A few hours after Bernard Hopkins defeated Felix Trinidad, I scanned eggs with Buddha Schulberg, and he told me about the arrest of Leni Riefenstahl.

“She was handsome,” Budd told me this morning. “But she mixed up with bad people.”

I was in a city where other bad men did their work a few weeks earlier and forced the fight to push two weeks. The dust was still ponderous from the fallen towers during my unforgettable five days in Novel York. The Buddian agreed when we appeared on Sunday morning, vivid sun and the memory of a truly epic fight, 12 rounds in medium weight, last night in the fresh garden in our heads.

“It really was one of the best,” added Budd. I agreed.

Words and sound of singing Ray Charles America handsome When Bernard approached the ring. What a night. In the seats next to me, hundreds of firefighters squeezed with a desperate handle and cried and a badge. Many came straight from the ruins of the twin towers, dust and dirt still smudged on their faces, broken only by tears. They submitted a submission at 21.45, walking show and the biggest standing ovation I’ve ever heard. It was a drama, don’t make a mistake.

Don King took his eyes, waved with two flags and nodded at men and women of the police and the fire brigade. The place was humid with sadness and regret, and then Hopkins approached the ring. And Ray Charles sang.

The ring was full before the first bell. Roberto Duran, Emile Griffith, Jake Lamotta and Vito Antoufermo. Icons on the night of pride, more than just a parade – were men who had huge nights in Novel York.

I didn’t notice much about King’s flags: “His flags disappeared so much; they look like relics from the battle. Flags displayed in the museum.” They swayed into a night where you can wash the color to the horror just a few kilometers away.

Tito wore a policeman’s hat; Hopkins, the red mask and his team supported the helmets of firefighters. Oh, boy. And Ray Charles sang.

Over the years, the senior garden was many things, that night it was a scene of global and very public waking for thousands of dead. It was also an ideal place to fight the delayed and really brilliant fight of Trinidad and Hopkins.

The couple met at the conference, not the one in Puerto Rico, where Hopkins stood on the flat. It was one or four days before the fight in which Hopkins offered Tito Bean and Rice. Even King knew it was awkward. However, Hopkins was great with his time that day, talking about terrorists, talking about his powerful beliefs in Islam and talking about a fight.

“Those guys who took planes and did what they did,” said Hopkins. “They followed a message like a soldier – don’t be an observer, because it can lead you straight to the hellish fire. Ask questions, look for answers; read the book.” He was on the edge, ready. By the way, he received a warranty of six million dollars less than the Tito warranty. Hopkins just knew; Bookmakers had 40 Tito as their favorite.

King finished the conference, asking everyone to break for a second, and then told us: “Tell someone you love them.” Ten minutes later, Hopkins said: “There is no love in the air. I have to block what happened.” It was frigid, very Hopkins. His black bandana had three letters in white: war. He had 500 made before the attack. Sensitive managerial staff in the garden and on television decided to let him still wear it. “This is a war in boxing for him, there is always a boxing war for him,” noted King. Hopkins would refuse to give up a basic message of the fight. “I don’t want to earn a tragedy,” he said. “I am in the war, I am always in the war.”

King and Tito visited Engine Company No. 54, and King never mentioned the fight. The city consumed death and destruction, but the king rightly, in my opinion, refused to move the fight to Las Vegas or Detroit. “Novel York deserved it,” King insisted.

Hopkins was in Novel York when the attack took place. He watched smoke. He was to train on the waterfront in the shade of Twin Towers that day at 11 am. Two days earlier it came from Las Vegas. “I saw the first plane; I thought it was crazy. I saw the second plane, it was it. I forgot about the fight,” Hopkins told me. It was part of the changed week.

He was set to a miracle in the ring. Hopkins in MasterClass. Tito broke, his father in tears. The end in the last round was brutal. Father Tito intervened in nine. It was a special fight. Never forget about it, a city or a crime.

For a long time I talked to Lou Dibella, repair of the fight and indefinite in Novel York, in a press conference. He still seemed a bit stunned. “I don’t remember the time when a great warrior was so thoroughly and completely beaten.” Dibella was an advisor to Hopkins in battle.

That night, Hopkins was kind, respectful, polite to the man he just ruined. Trinidad was broken, I saw and sensed that after the fight – he was broken in an invincible manner of fighters, which was said that they were unbearable, they suffer. “I said for months that it would be an effortless fight,” added Hopkins. He was so good at night, so perfect, so Hopkins.

Yes, Bud, it really was one of the best.

On May 4, 1973, Frankie Lucas from Sir Philip Game from Croydon ABC defeated Carla Speare from Liverpool in this year’s final ABA Middle Wweight at Empire Pool in Wembley. This was the second victory in Aba Lucas’s championships, after defeating another Liverpudlian, Tony Byrne, in 1972. During his triumph over Spear, he seemed to be intended for great things.

The well -known great puncher, Lucas was also inclined to cut, and when he went to Belgrade next month to take part in the European Championships, BN was a bit guarded in predicting that he could do it well, “Lucas is particularly effective with a enormous right right, but I would feel a little more hopeful about his opportunities, if he returns to his elderly style of natural aggression, because these time seems to that he is so concentrated by his defense. ” Lucas lost in the quarter -finals with the final winner, Russian, Vyacheslavem Lemechev. His great form saw that he took position number one throughout the year in Amateur BN ratings and seemed to be a shoe in the Games of the Nations Community in 1974, in which he hoped to win gold for England.

Aba dropped the bomb in October 1973, when they chose Speare for the game team, and the man Croydon was understandable, enraged. In Article BN, headed by “Lucas Hopping Mad Over Games Snub” Frankie said: “I’m just too handed to think about what to do in the future. I had my heart to win the golden medal in Christchurch. I had offers to change the professional, but I stopped because I wanted to win the title of the community. Olympic team.

He decided soon. When he was born in ST Vincent, he contacted this federation to ask if he could box them at the games and they jumped him. Thus, the medium weight tournament of the community of the Nations Community in 1974 would have some skin and the needle and was observed with considerable interest. Speare is still impressive in England. This season, he won three of the four international competitions for England and was part of the very robust team of England, which also included Billy Knight, Robbie Davies, Mickey Abrams and Pat Cowdell.

Both boys won two open competitions at matches, and then were tailored to each other in the semi -final, and the loser won the bronze medal. I remember the emotions generated by this scrap because the games were well television. Lucas and Speare fought with another arduous, close competition, and the national coach Kevin Hickey said that “their finale ABA was close, the decision to choose Speare instead of Lucas was close, and the semi -final could go both ways and Frank got it.” Lucas had to feel a great sense of satisfaction, because although he did not feel hostile to his opponent, he had a great result to settle with the authorities.

Now he just had to win the final. He fell against Zambia, Julius Liuipa, who performed extremely well and was a miniature favorite. None of this was significant for Frankie, who after cutting out in the first round took the initiative in the second and downed his rival, then blew him up for good with a enormous right hook.

Both Lucas and Speare turned to their professionalism in 1974 and although their paths never exceeded in paid ranks, each of them had a respected career. Lucas has twice questioned the British medium weight title with the two best, Kevin Finnegan and Alan Minter.

Muhammad Ali vs Joe Frazier (1971-1975)

Certainly the biggest sports competition of them all. Two great massive scales, two very different characters. Ali was bold and swift, raging quietly and proud. They were also very different in the ring.

“The problem with you, Joe, is that you can’t

“But I can fight,” answered Frazier. And the boy could fight.

Their first meeting, in Madison Square Garden in March 1971, was the biggest event in the history of boxing, displayed in 35 foreign countries and had similarities with the first fight between Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury, because he directed the prevailing master (phrase) against the line master (Ali).

Both were unbeatable-Frazier won all 26, Ali had 31-0-and the competition became personal with Ali Dramting Frazier, calling him “ugly” and “stupid” and worse. The phrase replied with his fists, dropping Ali in the last to make sure that winning unanimously points.

The bad feeling between Ali and the Frazier spilled in the days before the rematch, both were fined in the amount of $ 5,000 after the clash, when they watched the repetition of the first joint fight.

Ali provided less drama in the ring, clearly winning points. Next was “Trełka in Manila”.

“It’s a real hatred,” said the phrase in gathering. “I want to hurt him.”

Ali seemed less motivated, probably dispersed by the company of his mistress in the Philippines.

“[Frazier] He looked like Ali wanted to hit during the instructions, “Ferdie Paczeco, Ali, remembered.” Ali looked as if he expected a tennis playing. ” During the fight, Jerry Izenberg, a well -known sports writer, sensed that Ali and Frazier “fought for the championship”, and after 14 rounds of action in heating heat could not.

According to Wali Muhammad, “Cut ‘Em Off” was an instructions for Ali. “He was tired,” Muhammad remembered. “He wanted us to cut the gloves. [Trainer] Angelo [Dundee] He ignored him. “

Dundee was saved before making a decision because he called the judge by Eddie Futch. The phrase said: “It’s over. The world will never forget what you have done here today.”

Dundee later said: “Both guys lacked gas, only my guy had an additional tank.”

Floyd Patterson vs Ingemar Johansson (’59 -’61)

The only case of the Swedish Playboy Johansson, who defeated the favorite 1/5, seemed to be if he could land with his right hand.

Johansson boasted: “No man can get up” Tooner “(Grzmot)”, and when he landed on Patterson’s chin in the third round, he landed on his back. Patterson was still Groggy and looked at his corner to get advice when the fight resumed, and Johansson did not show him mercy, smashing him to the floor, smashing him to the floor.

In the third round there was a total of seven knocking before the judge announced Johansson with a fresh champion. The story was in the corner of Johansson, when they met in a rematch 12 months later. No massive weight has previously regained the title. Patterson was determined to become the first. He was faster to stab, and his left hook kept Johansson’s right hand glued to the chin.

He couldn’t stop Patterson’s left hook in the third round. Johansson fell, and Patterson’s strength on the left hook later in the round made him unconscious. 10 minutes passed before Johansson could leave the ring.

They were both in a dramatic opening round in a rubber match. Patterson first fell on his right hand. The same blow forced him again, and Johansson went to the finish. He fell into the left hook and was on the floor.

Of these two Patterson, he seemed more shocked, but at the end of the third, Johansson cut both eyes and hurt him with body shots. Johansson responded to the edema under the left eye of Patterson, but to the sixth Swede disappeared, and Patterson chopped him to the floor with the laws.

Riddick Bowe vs Evander Holyfield (’92 -’95)

From 32 rounds Bowe and Holyfield fought, we will always be remembered.

Bowe was the first to break down in the 10th round of his first fight, in Las Vegas in November 1992. Holyfield remembered: “Bowe hit me more than ever I was hit in my life, a substantial blow to the chin. I saw the stars … They danced around my head, like in one of these senior cartoons.”

For about the next minute, Bowe threw everything at Holyfield, firing 40 full -blooded blows at him. Somehow the champion remained on his feet, and Holyfield gathered, pushing the heavier Bowy and hitting with mighty beard blows.

Bowe answered and bombs threw herself at each other as the bell rang. Bowe has remained more in the tank over the last two rounds, dropping Holyfield on the 11th place on the way to a unanimous victory.

In the seventh round of the rematch there was a drama when Bowe, Holyfield and Judge Mills Lane almost joined in the ring by parachutist James Miller. In one of the most strange incidents in heavyweight history, he hit the ring lights in the Caesar Palace, causing a delay in over 20 minutes. After the resumption of Holyfield, he adhered to his game plan and went to most of the victory.

Then he lost to Michael Moorer, and Holyfield retired after diagnosing a heart defect.

He returned to overtake Ray Mercer and configured a rubber match with Bowe, who used the satisfactory knockout of the former amateur winner Jorge Luis González.

After five rounds, Bowe looked close to victory against Holyfield.

The judge and doctor were so worried, they went to check Holyfield in his corner. They decided that he could continue, and Holyfield met Bowe in the middle of the ring at the beginning of the sixth, forced him to replace him and dropped him with his left hook, pointing to the amazing return.

Each left hook Holdfield aimed at Waltny Bowe for the next few seconds, and when they replaced the blows again in eighth place, Holyfield was on canvas.

There was nothing left in “Nine”, and Bowe only needed two more shots to end the electrifying trilogy.

The best of the rest
Looking back at other heavyweight competitions, which gave birth to three matches

Muhammad Ali vs Ken Norton

Only the phrase previously defeated Ali, and Norton shared the coach Eddie Futch with him. The senior wise man suspected of Norton’s style was enraged for Ali and so he proved. Ali’s jaw was broken before the last round of Norton sealed nervousness.

Ali would win an immediate return, almost about moving with the moving effort during the closing session. A rubber match, the only of three for the world title, was noted there and back, which again decided on the last round. Two judges had their level of 14 rounds, judge Arthur Mercante had rounded ali.

Dundee said Ali: “Fight like hell, we need this round,” while through the ring the instruction for Norton was: “You don’t risk it. You have a fight.”

Both forbidden orders and Ali, more and more oriented, won unanimously on the results cards.

Danny Williams vs Michael Sprott

Sprott entered to challenge Williams for his British and community stripes of only five -day notification in February 2002, and was dropped and detained in seven rounds.

The rematch continued reading, the hometown of Sprott, 19 months later and ended in controversial. Sprott turned to the judge to complain about the low blow in seventh place and although he did not look, Williams flattened him with his left hook.

The management ordered to fight again, and Sprott won one point, a decision that stunned many in the ring.
Williams complained about the management, but they did not take any action.

Jack Gardner vs Johnny Williams

The first struggle between these rivals from Midlands in the eliminator of the British and British Empire (community of nations) was so exhausting, both later they ended up in the hospital.

Gardner won this fight for points, Williams reversed the result of the rematch, and the decision -maker went to Gardner, a chicken breeder from Market Harborough, LeiceStershire. He dropped Williams four times in five -time demolition.