Well...I'm back for the moment anyway. I'm bored and I've got some free time...anyone got any questions for me? Anything you want to know about that goes on behind the scenes? Any questions about a particular fighter?

Shoot...

I'll kick things off...

Seeing as how he's coming off a "spectacular" performance against a guy who was labeled as being "exposed", did any of you know that a long time ago, I made a website for Monte "Two Gunz" Barrett?

I believe it used to exist at http://www.monte2gunzbarrett.com

Times must have been rough though because he couldn't continue to afford paying the $70/year that was required to keep it up. Fortunately, I kept a backup (although slightly incomplete) version of it that you can view here:

http://www.fighthype.com/_BETA/montebarrett/index.php

Ultimately, the guy stiffed me for about $1500.



Apparently fighters don't make as much money as one might think.

Hype, who is the nicest, most genuine boxer that you've met (active). On the flip side, who was a jerk?

Shane Mosley/Roy Jones Jr.

Although I wouldn't say Roy was a "jerk"...he was just very arrogant...at least the times that I ran into him (pre and post-knockouts).

But as far as being a straight up jerk...I don't know...I'd have to think about that one. I mean, once someone stiffs me for money, that certainly doesn't make me too crazy about them. That's happened on two occassions...one of which I already mentioned.

And for the bonus...

Mike Tyson was probably the most misunderstood boxer I've ever met. The time I spent with him, he was pretty cool and humble.

Laila Ali was the prettiest.

Zab Judah, Jorge Arce and Jorge Barrios were the funniest.

Floyd was nothing like the persona you see on TV.

How's Antonio Tarver?

Actually, he's pretty cool too. A lot like Floyd...not really the same person you see when the cameras are on.

So which fighters bitch about having to give interviews? Or which ones have refused and showed snobby attitudes?

Floyd's off the camera persona-- good or bad?

Shane seemed like a nice and really genuine guy on the countdown special.... Now I understand why his wife is so protective of him....

Floyd looks like a total asshole in 24/7 and DLH looks cool but from what I've heard from people who met them...Floyd seems to be really cool and DLH can be a jerk..

De La Hoya seems ingenuine.... Like he is trying so hard.. IMO it doesn't come off as being real..

I could see him being a total prick, like when he laughed at Vargas for falling in a ditch up in Big Bear--- that is messed up!

I wouldn't necessarily say anyone has "bitched" about doing interviews...either we could get them or we couldn't. Some guys, however, do get a little Hollywood and think that they don't need the exposure, but whatever. I do know that Oscar is the hardest one to get an interview with...you gotta go through Fort Knox to get to him. Floyd can be a little tricky too...you always have to go through Ellerbe to get something with him (and that's everybody...even leon).

Off camera -- good.

Shane IS really nice and genuine. Just a really good guy.

Oscar does come off as a little fake...both on camera and in person...but I don't think he means for it to be like that. I think he's just always thinking about what he's about to say next...concentrating real hard to make sure it doesn't come out wrong or is taken the wrong way. But actually, he really didn't seem all that bad whenever I ran into him. I'm sure if you're just chillin' with him at his crib or something, he's actually pretty cool. Could be wrong about that though...he does have a shit load of money so he may be a little snobbish about things. LOL.

Thats good to hear...What about Bernard Hopkins?

What's your drink of choice?

and

Out of the live events you've witnessed...who has shown the best chin?

After seeing the post fight interview that Tarver had after beating Jones in the third fight my hole opinion about Tarver changed. He is actually a pretty descent dude. Still dont like him for knocking out Roy though. LOL

So tell me, whats Winky Wright like? Does he really come off as a cry baby? As a Winky fan I'd like to not think so but whats your perception of him?

Have you ever met Tito Trinidad?

Got any Bob Father stories you would like to share?

Nard's cool.

No preference...anything that gets me fvcked up will do.



There's a couple, but believe it or not, I'd actually have to say maybe Lamon Brewster. Dude can take a serious pounding to his chin. Tyson too, although I've never seen him eat as many clean shots as Brewster.

Well, as I mentioned before, I've only been stiffed twice...once by Barrett...the second time by...DING, DING, DING...WE HAVE A WINNER. Actually, I got most of my money from Wink, but not all of it...and it took three months of getting the run around from him before I did get it...and then it was $300 short. $300 fuckin' dollars...are you kidding me? Considering what I went through just to get the money I did get, I just said fuck it. So you can probably take a guess at my perception of him.

Yep. Several times.

Have you ever met the other Greg Leon? www.gregleoninvasion.com

I do...I got a couple, but none that I'll be sharing any time soon. He's a funny ol' man though...very funny.

Hype,
Are you going to be in Vegas for July 26th? If so, where can I catch up with you?

Have you ever met Ricardo Mayorga and what is he like?

Nah...I'll be in Cali the week before that for the Affliction: Banned card (pretty big MMA card for those that don't know). I'll need a vacation after that trip since both Percy and I will be there rubbin' elbows with a whole lot of people we know. My man Simon will be covering the July 26th card.

Yep. He's exactly like he is on TV...funny, cool, thuggy...all wrapped into one. Haven't seen him in a minute though. I think the last time I ran into him was at the Piccirillo fight (2005). He was going off on Vargas way back then...couldn't wait to get him in the ring (which wouldn't happen until 2007). After the Trinidad loss, he was pretty bummed...it kind of shocked me because I had never seen him so down like that. For all that shit talkin' that he does, he actually does care.

Great choice on Mosley Hype. I had the chance to meet Shane in Vegas twice. Im not kidding when I say he acted like he was actually glad to meet me. Super great guy. I met Roy twice also. Once in Vegas and once at the Tyson vs. Lewis fight. I have to say he was really nice to everyone. He didnt want to sign anything but he didnt mind shaking hands and taking pictures. He did finally sign a glove for me the second time I met him.

Hype what is your take on Holyfield? He is the only fighter I have met who didnt want anything to do with the fans. I met him at the Tyson vs. Lewis fight and he was at a charity basketball game. People were everywhere wanting to meet him and he acted like nobody was even around him. He wasnt rude in a sense just acted like we werent there. He wouldnt take pictures or sign anything. Oh well maybe next time.

Hype, do the writers on Boxingtalk all have contact with Leon? Like I was thinking everyone wasnt in the same region and that mostly they might contact one another via email and telephone, perhaps never having even met him or be around him. Also when you get credentialed for a fight or have access being a website, who pays for that and how is it decided who gets access? Like if a person has a boxing website what do they do to go about gaining access so they can cover the fight? Like reading your posts man wish you posted more.

Very interesting topic.

Out of all the fighters you have met, who would you say is the most vocal about the negative aspects of the sport. I mean, a guy who is going to speak the truth no matter what anybody says or thinks about it.

If I myself had to guess....I would think either Hopkins or Larry Holms.....maybe even Tyson.

Thankfully no...1 greg leon was enough.

Holyfield has always been pretty cool with me. He did seem to drift off to lala land at times though...which is one of the reasons why I really hope I won't see him in the ring again. I guess it just kind of depends on when you catch them. We all have our shitty days I guess.

No...they don't. In fact, Charles Presnell can attest to that...I think the whole time he was with btalk, he never once spoke to or heard from leon...he only spoke to me. And that's not because he didn't try...leon simply didn't care or bother to deal with his "monkies" as he so eloquently referred to them as. Truth be told, pretty much everyone that was with btalk spoke and dealt directly with me more than they ever dealt with him. If you read the Monkey Business thread, you'll get a good sense of exactly how leon treated his writers:

http://www.fighthype.com/community/index.php?showtopic=21667

I'm sure if Jeff Young (a.k.a stateofthegame) pops in here, he can give you several examples of how leon treats his writers. If you didn't know, Young was actually one of the original writers for btalk. He was one of the first guys on board with btalk when the site first started...before leon was ever around...back when leon was still begging his friends to hook him up with tickets to Broadway Boxing events. He's got some great stories about leon's treatment of writers. Basically, leon couldn't give a shit about anyone that wrote for him. As he told me on several occassions, both on the phone and in person, "Hype, I don't give a fuck about these monkeys. We can do this shit by ourselves!" Literally. You gotta understand...I spoke with leon day and night...night and day...non-stop. Believe me...that wasn't by choice. His ass would call me AT LEAST 10 times a day. If I didn't pick up the phone, he'd keep calling until I finally did pick up the phone. So I know EVERYTHING about the kid...ALL of his dirt. Shit...now you got me going on a rant. Just go check out the Monkey Business thread and you'll get your answer there.

As for credentials, as a website, 1) you gotta know some people in the industry just so you can even get the applications or know where to get them from and 2) you gotta be an established site with good traffic. The PR firm that handles the credentials usually checks things like website traffic and website content in order to determine who gets in and who doesn't. Sometimes a little begging and bribing helps too. LOL.

That one's easy...DEFINITELY Hopkins...although I'd have to say Nate Campbell has quickly taken over that role.

LOL

Hype what about Fernando Vargas..Did you ever meet him?

Yep. He's a little too Hollywood for my taste. He may be cool with the peeps that are down with him, but I've never really cared for his attitude too much.

Thanks for the answers Hype, yeah I read the Monkey Business thread a long time ago.

I've talked with Fernando a few times and he's always been cool as hell. He's actually just a reserved guy, pretty careful about who he opens up to, but overall he's cool as hell if/when you get to know him.

Hype, what do you think of Ricky Hatton? I know he gets ragged on as a fighter, but as a person I'm wondering if you can see why the Brits love him so much?

The few times I've spoke to him he's cracked me up, dude is so dry and funny. British eccentricity.



Black

What an ungrateful idiot (Greg). Absolutely disgusting. I was totally unaware of this (his behavior), mainly because I don't follow very closely what goes on in the "boxing industry".

[Are Matthew Goldstein Leons latest slave-writer?]

Hype, any comment on this?

P.E.M.G AND GREG LEON JOIN FORCES

By Matthew Goldstein

Greg Leon and Premier Event Management Group, headed by CEO Michael Shinefield and Vice President David Richardson have joined forces to solidify a ground breaking deal that, amongst other undisclosable details, will have the three entrepreneurs working cooperatively with all fighters under their representatiton. Shinefield and Richardson are co-managers of former undisputed world champion Zab "Super" Judah, who challenges Joshua Clottey for the vacant IBF welterweight strap on August 2. Shinefield's company PEMG is rapidly establishing itself as a force to be reckoned with as it relates to securing sponsorships for boxers. Leon has a notable stable of talent including, resurging heavyweight contender Monte Barrett, IBF junior middleweight champion Verno Phillips, former world champions Carlos Hernandez, junior middleweight contender Ishe Smith and most recently world class super middleweight Allan Green.

That's the thing...I HAVE gotten to know him...not as some fan, but on a more personal level. I'm not necessarily saying he's not cool, but there's just some things that I thought he was a little to Hollywood about. For instance, I know he's not really a big fan of giving out his autograph simply because he doesn't really like the thought of people making money off of his name (i.e. selling it on eBay and stuff). To me, I just kind of thought that was whack. Don't get me wrong, I understand where's he's coming from, but I mean, come on...that's a little overboard for my taste. I also know about some personal things he went through before the Mayorga fight and what he did to try to get out of that fight...I thought that was pretty lame. So actually, I'd probably say just the opposite of your statement...overall, he's cool as hell if/when you DON'T get to know him. I don't know though...maybe you're a little bit tighter with him than me Warlord, so like I said before, he may be cool with his peeps.

Hatton's actually really cool...funny as shit. I'd kick it with him any day. I can absolutely understand why they love him so much. He's just a really funny, down to earth guy.

Actually, just about every Brit I've hung out and kicked it with was pretty cool...even Danny Williams before and after the Tyson fight.

Matthew Goldstein doesn't write that garbage...that's just leon writing it and putting Goldstein's name on it. If Goldstein was actually still writing right now, then you would have seen his whack betting lines that he used to copy and paste from another website...or you would have seen his whack attempt to cover MMA with his buddy Jim Bartlieb. I haven't seen any of that stuff up on the site in quite some time so I'm pretty sure leon is just slapping Goldstein's name on those little blurbs (since, after all, it would look pretty stupid for him to put his own name on it). Well, at least that's what I think. Maybe my man AKay can give Goldstein a call and find out.

As for leon and PEMG "joining forces", I honestly just looked at it as another guy with limited boxing experience that leon just suckered...kind of like he did to Bobby Bostick. Basically, Michael Shinefield, the money man behind PEMG, is looking to build a stable of fighters to try to be a promoter. He may not call himself a promoter, but that's basically what he's trying to do. I heard a little rumor that Shinefield offered a percentage to anyone that brought him a fighter. My guess is that leon realized that "advising" all of these fighters is a lot of work so when he heard Shinefield, who was looking for fighters, was willing to give up a percentage, he figured he could pass off his fighters, who he was already getting a percentage of, on to Shinefield, do less work and still make the same, if not more, money. So let's say leon was getting 10% of the fighters he advised...if Shinefield is offering 20% to anyone who brings him a fighter, then leon would stand to make even more money. Now, I don't know if that's exactly what went down in the "ground-breaking" deal (incidentally, I didn't know that hustling someone was innovative, original or "ground-breaking"), but knowing leon, combined with some of the things I heard about Shinefield, I'm willing to bet that's pretty much what's going on there.

I did have to laugh my ass off at the following statement:

"Shinefield's company PEMG is rapidly establishing itself as a force to be reckoned with as it relates to securing sponsorships for boxers"

I mean, what the hell has his company done to "rapidly establish itself as a force to be reckoned with"? As far as I know, their one client, Zab Judah, went from making $800,000 to fight Shane Mosley to who knows how much to fight Clottey (however much it is, it's a lot less than $800,000). And exactly what sponsorships have they secured for Zab? I'm not even sure if they can get him into any new rap videos. After an extensive and exhaustive search, I was able to find their website:

http://pemg.biz/

".biz"? Who the fvck uses .biz?

I mean, in my opinion, Michael Shinefield is just some rich cat with a lot of money to throw away...probably some guy who grew up in money and now that he's older, he's bored and is looking for something to do. He's probably always been a fan of boxing and figured, "hey...what the hell...I'll start managing and promoting fighters." He was probably a reader of btalk for quite some time before he ever hooked up with leon. My guess is that one day, he probably sent leon an email (which is usually how that shit happens) and eventually, leon was able to convince Zab to speak with the guy. Somehow, Zab and Shinefield reached an agreement and Zab decided to leave Brian Young (who actually did a pretty good job of rebuilding Zab's career after the Mayweather loss, taking him from ESPN back to the spotlight and a fight with Cotto). So that got leon his cozy relationship with Shinefield and PEMG and ultimately this "ground-breaking" deal. Shit, I should really start writing more and putting this crap out on the home page. But anyway, just take a look at the type of person that Shinefield is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mX2ez_KJkjY

That video was from his "birthday bash"...it took place the first week of April...April 6th I believe...roughly 8 weeks out from the Mosley fight. 8 weeks is a long way away, but still...who knows what other shit Zab was doing before the fight when he's hanging around with a cat like that.



Is Michael Shinefield really the type of guy that's going to take Zab Judah's career to the next level? Is PEMG really a "force to be reckoned with" and the company that's going to turn around the fading the careers of Monte Barrett, Verno Phillips, Carlos Hernandez, Ishe Smith and now Allan Green? Time will tell, but if history can serve as any type of example and you look at the type of guys that leon has dealt with in the past...guys like Bobby Bostick...my guess is no.

So basically, hey, for the short term, it's a great move for leon because it means more money in his pocket. Hey leon...if you're reading this, good job homie...you used that gift of gab to sucker another idiot into throwing money at you...that means your kids will get even more money if and when wifey finally decides to go through with that divorce. As far as Shinefield, PEMG, and his fighters are concerned however...they're all basically screwed. I mean, if leon was already making 10% off of them and PEMG is also getting a percentage, exactly how much money are those guys actually taking home?

Boxing at it's finest!

Pathetic.

With guys like that in the sport, it won't be long before you all switch over to MMA.

Never...

Never say never!

And if you're a fan of boxing, I don't know why not when MMA fighters utilize boxing skills as well. In fact, a lot of those guys prefer to keep the fight standing because it's more entertaining for the crowd. Hell, BJ Penn's recent win over Sean Sherk was basically a boxing match. Given some of the weak mismatches that have been put together in boxing recently, I'd definitely give MMA a try. I know I'll definitely be watching UFC 86 over the Torres-Holt rematch tonight. Besides, there are days when there's absolutely no boxing on whatsoever (July 19th comes to mind) so why not give MMA a shot...especially considering that there's a FREE UFC card on that date featuring maybe the best pound-for-pound fighter on the planet in Anderson Silva and KO artists like James Irvin and Anthony Johnson. Not to mention, the HUGE Affliction card on the same date featuring arguably the best heavyweight in the world in Fedor Emelianenko as well as big names like Tim Sylvia, Josh Barnett, Pedro Rizzo, Andrei Arlovski, Ben Rothwell, Renato “Babalu” Sobral, Matt Lindland. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't expect you to watch that card simply because it's PPV, but to put it in comparison, that would be like watching a boxing card featuring Wladimir Klitschko, Samuel Peter, James Toney, Hasim Rahman, Ruslan Chagaev, Alexander Povetkin, Glen Johnson and Winky Wright. That card is ridiculous and you'll NEVER see anything like that with that much talent put together on one card in boxing. Oops...damn...I just used the word "never". LOL.

Seriously though...July 19th...the UFC card is at least worth checking out. And as far as tonight's is concerned...I'll pass on boxing and just DVR it.

as much as I hate leon I agree that hey he looks out for himself and if he can keep hustling cats to put money in his pocket then power to him. I think PMEG is praying and I mean Praying that zab pulls off this victory against clottey because after zab their stable of fighters doesnt look too good. The only decent talent and name fighters left would be green and verno who arent exactly young fighters anymore

Hype,

When interviewing/covering the great Frans Botha regarding his upcoming bout with Chicken Solis (great interview by the way!), was it difficult for you to remain composed? Did your machine gun pulse rate, buckets of perspiration, and total admiration of the legend make it difficult to get the words out? Did you kiss the ring?

Buffalo,

I was the one the did that interview, thanks to Hype. I enjoyed it because I have always been a Botha fan. In the next few days I may try to follow up since all the pull outs. I tried to get Frans to speak on the first pull out, but he was convinced that Solis was sick and had a hurt hand.

Jeff

stateofthegame,

Sorry for not giving you the almighty props.....that was an excellent job! I was so engrossed in the new scripture that I did not take a look at the brains behind it! A follow up would be awesome, hopefully Francois can can enlighten the masses once again.

Words of advice - Only use a hard line, no cordless. After the interview, you must immediately destroy the telephone. And most importantly, always end the interview with your rendition of "Buffalo Soldier".....it calms the inner beast.

yeah, cause dana white is a shining beacon of legitimacy. he's not completely ripping off his fighters