FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Gleason’s Gym owner Bruce Silverglade, Alex Montaldo & Frederick Romano
Ring 8’s September Guest Speakers
Tuesday, Sept. 19 at O’Neill’s Restaurant
In Maspeth, NY
2015 NYSBHOF inductee Bruce Silverglade and his wife, Jo Ellen
(photo by Peter Frutkoff)

NEW YORK (September 11, 2017) – New York State Boxing Hall of Fame inductee Bruce Silverglade, special boxing program director Alex Montaldo and boxing historian Frederick Roman will be the Ring 8 guest speakers at its next monthly meeting on Tuesday night, September 19 (7 p.m. ET start), at O’Neill’s Restaurant (64-21 53rd Drive) in Maspeth, New York.

“Full credit should be given to Bruce Silverglade for turning Gleason’s into arguably the top boxing gym in the world,” Ring 8 president Jack Hirsch said. “With all the great fighters who have trained there over the years, he probably will have some fascinating stories to share with us. Alex Montaldo runs a boxing program at Gleason’s for people afflicted with Parkinson’s disease. We look forward to him explaining how it works.

Frederick Romano has written a new book detailing the history of boxing on the radio, taking us back to a golden age before television came into existence. He will bring along some books for purchase at a discounted price for Ring8 members. Our three speakers should make this a very enjoyable night for the membership.”

Silverglade has owned the world-famous Gleason’s Gym since 1983. The iconic boxing gym dates back 80 years, when Gleason’s Gym was originally founded in the Bronx, before moving to Manhattan from 1974 to 1984, then to Brooklyn in 1985, and finally into its present location in Brooklyn a year ago at 130 Water Street.

Many of boxing’s greats have trained at Gleason’s including Jake Lamotta, Roberto Duran, Mike Tyson and even Muhammad Ali, who as Cassius Clay trained there for his first fight with Sonny Liston in 1964. Many actors, including Robert DeNiro and Wesley Snipes, have also trained there for roles in movies.

Montaldo developed and operates a special program at Gleason’s Gym – stoPD (Support training to overcome Parkinson’s Disease) designed to help people with Parkinson’s Disease.

Romano has had work experience in boxing for more than 35 years as a research consultant for HBO, as well as a producer and host of a cable television show about boxing, and he is a certified amateur boxing judge in New York. Frederick will speak about boxing books – he’s written several – and movies.
ABOUT RING 8: Ring 8 became the eighth subsidiary of what was then known as the National Veteran Boxers Association – hence, RING 8 – and today the organization’s motto still remains: Boxers Helping Boxers.

RING 8 is fully committed to supporting less fortunate people in the boxing community who may require assistance in terms of paying rent, medical expenses, or whatever justifiable need.

Go on line to www.Ring8ny.com for more information about RING 8, the largest group of its kind in the United States with more than 350 members. Annual membership dues is only $30.00 and each member is entitled to a buffet dinner at RING 8 monthly meetings, excluding July and August. All active boxers, amateur and professional, with a current boxing license or book are entitled to a complimentary RING 8 yearly membership. Guests of Ring 8 members are welcome at a cost of only $7.00 per person.

CONTACT: Bob Trieger, Full Court PRESS, 978.590.0470, bobtfcp@hotmail.com @fightpublicist

Here’s an invitation to the boxing series for Ring8 members.

From August 18-28. Anthology Film Archives in Manhattan’s East Village (32 2nd avenue, 2nd street) will be showcasing 10 of the best boxings in film history.

Attached is a copy of the postcard and schedule.

Here is the online link to the program:

http://anthologyfilmarchives.org/film_screenings/series/47709

Anthology would like to offer a discounted member price for all Ring8 members. In other words, instead of the $11 full price tickets, you are eligible for the $7 member price tickets. The price applies to whoever else you plan to invite, should you do so. If you would like to take advantage of this offer, please get in touch with Sean Nam at seany90@gmail.com to reserve your member price tickets.

BoxingPC_F

Film Screenings / Programs / Series

BOXING ON FILM: PART 1

August 18 – August 27

Boxing announces itself as two combatants, enclosed in a square ring, using nothing but their fists to pummel each other into oblivion. Where, you might ask, is the appeal in that? We might mention first that Virgil and Homer featured it in their epic poems; G.B. Shaw had a lifelong obsession with it, writing a book on the subject in between his plays, and going so far as lacing up a pair of gloves himself; and James Baldwin, a complete stranger to the sport, was moved nonetheless to pen a rueful essay on sympathetic heavyweight Floyd Patterson. Boxing, to be sure, has long found a way of bewitching its observers, compelling them to memorialize, by way of philosophic introspection and metaphor alike, their experience of seeing violence waged in the ring. But violence is only half the picture. What permits boxing to emerge out of its purview as a bloodsport and become something like a broadly-recognized motif, is its seemingly innate possession of those grand, humanistic themes that have populated the great novels: the tales of redemption, bravery, sacrifice, ungodly willpower, flirtation with death, and so on – such elements more than earn boxing its cultural keep. Boxing, in other words, is the stuff of movies.

Since the last days of the bareknuckle era and the first flickers from a projector, boxing and cinema have gone hand-in-hand. In his book “Fight Pictures,” film scholar Dan Streible explores how the inherent thrills and simplicity of boxing caught the attention of Edison and other early film practitioners as an easy way to monetize on the new invention. Indeed, the subject of the world’s first feature film was none other than the heavyweight fight between James J. Corbett and Bob Fitzsimmons.

To celebrate the longstanding and ongoing ties between boxing and cinema, Anthology presents the first of a two-part series devoted to the very best examples of boxing on screen. This first chapter features classic Hollywood noirs and dramas like THE SET-UP and GENTLEMAN JIM; Leo McCarey’s more lighthearted take on the subject, THE MILKY WAY; New Hollywood gems such as FAT CITY and RAGING BULL, and superlative documentaries including THE FIGHT, ON THE ROPES, and BOXING GYM. And best of all, we welcome Dan Streible for a special presentation showcasing some of the remarkable and long-forgotten materials he discovered in his research for his seminal book on the subject.

Co-programmed by Sean Nam, who also wrote the introduction and (unless otherwise noted) all film descriptions. Special thanks to Dan Streible; Carlos Acevedo (The Cruelest Sport); Nanette Burstein; Chris Chouinard (Park Circus); Louise Greaves; Dave Jennings (Sony); Brett Morgen; Kristie Nakamura (WB); Anton Perich; Bill Powers; Nicolas Rapold; Richard Šteinhübel (Slovak Film Institute); and Todd Weiner & Steven Hill (UCLA).

Steve Farhood, Boxing Hall of Fame analyst and journalist, will be here in person to introduce the screenings of THE SET-UP and FAT CITY on Friday, August 18; and film critic Nicholas Elliott will introduce the screening of GENTLEMAN JIM on Friday, August 25!

It would be great to see many of you at some of these films.

Thank you,

President Jack Hirsch opened the meeting as Paulette Balog led the group in our Flag Salute.

We had a few guest speaker which included Stan Hoffman and Regilio Benito Tuur. We also had Bob McGuire talking about a Fire Department Amateur Boxing Show which will take place on July 7th and Frank Pena talking on Emily Colon who will be traveling to other countries and Ring 8 donated $250 for her traveling expenses.

(All Pictures taken by Stan Janousek, professional fight name Stanley Yanachek)

Welcome back Audrey Hirsch, President Jack Hirsch’s wife.

Ring 8 will have their next meeting on Tuesday night June 20th, starting at 7 p.m. ET, at O’Neill’s Restaurant, located at 64-21 53rd Drive in Maspeth, New York.

Veteran boxing manager Stan Hoffman was inducted into the New York State Boxing Hall of Fame (NYSBHOF), on April 30, 2017 at Russo’s On The Bay in Howard Beach, New York.

Hoffman, 86, has managed, advised or promoted 38 world champions during nearly 50 years working in the boxing industry. A product of Brooklyn and Bronx, Hoffman still advises some boxes and attends fights, but he enjoys spending time with his family, especially his grandchildren.

“I’m told that I’ve had 38 world champions and I have a story for each one of them,” Hoffman said. “Almost from the beginning, in 1980, I had success in boxing. Joe Manley is special because he was the first fighter I signed and also my first world champion. Team USA didn’t send a team to the 1980 Olympics (because of a boycott) and Joe was lost. Nobody expected him to on to win the world junior welterweight title like he did. The pinnacle of my career was my first heavyweight champion, Michael Benntt. Bob Arum called asking if I wanted to make some money using Bentt in a tune-up fight for Tommy Morrison, who had a big money fight lined up with Lennox Lewis. Michael knocked him out in the first round (for Morrison’s WBO heavyweight title). And Hasim Rahman is like my kid. From Iran Barkley to James Toney, I have stories about all of them.”

Regilio Benito Tuur (born 12 August 1967) is a former boxer from The Netherlands, who made his fame by knocking out reigning world champion Kelcie Banks in the first round at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul.

In 1989 Tuur turned professional with his first fight held in New York. In 1994 won the world title of the World Boxing Organisation (WBO) by beating Eugene Speed from the United States in his hometown Rotterdam. He lived in Hempstead, Long Island for several years with his wife and newborn daughter.

He finished his Pro career in 2002 with a record of 46-4-1 with 30 KO’s

President Jack Hirsch opened the meeting as Paulette Balog led the group in our Flag Salute and John Holden gave the 10 count in memory of Matthew Erik Peltz (Son of J Russell Peltz).

We had a few guest speaker which included former Heavyweight contender Randy Neumann, Top Ranks Lee Samuels and Ed Keenan. Also we had Joe Penna talking about a fund raiser for Wilfredo Benitez.

(All Pictures taken by Stan Janousek, professional fight name Stanley Yanachek)

Ring 8 will have their next meeting on Tuesday night May 16th, starting at 7 p.m. ET, at O’Neill’s Restaurant, located at 64-21 53rd Drive in Maspeth, New York.

Melvina Lathan was the New York State Athletic Commission Chairwoman from 2008 through 2015. Melvina was raised in a house that loved watching boxing. Her husband, William, was a ringside physician for Golden Gloves. She started judging amateur fights in 1988, completed a two-year apprenticeship, and became the first African American female boxing judge in the State of New York in 1991. She is licensed in numerous other states and by the Pequot and Mohegan Tribal Nations. She has judged for all major sanctioning bodies, working 235 fight cards (883 bouts) including 83 World Title fights in the United States, Great Britain, South Africa, Argentina, and all over Europe. She has conducted seminars for officials at the invitation of the First Tianjin International Boxing Exhibition Games, the Washington D.C. Boxing Commission, and the International Boxing Federation, amongst others. Melvina was part of the consulting team for the Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville. She was inducted into the New Jersey Boxing Hall of Fame in 2008. She is also a mixed media artist. Melvina and William have four children and thirteen grandchildren.

Randy Neumann attended college (Fairleigh Dickinson U.) while boxing. He was an amateur out of Gleason’s Gym in the late 1960s. Professionally, Randy was ranked 6th contender nationally and 9th internationally in the strongest heavyweight division in history. He faced boxers like Jerry Quarry, Jimmy Young, and Chuck Wepner and posted a pro record of 31 wins, 11 by knockout, and 7 losses. Randy became a referee for the New York State Athletic Commission in 1982.  He has been the respected “third man” in the ring for over 50 title fights involving champs like Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield. Randy’s boxing articles have appeared in SPORT Magazine, Harper’s, Forbes, the New York Times, and the New York Post. He also writes financial advice books and a syndicated column. Randy is President of Randy Neumann Wealth Management. He was appointed Treasurer for the International Boxing Federation in 2015. Randy and his wife, Kathleen, have four children and live in Ridgewood.

More than 300 people packed Russo’s On The Bay in Howard Beach, NY this past Sunday for the sixth annual New York State Boxing Hall of Fame (NYSBHOF) induction dinner.

(All Pictures taken by Stan Janousek, professional fight name Stanley Yanachek)