Good Morning Mr. and Ms. America and those reading this overseas,

TEN STAR FLASH...Prince Naseem Hamed, void of a promoter since his contract with Frank Warren expired in August, has inked a deal with a Kuwaiti zillionaire who will promote the colorful featherweight until he retires!

HAROLD PUT DEAL TOGETHER

Boxing promoter Harold Smith has been to Kuwait, Sheffield, the UK, and Los Angeles in the past seven days to seal the deal. The official announcement will come Tuesday.

MOVIE FORTHCOMING SOON

If people think that Hamed is hot in the UK, in the Middle East he is God-like. That's why the Kuwaiti money man wants to do a movie on the life of the British fighter whose parents are from Yemen, as soon as possible.

WHAT ABOUT HBO?

It is HBO's contention that they have a valid contract with Hamed signed less than 16 months ago. But Naseem is saying that the three year agreement is void because it was inked by ex-promoter Warren, who had only one year left on his deal with Naseem.

HBO MAKING A TOUGH STAND NOW

As I reported exclusively here Saturday, HBO and SHOWTIME were locked in a bidding war for Hamed. Jay Larkin of SHOWTIME PPV wants Naseem on SET Pay Per View, while HBO's Lou Di Bella likes the .12 rating Hamed got on Home Box Office the last time out.

NOT ANYMORE

So, while they were prepared to write up a new contract with the Prince, HBO's stance now is that they will fight to enforce their deal with Hamed. 

THAT MEANS SHYSTERS FRENZY

If HBO breaks out their $600 an hour lawyers, look for Hamed and his Kuwati backer to try and do them one better.

SMITH INCHING BACK

When Harold Smith and Don King were duking it out in the late 1970's for promotional superiority, Smith had King in effect on the ropes.

But Smith would be brought down to earth when the Fed's went goofy over loans from a Wells Fargo bank in California that were bankrolling his M.A.P.S. (Muhammad Ali Professional Sports) Organization.

After working that off for five years in Club Fed, Smith returned to the game and has moderate success.

CHINA WAS HAROLD'S BABY

The historic cards in Beijing in 1993, and Macau a year later, were Smith's efforts. He put together Tommy Hearns-Virgil Hill in 1991, and has represented Hearns from time to time after being the promoter of Hearns' first title winning effort over then WBA 147 lb. champ Pipino Cuevas.

SAME DAY, TWO DIFFERENT STATES

In the afternoon of August 2, 1980, Smith promoted Aaron Pryor's WBA 140 lb. title winning effort against Antonio Cervantes in Ohio which was telecast on ABC. He then grabbed ring announcer Jimmy Lennon Sr., Pryor and a few others, and jetted to Detroit where Hearns would KO Cuevas in two that evening on Pay Per View.

A GENIUS WITH INCREDIBLE STAMINA

That best describes Harold Smith.

SHANE, FOSTER, & MERCHANT ON RING TALK SUNDAY

For those of you that missed the Sunday night edition of Ring Talk, the best fighter pound for pound in the world of boxing, and just 24 hours after defeating an over matched Golden Johnson, Shane Mosley graced the Ring Talk family members with his presence. The full interview will be in print later this week at www.fighters.com

SHANE NOT "HAPPY"

The lightweight champion from Pomona, CA had this to say about him being a more worthy candidate for Fighter of The Year over Floyd Mayweather, who was given the nod by both Ring and KO Magazines.

"I defended my title five times. Floyd just became champion, he had one defense." To be continued.

FOSTER A HIT, AS ALWAYS

Bob Foster's interview will also be converted to text for publication later this week at www.fighters.com, but he had this to say about some experts who rate Michael Spinks over him at light heavyweight.

"I can't believe it. Spinks, I would have knocked his ass out in two rounds."

MERCHANT ON SHANE

"I think he's wrong in not fighting on March 6. Look, he's in his prime. He shouldn't let one of lightweight paydays get away, for we know he isn't going to be at 135 lbs. a whole lot longer."

ON ROY

It is HBO's view that the WBC is to blame fully for the fact that they had to air Roy Jones vs. #1 rated Ricky Frazier on Saturday. Bullspit! Had Roy Jones really put a stink with the WBC, I'm sure Mr. Frazier could have been made to go away.

BUT ROY WANTED ANOTHER EASY MARK

Although Frazier was a mandatory, Eric Lucas, Otis Grant, and an aged Virgil Hill were NOT!

DI BELLA WANTED MARCH 6,

HBO wanted Shane to face two time Arturo Gatti slayer Ivan Robinson on March 6. BUT "SUGAR" Shane says that's too soon and begged off for April. "I've fought six times in a year. I deserve and need to take some time off with my family."

Learning this while listening to Ring Talk, Di Bella countered with a Cesar Bazan-Ivan Robinson WBC fight for that date that would be a co-feature with WBA 154 lb. guy Laurent Bouduani defending against 1996 Olympic Gold Medalist David Reid.

MOSLEY HAS ANSWER

"Let Stevie Johnston and Bazan fight a rematch. Ivan and I can go in April, and I'll fight the winner in June."

APOE 4 BEING QUESTIONED

The big news that came out of the WBC Medical Congress in Aruba 20 months ago, was the discovery of a gene identified as APOE 4. It was the contention of one Dr. Barry Sanders that those who were void of APOE 4 were more apt to suffer severe brain damage from trauma.

USC STUDY SAYS "WAIT A SECOND"

While Sanders is from UCLA, crosstown rival Dr. Jeffrey Victoroff is from USC. The Trojan MD says, "Although the discovery of APOE 4 is important, I don't think it's a test that we can give to a person and say that if they don't have it, they can't box."

DOC MAY APPEAR ON RING TALK THIS SATURDAY

We are working on Dr. Victoroff's first Ring Talk appearance, and a return visit from Dr. Sanders in the next week or so.

SILENT NO MORE

Randy Gordon has worn a number of boxing hats in his forty something years of existence. He fought as a pro, was a writer/reporter, TV commentator, head of the New York Athletic Commission, and he has worked for casinos as their spokesperson in boxing matters.

TALK ABOUT CHUTZPAH

Gordon was the man who banned Panama Lewis and Luis Resto from boxing after it was discovered that they had taken the padded stuffing out of Resto's gloves before he fought Billy Collins on June 16, 1983.

MURDERERS

That's what Gordon was saying of the glove tampering act when Collins died a couple of years later, a broken man who because of the injuries suffered from the near bare fisted Resto, could never fight again.

FLIPPED

Gordon has done a 360, as he is now the Public Relations Director of Frans Botha, who is trained by the banned in 49 States, Panama Lewis. Gordon disavows any direct relationship with the gold toothed Lewis except to say. "We watch old fights together."

BUFFALO CHIPS IS RIGHT

Gordon has been e mailing a column around to different writers in the business entitled "Buffalo Chips." In case you didn't know, Buffalo Chips are pieces of dung, or manure. And that's what this stuff is.

EXAMPLE OF GORDON'S DRIBBLE

"For Botha, training camp has been like a scene out of a "Rocky," movie, as well-wishers and autograph-seekers continually swarm him at the Monte Carlo Hotel.    However, there is no shying or backing away from them. Instead, he obliges each one of them with a smile.

Following the (Saturday) fights (at the Frontier and on FOX), Botha went to dinner in the Monte Carlo Resort & Casino, and was mobbed for his autograph.  A cute scene was Botha hugging longtime fight fan Ruth of Iowa, who was there celebrating her 71st birthday."

IS IT JUST ME, OR CAN YOU TOO SMELL THE BUFFALO CHIT?

In years gone by, I served as a PR guy, so I know how you sometimes have to for lack of a better word, LIE!

BUT Gordon, by going to work for a person he called a murderer, and then having the gall to pen crap like that takes away any credibility from Randy, who was already lacking that attribute even before he went to work for Botha and Lewis.

RANDY'S A MOHLE

That's what he is! And he should do his Yankee Clipper number on Panama and Resto, minus any anesthetic for what they did to Billy Collins.

CHANGE OF HEART

Only after witnessing that, would I be in favor of relicensing Panama Lewis.

CARL KING ON SUNDAY

Unable to track down Dad, I got a hold of Carl King at his Florida home Sunday afternoon. In a ten minute conversation, he couldn't give me much. "Yes, James Page is on the March 13, Holyfield-Lewis card. Against who, I don't know."

CHRISTY TO FIGHT ON?

"Christy Martin is also penciled in for the March 13, show. No, she's not retiring." Phone calls to the Martin's residence went unanswered on Sunday afternoon.

IBF 118 LB. CHAMP AUSTIN

"Tim Austin should be in action in February or March. Against who? Again, I don't know."

BEST POUND FOR POUND?

Carl King says it's, "Ricardo Lopez." Of course, he is under the King promotional umbrella. And by the way, Lopez is the King's only WBC champion.

GEORGE "BRING THE CASH"

By the time you read this on Monday, the AP wire should have a story confirming George Foreman's acceptance of the $9 million Letter of Credit from promoter Roger Levitt for the January 23, showdown with Larry Holmes.

HOUSTON SOURCE SAYS GEORGE WILLING NOW

While it seemed all George Foreman wanted to do was take the $1 million advance and walk away, his neighbors in Houston may have helped to change his mind as George said Friday that he was hoping Levitt could get things done on Monday.

MANAGER OF 1998

It has to go to Tijuana resident Fernando Beltran. As the man behind both WBC champ's Erik Morales, and Cesar Bazan, as well as the driving force behind Yory Boy Campas' IBF title stint, that was ended last month by Fernando Vargas.

The baby faced manager/promoter has become one of the game's major players with his clientele. And in Mexico, his cable shows are beamed throughout the country monthly. Beltran's shows are always  highly anticipated and well reviewed.


Pedro Fernandez


Note: Mr. Fernandez is an award winning writer, who is also a syndicated talk show host with the Talk America Radio Network(s) Pedro has his own site at www.fighters.com and can be reached at flash@inow.com

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