Travels in Boxing: From Snowstorms to Sunshine!

From one extreme to another, I started the New Year freezing back East, visiting the famed Boardwalk Hall (“House of Gatti”) and walking down Don King Plaza in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The wind chill factor was unlike anything I was used to but outfitted in a thick parka, warm gloves and long scarf we set out to pay homage to the famous fight venue on the Boardwalk. In the bitterness of winter, the historic Boardwalk was completely desolate. But undeterred I got to see the arena where so many infamous bouts have taken place. Curiously, a street sign proclaiming Don King Plaza leads right to this landmark. “Only in America,” I laughed.

Now fast forward to spring and having just returned from an Easter holiday in Mexico swimming with a dolphin named “Ali,” just like the legendary heavyweight champion, of course. From the below zero temps of the U.S. to the picture-perfect climate of the Mexican Riviera, these were my two longest breaks away from boxing. And yet the sport still managed to sneak into my vacation as you can see below in some personal snapshots with a few new amigos met along the way!

It was not easy to leave; always on the grind, I couldn’t imagine taking any break away from boxing. And since I would be “stuck” on a cruise ship, there would be no local newspapers, no quick Internet fix on my Blackberry, and no texting to my boxing pals.

But a few boxing connections managed to find me at sea, saving me from a complete disconnection from the sport. The ship featured many Muhammad Ali paintings, photographs and artwork aboard for the guests to admire and even purchase. Passing the decks several times a day, it was good to see “The Greatest of All Time” mugging back at us.

At our first port, while checking out Cabo Wabo (the original cantina founded by rocker Sammy Hagar) placed prominently on the walls of the eatery was a photo of the former Van Halen frontman with the popular Tijuana slugger Erik Morales. There in Cabo San Lucas was “El Terrible” smiling back at us. “Only in Mexico,” I chuckled.

A couple of days later while shopping at Wal-Mart in Puerto Vallarta (yes, there is an awesome Wal-Mart in PV!), I found a whole stash of Seyer gloves and boxing equipment on the racks. Seyer (Reyes spelled backwards) is the Mexican glove that Muhammad Ali chose to wear while training for his 1973 fight against Joe Bugner.

But the funniest Ali boxing connection happened during one of my shore excursions. While swimming with the dolphins, I bonded with two of the 350-pound creatures from the sea. I was first introduced to “Gandalf” and then met another gray charismatic playmate of his. This one was my favorite. When we asked the trainers what his name was, they answered, “ALI!” Yep, just like “The Greatest.”

And it was great getting away but it’s also nice to come back.

Always passionate about the sweet science, when I first set out for my voyage I had left with a heavy heart knowing I would miss out on a few local fights. But upon my return I thought, “What could possibly change in a week?”

Apparently, a lot. There was a lot of big news that happened during the time I was floating on the ocean.

When we docked and arrived home, I turned my phone on to catch up on the news. Wow! A lot to catch up on…

I found out that Amir Khan won his match versus Paul McCloskey by technical decision in Manchester after McCloskey was cut in the sixth round. With the victory, Khan looks right on schedule to face Timothy Bradley on July 23. That will be one to watch.

Then I saw that Victor Ortiz beat Andre Berto in what everyone said is a top “Fight of the Year” candidate especially after the surprising knockdowns by the two warriors. Ortiz really has everyone talking again after that performance.

Additional news hitting hard was the TKO defeat of Juan Manuel Lopez by Orlando Salido! Who would’ve thought the unbeaten JuanMa would be stopped early in the eighth by the tough Mexican from Sonora?

Yet another headline during my time away was the news of Joseph Agbeko collapsing from sciatica and being forced to reschedule his highly-anticipated clash against Abner Mares, with the bantamweight tourney continuing with Yonnhy Perez and Vic Darchinyan filling in for the main event. The other news would be of the “Raging Bull” coming back with a vengeance, beating Perez by technical decision in round five after an unintentional head butt.

What else could happen in a such a short break away from the wacky world of sports? Any more shocking news to absorb?

Yes! While I was gone, the Los Angeles Dodgers were taken over by Major League Baseball to protect the “finances, best interests and operations” of the club! Wow. How often does that happen?

And in basketball news, the Los Angeles Lakers (the defending Back-to Back NBA champions) were beat by the New Orleans Hornets in Game 1 of the first round of playoffs in what would ultimately become a competitive series.

But back to boxing. After taking a brief time out for a very relaxing vacation, time to get back to business.

In a sport where exciting bouts, thrilling knockouts and shocking upsets can always occur, 2011 has been a great year for boxing.

Think of what we’ve already witnessed. The year really started out with a bang with Mauricio Herrera upset over Ruslan Provodnikov on January 7 in Las Vegas, Nonito Donaire’s destruction of Fernando Montiel in February, Brandon Rios’ gritty win against Venezuela’s Miguel Acosta and just earlier this month, the impressive showing of everyone’s favorite “Action Hero” Erik Morales! And in between these high-profile victories have been many more amateur and pro victories that have kept fans on their feet.

It’s no wonder I needed a break from all the non-stop excitement.

And there was no live boxing offered during my vacation. Believe me, I searched for it. No boxing rings to be found–just a bull ring we visited.

But after two days of realizing I was “captive” on the ship, I finally relaxed and enjoyed my short hiatus apart from the boxing community. Mexico was the perfect place for a getaway. The weather, the food, the beaches and the people of Cabo San Lucas and Puerto Vallarta make it an all-encompassing paradise for visitors. But sadly, the country has also been hit by so much violence that our stop to Mazatlán was canceled due to the dangerous conditions there right now.

As my sea legs are slowly fading away and my hectic pace is rapidly coming back, I will remember the time spent in Mexico where after a few days I stopped wearing a watch, I stopped wondering what I was missing out on back home and I finally stopped worrying about mundane stuff that bogs us all down. And I also noticed that the obligatory “boxing fist” that automatically pops out when I take photos practically ceased during the trip.

But now that I’m back, the fist is ready to go!

Home safely, I am slowly succeeding in my re-entry back to civilization after ten days away.

Already looking ahead to all the fights coming up–live and on TV! Locally, there’s the Thompson Boxing cards in Ontario, Golden Boy’s “Fight Night Clubs” at Club Nokia, the Reno, Chumash and Fantasy Springs fights, Andre Ward-Arthur Abraham on May 14, Alfonso Gomez-Calvin Green on May 21, the June 4 showdown at Staples Center with Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. vs. Sebastian Zbik and of course, the Manny Pacquiao-Shane Mosley showdown just around the corner. Then you also have to factor in all the other local club shows in and around town, the weigh-ins, the press conferences, the frequent amateur fights, the pro action on ESPN “Friday Night Fights,” Solo Boxeo, Showtime, HBO and sooo much more!

WHEW. Looks like I will need another vacation very soon.

!Viva México!

And see you at the fights!

Photos courtesy of Michele Chong