The Neutral Corner

NASCAR celebrated champions week this week in New York. We caught up with a few of the drivers to see what they thought about The Sweet Science.

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Brian Doogan, Enzo Calzaghe, Steve Guppy

Our good friend Brian Doogan, of the Sunday Times of London, put the Neutral Corner in touch with Steve Guppy. His soccer resume is stellar. A winger, Guppy played for England's national team, played for the Premiere League club Leicester City and was an MLS teammate of Freddy Adu's on D.C. United. He was once listed second behind David Beckham as best crosser in Europe. Last season, he was a player-coach for the Rochester Rhinos in the USL.

And, he's a Joe Calzaghe fan. Here's what Steve had to say about boxing and soccer, er, football:

Neutral Corner: What do you think of the Calzaghe-Jones fight?

Steve Guppy: I’m really excited and looking forward to it. Obviously I believe Joe will win the fight. I recognize that Roy Jones Jr. has been a great fighter, but I just think, with my very limited experience in boxing, that Joe wins.

NC: Are you coming in for the fight?

SG: Yeah, absolutely. I'm flying over on Wednesday.

NC: Did you watch fights when you were growing up?

SG: When I was growing up it was the Nigel Benn, Chris Eubank era. Obviously, Frank Bruno was someone we all hoped would beat Mike Tyson. But it never worked out that way. Then Joe came in and took over. Eubank lived in my neck of the woods, down on the south coast, so I was always in the Chris Eubank camp I guess.

NC: Who in soccer would have made a good boxer?

SG: That’s a good question. I guess it would have to be Mick Harford. Now he's the manager of Luton Town. He was hard as nails. He would have been a really good fighter.

NC: What has to happen for soccer to become more popular in the United States? Do we need more stars like David Beckham?

SG: I think there are a number of reasons it's not popular. I think David Bechkam has been great, the exposure is great. But I think where it will really grow is in developmental leagues. Rather than bringing in senior players from Europe we need to develop superstars and I think that is starting now. I don't want to be controversial, but one thing I've seen that I don't like, I’ve seen youth coaches doing drills and drills and it looks boring. I would love to go watch kids play and just let them play. There are a helluva of a lot of drills going on and it doesn't look like a lot of fun. A lot of kids play soccer at a very young age, but then when they are 14 or 15, they go off and play other sports. But at that point soccer should be in their blood.

NC: What's the best live fight you've ever seen?

SG: In the last few years, I've gotten into watching Joe fight and I've been to a lot of his fights. The most amazing fight that I’ve been to was the Kessler fight. To see how Joe just found a way to win that fight, well it was one of the best sporting events that I’ve ever been to. I’m a bit in awe of those guys.

NC: Can you elaborate on that? You are in awe of those guys?

SG: I couldn’t do it. These are fabulously talented guys but there are so many different things in their makeup that have to be right for them to be at the top of what they do. That Joe has managed to stay at the top for some many years, that shows that his hunger has not diminished. I would guess as a boxer, when your hunger diminishes, you get found out very fast.

NC: I read that you are one of just two players to play at the old and new Wembley Stadium. What is that like?

SG: It was a boyhood dream to walk out at Wembley, I was very lucky that I managed to do that. The atmosphere, the history, it was everything and more that I hoped it would be. I guess you could say that Madison Square Garden is a venue that most boxers would love to have fought there at least once. There is a certain sadnesss to see the old stadium go but the new stadiums are the way to go. The new stadium is beautiful. From a spectator's point of view, the views are much better. It certainly is marvelous and I feel fortunate to have played there. As a player, I loved playing at the old Wembley, there is nothing quite like the old Wembley for me.

For a look at all of the Neutral Corner's coverage of the Jones-Calzaghe fight, click here.

-- CASSIDY

The Neutral Corner caught up with Ernie Terrell at the International Boxing Hall of Fame in Canastota, New York. This is another video version of toe-to-toe. In this video Terrell talks about his era of heavyweights --- largely considered the best heavyweight era in history. He also talks about fighting George Chuvalo and his controversial fight against Muhammad Ali in the Astrodome. Ali was sharply criticized for taunting and humiliating Terrell during the fight. He was upset that Terrell called him Cassius Clay and not Muhammad Ali.

-- CASSIDY

PETE SELL IN TRAINING

The Neutral Corner caught up with Long Island native Pete Sell, who was training for UFC 90 at Matt Serra's gym in Huntington. After recovering from a shoulder injury, Sell returns to the Octagon on October 25.

Neutral Corner: Who wins between Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson, both men in their prime?

Pete Sell: I gotta go with Muhammad Ali. Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. That guy's moving on you, I don't think Tyson would be able to touch him.

NC: Who wins, Randy Couture or Mike Tyson

PS: In their primes? Randy Couture and Mike Tyson? I gotta go with Randy Couture. If Tyson doesn't hit him with that knockout blow right from the jump and Couture got him down, and it's probably a very good chance of Couture getting him down, that's it, show's over, he's not getting up. That's it, he's not getting up from that. Once he's on the ground, he's finished.

NC: What's your quick opinion on Kimbo Slice?

PS: He got a lot of respect for not doing much in the sport. I can't hate on the guy. Good for him, ya know, he got paid and everything. He's a superstar. But what do you do with the guy? They amped him up as a street guy on the internet, he made his name, and now you see what happened in his last fight. Maybe the pressure would be off him. They were trying to hype him up so much and he's probably like, I'm still learning. So if the guy keeps putting his time in, keeps doing his thing, good for him.

NC: One of the knocks against boxing is that there are too many sanctioning bodies, too many fighters claiming to be world champions, do you fear that happening in MMA?

PS: Eventually I guess that could happen, with there being too many leagues and too many champions and it becomes the type of thing that they have to unify the belts. As of right now, I believe the UFC is still the biggest show in town. These other shows have a long way to come. I don't think anything is happening like that in my time.

NC: What boxer do you like to watch?

PS: In boxing, I'm a big fan of Bernard Hopkins.I like Bernard Hopkins a lot, I like his rugged style.

NC: Did you watch his last fight?
PS: Yeah, yeah good stuff.

NC: OK. Last question, Pete Sell and Bernard Hopkins in the Octagon, who is coming out the winner?

PS: I gotta be honest with you, if you are asking me or Bernard Hopkins, I'm not going to try and trade with that guy. I'm taking his --- down. I'm shooting right for that double leg and I'm putting him on his butt. It's going to be me just because of my ground game. He doesn't know anything about a ground game. He would be a fish out of water on the floor. If I sit there and trade with him, of course he's going to beat the crap out of me. But I'll put him in a world where he doesn't know.

-- CASSIDY

This corner was out to dinner with a few friends and boxing enthusiasts -- Dave Schuster and Leo Zamparelli -- when the name "Terrance "The Heat" Cauthen came up. Turns out Leo -- a Philly-based attorney -- trains with Cauthen every morning. A few phone calls later and we were chatting with the amiable bronze medalist from the 1996 Olympics. Cauthen, who is promoted by Joe DeGuardia, out of the Bronx, is hoping for a major fight in the fall.

Here's what "The Heat" had to say during our conversation.

The Neutral Corner: In July, you ended a seven-month layoff by beating Alexis Camacho, who was 16-0 at the time. Did you consider retirement during that layoff and why did you come back against an unbeaten fighter?

Terrance Cauthen: I am definitely not retired. You are only as agood as your last fight. I knew I had to come back strong. I had to do something different. I knew a tough fight, against a good fighter, I think he had a like a 98-percent knockout rate, would put me back into contention. I had to put everything on the line. I was glad to do it. It was a good feeling to be back where I need to be.

NC: So what's next for The Heat?

TC: Well, I'm back down to welterweight, that's where I belong. I'm hoping to fight in October or November for the NABF title and hopefully that makes me a mandatory for one of the champions.

NC: You won a bronze medal in the Olympics. What was your thought on the Olympics in Beijing and how come the U.S. had a poor showing.

TC: I really didn’t follow it that much. I do know we have great young fighters. I think the computer scoring hurts the Americans. We as Americans don’t train for that. I don’t think we can adapt to that kind of fighting and that kind of scoring. It got me in the Olympics, it got all of us. But I think they will be good professionals. One thing is, once you are an Olympian, you can take that to your grave. You are an Olympian. No one can take that from you.

NC: You know it's an odd Olympics when the Cuban fighters don't win any gold medals.

TC: They usually win all the medals. It’s real weird for them not to win a title. Some of the Cubans hang around too long. When we make the team, we’re done. They hang around too long.

NC: What is your thought on the Manny Pacquiao-Oscar De La Hoya fight?

TC: It’s boxing. Anything can happen. Pacquiao, you don’t know what he has to do to make that weight. Maybe he did want to move up and this is a great opportunity for him. Regardless of the fight, they are both going to come out of it really well from a financial standpoint. If I’m not fighting that day or training, I’ll be tuning in and watching it.

NC: You were a teammate of Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s in the Olympics. Did you know he would be this good?

TC: I always loved watching Mayweather fight. If you knew Floyd, you knew that this was going to happen. He deserves everything he has because he is a hard worker. Good things come to those who wait. He’s a great athlete and a great fighter. He put his time in.

NC: You have a bronze medal and a USBA junior middleweight title, how does the title rate in terms of your career accomplishments?

TC: It’s good, it was an accomplishment. I want better for myself. It was a great opportunity for me to win the title. I want bigger and better things. I think I’ll be better off as a welterweight. That’s why I want to fight for the NABF title.

NC: Who in the welterweight division do you want to fight?

TC: I would fight anybody. Right now, I want to get the best welterweight out there. I’ll fight any welterweight. Anybody. I don’t have my eye on anybody right now. I get the NABF title, whoever I fight against will be a good fighter. That's my plan, fight for the NABF title.

NC: You have fought in the Blue Horizon several times. What is that like?

TC: You get that Philly blood in your system. You fight at the Blue Horizon and you feel like a Gladiator. I’m a boxer/spoiler type of fighter but fighting at the Blue brings the best out of you, it makes you feel great fighting there. Some of my best knockouts came in the Blue. And the people in the balcony, you can hear them, it’s like they are in the ring with you. They are right over you, you can hear eveyrhting they are saying to you. The Blue is just a serious place.

-- CASSIDY

The Neutral Corner caught up with Andy Murray this week at the U.S. Open. Murray is a Scottish tennis player and is currently the No. 6 seed at the Open. He also happens to be a huge boxing fan. On Thursday, Murray looked a lot like a fighter by outplaying and outgutting Michael Llodra on the Grandstand in a very exciting match, Murray won, 6-4, 1-6, 7-5, 7-6. We spoke to Murray over the course of two days at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Neutral Corner: Can you talk about your Olympic experience. Not so much on the court but the atmosphere and what it was like to compete in the Games.

Andy Murray: I mean, it was something different to anything I'm sure all of the tennis players have experienced before. You know, so many great athletes around you. You know, I didn't leave the Olympic Village at all from when I arrived, and it's a little bit strange, sort of ‑ there's no cars, you know, and you don't hear any planes. It's like no noise in the Village.
I really enjoyed meeting all the other athletes and started collecting these ‑‑ you know, you get pins from your country. And you go and you speak to the other athletes and switch pins and stuff, and that was one of the highlights to me. I got to speak to people from the Cook Islands, British Virgin Islands, and I collected like 120 pins.

NC: I know you are a fight fan, did you get to see any of the boxing competition?

AM: After I lost I went to watch the boxing competition. I saw a couple British guys fight. I enjoyed that.

British Journalist: There's a contrast between no cars and no planes and New York, what is it about playing here that you really enjoy and what is it you feed off?

AM: I've just always loved being in America. I think the people here are very upbeat. You know, they're always have been really helpful and I love the courts. And also the atmosphere, it's just a bit different to all the other Slams. I enjoyed playing here as a junior. It was the first time I stayed in a five‑star hotel, and, you know, I really enjoyed the way I got treated as juniors here, and it's been my favorite tournament since then.

NC: Is Joe Calzaghe going to beat Roy Jones Jr.?

AM: I think he'll beat him comfortably.

NC: That fight is at the Garden, would you attend?

AM: It's in November and I will be in the United States. I may try to see it. I think Calzaghe beats him.

NC: In America, we haven't seen a lot of Amir Khan, the British silver medalist from the 2004 Games. How good is he going to be?

AM: I don't know how good he can be but right now he's very good. He's very exciting. I've gone to see three of his fights.I was at the Gary St. Claire fight. He's very entertaining, very exciting to watch. He's very fast. I think right now the experts are questioning his resistance to punches. I guess we'll see what happens as he keeps facing better opposition. But he's very talented. I think he can become a world champion.

-- CASSIDY

Welcome to the video version of toe-to-toe. We sat down with world lightweight champ Nate Campbell at the boxing hall of fame. He had some interesting things to say about mixed martial arts, Joel Casamayor and Manny Pacquiao. And while the Oscar De La Hoya-Floyd Mayweather Jr. fight has since been scrapped, watch his comments at the end of the video. Priceless. -- CASSIDY

We caught up with Escalade, AKA Troy Jackson, from Queens, cousin of former New York Knicks guard Mark Jackson. Escalade has been a fixture on the wildly popular And-1 streetball hoops tour. Escalade was ringside at a recent fight with four-time Golden Gloves champ Brian Adams.

The Neutral Corner: With both men in their prime, who wins, Ali or Tyson?

Escalade: Wow. Wow! I'll go with Ali. I'm from New York, born and raised and Tyson is my boy. But I played at Louisville in college and Ali came by and gave us some pep talks. So I say Ali.

The Neutral Corner: Who wins, Tyson or Escalade?
Escalade: (Laughing) Me. I'm from the city, I don't back down. I know one thing, it would end in a knockout either way. I told Junior Jones and Brian Adams if they want to make a comeback, I'd fight either one at a catch weight of 225 pounds.

The Neutral Corner: Who wins, an MMA fighter or a pro boxer?
Escalade: If it's MMA rules, an MMA fighter. If it's boxing rules, a boxer would win.

The Neutral Corner: How about Floyd Mayweather Jr. against Sugar Ray Robinson?
Escalade: I think Floyd would win. Athletically you can't keep up with an athlete from 2008. He has advantages in training, in dieting. It's a whole different ballgame. Athletes today are stronger and faster.

The Neutral Corner: What is the best fight you've seen in person?
Escalade: Terry Norris vs. Sugar Ray Leonard at the Garden. I was like 16. The other one would be Oscar de la Hoya vs. Sugar Shane Mosley, the first fight.

It’s the Stanley Cup finals, so the Neutral Corner reached out to Clark Gillies to talk a little boxing, hockey, and, of course, hockey fighting. Gillies was the consummate power forward during his 14-year NHL career. Twelve of those seasons were spent with the Islanders, where Gillies was on the same line as Bryan Trottier and Mike Bossy during the Isles’ four-year run as Stanley Cup Champions. Gillies, who scored over 300 goals, has had his number retired by the Islanders and was elected to the hall of fame in 2002.

Neutral Corner: Who were your favorite boxers to watch?

Clark Gillies: Certainly Ali’s fights with Frazier, the Thrilla in Manilla was a classic. I also enjoyed Tommy Hearns and Sugar Ray Leonard’s fights. Oscar De La Hoya just keeps going and going. He’s as good looking now as he was 10 years ago. That SOB looks like no one hits him. But Ali was special, particularly in his prime, the way he floated around the ring. Then certainly we went through the Tyson era, which was exciting.

NC: You were a Tyson fan?
CG: Most of it you could take until he tried to bite Holyfield’s ear off. Then to see where he’s gone since is kind of disappointing.

NC: In their primes, who wins, Ali or Tyson?
CG: Ali. I think, because Tyson wouldn’t have gotten many shots in. Ali would have been able to take him 12, 15, rounds and win a decision. Tyson wouldn’t have been able to land the same shots he was landing against other guys.

NC: You had a pretty solid career as a heavyweight in your own right.

CG: Well, it was in self defense most of the time. I had a much shorter temper in junior hockey than I did in professional hockey. My job never changed. I had some good success passing the puck and scoring goals. But my job was to also make sure nothing happened to Trots and Bossy. I was able to contribute, from a hockey standpoint as well. It was part of my whole package. The fighting part is not that enjoyable.

NC: Do you know your fight against Dave Schultz is YouTube classic. How often do people ask you about it?

CG: I don’t really get asked about it as much as people like to tell me about it. They come up and say, that fight with Dave Schultz was awesome, it put the Islanders on the map. I know Schultzy really well and he’s a good guy. He was a very talented hockey player and he got lost in the minors. He got into a fight with someone and beat him up and the fans went crazy. He thought, well, this is my avenue to the NHL and sure enough he got there. At one point he scored 20 goals, he had some pretty good offensive talent. You talk about making a living the hard way. Every night he had to fight somebody.

NC: Do you think that fight really legitimized the Islanders?

CG: I don’t know. That fight was the culmination of a lot of smaller fights. But we laugh about it now. I heard Schultzy telling a story about it one time at an event. He had a crowd of guys around him and I saw them laughing so I went over there and said, ‘What’s going on?’ He said, I just telling these guys how mad I am at Moose DuPont. I said, ‘Why are you mad at him?’ Then Schultzy said, I was just getting ready to get off the ice to beat this [stuffing] out of you until Moose grabbed you.

NC: What was the best hockey fight you ever saw?

CG: The best one I ever saw didn’t involve me. It was Marty McSorley and Bob Probert. It was in Detroit and I think the fight lasted for 2 ½ minutes. Which for a hockey fight was incredibly long. They pounded each other with lefts, when they got tired, then they pounded each other with rights. When one guy would go down, the other guy would lift him up.

NC: Those Islander teams that won the Cup were very tough teams, weren’t they?

CG: We didn’t really discover it until 1980 when we played Boston. We woke up to really how tough we were and we could play any style of game. Bobby Nystrom was very tough. Gordie Lane was extremely was tough, a very good fighter, Duane Sutter, Bobby Lorimer, Bobby Bourne, could surprise guys. It was a tough team. Trottier didn’t fight that much but he was tough. It was a very well-rounded team. We could play a finesse game, we could play fast-paced. We could be tough and aggressive when we needed to be.

NC: Did you ever have any formal boxing training?

CG: I never had any boxing training. Our training was that we used to fight when we 10 years old. I had been fighting different guys in different games for the most part since I was 10 years old. The one thing I regret is that I didn’t get any better throwing left hands.

The Clark Gillies Foundation (http://www.clarkgillies.org) has its annual golf outing on June 9, at the Huntington Crescent Club. The foundation helps numerous charities on Long Island and is responsible for the Clark Gillies Pediatric Center at the Huntington Hospital.

-- CASSIDY

The Neutral Corner caught up with former world bantamweight and junior featherweight champion Junior Jones. He came up out of the Bushwick section of Brooklyn and was a mainstay in boxing's lighter weight classes throughout the 1990s. He beat Marco Antonio Barrera, Orlando Canizales, Tom Johnson and Tracy Harris Patterson and had tough losses against Erik Morales and Kennedy McKinney. We tossed out some random boxing questions, here's how Jones responded:

Neutral Corner: What is your greatest moment in the ring?

Junior Jones: Beating Orlando Canizales. He broke the record for 17 successful title defenses at bantamweight and I beat him. That was my best moment. You thought I was going to say beating Marco Antonio Barrera didn't you?

NC: With both men at their best, Ali vs. Tyson. Who wins?

JJ: Wow. I have to pick Tyson. I think the way Tyson fought in his prime, he'd catch Ali. Ali would try the rope-a-dope but it wouldn't work. I say Tyson in four rounds.

NC: Who wins in a fight, an MMA guy or a boxer?

JJ: MMA, big time. Once he gets you to the ground, it's over. Boxers aren't trained for that.

NC: Which athlete, from another sport, would make a good fighter?

JJ: Charles Barkley. He had a tough attitude. He wouldn't back down to anyone. He had no fear. John Starks too. No fear. He was a lightweight with a heavyweight's heart.

NC: Is there one fight, one thing that you wished you could have done in your career?

JJ: Yeah, fight at heavyweight. One big fight, and you are set financially for life. Look at all the fights I had. One big fight at heavyweight would equal everything I made in those fights.

-- CASSIDY

Talk about your scholar athletes, Vitali Klitschko, the former WBC heavyweight champion, is running for mayor of Kiev, in the Ukraine. In his previous attempt at politics, Klitschko was runner up in Kiev’s last mayoral election. He currently serves on Kiev’s city council. He has a doctorate in Physical Science and Sports.

The election is May 25. And, oh yeah, Vitali announced he is returning to the ring and has a fight lined up with current WBC champion Sam Peter for the summer. His younger brother, Wladimir, is the current WBO-IBF heavyweight champion.

The Neutral Corner recently caught up with Klischko while he was in New York.

Neutral Corner: Do you want to talk politics or boxing?

Vitali Klitschko: Either one.

NC: Let’s start with politics, how do you feel about the upcoming election?

VK: My chances look very good. I have good support in Kiev, the public supports me and I am very optimistic about the election. Every morning at 6 a.m., I am in the gym. By 9 a.m., I in the office. I feel great.

NC: What is the perception of the United States and our government around the world?

VK: Actually, I understand that so many American citizens are sometimes very critical of American politics and politicians, but American politics show a very good example for the whole world. It’s an open discussion. It’s democracy. There is freedom of the press. There are so many things we can speak about. There are so many places in the world where you can’t do that. Where you can’t do things you can do in America. I don’t want to criticize American politics.

NC: Okay. Tell me about your comeback.

VK: Every day I spend two, three hours in the gym. I am in great form. I have experience and you can never lose experience. I am at a point, not just in boxing, but in life, where I have experience. I promise to fight and I have a vision to realize my dreams. To write the history of boxing and be world champion at the same time as my brother, two heavyweight champions at the same time. It’s never happened in the heavyweight division. I plan to fight this summer for a world title.

NC: In his last fight, your brother Wladimir was criticized for his performance against Sultan Ibragimov. How did you feel about the fight?

VK: I am very happy that my brother is world champion. He is the strongest fighter in the world. I support him. I think my brother had a great performance. Please don’t forget that he fought against a world champion. Of course the people want to see the knockout, it’s very difficult to knock out someone who was running away form you. I was happy with the decision.

NC: There have been quite a few heavyweight champions who have emerged from the former Soviet Union, yourself, your brother, Oleg Maskaev, Ibragimov, Valuev, why do you think that is?

VK: After the Iron Curtain fell down, all the Russian amateurs moved to the west and pursued professional boxing careers. Right now we have good results. The Russian fighters are very hungry.

NC: Vitali, good luck in the election and good luck in your quest to regain the title.

VK: Wait. I have a question for you.

NC: Okay.

VK: Don’t you want to know why I got into politics?

NC: Sure.

VK: I travel around the world, I spent a lot of time in Germany and in the United States, my three children are born in Los Angeles. I come from Kiev, Ukraine. When I come to Kiev, I see the city, very pretty, 1,500 years old. But the rules are still same as they were under the Soviet Union. I am trying to bring the same simple rules to Kiev, to make life in my city, like life in Europe and in the United States. I have very high moral qualities. I want to work hard for my city and the people who live there. It’s not communist anymore, but there is corruption in Kiev. So many investors want to invest in Kiev, but they are afraid because no one can guarantee that the money will come back. There is no guarantee that someone will steal the money.

-- CASSIDY