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Travis Hartman
of The Boxing Amusement Park
Travis Hartman was a
spectacular amateur boxer -- 156-13, with three national championships -- who
has struggled as a pro. The 27-year-old, who hails from the
small town of Osborn, Missouri, is still an active fighter who maintains a passion for the sport that has
consumed him since his childhood.
Hartman's training
journal reflects his physical, psychological and emotional struggle as he continues his an
ongoing quest to become the best.
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SDear
Mr. Arum:
Have you gone in-Sainz?
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By TRAVIS HARTMAN
The Boxing Amusement Park
Dear Bob Arum,
Congratulations to you and Top Rank. You just
officially climbed up the ladder in my book, but not for
reasons associated with boxing.
Top Rank has officially hired Ines Sainz to give special
reports leading up to the Manny Pacquiao vs. Antonio
Margarito fight, scheduled Nov. 13 at Dallas Cowboys'
1.2-billion dollar stadium.
Not only have you contributed to the ruination of
boxing by letting pound-for-pound kingpin Pacquiao fight
undeserving opponents -- first Josh Clottey, now Antonio
Margacheato -- but you also have smacked all good boxing
reporters in the face by hiring Sainz.
Come on, Mr. Arum ... like you need to bring
in a media firestorm like Sainz i to sell tickets to see
Pacquiao fight. Sainz is most famously known for
allegedy dressing sexy and getting hit on in the locker
room of the New York Jets football team. But hey, she
knows boxing, right? Pfft.
I guess if I was ever going to get hired by Top Rank
to give reports, or box on one of their future shows,
that it might have just gone out the door.
Boxing continues to get criticized by hardcore UFC fans
for the best not fighting the best. Well, in this
instance, I think they are right. Yeah you heard me: I
just agreed with the UFC fanatics.
It is like you always hear, lead by example.
It is no question that the two best in the world right
now are Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr., but neither
will fight the other. I won't defend or disparage either
guy, because I think we both know that it's not really
the fighters, but boxing's power brokers, who could
ensure that this match wallows in limbo forever.
But
Mayweathers last two fights, in my opinion, were more
relevant than Pacquiao's. Mayweather beat Marquez, a guy
who everybody knows should have beaten Pacquiao. Then he
went on to beat Mosley, who was fresh off a ninth-round
beatdown of Margarito -- something nobody else had ever
done .
I get it that
Mayweather may be hard to deal with in making this fight
-- you get let off the hook for that one, Mr. Arum --
but how, in your right mind, do you justify Manny
fighting Josh Clottey? Clottey was coming off a split
decision loss to Miguel Cotto and Pacquaio kicked the
crap out of Cotto. Yet Clottey deserved that fight over
Amir Khan, Andre Berto, Paul Williams, Sergio Martinez,
Kermit Cintron, Tim Bradley and Devon Alexander? Even a
Shane Mosley fight would be more credible.
Now you
are letting Pacquaio fight Margarito, a fighter who was
banned for a year for illegally stuffing his hand wraps
before the Mosley fight . That's a suspension the
California State Athletic Commission still hasn't
lifted, but for some reason the Texas Commission found
it OK to forgive the worst crime in boxing.
Boxing will become irrelevant , Mr. Arum, if
we keep letting guys like you run our sport into the
ground, with bogus matchmaking and absolutely erroneous
hiring of "sports reporters" like Ines Saenz. Go Top
Rank.
Sincerely,
Travis Hartman
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Listen to Travis Hartman
on The Ringside Boxing Show:
Previous blogs by Travis Hartman
Work ethic separates men from immortals
Injury, layoff inspire an appreciation of my
gifts
Remembering a superman named Roy Jones Jr.
Call it an off night for Devon Alexander
Hey! I was that kid who whipped today's No. 4
P4P!
Does boxing need power-mongers like
Bob Arum?
Athlete vs. Writer: Two Sides of The
Interview
Auto wreck delays rematch with Teddy Atlas
Manny & Me: Six Degrees of Separation
'Better to try and fail than never try
at all'
'At fight time, you're on your own'
'Pull a Buster Douglas on them'
Training (but, regrettably, not
partying) with Arturo
Ready to do battle for the
hometown crowd
Love what you do, and do what you love
Living a dream in a rough, tough business
Another step, and a big fight in my
career
This fight's not over -- and it's no longer
about me
s
A dream gig is suspended
by the incompetence & arrogance
Never be afraid to dream
(or fantasize?)
Raging in York & dreaming of
Hef's house
Why I'm facing an unbeaten
foe on short notice (again!)
Advice from a legend spurs
this boxer on
The truth about the boxing game: 'Boxers don't play'
Early mornings, freezing
weather, miles of roadwork ...
After a superb amateur
career, the fighter evaluates why his pro experience has been so very different
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