Laila Ali: Fought one of the more memorable bouts, against Jacqui Frazier, at Turning Stone Resort and Casino in 2001. MICHAEL DAVIS PHOTO
The card that night was also the 25th at Turning Stone since Hector “Macho” Camacho headlined in 1998. The former champion Camacho would appear at Turning Stone again, as would multi-division champion James Toney, heavyweight contenders Donovan “Razor” Ruddock, Andrew Golata and Shannon Briggs.
And, in the Oneida Nation venue’s most celebrated fight night, June 8, 2001, Laila Ali, daughter of former champion Muhammad Ali, earned a majority decision over Jacqui Frazier-Lyde, daughter of former champion and Ali nemesis Joe Frazier.
Jordan’s mission didn’t go as planned, however. His opponent, Oscar Diaz, with Hall-of-Fame trainer Lou Duva in his corner, stopped Spider-Man in the fifth round, while renowned trainer-turned-commentator Teddy Atlas provided perspective for ESPN’s TV audience. “We only bring winners,” the iconic Duva would later quip. And then, as abruptly as Jordan’s hopes hit the canvas, the boxing at Turning Stone mysteriously took a dive.
Casinos, with their built-in throngs of risk-takers, have proven to be ideal venues for boxing cards, but Turning Stone, with its proximity to and relationship with the International Boxing Hall of Fame in nearby Canastota has, it would seem, a knockout punch. The Ali-Frazier match, staged in conjunction with the Hall’s annual induction weekend, was attended by many inductees and former champions, including Ali’s revered father. A perfect fit, however coincidental.
The sudden, inexplicable end to the eight-year slate of cards left both frustration and rumor in its wake. Speculation centered on the relationship of the Oneida Nation, which considers itself a sovereign entity not subject to local control, and the New York State Athletic Commission, established by the state to regulate boxing and wrestling. It was an unresolvable power struggle, the scuttlebutt had it, as fight fans shook their heads in bewilderment.
Questioned about the situation at ringside prior to the September 2009 championship match featuring Christy Martin held at the New York State Fair, Commission Chair Melvina Lathan, a Gov. David Paterson appointee, claimed to know nothing about it. A conspiracy of silence, or so it seemed to local fight fans.
That fight was received so tepidly that promoters had to drop their ticket prices from $15 to $4 the day of the match, so the seeming long local drought will end Friday, Feb. 26, at 7:30 p.m. when the sweet science stages a comeback at Turning Stone’s Event Center. Tickets cost $30, $40 and $55, and can be purchased by calling (800) 771-7711.
The eight-bout card will feature regional fighters and at least one professional prospect hoping to gain greater recognition. As its final bell sounds, the drama of the long hiatus appears to have been more of a mundane waltz than a toe-to-toe collision. Oneida Nation media spokesman Rick Gallagher characterized the situation as a matter of routine business decisions.
“We go through various marketing cycles or strategies,” he said. “You may do boxing for a while, something that’s exciting for your customers, and then you move on to other strategies, and you start doing other kinds of entertainment. You’re always trying to keep it fresh and exciting. But while you’re looking for things that you haven’t done, you sometimes go back to things that are tried and true, and that’s what happened here. We’ve decided to do some more boxing. We haven’t done it in a while.”
Asked about the sanctioning situation and the relationship with the state Athletic Commission, Gallagher, who joined the Turning Stone staff in 2009, deferred to the commission itself, as did media specialist Dan Hartman. The upcoming bouts “are sanctioned by the Oneida Nation Athletic Commission, which has been in existence for a long time,” Hartman said. Any question beyond that “is something that you have to bring up with the {state} Athletic Commission.”
Several requests for information from Lathan, however, went without any response. But Joel Barkin, New York deputy secretary of state for public affairs, had no reservations about parsing out the affair, which he quickly deflated. “Previous fights on the reservation had no state sanctioning because they had their own sanctioning,” he said, “and that’s fine.”
Referring to the unresolved situation of Oneida land being placed in federal trust, a contentious issue in some circles, and the corresponding jurisdictional fallout, he said, “Due to the unsettled legal issues regarding the status of Turning Stone, regulation of the professional boxing event to be held on Feb. 26 will be undertaken by the Oneida {Athletic} Commission in conjunction with the New York State Athletic Commission. The reason why this is being regulated by the state and Oneida {commissions} is because both sides are respecting the legal process that’s under way.” Not such a big mystery after all.
Now, after four years, the fights will resume. Friday’s card will feature Syracuse native, now living in Guilderland, Mike “The Baby-Faced Beast” Faragon, a lightweight looking to better his perfect (9-0, 3 knockout) record against Puerto Rico’s Fernando Basora (8-7.) Also featured will be Brooklyn’s Amanda “The Real Deal” Serrano, another fighter off to a fast (4-0) start, also with 3 KOs. The main event will pit a bona fide prospect, Brazil’s Isaac Rodriguez (16-0, 13 KO) against Austin, Texas, middleweight Brian Vera (16-3, 2 KO.)
“Rodriguez is a very exciting up-and-coming fighter that you’re going to be hearing a lot about,” according to Gallagher. “He’s fighting Brian Vera, who’s been on the TV show The Contender, also a very exciting boxer. What we’re looking to do is put on some very exciting bouts for people who really enjoy boxing. If these are exciting bouts, which they are going to be,” he went on, “and they create a great experience for our customers, which I believe they will, and they sell tickets, which I believe they will, then we’ll continue to do boxing.”
And, at least for the time being, the echo of ring announcer Michael Buffer’s copyrighted catchphrase will resound at Turning Stone once again: “Ladies and gentlemen, let’s get ready to rumble…”
—J.T. Hall
