The G Manifesto

Bernard “The Executioner” Hopkins dismantles Kelly “The Ghost” Pavlik

Seventeen years his senior, Bernard “The Executioner” Hopkins completely rips the heart out of previously undefeated Kelly “The Ghost” Pavlik in a historic 12 rounder.

If you have been reading The G Manifesto for a while, you know that I used to roll in B-Hop’s Entourage in the late 1990’s and constantly back him. I didn’t cover this fight beforehand because I didn’t want to effect the betting line, which went off at almost 5-1 for Pavlik before the fight. (You need to get your paydays where you can during the Down Economy).

Here is a round by round.

Round 1: Hopkins starts out with lateral movement, and using footwork. Lands the cleaner shots. 10-9 HOPKINS

Round 2: Pavlik stalking but X lands the clean shots. Left hook behind the ear has Pavlik already shaky. Pavlik having trouble with the movement of Hopkins. 10-9 HOPKINS

Round 3: Hopkins showing amazing ring generalship. Winning all skirmishes. 10-9 HOPKINS

Round 4: Where is the Pavlik double jab? Looks like he left it back in Youngstown, Ohio. X lands great body shot and continually gets off first. Pavlik tries to step it up, but B-Hop keeps landing the classic left hook to body, right hook to head combo. 10-9 HOPKINS

Round 5: The Executioner keeps feinting and landing the left hook. Starts to beat up Pavlik. 10-9 HOPKINS

Round 6: Hopkins pot shots Pavlik. Least action round so far. 10-9 HOPKINS

Round 7: Pavlik showing nothing. Hopkins showboats and lands a la Muhammad Ali. Big round Hopkins. 10-9 HOPKINS

Round 8: Hopkins combo. Pavlik loses point for holding and hitting which was unnecessary. 10-8 HOPKINS

Round 9: Pavlik bleeding from a right. Hopkins loses a point for holding. Seems like it was done to even up point taken from Pavlik in last round. 9-9 Even

Round 10: Hopkins gives 2 for every punch Pavlik lands. 10-9 HOPKINS

Pavlik looks finished between rounds.

Round 11: Lots of wrestling. Boring round. X lands a right. 10-9 HOPKINS

Round 12: Hopkins rips Pavlik with combos. Owns him. Pavlik hurt. Round ends. 10-9 HOPKINS

Both corners spill into ring as B-Hop still goes after a completely beaten Pavlik.

Hopkins glares at the Media assembled at ringside.

Unanimous decision Hopkins.

Hopkins claims Obama will be the next President during post-fight interview.

Unreal performance that conjures up memories of Hopkins dominating Tito Trinidad. Or George Foreman defeating Michael Moorer at age 45.

A Masterpiece.

The Rest is Up to You…

Michael Porfirio Mason
AKA The Peoples Champ
AKA Your favorite International Playboy on the Rise’s favorite International Playboy on the Rise
The Guide to Getting More out of Life
http://www.thegmanifesto.com

Bernard Hopkins Highlight/Tribute Video

Bernard “The Executioner” Hopkins Beyond The Glory 3/4

Irish bookie calls US Presidential race over, pays off on Obama

The race is over as far as Ireland’s biggest bookmaker is concerned.

Paddy Power PLC says it is so sure Barack Obama will win the U.S. presidential election next month that it paid off Thursday on all bets it had taken backing the Democratic candidate. It said it shelled out more than euro1 million, about $1.35 million.

“We declare this race well and truly over and congratulate all those who backed Obama — your winnings await you,” the company said in a statement.

Powers said the biggest winner among the Obama bettors was someone who gambled euro100,000 and got back a total of euro150,000.

The most visionary bettor, though, was the “punter” who put down euro50 on Obama in 2005. At the time, Obama was listed at 50-to-1, so the bettor got euro2,550.

Despite calling the contest, the Dublin-based bookmaker said it is still taking new bets on the race. A John McCain victory Nov. 4 on a bet placed Thursday would pay off euro5 for every euro1 bet. By contrast, each euro1 bet on Obama would net just 11 euro cents.

Source

The Rest is Up to You…

Michael Porfirio Mason
AKA The Peoples Champ
AKA Your favorite International Playboy on the Rise’s favorite International Playboy on the Rise
The Guide to Getting More out of Life
http://www.thegmanifesto.com

Eric B and Rakim – I Ain’t No Joke

Old School G: Frank “Lefty” Rosenthal Rest in Peace

Bookmaker and former casino boss Frank “Lefty” Rosenthal died in Florida on Monday at age 79, according to family members and a source at his high-rise condominium complex in Miami Beach, Fla.

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Rosenthal was a minor celebrity confined to the world of gambling, organized crime and Las Vegas society until the 1995 movie “Casino,” which was based on his life story, propelled him to a much higher level of fame — and notoriety.

Rosenthal’s passing marks the close of yet another chapter in the transformation of Las Vegas from a gambling destination of ill-repute to a global destination celebrated by everyday tourists, politicians and corporate leaders who invest billions of dollars in resorts.

“He was the innovator and creator of what we know today as the race and sports book in Las Vegas with all the modern accoutrements,” said Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman, a former attorney who represented Rosenthal in high-profile scrapes with Nevada regulators, including now-Sen. Harry Reid. “He was an uncanny bettor and won a lot more than he lost.”

The 1995 movie, “Casino,” directed by Martin Scorcese and starring Robert DeNiro as a Sam “Ace” Rothstein, was essentially an idealized version of Rosenthal and boosted Rosenthal’s fame later in life.

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He also maintained a Web site that offered gambling “tips and tricks.”

On Tuesday, Goodman said there was a side to Rosenthal that was largely unknown to moviegoers, gambling regulators and business associates.

“What I saw through representing him since 1972 until I was elected a mayor was a different side, a loyal friend and a loving parent who doted over his kids,” Goodman said.

Rosenthal himself told the Sun-Sentinel his Las Vegas story was poorly told, especially by those in law enforcement.

“Rumors and bull(expletive),” he told the paper. “That’s the No. 1 industry in Nevada.”

Source

Here’s a sample of reactions from locals who knew Rosenthal at the height of his power.

“It’s been said you should never speak ill of the dead,” one former federal organized crime prosecutor said. “There are exceptions to the rule. Frank Rosenthal is one of those exceptions. He was an awful human being.”

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Upon hearing the rumors of Rosenthal’s demise, a longtime Spilotro friend said, “I hope it’s true.”

To settle such disputes, I like to turn to the irrepressible gambler Lem Banker, who knew Rosenthal well and respected his handicapping knowledge — as well as his game-fixing skill.

“He was an egomaniac,” Banker said. “But he was a smart sonofabitch .”

Right on both accounts. Rosenthal arrived in Las Vegas from Chicago via Florida in the early 1970s and handicapped out of the Rose Bowl sports book, where the action was surpassed only by the Runyonesque characters. Marty Kane and Joey Boston worked for Rosenthal and became two of the most successful sports bettors.

After “Casino,” you’d think Lefty’s ego would have finally been sated. Hardly.

Even 10 years after his inclusion on the “List of Excluded Persons,” Rosenthal audaciously told me, “You couldn’t put out a newspaper without Frank Rosenthal.” What he lacked in stature in the new Las Vegas Rosenthal more than made up for in unabashed self-confidence.

He would ask, “Who ‘invented’ the modern sports book?” Frank Rosenthal, of course. Who brought vision and innovation to the casino industry? Mr. Frank Rosenthal!

All true. But who fixed ballgames and cheated bookmakers from coast to coast? The right-handed guy nicknamed Lefty.

Who could justify a life underwritten by the Chicago Outfit and argue with a straight face that he wasn’t associated with gangsters?

Only Frank Rosenthal.

You remember him.

He was in all the papers.

Source

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Frank’s take on The Miami Herald Article

Back in the 1970s, Frank “Lefty” Rosenthal ordered his security crew to crush the right hand of a card cheat he caught at the now-defunct Stardust Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas — just as Robert DeNiro did in Casino, the 1995 film based on Rosenthal’s life.

“NOW-DEFUNCT” – THAT’S NEWS TO ME, AND THE STARDUST. THE RIGHT HAND CRUSH. THEY (THE BANDITO’S) GOT LUCKY. SO DID WE. HAD HE AND HIS GROUP OF PROFESSIONAL THIEF’S BEEN LESS GREEDY (THEY WERE UP 50K AND COULD HAVE CASHED IN) AND MORE SELECTIVE, THEY COULD HAVE “MILKED” US ONCE OR TWICE A MONTH. THAT WAS NOT THE CASE. THEY WERE LOOKING TO TURN OUR LIGHTS OFF, AND THAT, PLUS A BIT OF LUCK FROM OUR SIDE WAS THEIR DOWNFALL. ADDITIONALLY, THEY WERE MEMBERS OF A VERY SOPHISTICATED GANG THAT PREYED ON WEAK DEALERS, AND CLUELESS MANAGEMENT. HAD THEY BEEN ORDINARY SUCKERS LOOKING FOR AN ADVANTAGE, WE WOULD HAVE SIMPLY GIVEN THEM A WARNING NOTICE, AND AN 86. “ALL’S FAIR IN LOVE AND WAR.”

“He was part of a crew of professional card cheats, and calling the cops would do nothing to stop them, so we used a rubber mallet — metal hammers leave marks, you know — and he became a lefty,” Rosenthal admitted to The Herald last week while dining at the Blue Point Ocean Grill restaurant adjacent to the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood. “I didn’t care if they tried to scam other houses, I just wanted to make it clear that they couldn’t do it at mine.”

THE MESSAGE THAT WE WERE SENDING WAS, DON’T COME BACK, AND CRIME DOESN’T PAY.

Source

Click Here to Buy The Movie Casino

The Rest is Up to You…

Michael Porfirio Mason
AKA The Peoples Champ
AKA Your favorite International Playboy on the Rise’s favorite International Playboy on the Rise
The Guide to Getting More out of Life
http://www.thegmanifesto.com

Casino Movie

Click Here to Buy The Movie Casino

Old School G: Greg Haugen

When I was a little Baby G, I watched two fights that blew my dome piece: Vinny “The Pazmanian Devil” Pazienza VS Greg Haugen I and Vinny “The Pazmanian Devil” Pazienza VS Greg Haugen II.

The first fight Greg Haugen went to Pazienza’s backyard Providence, Rhode Island and dropped a 15 round decision in a fight that he should have won. A full slugfest for 15. Both fighters showed more heart that a triple bypass patient.

In the return, Haugen went to “neutral turf”, Atlantic City and dominated Vinny Paz, over 15 rounds, in a fight no less exciting.

He went on to beat Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini and beat and lose to Hector “Macho” Camacho. He took losses to two greats Pernell “Sweet Pea” Whitaker and Julio Cesar Chavez. But always showed an iron chin and heart.

Haugen was a guy who even if overmatched with talent always gave 100%. G Manifesto Certified on the real. They just don’t make them like Haugen anymore.

Here is an interview from the “Where are they now?” file.

(SM) What were paydays like back in the early years of your pro career?

(Greg Haugen) Pretty bad, like $100 a round if you were lucky. I started out fighting ten rounder’s instead of the usual four. Money was bad back then.

(SM) What about the decision in the first Pazienza fight.. Did you think you won that fight?

(Greg Haugen) I know I won that fight! I didn’t have hardly a mark, a little cut over my eye from a head butt. He had a broken nose, eye was shut. There was no doubt in my mind I won. I was disgusted that they robbed me of my title, my first loss. He was obviously the favorite, in his town.We had a rematch clause that he would go to my town for a rematch and he wouldn’t honor it. So I beat him in New Jersey instead.

(SM) You won the title back in a rematch, why were things different?

(GH) I was in better shape, just beat him up. I was still real mad about the first fight and went after him big time. I just took out my anger on him.

SM: What about the first Camacho fight, winning the WBO title. Did Camacho give away the decision by refusing to touch your gloves?

(Greg Haugen) The rule is that you only have to touch gloves in the first round. I was the one who refused in the final round. I said a lot of derogatory things to him during the fight, got under his skin. He got mad about me not wanting to touch his gloves and tried to sucker-punch me. They took a point away and he lost by a point. Doesn’t matter how I won, I won the fight!

SM: How good was Chavez, he is always ranked highly pound for pound?

(Greg Haugen) I can’t really judge that, I know he was one of the better fighters I fought. When I fought him I was training on cocaine and vodka, going through a bad divorce. My mindset was in no place it should have been. When you fight a guy like Chavez, you have to be 100%. He took my legs out quickly because I wasn’t in shape. He wasn’t unbeaten for no reason. I still consider Whitaker the best skilled I fought though, Chavez number two.

SM: What is the Greg Haugen Foundation I have heard about?

(Greg Haugen) Were up and going now, the website is up and going to, it’s www.greghaugenfoundation.com. Were having a dinner in August to benefit autism. We have a lot of great fighters signed up: Norton, Foreman, Frazier, Duran, etc. Ali and Mancini are not committed yet. Twenty ex-champions so far. It’s dear to my heart because it has affected my family also. So many people out there are directly or indirectly affected by autism. About one in every eight people I talk to are affected. I’m trying to make enough money to build a hospital or somewhere families can go to get all the help they need, under one roof. It’s a great cause to get involved with, please go to the website.

SM: What’s the future hold for you?

(Greg Haugen) Just hanging in there! Every day you wake up is a good day! Just going to try and get the foundation going and would like to open a community center where kids can go to box or to hang out. We need to keep them off the streets. A lot have parents, one parent, that needs to work, and the kids are left alone. If I can use my name or celebrity to help them then why the hell not!

Source

The Greg Haugen Foundation

The Rest is Up to You…

Michael Porfirio Mason
AKA The Peoples Champ
AKA Your favorite International Playboy on the Rise’s favorite International Playboy on the Rise
The Guide to Getting More out of Life
http://www.thegmanifesto.com

Pernell Whitaker vs. Greg Haugen

Del Mar Fairgrounds has banned cigarette smoking

In response to complaints about marijuana use at summer concerts, the Del Mar Fairgrounds has banned cigarette smoking at the annual county fair and approved a policy allowing pat-down searches at reggae concerts.

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The new rules will not apply to the dozens of other concerts and events – including the summer horse races – held at the fairgrounds and racetrack throughout the year.

Source

Now I love The Del Mar Racetrack, and my family has gone here for years. But these people are killing it. This ban is just the first step in a total smoking ban. Bing Crosby is rolling over in his grave. And if they do a full smoking ban at The Del Mar Racetrack, I will just spend my summers in Monte Carlo.

They claim that “on-track season attendance dropped by 4.3 percent, to 688,097 (16,002 per day). Total handle slipped 7 percent, to $559,076,029 – the track’s lowest figure since 2002.” I was there all summer (more or less). Attendance was down at minimum 30%.

Now they are making the track more restrictive. When the only people that want to visit San Diego are broke families from Arizona and other hick bible belt spots and San Diego has no tourism dollars they will realize the stupidity of this.

Question: Where is a rich European or South American cat NOT going to go to spend $15,000 over a weekend for vacation?

A. Las Vegas
B. Miami Beach
C. San Diego

(Answer “C”)

Where is an overweight family of 5 with shorts and visors from Flagstaff or Oklahoma city or some shithole going to “splurge” $1100 for a 2 week vacation?

A. Las Vegas
B. Miami Beach
C. San Diego

(Answer “C)

More importantly:

Where is a beautiful 20 year old Estonian Model girl NOT going to go with two of her model girlfriends for a weekend of dancing, smoking cigarettes and drinking without being ID’d past 1:29am?

A. Las Vegas
B. Miami Beach
C. San Diego

(Answer “C”)

Where is a weesh middle American 25 year old girl that can’t dance and wears jeans, flip-flops and tight tops going to go to party with her equally weesh girlfriends?

A. Las Vegas
B. Miami Beach
C. San Diego

(Answer “C)

The Rest is Up to You…

Michael Porfirio Mason
AKA The Peoples Champ
AKA Your favorite International Playboy on the Rise’s favorite International Playboy on the Rise
The Guide to Getting More out of Life
http://www.thegmanifesto.com

Bob Marley – Get up, stand up (Live)