Ring Observer Boxing by Scoop Malinowski
By Scoop Malinowski
Status: Former newspaper columnist for New York Post, Philadelphia Daily News, HBO Boxing analyst.
DOB: Feb. 11, 1934 In: New York, NY
Childhood Heroes: Joe DiMaggio, Joe Louis, Sugar Ray Robinson.
Childhood Dream: Centerfielder for the New York Yankees. Sportswriter.
Hobbies/Interests: Reading, skiing, tennis, travel.
Favorite Movies: Gunga Din, La Strada, Godfather I, II.
Pre-Fight Feeling: Excited. Expectant. When you have a big fight, you know the fighters, you feel you know the personality and character… you want to see how they interact. In a close fight, it’s normally the athlete with the greater will that prevails. It becomes an event on a different level for me. My curiosity peaks before a fight. I’d have to say a great fight is my favorite. There are other events I love as well… Wimbledon. A long event is fun to watch.
Greatest Career Moment: I would say it was the 20 or 30 seconds in the ring after the Tyson-Douglas fight, when Douglas started choking up, thinking about his mother, who died a few weeks before. And how that tragedy helped to galvanize his spirit for the fight. And just standing there and waiting for him to pull himself together, because he wanted to be interviewed. The people around him, his corner people were saying, Let’s go, let’s go. And he said no. Just the fact I said to myself, television is show and tell. People just watched a guy pull off a historic upset. He’s emotionally overcome. Let them watch that. When he’s ready, then I’ll talk to him. I would say that was an important moment.
Most Painful Moment: Ahhh… I’m not sure. Maybe having been a guy, both in my career as a journalist and print and television, a guy who always championed the underdogs in society. Being accused of bigotry for basically the personal gain, in the incident involving De La Hoya and the mariachis and all that. I didn’t lose sleep over it but getting caught in a crossfire that wasn’t merited. But I was very fortunate to work for people who ignored the crossfire.
Funny Career Memory: Along the way… let’s see… there have been some odd things happen in the ring after a fight. Up in Boston, where a drunk fan of the Irish boxer Wayne McCullough, came storming in the ring while I was doing an interview and I had to give him a forearm shiver. I didn’t think anything at the moment. A lot of people had never seen me be physical and didn’t know I was a last-string halfback at Oklahoma. And it seemed out of character to a lot of people.
Embarrassing Career Memory: I’m hard to embarrass [smiles]. There probably have been some. But I’m a little bit bulletproof on that end. Because my feeling is: I’m doing my job, I’m trying to get the story and if something happens that interferes with it – that’s the nature of the job.
Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: Chocolate.
Favorite Meal: Chilean sea bass with a tomato and avocado sauce.
Favorite Boxers: Roy Jones. James Toney – a rare, aggressive boxer. Pernell Whitaker – the best pure boxer of this era. Lennox Lewis – for different reasons. He’s a bright kid, well spoken. Julio Cesar Chavez. Terry Norris – at his best is terrific. Oscar De La Hoya. Evander Holyfield – the ability to train hard is as natural as the ability to punch. Marvin Hagler. People don’t know it but he fought hurt and sick. Larry Holmes fought hurt and sick. He never had a fight postponed as a champion. I admire the whole spectrum. Buster Mathis – average talent but he makes the most of it. I admire genius as well. Genius is thrilling. Buster Douglas. Galvanized all his forces for one fight. What is normal behavior is Buster Douglas. That’s a normal reaction. The long time champion is abnormal, almost like a freak.
People Qualities Most Admired: People who are themselves, know who they are. People who keep walking through the fire of life. And there’s a saying over a portal in Wimbledon by Rudyard Kipling, to the effect of: Those two impostors victory and defeat… and you just keep on going, maintain your enthusiasm for life and sense of humor about yourself. And doing your job as well as you can. And take care of the people around you.
