Holyfield-Oquendo Kick-Off Press Conference
Holyfield holds court at the New York press conference (pic Jerry Glick)
http://secondsout.com/usa/lusal.cfm?ccs=473&cs=20279
On occasion, it's enlightening to look at the familiar through new eyes. Thus, when Jessica Hauser (Thomas Hauser's niece) attended her first boxing press conference, Secondsout asked for her report.
Holyfield-Oquendo Kick-Off Press Conference
By Jessica Hauser: The press release read "MEDIA ALERT" in capital letters three times with twenty asterisks in between. And that was just the top line. Then it got to the point: "Murad Muhammad, President of M&M Sports, and Evander 'The Real Deal' Holyfield, former world heavyweight champion, will host a press conference on Thursday, September 7th, at Gallagher's Restaurant at 228 West 52nd Street in Manhattan at 12 noon. The press conference will disclose Holyfield's next bout in his drive to regain the world title, the date of the fight, location, and the name of his world-ranked opponent. Both Holyfield and his opponent will attend the conference."
I arrived at 11:45 AM. Evander was already there, wearing black slacks and a short-sleeved black shirt. People with microphones and cameras were crowded around him.
"This is all bullshit," boxing writer George Kimball volunteered to me. "Don't believe a word you hear today."
Fres Oquendo came in wearing a gold jacket and flashy sequined hat. Despite the supposed secrecy, everyone in attendance already knew that he was going to be Evander's opponent. Then the press conference started.
Murad Muhammad began by saying that this fight card is "the will of God" and talked for an excruciatingly long time. People could have gone to the rest room, checked their email, sent a dozen text messages, and he still would have been talking when they came back. Holyfield and Oquendo looked very bored and stared into space. Lou DiBella (Fres's promoter) looked painfully bored and fidgeted a lot. Among the things that Murad said were that he was the one who introduced boxing to HBO (that will be a surprise to former HBO Sports president Seth Abraham) and that Evander is the "uncrowned heavyweight champion of the world."
Finally, it was the fighters' turn to speak.
"When I was in high school," Oquendo said, "I remember Evander saying, 'It's not the size of the man; it's the size of the heart in the man that counts. That always stayed in my head."
Holyfield talked about his desire to become undisputed heavyweight champion of the world again and told the gathering, "Chapter five [his fifth heavyweight title] is the last chapter. It's about faith and what you believe. I don't say things to amuse myself. I say things because I believe them."
It seems as though Evander has told himself so many times that he will become champion again that he truly believes it.
At the end of the press conference, I was introduced to Lou DiBella, who told me, "Boxing is a horrendous miserable vile business full of miserable thieving motherfuckers. But with this miserable shitty pathetic crop of heavyweights, anyone can become heavyweight champion."
Evander Holyfield versus Fres Oquendo will be televised on Fox Sports Net Pay-Per-View on November 10th from the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. The suggested pay-per-view price is $44.95.
Jessica Hauser can be reached by email at jess@bendcable.com.
September 7, 2006
Holyfield-Oquendo...OH BWOY!!!
Here's my problem : "Boxing is a horrendous miserable vile business full of miserable thieving motherfuckers. But with this miserable shitty pathetic crop of heavyweights, anyone can become heavyweight champion."
Did Lou forget that he was talking to a woman? No disrespect to Jessica Hauser...but how old is she? No...that doesn't matter...WTF is Lou doing speaking like that?
He's a douche bag anyways...& I got a foul mouth too...but I don't go running jive like that to someone I just met...much less a woman.
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