CUBAN DEFECTOR GONZALEZ DEBUTS IN SIZZLING JUNE
Two strong boxing cards, highlighted by the professional debut of Cuban heavyweight Jorge Luis Gonzalez and a tough test for unbeaten Miami cruiserweight Phillip Jackson, are on the calendar in June.Gonzalez, a highly touted 26-year-old who two months ago defected from Cuba, will fight Houston's Max Keys (6-2) in a six-round bout at Tamiami Park June 21. The fight should be the beginning of a huge career for Gonzalez, who flattened some of the biggest names on the international circuit in an ama

Article 26 of 226, Article ID: 9102110530
Published on June 20, 1991, Miami Herald, The (FL)

CUBAN BOXER GONZALEZ CAN KO CRITICS IN DEBUT

The boxing world awaits the professional debut of Jorge Luis Gonzalez with a touch of skepticism, a bit of wonder and a trace of fear. How good is this guy? A few, perhaps trying to downplay his market value, have dismissed him. Most beg ignorance. At least one scribe has declared Gonzalez to be the only man capable of beating Mike Tyson.Critics and connoisseurs can draw their own conclusions Friday night, when the man considered to be one of the best fighters in Cuba's history fights at Tamiami

BOXER RECEIVES SHOT AT TITLE, REDEMPTION AFTER VIOLENT PAST, WOLFE SEEKS CROWN

About the only bullets Glenn Wolfe has dodged were sprayed at him from a MAC-10 semiautomatic machine gun in January in a Liberty City housing project. Of the 30 or so shots fired, only two found the target. One grazed Wolfe's scalp, another blew apart the tip of an index finger.Such luck rarely touches Wolfe, one of boxing's top 154- pound fighters and one of the more sobering stories in a sport loaded with them.His father left the family -- six girls and four boys -- when Wolfe was a baby, the

REQUIEM FOR A MIDDLEWEIGHT LONNIE GOLDSTEIN LOVED TO BRAG. HE CLAIMED TO HAVE BEEN AN AMATEUR CHAMP WITH 20 KNOCKOUTS. BUT WHEN HE STEPPED INTO THE RING TO FIGHT FOR MONEY, HIS LIES COULDN'T HELP HIM. HE HAD TO PUT UP OR SHUT UP. HE SHUT UP FOR GOOD

His last day, Lonnie Goldstein was utterly alone. All his brief life, he'd been a smart-alecky, gregarious kid with loads of friends, but none were by his side as he lay unconscious, a tube rammed into his throat, a ventilator breathing for him, strapped to an intensive-care bed in a Central Florida town that he knew nothing about.His boxing manager, the man who had brought him there, had abandoned him. The two women who were wildly in love with him weren't there. Neither were his long-time budComplete Article, 8378 words ( )

Article 29 of 226, Article ID: 9102160126
Published on July 13, 1991, Miami Herald, The (FL)

MIAMI'S WOLFE FACES IBF CHAMP ROSI

Amid buckets of pasta and the carnival atmosphere of this hilly, Italian town, Miami boxer Glenn "Big Bad" Wolfe awaits the fight of his life today against hometown favorite Gianfranco Rosi, the International Boxing Federation's reigning junior middleweight world champion.Wolfe, born and raised in Liberty City, gets his title shot at 4 p.m. EDT in Avezzano, an hour's drive south of Rome. Wolfe will box Rosi, 51-3, in an open-air plaza before an expected crowd of 10,000 and a European-wide televi

NICARAGUAN BOXER HOPES TO RULE IN RING

"Mucho corazon," said Herling Lopez, lightly beating his fist against his chest. He looked to his trainer, Larry Lanzilli, to be sure they understood one another."Yeah. A lot of heart," Lanzilli repeated.Lanzilli speaks very little Spanish. Lopez, a native of Nicaragua, speaks very little English.Communication can be difficult at times, but the duo has found a happy middle ground that has helped Lopez, 17, to the finals of the Florida Gold Coast Golden Gloves boxing championship.Lopez, a welterw

ALL HYPE, OR REAL HOPE FOR FOREMAN?

George Foreman has benefited from Hype Syndrome. This is when an underdog's chances seem to get better as the days drag before a big event.Before long, people start believing this bunk. This is what has happened with the "Battle of the Ages" pitting Foreman, 42, against heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield, 28. The preacher doesn't have a prayer Friday in Las Vegas. And when the fight was announced Oct. 26, everyone knew it. There were groans and laughter. Now, with all this time to ponder, Fo

BOX-OFFICE SMASH: ROURKE A BOXER ACTOR TURNS PRO IN MAY 23 BOUT

Mickey Rourke, the actor who has appeared in 9 1/2 Weeks, The Pope of Greenwich Village and Angel Heart among others, is taking on a new profession that could change the face of his future -- not to mention the future of his face.Rourke, 34, is going to try professional boxing.On May 23, at the 2,800-seat War Memorial Auditorium in Fort Lauderdale, Rourke will make his professional boxing debut -- in a sanctioned bout as a super middleweight (168 pounds) -- against a yet-to-be named opponent."I'

MERCER VS. HOLMES? NOT FOR WBO TITLE

Ray Mercer is a champion no more. The World Boxing Organization heavyweight champ -- the man who pummeled Tommy Morrison into near-oblivion -- was stripped of his title Tuesday. The crime? He signed to fight one of today's most maligned fighters: Larry Holmes.The WBO said forget it; Holmes is 42, unranked, unproven in his comeback, and the WBO didn't want to be associated with the fight. The WBO also said Mercer had a mandatory defense against the organization's No. 1 heavyweight contender, Mich