Police Detain Wife of Former Boxing Champion Gatti

By TALES AZZONI, Associated Press Writer

SAO PAULO (AP)—The wife of former boxing champion Arturo Gatti was detained as a suspect by Brazilian authorities Sunday following his death at a posh seaside resort.

Police said 23-year-old Amanda Rodrigues was taken into custody after contradictions in her interrogation. Gatti’s body was found early Saturday in a hotel room at the Porto de Galinhas resort in northeastern Brazil.

The former junior welterweight champion was apparently strangled with the strap of a purse, which was found at the scene with blood stains, said Milena Saraiva, a spokeswoman for the Pernambuco state civil police. She told The Associated Press that the Canadian also had a head injury.

The investigation was not complete, but Saraiva said authorities were preparing to present a formal accusation against Rodrigues, who denied being involved in her husband’s death.

Police said Rodrigues, a Brazilian, could not explain how she spent nearly 10 hours in the room without noticing that Gatti was already dead.

Police were investigating witness reports that the couple fought and Gatti was drunk when he returned to his room Friday night, Saraiva said, adding that police were told the pair were extremely jealous of each other and that he constantly complained of her clothing when she traveled to Brazil.

Acelino “Popo” Freitas, a four-time world champion Brazilian boxer, told Globo TV’s Web site on Saturday that he was a close friend of Gatti and his wife and that he “knew they were having some sort of problem and were about to separate.”

The couple’s 1-year-old son, who was unhurt, was with Rodrigues’ sister, Saraiva said.

The 37-year-old Gatti, whose epic trilogy with Micky Ward branded him one of the most exciting fighters of his generation, retired in 2007 with a career record of 40-9 and 31 knockouts.

Known for his straightforward punching and granite-like chin, Gatti captured the junior welterweight title in 1995, when he defeated Tracy Harris Patterson in Atlantic City.

A Hap Navarro Time Capsule

Arturo Gatti Has Died

Former IBF Super featherweight and WBC Junior Welterweight Champion Arturo Gatti has died today. He was found dead in Brazil earlier today by his wife. Some reports say his death is the result of head trauma. Gatti was 37.

Gatti was an old school hard fighting champion best known for his vicious battles with Ivan Robinson and Mickey Ward but certainly, every one of his fights was an edge of your seat cliff hanger. He only knew one way to fight and left nothing in the ring.

R.I.P. Champ


Defending champion Arturo Gatti, left, gets around the guard of James Leija in their World Boxing Council junior-welterweight title fight.
Photo: Reuters

Arturo Gatti's Career Record Here

A Video Tribute to Alexis Arguello By Pepe Rodriguez

A moving tribute to an all time great, Alexis Arguello. Gracious in victory and in defeat, Alexis was the epitome of a Champion.

ALEXIS ARGUELLO from PEPE RODRIGUEZ on Vimeo.

Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. vs Manny Pacquiao: who would win?

By Randy De La O

I'll pick Chavez at any weight. No doubt Chavez had trouble with Meldrick Taylor's hand speed. If you judge a fighter on the quantity of his punches you're likely to go with a fighter like Taylor, if you go with Quality of the punch than Chavez and fighters like him are your guys. The proof as they say, is in the pudding, Taylor was never the same after the Chavez fight, that wouldn't have changed even if Richard Steele had let the fight continue. The truth is, while Taylor was busy scoring points, Chavez was busy kicking his butt. Steele did right stopping that fight. Throughout the fight, whether you agree that the fight should have been stopped or not, Chavez kept his cool, never got discouraged and never wavered from his goal, which was to hurt and stop Taylor.

Pacquiao on the other hand was beaten by Erik Morelas in the first of their three fights, and Morales was already winding down his great career, Pacquiao also recieved a draw and a split decision against Juan Manuel Marquez, and you can easily make a case that Marquez won both fights, but regardless, they were close. Pacquiao has been ducking Marquez ever since. There has to be a reason.

Beating Oscar De La Hoya at this point in De La Hoya's career doesn't really amount to much, neither does beating Hatton, a fine fighter to be sure but with limitations.

Chavez had a cast Iron chin and skull and did not get stopped until late in his career, suffering TKO's from both Oscar De la Hoya , twice, one on cuts, with Chavez unable to continue and the other in the second fight with Chavez unable to answer the bell for the ninth round. Pacquiao was KO'ed twice; in his 12th fight with Rustico Torrecampo, and in his 28th fight against against Medgoen Singsurat. He can be stopped.

I'm making this comparison not to degrade Pacquiao but because the question was asked, who would win between the two. These are my reasons but as in any fight, circumstances change and there are always the intangibles, still given what I know I'll pick Chavez by a late round KO.

Julio Cesar Chavez' Career Record

Manny Pacquiao's Career Record

World's Greatest Ever Boxer - You Decide

www.greatestever.com

2-4 OCTOBER 2009, PARIS LAS VEGAS

Tickets are on-sale now for the World's Greatest Ever Boxer event at the Paris Hotel and Resort, Las Vegas. YOU can be present at this once-in-a-lifetime weekend of boxing events rubbing shoulders with Boxing's greats at this exclusive event. FOR TICKETS CALL: North America - 914 941 3366 / 847 917 8497 UK - 0845 0945 606 Europe - +44 845 0945 606 Asia - +61 3 5989 7666 Australia - 1300 788 666

www.greatestever.com

Happy Birthday America

Happy Fourth of July

To All my Family and Friends

God Bless America!

HBO Legendary Nights: Aaron Pryor and Alexis Arguello

Aaron Pryor Remembers Alexis Arguello

Alexis Arguello vs Aaron Pryor

November 12, 1982, Orange Bowl, Miami, Florida

Fight of the Year 1982

Fight of the Decade 1980's

A Country Mourns

Photos and Notations Courtesy of Yahoo

In this Saturday, June 27, 2009 photo, former lightweight boxing world champion Alexis Arguello, of Nicaragua, is pictured during an inauguration of a public boxing gymnasium named after Arguello, in Carolina, Puerto Rico. Arguello, who was also the current mayor of the Nicaraguan capital Managua, was found dead in his Managua home on Wednesday, July 1. (AP Photo/Anthony Luna)

A woman wipes away tears while mourning the death of Managua's mayor Alexis Arguello in Managua July 1, 2009. Arguello, the three-times world boxing champion who was elected mayor of Nicaragua's capital last year, was found dead on Wednesday in an apparent suicide, local media reported. REUTERS/Oscar Navarrete/La Prensa (NICARAGUA OBITUARY POLITICS SPORT BOXING)


People on foot and in vehicles accompany the hearse carrying the body of Alexis Arguello, former world boxing great and Managua Mayor, in Managua, Wednesday, July 1, 2009. Arguello was found dead at his home Wednesday, prompting three days of official mourning for a rising star of the Sandinista party who once bitterly opposed the leftist movement. (AP Photo/Miguel Alvarez)


People wave Sandinista flags while riding in front of the hearse carrying the body of Managua's mayor Alexis Arguello in Managua July 1, 2009. Arguello, the three-times world boxing champion who was elected mayor of Nicaragua's capital last year, was found dead on Wednesday in an apparent suicide, local media reported. REUTERS/Oscar Navarrete/La Prensa

Alexis Arguello Has Died

Alexis Arguello

1952-2009

Alexis Arguello vs Aaron Pryor

Orange Bowl, Miami, Florida

November 12, 1982

"See, I respect boxing because it has given me so much and that’s why I will never allow anyone to mistreat the sport of boxing if I can help it."

- Alexis Arguello

By Randy De La O

In an era that produced such stellar fighters as; Roberto Duran, Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvin Hagler, Tommy Hearns, Wilfredo Benitz, Wilfredo Gomez, Salvador Sanchez, Bobby Chacon, Danny "Little Red" Lopez, Ruben Olivares , and in a sport where even the contenders held the mantel of greatness with aplomb and grace, Alexis Arguello stood as tall as any of them. In an era where great fighters fought each other for the right to be called the best, Alexis Arguello fought the best.

Arguello fought his first fight forty one years ago, August 1, 1968 in Managua, Nicaragua against someone named Cachorro Amaya, getting stopped in the first round of a scheduled four round fight. He fought his last fight on January 21, 1995 in Las Vegas, Nevada, losing a ten round decision to Scott Walker. In between those years Arguello won titles in three weight classes; Featherweight, Super Featherweight, and Lightweight. He lifted the WBA Featherweight crown from Mexican great "Rockabye" Ruben Olivares on November 23, 1974 stopping Olivares in the 13th round of their 15 round fight. He successfully defended his title several times before moving up in weight to challenge Alfredo Escalera for the WBC Super Featherweight title. The fight took place on January 1, 1978 in Escalera's home turf of San Juan, Puerto Rico. Arguello won a hard fought and exciting fight by stopping Escalera in the 13th round. On June 20, 1981 Arguello once again moved up to challenge the respected WBC Lightweight champion from the United Kingdom, Jim Watt. The fight, which took place at the Empire Pool, Wembley, London, went the distance. Arguello won the fight with a 15 round unanimous decision. It was Watt's last fight and Alexis Arguello's third title.

Arguello defended his titles against the likes of Bobby Chacon, Ruben Castillo, Cornelius Boza Edwards, Jose Luis Ramirez, Rafael "Bazooka" Limon, Andy Ganigan, Ray Mancini and so many more. He never gave anything but his best when he stepped into the ring. He was a champion in the truest sense of the world. He was also a champion with compassion. Who can forget his fight with Ray Mancini, who fighting valiantly, as much for his father as for himself, was finally stopped in the 14th round of their fight. Arguello, as much a gentleman as he was a champion, put his arm around Mancini and reminded him, that he too failed in his first bid for a world title, a 15 round decision to Ernesto Marcel of Panama. He encouraged Mancini and let him know that his day would come. That act of mercy and compassion would become his signature, his trademark.

Arguello was already an all time great when he moved up once again to
challenge the great Aaron Pryor for Pryor's WBA Junior welterweight title, for an unprecedented fourth title. On November 12, 1982, Alexis Arguello and Aaron Pryor fought their way into boxing immortality, in one of the great fights of the 1980's, a fight that would stand out in any era.

On this night it would be Aaron Pryor that would have his arms raised in victory. In the 14th round, after a grueling, exhausting and exciting fight, Alexis Arguello was knocked out, and in a sickening manner. It was painful. Up to that point it was still anyone's fight. Arguello had landed right hands that would have knocked out middleweights but Pryor was at the top of his game that night. There would be no fourth title for Arguello.

Arguello had two more fights before once again challenging Aaron Pryor for the title. His first fight after his loss to Pryor was against Vilomar Fernandez of the Bronx, New York, by way of the Dominican Republic, winning a 10 round decision and avenging an 1978 loss to Fernandez. Next up was former WBALightweight Champ Claude Noel. Noel was knocked out in the 3rd round. The second Arguello-Pryor fight ended with a 10th round KO of Arguello. Arguello retired but came back two years later to fight Pat Jefferson, knocking him out in the 5th round. His next fight was with former WBC Lightweight Champion Billy Costello. The durable Costello was stopped in the fourth round.

Arguello has been a favorite of mine from the very beginning. He was the epitome of coolness in the ring and the master of patience. He was a master counter puncher and a consumate professional. It's not enough to say that he was a great Latin fighter, he was a great fighter, a great champion. He will be missed by his fans.

I met Alexis Arguello in 1976 while training at the Main Street Gym in Los Angeles. He was training for a fight. I can't remember who his opponent was but looking at his record the only fight that shows in that time frame is a fight with Salvador Torres at the Forum in Inglewood, a fight he won by a 3rd round knockout. Arguello was only there a week or so but I had the chance to meet him, talk with and shake his hand. He was very humble, reserved and quiet.

Alexis Arguello died earlier today, the victim of a self inflicted gun shot wound. A suicide. I cannot imagine what demons drove him to such an act. Alexis was born on April 19, 1952. He was 57 at the time of his death. It is a great loss to his family and friends, his countrymen and the sport of boxing. He will always be remembered as a class act. A good guy. A man who gave his all to his sport. Even in losing, he lost like a champion, going out on his shield. He will always be a champion. He belongs to history now.

My condolences to the family of Alexis Arguello. Rest in peace Champ! You will be missed.

A Decade-long quest to find Rocky Lockridge

Courtesy: The Star-Ledger

by Todd Schmerler/For The Star-Ledger June 27, 2009 9:51PM

It's hard to pinpoint exactly why I became fascinated with Rocky Lockridge.

Maybe it was because, like me, he was from New Jersey. Maybe it was because he was a consummate underdog, at 5' 5" short even for a featherweight. Maybe it was because he was on the undercard of one of the first fight cards I attended at Ice World in Totowa and won by first-round knockout, then autographed my program afterward.

Whatever the reason, I was a teenager in the mid-1980s as Rocky rose from local attraction to title contender to world champion. For a while, I was all about boxing and all about Rocky Lockridge, regaling bored high school friends with stories about how great he was.

Take Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvin Hagler and Larry Holmes, I would say. I'll take Rocky.

Ten years ago I decided to look him up, perhaps for a feature story, but also out of curiosity. Whatever happened to Rocky, I wondered, who would have been about 40 at the time. Working in the sports department, I figured it would be easy to find him. The Internet turned up no relevant information so I turned to the Lexis Nexis system, which reveals phone numbers and addresses for anyone who has applied for almost anything -- driver's license, mortgage, even a credit card.

Nothing came up.

I gave up and moved on to something else, but Rocky stayed in the back of my mind. Once a year I would go back to Lexis Nexis, back to the Internet, hoping for a nugget of information that would lead me to Rocky.

Year after year I came up empty, and after close to a decade of wondering, I gave up.

Then, last year, a breakthrough.

I had joined the social networking craze known as Facebook to get back in touch with some old friends, and just for kicks I did a search for Rocky Lockridge.

Bingo -- sort of. A Ricky Lockridge came up, located in the D.C. area. Ricky was Rocky's given name, so I sent a message to Ricky's inbox, asking if he knew Rocky.

The answer came back: "He's my dad. Do you know Rocky Lockridge?"

I let him know that I was a reporter looking for Rocky to write a story about him, and I would love to get his phone number, or at least his whereabouts -- at least what state he lived in. I didn't hear back for about a month, but then Ricky Lockridge let me in on what was going on.

He had not heard a word from his father in 15 years, but just a few weeks prior to my making contact, Ricky had heard from a mail carrier in Camden named Orlando Pettigrew that Rocky was homeless, living on the streets of Camden. Ricky put me in touch with Orlando.

A couple weeks later I drove down to Camden to meet Rocky. Orlando told me his story, that he had heard that a world boxing champion from the '80s was living on the streets of his city, and went and found him, helped him, gave him food, tried to get him into a shelter and tracked down and contacted his son.

Orlando, who seems to know everyone in Camden, found Rocky for me. Though dirty and hungry, Rocky was gracious and polite. He had been on the streets for 10 years and walked with a four-pronged cane after suffering a stroke, he said, three years prior.

He allowed me to interview him for over an hour. Afterward I went home, thinking about how nice it is just to have a home to go to.

Courtesy: The Star-Ledger

Rocky Lockridge Vs. Roger Mayweather KO-1

WBA World Super Featherweight Title

February 26, 1984

Civic Center

Beaumont, Texas

A really great day in the life of Rocky Lockridge