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(1972-2000) and chronicled great fighters and boxing events during a career that spanned seven decades. Known as “The Voice of Boxing” in Britain, where he was beloved by his readers and peers, Hart passed away on March 22 at age 89. Born in London’s East End in 1935, his interest in boxing began with his father’s stories of great Jewish boxers Ted “Kid” Lewis and Jackie “Kid” Berg, who had emerged from the same tough immigrant area in previous decades. Hart’s journey in journalism began modestly, as a copy boy for a neighborhood newspaper, but he was destined for sportswriting. After joining the staff of the Daily Herald (a national morning paper, later renamed The Sun) in 1958, he quickly advanced from crime reporter to night editor and finally the sports desk, where he began covering boxing in 1964. Ten years later, Hart was ringside for the “Rumble in the Jungle” in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (then known as Zaire). He was among the few reporters who picked Muhammad Ali to beat Foreman. Hart frequently traveled to the U.S. to cover major bouts, which included “The Fight of the Century” between Joe Frazier and Ali in 1971 (his first American assignment) and the showdowns between The Four Kings during the 1980s. Hart enjoyed a rapport with many iconic American boxers, growing so close to Ali that “The Greatest” trusted him to break the story on his Parkinson’s disease diagnosis in 1984. But it was in Britain where Hart was a press row fixture
he covered the standouts: Henry Cooper, Ken Buchanan, Frank Bruno, Nigel Benn, Chris Eubank Sr., Lennox Lewis, Joe Calzaghe, Ricky Hatton, Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury. Hart retired as The Sun’s full- time boxing correspondent in 2000 but rejoined the staff as a weekly boxing columnist – a role he continued until weeks before his passing. Hart was the first British scribe to be honored with the Nat Fleischer Award for Excellence in Boxing Journalism by the Boxing Writers Association of America in 2011. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame two years later. The Pitbull Livingstone Bramble, who passed away on March 22 at age 64, took the boxing world by storm in the mid- 1980s when he upset Ray Mancini for the WBA lightweight title and made two defenses of the belt, including a rematch with the popular Ohioan. Affable and eccentric outside of the ring but
have inspired his nickname, but he lived up to his “Pitbull” ring moniker with his fearsome fighting spirit. During a two-year stretch – 1984-1986 – Bramble defeated (in order) 19-0 up-and-comer Rafael Williams (UD 12), Mancini (TKO 14), the crafty Edwin Curet (UD 10) in a non-title bout, Mancini in the rematch (UD 15) and the WBA’s No. 1 contender, Tyrone Crawley (TKO 13), before suffering a second-round KO at the hands of Edwin Rosario. He remained a contender into the later part of the decade before settling into a role as a serviceable gatekeeper during the first half of the 1990s. From 1990-1994, he tested hot prospects and fellow veterans, including a thriller with Oba Carr (L-SD 10) that the undefeated youngster was lucky to win, future IBF 140-pound titleholder Charles Murray (L-UD 10), Roger Mayweather (L-DQ 5) and future Hall of Famers Kostya Tszyu (L-UD 10) and Buddy McGirt (L-UD 12). The Coach The passing of Kenny Adams barely made news outside of boxing, and even within the sport it was seemingly noted only by his former fighters, fellow trainers, industry folks and longtime media members who knew him. Adams, who died on April 7 at age 84, was low-key compared to other notable trainers, but those who had the honor of working with him or the pleasure of covering his extraordinary career can attest that he was every bit the boxing sage as celebrated gurus of the past, from Ray Arcel to Angelo Dundee and Emanuel Steward. Make no mistake: Adams, who was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2024, is one of the greatest trainers of the modern era. A Vietnam veteran and career military man, Adams elevated the U.S. Army’s boxing team to international success before joining USA Boxing to serve as assistant coach for the
Adams was born in Springfield, Missouri, where I spent my formative years, so we had an instant bond and familiarity, but I was still surprised by his candor once we started talking. “Vince is coming along nicely,” he told me. “If I can keep him active and away from the dope man, I think he can win a world title by the end of next year. That’s why I’ve got him and Kennedy training up in Big Bear [California], to keep ’em away from drugs. I swear, if I see that hippie dealer and his van anywhere near our gym, I’ll strangle him.” Adams had a temper. It almost cost him the ’88 Olympic coaching gig when he attempted to strangle a USA Boxing controller for raising his voice at him. However, when that fire was focused on instilling discipline and technique into willing boxing pupils, it made Adams an elite coach and teacher. Many of his fighters needed the no-nonsense drill sergeant approach. Adams took on the hard cases and the head cases – fighters who struggled with addiction like McKinney and Phillips, and those who were troubled and more than a bit “touched,” like Norwood and Valero. Adams believed in his fighters and they delivered for their coach, often against all odds. Jacquot, his first world titleholder, scored The Ring’s 1989 Upset of the Year by outpointing Donald Curry. Cook was unknown when he knocked out heavily favored Israel Contreras for the WBA bantamweight title in 1992. Phillips earned The Ring’s 1997 Upset of the Year and the IBF junior welterweight title when he shocked Kostya Tszyu. The same year, McKinney became a two-division champ with an up-from-the-canvas KO of Junior Jones. Norwood got the better of Juan Manuel Marquez in a WBA featherweight title defense in 1999. Truth be told, Adams had IBHOF credentials 25 years before he got in. He will be missed.
Adams attends to a young Roy Jones Jr. during the 1988 Olympic Games.
Hart was a respected voice in boxing for 50 years. Bramble’s panache injected some excitement into the mid-’80s.
legendary 1984 U.S. Olympic squad. Adams was promoted to head coach of the ultra-talented 1988 U.S. Olympic team (the first African American to hold that position), which included Roy Jones Jr., Riddick Bowe, Ray Mercer, Michael Carbajal, Kennedy McKinney and Andrew Maynard. Adams followed those medalists into the professional ranks, where he would go on to work with at least 25 world titleholders, including McKinney, Mercer, Michael Nunn, Johnny Tapia, Nonito Donaire, Diego Corrales, Cory Spinks, Jorge Linares, Edwin Valero, Vince Phillips, Frankie Liles, Al Cole, Freddie Norwood, Rene Jacquot, Charles Murray, Samuel Peter, Michael Bentt, Ruslan Chagaev, Eddie Cook and Dee-jay Kriel. When I met Adams 30 years ago, he had already helped four fighters – Jacquot, Cook, McKinney and Liles – win world titles. I approached him (as a fan; I was not yet media) shortly after Phillips had scored a first-round KO at The Forum in Inglewood, California.
rugged and relentless inside it, Bramble made for good copy and fun fights when boxing was still on network TV and 15 rounds was still the distance of most world championship bouts. He adorned the cover of the September 1984 issue of The Ring shortly after the first Mancini fight. The studio portrait of a grinning Bramble wearing a bright-colored Rasta hat with his pet boa constrictor around his neck and the WBA title draped over his shoulder made even casual fans want to read about the native of St. Kitts and Nevis who fought out of New Jersey. Bramble owned a collection of pitbull terriers, which may
and considered the most informed, prescient and eloquent boxing writer on the beat. For half a century,
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