By Michael Woods

He was quick with a joke and to light his own smoke, an omnipresent stogie, was Bert Sugar. And he was the man to go to when you wanted some historical background on the sweet science, preferably delivered with a couple of wry cracks. Author-editor-historian Bert Sugar, for whom the word “raconteur” definitely applies, has died from cardiac arrest after a battle with lung cancer.

Sugar, age 75, was surrounded by family at Northern Westchester Medical Center. Our condolences go out to his wife, Suzanne, especially.

NYFightBlog is thankful to have chatted with Sugar, who entered the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2005, for a good 45 minutes back in the middle of December, when he told us he was fighting the good fight against cancer.

“I sort of fell apart,” the writer-editor-lawyer-adman-madman told me. “I had everything but terminal acne. You live like hell for all those years, it’s going to be hell at the end. It was the end of November. … My wife is going to correct me; she says it was October. The days start fading into one when you’re housebound. I’ve learned that getting older means you get aches in places you never knew you had. I had radiation, chemotherapy, chemo-sabe. The cancer is in remission. It’s over, I’ve won. I’m back, by unpopular demand. I’m coming along.”

Here is our story from mid-December.

Our thoughts are with his wife and children. Please use the section below to share your comments, condolences or favorite Bert Sugar stories. We look forward to reading them.

He was in the hospital for 15 days last month, and he got the sense from the people coming to visit that the doctors didn’t think he’d be leaving the hospital of his own volition. But Bert Sugar, the 74 year-old fightgame raconteur extraordinaire, has defied the docs, and the lung cancer and pneumonia which put him in the hospital. He is back home at his residence in Chappaqua, lovingly sparring with his wife of 51 years, Suzanne, and told NYFightBlog that he is “feeling better every day,” and doing some writing.

“I sort of fell apart,” the writer-editor-lawyer-adman-madman told me. “You live like an idiot, it catches up with you. I had everything but terminal acne. I gathered they’d given up on me. You live like hell for all those years, it’s going to be hell at the end.

“It was the end of November…My wife is going to correct me, she says it was October. The days start fading into one when you’re housebound.

“I’ve learned that getting older means you get aches in places never knew you had. I had radiation, chemotherapy, chemo-sabe. The cancer is in remission. It’s over, I’ve won. I’m back, by unpopular demand. I’m coming along.”

Sugar was attracted to the fightgame because of the colorful personalities who live existences which fertile novelists couldn’t invent, and over the years, the man with the omnipresent fedora and stogie became one of those characters. After graduating from Maryland, and then obtaining a law and business degree from University of Michigan, he passed the bar. (“Only bar I ever passed,” he likes to say.) He came to New York, and soaked up the atmosphere, and whiskey, on Madison Ave. “You’ve seen Mad Men on AMC?” he asks me. “We were worse.” He decked his last boss, and got deeper into the boxing scene. From the late 60s through the 80s, he edited Boxing Illustrated, Ring, and Boxing Illustrated again. In 1998, he edited Bert Sugar’s Fight Game magazine, and along the way, he churned out books. He was elected to the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2005, and made Hall head Ed Brophy chuckle when he took the call informing him he’d gained entrance. He asked Brophy to call back, because he was watching Michigan in the Rose Bowl against Texas. Reverence has never been his bag.

Today, he is working on a book of essays, called “The Best of Bert Sugar, The Worst of Bert Sugar, Don’t Worry, It’s the Same Thing.” But he’s not puffing stogies while composing. Ironically, he had given up cigars a few weeks before he was admitted to Northern Westchester Hospital in Mount Kisco. When I asked about his lung cancer and if he was a serious puffer, he answered, “Does Dolly Parton sleep on her back? Yes, I smoked.”

In fact, the day he went to the hospital, he got in the mail a box of “Bert Sugar Premium Cigars,” available at the finest retailers everywhere. So, does he still recommend people purchase a box? “Oh yeah,” he said. “I just can’t smoke right now, doctor’s orders.”

Fightgame people had noticed that Sugar hadn’t been at some recent big fights, and wondered what he was up to. He said he’d aiming to get back into circulation, but is working to regain his strength. “If you don’t walk for a few weeks, you have to reorient to walking, fer chrissakes,” he said.

Sugar is one who looks for the laughs and doesn’t dwell, at least publicly, on deep philosophical matters. But he does go there, a bit anyway, during our 20 minute chat.

“Half the people are rooting for me to recover, half are not,” he said, perhaps joking somewhat. “I’ve been an editor, lawyer, adman, writer, announcer. I’ve gotten away with things. This has been fun but maybe I’m paying for it. Somewhere, some way, somehow, it’s going to come back and revisit you. But I don’t regret a step.”

He intends to keep on hammering away, add to the 80-plus books he’s put out, and won’t concede to any inevitable deterioration. “A couple years ago, my son was asked about me retiring. He said they let me drink, smoke and bullshit, and I get paid for it. He said, what was I going to do, drink, smoke and bullshit, and not get paid for it? This is fun. I still got my writing boots on, I’m going to continue. I’ve spent lot of time becoming a pain in the ass, I don’t want to relinquish that.”

Posted under Articles

President Bob Duffy opened the meeting and

Carmine led everyone in the National Anthem. John Labate rung the bell 10 times in memory of those who passed on.

Paulette Balog gave a report on all the sick Ring 8 members, and passed around Get Well Cards. It was also reported that Emile Griffith was doing better.

President Bob Duffy talked on the up-coming New York Boxing Hall of Fame Induction Ceremonies, which will take place at Russo’s on the Bay on Sunday, April 1st. President Duffy gave a report on who will attend and thanked Harold Lederman and HBO for announcing it on there network last Saturday night.

President Duffy stated that Charlie Norkus Jr., bought the 1st ticket.

Tommy Gallagher introduced Danny McDermott and the current IBF Mediterranean Super Featherweight Champion Floriano Pagliara.

Cameraman Peter Frutkoff, pictured here with Randy Gordon, showed everyone his cut eye, that he received while filming at Madison Square Garden this passed Saturday night.

Frank Pena talked on our 2nd Annual Picnic that will be held on Sunday, July 29th in Glen Cove from 12 Noon to 6 PM.

Gabe Perillo Jr., who’s father was a well-known artist, showed a painting of Sugar Ray Robinson that his father painted and he was donating to our organization.

President Duffy talked on the Statue that we plan to put up in the park right down the street from the Crabhouse. He also stated that they are going to put up Plaques of all the New York Boxing Hall of Fame Inductees around the Statue.

Bobby Miles talked on his Great Grand Father, Tom O’Rourke, who was a boxer, manager, promoter, judge and inspector. Tom O’Rourke did it all in the sweet science. But he is best remembered for his ability as a manager. Among his prized pupils were bantamweight and featherweight champion George Dixon, welterweight titleholder (Barbados) Joe Walcott and heavyweight contenders Tom Sharkey and Al Palzer.

O’Rourke, who was born in Boston, operated in some of New York City’s most well-known fight clubs — including the National Sporting Club and the Coney Island Athletic Club. He also arranged the 1923 flyweight championship bout between Jimmy Wilde and Pancho Villa at the Polo Grounds.

Although he worked primarily in Boston, Connecticut and New York, O’Rourke was one of the first managers to take his fighters overseas for larger paydays.

O’Rourke also served as an inspector with the New York State Athletic Commission. He died shortly after collapsing in Max Schmeling’s dressing room prior to Schmeling’s historic bout with Joe Louis.

President Duffy introduced several boxers in attendance, including Heavyweight Vinny Maddalone, who will be fighting on May 2nd at Russo’s on the Bay.

President Duffy stated that the membership dues will go from $25 to $30 starting next year.

President Duffy talked on an Amateur Boxing Show between Glen Cove and New Jersey that will be held in the summer.

Frank Pena introduced Dr. Anael Alston, who talked on his short boxing career and that he became a success in life because of what he learned while boxing. He also stated that to bring boxing back to the schools would be very hard because of the insurance. Stan Janousek stated that they had boxing in the High Schools in Cuba, and then introduced his lady friend, Ellen Green.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

President Duffy introduced our guest speaker Joe DeGuardia. Joe opened up by saying how good it was to be in a room with people that loved the sport of boxing. He stated that he started going to boxing gyms when he was only 5 years old and that his father was a former Pro boxer.

Joe stated that he won the 1988 New York Golden Glove Championship in the 147 Open Class.

He has been working with the the Congress to get Petitions for the fighters for the last 15 years. He stated that Football players get more injuries then fighters. He stated that fighters should sign a 3 year contact with there manager, and the Networks control the fights. He talked about Delvin Rodriguez, and what an exciting fighter he is. He is trying to get him on HBO.

Posted under Meeting Notes

Joe DeGuardia (born July 4, 1963, in the Bronx, NY) is the founder and CEO of Star Boxing, a professional boxing promotional company based out of the Bronx, NY. DeGuardia has promoted such fighters as former Light Heavyweight Champions, Lou De Valle, and Antonio Tarver. Star Boxing, promoted such events as Antonio Tarver vs. Bernard Hopkins, Tarver vs. Glen Johnson, and all three Tarver vs. Roy Jones Jr.fights. The Tarver vs. Jones Trilogy was one of the highest grossing trilogy’s in Boxing History.

 

DeGuardia is a graduate of Fordham University, and Hofstra Law School. A former NY Golden Gloves Champion, DeGuardia first worked for the District Attorney’s Office, before founding The Law Offices of Joseph M. DeGuardia.

In the early 1990s DeGuardia took over control of the Morris Park Boxing Club, in the Bronx, which was run by his father for nearly 25 years.

DeGuardia first got into the professional fight game as a manager but now acts solely as a promoter. Most recently DeGuardia was elected as President of the Boxing Promoters Association.

Posted under Meeting Notes