A MESSAGE TO OUR READERS:

This website was never designed to carry our full weekly boxing column, that for the last 30 years or so has appeared in the pages of Sports Eye, here in the New York metropolitan area and at racetracks along the eastern seaboard.

This site was actually created for the material that wound up on the cutting room floor, and for photos that never made the paper.

In June, we joined the ranks of the Number One website for boxing, Fightnews.com, so due to the limited time and lack of input to this site, it remained pretty much dormant since then.

On November 29, our esteemed editor JAY BERGMAN, his right hand man KENNY WALTERS, writer PHIL PINES and us, were all informed by publisher JACK COHEN that we were redundant.  Well, actually he didn't have the nerve to do it himself, or tell us before our deadline so that our last column never made it into print... he sent a messenger to do his dirty work.

"We will not be using editorial content," and "I don't think your services will be needed any longer."  Oomph... taking that perfectly placed left hook to the chin.

Sports Eye has in fact died, replaced by 'The Racing Eye' or the Black Eye or something.

After trying his hand at broadcasting hockey and basketball in the 1950's, the late, great "Broadway" Ben Greene began writing about boxing in the old National Inquirer, before it became a tabloid featuring stories about UFO abductions and two-headed babies.  We recall a paper in Puerto Rico and a paper in Caracas, Venezuela, and then he began to write for El Diario/ La Prensa in the early 1970's, ah, the Ali era.

One scribe, in a two-fisted salute, called Greene, "The Dean of the Boxing Writers," as he unexpectedly passed us the torch in May of 2000, as shortly after his demise, one caller to "the hotline" offered condolences, before asking, "Do you know who won last night in North Dakota?" We've been at it ever since.

So we are back after a short hiatus, our first in 15-years that included a New Year's bout with bronchitis and a car wreck, but we're back and with a new sense of purpose, to deliver to you our own brand of rat-tat-tat-style, offering you, our loyal readers, our unique blend of news, results and future fights from around the world.

We ask that any commissions, promoters, managers or fighters who have news, -- send it to us at the link at the bottom of this page, so we can continue to inform the boxing public about large events, as well as news not found anywhere else.

We also ask you, the reader, long time readers and those clicking us for the first time, to offer us input and let us know what you think? About the site, a fight, what interviews you would like to read.  Let us know you're out there.

We are still looking for a permanent home for this weekly article, so if there are any publishers or editors at any paper out there who would like to pick up a boxing column with a long-standing tradition, simply contact us at the e-mail address below.  Until then it's life in "bloggerworld," but at least it's just that, world-wide.

We offer exclusive interviews with boxing's brightest stars, kicking off this week with former heavyweight champion LENNOX LEWIS (Click on our "Interviews" page in the upper left hand corner).  We will once again resurrect the Dr. Marvin Goldberg Boxing Brain-buster Trivia Quiz, where fans who can correctly answer trivia questions win tickets to selected fights and more.

Longtime contributor "Newsy" IKE is back from retirement in Florida and he'll deliver reports from the gyms and back-rooms of the underbelly of the sport; and photojournalist JULES IRA RUBENSTEIN will continue to furnish us with results and commentary from fightcards from around the world.

We have gotten off to a late start, but we will post Bash Boulevard Serenade, 2004, on March 31.  True, almost everyone has already put out their year-end honoree columns, but we promise it will be worth the wait, with over 100 categories besides "Fighter of the Year."  So tune in.

We will be updating the different pages on this site and look forward to your continued support in 2005.  If you like what you see, tell a friend.  Wishing everyone a belated Happy New Year, we're...

-"Dangerous" DAVID GREENE
-CATHERINE "Nails"GREENE
Monday 2-28-05

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NEW MEANING FOR BOXING DAY

For years this column joked about some pretty funny incidents surrounding the purchasing of gifts for the Holiday season and, of course, "Boxing Day."  Anyone who ever tried to return gifts on December 26, knows you have to be in shape and on your toes, like the woman in a commercial out now, limbering up in the parking lot before a day of shopping at Macy's.

The devastation was of biblical proportions, the aftermath of the December 26, 2004 9.0 magnitude earthquake in the Indian Ocean and subsequent tsunamis, that struck Indonesia, Sri Lanka, South India, Thailand and the east coast of Africa at dawn, with waves as tall as 100-feet high, the deadliest tsunami in recorded history.

Like the attacks on the World Trade Center, this massive wave of death was captured on camera, only this time entire towns and television stations were swept away, and it would be days or weeks before rescue workers could get to survivors, so the photos and video's are still being broadcasted as "never seen before," over two months later.

After a nine-day tour, Florida attorney JIM WILKES was quoted as saying, "It's stunning to see the power of water," and compared the devastation with the detonation of a nuclear bomb.  Wilkes, along with boxing promoter GARY SHAW, got out their checkbooks and sent $100,000.

So moved by what they saw, Wilkes would begin a drive back home for the victims and Shaw would call WBC President JOSE SULAIMAN, and ask that the next convention be moved to Thailand.

Ringside physician Dr. PAUL WALLACE of the California State Athletic Commission assisted the Thailand government in examining hundreds of corpses stored in refrigerated containers at two Buddhist temples.  Wallace would help to digitally restore the faces of over a dozen of the decomposed victims, who were then identified by family members.

Promoter OCTAVIUS JAMES held a card at the Radisson Hotel, where all of the show's profits were donated to tsunami relief efforts led by the American Red Cross and UNICEF, who are assisting the tens of thousands injured and the over one million left homeless.

Maybe boxing is man's oldest sport because it reaches to the breaking point of one's soul.  God blessed man with the endurance to carry on.  Getting up off the ground after one's ass has been kicked, and dusting ones self off, to keep trying despite the odds.

We watched as this city came together after 9/11, yet today you can drive for miles without seeing a flag, and it's usually a tattered one on the back of a fire engine.  It took about a week, but the fishermen who worked the waters where the tsunamis struck, had to eat, and feed their family members and neighbors who survived, so they returned to the ocean.

"Baby 81," the six-month old who was swept from his mother's arms and somehow ended up on a floating tire, when he was rescued by a neighbor hours later, is currently in New York doing the talk-show circuit.  The beaming parents were given "celebrity" status after DNA testing proved they were the parents of the child claimed by over a half-dozen broken-hearted couples.

Despite the current $1.8 billion pledged by the United States, the World Bank estimates $5 billion will be needed in the recovery costs.  Musicians have joined together with concert relief efforts in Cardiff, Wales and Sydney, Australia, and a rugby match in London was expected to raise money for the tsunami victims and survivors.

Early reports from the World Health Organization warned that one million lives were at risk from dengue fever, malaria and other mosquito-borne diseases, as well as cholera, diphtheria and typhoid.

To date, there are currently 172,000 known dead throughout Asia and an additional 125,000 missing and presumed dead.  And the exact death toll may never be known.

Besides a day of returning gifts, "Boxing Day," should now honor those lost in this unprecedented natural disaster, and a day when we remember how small we all are in God's universe. 

If you haven't done so already, we encourage all who are able to do so, to make a contribution to one of the following organizations: the Asia Tsunami Crisis Fund online www.adra.org/Donation.html or by calling (800) 424-ADRA; the American Jewish Committee Tsunami Relief Fund, P.O. Box 705; New York, NY., 10150, (212) 751-4000; Feed The Children P.O. Box 36, Oklahoma City, OK., 73101-0036 or 1-(800) 627-4556; Islamic Relief Worldwide www.islamic-relief.org;  the Red Cross:  Red Cross Red Crescent - Make a donation;  Save The Children 1 (800) 615-5229 or send your donation by mail to: United Children's Fund, Inc.  P.O. Box 20341 Boulder, CO., 80308-3341 or donate your used automobile by calling 1-(800) 511-4409 or www.unicef.org or call 1-(800) 615-5229. 3-17-03

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        MARK YOUR CALENDER

  Fri. Apr. 15--Wall of Fame induction of Edgar "El Chamaco" Santana @ Juan LaPorte Gym. Sparring session presented by LaPorte's team, the Webster Avenue Police Athletic League and the Bronxchester Gym. D.J. Anthony & Yukiyu. Entrance fee: $10, doors open 7pm. Juan Laporte Gym, 700 Elton Avenue; Bronx, NY. (718) 585-6753.

  Fri. Apr. 15--White Collar Bxoing @ Gleason's Gym; 83 Front Street, 2nd floor; Brooklyn, NY. Participants $20, spectators $15. First bout 730pm, call (718) 797-2872 or visit their website at: www.gleasonsgym.net for more information.

 Wed. Apr. 20, 9PM ET--USA Network's premiere of "Ring of Fire: The Emile Griffith Story."

  Fri. May 6--80TH Annual award dinner and silent auction of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, Las Vegas, NV., 3950 Las Vegas Boulevard South, Las Vegas, NV. After years of being held in the Big Apple, this year the event moves to the left coast. Honorees include GLENN JOHNSON, this year's "Fighter of the Year," who will receive the Edward Neil Award; THOMAS HAUSER, "The Nat Fleischer Award for Career Achievement in Boxing Journalism," Miami Herald writer EDWIN POPE and NY Newsday and Sports Illustrated writer WILLIAM NACK receive the A.J. Liebling Award for Excellence in Boxing Journalism. For ticket info call: (212) 253-9940.

 Fri. May 13, 7:30 PM--White Collar Boxing @ Gleason's. White collar boxers strut their stuff for trophys and glory at the world famous gym. Participation $20, entrance fee $15. Gleason's Gym, 83 Front Street, 2nd floor; Brooklyn, NY. For more information and directions call (718) 797-7872 or log onto their website at: www.Gleasonsgym.net.

  Jun. 9-12: 16TH Annual International Boxing Hall of Fame Induction Weekend @ 1 Hall of Fame Drive; Canastota, NY., 13032. This year's inductees include: BARRY McGUIGAN, BOBBY CHACON, DUILIO LOI, and TERRY NORRIS, and fight writers BERT RANDOLPH "The Hat" SUGAR and Harry Mullan and publicist DON FRASER.  For more information call (315) 697-7095 or log onto the IBHOF website at: www.ibhof.com.

  Fri. Jun. 17--Southern Nevada Sports Hall of Fame @ Cox Pavilion, Clark County, NV. This year's honorees include: Nevada State Athletic Commissioner MARC RATNER, baseball's MATT WILLIAMS, golf's ROBERT GAMEZ, baseball coach LOU PISANI and physical therapist KEITH KLEUEN. For more info call (702) 799-1042.

 Sep. 8-11: Gleason's Gym 3rd Annual Fantasy Boxing Camp forming now. Contact Gleason's Gym at (718) 797-7872.

To list an upcoming event, send all of the info with your name, address or e-mail and phone number to: Fisticscene2005@aol.com.