Pacquiao was served for lunch with two Boxing Hall of Famers and a TV star (Part One)

Dallas Boxing Examiner | Matt Stolow
I had the honor of having lunch Wednesday with not one but two members of the Hall of Fame. How's that for name dropping! We kicked a round a few subjects but I'll edit it down to the one we are all interested in talking about here.

The first Hall of Famer was local Dallas sports icon and former WBA/WBC World Welterweight Champion Curtis Cokes. Curtis was a world champion (1966-1969) before the Cowboys won their first Super Bowl so he was quite a famous figure back in the day.

He made several defenses and non - title defenses all over the world before he lost his title to the great Jose Napoles and again to Napoles in a rematch. Cokes went into the Hall with another great Texan named George Foreman and the late promoter Dan Duva in 2003.

After President John F. Kennedy was killed in Dallas in 1963, much of the country and world for that matter took a dim look at Dallas and its citizens. But when Cokes won the title three years later, it was one of the first positive steps the city could be proud of happening.

Since 1966 Curtis hasn't had to reach in his pocket for a meal when eating out in Dallas.

The conversation quickly got around to Pacquiao vs. Cotto.

"Cotto. 147 is his natural fighting weight. It gives him a huge advantage. I know Pacquiao is plenty tough and he's real popular, and I like him. But to me, Cotto is the man. It is going to be a heck of a fight. Nobody should walk out disappointed either way. It's good for boxing."

Curtis mentioned his heavyweight Kirk Johnson was also back in the gym at 37.

Also joining us was "Big Sugar Ray" Phillips from the Dallas - Fort Worth suburb of Mineral Wells, Texas. Not a Hall of Famer but possibly a future TV star. Quite a middleweight fighter in the day. Beat Michael Spinks in the amateurs on his way to a couple of national amateur titles in the mid 1970s. An undefeated but young Phillips went seven rounds in 1977 with Marvelous Marvin Hagler before Hagler won the middleweight title - when the champions were avoiding him.

"Big Sugar Ray" is almost famous internationally as co-star of the reality TV show called Eye for an Eye which is syndicated in almost 50 countries and is in most major U.S. markets very, very, late night. He plays the bailiff in the wild realty TV courtroom drama and looks like he'd still be a contender today but at cruiserweight.

http://eyeforaneyetv.com/

"I like Pacquiao big. He's getting better and quicker every fight. Cotto has been slowing down since the Margarito loss. I don't like the tattoos on Cotto. When Mike Tyson went to the tattoos, his boxing and personal life started going downhill. " It's like something has a hold on him with the tattoos. A boxer has to be more disciplined than that and take better care of his body," said Phillips.

The guest of honor was Hall of Fame referee Richard Steele of Las Vegas. Steele was in Big D because on Saturday he is promoting another edition of his "Steele Cage MMA Fights," back by popular demand. He's been doing the media circuit in Dallas - Fort Worth for better part of two days when not eating with Texas Boxing Commissioner Dick Cole.

The B.S. was getting pretty thick and deep but I did get a few questions in on the big fight to Steele.

"There will be lots of action. Pacquiao will wear Cotto down and take him out in middle rounds. There is so much pressure on Pacquiao to win and make the Mayweather fight happen. The weight difference will be big in the first four rounds but after that the hand speed will make a huge difference. Freddie Roach is also a big positive factor for Pacquiao. He keeps things nice, calm and relaxed and he's looking for ways to win. The Cotto corner is inexperienced. If Cotto questions its ability it will certainly factor in to his performance."

Steele also noticed that at the Don King card last Saturday at Treasure Island Las Vegas, that former WBA Heavyweight Champion Michael Dokes was in the audience, fresh from a long stint in prison.
It was your basic four-hour lunch.

WBC News...from WBC 47th Annual Convention in Jeju, Korea today and Boxing Bob Newman of fightnews.com

Between the $10,000 raised from sales of WBC key chains and T-shirts, and President Sulaiman’s personal donation of $5,000, a total of $15,000 was raised for the victims of the hurricane that ravaged The Philippines. OPBF Vice President Eric Buhain of the Philippines will distribute the funds to those in need.


Tomorrow read Part Two: How Freddie Roach stole the show with two Hall of Famer's at lunch without even being there!

Source: http://www.examiner.com/x-11372-Dallas-Boxing-Examiner~y2009m11d5-Lunch-with-two-Boxing-Hall-of-Famers-and-a-TV-star-in-Dallas-Part-One