I wrote the column below for boxing.com. It pertains to my feelings about the Boxing Writers Association, of which I was a member from 1979-90, and the vice president from 1982-1986.
The More Things Change
I was a member of Boxing Writers Association of America from 1979-90, and I was its Vice President from 1882-1986. The conflict of interest Ted Sares wrote about Tom Hauser is certainly nothing new.
In the early 1980s we had Rich Rose and Irving Rudd as full-time voting members. They both worked for Bob Arum. Then we had Murray Goodman and Bobby Goodman. They worked for Don King. The treasurer was New York State Athletic Commission member Marvin Kohn, and the secretary was Tommy Kenville, who worked for Madison Square Garden.
All of these men mentioned above, except Kohn, who was a publicist before, worked in the public relations department for their bosses.
There were also several other members who were freelance publicists. The famed Harold Conrad comes to mind. If I remember correctly, about half of our 50 odd members actually wrote about the sport of boxing.
I complained constantly that the publicists should not be able to vote for our yearly awards, and certainly should not able to make nominations. I was ignored, and we constantly had men like Goodman and Rudd nominate fighters, whom their bosses promoted, for awards.
And oh yes, I knew Tom Hauser. I found him to be condescending and a person who went out of his way to not be friendly.
So in summation, you’re banging your head against a stone wall trying the make the BWAA an honorable organization. Because of their perpetual conflicts of interest, this is an impossibility.
Like I said up top, the more things change…the more they remain the same.
Joe Bruno is the author of 17 books, including “Mobsters, Gangs, Crooks, and Other Creeps – Volumes 1-5” and “Whitey Bulger – The Biggest Rat.” Joe Bruno’s Amazon Author Page can here seen here. Also visit his blog, “Joe Bruno on the Mob.”
http://www.boxing.com/the_more_things_change.html
Joe Bruno on the Mob 