TOP RANK BOXING

BY JOHN MASTALIR jmastalir@yahoo.com

Live boxing Saturday past at the Texas Station Casino and Gambling Hall.

I have covered boxing for over 25 years and still enjoy good fighting over UFC or hockey fights or anything else. Top Rank has been, is and will be the worlds best boxing promoters ever, I thank them for that in their continued first class promotion, communication and first class image.

That said, this card not the best of contests through out.

In the old days 20 years ago Top Rank had a media contest for the writers...just to pick winners. In those days all the Top Rank fighters were on the right side of the program events card and almost universally we all selected the Top Rank fighters in our contest picks...Saturday the seven fighters on the right side were 76-1 going in against a respectable opponent record of 58-14-4 ! ! ! !.....Now What ? You got it, all 7 won...5 by knockouts and two unanimous decisions...good for Top Rank and their sold out venue. I told fellow LVE writer Gary Turner this story before the events began...if nothing else with no knowledge of the fighters particulars....the outcome could be just exactly as it was.

Saturday I did three events, Johnny Mercer music in the afternoon and late Argentine Tango music... all solid...unfortunately at Top Ranks card the noise in its unending pounding was grossly offensive throughtout....who likes this shit ? We are close to the end of civilization...especially in that I should take from the event, a headache instead of some semblence of boxing which underplayed the event. We have reached the point where sunglasses, earplugs and visors are needed for boxing reporters.

ALL THESE ELEMENTS ALLOW FOR IMPROVEMENT...not witstanding late starts for TV, $8 beer and whatever matches are forth with.

TOP RANK...still at the top and not worse than any other promoters can step forward and be even better.

82 B-