Spotting Real Armstrong in Sea of Phonies

Updated: Tuesday, 19 Jul 2011, 10:15 PM CDT Published : Tuesday, 19 Jul 2011,  10:15 PM CDT

The last space shuttle is scheduled to conclude its final mission on  Thursday.

If all goes as planned, Atlantis will touch down exactly 42-years after the  first human set foot on the moon.

That man was Neil Armstrong. And today, his autograph is worth thousands of  dollars. That is, if it’s the real McCoy.

Armstrong signatures are rare and valuable in part because he stopped signing  in 1994, says local collector Anthony Pizzitola.

“The first man on the moon is now the first astronaut in history to refuse to  sign autographs,” says Pizzitola. “For Nancy Pelosi, for children, Eagle Scouts  or anyone.”

When Armstrong stopped signing, says Pizzitola, the value of his John Hancock  skyrocketed. And forgeries flooded the market.

“There’s probably 25-percent real, 75-percent fake,” estimates the  collector.

Pizzitola has just compiled a reference guide called “Neal Armstrong: The  Quest For His Autograph,” which explains how to tell the genuine “Neil  Armstrongs” from the phonies.

He says he can understand why Armstrong stopped signing, since the pioneering  astronaut was always a reluctant hero.

“He never wanted to be the first man on the moon and have to carry the  baggage of the fame and the celebrity that went along with it.”

For a Real 100% Genuine 100% Authentic Piece of History and a real Authentic Neal Armstrong Photo go to: http://substancecollectables.com/inc/sdetail/9147/9188

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He’s back: Schwarzenegger to reprise his iconic role in Terminator 5… at the age of 63

By Rachel Quigley

Last updated at 7:41 PM on 27th April 2011

He said he would be back, then he said he wouldn’t.

But it appears Arnold Schwarzenegger may be uttering that iconic phrase once again as he is being touted to star in the next instalment of the Terminator franchise – despite vowing that he would stand down as the futuristic cyborg after number three.

Rights to a fifth movie are currently being shuffled around Hollywood, with reports that Sony, Lionsgate, Universal and CBS films are all vying for ownership – especially now that the original terminator has put his name to it.

Changing role: From the Terminator to the governator back to the Terminator again, Arnold Schwarzenegger will reprise his role as the futuristic cyborg

Director Justin Lin, on the verge of enjoying box office success with Fast Five, is rumoured to be directing it.

The Austrian body builder helped define the iconic action genre of the 1980s. He was last on our screens as the Terminator in 2003 with Rise of the Machines.

According to Deadline, the 63-year-old is heading up a package which will bring the series back to movie theatres in two instalments, 27 years after it was first started by James Cameron.

But it won’t come cheap.

Rumours are that the purchase price will be $25million and that does not include pay packets for Lin or Schwarzenegger.

Shape up: A former Mr Universe, Schwarzenegger will have to get back to the gym to recreate his famous muscles as he has been looking out of shape in recent years at the ripe old age of 63

In Rise of the Machines, Arnie commanded a cool $30million, double that of his salary in Terminator 2: Judgement Day.

Schwarzenegger is following in the footsteps of his action hero friend Sylvester Stallone who reprised both Rambo and Rocky

The former California governor turned his back on Hollywood for politics eight years ago when he took office but – at the ripe old age of 63 – has decided to follow in the footsteps of all time action hero Sylvester Stallone, who recently resurrected Rocky and Rambo.

Despite bit parts in films and a recent cameo role in Stallone’s The Expendables, Schwarzenegger has committed himself to his political career.

But when the former Mr Universe announced in January that he was stepping down as governor, he also announced that he was considering a future in film.

His time as governor was blighted with controversy, more recently when he admitted to giving a friend of his son a more lenient sentence for manslaughter.

On his first day in office, he reduced the vehicle license fee on his first day in office, a move that vastly benefited car dealers who largely bankrolled his 2003 recall election campaign.

There were further moves favouring developers, casino Indian tribes, oil and chemical companies and many other big money contributors to his political funds.

His popularity in the polls had fallen steeply during his last term in government as the recession hammered the already broke state.

Speaking about his return to film, he told Austrian newspaper Kronen Zeitung: ‘In the future I have to adapt my roles to my age. Clint Eastwood also has done it in the same way. Extreme fighting or shooting is not possible any more.

‘I want to be more encouraged as an actor and I believe that I can manage this challenge. I am like a sponge, which is absorbing all the knowledge and always be willing to learn all new things.’

Fans of the franchise will welcome Schwarzenegger’s return with open arms, though there may be some raised eyebrows as to his ability to do the role, which will involve ‘extreme fighting and shooting’.

For Rise of the Machines, he was said to have worked out for six months, about three hours a day, before shooting started, by which time he had the exact same body weight and muscle measurements as he had 12 years previously while shooting the second instalment.

It remains to be seen if he can emulate the same success for this movie, but he has enough time to shape up as it will not be released for several years.

Long have fans of the movie wished for James Cameron to get back behind the camera, with the first film in 1984  considered the best. But the Titanic director has washed his hands of the franchise – though will reclaim the rights to it in 2018 by default.

The last Terminator film – Salvation in 2009, starring Christian Bale – received terrible reviews, though still managed to make $370million at the box office.

For all your signed Celebrity Gloves go to: www.substancecollectables.com

 

 

 

 

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The Muhammad Ali Autographing Incident

Earlier today, we published a story from an anonymous reader claiming that ASU baseball coach Pat Murphy accosted him at a charity event. Here’s how the story ended up being complete bullshit. I’ve removed the story in question, because the guy who sent it in emailed me later on to tell me that, in fact, Murphy never threatened to kick his ass. Instead, I’m going to run this version of the story from ASU assistant SID Randy Policar. What we’re left with is the rather sad story of an autograph hound stopping at nothing to get a signature from a very frail and vulnerable boxing legend. A brief warning: the bolded sentence below may cause spontaneous bouts of weeping.

Let me start by saying that there was no “security” at this event, per se. It was all volunteers. It wasn’t an ASU event, so I was there as a volunteer as well. When Ali arrived at 6:45, a group of volunteers (myself included) helped get him to the golf cart that he was to ride in. His wife and sister-in-law were with him. There was a group of 10-15 people with items to be signed, and Ali’s wife and sister made it clear that A. he was not physically able to really sign and B. he would not be signing anything tonight due to an exclusive memorabilia contract that he had. Ali was brought up to a suite at Scottsdale Stadium for him, his wife and his sister-in-law. While it is true that Coach Murphy was one of the first to greet him, I can promise you, in no uncertain terms, Pat Murphy DID NOT have Muhammad Ali sign anything for him.

I was in there the entire time Coach was, and Murph went in there to welcome him and to thank him for lending his name to the charity event. He asked Ali if it would be ok if he could take a picture with him and his wife, and if his daughter could get a picture. He also asked if Ali would like to meet Dustin Pedroia and Andre Ethier, MLB players who were also in attendance. Ethier and his 18-month old son were brought in and spent a few minutes with him, then Pedroia and his three-month old came in. Ali was very excited to see the little boys and held them on his lap while posing for some photos. After the players left, fans starting pouring into the suite. Ali’s wife became concerned about the number of people in there, but was still very gracious and allowed most of them to shake Ali’s hand and pose for a photo.

The person who wrote the email, and I know exactly who it is, came into the suite with a giant poster and other items to be signed. He shoved past the other people in the suite and basically pushed a pen and the poster into Ali’s face. Ali’s wife told the gentleman that Muhammad could not sign, because of contractual issues and because he was doing a private signing the following week. The man started to protest and Mrs. Ali offered to take his name and phone number down and told him she would call him and try and work something out so he could get something signed. He gave her the information and she put it in her purse. She was clearly frustrated at how pushy he was, but she handled it well and no one raised their voice. The man then got a photo with Ali and left the booth. During this time, Murphy was not in the Ali suite, but next door with Pedroia and Ethier. After Ali was taken down to the field on his cart, they sang the national anthem and woman performed a song to honor Ali. He stood up and waved to the crowd and then greeted some young baseball players who participate in a little league that was founded and originally funded by Coach Murphy. After that, Ali got back in his cart to leave. At this point, the people on the field at Scottsdale Stadium were either participants in the home run derby, Sandlot All-Star (little league) players and parents, volunteers or media members.

During the song to Ali, I saw the emailer jump the fence and come on to the field. Once Ali got onto his cart, this guy once again shoved a pen and a Sports Illustrated into Ali’s face. He was told again by Ali’s wife and sister-in-law no autographs, but he kept pushing, begging and pleading with Muhammad to sign. Ali’s wife reminded him that she had taken his number and was going to call him, but he completely dismissed her. The crowd was all over the guy, yelling at him to show some respect and heed his wishes, but he didn’t care at all. Eventually, Ali relented (and honestly, at that point, what choice did he have, the guy was not going to move) and began to sign the magazine. I swear to you, it took Ali around three or four minutes to sign his name, because of his physical condition. He had to be held up, because he could not stand on his own. Ali did thumb through the magazine, and eventually got into the cart. The emailer’s claim that he was thrown into the backstop by ASU security is a patently ridiculous statement. First off, it was not an ASU event, so there was no ASU security or any other type of security, just the volunteers. Second off, I saw it, he was asked to back off and refused.

There was no physical assault of any kind. When Ali’s cart drove off, one of the volunteers who helped set up the event escorted him off the field and out of the stadium. I can also tell you that I spoke to Ali’s wife prior to the whole incident, and they were planning on staying at the event to watch the home run derby. We already had begun preparations to bring Ali back up to the suite. But after the stunt that the emailer pulled, they decided to leave and not subject Ali to anything else like that. I thought Ali handled the whole situation well, as did his family. This guy was told no by numerous people, was given special treatment by Ali’s wife to try and accommodate him, and still didn’t like the answer he got. So he decided that the rules didn’t apply to him and did whatever he had to in order to get what he wanted. It was a selfish act by this guy, who had already gotten a photo with Ali, something more valuable than a signature if you truly are a big fan.

He got his moment with The Champ, but it wasn’t enough for him. To call a guy “the biggest asshole he ever met”, the same guy who was putting on a Charity Event is just stupid. This guy clearly didn’t care about the charity, or where the money was going, or the point of the event, he wanted Ali’s autograph and felt he was entitled to it because he spent $99 to get in.

Coach Murphy worked really hard to get Ali to come to the event, in the hopes that having his name attached would help raise money for a good cause, and this guy disrespects Ali and his family all because he wanted an autograph. Pat Murphy put on a charity event to raise money for an organization, The Crossroads, that is near and dear to his heart. He didn’t put on an autograph show. Coach has donated thousands of dollars to charities throughout the country, he just doesn’t advertise it. He saved old game balls that were used once and tossed and donated them to inner city schools who couldn’t afford baseballs, he donated sporting goods to Boys Town in Omaha so they could have new equipment to use.

He’s donated over $100,000 back to ASU for facility improvements and to help get his assistant coaches more money, and he started his own little league for kids who couldn’t afford to join. He paid for uniforms and equipment and let them use a field for free, just so he could let underprivileged kids enjoy baseball. If those are the acts of the “biggest asshole”, then maybe the world needs more assholes like Pat Murphy. Coach doesn’t know I sent this, and I was not directed by my superiors to defend him. I just wanted to set the record straight because I know Coach Murphy and his family and I know what kind of person he is. He can get mad and get heated, but he has a heart of gold, I promise you. It was a great event for a great cause, and I would hate to see his name dragged through the mud and the event tarnished because of half-truths from one person, who ultimately, got what he wanted, regardless of how it was obtained. Sorry I got a little long winded, but I wanted you to hear what happened from my perspective.

For all your Muhammad Ali memorabilia needs go to: www.substancecollectables.com

Rare Muhammad Ali signed photo at http://www.substancecollectables.com

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Muhammad Ali – 50 Years of Memorabilia, Autographs, Posters and More

MUHAMMAD ALI SIGNED 30X40 OVER LISTON OA(ONLINE AUTHENTICS)

USA TODAY, the nation’s top-selling print newspaper, has published a 64-page, a special edition entitled “Ali: Celebrating 50 years on the world stage.” The special edition honors the anniversary of a young Cassius Clay’s 1960 Olympic gold win, follows a 50-year career of athletic and personal greatness and examines what Muhammad Ali means to the world today in a series of personal essays from contributors including President Barack Obama.
Like many sports enthusiasts growing up in the 70’s, Muhammad Ali was indeed a larger then life figure. Who can forget what was billed as the “Fight of the Century” between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier, two undefeated fighters and considered the best there ever was. At that time I was intimidated by Ali and his “trash talking” style. But, as age and wisdom set in it became clear this man was far smarter then any ordinary boxer. Ali was a masterful self-promoter and the rest of the world would sit back, learn and try to emulate someone who would one day be voted as “Athlete of the Century”. There are countless books, biographies and opinions written about this extraordinary man, so I won’t regurgitate.

Soon I noticed a growing admiration for Ali. And, that admiration would evolve into a collecting passion for vintage boxing memorabilia, starting of course with Ali material. About 25 years ago I wrote Ali a letter. So, when a couple months later, when a response arrived you can imagine how magical of experience it was. Muhammad Ali, the greatest athlete of the 20th century taking the time to write back. Not, only that but he autographed and personally inscribed two photos and added about 10 signed Muslim pamphlets. And, unlike many celebrities Ali signs everything himself as he considers it at act that brings him one step closer to God. So, no one is allowed to sign his name on autograph requests (as he stated on 60 Minute interview with Morley Safer).
What is a boxing collectible or memorabilia?
Most boxing or Ali collectors, pursue autographed memorabilia like signed boxing photos, gloves and shoes. Then there are original fight posters, programs and ticket stubs. One of my earliest Ali pieces was an original ticket for the Ali vs Liston fight in 1965. But, fight posters are my favorite. They not only display some great artwork and graphics (such as the Leroy Neiman Ali-Frazier fight poster) but they are evidence of sports history, placing us back in time when that exciting event occurred. But, the most popular memorabilia overall is probably autographed memorabilia, because here is an item that was held in the hands of and signed by the admired celebrity. A moment of his or her time captured on paper or a photo.
Here can someone acquire such valuable memorabilia?
Many people turn to online auctions like eBay. However, there is one BIG rsik to that strategy. MOST of the autographed items on eBay are fake. It is estimated about 90% of all autographs on eBay are secretarial or outright forgeries. And, these are usually the items that sell cheaply on eBay because those who have the expertise to KNOW what is real and what is fake, are NOT the ones bidding on fake material. Two autograph authentication organizations PSA and JSA are considered the most reputable third party authentication services. Most of the reputable auction houses and dealers use one of these companies. And, when their COA is attached to an autographed piece you will most certainly see it sell for much more than the same kind of item without one. And, this does not include any dealer or seller COAs as even autograph forgers provide COAs because eBay requires it.
COAs are worthless unless they are from a reputable dealer who offers a lifetime guarantee of authenticity, like www.substancecollectables.com which eBay forgers cannot do because they usually won’t be around long enough for you to return the items. Look for reputable dealers that offer lifetime guarantees and have been around for at least five years. Also, does the web site have REAL testimonials, not the “fake” testimonials with only initials of supposed customers. And, when you see an item that should sell for $500 being sold online for $100, a red flag should go up. There are a couple of web sites that sell forgeries for a small fraction of what an authentic piece would sell for.

Do your homework, be vigilant and in the end own a piece of history, like a stunning photo of Muhammad Ali, the Athlete of the Century, hanging on your wall.

For your great Muhammad Ali memorabilia go to www.substancecollectables.com

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Boxing: Manny Pacquiao Wouldn’t Stand a Chance Against Floyd Mayweather, Jr.

There are still plenty of details to work out, but after narrowly defeating Juan Manuel Márquez on Saturday, Manny “Pac-Man” Pacquiao could be well on his way to a dream fight with the undefeated Floyd “Money” Mayweather, Jr..

It would be the most highly anticipated fight in years; and while the money situation still has to be settled, I think both sides realize how huge and how lucrative a matchup between them would be. Because of that, I have confidence that a deal will get done eventually.

The thing is, though, if Pacquiao fights similarly to the way he did against Márquez, then he has no prayer of beating Mayweather. A couple years ago, Mayweather absolutely picked apart a younger and fresher Márquez, while Pacquiao has struggled mightily in all three occasions.

If Pacquiao couldn’t figure out Márquez’s defensive and counter-punching style, then how is he going to do it against Mayweather, who happens to be the best defensive fighter in the business, as well as one of the quickest?

It is very clear that Pacquiao’s aggressive style clashes with fighters who are willing to sit back and goad him into mistakes. He was lucky that the judges awarded him for his aggressiveness against Márquez; but Mayweather has the ability to lay back while still decimating his opponent with counters.

Prior to Pacquiao’s fight against Márquez, the consensus was that Pacquiao would have little trouble with Mayweather. I think that misconception has finally been squashed, though, as Mayweather knocked out the much younger Victor Ortiz while Pacquiao escaped with a win over Márquez.

That isn’t to say that Pacquiao wouldn’t give Mayweather a good fight, because he would. But he won’t be able to get away with looking lost like he did against Márquez. The reason being that the judges are much more likely to give Mayweather the benefit of the doubt than they did Márquez.

Pacquiao appeared to be befuddled for much of the fight against Márquez and struggled to land clean shots. That should happen to an even greater degree against Mayweather. Even so, Pacquiao shouldn’t avoid Mayweather, as a win could cement him as an all-time great.

Ultimately, though, I don’t see any way Pacquiao can defeat Mayweather, since Mayweather is five times the fighter Márquez is currently. Perhaps trainer Freddie Roach will have some tricks up his sleeve. But if Pac-Man’s strategy doesn’t change drastically, Mayweather will pick him apart should the fight take place.

GO TO: www.substancecollectables.com To purchase your manny Pacquiao Boxing Gloves signed by the “Pound for Pound King” Great to have a piece of Boxing memorabilia…

Manny Pacquiao click on banner to purchase a pair of Pac man gloves

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Kim Kardashian Is Helping Small Businesses

http://www.substancecollectables.com

There has been so much hype around Kim Kardashian’s life, hasn’t there? I have to admit, I keep up with Kardashians (sorry, President Obama!) and I love it. But what about all the “haters?” I constantly hear comments like, “What makes that family so special?” or “What does Kim do?” I’m not sure if it matters that their Dad was one of O.J. Simpson’s lawyers, or that Kim may have gotten her fame because of her bodacious backside. Whatever the reason, I think she has actually used her celebrity status to shine the spotlight on several small businesses and help them grow.

Sounds crazy, right? But if you really think about it, it’s true. And there’s no better place to start to understand it than diving into a few of the details of Kim’s and Kris’s over-the-top, ostentatious, made-for-TV August wedding. Sure, the rich and the famous were all there, adorned in fabulous jewelry, dripping with designer labels (black or white only here, folks), enjoying an amazing venue and wonderful food, and chatting each other up about how beautiful the bride was and how amazing the cake looked. But behind the scenes, there were actually a lot of small businesses that helped put on this incredibly beautiful – though eventually sad – day. Let’s take a look.

The Million-Dollar Bling

The ring: the enormous engagement ring said to be worth a cool $2 million. Forbes reported that the wedding band was estimated to be $60,000. Then there was the something “borrowed”: a reported $2.5 million headpiece as well as gorgeous earrings said to be worth $5 million. The mastermind behind these designs was Lorraine Schwartz, whose company has been in the family for three generations, run as a small business.

The Wedding Dress, the Other Dress and the Other Dresses

Let’s talk about those beautiful wedding dresses. Not just Kim’s three wedding gowns; I’m also talking about the bridesmaid dresses and the mother of the bride’s dress, all dreamed by that famous designer Vera Wang.

Now you might not think about Vera Wang as a small business owner since she’s such a big name, but according to the U.S. Small Business Administration, a business could be considered a “small business” if you have less than 500 employees. According to the Vera Wang website, she employs 200 people and does all of her manufacturing in company-owned workrooms in the U.S. How’s that for helping power our economy? And Kim is right “behind” her.

In fact, Wang is in the process of making affordable versions of two of Kim’s wedding dresses for her “White by Vera Wang for David’s Bridal” line, which is scheduled to debut in February 2012. If the buzz around Wang’s past David’s Bridal creations is any indication, the retailers will need a lot of extra staff on hand to meet demand.

The Wedding Schwag, of Course!

It’s no surprise that Kim went “Krazy” with the wedding favors for the guests. She gave customized Voluspa candles that came in a box with a “K” logo for the then-happy couple. These luxury candles were made by Troy and Traci Arntsen, who created their first candle in their kitchen in 1999. And as far as I can tell, they’re a small local business in southern California. After some research, I found that traffic on the Voluspa website went from an average of 500 visitors a month to over 2,000 in August – no doubt due to the Kardashian publicity.

Kim also gave gift certificates to her own small business, Shoedazzle, a shoe subscription website. Parlaying her own celebrity into her business, Shoedazzle’s Web traffic ballooned from a paltry 1.7 million visits in June to a whopping 2.8 million visits in August. Not bad, Kimpreneur!

And of course she adorned all of her well-wishers with her own Kim Kardashian fragrance. Good thing, because according to the kkfragrance.com website dated August 2011, ” ‘LOVE’ fragrance was such a hit, it sold out in 10 days.” In June, that website had a mere 461 visits, which grew to over 5,000 in August.

The Vendors That Made It Happen

Kim helps keep makeup artist Mario Dedivanovic of Makeup By Mario successful as a small business owner. Traffic to his website went from 2,000 visitors in June to over 8,900 in August. Sharpen those eye pencils, Mario!

And her personal trainers, Gunnar Peterson and Tracy Anderson (both have their own workout DVDs and studios), are two small business owners that are now gaining even more notoriety.

Kim’s and Kris’s wedding invitations were designed by the famous stationers to the stars Lehr & Black, the brother-and-sister team running this family-owned company, which has been around for over 30 years. The gorgeous invite arrived in its own box studded with hundreds of jet black hematite crystals. As a result of the word-of-mouth, their website traffic went from 750 visitors in June to over 2,400 in August.

Let’s not forget the wedding planner: Sharon Sacks, founder of Sacks Productions, planned K-squared’s pre- and post-wedding events as well. Sharon also saw a boost to her website traffic, going from just a few hundred visitors per month to over 1,600 in August.
Then there was the cake, created by Hansen’s Cakes, a local SoCal-based bakery that produced the reported $20,000, five-foot two-inch tall cake for the big day. Patrick Hansen is the head baker and just took over the small business from his father, Gary. Patrick enjoyed a traffic bump to his company’s website as well, when it went from an average of 2,000 visitors to over 8,000 in August.

Finally, Kim most likely boosted revenue for many businesses in Santa Barbara County, where the wedding took place. Roughly 500 guests were invited, as well as the camera crews from E! who all needed to get there (car services), eat there (restaurants) and sleep there (hotels and B&Bs). I’m sure the wedding brought huge business to small businesses in Montecito, Calif.

The Not-So-Happy Ending

I hate to call this out, but a small business even drew up Kim’s divorce papers. Laura Wasser of the law firm Wasser, Cooperman and Carter is a famed divorce attorney who also handled the divorces of stars like Britney, Mariah Carey and Angelina Jolie. When I did my research, I found that there were 13 staffers at the firm, a mix of lawyers and paralegals – seems like a small business to me.

Sure, it’s been reported that a few of the aforementioned wedding essentials were comp’d or “deeply discounted,” but at the end of the day – as you can see from Web traffic alone – all of these companies benefited from substantial word-of-mouth that helped fuel their business.

So if you’re a hater, so be it. As for me, I’m happy that Kim and her family turn to small businesses to keep their family fab.

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Celebrating “Smokin” Joe Frazier and his Career and his Exclusive Memorabilia & Collectibles

Joseph “Smokin’ Joe”
Frazier is a former World Heavyweight Boxing champion, active
mostly in the 1960s and 1970s. Frazier is considered one of the greatest
heavyweights of all time, but he is perhaps most famous for his trilogy of
fights with Muhammad Ali, the first of which, won by Frazier in a unanimous
decision, and has often been called one of boxing’s greatest bouts. Frazier was
known for a relentless pursuit of opponents, quickly cutting off angles of
escape using a chugging locomotion reminiscent of a train’s advance up a
hill.

Frazier’s record is 32 wins, 4 losses and 1 draw, with 27
knockout wins. He won 73% of his fights by knockout, compared to 60% for Ali and
84% for Foreman. He is a member of the International Boxing Hall Of
Fame.

Joseph Frazier was born in Beaufort, South Carolina, on
January 12, 1944 and was raised in the City of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He
notes in his autobiography that he grew up poor but happy. Even as early as
childhood, he was noticeably bigger and stronger than most others his age. As a
pre-teen he often made deals with his schoolmates: in exchange for some of their
lunch or some extra food every once in a while, he would walk them home from
school and protect them from bullies.

Soon after his 20th birthday, Frazier won a gold medal in
the 84 kilograms (187 lb) and above category (heavyweight) at the 1964 Summer
Olympics in Tokyo. He subsequently turned professional in 1965.

For your “Smokin” Joe Frazier Memorabilia needs to have a piece of Boxing history from this all Time Champion log into: www.substancecollectables.com

Joe Frazier Autographed Signed Everlast Boxing Glove with Yellow wrist label. http://www.substancecollectables.com

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The death of “Macho Man” Randy Savage.

 

Over one-quarter of the performers who took part in 1991’s Wrestlemania VII have died, a wrestling website noted in the wake of the death of “Macho Man” Randy Savage.

The Wrestling Observer newsletter discovered that 14 of the 51 performers at the event have died in the past 20 years, with many of the deaths attributed to drug use (link is subscription only).

The list of wrestlers who have died since 1991 include some of the biggest stars in the sport like Savage, Andre the Giant, Miss Elizabeth and The British Bulldog. Causes of death include suicides, murder and heart attacks, some the result of years of anabolic steroid use. Savage died last week after suffering an apparent heart attack behind the wheel of his truck. His ex-wife, Miss Elizabeth, passed away after overdosing on a variety of drugs in 2003.

Looking at the list is a sobering reminder of the realities of a make-believe sport like professional wrestling. Not all of the men and women listed played a part in their own demise; referee Joey Marella was the victim of a car crash that occurred when he was driving home from a match.

As wrestlinginc.com points out, none of the 44 starters from the Super Bowl played in 1991 have passed away and only two of 44 boxers who held a championship belt that year are gone.

At 58, Savage made it nearly a decade longer than some of his deceased colleagues.

For all you memorabilia needs go to: www.substancecollectables.com

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Victor Ortiz stuns Andre Berto

MASHANTUCKET, Conn. — Maybe, just maybe, Victor Ortiz has finally lived down his worst moment in the ring, when he quit during the sixth round of a fight with Marcos Maidana in 2009.

After his version of “No más,” Ortiz was vilified by media and fans alike. Even other fighters spoke poorly of Ortiz’s lack of heart.

But if others gave up on him, Ortiz did not give up on himself. He won his next four fights against carefully selected opponents and then fought to a disappointing draw with Lamont Peterson in December.

However, in his move up to welterweight, Ortiz went a long way to erasing his quitter reputation. On Saturday night he claimed a 147-pound title in a sensational fight, and handed Andre Berto his first defeat at the rocking MGM Grand Arena at the Foxwoods Resort Casino.

It was a clear fight of the year candidate that featured nonstop action and both guys getting knocked down twice.

Victor Ortiz has plenty to celebrate after his upset win over Andre Berto.

Berto’s heart had never been questioned and that won’t change after getting off the deck in the first round and again in the sixth.

Ortiz stayed mentally strong even after getting knocked down in the second round and also in the wild sixth round, which should receive strong round of the year consideration.

“It was an unbelievable fight,” said Lou DiBella, Berto’s promoter. “My guy didn’t box and created the advantage for Victor. For Victor, redemption is a beautiful thing.”

It was back and forth the rest of the way as the crowd took turns chanting for each fighter — and booing Floyd Mayweather Jr. when he was shown on the big screen from the front row — but in the end Ortiz prevailed, 115-110, 114-112 and 114-111, in a fight that should produce an eventual rematch.

“He answered all the questions that there could have been about his heart. He answered them all in one night,” said Golden Boy’s Richard Schaefer, Ortiz’s promoter.

DiBella was also complimentary, although he used more colorful language.

“That was the kind of fight we needed. Props to Ortiz,” DiBella said. “He fought a f—— great fight. Ortiz won, but what a fight. You want to question his balls? There is no question about his balls. F— that. I thought he was out [in the second round]. But he showed great balls and they killed each other in there.

“My guy loses, let him lose in that kind of a great fight. I’m proud of my guy. I expected both of them to go down, I just thought my guy would win.”

Ortiz, however, downplayed the redemption angle, refusing to buy into it.

“Absolutely not,” he said when asked about being haunted by the Maidana fight. “Maidana was never in my class. He was never on my level. I never gave him respect, especially because he never gave me the rematch.”

Maidana defeated Erik Morales last week in a barnburner. Perhaps we will see a rematch between them if Maidana wants to move up in weight, but there will be many calling for a rematch with Berto first.

“Berto didn’t have a good night, no excuses,” DiBella said. “Ortiz beat him, that’s it. It was a great war. If that’s not a rematch fight, no fight should be a rematch. That could be three fights.”

“Yeah, I want a rematch,” Berto said.

If there is a rematch, it won’t be forced, as Berto did not have a rematch clause, according to DiBella.

The fight, which matched former ESPN.com prospects of the year, was wild from the outset as Berto, 27, of Winter Haven, Fla., hit the canvas in the first round, but it was ruled a slip by referee Michael Ortega. It appeared as though Ortiz stepped on his foot. But moments later, Ortiz landed a solid right hook and an uppercut during a flurry to drop Berto with about 50 seconds left in the round.

Berto evened it in the second round when he dropped Ortiz with a counter right hand that forced a stunned Ortiz to touch his glove to the canvas. Ortiz (29-2-2, 22 KOs) hurt Berto again in the third round with a nasty uppercut.

Berto (27-1, 21 KOs), who said he hurt his hand in the second round, spent long stretches in the middle rounds laying on the ropes looking winded and trying to kill time as he looked at the clock on the big video screen in the arena. But Ortiz was aggressive and continued to go after him and forcing him to punch back in the tremendous slugfest.

The sixth round will be remembered for them both going down in a stunning scene. Berto rocked Ortiz with an uppercut and dropped him hard with a right hand and looked on his way to winning a dominant round. But moments before it ended, Ortiz connected with a left hand and knocked Berto down.

“That was a hell of a round. I would vote for it as the round of the year,” Ortiz said.

They fought toe-to-toe in the seventh round, but Ortiz was continuing to hit Berto behind the head. Ortega finally warned Ortiz for the foul in the ninth round and took a point for it in the 10th round.

“I just didn’t feel it tonight,” Berto said. “I couldn’t get my punches off. The shots didn’t really hurt, I just couldn’t get off, and I couldn’t keep him off like I wanted to.”

Many said Ortiz would be the smaller man coming into the fight because he was moving up, but on fight night he was 161 on HBO’s unofficial scale while Berto was 156 after they both were slightly under the 147-pound limit at Friday’s weigh-in.

“147 is where I am king. I am the king, man,” said Ortiz, 24, of Ventura, Calif. “I thank Andre Berto for the opportunity. He’s a real champion. But I noticed that he was vulnerable on the inside, which was my game plan, to smother his shots and overwhelm him.”

Ortiz said he received advice before the fight from an unexpected source.

“Manny Pacquiao gave me advice before the fight. Manny said stick to your game plan. I thanked him for the advice, although I didn’t always follow the advice as you saw from my performance,” Ortiz said.

Maybe he didn’t follow that advice, but he more than made up for it with the heart he showed.

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Nike to Unveil New Manny Pacquaio Zoom Huarache Trainers for big boxing fight

Nike has been doing an increasingly good job marketing Manny Pacquiao gear to fans in the U.S. after focusing primarily on the Philippines earlier in his career. Even so, his signature shoes are usually pretty cool and sometimes overlooked.

Manny has already had some limited edition Nike Zoom Huarache Trainers release this year in conjunction with the Fight Night Champion video game, but it seems he’s getting an even newer model to commemorate his upcoming bout with Shane Mosley. As you can see in the pics here, his ‘MP’ logo is visible on the soles, the date of the fight is on the tongues, and the colors of the Filipino flag are prominent in the design as they are for a lot of his gear.

For all your Manny Pacquiao boxing memorabilia go to: www.substancecollectables.com

There’s no release date for these yet, but since the online Nike Store is nearly completely sold out of its previous run of Pacquiao stuff, it would not be surprising to see these kicks as part of a new wave of items over the next few weeks.

(Props to Sole Collector for showing these off.)

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