Posts Tagged ‘Dannie Williams’

After all of the trash talking, a couple of good fighters met in Connecticut for the NABF Championship.  Hank Lundy (22-1-1) got the best of Dannie Williams (21-2) in an entertaining slugfest of a main event on national television.

Williams got out of the gate fast with a knockdown, putting Lundy on the canvas in the first round.  However, Lundy, who is used to getting off of the canvas and finishing strong, dominated the middle rounds with a good jab and got the decision.

Williams was bleeding around the nose after the first, but scored a 10-8 round with the knockdown.  The second round, on my card, was even.  Lundy probably took the lead on the judges cards in about the fifth round and never really looked back.

The judges scored the fight 98-91, 97-92, and 97-92 for Lundy who came away with the unanimous decision.

The upsetting part of the whole night was the rotten commentary of the ESPN2 announce team.  Between rounds seven and eight coming back from a commercial, the announcers said, “This is why Lundy will win this fight”, as they showed him throw four jabs, landing one of them.  Very critical and obviously had some cash on Lundy.  In fact, Teddy Atlas and Joe Tessitore should try to be a little less presumptuous.

“He is the boss”, said Tessitore.  “Lundy is the boss and he has Williams working for him right now.”

Maybe they should quit crying about the controversy in boxing and focus on being a little more unbiased.

Give Williams an A for effort, he hung with a champion and even knocked him down.  He will be back in action soon.

Last August, Dannie Williams was fighting outside in the parking lot of the Covelli Centre.  In that bout against a journeyman named Oscar Cuero, Williams struggled. He fought a good fight, but his hair kept getting into his face, blinding him from oncoming punches.  By the sixth round, his trainer, Jack Loew, grabbed a roll of white athletic tape and turned his fighter into Gene Simmons.  Williams went on to win the fight.

As you can see by the picture, the hair is gone.  One must wonder if that was by Williams’ choice or if Loew slid the barber an extra twenty to lower the blade a bit. Either way, Williams (21-1, 17 KO’s) faces his toughest challenge to date in Hank Lundy (21-1-1, 11 KO’s) on Friday night in Connecticut at the Foxwoods MGM.  The fight will be nationally televised on ESPN2’s Friday Night Fights.

Williams, since the Cuero fight, has had a couple of tune-ups and stayed very active to set up this payday.  Now fighting out of the DiBella camp, a win could spell even bigger things like HBO in June.

“He brings some skills to the table, but he also brings the NABF title to the table”, said Williams.  “This is also a WBA eliminator, so something big can happen for the winner.”

“From here on out, every fight is the biggest fight of my career.  To beat Lundy, I want to score a knockout.  I will test his heart, if he can stand there and take the pressure, then this main event fight might go longer than I want it to, but I see a knockout, and it comes free with the basic cable.”

Williams is starting to get some national recognition.  Call it stronger promoting, better exposure, and defeating quality opponents the last few times out.  He has earned this chance and is anxious to be impressive and look like the more dominant fighter.

“I am real humble”, said Williams.  “However, after March 30, the fan base is gonna get real big.  Everything is going great and I am focused.  I got a nutritionist now, I am eating three times a day, just not eating the same stuff anymore, and I feel a difference, I feel much stronger.”

“It’s on…  I promise you wont want to miss it!”

Popo Salinas is his own harshest critic.  Following Salinas’ victory over Canada’s Namah Daghir, Salinas claimed that he needs to work harder and that if he were to have a realistic shot at making the US Olympic Team, he would need to devote more time in the gym and turn it up.  Salinas looked pretty good in front of a very partial crowd at St. Lucy’s in Campbell.  The Youngstown amateur threw some big blows against a very worthy opponent in Daghir in picking up the decision in the main event of an Ohio vs Canada card.

Salinas was bleeding from the nose in the third round and the ref stopped the fight to have the ringside doctor look at it.  Once he determined Salinas could fight on with about thirty seconds remaining in the fight, the decision was secured.  The standing room only crowd of the Lights Out / Jack Loew co-promotion erupted when the decision was read.

“I was bleeding from the nose”, said Salinas.  “He was a very tough opponent and God bless him.  Now, I will have to start facing older competition in the open division.  In the trials, I would like to finish second or third to qualify and then I will come back home and keep training.  I feel pretty good, but when I get back in the gym, I know I will have to work harder.”

In the first round, Salinas landed several big shots but Daghir never went down.  In my estimation, Salinas did plenty to win the round.  The second round was a little harder to score.  Daghir landed more punches through two thirds of the round, but Salinas seemed to land the harder shots.  I scored the round even as Salinas landed his best punch of the round right before the bell.

In the third and final round, Salinas hit Daghir three times solid.   Despite catching the trio of solid shots, Daghir kept firing back.  The ref stopped the fight to check a cut on the face of Salinas, once he determined the fight could continue, the final bell sounded.

When the decision was announced, Salinas got his hand raised in victory and it was announced to the crowd that he would now travel and try his hand at the Olympic Trials.

The first five matches of the night were not ‘Ohio vs Canada’, but rather fillers to lead up to the international portion of the card.

In the opening bout,  Shianne Gist won a three-round decision over Christy Lacy.  The next bout, Lavelle Hadley (Southside Boxing Club) hurt Joaquin Labron in the first and second rounds and coasted to a convincing decision.  Fight number three saw Dorian Wilder of Cleveland outpoint Youngstown’s John Gregory.  Wilder used a strong third round to get the decision.

The next fight featured a couple of locals.  Rashon Cook represented the Southside Boxing Club, and his opponent, Rocky Lucre, represented the Downtown AC.  Cook recorded two standing eight counts in the first round and coasted the ret of the way as the fight was stopped late in the third round.  Good start by Cook, but he was gassed pretty good at the end of three two-minute rounds.

The last fight before the intermission saw Vic Toney of Youngstown’s Southside Boxing Club defeat Doyle Freeman of Columbus.  Toney hurt Freeman with a body shot in the second round.  When the action resumed, Toney landed a few more shots before his corner threw in the towel.

The Team Canada vs Team Ohio portion of the card was next.  Canada got the first win as Lucas Rowe defeated Lucian Clinkscale, representing the Downtown AC.  Rowe hurt Clinkscale in the third and forced a standing eight count to secure the victory.

The next bout saw Canada’s Shawn “The Flurry” Murrey take on Josh Fisher of Columbus.  The Flurry offered a little more than Fisher could handle and Murrey, representing Canada, emerged victorious putting the Canucks up 2-0, via decision.

The third contest pitted Jack Loew’s Southside understudy, Cody Lucky, facing Canada’s David Murray.  The Canadian fighter definitely dictated the pace of the fight and Lucky caught too many shots relying almost solely on counterpunches.  Canada was undefeated through three fights.

The next international contest saw Chris Minor of Cleveland take on Canada’s Roman Sziek.  Minor used an arsenal of shots in the second round that first, forced a standing eight count, and seconds later,  had another knockdown and was woozy enough for the ref to halt the bout in the second.  Minor was the first American to win against a Canadian on the card.

The next to last bout pitted Danny Rozenburg, fighting out of Keith Burnside’s stable against Canada’s Alan Yescas.  The bout was a little stale and featured too much clenching and not enough action over its three round span.  When the judges turned their cards in, Rozenburg was awarded the win via decision.

Dannie Williams got a taste of media exposure a couple of months ago fighting on ESPN’s Friday Night Fights.  Since then Williams has been busy getting ready for his first appearance on HBO Boxing, set for January.  Over the last couple of months, Williams has not only been busy training, but also recently signed a deal with Lou DiBella.  The deal with DiBella will hoist Williams to a higher level, perhaps the highest, in his quest for greater national recognition.

Friday in St. Charles, Missori, Williams scored a second round TKO over John Willoughby with a devastating second round knockout.  With the win, Williams improved to 19-1 with 15 KO’s and is sneaking up the lightweight rankings, now recognized as the ninth best in the weight class by Boxrec.com.

Jack Loew talked briefly about the win Friday.  “Dannie looked really good.  The fight served as a tune-up for the HBO bout scheduled for early next year.  I think the guy he beat, Willoughby, injured his leg while falling to the canvas when he got knocked out.  Dannie is ready for what is next.”

Loew has had a hectic week.  He was with Williams in Missouri Friday, flew home to be in the corner of Juan Salinas and Marco Hall at the Lights Out Promotions card at St. Lucy’s on Saturday, and has the Bob Roth Amateur Show on Wednesday night to prepare for.

Alejandro “Popo” Salinas is someone that Jack Loew has been hyping for two years.  Salinas lived up to the hype a little when he captured the prestigious PAL Championship.  The tournament win has a nice reward in the sense that when 2012 rolls around, Popo is automatically the top-rated amateur for the Open Division in the country at his weight class.  He wants to compete for the United States in the Olympics, and the 16-year old has some big footsteps to follow in Kelly Pavlik and Dannie Williams, both PAL Champions, both Loew students of the game.

“The last time I had a fighter win this tournament”, reflected Loew, “he went on to become the middleweight champion of the world.  That ought to tell you how prestigious the tournament is.”

To win the tournament, young Salinas defeated fighters from Florida, Wyoming, and Pennsylvania.  Salinas will now headline the November 23rd Bob Roth Boxing Show at St. Lucy’s in Campbell.  Loew will promote the amateur card which is named after the great Bob Roth who Loew says ‘loved boxing like nobody I have ever met’.

Salinas is still a little timid around a camera or a microphone because the exposure to the public is relatively new.  However, in the ring, he looks like a polished veteran.  Loew even called him ‘a thirty year-old man’ because of the snap on his punches and the ring presence he exhibits at such a young age.

“It is to my advantage to spar against older fighters”, said Salinas.  “You learn a lot while you are in there with a fighter who is experienced.  Winning the tournament was great because all of the fighters I faced were really well-trained and ready.  Now, I have to get more serious with my training and win a few fights to get to the Olympics.”

“I want to graduate from school”, commented Salinas.  “I don’t want to be one of those guys in the background who never graduated.  I will not go to college until after I try my hand at the pro level.”

Salinas also talked about things he does when he has time.  Much to my surprise, video games and television did not crack the top 10.  He said he would much rather play baseball or do something outside.  As I expanded on his baseball knowledge, he won me over some more by telling me that his favorite player of all-times is Roberto Clemente.

“I do some crazy workouts with my spare time.  I respect a lot of students and most of them do not even know I am a boxer, I like to stay quiet.  I never start trouble with anyone because they might go out of their way to make my life harder if they learn I am a boxer.  I want to stay straight, compete in the Olympics, go pro, and then let God do what he has to do.”

Wait until you see this kid.  He is special, and that isn’t hype, that’s fact.

Tickets and details for the Bob Roth Show can be obtained by contacting Jack Loew at 330-501-5713. There are a couple of reserved tables left and St. Lucy’s is a nice venue with no bad seating.  Being the night before Thanksgiving, Loew will expect a good crowd with nobody allowed to use the, ‘I have to work tomorrow’ excuse.  It’s annually a great show, Salinas is the icing on the cake this year.

As I sat at a Perkins Restaurant with Jake Giuriceo and his manager, Joe Corvino, the different phases and a progression of expectations were pretty well outlined to me by both men.  As your career as a boxer grows, the rounds you fight increases.  As you train and master skills, you work hard to develop new tactics to remain unpredictable.  Giuriceo has a unique mindset, very much against the typical athletic stereotype.  He is pretty quiet, but talks when you get him going a little.  He has very strong beliefs and holds sacred his religious values – a rare mix.

Paneech: I said earlier that the mix of boxing and religion could seem barbaric to some, which you quoted a passage in the Bible to counter with.  Do your Christian acquaintances come to the fights?

Giuriceo: Oh yeah.  They are very supportive and a lot of them do come to the fights.  My pastor comes to the fights.  We group up in the locker room and pray before the fight.  I can’t say that everybody from my church comes because I am not that close with everyone that goes, but there are quite a few people from that avenue who support me when I fight.  As far as praying with people that I work out with goes, there are a few guys at the gym – Dunner, Big Shawn – we talk a lot.

Paneech: Do you feel like you could be an ambassador to spread the message you believe so strongly in?

Giuriceo:  I believe that God called me to boxing. I also believe that I shine the light of Jesus on everything that I do and by winning these fights, I believe that I am doing exactly that, being somewhat of an ambassador.  I would rather see somebody go to heaven than me winning a fight, it’s definitely more important.  That doesn’t mean that I am not going to work as hard, or go lose a fight so somebody might get to heaven, it just means that you never want to see anyone die and go to hell.  You don’t want to see that.  At the end of Matthew, you have the great commission, we are told to spread the word of Christ.  So many things have been changed.  I’m not a guy that could stand in front of a crowd and give a sermon, that’s not me.  This is the way I do it.

Paneech: Have you ever thought about adding a religious side note to your name.  Something like “Sugar” Ray Robinson… like Jake “The Apostle” Giuriceo?

Giuriceo: (laughs)  No, I haven’t thought of doing anything like that.  One thing I am doing though is on my next t-shirt, on the back I want them to say ‘Blood, Sweat, and Prayers’, because I believe that is everything that I put into this.

Paneech: You have a unique situation in your training.  You will go to California and work with Frank Duarte (above) for about five weeks, and then when you come home, you work with Keith Burnside.  How do you sort through what two different trainers tell you and decide what is best for Jake?

Giuriceo: That is actually a pretty easy question.  Whoever is my lead trainer at the time is who I listen to.  For the first nine fights, I worked very good with Keith and listened to everything that he told me to do.  When I went to California and started working with Frankie, for the last four fights, I listen to Frank.  I am out there for five weeks with him.  If Keith and Frank have a disagreement on something, we get them together and try to work it out.  Ultimately though, I am working more with Frank now, so I have to listen to what he is telling me to do.  I listen to the head trainer who is training me for my next fight, and the last four, it has been Frankie.

Paneech: How has Keith reacted to having to take a backseat to Frank with the current arrangement?

Giuriceo: The great thing about our team, is that we are actually a team.  We want to do everything together.  I don’t really hear any complaining from Keith or Frank.  They keep it between themselves and Joe [Corvino] and keep it away from me.  We work together, and if it is a situation that they need my input, they will pull me in and ask me what I think.  Realistically, Keith is one of the guys that pushed me to go to California.  He was honest and up front with me and told me there was only so far he was going to be able to take me.  Keith is a great guy, like a father-son type relationship, and they all really want the best for me.  Anything he can do to be there for me he does.  People say things to get into his head.  Sometimes it gets hard because Keith and Frankie miscommunicate.  Sometimes Frankie doesn’t answer the phone, sometimes Keith never calls.  It goes both ways, maybe a little power trip on both ends.

Paneech: Joe Corvino is someone who is very involved in your career.  You have told me that he is a good guy and that he has done great things for you.  Expand on his role in your betterment.

Giuriceo: Joe is my boxing manager/promoter/father/public relations guy (laughs) – he really does everything.  There isn’t anything that Joe does not do.  We have built a solid relationship because of boxing.  He runs his business like a family, which is why he is in the lead role of my team.  When I go to California, he foots the bill or I wouldn’t eat over there.  He takes care of me, I work part time for him.  It is hard to find a job where you can leave for months at a time and just come back, he took care of that for me.  He helps me in all aspects and I love him.

Paneech: How supportive are your family, friends, future wife, future in-laws, and everyone else?  It’s nice when you are winning, but those people will be there for you in the end.  How supportive are they as you ascend?

Giuriceo: My family is pretty small.  There is really only my mom, two brothers, and an uncle.  I have a few aunts that are here and there, but they all love me and are very supportive, and it is nice to know they will always be there, no matter what happens.  The family that I am marrying into is absolutely awesome.  My fiance is very family-oriented.  We go to those birthday parties and there are twenty or thirty people there.  They have embraced me and love me as long as I treat Jackie right.  My closest friends are just people I share my Faith with.  The close friends I had growing up, I only associate with about three or four of them.  The whole big group is very supportive though.

Paneech: Joe said maybe doing some stuff out of town to increase exposure, maybe grab some television time.  What is on the recent agenda?

Giuriceo: My next fight is on November 19 and will be for a UBO Lightweight Title.  It is a vacant title that we will be fighting for over at St. Lucy’s in Campbell.  The card is called November Fury and is being put on by Mike Cefalde and Lights Out Promotions.  It is to be the biggest fight of my career,so far.

That career can extend quite a ways if Team Giuriceo can start to grab that bigger spotlight.  Win or lose, Giuriceo has the heart and spirit of any athlete I have ever interviewed.  He is someone that large circle of friends and relatives can be proud of for his beliefs, his Faith, and his never say stop work ethic.

There will be a complete preview for the November 19 card here next week.

Nobody knows for sure what is going in the world of Kelly Pavlik these days. ESPN.com reported last week that Pavlik was going to make a geographical transition with a new support staff, a new trainer, and a new place to call home.  Pavlik’s trainer since he took up the sport, Jack Loew, scratches his head and can understand he might be facing life after Pavlik, but does not understand why the former champion, and someone he considers a son, would not sit and talk with him about his future plans.

“The last time I talked with Kelly, I was his trainer”, said Loew on Friday.  “If I am, I am, and if not, we have had a great run at it.  The only thing that upsets me is that I have done all I can do for the kid.  I can’t control what he does when he leaves the gym.  In 2007 and 2008, I was better than chocolate pudding and everybody loved me.  Because he went on a drinking binge and screwed up his own career should not reflect on me, and a lot of people are looking at it that way.”

Loew has some up-and-comers in the stable, including Dannie Williams, who has recently signed a deal with Dibella Productions and will be fighting on ESPN in January. I have said it before, and I will say it again, Jack Loew is not a one trick pony.  Yes, Kelly Pavlik was his in, his mealticket, and his primary focus for a long stretch. However, there is a Willie Nelson, a Popo Salinas, a Dannie Williams, and a full gym of talented kids who Loew can work with.

“If Kelly decides to go with Robert Garcia or Freddie Roach, God Bless him, I wish him nothing but the very best”, said Loew.  “He is a great kid and has been loyal to me.  I made a ton of money with Kelly and I was smart with my money.  I knew there would be an end to the Pavlik Era sometime, unfortunately it ended a little too early.  If we are splitting up, I wish him the best, I really do.  Jack Loew is gonna be fine.”

“The thing that bothers me the most was I told him that if that is what is going to happen, I am fine with it if it comes from you.  If I have to read about it on the internet, that will piss me off a little bit.  He said he would call me Sunday when he got home, and obviously, he has not called me yet.  I just hope it doesn’t end on a bad note because we have had such a great relationship.  Alcohol has done some bad things to Kelly and I hope that it hasn’t hurt his respect for me that he can’t call me to let me know what is going on.”

Don’t misunderstand this article, if Pavlik leaves he may succeed again with someone else in his corner.  I think he would still have great support from Youngstown and will still represent himself as a Youngstown native.  In my opinion, Top Rank is playing their hand and telling Kelly he has to get out of Youngstown, albeit with Loew, or a new trainer, to resume his fighting schedule.  Pavlik himself has said that everything he does publicly is magnified because he is a public figure who is known nationally.  If he was drinking after the Edison Miranda fight, people were buying his drinks.  If he went to a bar after the Sergio Martinez fight, he had a problem.  Public perception and the strong arm of Bob Arum work hand-in-hand to export our champion?

I have made several efforts to contact Pavlik with no response.  Scour this website, it has been up for three years, and look for a negative viewpoint on Pavlik.  Good luck reading every article, fight preview, and summary, there are none.  Whatever you do champ, good luck and we will all be rooting for you.

On Friday, August 12, Dannie Williams put his name on a bigger map, a national map.  Williams defeated Antonio Cervantes on ESPN Friday Night Fights with an impressive four-round performance ending with a resounding TKO.  The momentum and attention are both a little stronger after the victory, Williams’ seventh straight.

“We couldn’t have asked for a better week for Dannie”, said Williams’ trainer Jack Loew.  “Everything we did went well.  He had a very good press conference and gave impressive answers, he showed a lot of respect when he needed to, and most importantly, he fought one of his best fights ever, in front of a national television audience.”

Williams (19-1) is on the cusp of bigger things, very soon.  With his career taking shape in St. Louis, he formed an alliance with Steve Smith and Lights Out Productions to manage his business.  Smith is a good guy who I have met a couple of times and is really looking out for Williams.  Unfortunately, in this business, for Williams to take the next big step, change may be coming because of Smith’s lack of national prominence.

“Dannie is negotiating with [Lou] DiBella. Steve [Smith] has done great things for Dannie, but in order to move ahead, he needs to sign on with a major name and DiBella has shown interest”, said Loew.  “Steve [Smith] will remain involved in some capacity, we are just not sure to what extent right now.”

Williams plans on staying active in pursuit of a championship, he will probably fight again in November, but no deal has been signed as of this writing.

Dannie Williams won his seventh straight fight in impressive fashion on ESPN Friday Night Fights.  Antonio Cervantes took a Williams right to his chin at the 1:05 mark of the fourth round.  Referee Steve Smoger stopped the fight immediately, and Williams continued his escalation in raising his record to 19-1.

Williams knocked  Cervantes down in the first round and seemed in control the entire fight.  “I need to get national exposure so people can see what I am all about”, exclaimed Williams.  He got some love from ESPN and with this good showing, expect bigger things for Jack Loew‘s fighter.

When Williams caught Cervantes with the knockout punch, he knew it.  Once Cervantes hit the canvas, Williams smiled, and immediately realized that he landed the big one, he knew this fight was over.  Williams showed concern for his fallen opponent for a bittersweet minute before Cervantes got to his feet in a display of good sportsmanship.

Williams, a National Golden Gloves Champion in 2004, has handled his moderate success and seems poised to be on bigger cards very soon.  Coming off of a mediocre decision over Oscar Cuero in July, Williams stayed active and kept training for Cervantes knowing that the television exposure to a national audience would bolster his career.  This performance will definitely enhance that notion.

Dannie Williams, who trains in Youngstown, will be fighting Friday, August 12, on ESPN’s Friday Night Fights.  Williams (18-1, 14 KO’s) will face Antonio Cervantes (16-5-5)  in the nationally televised event.

There was concern that Williams injured his hand last time out and would not be able to fight with such short prep time.  Jack Loew, who trains Williams at Youngstown’s Southside Boxing Club addressed the hand issue.  “Dannie’s hand is fine.  He has been training very hard for this fight and we want to make a good showing on ESPN.”

In Williams’ last fight, a decision he won against Oscar Cuero in Youngstown, Williams struggled in the third to fifth rounds because his braided hair was laying in his eyes.  “We will cut his hair off between rounds this fight”, commented Loew.  “I will stop blacktopping driveways and learn how to be a barber real quick if that happens again.”

Before the Cuero fight, Williams said he was ready to take the next step and needed to get some television exposure.  ESPN Friday Night Fights is some good exposure.  If he wants to keep rising up in the rankings, he will have to perform better than he did against Cuero.  Currently, Williams is ranked ninth best in the United States (of 190 fighters) in the power rankings for lightweights according to Boxrec.com.