The Forgotten One – Emanuel Augustus

The Forgotten One – Emanuel Augustus

By Jason Petock, Doghouse Boxing (June 20, 2012) Doghouse Boxing (Photo © Sandra Augustus)
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In light of the recent boxing public and media uproar over the questionable decision victory granted to Timothy “Desert Storm” Bradley 29-0 (12) over Manny “Pac Man” Pacquiao 54-4-2 (38) in Las Vegas, Nevada, there is one fighter who has made a career surrounding being robbed and facing questionable decisions during his bouts, and that is fan favorite and true boxing road warrior Emanuel Augustus 38-34-6 (20). The Chicago fighter is no stranger to highway robbery, most notably suffering a terrible decision loss to Courtney Burton 22-7 (11) back in July 2004, in a bout where he lost a point for spinning out of a clinch and wasn’t credited with a knockdown of Burton as the referee seemed to miss it. Burton won a ridiculous split decision as ESPN boxing commentator and once famed trainer Teddy Atlas, who was covering the fight, made his opinions on the robbery well known to the boxing public. Atlas said of the robbery that, “This is terrible; this is a disgrace…a travesty.” Atlas’ passion for the sport has always been apparent, and while no one was willing to side with Augustus at the time, he stepped forward and did something noble for Emanuel at a time when everyone else was looking the other way.

People have always tended to look the other way in regard to Augustus’ career and how many times he has been slighted by a sport that he has been so skilled at. Facing several stinking decisions during his career, “The Drunken Master” has fought often and fought hard over the years. Maintaining a comfortability and uncanny style in the ring, fan favorite Emanuel Augustus’ fights have played out like grand displays of athleticism, quirkiness and even humor at times. Building a strong cult following with true boxing aficionados, the consummate boxing journeyman has taken the misgivings of pugilism and strived to maintain his legacy as a capable and brilliant ring tactician, even if the numbers tend to lie in his case. Emanuel’s willingness to fight anyone at anytime and anywhere was something amazing to behold during his rocky career. If any fan wants to see what a true boxing match looks like they need to look no further than one bout in particular of Augustus’, and that is when he faced off against veteran ring warrior “Irish” Micky Ward 38-13 (27) on July 13, 2001 at the Hampton Beach Casino in New Hampshire in a competitive slugfest between the two fighters in a fight that was named Ring Magazine’s 2001 Fight Of The Year deservingly.

Interestingly enough however, outside of Atlas coming forward so long ago and speaking out against the unlucky hand that was dealt out to Augustus from controlling forces in the sport, there hasn’t really been anyone else to provide a voice against the trials of his exceptional but surely frustrating career. The fact that Emanuel built his boxing legacy upon fighting anyone at the drop of a hat and stepping in against any challenger or Champion is and what always was so appealing to fight fans about the pugilist. There never was a mass tumult that was for Emanuel Augustus when he was robbed by boxing, even when the robberies were so clear cut that there could not be any possibility of even one iota of doubt in any person’s mind, be it a fight fan or boxing media personality. Why not? As endearing to his fans as Augustus became throughout his years in the ring, where were those same fans when he needed them most? Not generating the obvious revenue that a Manny Pacquiao has during his cash cow career, Augustus has had to sit and eat the worst tasting decisions known to the boxing world in retrospect. If anybody has the right to use the tired out phrase of “That’s boxing” in reference to piss poor decisions and mugging it’s most unquestionably Emanuel Augustus.

So while the boxing world hems and haws about Manny Pacquiao and how unjust what happened to him was in their eyes, Emanuel Augustus sits quietly in the background, being able to more than relate to how unfair boxing can actually be. He’s always rolled with the punches and taken things as they come. Emanuel is the epitome of a combatant who has taken the good with the bad and faced all the challenges placed before him in a sport that has embraced him as often as it has betrayed him.

Jason can be reached with your questions, concerns, gripes, moans, complaints, insults or kudos at BoxingWarrior@hotmail.com. Your feedback is appreciated as always. Stay honest and keep punching.

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