UPstairs, a woman driving a McClaren is talking to the boss of the gym, and David Adeleye downstairs is boxing in some substantial style. Earlier that day, Ron Lewis passed away.
The day before, Anthony Joshua opened up at a conference and Ron Lewis was there. The next night at Wembley, Adam Azim was ranked 10th for the first time and had a QPR jersey marking the spot where Ron Lewis would sit. By the way, Ron liked the old Empire Hall building. Loved it.
By any standard, that’s an incredibly long three days, and those days cover nearly every part of our business; global stars and their big nights, one kid being rushed on a Saturday night special and another heavyweight, working in isolation late at night, dares to have that golden dream. They were all honest last week: Joshua, Azim, Adeleye and sweet Ron.
Somewhere on the big night at Wembley, Zak Chelli has turned into a decent American and maybe Vidal Riley has finally shown some that he’s not (just) a YouTuber. Honestly, he was a real boxer with Micky May at the old West Ham in Plaistow. Now, that’s the Wild West, son.
Anthony Joshua and Derrick James (Andrew Redington/Getty Image)
On Thursday, Joshua said all the right things and it seemed a bit too honest for some to admit he fights for money. Why is he fighting? Winning a third world title is all about the money. You can still fight for pride, still crave success, but cash is the basis; any other statement is illusory. Joshua said exactly that, and he was branded as a cash mercenary. In modern boxing, that should be a compliment! “This is a business,” said Eddie Hearn. “It’s a business that has to make money.” Hearn is talking about the ongoing Croke Park story, but it applies to the sport as a whole.
Joshua’s new coach was there. Derrick James fought back and forth, at the MGM in Las Vegas, the night that Big George Foreman, another Texas boy, went back in time and knocked out Michael Moorer. That was the night Moorer came down like thick syrup falling from a giant spoon. Big George dumped poor Michael that night. James loses to Joe Lipsey – Lipsey sounds like a name from antiquity. I had to go through and check his profile. Lipsey left the sport after losing to Bernard Hopkins in 1996; it was his only loss in 26 fights. James fought.
I remember James on a winter night in Puebla, Mexico, at a bullring. It was December and in the stands, fans crowded around the burning barrels of oil and firewood. It was a very odd night, a classic night for the Don King boxers. It was stacked and James against Irishman Danny Morgan was tenth on the bill. By the way, both can fight, but this bill is heavy.
That was the night Robbie Davies Snr wore his blazer back to the 1974 Commonwealth Games, and he was everywhere in the ring. Andy Holligan was stopped by Julio Cesar Chavez in one of three world title fights. Michael Nunn defeated Merqui Sosa, but Nunn’s biggest battle of the week was with the scales. Terry Norris lost his light middleweight belt when he was stopped by Simon Brown. That’s a good bill on title matches. Oliver McCall was there, and Tony Tucker won, too. “Macho Man”, Hector Camacho and Frank and Thomas Tate are also on the bill. It’s been a weird week at high altitude. James beat Morgan by points.
Derrick James is in form. Yes, it’s Thursday.
Meanwhile, in Harrod’s shadow in the basement gym called Boxcentric, which has the most amazing picture of John Conteh smiling with Muhammad Ali on the wall, Adeleye is honing her gear. He’s also saying all the right things and in the heavyweight business, it’s hard money.
It was Friday night; Adeleye has been honest in her assessment of her career and the expectations of modern heavyweights. “We have to fight each other,” he insisted. “I’m ready – I don’t call for warriors, but I’ll fight anyone.” He’s moving, talking, and looking like another boxer; A close fight with Kamil Sokolowski might make him realize that not all the men you’re going to defeat understand the game. The other undefeated warriors need to receive that little gold nugget. Adeleye is a better boxer now, after that tough fight, than if Sokolowski had been bowled over two rounds. And he knows it and that takes a degree of honesty. Adeleye does a good job of keeping her thoughts to herself because whenever I hear fighters criticizing other fighters, I’m reminded of that quote, the saying about how the people who criticize you are always the worst. do worse than you. And never has everyone done better.
On Saturday night, Azim was criticized by some for going 10 laps. Then I was in the dressing room with him, his injured right hand started to swell, and he was trying to understand what had happened. He is another brutal honest fighter. “Good thing I fought 10 rounds against an undefeated fighter,” he said, and it was more of a question than a statement. There is no excuse for the hand. He’s right about the rounds.
Three days the boxers looked me in the eye and told their truth. That’s what I call a testimony. The lesson is simple: in boxing, the truth is often inconvenient. Ron Lewis certainly knows about that.
Ron Lewis (Mark Robinson Boxing)
