If you grew up in New Jersey itâ€s likely you knew somebody who had a friend whose second cousin had a brother-in-law whose uncle was connected to “the Mob.” Born in Jersey City and raised in Union City and then Secaucus, Jon Dâ€Amore had family members who were “connected”. An accomplished musician and songwriter, Dâ€Amore kept mental notes of a Las Vegas casino caper that went down back in the day and tells the fascinating and sometimes nail-biting story in his new book, “The Boss Always Sits in the Back.” Hereâ€s an excerpt:

“This is my story, based on actual events, of living on the fringe of what some people call ‘the Mafia.†You see, several members of my immediate family were connected. Connected simply means that through blood, honor or business…you have a direct connection to the Cosa Nostra, the Mafia, Our Thing, La Famiglia, the Mob. And those members of my family made a very comfortable living for many, many years through this affiliation. I thought about becoming more involved when I was in my early 20s, but at the time it was the mid-1970s. I was a professional musician and having too much fun living the rock ‘n†roll lifestyle. I was living every dream of most of my high school and college buddies (and at the time… that mattered!), so why would I want to cut my hair, wear dark suits and ties…and take the chance of getting whacked? Instead, I decided to watch da guys from the sidelines.”

Funny, irreverent and a natural storyteller, Dâ€Amore has made Los Angeles his home since the mid-1990s, but he has remained connected to his Jersey roots. He returns to Hudson this month for special appearances at the Secaucus, Jersey City and North Bergen libraries where he will read excerpts and sign copies of “The Boss Always Sits in the Back,” On a recent afternoon, Dâ€Amore took time out of his busy schedule to talk with Riverview Observer about his controversial new book.

 `RVO: Can you tell our readers what “The Boss Always Sits in the Back” is about?

JD: The book is about some guys I knew from Hudson County who pulled off one of the greatest scams to hit Las Vegas and after it was exposed it changed gambling laws across the country forever so that a scam like this could never happen again. It tells a story of the human side of these people and at the same time it describes the demise of what can be considered ‘the Mob,†because it certainly isnâ€t what we knew it to be from the 1940s through the late 1970s.

RVO:  Why did you decide to write a book about the Mob?

JD: The things that happened in this book started in 1975 when I was a musician. When I had heard about what these guys were doing in Vegas, I thought it would make a fantastic story. One thing I always believe to be true is that these guys are part of our history. Like it or not, there isnâ€t a culture that hasnâ€t come to this country that didnâ€t have to do what they needed to do to survive as a family and as a culture. Itâ€s part of our society. These things I heard about I knew it needed to be written about and that these people needed to be immortalized, because of what they were doing. These guys, and I say ‘these guys†with love and respect, did amazing things when you think that none of them had a college degree, or even prior to 1970, a large number of them didnâ€t have a high school diploma and some of the things they did were worth writing about. I knew I always wanted to write this story but the timing wasnâ€t right. I needed to wait. There were loose ends that needed to resolved – people needed to be incarcerated or released.

RVO: Werenâ€t you a bit nervous about naming names?

JD: I changed the names of everyone except my family. Everybody who is still alive and who I am still in contact with, I told them that I wrote this story and they all ask the same question: ‘Whoâ€s going to play me in the movie?â€

RVO:  Have there been any movie offers?

JD: Thereâ€s been a lot of interest. I wrote the screenplay and I have people contacting me wanting to talk business. Weâ€re just waiting for the right person to get a $25 million movie made. Thatâ€s the budget of this project.

 RVO:  How did you go from being a musician to a writer?

JD:  Because I had been taking guitar lessons since I was seven, by the time I was 14, I could read any kind of music chart put in front of me and that gave me impetus to write songs. Iâ€m not saying any were blockbusters or hits, but I learned how to write lyrics that were good. In the Jersey club bands I played in, the songs I wrote were good for the time we were doing them. I always wrote to a degree, just not books or anything that was publishable until 1976. At the Herald News an editor found out I was a traveling musician and gave me the opportunity to write a weekly column called “Jon Dâ€Amore on the Road.” When I was touring, I got to tell about being a musician on the road. I got to review albums, concerts. I got out of the music business in 1985 and I made it into the corporate world and by the 90s, I was traveling all over the country as a corporate executive doing presentations for large groups. I was in the insurance business but I never sold a life insurance policy in my life. After a decade in the corporate world, I was unhappy with what I was doing. I loved the people who were benefiting from what I did, but Iâ€m not really a corporate guy.

RVO:  What made you decide to become a Californian? Did you have ties there?

JD:  My father had two cousins who had established themselves in the restaurant business in Los Angeles from the 1930s to the 1970s, so when I was a kid, we came out here to visit. I donâ€t remember this, but I was told that when I was just an infant the actor James Dean, who was a frequent customer of my cousinâ€s restaurant, picked me up and held me in his arms. Six weeks later he would be killed. I always had a connection out here and I always knew I would live here.

RVO:  You have several book signings scheduled including May 16th at the Secaucus Library. How does it feel to come back to your hometown a published author?

JD:  In all honesty, itâ€s a wonderful feeling to be able to go back. From first grade to eighth grade, I attended school in Union City and from ninth grade to high school graduation I went to Weehawken High School. (Back when I was living in Secaucus, there wasnâ€t a local high school and we went to Weehawken.) At the book signings, there will be people I havenâ€t seen since then. I was the guy who played all the high school dances. And you know whose footsteps Iâ€m following? You know who else was famous from Secaucus who came before me? The Tidy Bowl Man, the guy who did all those Tidy Bowl commercials. Thatâ€s the guy Iâ€m following.

If you go:

Jon Dâ€Amore will read excerpts and sign copies of his new book

“The Boss Always Sits in the Back” on the following dates in Hudson:

 

Wed, May16, 7 pm

Secaucus Public Library and Business Resource Center 1379 Paterson Plank Road

Secaucus

(201) 330-2083

www.secaucus.bccls.org

 

Thursday, May 17, 6 pm

North Bergen Free Public Library

8411 Bergenline Avenue

North Bergen (201) 869-4715

www.njpl.org

 

Mon, May 21, 6 pm

Jersey City Free Public Library

Five Corners Branch

678 Newark Ave. Jersey City, NJ 07306 (201) 547-4543

www.jclibrary.org/branches/five-corners

 

For more information, or to purchase the hardcover or paperback of “The Boss Always Sits in the Back,” visit www.thebossalwayssitsintheback.com. (hardcover $22; paperback $13)

Kindle and Nook readers can download the book for $7.99 at www.Amazon.com and www.B&N.com

Boxing Promoter Al Certo (2nd from left) along with Boxers: (l) Joey Giardello, next to Al Certo the great Jack Dempsey and Willie Pep

Photo Below: A young Jon D’Amore future author holding a fake machine gun at a friends wedding

The post MOBSTER TALES-Jon D’Amore Who Grew Up in Secaucus, Pens Page Turner on Jersey Wiseguys and The Casino Caper first appeared on River View Observer.

 

 

By Sally Deering

Acappella groups – four or five guys singing harmonies with no back-up band – bridged the gap between 1950s Doo-Wop and 1960s rock and roll, but until now, little has been written about that time in music history when teenagers harmonized on street corners, inside subways and underneath train trestles searching for the echo that gave them their sound.

Abraham Santiago grew up in Jersey City and remembers the days he sang tenor in The Concepts, a street corner acappella group of fellow students from Ferris High School in Jersey City. Santiago, who now resides in Chicago, took his memories of those days and collaborated on a book and documentary about the acappella era with Steve Dunham, an acappella enthusiast and music producer in Las Vegas with a mammoth acappella record collection and a passion for singing street harmonies.

 “Acappella Street Corner Vocal Groups:  A Brief History and Discography of 1960s Singing Groups,” (Mellow Sound Press, Chicago,167 pgs;) chronicles every street corner acappella group ever recorded from that time like  Joanne and the Heartaches, the Royal Counts and the Persuasions; and the record companies that produced their songs, like Snowflake, Relic and Catamount. The documentary, “Street Corner Harmony: The Missing Link in Rock and Roll History,” narrated by record producer Wayne Stierle delves deeper into the singers’ lives and the genre of acappella music. Both the book and the documentary are touchstones to a bygone era, the time between the 1950s and 1960s, when musical tastes shifted to British rockers like The Beatles and short-haired teens singing acappella became as old-hat as the Hi-Fi record players that spun their songs.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

 “In 2004 I began thinking about why no one ever wrote about the acappella era or the Golden Age of Acappella as some call it,” Santiago says. “I starting writing it, but I’m not a good writer so I asked around and I found Steven Dunham. We hit it off really well considering I didn’t know him and he didn’t me. We started working together and in 2006 the book was published under Mellow Sound Press. In that same year a native Jersey City music critic Jim De Rogatis who lives in Chicago reviewed our book for the Chicago Sun Times. The following year the book was reviewed by Soul Patrol.com and we won an award.”

 Originally from Brooklyn, Dunham resides in Law Vegas where he owns the record company Street Corner Entertainment and sings with two acappella groups, The Chaperones and the Emerald Dreams, whose songs are part of the documentary’s soundtrack. Dunham says he collaborated with Santiago because he believed the history of acappella recordings of that time needed to be preserved and so far, no one else had done the job.

 “We wanted to preserve the traditional street corner singing in the northeast in that time period,” Dunham says. “We felt it was an important piece of rock and roll and American history to preserve this genre before it was completely forgotten about and the memories passed away.”  

The Way it Wa-a-as  

Back in the early 1960s, when Santiago sang with The Concepts, he and his buddies, lead singer Amed Valentine, baritone Ed Rivera and first tenor Juan Perez were always on the lookout for the right backdrop for their acoustic sound. When they weren’t harmonizing on Jersey City street corners, they sang under train trestles and in subways, too.

 “We were always looking for the echo, the hallmark of that elusive dream to make it big,” Santiago says.  

The Concepts sang R&B/Soul songs they imitated from African-American singing groups of the 1950s. That was the standard for how they wanted to sound, but what they really wanted was the opportunity to record their songs, have them played on the radio and sold in record stores.  

“Today anyone can make a recording at home, press out a CD and sell it,” Santiago says. “In the 1960s you couldn’t do that. A record company had to hire and record you and you became part of that record company’s label.”  

The Concepts recorded for Catamount and Cat Time labels and their songs were produced by Stan Krause who owns a record shop in Journal Square in Jersey City. Krause recorded many groups including the Persuasions, one of the best known acappella groups in history, Santiago says. 

“Independent record labels recorded various groups from Jersey City and other surrounding urban cities like New York,” Santiago says. “Those recordings were played on the radio and immediately, the birth of acappella came into existence. Before long acappella shows were attracting large audiences at the State Theatre in Journal Square and the Palace on Newark Ave in Jersey City and in Hackensack and New York. It just exploded and a new pop genre was created. It was a small niche within the music industry.”  

Dunham says many of the acappella groups weren’t taken seriously in the music industry and yet they have influenced groups of the past forty-five years as well as the collegiate acappella circuit. Even shows like NBC’s “Sing Off” where acappella groups of all ages and backgrounds compete for a recording contract owe their success to the guys singing on street corners back in the day.

 “If it wasn’t for the 60s acappella groups, this type of singing would never happen,” Dunham says. 

 Too young to have experienced the first wave of acappella singing, Dunham, now in his 40s, was just 11 years-old when he became interested in acappella singing. It was the late 1970s and he and his buddies would harmonize on his Brooklyn stoop, singing classics like “In the Still of the Night,” and songs by the Stylistics.

 “Street corner singing is a neighborhood thing,” Dunham says. “It’s not just about the music; it’s about the culture of the northeast. It was a way of expression similar to how rap and hip-hop started.”

 Both Santiago and Dunham are pleased with the reception to the book and are discussing a sequel with new information they’ve discovered since publishing it. Santiago would also like to have the documentary shown in Jersey City, the place where acappella music began for The Concepts and other acappella groups that came and went over the years.

 “For teenagers in Jersey City and along the corridor that stretches from Boston to Philadelphia, singing was their favorite past-time,” Santiago says. “Guys didn’t play soccer or basketball as we do now, they would get together and sing. It was a way of connecting with each other and to potentially connect with a person of the opposite sex. If you could sing and you were in a vocal group you were cool.”

 To purchase “Acappella Street Corner Vocal Groups,” and or the DVD call QP Distribution at 888-281-5170 – or send an email to qpdistribution@skyerock.net (The book is $10; the DVD is $14.95, plus shipping and handling.)

to read more about these 1960s Premiere Acappella groups of the 1960s visit www.beaudaddy.com

 

 

The post Searching for the Echo-Book and Film Shine Light on 1960s Street Corner Acappella Groups first appeared on River View Observer.

 Trump Plaza Residences Jersey City, the exquisite residential tower located on New Jersey’s prestigious Gold Coast, is celebrating a successful summer of stellar sales and building enhancements as it looks forward to exciting events in the coming new year.

Sales at the luxury condominium at 88 Morgan St. have greatly exceeded expectations, with approximately 50 homes having sold since January of this year. About 20 residences sold during the summer months, which is typically a slow time for real estate sales.

 

“The extraordinary sales volume is evidence of the appeal of Trump Plaza Residences Jersey City and its great value,” said Jodi Stasse, director of marketing and sales. “A resident can enjoy a real metropolitan lifestyle here — with access to every luxury amenity they can imagine, as well as a full-service concierge — at advantageous pricing with low interest rates!”

The 55-story building, New Jersey’s tallest residential tower, offers beautiful one-, two- and three-bedroom residences of up to 1,599 square feet. One-bedroom homes start in the mid-$400,000s and two-bedroom homes start in the mid-$600,000s. Penthouses and three-bedroom homes are also available, but are in limited supply. A 20-year tax abatement for the residential tower translates to reduced property taxes.

In addition to the inherent appeal of the luxury building, Stasse attributed the volume of sales to a new marketing campaign for the building, launched earlier in the year, which introduced new advertising and communication materials including the sleek new property website, www.trumpplazaresidences.com.

Referrals from residents have been another huge part of the building’s sales success.

“The residents here take pride in the community they have formed together. They’re always looking forward to seeing new neighbors in the building and they want to contribute to the success here,” said Stasse. “They appreciate the rate at which they’ve seen the building fill up and they have a desire to share this lifestyle with the people closest to them.”

Another bonus for residents is the elite TRUMP CARD Privileges Program presented by the Trump Hotel Collection, which entitles them to special offers, personal services and added benefits at any Trump Hotel Collection property in New York, Chicago, Las Vegas and Hawaii. Future Trump Hotel Collection properties that members can look forward to visiting include those in New Orleans, Panama, Toronto, Cap Cana, Dubai and Scotland.

The summer also brought a special treat in the form of the building’s lighted rooftop crown, which was installed in August. The bright purple lighting, striking against the night sky, added the final touch to the enhancements that took place this year including a new front entrance, remodeled lobby and embellished pool and outdoor lawn seating areas.

On-site conveniences are also coming soon with the arrival in early 2011 of ROAR Dental and Elegant Nails and Spa, as well as the highly anticipated opening of buon Italia gourmet Italian market, originally of Chelsea Market fame in New York City.

Buon Italia will offer imported groceries; meat and seafood counters; prepared foods and specialty products, including fresh cheeses, pastas and charcuterie; a combination espresso bar, gelato bar, pasty shop and wine bar; and generous indoor and outdoor café seating.

“Having buon Italia set up shop right at our front door is an incredible convenience for residents and an extension of the amazing amenities that are offered at Trump Plaza Residences,” said Stasse. “Plus, it will instantly turn the neighborhood into a destination spot.”

Trump Plaza Residences is appreciated by residents for its impressive amenities and unparalleled service. The lavish 40,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor amenities and well-known Trump 24/7 concierge service are luxury hallmarks of the elegant property and the Trump brand.

A sampling of the amenities includes a screening room; game room; Roman-style aqua grotto; in-house spa; heated pool with cabanas; and an impressive glass-enclosed fitness center.

The building’s thoughtfully designed homes features elegant, contemporary design elements and custom oversized windows that open out to sweeping views of the Hudson River, the Statue of Liberty and the Manhattan skyline.

The proximity of Trump Plaza Residences Jersey City to Manhattan and the rest of the Gold Coast, as well as its convenient location near the Exchange Place and Grove Street PATH stations, the waterfront ferry and the Bergen-Hudson Light Rail, makes for easy commuting and uncomplicated travel.

For more information on Trump Plaza Residences Jersey City, visit the on-site sales suite, which is open seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at 88 Morgan St. in Jersey City. Morning and evening hours are available by appointment. Contact the sales and marketing team by calling (888) 263-7003, e-mailing info@trumpplazaresidences.com or visiting the website at www.trumpplazaresidences.com.

To learn more about the TRUMP CARD Privileges Program, visit www.TrumpHotelCollection.com/TRUMPCARD. For more information on buon Italia gourmet Italian market, visit www.buonitalia.com

Follow us on twitter: @TrumpJerseyCity
Facebook link: facebook.com/TrumpPlazaResidJerseyCity
-or- Search for us on Facebook: Trump Plaza Residences Jersey City

###

The post Real Estate Views-Trump Plaza Residences Jersey City Looks Ahead After A Summer Of Success first appeared on River View Observer.

By Sally Deering

Photo sent  by Enzo Palumbo

      First, an explanation of the “meow meow.” It’s like “etcetera, etcetera,” mixed with “yada yada” with a hint of “Oh yeah? What’s it to ya?” It’s also the nickname of Enzo Palumbo, a handsome, funny, “tell it like it is” insurance adjustor from Bayonne who spent 75 days as a contestant on CBS’s “Big Brother” this summer.  Let’s let Palumbo describe the “meow-meow.”

“Meow-meow” it stems from back in the day,” Palumbo says. “Years ago, I was with my friend and we were with two girls. One sits in the front seat with me and before I put my radio on, she farts in my car and tries to blame me. I ask her, what are you doing?  She says, ‘whatever, meow, meow. That was the end of it. Meow meow.  I’m a straight up cool cat.”

 

Little life-lessons like those charmed 10 million TV viewers who tuned in each week to watch Enzo, Lane, Hayden, Britney, Rachel and seven other “Big Brother” contestants room together in a snazzy Hollywood pad complete with outdoor Jacuzzi and 24/7camera surveillance. Palumbo lasted 75 days living in the ‘goldfish bowl’ with viewers watching his antics and the Jersey way he did things, like creating an alliance called “The Brigade” and nick-naming his alliance teammates the “Beast,” “Animal,” “Brains” and himself the “meow-meow.”

Enzo’s boisterous and playful personality, handsome good looks and Jersey edge intrigued viewers and his fellow players, but underneath his Jersey boy persona, Palumbo proved to be a sharp gamer, outlasting nine other contestants and maneuvering himself into the No. 3 position at the show’s finale. Enzo didn’t win the $500,000 1st Place cash prize awarded to Hayden or the $50,000 2nd  Place award Lane received, but Enzo played a great game and now that the show has ended, he’s hoping to parlay his “15 minutes of fame” into a show biz career in “La-La Land.”

Immediately after the show’s finale, CBS and the Big Brother production company treated Enzo and his cast mates to a ballyhoo weekend at Bally’s Hotel in Las Vegas, to allow the gang to party after three months of soul-baring and game-playing. Enzo reunited with his wife and daughter Gia, taped interviews and met with former “Big Brother” cast members from the 11 previous seasons.  During his weekend stay, fans recognized Enzo as a celebrity, asking him to sign autographs and pose for pictures. Hollywood agents slipped him their business cards and one filmmaker wants to cast him in a movie. And Enzo is loving every minute of his newfound celebrity.

   Viva Las Vegas

 “I’m a star in Vegas,” Enzo says from his Bally’s suite. “Grandmothers, young women, middle-aged women all want to hug me. Even men hug me. The fans are unbelievable. My head is so big right now I can’t even fit out the door.” 

Enzo’s Las Vegas fans also used their chance encounters with the Reality TV star to learn about his time on the “Big Brother” homestead and the strategic moves that kept him in the game and on prime-time TV for 2-1/2 months. As soon as the show began, Enzo initiated the idea for an alliance between the men, who met in the shadows to plan strategies-well, more like secret meetings in the sauna.

“Before I came in I wanted to get three or four people into the thing and with my personality, I knew three or four people would like it and I would use that to make some type of mafia,” Enzo says. “I called it the Brigade.  They could do the dirty work for me and if I ever got on the block, I had my alliance. We would have meetings late night when everybody was sleeping.  Sometimes we went to the Story room, the H.O.H. room. Sometimes even the pool or sauna. We’d go over things real quick. I had a blast and it got me to the finale. It was the best alliance ever in Big Brother history.”

So did Enzo trust the Brigade alliance or did he think they would turn on him at any given moment?

“In that house, it’s hard to put a hundred percent trust in anybody,” Enzo says. “I felt like we were definitely loyal. Lane worried me the most because of his side alliance with Britney. That was our plan from the beginning to break off and make side alliances with other people so they never knew we were an alliance together. I was never a target the whole season. I was playing the whole house, manipulating everybody. It was just amazing.”

On “Big Brother” Enzo played dumb at times, like when Britney tried to teach him how to speak properly and during a shopping trip, when she explained how to read food labels. There are plenty of excerpts on YouTube to see these hilarious exchanges, Enzo’s “Meow Mix” commercial and videos uploaded by several “Big Brother” fans including a digital animation called “The Formation of the BB Brigade,” where Enzo is depicted as a fat gray tabby cat wearing a fedora and black sunglasses named “meow-meow.”

“Back where I’m from, you have nicknames,” Enzo says. “There’s me, the ‘Meow Meow.’ I can be sneaky but I play it nice and cool and calm.”

When it got down to the final three, Enzo says he knew Lane and Hayden weren’t going to take him to the final two because they knew the seven teammates in the Jury House liked Enzo more and would name him the winner. 

“Most of them pretty much liked me and Lane and Hayden knew it,” Enzo says.  “It would have been tough for Lane or Hayden to beat me.”

In the finale, Enzo was voted out and Hayden named the winner with Lane in second place. But no hard feelings, Enzo says, crying over spilled milk is just a lot of “meow meow.” Enzo marked his territory on Season 12 of “Big Brother,” and along with a big sense of humor, he brought a little Jersey to the show.

“No matter what, I had tons of fans and I loved it,” Enzo says. “That was a big part of this. I didn’t care about the money. I wanted the title. I wanted to be the champ, I wanted to show that I was the “meow-meow” and for me, that will always be my legacy.”

Going Back to His Hometown Fans

Reality TV fame and the celebrity that it brings can either fade when contestants return to their “normal” lives or jump-start careers into new directions, like the case of Buddy Valastro of Hoboken, the “Cake Boss,” who after several Food Channel cooking contests, landed his own reality TV show on TLC. Just like his game plan forming the alliance on “Big Brother” Enzo’s devised a game plan for his future, too.

“I’m going to try to do everything and anything, maybe get an agent, some groupies or stalkers, whatever comes my way,” Enzo says. “I heard Howard Stern’s people might want me on his show. I had a couple of agents give me their cards. One guy is filming a movie in December and has a good part for me playing some type of Jersey kid. I’m open to everything and anything, big roles, small roles. I know it will be hard, but I’d like to take a crack at it.”

Enzo’s hometown fans in Bayonne have been watching every episode and rooting for him. Hot and Toasty Bagels in Bayonne named a couple of sandwiches after him and his cousins Giacomo DeRosa and Leonardo DeRosa, owners of Paesano’s Pizzeria in Downtown Bayonne named “The Meow Meow Pizza” after him. It’s piled high with sausage, mushrooms, onions, sautéed garlic and drizzled with olive oil. They also created “The Brigade,” a dish that consists of broccoli rabe and shrimp sautéed in garlic and olive oil over pasta.  Both dishes have a lot of flavor and stand out on the plate – just like Enzo.

“This is the real me, the real ‘meow meow,'” Enzo says. “I’m charismatic. I’m creative. I love to make people laugh.  I like to bust chops.”

The post Big Brother’s Enzo Palumbo -Bayonne to Hollywood with the Meow-Meow! first appeared on River View Observer.

Pacquiao Cements Best P4P Reputation At

Hattonâ€s Expense

 

After the first minute of the recent Ricky Hatton-Manny Pacquiao tiff, it only became of matter of when ‘Pac Man†would starch the Britisher, not IF he would. While the pre-fight odds favored Pacquiao (bettors rooting for the favorite had to lay $250 to win $100), and many fight game cognoscenti figured the Fightin†Filipino to eventually lay waste to the pallid U.Kâ€er, absolutely no one was prepared for the brutal and sudden demolition of the heretofore resilient Hatton.

 

Within the first sixty seconds of the opening bell–which saw a strangely haggard-looking Hatton go after his foe with murderous, if ineffective, intent, scintillating southpaw Pacquiao immediately countered and penetrated the Britâ€s guard with a blistering assortment of punches. With less than a minute left in the first, Manny slipped a Hatton jab and sent Ricky face first into the canvas with a textbook right hook. Arising at the count of eight, Hatton looked bewildered, and unsuccessfully attempted to elude Pacquiao, who trapped Hatton in his own corner and put him down for a second time, this coming by way of a vicious straight left.  After again receiving the mandatory eight from ref Kenny Bayless, who looked ready to halt the proceedings right there, Hatton arose and stubbornly traded shots with Pacquiao.

 

Between rounds it was obvious that Hatton was a hurt fighter, as he barely acknowledged his cornerâ€s commands. With the start of the second stanza, Pacquiao showed steely patience as he deftly avoided a desperate, lunging attack from Hatton and sized his man up for a finishing blow. As Hatton tried grappling Pacquiao, trying to turn the fight into a brawl, Manny cooly kept his guard up and countered occasionally. Towards the end of the second Manny drilled home a punishing right jab and quickly sent a short left cross into Hattonâ€s mush, sending him crashing into the canvas, the back of Rickyâ€s head making a resounding thud. Bayless didnâ€t bother with a count, simply waving the fight over as medical personnel rushed into the ring to aid the stricken Hatton.

 

It was several minutes and much medical attention before Hatton was able to show signs of life to a now-relieved crowd at Las Vegas†MGM Grand. A jubilant Pacquiao picked up the RING Magazine junior welterweight championship belt and cemented his current standing as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world today.

 

Besides the shockingly-quick and easy demolition of Hatton, who managed to suffer through almost ten rounds of punishment before being TKOâ€d by Floyd Mayweather, Jr. in their 2007 welterweight title bout, a quick rundown of Pacquiaoâ€s ring accomplishments over the last six or seven years gives ample ammunition to those who prop him up as an all-time great; heady stuff for a 30-year old fighter.

 

After making his American debut as a super bantamweight (122 pounds) back in June, 2001, stopping African Lehlo Ledwaba in six rounds to lift his IBF title (Pacquiao had already held the WBC flyweight diadem), Manny gained many American fight fans for his reckless, power-packed displays, ones that usually featured blood, sometimes even his own. Such was the case when in his first bout after the Ledwaba win Manny took on seasoned Agapito Sanchez. In a super bantam match that equaled anything featherweights Willie Pep and Sandy Saddler threw at each other in their legendary, foul-filled bouts of the 1950’s, the late Sanchez and Manny used an assortment of low blows, elbows and foreheads, culminating in a six round technical draw.

 

After that, Pacquiao made three successful defenses of his belt before meeting Marco Antonio Barrera in November, 2003. In that one Manny fairly dominated and punished Barrera, with the Mexicanâ€s corner finally throwing in the towel in the 11^th round. Manny followed that impressive win up with a May, 2004 challenge of world featherweight champ Juan Manuel Marquez. That one went the full, scintillating 12 rounds, with Marquez retaining his title with a draw. What shocked everyone watching the fight was the Mexican champâ€s ability to rise from the three knockdowns that Pacquiao scored on him in the opening round, going on to give as good as get for the remainder of the bout.

 

Manny engaged yet another legendary Mexican, super featherweight champion Erik Morales, in a trilogy of action fights that saw Pacquiao lose the first via close 12 round decision; win the second by scoring a 10^th round TKO, and finish things with a flourish in the rubber match, scoring a vicious 3^rd round knockout.

 

He then took on Barrera again, this time taking a clear-cut decision win and effectively ending Barreraâ€s time as a world class fighter. Manny took a squeaker of a split 12 round duke over Juan Manuel Marquez in their March, 2008 rematch, then stepped up to the lightweight division to relieve David Diaz of his WBC belt via 9^th round TKO in June of the same year. These auspicious wins set up the mega fight with ‘Golden Boy†Oscar De La Hoya that December, and saw Oscar receive the most sustained and brutal beating of his long, illustrious career.

 

Moving back down to the 140-pound limit in taking on Hatton, there were many who felt that Pacquiao had fattened his record at the expense of old and/or war-worn battlers such as Oscar, Marquez and Morales. They could make no such argument for Hatton, whose only loss came against Mayweather in their 2007 bout. Prior to that Hatton had been the long time ruler of the junior welters, even ending the great Kostya Tszyuâ€s career back in 2005 via a brutal 11^th round stoppage win.

 

It was argued that Hatton was the naturally stronger, bigger guy, more used to fighting at the 140-pound limit. That was hardly the case in this one as Pacquiao easily mauled and clutched with Hatton when the Britisher attempted to go phone-booth style on him. Manny also looked like the ‘After†picture in a Charles Atlas muscle-building ad, whereas poor, pale and drawn Hatton resembled the guy getting sand kicked in his face by the bully.

 

After viewing this particular fight, it can be safely said that there is currently no one in this weight class that will offer a serious challenge to Pacquiao. And while former undefeated welterweight boss Floyd Mayweather, Jr. announced his comeback with a July, 2009 bout against Juan Manuel Marquez in a catchweight bout around the 140-pound mark, he is a fair distance away from being ready to take on Pacquiao, assuming, that is, that he gets past Marquez with no great difficulty. If he does score big over the popular Mexican action fighter, look for a Pacquiao-Mayweather, Jr. championship bout to be the biggest event of the summer of 2010.

 

Ring Wise Trivia Question: Even though there have been a few sons who followed their fathers†footsteps into the squared circle, one duo shares the unfortunate distinction of both being knocked out by the same man, many years apart.  Can you name the father, son and opponent?  Hint: The victor has a “Jersey” connection.

 

Any boxing questions, comments, opinions, etc. may be sent to: http://ringwise@earthlink.net

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