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TALKIN BOXIN
by Howie Reed
March 10, 2003
ON December 8, 2002 readers of this column were
treated to the following critique of Wladimir Klitshcko after his fight in
Las Vegas against Jameel McCline. “The fact remains that unless you’re a
German promoter or an out of work Volkswagen mechanic the chances of his
performance giving you a “stiffie” were slim and none. He was awkward and
tentative. He move like he’d glued the paper feet that one gets with 10
Arthur Murray Dance lessons to the canvas and was following the numbers. In
short he was one half of a dreadful performance. I was shocked when I got
home and caught the end of the HBO telecast. “It is no wonder that fighters
don’t want to fight Klitschko with his awesome power.” What the heck fight
were they watching?”
But as they say, “That was then and this is now.” Saturday night Jim Lampley
opened with a teaser to the telecast (Teaser is that bit that ensures that
you’ll stick around. Like you were going somewhere.) “Stay turned to watch
the next great heavyweight champion.” On Saturday night in Hanover, Germany
Corrie Sanders, South Africa, landed as many bombs as the Yanks did in World
War II when we took out the ball bearing factories of Hanover that helped
end the war. The bomb that started the trip to becoming an “EX” Champion for
Wladimir Klitschko came with 2:27 gone in round one. The left handed Sanders
delivered a straight left that convinced Klitschko that now might be a great
time to do his impression of a “giraffe on ice skates.” Beating the count
but wobbly Klitschko went down again this time suffering a bad cut over his
left eye in the process.
The second round mercifully lasted only 25 seconds and the ”Bewitch,
Bothered and Bewildered” Klitschko could have been humming the Chicago hit,
“I didn’t know what time it was.” In less than two full rounds Corrie
Sanders(39-2) became the WBO heavyweight Champion of the World. Corrie
Sanders? Yep. He’d fought three round in 35 months, just won the
championship at his local golf course and he had “destroyed” the next great
heavyweight. Wladmiri called his defeat a “lucky punch.” For the record it
was a , here comes that word, a “plethora “ of punches that were lucky for
Sanders and unlucky for Klitschko.
In post fight interviews Sanders said he had received a call from Lennox
“The Imperial One” Lewis (aka “The Greatest Fighter on the Planet”) before
the fight. “He told me to put pressure on him. He doesn’t like pressure and
is afraid.” Score one for Mr. Lewis and Mr. Reed who wrote the same thing.
No I didn’t use the term pressure cause that’s nothing but a code word for
“charge ahead and whack the heck out of him.” Of course as the HBO boy’s
have a large stake in the Brothers Klitschko they closed with “He’ll come
back” and “Great prospect”. Neither is true. Put a fork in him. He’s done.
BOYS and Girls. “Take a chill pill”. The mass hysteria over Roy Jones jr.
beating John Ruiz has reached epidemic proportions. Tell Tom Ridge to issue
an alert. Orange at least. I didn’t see the fight live but did watch the
reply on a Saturday Night in the comfort of my palatial slum home in North
Las Vegas with appropriate liquid refreshment. That aside, kids this is John
Ruiz we’re talking about. You know the same John Ruiz who probably got
whacked out three times by Evandler Holyfield. Fact is that you could make
the argument that he’s not even top ten. Make it?
OK how about Lennox Lewis, Mike Tyson, Two Klitschko’s, Corrie Sanders,
Chris Byrd, Evandler Holyfield, David Tua, Hashim Rahman ? How many’s that ?
“8”. OK he’s top 9 but just barley. Roy Jones is a fighter who has ducked
Darius Michakzewski like I have honest work. Roy Jones jr. does as little as
possible except run his yap.. Give me a flipping break. Boxingrec., which is
a great web site for boxing records hence the name, has Roy Jones ranked the
#2 heavyweight. When will this madness end and some common sense return ?
With this jumping on the Jones bandwagon by everyone but your’s truly the
subject of best ever has come up again. Someone listed Joe Louis, Rocky
Marciano, Ali and Jones. That brought a response from my pal J’Mo.
J'Mo the daughter of the Ole' Mongoose expressed the following.. "First of
all I said Jones would go the distance and win by decision." She forwarded
to me the answer, by someone, to Ali being one of the greatest. "He lost 5
times!!!! 5 tmes!!!! Marciano would have crucified him. Even Ali HIMSELF
said that Marciano would have been his biggest challenge. Ali, most
overrated ever and a disgrace to the men and women who fought for a country
he took advantage of. Lastly, he cared about only one skin color. The KKK
were called racists (which they are), ALi was called a crusader. Disgusting.
If a champion loses 1-2 times that is acceptable, but 5 times!!! Frazier
beat the shit out of him. So did Jimmy Young, Norton three tiems (and Norton
got robbed...ask anyone!). Ali was racist, biggotted, overrrated joke whose
only REAL victory was Foreman. Please, enough about this overrated boxer and
give credit to greatest. Marciano, Jones jr. and J. Louis"
With the win by Roy Jones jr. over maybe a top 8 heavyweight the world has
gone goofy. “Three Wings” of ESPN (aka Tre Wingo). "Roy Jones is all that is
right in boxing. Mike Tyson is all that is bad. Roy Jones has lead an
holistic life and is in great shape." Three, pal, get a hold of yourself.
Hope the bandwagon is really BIG because everybody wants to jump on. Got one
e-mail that agress with John Ruiz that referee Jay nady did a horsedoodle
job. ”howie,nady was terrible sat night,not that it would have mattered much
but would have made jones work for it.nady acted like ruiz should not play
rough because jones was smaller.tough crap! bill major”. I disagree as do
the swell guys on HBO which should cause some concern.
Bob Raissman writing in the New York Daily News focus’s on the hypocrisy of
HBO, Mr. Lampley and Merchant and how old George (Foreman) still packs a
mean KO punch. It won’[t be news to anyone that now he does so with his
mouth instead of his ham like fists. I would have written about the incident
that occurred during Ruiz-Jones except that because there was no sell out
(and the house had been slightly papered) there was no PPV in Vegas. Of
course regardless fat chance of “moi” paying for anything. That aside Old
George nailed HBO, Lamply and Merchant with a shot from the truth stick.
“The recipient of the lip-bomb, Jim Lampley, did not lose any blood. Still,
Foreman exposed him in a manner bearing great similarity to the way Roy
Jones Jr. methodically, in a one-sided manner, separated John Ruiz from the
WBA heavyweight title. HBO's Larry Merchant proved to be Foreman's setup
man. In the 12th, he said Jones had exposed Ruiz "as a real paper champion."
Lampley took the subject a step further. "Bingo. John Ruiz's WBA heavyweight
(championship) belt doesn't mean he's a heavyweight champion," Lampley said.
Those words provided the opening Foreman needed to lower the boom. "Hey
guys, don't say that. That's not true," Foreman said. "Don't go being
hypocrites. You help promote the fight, then you tear it down in the last
couple of rounds."
“Lampley: "We (HBO) didn't promote it as a heavyweight championship fight,
the promoters did." Foreman: "The promoters, they sold it to us. Now, don't
take the money away from them." Lampley was engaging in a game of semantics.
Fortunately, Foreman saw through it. Yes, it is HBO Sports' policy not to
recognize the various alphabet organizations and their title belts. While
HBO's stance is high-minded, based on its own definition of morals in a
sport lacking any, Lampley's decision to apply it in this case was - as
Foreman accurately pointed out - hypocritical. If Ruiz did not bring the WBA
title belt into this fight, there would have been no fight. Jones would not
have agreed to step in the ring with no title on the line. And HBO would not
have purchased the fight if it was simply Jones fighting Ruiz in a non-title
bout. Do you think anyone would have plunked down $49.95 to watch Jones-Ruiz
on pay-per-view if a title was not at stake? “
The news that HBO, Lampley and Merchant are hypocrites will come as news to
no one. What will be fun is that when Jones steps into the ring with
Evandler Holyfield, and he will, does HBO promote it as a “Heavyweight
Championship Fight” or as Roy Jones(fighter) vs. Evandler Holyfeild
(Fighter) ? Of course Lamps and Lar will be there lapping it up. Jones-Holyfield
you think ? Done deal. Here’s why. Don King has the rights to the next fight
for everyone that fought on the Vegas card. Holyfield and King have made a
lot of money together. Holyfield-Jones would be a good “sell” fight. Wait
you ax what about Vitali Klitschko the #1 one ranked WBC fighter ? What
about Chris Byrd the IBF Champion ?
The devil is in the details. Details my good friends. Nothing but details.
The WBC and the good Dr. Jose’ Suliman have again covered themselves in
excrement but then that’s hardly news. At the WBC’s December convention in
Japan it was decided that “The World Boxing Council already decided “that an
elimination fight is not necessary and that Vitali Klitschko was the
legitimate challenger.” According to Klitschko’s representatives the WBC and
the organization’s president Jose Sulaiman confirmed that on several
occasions in writing to Universum (Klitschko’s promotional company). The
Klitschko Kamp further claim’s that Jay Burstein (Lennox Lewis lawyer) was
full if “bull” when he said that Universum needed to ask the WBC to accept
Vitali Klitschko as challenger
A fax issued by the good Dr. Jose’ on behalf of the WBC (they are one and
the same) states, ““Mr. Klitschko has failed to understand that there is a
difference under the WBC rules between the number one ranked contender and
an official challenger. Mr. Klitschko has never been designated as the
official challenger in the heavyweight division.” The Klitscho folks filed
suit in a Las Vegas Nevada court in an attempt to force the WBC to live up
to its’ rules. Fat chance of that. The last time the WBC got sued it was on
behalf of Graciano Rocchigiani. The WBC and the good Doctor scoffed at the
suit. They lost to the tune of 35 million dollars. Of course collecting is
another thing.
In my best Desi “Let me splain”. Don King has the rights to the next fight
for all who fought on the Jones-Ruiz card. Mr. King and the Good Doctor
Suliaman work hand in pocket with each other. Lennox Lewis owes King a fight
(trust me on this one) but King has nothing to do with Klitschko or Tyson.
That excludes them from Lewis for now. WBC calls for purse bids for an
“eliminator” between Holyfield and Klitschko. To get that fight Klitschko
has to agree to fight Lewis but with King being the co-promoter. If
Holyferild wins it’s Lewis and Holyfield again or Lewis-Klitschko. The
winner gets Roy Jones for money like you won’;t believe. Makes no difference
King has all the fighters. The WBC ? Big time sanctioning fee’s. Boxing ?
Emerged in a pile of dung. Thanks guys.
I admit that I was wrong on a couple of front’s lately. The HBO PPV was much
better than they hoped for and a hell of a lot better than I guessed. HBO
Sports “estimated” that 525,000 pay-per-view buys and $26.5 million in
pay-per-view revenue was generated . Please notice the word “estimated”.
Many years ago I “estimated” that my net worth would be a million dollars. I
fell a little short. How much ? About $999,999 but I was close. How does
that stack up against last summer’s Lewis-Tyson ppv ? Glad you axed as I
just happen to know that fight did 1.93 million sales, and took in $112
million in gross television revenue. Ruiz-Jones pales in comparisons but
none the less added what no one would consider is chump change. Jones gets
60%, King 20% and Ruiz 20%. Not to quibble over nickels and dimes here but
half of the revenue generate goes for costs involved in the ppv. That still
leaves Jones picking up a nifty 8 million in addition to the 10 million he
got up front. 18 million’s not a bad pay day. Ruiz and King each get a
measly 2.6 million. Bummer that. The bottom line is that it was a highly
successful promotion. Many of me was wrong as to the success and the final
outcome. I went with the big person theory forgetting the lesson’s of
history. I forgot about “Jacob slewing Phyllis Stein with the jawbone of an
ass.”
VERY seldom do I apologize up front for something that I’m about to write.
This is one of those times. I apologize not for the content but for
subjecting the people of the world to the dirty linen of the State of
Nevada. It’s necessary. It’s necessary if for no other reasons than boxing
fans the world over have to recognize that there is little help for the
sport if the “two bit politians” continue to run it. Teddy Atlas was
“dead-on” when he said that it was his opinion that there is a conflict of
interest between Nevada Commissioner Tony Alamo jr. and his father Tony
Alamo Sr., a major casino executive. One is a voice in regulating boxing in
Nevada and the other works for a company that promotes boxing. Of course
because of “money” all the elected officials and political appointee’s have
come out of the woodwork to say, “Nay Nay. Tis not true. Don’t believe your
common sense, don’t believe your lying eyes. Let us tell you what to think.”
One would expect them to come to the aid of a fellow “good old boy and his
network”. If they didn’t come forward they’d never have been elected,
appointed or reelected and re appointed.
Royce Feour is one of two boxing writers on the Las Vegas Review Journal.
Last week he wrote of an interview with United States Sen. Harry Reid of
Nevada. (If you think I’m hard on Senator Windbag from Arizona his treatment
pales in comparison with my feeling about Reid. Thank God he spells his name
differently. Reid is an empty suit available to the highest bidder who
serves not the people of Nevada but his own interests.) Reid called it a
“"stretch" for Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., to suggest there is a conflict of
interest involving the appointment of Dr. Tony Alamo Jr. as vice chairman of
the Nevada Athletic Commission. Feour reports, “ Basically, if there were
ever a stretch, this is it," Reid said by telephone from Washington. "Dr.
Alamo is the son of a man who is an executive at a casino. Dr. Alamo does
not own a single share of stock in that company. He has not a single ounce
of control over anything that goes on at that property.” Balogna. "Mandalay
Bay doesn't determine what happens. The state athletic commission determines
what happens. I think (Dr. Alamo) is a fine man. He has dedicated his time
to this." Do the words “Family Business ring a bell ?”
What a load of horse dung. Mr. Reid wants us to believe that Mr. Alamo Jr.
has no stake in the success or failure of the Mandalay Bay of which his
Father is a Executive. To say that “he has not a single ounce of control” is
a flat out lie. Lying comes easy to the Good Senator as he is the assistant
leader of the minority democratic party who lives and breathes by the lie.
Like Mr. Reid they can’t tell the truth cause people would laugh themselves
silly. “Mandalay Bay doesn’t determine what happens.” Oh really. Let’s put
it this way as a major promoter of boxing. paying fee’s they have a hell of
a lot more control over what goes on in boxing then the rooster does of the
sun coming up. It should be noted that at one time Senator Reid was the
Chairman of the State Gaming Commission. His tenure included the period of
time featured in the movie Casino. On Federal Wiretaps some claim that his
voice turns up in regard to the securing of a gaming license for the late
Frank Sinatra. It is also alleged that the Dick Smothers role in Casino was
drawn on the Chairmanship of Mr. Reid.
"Dr. Tony Alamo's outstanding credentials and deep commitment to the sport
of boxing are what led Gov. Guinn to appoint him to the commission in 2001.
He was appointed vice chairman in January of 2003. His voting record speaks
to his integrity, judiciousness and intelligence ... ," Reid wrote. The good
Senator could have added that Daddy’s Casino was the largest contributor to
Guinn’s campaign. I guess we are suppose to believe that had no connection.
Yea right ! Reid is correct when he says, “ McCain was trying to discredit
the commission in an effort to bolster support for his bill to create a
national boxing commission.” Of course Reid has his own bill. It differs
from McCains in that it calls for regulation of TV networks such as HBO and
Showtime who Reid calls, "biggest promoters in America.. They pick on (Bob)
Arum and (Don) King," Reid said. "They are small potatoes compared to HBO
and Showtime." Note: Both Arum and King have made substantial contributions
to Reid Political Slush Fund. The cable networks didn’t. Another Kodak
moment from the Senator from Nevada.
.
When the calls go out to stand up our politicians in Nevada knows who pays
the bill. They proudly stand up to be counted knowing that voters have short
memories. In addition those that read English can’t as they’re products of a
school system that couldn’t teach a dog how to bark let alone an adult to
show some common sense. Gov. Kenny Guinn accused Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.,
“of criticizing members of the Nevada Athletic Commission in an effort to
bolster his chances of a proposed federal boxing board.” Which means he’s
reading from the same script as Reid. "Upon due consideration and
reflection, your comments unfortunately appear to be a veiled attempt to
advance your committee's agenda to create a national boxing commission by
discrediting the Nevada Athletic Commission," The Governor also said,
“Alamo's position as vice chairman was strictly parliamentary in nature and
the position has no more power than any other position on the commission.”.
That’s the real point he shouldn’t have been appointed in the first place.
Nevada and the Athletic Commission loves to pat itself on the back. They
have turned being “self laudatory” into an art form. Yes I do believe that
it is taught at the local University along with reading, writing, arithmetic
and of course basket weaving for the basketball team. It’s such a joy to
attend press conference after press conference to hear promoters say, “It’s
great to be in Nevada with the best Athletic Commission in the World.” On
March 2 there was a Nevada State Athletic Commission Inspector Meeting held
at a local casino. There was a printed agenda and then “:Notes for
discussion”. The 47th on the notes for discussion was “other” which was
followed by: “Remember we are the : BEST COMMISSION IN THE WORD.” Maybe the
University ought to add spelling.
OSCAR watch. Naw not the movie stuff this is the real Oscar’s. Oscar
DeLaHoya. His life has become a reality show which is much more interesting
than the garbage on TV. As most of the uncivilized world knows Oscar is
preparing for a May 3th (which is Cinco de Mayo somewhere) match with Yori
Boy Campas (80-5). The outcome is in doubt only if you think that Saddam has
a chance. "One punch can end it all," Campas said. "One real hard punch and
no more Golden Boy. I've seen great fighters like De La Hoya get finished
off with one, two big punches. Look what happened to Forrest...everyone told
me, before Forrest's last fight, Mayorga had no chance. That's what a big
puncher can do. No one is unbeatable. De La Hoya knows what to expect in
this fight. That's why he's going to train hard. I won't be fancy. The bell
rings, I'm in his face. “ No argument. Yori Boy’s best days are long past.
Oscar can be beat but not by Campas. He’ll be in his face and then on his
face. KO in 5.
LETS hear from Floyd Mayweatehr jr,. as he prepares for his title defense in
Fresno. FRESNO ? Well maybe a fight in Fresno. A funny thing happened
Saturday night in Buenos Aires where Raul Balbi (48-7-1-) was having as tune
up fight. Balbi pulled a “No mas” in the 8th round and lost to Jose Rosa
Gomez (45-14-4) Floyd Mayweather Jr. will now probably have to look for
another opponent. Back to Fresno the raison capital of the world. While
hyping the fight, which we guess is now off, Mayweather said . “If Shane
Mosley doesn't take the fight with Oscar, I am ready to step-in." Kevin Iole
of the Las Vegas Review Journal caught up with Floyd Sr. and axed him some
questions. Here’s some of Senior thoughts from that interview.
On fighting Oscar. "Little Floyd is in a whole lot of trouble." Sr. trained
his son until a split in 2000. "My son told me to kiss his rear end (when he
fired me)," Mayweather Sr. said. "But he's going to find out, if he's dumb
enough to fight Oscar, how much his daddy knows. Oscar is improving, and
he's not. How can Little Floyd improve when he knows more than his trainer
knows already? And Little Floyd needs to remember this: I taught him
everything he knows, but I didn't teach him everything I know. He better
remember that Oscar is no John Ruiz. Oscar is quick and strong and he can
box. Ruiz didn't have any of that. He's my son and I love him, regardless of
how foolish he may act. I hope someone talks sense to him, because this
could be his last fight if they don't. Oscar would do what he has to do.
Little Floyd better think whether $5 million to $6 million is worth giving
up the rest of his career, because if he's stupid enough to actually fight
Oscar, he just might be fighting his last fight. And if it is his last
fight, then wait to see where those so-called friends of his who are hanging
around him now are when the money ain't coming in no more." Father knows
best. Most always.
DO NOT argue rules or anything else with a referee. Not a good idea. There s
a tendency lately for loosing fighters and their management to try and find
a way of erasing the “L” from the record via the rule book. Usually these
efforts are a joke and seldom reported which is as they should be. One
recent exception was the protest filed by the folks around James Crawford.
He got Ko’d in 2 on the undercard of Tyson-Etienne. One wedsite, not this
one, reported that “he was hit with a low blow. Given 5 minutes to recover.
He was then told by Referee Elmo Adolph that he had to continue or loose the
fight. Adolph was wrong.” Silly folk. Argue rules with the master. Before we
get to the rules the web site never followed up on the story. Tacky and
definitely not responsible journalism. The rules?
l. It is expressly understood that the Championship contest will not be
terminated by a low-blow. The protector that must be used by both
contestants is sufficient protection to withstand any so called low-blows.
2. If one of the contestants shall fall to the ring floor or otherwise
indicate an unwillingness to continue because of a low-blow foul, the
contest will be terminated and the referee will award the contest to the
opponent. 3. In the case of an accidental foul as determined by the referee,
he shall determine if the boxer who has been fouled can continue or not. If
his chances have not been seriously jeopardized as a result of a foul, the
referee may order the bout to continue after an interval or not more than
five (5) minutes.
Now how do I know this? cause I axed Mr. Adolph. But there’s more. (“Is
there more Ms. Vito?” said Vinny.) “Howie, for your added information, in
this fight the protective cup that was worn by Crawford was a "lighter style
cup" that does not offer the same protection to the boxer as the more sturdy
or massive cup that is generally worn. After the match was over, he admitted
to wearing that style cup and said that he should have used a more
protective piece of equipment.”
HOOKS, jabs and other stuff. Got a lot of feedback in regard to my story on
Bob “Ruby Bob” Fitzsimmons who was the only other middleweight champion to
win the heavyweight title. Great pal of mine from over the bounding waves
pointed out that “Fitz” also won the light heavyweight title after the heavy
title. He also indicated that his “first 26 fights were in Sydney.” In doing
research on Ruby my staff came up with a interesting , little know, remember
or cared about fact. Fitzsimmons had his first 40 fights in Australia.
Information I e-mailed to my Pal. Back came an e-mail that against pointed
out that “Fitz had his first 26 fights in Sydney.” What the heck is going on
here though I. So I sent my cracked staff back to the record book.
Of the first 40, four were against Mick Dooley who’s record never changed
from 0-0. . Those four fights took place in the space of less than two
month. Fitz lost the first via a 4th round KO, drew the next two and then
won the fourth with a 2 round KO. The middle two fights took place on June 2
and June 5 of 1886. They were reported as “D PTS O”. That would lead one to
believe that they were draws, on points but no rounds.”. How can that be ? I
don’t know but a search of the record finds a number of these fights. Maybe,
just maybe they weren’t fights but exhibitions. This was the case in 14 of
his first 40 fights all in the Land Down Under. Therefor we can deduce that
though the record books indicate that the first 40 fights were in Australia
only 26 were real fights and not exhibitions. Therefore my dear friend is
right that “Fitzsimmons first 26 “real” fights were in and around Sydney.”
As there were 14 which appear to be exhibitions me also right at the total
number of 40.. Everybody wins. Have a good night and drive home safely.
Finally watched the Jones-Ruiz fight. Still don’t understand why the world,
Max’s world at least, has made Jones the greatest fighter of all time. What
I did take away from the fight is that the Ruiz camp has denial big time.
After the fight Ruiz could do nothing but blame referee Jay Nady for the
loss. ‘I don’t know where he came from. He wouldn’t let me fight my fight.
He was against me.” Bullstuff. Ruiz never made more than a couple of efforts
to actually fight. If Ruiz was truthful he would have pointed “THE” finger
at his “Heap of Garbage Manager” Norman Stone. It is unconscionable for
Stone as a manager to allow a fighter to have worked for something without
giving him the tools. Stones idea of encourage is to blame everyone but
himself for the sorry state of Ruiz. His foul and vulgar language, caught by
the HBO microphone, was a disgrace to the sport but to be expected of
someone that maybe now will crawl back under the pile of refuge from whence
he came. As Grandma Reed use to say, “Good riddance to bad rubbish.”
Also making the rankling on the no class meter was Vlad Klitschko brother in
arms of no heart ex champ Wladimir. (“I was impressed with the fact that he
kept getting up.”, said George Foreman. I was impressed with the fact that
Sanders kept knocking him down.) In the ring after the fight Vlad, who quit
like a dog against Chris Byrd, called out the NEW Champ. What a no class
jerk but then what would one expect from someone that lives in Beverly
Hills.
AND finally. Want to wish a very Happy Birthday to Roger Williams the
“quintessential “ fight photographer and all around really good guy. And now
finally…. “Our good friend the French are asking for “More Poof” of the evil
intention of Iraq. The last time they wanted “More Poof” the Nazi’s came
marching down the Champs-Elysees and under the Eiffel Tower in goose step
and gave them “More Poof”..
(Opinions and editorials of
HotBoxingNews.com is the opinion of those writers and may not be the
opinion of HotBoxingNews.com)
Want to make contact or comments to Howie Reed
Go Here! mailto:reed@hotboxingnews.com
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