Boxing Writer Abramson Captures CJ Award for June 2005 -- Runner-Up Citations Go to Veterans Schuyler, Knight
The Sweet Science is the prestige leader in boxing journalism on the web. Comprised of a roster of world-class writers, three more of them get recognized this month for the coveted CJ Award.
(PRWEB) August 12, 2005 -- When a boxing story has a residual impact on its
subject matter, it adds a certain cachet that increases its value, both to the
reader and to the sport. Charles Jay, editor-in-chief of The Sweet Science, has
built a reputation penning such stories, from his groundbreaking "Operation
Cleanup" series through the current book "Body Shots." Although it is not a
requirement, Jay sees it as a bonus for stories under consideration for the
monthly CJ Award if they have some importance that goes one step beyond the
pleasure it gives the audience.
"The written word has a way of
stimulating thought and inspiring action," says Jay. "And sometimes thought and
action are necessary on the part of those the writer is trying to reach. I know
that from first hand experience. So when the writer seizes the opportunity to
use reporting or commentary to make a greater point, and it can have a positive
potential effect, that means something extra to my way of thinking."
Two
of the three pieces cited by The Sweet Science for the June 2005 CJ Awards,
emblematic of superlative boxing journalism, carry that additional
component.
First-place honors for June went to Mitch Abramson, whose
piece, entitled "New York State Commission Tests Boxers" took an in-depth look
at a new experimental testing method in New York where, curiously, fighters were
asked, only minutes after stepping out of the ring, to perform various written
tests, including looking at pictures and reproducing them from memory. This
practice, which drew protests from fighters and evoked questions in Abramson's
piece, has not become mandatory, as was originally hoped.
The award "was
a nice surprise," said Abramson, an accomplished journalist who has worked with
The New York Times and Village Voice, among others, and who was a runner-up for
the CJ Award in May.
"In typical Abramson fashion, the piece is
beautifully written, light of touch, but razor-sharp in its attitude, as he
sheds light on the cronyism and half-baked thinking of the commission, and how
the fighters, at least in this instance, are made to suffer as a result," said
Robert Ecksel, The Sweet Science's editor.
One of the runner-up slots
went to Ed Schuyler, who wrote about controversies in the Diego Corrales-Jose
Luis Castillo bout in "The Long Count vs. The Long Stand."
Schuyler
pointed out that Corrales appeared to have an inordinately long time to recover
as a result of intentionally spitting his mouthpiece out after being floored for
the second time by Castillo in the tenth round of the May 5 fight.
Upon
reading the story at The Sweet Science, Larry Hazzard of the New Jersey State
Athletic Control Board decided to make a modification to the rule regarding
replacing the mouthpiece after a knockdown. In a July 8 memorandum addressed to
all state-licensed referees, Hazzard wrote:
"According to Mr. Schuyler,
the present procedure utilized in applying the rule provides an unfair advantage
for a knocked down boxer when time is immediately suspended after the Mandatory
Eight Count to replace his mouthpiece. Schuyler believes that a knockdown should
be viewed in all fairness as an intricate aspect of the immediate action, and
not a lull in the action. Therefore, if the mouthpiece is knocked out during a
knockdown, then the knocked down boxer should be required to demonstrate his
ability to continue in the bout by creating a lull after the referee administers
the Mandatory Eight Count. The mouthpiece should remain out until the boxer who
was knocked down creates the lull in the action. The referee can then have the
mouthpiece replaced at the first opportunity during the lull."
Hazzard
went on to detail the revised procedure referees should employ.
Schuyler
is one of the most highly-respected writers in recent boxing history, having
covered the sport for the Associated Press for nearly 40 years. In 1979 he won
the Nat Fleischer Award for "excellence in boxing journalism."
Bill
Knight's "Bruce Trampler Loves Boxing," a profile of Top Rank's esteemed
matchmaker, garnered the other runner-up spot. Knight, a veteran reporter for
the El Paso Times, pointed out in his piece that while Trampler may not be
recognizable to the general public, he is nonetheless one of the most important
people in the industry; indeed, he is the architect of many careers, including
that of current WBO junior welterweight champ Miguel Cotto. "Not everybody knows
the insider personalities in the fight game," said Chris Gielty, web editor of
The Sweet Science. "I appreciated Knight telling me some things I didn't
know."
"One can write only so many stories about Mike Tyson or Bernard
Hopkins or Oscar De la Hoya," said Jay. "When you deliver a piece about someone
like a Bruce Trampler, you're inviting the fans in for something they may not
have been privy to. There's a built-in originality to that."
The CJ Award
is a monthly honor named for Jay, who is acclaimed for his hard-hitting
observations of boxing from the inside. It is the only award for boxing writers
that is accompanied by money - the winner of each month's prize receives $300,
with the runners-up receiving $100 apiece.
CJ Award winners are
determined by the editorial board of The Sweet Science, a group of people
involved with the sport that, aside from Jay, includes editor Robert Ecksel, web
editor Chris Gielty, and Dino daVinci, founder of the International Brotherhood
of Prizefighters (IBOP). Editorial board members and officers of
TheSweetScience.com or IBOP are ineligible to win the CJ Award.
The Sweet
Science sets the gold standard for boxing journalism. Updated on a daily basis,
it includes hundreds of features, interviews, columns, predictions, odds, angles
and more. Anyone interested in boxing will find a treasure trove at The Sweet
Science, located at http://www.thesweetscience.com. More details about the CJ
Award, as well as links to the award-winning stories, can be found at http://www.thesweetscience.com/cj-awards.php.
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Source : http://www.prweb.com/releases/2005/8/prweb271386.htm