A Salute to the Hawk: Boxing Loses Hall of Famer Aaron Pryor
A Salute to the Hawk: Boxing Loses Hall of Famer Aaron Pryor
This weekend Aaron Pryor succumbed to heart disease at the age of 60 and the boxing world is now short another legend.
"He learned so quick it was unbelievable. He could do anything that any fighter could do at any time. He had no idea what fear was."
That lack of fear Aaron Pryor's first boxing coach Phil Smith spoke of eventually became hubris and almost earned Pryor an early grave many times. He cheated death for a number of years, but this weekend Pryor succumbed to heart disease at the age of 60 and the boxing world is now short another legend.
The Cincinnati native had become the kind of treasured old member of the fight community who would be pulled into the ring and honored prior to any significant fight he attended, if such pageantry were as important as it used to be. "The Hawk" also found a sort of peace as a trainer and a deacon in the last few decades of his life, which was often filled with turmoil and conflict.
Pryor, the fourth champion hailing from Cincinnati, began fighting at 13 years old and the following year was told he would be a champion by hometown trainer, manager, and soothsayer Rolly Schwartz. It was Schwartz who led the 1976 U.S. Boxing team to an extremely successful Olympics in Montreal, and it was a team Pryor was supposed to have been on. Howard Davis Jr., who died of cancer late last year, nudged Pryor out of contention before winning gold.
It was "Sugar" Ray Leonard, however, who Pryor always competed with for the spotlight from way back in their amateur days and on through to the heights of their respective pro careers. Leonard always won.
At the National Amateur Athletic Union championships in 1973, three years prior to turning pro, the media gushed over Leonard's athletic ability and constantly referred to him as "Little Ali." Occasionally, Pryor was called something like "a 132-pound buzzsaw," but many more words were dedicated to Leonard and Dale Grant, the two other national Golden Gloves champions who were competing.
There is no shame in being less popular or less great than Ray Leonard; it was an uphill battle for Pryor from the beginning. When Leonard turned pro, he was managed and trained by Muhammad Ali's trainer, Angelo Dundee, and Leonard made over $40,000 in his debut. Pryor turned pro because he had to get a job. In his first fight, he made $400 under contract with Buddy LaRosa, who owned and managed a pizzeria.
By the time Pryor rallied to score his biggest win over Alexis Arguello in 1982, Leonard had avenged his loss to Roberto Duran and fended off an undefeated Thomas Hearns. Simply put, Leonard's accomplishments to that point were already far superior.
In recent years Pryor has become known as the fighter that "The Fab Four" -- Leonard, Hearns, Duran and Marvin Hagler -- avoided in the early 1980s. It's unfortunate as it is untrue, because it downplays the triumph of Pryor's win over Arguello in their incredible first meeting and ignores the years-long round robin between the four. Sadly, even Pryor's biggest win was shrouded in controversy when it was discovered that his trainer, disgraced boxing figure "Panama" Lewis, made suspicious comments while giving Pryor a new water bottle, and the latter rallied to stop Arguello in the next round.
Pryor had very little left to give after his second defeat of Arguello. By then his battle with crack cocaine had already begun and the descent was in full swing.
In 1980, then-WBA super lightweight champion Pryor was shot in the forearm by his wife, Theresa, though it only temporarily held his career up and he defended the belt a few months later. But it seemed to kick off a chaotic period in his life that would last more than a decade.
Two title defenses in 1983 were surrounded by numerous legal issues and personal dramas. First, a warrant was issued for Pryor's arrest on outstanding child support payments, then a contract dispute with LaRosa threatened to sideline the champion. Finally, Pryor was arrested for possession of cocaine in Los Angeles in November 1983.
When Pryor made up with LaRosa and returned in 1984, he simply wasn't the same fighter. Perhaps in the same way that Pryor ostensibly ended Arguello's career, the Nicaraguan phenomenon did the same to his nemesis. Pryor suffered an upset loss to unheralded Bobby Joe Young in 1987, which happened to be in the midst of a bender, and fought for the last time in 1990. His final record stands at 39-1 with 35 knockouts.
An all-Ohio showdown against Ray Mancini in the vein of Ezzard Charles vs. Jimmy Bivins was rumored to have been discussed more than once, but it never materialized.
What unfortunately followed was years of instability and several more drug charges, in addition to kidnapping and sexual assault charges that were eventually dropped. But when Pryor was able to sober up in the mid-90s, he mostly made it stick. Ultimately a success story, Pryor was able to work as a trainer with U.S. Boxing and became a source of community inspiration as a religious leader.
Thoroughly cementing all-time greatness after having fought only 40 times as a professional is not an easy feat. However, both Leonard and Pryor retired after 40 bouts, and both men achieved an extraordinary amount in that time. Pryor's relentless and excruciatingly busy style won't soon be forgotten.
Far more poignant is the fact that children of the 1970s and 80s are losing most of the heroes of their youth that came out of Fistiana. Their deeds will live on, but their absence is keenly felt with each passing, and Pryor is no different in that regard.
That lack of fear Aaron Pryor's first boxing coach Phil Smith spoke of eventually became hubris and almost earned Pryor an early grave many times. He cheated death for a number of years, but this weekend Pryor succumbed to heart disease at the age of 60 and the boxing world is now short another legend.
The Cincinnati native had become the kind of treasured old member of the fight community who would be pulled into the ring and honored prior to any significant fight he attended, if such pageantry were as important as it used to be. "The Hawk" also found a sort of peace as a trainer and a deacon in the last few decades of his life, which was often filled with turmoil and conflict.
Pryor, the fourth champion hailing from Cincinnati, began fighting at 13 years old and the following year was told he would be a champion by hometown trainer, manager, and soothsayer Rolly Schwartz. It was Schwartz who led the 1976 U.S. Boxing team to an extremely successful Olympics in Montreal, and it was a team Pryor was supposed to have been on. Howard Davis Jr., who died of cancer late last year, nudged Pryor out of contention before winning gold.
It was "Sugar" Ray Leonard, however, who Pryor always competed with for the spotlight from way back in their amateur days and on through to the heights of their respective pro careers. Leonard always won.
At the National Amateur Athletic Union championships in 1973, three years prior to turning pro, the media gushed over Leonard's athletic ability and constantly referred to him as "Little Ali." Occasionally, Pryor was called something like "a 132-pound buzzsaw," but many more words were dedicated to Leonard and Dale Grant, the two other national Golden Gloves champions who were competing.
There is no shame in being less popular or less great than Ray Leonard; it was an uphill battle for Pryor from the beginning. When Leonard turned pro, he was managed and trained by Muhammad Ali's trainer, Angelo Dundee, and Leonard made over $40,000 in his debut. Pryor turned pro because he had to get a job. In his first fight, he made $400 under contract with Buddy LaRosa, who owned and managed a pizzeria.
By the time Pryor rallied to score his biggest win over Alexis Arguello in 1982, Leonard had avenged his loss to Roberto Duran and fended off an undefeated Thomas Hearns. Simply put, Leonard's accomplishments to that point were already far superior.
In recent years Pryor has become known as the fighter that "The Fab Four" -- Leonard, Hearns, Duran and Marvin Hagler -- avoided in the early 1980s. It's unfortunate as it is untrue, because it downplays the triumph of Pryor's win over Arguello in their incredible first meeting and ignores the years-long round robin between the four. Sadly, even Pryor's biggest win was shrouded in controversy when it was discovered that his trainer, disgraced boxing figure "Panama" Lewis, made suspicious comments while giving Pryor a new water bottle, and the latter rallied to stop Arguello in the next round.
Pryor had very little left to give after his second defeat of Arguello. By then his battle with crack cocaine had already begun and the descent was in full swing.
In 1980, then-WBA super lightweight champion Pryor was shot in the forearm by his wife, Theresa, though it only temporarily held his career up and he defended the belt a few months later. But it seemed to kick off a chaotic period in his life that would last more than a decade.
Two title defenses in 1983 were surrounded by numerous legal issues and personal dramas. First, a warrant was issued for Pryor's arrest on outstanding child support payments, then a contract dispute with LaRosa threatened to sideline the champion. Finally, Pryor was arrested for possession of cocaine in Los Angeles in November 1983.
When Pryor made up with LaRosa and returned in 1984, he simply wasn't the same fighter. Perhaps in the same way that Pryor ostensibly ended Arguello's career, the Nicaraguan phenomenon did the same to his nemesis. Pryor suffered an upset loss to unheralded Bobby Joe Young in 1987, which happened to be in the midst of a bender, and fought for the last time in 1990. His final record stands at 39-1 with 35 knockouts.
An all-Ohio showdown against Ray Mancini in the vein of Ezzard Charles vs. Jimmy Bivins was rumored to have been discussed more than once, but it never materialized.
What unfortunately followed was years of instability and several more drug charges, in addition to kidnapping and sexual assault charges that were eventually dropped. But when Pryor was able to sober up in the mid-90s, he mostly made it stick. Ultimately a success story, Pryor was able to work as a trainer with U.S. Boxing and became a source of community inspiration as a religious leader.
Thoroughly cementing all-time greatness after having fought only 40 times as a professional is not an easy feat. However, both Leonard and Pryor retired after 40 bouts, and both men achieved an extraordinary amount in that time. Pryor's relentless and excruciatingly busy style won't soon be forgotten.
Far more poignant is the fact that children of the 1970s and 80s are losing most of the heroes of their youth that came out of Fistiana. Their deeds will live on, but their absence is keenly felt with each passing, and Pryor is no different in that regard.