Boxing: Antonio’s Reliable Source on Tiger Woods, Blake Lively, Miley Cyrus, more and Yes... Boxing!

Boxing: Antonio’s Reliable Source on Tiger Woods, Blake Lively, Miley Cyrus, more and Yes... Boxing!

By Antonio Santiago, Doghouse Boxing (Dec 21, 2009)

Puerto Rico, my country, is about to face an historic referendum in 2010. The referendum will make history, because although these types of polls have been done before in Puerto Rico, the 2010 one will be the first one that Congress has promised that it will listen to.

The 2010 Puerto Rico referendum will ask Puerto Rico’s residents whether they want Puerto Rico to keep being a Commonwealth of the United States or change the relationship existing between the tiny nation and the big one “to the North”.

This issue in Puerto Rico is very complicated because of the fact that about 50 percent of Puerto Ricans is a “nationalist”, and the other 50 percent is a “anexionist”. Anexionist is the term given there to people who back the PNP, which is the group that supports statehood in the United States for Puerto Rico. Nationalists generally favor an associated republic or an independent nation status for the island. In a case-I can’t say country because in this peculiar case it goes beyond Puerto Rico and to whenever one or more Puerto Ricans reside at-where every Puerto Rican worldwide gets united whenever a Puerto Rican sports team, figure or boxer is competing, we always get split whenever our ideologies are competing. Go figure!

I know, because Puerto Ricans love boxing, and because boxing is more of a social happening to us than it is to peoples of most other countries worldwide, that many Puerto Ricans read this column. There are only two, maybe three, places in the world that I can mention where boxing is as fervently followed as it is in Puerto Rico. Mexico, quite obviously, the Philippines, and maybe Germany. As much of a huge job that ESPN, HBO and Showtime are currently doing to help boxing become the fifth “Big League” sport in the USA-and by far the largest of the so called “small sports” in this beautiful and glorious nation, “Land of the Free”, the sport of boxing here is ways and light years away from being a major sport the way it is in Germany, Mexico, the Philippines and Puerto Rico.

To those Puerto Ricans who read me, and to the rest of the world that does, I will say that regarding Puerto Rico’s three choices of a future status (associated republic, independence and statehood), I am a supporter of the first two. I am saying it because I am not afraid of what people think about me and my choices. If I was, I’d be like some percentage of the population who are afraid of admitting they like boxing for fear of being tagged as violent! And you know I love boxing and so does everyone else who ever knew me! That said, I love the United States. Let me repeat myself: I LOVE THE UNITED STATES and American people, and even if Puerto Rico becomes independent or an associated republic, I really would not consider moving away from the States. The reason I love both my nation of Puerto Rico and the United States is because I do believe that you can love more than just one nation. You can love people from around the world just as long as you get to know them and relate to them. The one reason that I think Puerto Rico should not become a state is that I, personally, would feel I’ve lost my right to consider my nationality to be “Puerto Rican” if it did.

With that, the message I want to say to Puerto Rican readers of this column for 2010 is: no matter what color you are (in Puerto Rico, blue is identified with the statehood movement, red with the associated republic one-and never confused with communism-and green with the independence), you should vote with only one thing in mind, and that is Puerto Rico and it’s future.

Everyone defines himself or herself as one thing or the other (me, I define myself as a Latino, Christian and gothic type) in their lives. It’s time for the Puerto Ricans to define ourselves. I only hope that when the 2010 poll takes place, all Puerto Ricans vote with the bests interests of our little island in our hearts.

And for the great, God fearing people of the United States to support what we decide for.

Let Her Breathe!

What’s up with the paparazzi and their constant following of young people? They are already making me think that in order to join that profession you must first be a pedophile! And with Suri Cruise, Nick Jonas and Miley Cyrus always subject to the camera’s eye, who knows, I may be right!

Well, the latest scandal involving the super-teen Cyrus, is about her getting a tattoo at age 17. The tattoo reads “Just Breathe”, and according to Popeater.com, it is dedicated to a personal friend of Miley, a fan of hers who met the singer and became friends with her just before dying at age 14 of cystic fibrosis. Miley had her father’s permission, according to the site. Now, old farts across the world are criticizing her.

Now, here is the thing: at least, Miley Cyrus got a tattoo for the right reason! How many of us do things to commemorate a friend or a loved one? Secondly, as far as I’ve seen most people who criticize her are, on average, about 47 years old. These are the same people who were probably rooting for Wilfred Benitez when he successfully challenged Antonio Cervantes for a world boxing title at age 17 thirty years ago!! Don’t you remember what you felt like when people told you what to do with your life at 17? Besides, it is her life to live, not yours!!

Grrrr!

Yep, that’s Tiger Woods’ roaring you are hearing. The golfer must be sounding like a real tiger with all the things going on in his life. Perhaps he will be appearing on one of those community service television ads about driving carefully after this, now that he knows that an accident can be harmful in more ways than just one!

The latest in a lately long line of non-golf related Woods news include a skit on Saturday night Life in which actors Kenan Thompson and Blake Lively played Woods and his wife. The skit imitated Woods and his wife’s alleged domestic violence incident where she supposedly hit Tiger Woods with his golf club, according to Popeater.com. The same episode featured Rihanna, who as you may know, starred in her own domestic violence incident with ex-Chris Brown.

On other Tiger-related news, Woods’ mother in law was recently hospitalized after feeling ill in the golfer’s home. She was released the same day after it was determined she had a stomach ailment.

With all the happenings at the Woods’ home, I’d advice fellow Florida residents, boxing legends and future Hall of Famers Roy Jones Jr. and Glencoffe Johnson, to just stay away from Tiger and his wife. Very far!

Poor Rich Man

I already have planned what I want if I ever become a millionaire: college funds for my two nieces and my nephew, a mansion, a private jet, stocks and hot, young women. Many hot, young women. Women are a must in a man’s life. Plain and simple, if you don’t like them, then you are not a real man!

Arpad Busson is a real man. And he is a real millionaire. And he is a real hedge fund manager, whatever that is. Doesn’t that word, hegde, sound like wedge, as in “wedgies”?? Well, anyways, Busson is also a poor rich man, because he has just lost none other than hot MILF Uma Thurman! According to People Magazine, the pair said “adios” a couple of months ago, this after Busson had proposed to the “Pulp Fiction” babe.

Ay, ay, ay, Arpad! I bet that this break up hurt you more than a Julio Cesar Chavez blow to the groin would!!

The Brady Bunch, The Brady Bunch!!

Ahh, do you remember the 1970’s when The Brady Bunch was on TV? Or, was that the 1960’s? I don’t, because either I wasn’t born during the time or was too young to remember. But I do know many of you loved Marcia Brady because, let’s face it, Maureen McCormick is pretty damn hot!!

Well, the famous Brady Bunch family has added a new member. But, nope, we aren’t talking about The old Brady Bunch here, we’re talking about the Tom Brady-led famous Brady Bunch. According to Us Magazine, the New England Patriots quarterback and future American Football Hall of Fame shoe-in and his wife, world famous Brazilian model Gisele Bundchen had a baby boy. It is the couple’s first kid. As of this writing, Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen had not decided on a name for their new source of happiness.

With a great quarterback of a dad and a knockout of a mom, the kid’s assured to be a future athletic superstar. What remains to be seen is what comes off “touchdowns with knockouts”! A golfer? A bowling champ? Who knows, but I guess we’ll see!

Here’s wishing him a great and fruitful, healthy and happy life!

To our Iraqi Readers

Over the past 30 years, Iraq has been on the news constantly, for one reason or the other. Most of the time it has been bad news for Iraqis, such as the Iran-Iraq war, the 1986 terrorist bombing of an Iraqi Airways Boeing 737 jet, the 1988 massacre of Kurdish people during Black Friday in the city of Halabja, the Kuwaiti invasion and many more uncountable occasions.

Now, the good people of Iraq have suffered another devastating tragedy. On December 8, an attack occurred in Iraq’s capital of Baghdad, when several bombings took place at about the same time around the battle-torn but recovering metropolis. The Islamic State of Iraq, not to be confused with the country of Iraq and which is a terrorist group, has claimed responsibility for the attacks.

127 people died and 448 were injured.

One of my best friends, Hussein, and his family are from the southern Iraqi city of Basra. They are among the best and most decent people you can ever imagine. Just like most people from that great country.

That said, our condolences at Doghouseboxing.com to the people of the great country of Iraq.

Justice Needed
Here is the thing: whenever a White, pretty young woman like Elizabeth Smart or Laci Peterson is missing, the news like CNN, ABC, NBC, etc, and even magazines like The National Enquirer and People Magazine, go crazy about it. Rightfully so, for every child that is missing needs to be recovered. But the key sentence there is every child. Why is it that we never see boys as well as Arabian, Asian, Black and Latino missing kids on the international news? The fact that news outlet never thoroughly cover people of so called minority races in the United States who are missing even facilitates activities by groups of human smugglers who may take these children and use them as slaves elsewhere!

Because of that, I want to talk about Sasha Davis. She went missing from the Bronx, New York area after visiting family and friends. She is a wide eyed, beautiful, young Black woman and her family wants to know what happened to her.

If you know you need to contact the FBI or the local authorities.

It is because of cases like hers, that I feel we need to do more than what’s been done to find them.

Babe of The Week

I just felt I had to do this, so I will: here is a holla to a major babe, Lucy Liu. Lucy Liu is one of my biggest and best fantasies. And here is a salute to that fine ass lady, Chinese-American Lucy Liu. Hey babe, 41 never looked better!!

Seen and on the Sceen

WAPA-TV and WAPA America’s Noticentro news show announced that the Puerto Rican government gave former WBC world Junior Lightweight Champion Alfredo Escalera and former four time WBC world Cruiserweight Champion Carlos De Leon assistance checks for undisclosed illnesses. The show disclosed that nine other former Champions from Puerto Rico are being considered to get this type of economical help. While their medical conditions were not disclosed, it was said that Wilfred Benitez already gets this same help, so it may be connected to pugilistic dementia. A prayer for those former world Champions and warriors.

Boxing Anniversaries

December of 1982 was the greatest month in boxing history. No other month held more significant events in the sport’s 300 or so years of more or less regulated participation.

And so, one week after the great, Gomez-Pintor, Hearns-Benitez doubleheader, we had WBA world Heavyweight Champion Mike Weaver defending honors against Michael Dokes on December 10th, 1982 at the Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada. It was a rousing yet short, 63 second affair. Weaver landed a hard uppercut to Dokes’ head after the bell, but Dokes recovered and seconds later he had the Champion down. After 23 unanswered blows by Dokes, referee Joey Curtis stopped the fight making Dokes the new Champion. Many protested despite the fact that Dokes was attacking and Weaver not answering. Joey Curtis himself said he stopped the fight because he was affected by the recent Ray Mancini-Duk Koo Kim tragedy at the same hotel.

After an ensuing investigation, the WBA ordered a rematch, in which Dokes retained the title by 15 round draw.

The next day, on December 11th, Bobby Chacon and Rafael “Bazooka” Limon fought the last chapter of their heated rivalry in what was one of the greatest wars of attrition in boxing history. Chacon got up from 2 knockdowns to drop Limon in the closing seconds of the fight and secure a close decision and the WBC world Junior Lightweight title in Sacramento, California.

On December 15th of 1982, 4 days after the war in Sacramento, WBA world Cruiserweight Champion Ossie “Jaws” Ocasio of Puerto Rico retained his title by thoroughly out pointing challenger Young Joe Louis over 15 rounds. Young Joe Louis was very good, but his case proves why you rarely ever hear someone being nicknamed “young this” or “young that” anymore. Comparing anyone else to Joe Louis, even if it was the great Sugar Ray Robinson, is an insult to the great Heavyweight Champion of the world.

Our Hearts Are With

Rivers Cuomo. The 40 year old, who is the lead singer of Weezer, was injured in a bus crash on December 6th, according to Spinner.com. The singer was taken to a hospital in Amsterdam, New York. He was heading from Toronto to Boston to play a concert when the accident happened.

The bus skidded on a road, and Cuomo had his ribs injured. The roads were wet and road conditions are likely to blame. Police believe there was no alcohol involved. Another passenger was also injured.

R.I.P.

Gary Craig, 25. The amateur boxer from Belfast, Northern Ireland, died suddenly on December 2nd at his home. According to the BBC News, he may have died of Sudden Adult Death Syndrome, a condition that has become prominent after the deaths of other athletes in Northern Ireland and which may be related to heart conditions. Mr. Craig had just returned to boxing with a victory days before, after a five year hiatus.

Willie Perry, 64. Ms. Perry was the mother of famous producer Tyler Perry and the inspiration behind Perry’s production “Madea’s Family Reunion” and “Madea Goes To Jail”. She was affectionately known as “Madea”. According to Popeater.com, no cause for her death was revealed, except that she had been fighting disease since August. She passed away on December 9th.

May they both rest in peace.

Please send all Questions and comments to Antonio at TJ69662094@aol.com.