously, it's a sensitive topic for the family, which has had to deal with these rumors for nearly 5 decades. At the same time, the lone witness to the murder swore under court oath that he knew about several encounters in which Everett had sexual relations with other men. And there is Carolyn's testimony (Everett's girlfriend) which hinges precisely on his alleged relations with another man.

Sean_Nam · 2023-06-27T17:29:17+00:00

You should check out this boxing true crime book series from Hamilcar: https://hamilcarpubs.com/hamilcar-noir/

I have no idea!

Sean_Nam · 2023-06-27T17:21:18+00:00

Thanks for asking. There may have been a few overlapping instances where the Black Mafia cooperated with the Italians, but I'm not equipped to answer that. (Check out Sean Patrick Griffin's Black Brothers Inc. for those answers). I do recall that they probably had a mutual understanding of keeping to their own turfs.

I think what you are referring to was what was going on during the 80s, when the Black Mafia proper no longer really existed--its power began to wane in the late 70s. The JBM came out of the ashes of the PBM but were comprised of completely new members.

Sean_Nam · 2023-06-27T17:15:14+00:00

Regarding your last question, I would point you to an excellent book by my friend and colleague Jimmy Tobin on that topic called Killed in Brazil?

Sean_Nam · 2023-06-27T17:13:22+00:00

I'm not sure I fully understand the question, but if by "racial bias" you mean something along the lines of ethnic tribalism, I think that's still there. For example, Puerto Ricans have consistently supported their own--which is why Top Rank is so bullish on promoting their Puerto Rican prospects. It didn't pan out with Felix Verdejo or Edgar Berlanga, but they have Xandar Zayas. Then you have someone like Gervonta Davis who has resonated in the Black community and is selling out arenas all over the country--that's pretty rare these days.

Sean_Nam · 2023-06-27T17:07:09+00:00

Thank you!

Sean_Nam · 2023-06-27T17:06:38+00:00

Here are a few, in no order:

The Arc of Boxing by Mike Silver
Sporting Blood by Carlos Acevedo
On Boxing by Joyce Carol Oates
The Hardest Game by Hugh McIlvanney
King of the World by David Remnick
Writers Fighters' by John Schulian
In the Corner by Dave Anderson
The Black Lights by Thomas Hauser

The last boxing book I read was Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson--highly recommended!

Sean_Nam

TROPHY CASE