RINGSIDE By Doug Fischer BILL CAPLAN (1935-2026)
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July 2026 Volume 103, No. 7
Founder Nathaniel Fleischer (1888-1972) Owner His Excellency Turki Alalshikh
Editor-in-Chief Douglass Fischer Managing Editor Tom Gray Senior Editor Brian Harty Creative Director Lamar Clark Controller Deborah L. Harrison
THE RING (ISSN: 0035-5410) July 2026, is published 12 times per year by The Ring Magazine FZ, LLC P.O. Box 90254 Brooklyn, NY 11209. Postmasters: Send change of address Notices to: The Ring Magazine Subscriber Service Dept., PO Box 103 Camby West Congers NY 10920-0103 Phone: 845- 719-3120 subscriptions@ringmagazine.com Single copy price $9.99 in U.S.A. ,10.99 Canada (£10.99 in the U.K.). Global Subscription price $60.00 for 12 issues plus S&H. Not responsible for the loss or non-return of unsolicited articles or photographs, which will not be returned unless accompanied by a selfaddressed envelope bearing the proper amount of postage. The entire contents of this magazine are copyright ©2026 The Ring Magazine FZ-LLC. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without the written permission of the publisher. All rights reserved. Publisher is not responsible for the accuracy of the content of advertisements appearing in this magazine, nor the delivery or quality of merchandise or services offered. No endorsement of any such advertisement is intended or implied. Advertisers and agencies assume liability for claims arising from the content of their advertisements. FOR ADVERTISING INQUIRIES AND RATES: advertising@ ringmagazine.com. U.S. / Canadian and International distribution by Comag Marketing Group LLC, 155 Village Blvd #200, Princeton, NJ 08540. UK distribution by Seymour Distribution Ltd., 2 East Poultry Avenue, London, England, EC1A 9PT. Printed In USA Subscription Inquiries Back Issues Inquiries Digital Orders Inquiries The Ring Magazine Subscriber Service Dept. PO Box 103 Camby West Congers NY 10920-0103 Phone: 845-719-3120 subscriptions@ringmagazine.com Send Editorial Comments To: comeoutwriting@gmail.com or P.O. Box 90254 Brooklyn, NY 11209
T he boxing industry lost one of its most beloved elder statesmen with the passing of publicist Bill Caplan on April 23. During a career that spanned seven decades, Caplan worked PR for seven Hall of Fame promoters: Don King, George Parnassus, Aileen Eaton, Dan Goossen, Don and Lorraine Chargin, and Bob Arum. While with Arum’s Top Rank, Caplan represented Oscar De La Hoya during the superstar’s peak fighting years. Beginning in the 2010s, at an age when most of his peers were retired, he worked for De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions and helped push Canelo Alvarez’s ascension in the U.S. In recent years, he worked for the World Boxing Council. Caplan, who was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2022, was associated with three of the hardest hitting and most celebrated heavyweight champions in history – Joe Louis (during the 1960s, well into The Brown Bomber’s retirement), George
Caplan’s career spanned nearly 70 years of boxing history.
Foreman and Mike Tyson. Caplan had more than a working relationship with Foreman. They met in 1966 after Foreman had lost an amateur bout on a card that Caplan served as the ring announcer. He encouraged the young, disheartened heavyweight to keep at it, and following his gold medal victory at the 1968 Olympics, Foreman hired Caplan – the only publicist of his amazing, decades-spanning career. They became the closest of friends and remained so until Foreman’s death in 2025. Caplan traveled the world with Foreman – Jamaica for Joe Frazier (and the championship), Japan for Jose Roman, Venezuela for Ken Norton and Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo) for Muhammad Ali – during the Houston native’s whirlwind first title
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