tagged w/ Madison Square Garden
-
The New York Times...
.
November 7, 2011
Joe Frazier, Ex-Heavyweight Champ, Dies at 67
By RICHARD GOLDSTEIN
.
Joe Frazier, the former heavyweight champion whose furious and intensely personal fights with a taunting Muhammad Ali endure as an epic rivalry in boxing history, died Monday night. He was 67.
His business representative, Leslie Wolff, told The Associated Press in early November that Frazier had liver cancer and that he had entered hospice care.
Known as Smokin’ Joe, Frazier stalked his opponents around the ring with a crouching, relentless attack — his head low and bobbing, his broad, powerful shoulders hunched — as he bore down on them with an onslaught of withering jabs and crushing body blows, setting them up for his devastating left hook.
It was an overpowering modus operandi that led to versions of the heavyweight crown from 1968 to 1973. Frazier won 32 fights in all, 27 by knockouts, losing four times — twice to Ali in furious bouts and twice to George Foreman. He also recorded one draw.
A slugger who weathered repeated blows to the head while he delivered punishment, Frazier proved a formidable figure. But his career was defined by his rivalry with Ali, who ridiculed him as a black man in the guise of a Great White Hope. Frazier detested him.
Ali vs. Frazier was a study in contrasts. Ali: tall and handsome, a wit given to spouting poetry, a magnetic figure who drew adulation and approbation alike, the one for his prowess and outsize personality, the other for his anti-war views and Black Power embrace of Islam. Frazier: a bull-like man of few words with a blue-collar image and a glowering visage who in so many ways could be on an equal footing with his rival only in the ring.
Frazier won the undisputed heavyweight title with a 15-round decision over Ali at Madison Square Garden in March 1971, in an extravaganza known as the Fight of the Century. Ali scored a 12-round decision at the Garden in a non-title bout in January 1974. Then came the Thrilla in Manila championship bout, in October 1975, regarded as one of the greatest fights in boxing history. It ended when a battered Frazier, one eye swollen shut, did not come out for the 15th round.
The Ali-Frazier battles played out at a time when the heavyweight boxing champion was far more celebrated than he is today, a figure who could stand alone in the spotlight a decade before an alphabet soup of boxing sanctioning bodies arose, making it difficult for the average fan to figure out just who held what title.
The rivalry was also given a political and social cast. Many viewed the Ali-Frazier matches as a snapshot of the struggles of the 1960s. Ali, an adherent of the Nation of Islam, came to represent rising black anger in America and opposition to the Vietnam War. Frazier voiced no political views, but he was nonetheless depicted, to his consternation, as the favorite of the establishment. Ali called him “ignorant,” likened him to a gorilla and said his black supporters were Uncle Toms.
“Frazier had become the white man’s fighter, Mr. Charley was rooting for Frazier, and that meant blacks were boycotting him in their heart,” Norman Mailer wrote in Life magazine following the first Ali-Frazier bout.
Frazier, wrote Mailer, was “twice as black as Clay and half as handsome,” with “the rugged decent life-worked face of a man who had labored in the pits all his life.”
Frazier could never match Ali’s charisma or his gift for the provocative quote. He was essentially a man devoted to a brutal craft, willing to give countless hours to his spartan training-camp routine and unsparing of his body inside the ring.
“The way I fight, it’s not me beatin’ the man: I make the man whip himself,” Frazier told Playboy in 1973. “Because I stay close to him. He can’t get out the way.” He added: “Before he knows it — whew! — he’s tired. And he can’t pick up his second wind because I’m right back on him again.”
In his autobiography, “Smokin’ Joe,” written with Phil Berger, Frazier said his first trainer, Yank Durham, had given him his nickname. It was, he said, “a name that had come from what Yank used to say in the dressing room before sending me out to fight: ‘Go out there, goddammit, and make smoke come from those gloves.’ “
Foreman knocked out Frazier twice but said he had never lost his respect for him. “Joe Frazier would come out smoking,” Foreman told ESPN. “If you hit him, he liked it. If you knocked him down, you only made him mad.”
CONTINUED...
.The New York Times...
.
November 7, 2011
Joe Frazier, Ex-Heavyweight Champ,... more
-
-
On April 2, 2011 LCD Soundsystem played their last show at Madison Square Garden with a three hour performance that included special guests appearing onstage throughout the evening.
LCD Soundsystem was formed in early 2001 by DFA label head James Murphy, and would gradually become one of the hottest bands in the world by creating infectious dance beats combined with electronic noodlings and themes like New York City hipster parties, designer drugs and a sense of mischief that encapsulates what Williamsburg is all about. LCD Soundsystem had a brief but brilliant career, first appearing on the scene in 2002 with their first single, “Losing My Edge” igniting an immediate buzz about the band and DFA Records, the label Murphy co-founded with Tim Goldsworthy. A series of successful singles followed before the release of their self-titled debut album in 2005On April 2, 2011 LCD Soundsystem played their last show at Madison Square Garden with... more
-
-
Coach of Marquette team will not file any plea for himself from now. His team has made a Big Dance in its match with West Virginia. It was a 67-61 upset, which happened due to Marquette. Golden Eagles required 11 points for levelling the score of his team. But they could only reach 13-6 during 5:50 time. After this victory, Marquette has come to (20-12) so it will be facing 14th ranked Louisville. That match will be played in Madison Square Garden on this Thursday Night. It will be a match of quarterfinals.Coach of Marquette team will not file any plea for himself from now. His team has made... more
-
-
8-Year-Old Asian Mix Wins Westminster Boy Show
October 11, 2010 | ISSUE 46•41
NEW YORK—Danny, an 8-year-old Asian mix from Sterling, VA, beat out 2,500 top contenders from around the country Tuesday to win best in show at the 135th annual Westminster Boy Show.
The prize committee said the Asian mix's lustrous hair and good temperament earned it high marks.
Standing in the winners circle before a sold-out crowd at Madison Square Garden, Danny impressed judges and fans alike with his even temperament and self-assured attitude. Handler Kenny Earle said he was not at all surprised by the outcome, describing Danny as the most well-rounded boy he has seen in 17 years of training boys.
"We knew we had a world-class show boy on our hands from the time Danny was 3," Earle said after rewarding Danny with a Rice Krispies treat. "I've worked with Asian mixes extensively, and they tend to be very skittish and shy—especially those from Korean stock. But not Danny. He's always been obedient, polite, and totally confident."
"None of the other boys out there even came close to him," Earle continued. "Not even that gorgeous Afghan longhair."
According to a citation issued by the judging panel, Danny excelled in every standard for boys in the mixed category, achieving a flawless, even stride while being led around the show ring. Additionally, Danny received top marks for his glossy, healthy-looking bowl cut and perfectly pressed khaki slacks.
Enlarge ImageThe winning boy, above, being led by his handler around the floor.
"With Asian mixes, what the judges are really looking for is bone structure and lots of personality," Westminster show chairman Tom Webb said. "Danny won his group largely thanks to his prominent cheeks and clean jaw. You could just tell from the moment he started trotting the floor that this boy was going to be a real crowd favorite."
Sources said Danny's victory is especially notable because it marks only the fourth time in the event's history that a boy of mixed pedigree has taken top honors. Purebreds have been the perennial victors, and bigger breeds from the working-boy group—those traditionally used on farms and as golf caddies—have won the past six Westminster shows.
Perhaps most surprising to boy aficionados was the judges' decision to award second place to Timothy, a 6-year-old from the Husky group, a category of boys lauded for the entertainment they provide but seldom taken seriously in competition.
"Everyone loves the Husky boys, but they're still viewed as something of a novelty," show organizer Shelly Winthrop said of the soft, somewhat clumsy breed often referred to as the clowns of the boy world. "With their rounded flanks and drooping hindquarters, they tend to breathe heavily while gaiting, which works against them during judging. Hopefully Timothy's showing here today will help these boys get more positive recognition."
"After all, Husky boys are now the most common type of boy in the country," Winthrop added.
This year's Westminster Boy Show also had its less-than-triumphant moments, however. Ricky, a 10-year-old from the Bully group, reportedly bit a judge while having his teeth inspected, and Rodney, a favorite to win the Mama's Boy group, stained his short-pant suit when he grew nervous and urinated midway through his trot around the ring.
Still, longtime show-boy fans said the 2010 edition included some of the strongest competitors in recent memory.
"This is my fifth time coming, and the boys this year were simply breathtaking," spectator Tanya Poole said. "So frisky and full of life, and just immaculately groomed. Even though they're only boys, you could somehow tell they were having the time of their lives."
Echoing the sentiments of many others, Poole added that she couldn't wait to get home to see her own boy, Jeffrey, and let him out of his crate.8-Year-Old Asian Mix Wins Westminster Boy Show
October 11, 2010 | ISSUE 46•41... more
-
-
Wednesday night, Arcade Fire radiantly illuminated Madison Square Garden, filling the packed arena with wildly rapturous sounds, as thousands clapped on command. Arcade Fire crony Owen Pallett started things off with looping, atmospheric violins, as if consecrating the space. The band then filled the stage with nine musicians, swapped instruments at will, banged on hand-held drums with sticks and open palms, twirled, stomped, bounced, and danced, giving their complex, precise arrangements an almost ridiculous sense of wildness. This may be as close as Madison Square Garden will get to championship euphoria for a long time.
This piece includes a number of colorful photographs, as well as four HD music videos from the concert.
http://disembedded.wordpress.com/2010/08/07/arcade-fire-at-madison-square-garden-a-night-of-championship-euphoria/Wednesday night, Arcade Fire radiantly illuminated Madison Square Garden, filling the... more
-
-
Miniature figurines go sightseeing at some of Manhattan's major tourist attractions. David Johansen will not be appearing in this video.Miniature figurines go sightseeing at some of Manhattan's major tourist... more
-
-
The Knicks City Dancers starred in the new music video for "Get There" by Robert Randolph, the new New York Knicks theme song!The Knicks City Dancers starred in the new music video for "Get There" by... more
-
-
Rangers President and GM Glen Sather talks about the situation with Brandon Dubinsky.
-
-
New York Liberty Rookie and native New Yorker Kia Vaughn goes back to the Bronx to visit important places from her childhood.New York Liberty Rookie and native New Yorker Kia Vaughn goes back to the Bronx to... more
-
-
Photographs from Green Day's concert at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY on Monday, July 27, 2009.Photographs from Green Day's concert at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY on... more
-
-
MSG Fight Club hits MMA Promoter Scott Coker with a round of questions.
-
-
US actor David Arquette is to live in a plastic box in New York City to help raise money for the hungry.
The 37-year-old plans to stay in the box above the Madison Square Garden marquee for about eight hours each day on Tuesday and Wednesday next week.
The Scream star is aiming to raise $250,000 (£154,000) for Feeding America, the nation's largest domestic hunger relief charity.
Organisers said the actor will be able to eat during the stunt.
Donations can be made at the site of the event, through text messages or via a specially set up Facebook page.
Arquette, who serves as chair of the Entertainment Council for Feeding America, spoke at a national rally against hunger in Washington DC in January.
The charity is one of a number which the star publicly supports.
Last year Arquette and his wife, Friends star Courteney Cox, asked friends to raise $1m (£616,500) to help those with the incurable skin condition Epidermolysis Bullosa.US actor David Arquette is to live in a plastic box in New York City to help raise... more
-
-
Photographs of singer Beyonce Knowles performing at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY on Sunday, June 21, 2009.Photographs of singer Beyonce Knowles performing at Madison Square Garden in New York,... more
-
-
Photographs from Madison Square Garden in New York, NY on Sunday, May 3, 2009.
-
-
Syracuse outlasted Connecticut in the second-longest Division I game ever, a six-overtime marathon that began at 9:36 p.m. Thursday and didn't end until 3 hours, 46 minutes later, when the Huskies simply couldn't keep up in a battle of attrition.Syracuse outlasted Connecticut in the second-longest Division I game ever, a... more
-
-
Once the decision was made to oust Tom Renney, general manager Glen Sather knew exactly what coach he wanted behind the New York Rangers bench.Once the decision was made to oust Tom Renney, general manager Glen Sather knew... more
-
-
Imagine Michael Jordan coming back to make one more jumper. Or John Elway returning to toss a final TD pass. Or Nolan Ryan reappearing to throw a farewell fastball. That's what happened in the dog show world.Imagine Michael Jordan coming back to make one more jumper. Or John Elway returning to... more
-
-
Photographs from the 133rd Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show at Madison Square Garden on Monday, February 9, 2009.Photographs from the 133rd Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show at Madison Square Garden... more
-
-
Adam Graves' greatness isn't measured in numbers - although it could be.
-
-
Kobe Bryant broke the current arena record with 61 points, and the Los Angeles Lakers looked plenty potent without Bynum in a 126-117 victory over the New York Knicks on Monday night.Kobe Bryant broke the current arena record with 61 points, and the Los Angeles Lakers... more
-
