Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Can Boxing History Be Made at Barclays?

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Can Boxing History Be Made at Barclays?: By Howard Goldin BRONX, NEW YORK, March 6- The amazing Bernard “The Eexecutioner” Hopkins (56-6-2, 32 KO’s) will attempt to become the old...

Can Boxing History Be Made at Barclays?

By Howard Goldin

BRONX, NEW YORK, March 6- The amazing Bernard “The Eexecutioner” Hopkins (56-6-2, 32 KO’s) will attempt to become the oldest fighter to win a recognized world championship when he challenges undefeated Tavoris “Thunder” Cloud (24-0, 19 KO’s) for the IBF Light Heavyweight title on March 9 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Hopkins celebrated his 48^th birthday on January 15.

After surviving a rough childhood and nearly five years in prison, Hopkins began his professional boxing career in 1988. Never easy to discourage, Hopkins rebounded from a light heavyweight loss in his pro debut to capture his next 23 bouts, all fought in the middleweight ranks.

His first world championship encounter was against Roy Jones, Jr. in 1993, which he lost by a 12-round decision. His second loss, like his first in 1988, was followed by a lengthy winning streak, 26 bouts. His first world’s title, the IBF middleweight, came during that streak on April 29, 1995, when he defeated Segundo Mercado.

A 12-round TKO victory over the legendary Felix “Tito”  Trinidad at Madison Square Garden earned Hopkins the undisputed middleweight crown 18 days after the 9/11 terrorist attack upon the United States.

Interestingly, Oscar De La Hoya, the promoter of the March 9 title tilt, was an unsuccessful opponent of Hopkins in 2004.

Hopkins, greatly able to verbally promote his bouts, said in a recent press conference, “I have broken records, quieted doubters and solidified my legacy. Now, I am going to do all of that again, but this time at the new Barclays Center in front of a large crowd of people that understand and appreciate the sport.”

In his first ring appearance in the northeast, Cloud, the IBF champion is standing in the shadows of the much greater known challenger. Rising from an impoverished and difficult childhood, Cloud found boxing to be his salvation.

After compiling a successful amateur record, Cloud turned pro in 2004. On August 28, 2009, he took his undefeated mark into a bout for the vacant IBF crown, which he won in a 12 round decision. Cloud has since successfully defended his title five times.

Saturday night’s title match and card, the second at Barclays, is being co-promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and Don King Productions.

The co-feature bout is another 12 rounder between WBO Inter-Continental Welterweight Champion Jan Zavecek (32-2, 18 KO’s) and his undefeated challenger Keith Thurman (19-0, 18 KO’s).The 36 year-old champion is only fighting in the U.S. for the second time in his lengthy career. His only previous bout in this country was a loss to Andre Berto.

The undercard will include several young local boxers, Eddie Gomez of the Bronx (12-0, 8 KO’s), Marcus Browne of Staten Island (2-0, 2 KO’s), Stevens Bujaj (8-0, 6 KO’s), Juan Dominguez (12-0, 8 KO’s) and Frank Galarza (8-0-1, 4 KO’s) of Brooklyn, who hope to keep their undefeated marks unblemished.

The championship encounters will be televised live by HBO beginning at 9:30 pm. Tickets for the event are priced at $25, 50, 100 and 200 and are available at all Ticketmaster locations and at Barclays.

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): MONSTER NEXT DOOR

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): MONSTER NEXT DOOR: Neighbors Knew he was strange, Never thought he was capable of slaughter By David Greene BRONX, NEW YORK, March 6- A community turned ou...

MONSTER NEXT DOOR

Neighbors Knew he was strange,

Never thought he was capable of slaughter

By David Greene

BRONX, NEW YORK, March 6- A community turned out to heckle a man who police say dismembered his mother and left her body parts with the trash, along several blocks of Eagle Avenue.

On February 27, detectives marched Bashid McLean, 23, out of the 40th Precinct station house after being charged in the gruesome murder of his mother Tonya Byrd, 52, whose remains had been discarded with the trash along several blocks of Eagle Avenue, a day earlier.

Wanda Collazo, who once lived next to Byrd before Byrd moved from the Allerton section, spoke to a local television news crew and sparked a debate over mental illness outside the police station.

Collazo stated, "He used to smoke coffee grinds, so my daughter was scared of him. She was scared that he might do something to the little baby. He robbed from her, he used to push her. She was a strong woman, but he was stronger."

Collazo's statement about McLean's  mental condition sparked outrage from an unidentified woman, who fired back, "The government is the one who lets these people get away with this. Every time someone does something they say they have mental problems, they can't all have mental problems."

"He really does have issues," Collazo would reply.

A man in the growing crowd, offered, "He's going to regret what he's done when he gets upstate. That's wrong, man."

Another man speaking with several journalists, gave them a bizarre aspect of the case that was later confirmed by police, stating, "A detective told me that he (McLean) had a picture on his cellphone of him and he was holding his mother's head."

The mental illness debate continued across the street at the Dunkin' Donuts, where a man who owned a nightclub where Byrd was a waitress back in the 1990's, argued,"Even though he's mentally unstable, you still have to have some kind of brains that after you chop her up, put her in garbage bags, your not that crazy... a crazy person would just leave the parts in the apartment."

The unidentified man added, "He should be put to death by lethal injection."

Appearing in court wearing a garbage bag because officials say he kept urinating on himself, McLean was charged with second-degree murder and unlawful dissection of a human body and was being held without bail.

Police would also charge a cohort, identified in court documents as William Harris, who has been charged with assisting McLean in chopping up and dumping Byrd's body.  

Thompson Endorses Cohen

Riverdale Report
By Robert Press



This past Friday, former City Comptroller and candidate for mayor Bill Thompson became the third major Democratic candidate to endorse Andrew Cohen for the 11th council seat. The 11th council seat is one of three Bronx council districts that will become vacant due to term limits where the current council member has served the limited number of terms in office. Many people view term limits as good government for New York City, and want to extend term limits to state and federal offices so legislators do not think of their job as permanent.

At the endorsement outside of PS 81 in the Riverdale section of the district, Thompson echoed the words of others who have already endorsed Cohen for the 11th council seat. Thompson said that through Andy’s hard work on Community Board 8 that he knows Mr. Cohen will be an excellent addition to the City Council.

One reason the endorsement was done outside a school could be the fact that Thompson was the President of the Board of Education, and I asked him to comment on how Mayor Bloomberg has done under Mayoral control of the public school system. Thompson said that it is very important that the next chancellor be an educator, there is real transparency, goals and standards are set, and that parents can know and understand what is expected of their children. Cohen thanked Thompson and said that from when he was President of the Board of Education to his days as City Comptroller Bill Thompson has always been a great public servant and strong advocate for all the people of the city.

Thompson and Cohen then walked over to the Riverdale Neighborhood House to meet Mr. Dan Eudence the director of the RNN. They toured the building and outside area while chatting with Mr. Eudecce on the programs offered by RNN, and some of the problems in getting funding to run said programs. You can go to my blog at www.100percentbronx.blogspot.com to see photos of Mr. Cohen and Mr. Thompson, and some photos of the Riverdale Neighborhood House.

Just to be fair there are two other announced candidates in the 11th City Council race as of now Mr. Cliff Stanton and Ms. Shelley Keeling.

You can also find the latest listing of events going on at Wave Hill, and that as the days get longer Wave Hill will be increasing its hours of operation. Starting on March 15th Wave Hill will be open till 5:30 PM.

Also on my blog are comments from those who want to save the Putnam Trail, and stop as they call it “Bloomberg Boulevard” from ripping apart Van Cortlandt Park. On the subject of Van Cortlandt Park it seems that the issue of a pedestrian bridge over the Major Deegan Highway is not going to die as long as Community Board 8 Chairman Bob Fanuzzi is chairing the Croton Filtration Monitoring Committee. The date of the next meeting and agenda of the CFMC will be on my blog as soon as it is sent out.

If you have any comments about this column or would like to have an event listed or covered in this column or on my blog you can e-mail us at 100percentbronxnews@gmail.com or call 718-644-4199 Mr, Robert Press.

Cops Hunt Hit-n-Run Driver

Police Seek Driver in Concourse Hit-And-Run

By David Greene

BRONX, NEW YORK, March 5- Police are looking for the heartless driver who ran-down a 61-year old man who was crossing the busy Grand Concourse.

Investigators were called to the Grand Concourse at Field Place, in the confines of the 46th Precinct, where police and paramedics discovered the victim in the roadway at just before 7 a.m. March 2. The still-unidentified victim was rushed to St. Barnabas Hospital where he remains in grave condition.

Police say the victim was crossing against the light, when the vehicle traveling southbound, struck the man and sped off.

An investigator from the NYPD's Highway One stood in the roadbed and photographed the scene with a 3-D imaging camera as two lanes were shutdown in each direction along the Grand Concourse, between E. 183 Street and E. 184 Street.

A single shoe belonging to the man was left behind on the street.

Detectives working the case are said to be looking for a light colored or gray sedan with front end damage.

Meanwhile, police sources say a Bronx woman is cooperating with investigators and will only face insurance fraud charges, in exchange for her cooperation in locating the driver wanted in connection with a fatal hit-and-run crash in Brooklyn on March 3.

Sources close to the investigation say Bronxite Cindy Jasmin, 31, was questioned by Brooklyn detectives at the 47th Precinct on Sunday, March 3. Jasmin reportedly reported the car stolen and with her cooperation police are now looking for the driver, Julio Acevedo of Brooklyn.

Police say Acevedo was behind the wheel of the 2010 BMW when it struck a taxi carrying a pregnant woman and her husband on Kent Avenue, as they headed to a hospital on Sunday.

The Orthodox couple were killed and their newborn baby died the following day.

Anyone with any information regarding either crash is asked to Call CRIMESTOPPERS at (800) 577-TIPS, and all calls remain confidential.

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Heart Like a Lion

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Heart Like a Lion: Medal winners 4 from Lyons Mane S tar in Colgate Games By Michael Horowitz CO-OP CITY, BRONX, NEW YORK, March 4- Four mainstays in the...