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Boxer Spadafora arrested in shooting
Girlfriend, 20, wounded in chestMonday, October 27, 2003
By Gary Rotstein, Post-Gazette Staff Writer
Police arrested boxing champion Paul Spadafora last night for the shooting of his girlfriend, who was critically wounded in the chest.
About two hours after Allegheny County detectives issued a warrant for criminal attempted homicide, aggravated assault, recklessly endangering another person and violation of the uniform firearms act, Moon police apprehended Spadafora in a female companion’s vehicle about a block from his residence there.Police had searched throughout the afternoon and evening for Spadafora, who was let go earlier after answering questions about the shooting which occurred at 5:54 a.m. outside the BP gasoline station, 801 Island Ave., McKees Rocks.
Information obtained later led police to file charges against Spadafora, said county police Sgt. Christopher Kearns, who declined to provide details.
Spadafora, 28, is a heavily tattooed fighter popular in the Pittsburgh area before and since his ascent to the International Boxing Federation lightweight title, which he claimed in 1999. He relinquished the title in June to step up from that 135-pound division to the 140-pound junior welterweight class, for which he was awaiting his first fight.
The former McKees Rocks resident, now of Moon, has had less serious run-ins with the law in the past, most recently charges of open lewdness and public intoxication early Friday.
At age 19, he was arrested for underage drinking. A year earlier, his boxing career was temporarily sidelined when he was riding in a car that tried to speed away from police, and an officer fired a shot that struck him in the leg.
Yesterday’s incident raises doubts about his future career.
The boxer’s longtime manager, Al McCauley, said he met Spadafora briefly yesterday afternoon, and the “Pittsburgh Kid’s” account was that someone fired shots at him and his girlfriend outside the gas station, and one struck her.
McCauley said that’s also the version Spadafora gave to police who interviewed him. The manager said he discussed the events with Spadafora at about 2 p.m. at a 7-eleven on the North Side, near Allegheny General Hospital. McCauley said the boxer’s girlfriend is Nadine Russo and she is being treated at AGH, although neither police nor the hospital would confirm details.
Kearns said only that the victim is a 20-year-old woman from Beechview, and that she and Spadafora apparently had an argument, although her injuries have prevented investigators from talking to her.
“There is no way, and I’m 100 percent sure of this, that Paul would willingly or knowing do anything to hurt that girl,” McCauley said. “Either somebody was shooting at them, like he told me, or there was something accidental.”
He said Spadafora and Russo have lived together, and have dated for about a year after meeting through a mutual friend.
She is not the same woman Spadafora’s representatives said he was with before his arrest early Friday and yesterday evening when he was arrested. McCauley said that was a woman with whom he has a baby girl, and Spadafora drove up from his training amp in California, Pa., to help obtain medical care for the sick child. Later, an officer arrested him for urinating by the passenger side of a sport-utility vehicle.
“I don’t think the two things are related -- I think they’re two separate issues,” McCauley said of Friday’s and yesterday’s charges. “Sometimes right before he goes to camp for serious training he gets a little on edge, but I don’t really think the two things have anything to do with each other.”
Spadafora has been in light training recently while preparing to move up a weight class. He was to begin training seriously soon for his first junior welterweight bout, possibly to be held in late December, but his promoter, Mike Acri of Erie, said that could be sidelined.
None of his representatives recalled seeing Spadafora with a gun previously. Kearns said a .38 caliber revolver was used in the shooting, and police obtained it from the scene. The boxer’s vehicle, a Hummer H2, has been impounded. Kearns said the shooting took place on a street corner adjacent to the BP, and the victim was lying in the parking lot when emergency officials responded.
Spadafora was to be arraigned in night court.
Sunday, October 26
Woman in critical condition--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Associated Press
PITTSBURGH -- Former lightweight champion Paul Spadafora was arrested Sunday night on a warrant accusing him of shooting and critically injuring a woman earlier in the day.Spadafora was taken into custody at about 8:30 p.m. Sunday following a traffic stop near his home in Moon Township, police said. He is accused of shooting the woman in the chest in or near his car early Sunday at a gas station in a Pittsburgh suburb.
The 20-year-old victim, whose name was not released, was in critical condition Sunday night, police said.
The 28-year-old boxer, known as the "Pittsburgh Kid," was questioned by McKees Rocks police Sunday morning but released because of a lack of evidence, according to Allegheny Police Sgt. Chris Kearns said. A warrant was issued around noon, but police were unable to find Spadafora for about eight hours.
In addition to attempted homicide, Spadafora was to be arraigned Sunday night on charges of aggravated assault, recklessly endangering another person and violation of firearms laws, police said.
Spadafora's promoter, Michael Acri, said the boxer told police a man approached him in his car and fired a weapon, striking the woman. Acri declined comment on Spadafora's arrest.
Spadafora's attorney, Mark Haak, said he had not spoken with his client. Another attorney for Spadafora, Fred Sproull, did not immediately return calls Sunday evening.
Spadafora was arrested Friday on charges of public lewdness and intoxication after officers said they spotted him urinating on a Pittsburgh street, police said.
A hearing was scheduled for Nov. 3.
Undefeated as a pro, Spadafora had been the IBF champion, successfully defending his title nine times. He gave up the 135-pound title, saying he wanted to move up to the junior welterweight division.
Former cruiserweight champ on the road back Associated Press
PHOENIX (AP) _ His career back on track after being slowed by legal problems, former IBF cruiserweight champion Vassiliy Jirov is glad to be fighting for a belt again _ even a minor one.``I feel very good,'' he said Wednesday. ``Mentally, physically and whatever you want to say, I feel good about my life.''
Jirov (32-1, 28 knockouts), who won a 1996 Olympic gold medal for Kazakhstan and now lives in suburban Fountain Hills, Ariz., will meet Joseph Kiwanuka (27-5-2), a former light heavyweight from Uganda, for the North American Boxing Federation title Thursday night.
Also on the televised card arranged by promoter Dan Goosen is former WBC super bantamweight champion Willie Jorrin (29-1-1) of Sacramento, who will fight Dustin Kim (19-5) of Honolulu.
Jirov will be fighting for the second time since losing his IBF crown to James Toney on April 26 and only the third time in nearly two years. His last fight before meeting Toney was against Jorge Castro in February 2002.
But that wasn't a payday. The Castro fight started a round of outside-the-ring problems _ Jirov claims he never received a cent for the bout after being promised $150,000 by promoter Sugar Ray Leonard and his former manager, Ivaylo Gotzev.
In separate actions filed in Phoenix, he sued Leonard in federal court and Gotzev in state court to end all ties with them and try to recover the purse.
It took 15 months before Jirov hooked up with Al Hayman, his new manager, and got back in shape. Then he ran into the imposing Toney, who won a unanimous decision at a Massachusetts casino. Many ringside observers, including trainer Thell Torrence, thought the fight was closer.
``He fought the fight of the year, and _ he'll agree with me on this one _ he fought the worst fight of his career,'' Torrence said. ``And we still are not going to take it that we lost this, especially not 9 rounds to 3. There's just no way.''
Toney, who weighed 217 pounds last month when he stopped Evander Holyfield in the ninth round in Las Vegas, attended the news conference in the Celebrity Theater, but was noncommittal about a rematch with Jirov for the 190-pound title.
``I don't turn nothing down but my collar,'' Toney said. ``But I should make him wait three years like he did me.''
``Of course there's that possibility,'' Goosen said. ``Vassiliy's got to keep on doing what he's doing, going out there. He'll make his own breaks. I know Al is behind the scenes working hard and, as Vassiliy has said, he'll fight cruiserweight or heavyweight. Because James right now is in the heavyweight business.''
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Barrera Brain Surgery Statement! Barrera medically cleared!
Friday, October 24 2003
www.fightnews.com
By Andre Courtemanche
Golden Boy Promotions, promoter for Marco Antonio Barrera, as well as his attorney, Stephen Espinoza have released a joint statement exclusively to FightNews.com regarding the controversy over a 1997 non-boxing related brain surgery procedure underwent by the featherweight champion. The surgery was to correct a congenital defect and required the subsequent insertion of a protective implant, or plate, in his head. Potentially the disclosure could jeopardize Barrera’s scheduled November 15 showdown vs. Manny Pacquiao, as well as his entire boxing career. Now that this information has come to light, the question is whether he can be medically cleared to fight again, although the gritty Aztec warrior has seemingly suffered no ill effects. Barrera has had sixteen fights, including both classic wars with rival Erik Morales and his thrashing of Naseem Hamed, since the surgical procedure.The statement in its entirety:
In 1997, Marco Antonio Barrera had surgery to remove a very small group of malformed blood vessels in his head. The surgery was successfully performed in Mexico City by Dr. Ignacio Madrazo, a top neurosurgeon who also previously treated Muhammad Ali. As part of the procedure, a few small, protective implants were inserted at the point of surgery. The implants provide no competitive advantage or disadvantage.
Marco was cleared by his doctors to continue his boxing career shortly after the surgery. Marco has had numerous MRI's and other neural examinations in the six years since the surgery. Not one examination has revealed any damage, injury or abnormality. Marco has consulted with neurosurgeons in both Mexico and the United States, including specialists from the UCLA and USC medical centers. A June 2003 medical report reflects what Marco has been told since shortly after the surgery: "[i]t is clear that Mr. Barrera's neurosurgical condition does not imply any risk for his professional boxing activity at all. He is able to perform any kind of training and/or boxing without any different risk of what the profession produces in any other human being." In addition to a clean bill of health provided by his doctors, Marco has fought 16 bouts since the surgery with no ill effects.
Marco's former promoter and manager were fully aware of the procedure. They were each provided with copies of Marco's medical records with the understanding that they would disclose the information to the appropriate parties, including the relevant boxing commissions. When Marco very recently learned that the information had not been timely disclosed, he immediately acted to remedy the situation.
Marco loves boxing, but as a husband and a father, he would not continue to box if the surgery had created any additional risk of injury to him from boxing.
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DORIN STRIPPED OF TITLE, MAY RETIRE Montreal boxer Dorin stripped of world title, says he'll retire: promoter Updated at 22:04 on October 24, 2003, EST.
BUCHAREST (CP) - The promoter for boxer Leonard Dorin said Friday the fighter retired from boxing after he was stripped of his World Boxing Association lightweight title for failing to make weight for Saturday's scheduled title defence.
Dorin, of Montreal, had been slated to fight in his native Romania against Miguel Callist of Panama. But the fight was cancelled when Dorin weighed in 4.4 pounds over the 135-pound lightweight limit, prompting the fighter to announce his retirement.
"Leonard declared that he no longer wanted to box, and that he was terminating his boxing career," Dorin's promoter, Interbox, said in a statement.
In a bizarre twist, Dorin agreed to fight Callist on Saturday with no title on the line in a so-called over-the-weight bout, but that fight was also cancelled when Callist collapsed during an interview with Romanian television, said Interbox.
Callist's condition was not immediately known.
WBA rules stipulate Dorin could not have regained the title Saturday even if he had fought and won the over-the-weight bout, said Interbox. But Callist, the No. 1 contender who weighed 134 pounds, could have won the belt had he defeated Dorin.
Dorin would have also forfeited 35 per cent of his purse had he lost. The WBA lightweight title is now vacant.
"I am in a very, very bad situation," Dorin said before being weighed for the match. "I feel sick. I can't take it anymore, I've been in a very difficult training program and I think it was too much for me." Earlier this month, Dorin suggested he might consider retirement even though his promoter anticipated a dazzling future for the pint-sized champion. If his retirement stands, the 33-year-old would leave the ring undefeated with a record of 21 wins and one draw.
Dorin, whose real name is Leonard Doroftei, fought for 13 years as an amateur in Romania before turning pro with Interbox in 1998.
He was considered a national hero in Romania, but Yvon Michel, general manager of Interbox, told all-news channel LCN the pressure may have been too great. "It's very oppressive to be considered a god or a national hero in your homeland," Michel said from Bucharest. "From the information I received from the trainers, things were getting more emotionally difficult for Leonard leading up to the fight.
"But we had no idea this (retirement announcement) would happen."
Dorin's wife Monica recently gave birth to a daughter. They already had two sons.
Dorin won the WBA title on Jan. 5, 2002, in a blood-bath in San Antonio in which the two fighters exchanged more than 2,000 punches. He defended the belt convincingly four months ago.
On May 17 in Pittsburgh, he fought to a draw with International Boxing Federation champ Paul Spadafora.
© The Canadian Press, 2003
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JOHNSON TO FIGHT VITALI KLITSCHKO THE CANADIAN PRESS
Heavyweight boxer Kirk Johnson of North Preston, N.S., will fight Vitali Klitschko of the Ukraine on Dec. 6, Johnson's co-manager Ken Lilien said Wednesday.
He said the bout is expected to be held at Madison Square Garden in New York and to be televised in the United States on HBO. Unbeaten heavyweight Joe Mesi of Buffalo is expected to fight on the same card.
A formal announcement of the bout is to be made on Tuesday, Lilien said.
"It's not a title fight, but it's as meaningful as it gets in the heavyweight division," he said.
Klitschko (32-2-0), a former World Boxing Organization champion, is ranked second by the World Boxing Council while Johnson (34-1-1) is eighth. The winner could be in line to face champion Lennox Lewis next year, if Lewis does not retire.
On June 21 in Los Angeles, Klitschko was leading Lewis on all three judges' cards when he suffered a deep cut over one eye and the fight was stopped after six rounds.
Klitschko had replaced Johnson as Lewis' opponent when the Canadian suffered a torn chest muscle in training two weeks before the bout. There were plans for a Lewis-Klitschko rematch on Dec. 6, but Lewis announced in August he would not fight again in 2003.
Johnson lost a title fight against John Ruiz in 2002 when he was disqualified for repeated low blows. Since then, he has had clear wins over Jeremy Bates and Lou Savarese.
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Gonzalez revels in surprise upset of Michalczewski Now Gonzalez is a light heavyweight champion after a monumental upset of Dariusz Michalczewski (No. 2 USA TODAY, 48-1) on Saturday in Hamburg, Germany. The unlikely split decision won't rank with Buster Douglas' upset of Mike Tyson, but it's easily one of the biggest ring surprises in years.The Polish-born, German-based Michalczewski, known as "The Tiger," was considered virtually unbeatable in Germany, where his star power packed 15,000 into the arena for what was expected to be a celebratory 24th title defense in a nearly 10-year reign.
German promoters heavily hyped it as the night Michalczewski would reach 49-0, the same mark Rocky Marciano achieved before retiring. But a funny thing happened on the way to history.
"Julio took him to school," said a giddy Norman Kaplan, the manager who has guided the 1996 Mexican Olympian since he turned pro. "Dariusz may be a 'Tiger' but I brought a Mexican lion with me."
"You've got 15,000 chanting and cheering for Michalczewski," said Top Rank matchmaker Sean Gibbons, who accompanied Gonzalez. "It was packed. He was going for the 49th win in a row, but Julio upset his party. In Germany it was the biggest thing, like the Super Bowl is here. But Julio was relaxed. He never doubted he'd win."
By Monday, Gonzalez (No. 7, 35-1) was back in Huntington Beach, Calif., reveling in victory.
"It feels great. It's a dream come true," said Gonzalez, 27, a married father of two sons. "I worked very hard. There wasn't a lot of publicity in the States for this fight but for me to go to his house and beat him is big. It's one of the greatest things I could have done. Over there, Michalczewski is a big hero and very loved. They were not very happy, but it happens. The greatest go down, and new champs come up."
"What a sweet kid," Top Rank promoter Bob Arum said. "I was really so elated when I heard he won because it's so rare that good people get rewarded like this."
Gonzalez credits the return of longtime trainer Mack Kurihara, who retired following a 2001 confidence-building loss to Roy Jones. Since then Gonzalez had won seven fights. But, by his own admission, he had fought poorly. He figures that's why Michalczewski, who has made a living fighting Jones' victims, offered him a shot.
Gonzalez asked Kurihara to train him again. "It was one of the best decisions ever," he said. "(Without him) the fire wasn't there. With Mack there, I could see a change. The fire was back."
Beating Michalczewski is one thing. Getting the decision in Germany is another. It's rare for foreign boxers to win there. But Gonzalez knew he was winning because the crowd was so subdued.
In the end, an American judge had it 116-112 and a Canadian judge 115-113 for Gonzalez. A German judge had it 115-113 for Michalczewski. Still, when the scores were read, Gonzalez was worried.
"I don't understand German but when I heard my name and then his name, I thought, 'Oh no, they'll take it from me.' Then I heard the third was for me," he said. "I was so happy, tears were coming out of my eyes. That's what all fighters train for. And I did it. I did it."
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