For The Suits: Fall/Winter Guide

For most of the people we know the arrival of fall is almost widely hailed with much excitement. Sure summer is great and all but it can be hard for one to look smart as fuck without feeling like you're going to melt. Once the colors of the leaves start changing and the temperature starts dropping it's time to bust out your nice gear and get back to looking your best. We're here to help, as ever.

Emanuel Steward, RIP

Where does one even start when trying to discuss the impact Emanuel Steward has had on boxing? There's many points to choose from. But I think one of the best aspects of Steward was that he always remained humble. He could never understand why some people he'd run into would be shocked he was just a normal guy, sharing similar interests to the many fight fans who revered him with almost saint link respect.

First Cut: Gas

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Well they can't all have started with classics. While this instrumental cut to "Rhythm Hips" is far from terrible, it also doesn't quite stand out in the manner some of the other first cuts really stand out. Even the B side "Action Line" doesn't save this one. Both sides are credited to Eric Barnet but the B side is actually the Versalites. Lucky for us collectors, the label didn't take too long to make up for this lackluster release as pretty quickly solid cuts from the likes of The Melodians and Pat Kelly weren't long in coming. For sheer class nothing on the label beats Pat Kelly's "How Long Will It Take/If It Don't Work out" monster but The Slickers "Ba Ba" backed with Glen Adams "Power Cut" is a close second. The featured single, as well as the Pat Kelly one mentioned, can both be found on the cheap and in great condition for those interested.

FNF: Hilmer Kenty versus Ernesto Espana

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It was a tough choice this week for our Friday Night Fights selection. We knew it had to be a fight that involved Emanuel Steward in some manner, as he's was intrinsically linked with the sport for the better part of three decades. But how do you pick a fight from a career like his, with all the greats he trained? It turned out to be a bit easy. Hilmer Kenty, far removed from the pantheon of superstars which Emanuel Steward is normally associated with was Steward's first World Champion. Steward had already been a trainer of some renown through Kronk Gym's dominant displays on the amateur stage but this would be the start of him gaining national attention as a trainer. Ernesto Espana was considered the heavy puncher here, with a world class chin. Howard Cossell makes the point at the start of the fight that Kenty will have to move around to stay out of Espana's range. But Manny knew best and instead advised Kenty to go at Espana. As you could probably guess, Steward was correct. 5 months later Tommy Hearns would become Steward's second world champion. And the rest, as they say, is history.

West Ham 1 Wigan 2

Well that was a pretty dire performance now wasn't it? And it was Ivan Ramis, quickly becoming our nemesis, that started it all out for Wigan after Andy Carroll had started in fine form causing chaos amongst the Wigan defence. That was just about the high point as the Hammers have rarely played with such a lack of passion or direction this entire season. At times it almost seemed like they were moving in slow motion, already resigned to defeat, before coming to life for the last ten minutes of the game. At that point it was far too late though, even though James Tomkins provided a consolation goal in injury time. Wigan had done the job by then, and we had let them do it. Displays like this are worrisome, although we're not going to declare a state of emergency quite yet. Big Sam will be doing everything in his power to fire the lads up for the next match and the players have to know Allardyce won't put up with performances like that for long before you've lost your spot in the team.

Warriors and Their Shields

There's a saying, dating from the days of the Spartans, which mothers would whisper to their sons in those haunting moments before a mother sends her son off to war not knowing if she will ever see her child again. The saying is very familiar to many boxing fans, although they may not know exactly where it dates from. It goes: come home with your shield, or on it.

An Open Letter to Ben Sherman

Dear Ben,

I suppose there's never a real easy way to bring up these kind of things. Sometimes it's best just to treat them like a band-aid and just pull it off and deal with a sharp, quick pain than a agonizing, prolonged one. So here it is: you've changed, and I don't like it one bit.

West Ham 4 Southampton 1

Yes, give yourself a clap Modibo. West Ham ran away with the win today, overcoming a dire first half in which they weren't necessarily outplayed so much as they look entirely uninteresed in playing. We have a feeling Big Sam may have just let his squad know how displeased he was with the lack of effort at half time because the lads came out in cracking form for the second half. Mark Noble and Kevin Nolan were on the scoresheet two minutes apart only three minutes after the start of the second half. Southampton's Adam Lallana scored a beauty in the 60th minute to get Hammer supporters heart racing but a little under ten minutes later Mark Noble added his second of the day from the penalty spot after Southampton's Jose Fonte decided he'd like to have a tug at Andy Carroll's mane. Then all that was left was for Modibo Maiga to come on and score a beauty, using a burst of pace to blast past two defenders and perfectly curve a shot behind former Celtic keeper, Artur Boruc. Yossi Benayoun got his first 90 minutes of play in and looked good, setting up Nolan's tap in after breaking up a pass. All in all it was the kind of performance we've, as until late, been lacking sorely. But Big Sam rallied the troops and put a fire in their bellies and they went out and made it clear which side is Premier League quality and which side simply isn't. Quite the exciting start to the season so far.

FNF: Miguel Cotto versus Zab Judah

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You can call this edition of Friday Night Fights the "if you had this opening the Barclays Center back in 2007, you woulda had people hanging from the rafters" edition. We figured since the brand new Barclays Center, in the heart of Brooklyn, is hosting the first professional boxing event in Brooklyn since 1931  this weekend why not feature two cats that share a bit of popularity in New York City as well as, undoubtedly, Brooklyn. Zab Judah is your definitive Brooklyn cat. Well at this point he was. The skill, power and speed he possessed were near enigmatic. But he was never able to put it all together, and keep it all together, to become an elite fighter. By all rights he could have been near the top of the sport, but he consistently let himself down. Whether not being able to make the step to the big stage, against Kostya Tszyu or Floyd Mayweather Jr, or his reaction to not being able to do it: going after the referee after a KO loss to Tsyzu or repeatedly low blowing Mayweather when he realized he was going to lose the fight Judah just never possessed the mental faculties to be one of the best. Even here, back in 2007, Jim Lampley discusses the fight being a chance for redemption for Judah. He's on that road still. Miguel Cotto on the other hand, has proven he is one of the best in the game. Not necessarily a P4P favorite, but he's a fan favorite. And that's more important when it comes to us trying to present interesting fights. On this night Cotto was still a star on the rise, a dude with everything in front of him. Little could he know he would run into the plastered fists of Antonio Margarito or the superhuman power of Manny Pacquiao. But he made it through both losses, avenging one to Margarito, and went on to nearly beat a seemingly unbeatable Mayweather. That's why he's a legend to Puerto Ricans both at home and in NYC. Cause they, like all good boxing fans, love a fighter. And these two came to fight.

First Cut: Punch

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"When lying asleep, don't wake him. I'm burning much hotter than scorcher". And with that we might have a contender for best ever first cut, courtesy of Vin Gordon and the Punch label. Chances are more than a few of you will recognize the tune from the Trojan Skinhead Reggae box set, or just the fact this tune is a massive skinhead classic. We're a bit biased, but we'd be willing to bet it's Karl Bryan doing the business on the saxophone here while performing in yet another group, this time The Dynamics. This tune has all the hallmarks of a top drawer tune: DJ intro, followed by a killer instrumental. The label is also one of the most eye catching and aesthetically pleasing of all the skinhead reggae labels. Maybe even the best. The B side on this is "Juckie Juckie", also by The Dynamics. But let's be honest how do you really top the energy of the A side? You don't. Punch went on to have many more classics on it, notably Harry and Radcliffe's "History", Winston Francis' "Too Experienced", the Upsetters "Dry Acid" and Dave Barker's "Shocks of Mighty". Put this label down for a soundmans favorite.

"Israelites" by Desmond Dekker

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Is there really a better way to kick off the weekend then a bit of Desmond? Well when he's wearing what looks to be a silk jumpsuit and a bullet belt, yes. Nice bit of television footage here, with Desmond lip synching "Israelites". Have a great weekend folks.

"Moonwalk" by Winston Wright

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Was there a more talented organ player during the skinhead reggae era than Winston Wright? Jackie Mittoo is certainly the darling of the reggae scene in regards to the ridicolous number of tunes he managed to pump out through membership in The Skatalites, Soul Vendors, Soul Brothers and Sound Dimension and his later solo releases. But Winston kind of took over in the early days of the reggae sound, with Glen Adams of Upsetters and Hippy Boys fame being his main competition. This tune right here is Winston at his finest, killing it on his Hammond A100 to any listeners delight. If you can track down a copy of The Dynamites "Fire Corner' LP you can listen to Winston do his thing over the course of a number of tracks. The man was talented.

On The Warpath

How often does a fight often, and let's be honest with ourselves here, live up to the hype? The hype machines at companies like Top Rank and Golden Boy have become quite skilled at polishing a turd, selling lackluster fights to fans as if this showdown between two mediocre fighters is the end all and be all in the history of boxing. And then there's the fights that we ourselves as fans don't need million dollar PR campaigns and HBO specials to get excited for. Mike Alvarado versus Brandon Rios was just that type of fight.

Nice Night for A Movie, Innit?

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The movie, in terms of actual content, seems to be a bit polarizing. Beyond that though Bronco Bullfrog is warmly regarded for it's depiction of what would become known as the Suedehead style. So sit back and see if you can sit through it.

West Ham 1 Arsenal 3

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Well this effort from Momo Diame was a bit special, now wasn't it? It was also sadly one of the few highlights from yesterdays match. Arsenal had the lions share of possession throughout the game, and Diame's wizardry came out of nowhere's in a first half where West Ham rarely maintained possession for longer than a minute. That said we were also quick on the counter attack, playing with a nice mix of the long ball game so despised by certain West Ham supporters. Not exactly sure why Kevin Nolan didn't take his golden opportunity a few moments before Theo Walcott put Arsenal ahead, but we really wish he would have made the most of it. In tight games like this all the difference in the world is made by converting those easy chances. Ricardo Vaz Te was staking his claim on his position before going out near the end of the first half, dislocatng his shoulder in an accident that could put him out til the New Year. And finally Big Andy Carroll made his return to the first team, missing one chance and otherwise making himself busy throughout the game. Does look like we could do with some extra pace at the back though. Walcott might possess unnatural speed but no one even came close to catching him, might be time to give James Tomkins a chance linking up with Winston Reid in the center of defense.

First Cut: Success

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Straight up, Rupie Edwards did not get enough respect. Odd we know, in that the Pama subsidiary he ran was Success. None the less the man was immensely talented as soon as he sat in the producers seat and the first tune released on the Success imprint shows that exactly. "Look Who Buss A Style" by the Mediators has all the hallmarks of a skinhead reggae classic: killer instrumental backing and a sickly sweet vocal. A wonder then, probably down to the touch and go Pama distribution system of the time, that the Success label isn't more regarded in the current skinhead reggae collector and DJ scene. Might have a lot to do with it not being initially popular amongst the original skinheads. The fact tunes weren't released on the label til near the end of 1969, with media exploitation of the cult at its peak, might also have something to do with it. Either way this is one of the finest stars of any label from that time period, both sides absolute monsters in their own rights. It's just too bad Mr. Edwards doesn't receive the acclaim he righteously deserves.

FNF: Jamie Moore versus Matthew Macklin

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For The Suits loves boxing. As if there was any doubt. But we figured we might as well just make it so glaringly obvious one has to accept it. We love everything boxing can be, everything it can encompass. It can be two of the sports worlds biggest celebrities meeting at the MGM Grand Garden Arena amongst the greatest of pomp and circumstance. You know the deal: Michael Buffer handling the introductions, millions of people watching on pay per view and the sports entire fan base waiting on baiting breath through everyone round as two of the sports elite fighters battle it out for supremacy. But that ain't all the sport is. Sometimes it's about two lads giving it 110% in a sweat box in Manchester, England with friends and family screaming themselves hoarse in support of someone they know intimately. Alphabet titles don't matter between the two and many would consider they're fighting for a prize much smaller. But at that moment in time nothing could be more important. For each and everyone round they lay it all out on the line. That is Matthew Macklin versus Jamie Moore. Many only know Macklin as a failed opponent of Sergio Martinez.Yes he lost to Sergio, one of the best fighters in the world at the moment, but he's the kind of fighter who came up the hard way. Jamie Moore was much the same. Not too much glitz and glam. More hard work and dedication to the sweet science. And when these two met, it was explosive. Enjoy.

Warrior Sneak Peek

We've been given a bit of a sneak peek at the new range of Warrior shirts set to come out for the Autumn/Winter 2012 season, and us being us we figured why not share with our readers.

West Ham 2 QPR 1

Well we've finally gotten that pesky away win weight off our shoulders after a dominant first half display saw West Ham put Mark Hughes in an even deeper hole. Ricardo Vaz Te was in splendid form all evening and Matt Jarvis scored his first for the club in what was the clubs first away win since a win at Blackpool under Avram Grant. It wasn't all good news though as Winston Reid, a revelation so far this season at the center of defense, went out after a knock with Jussi Jaaskelainen. But James Tomkins, fighting for a spot in the team, looked more than capable of taking over the role. If we can keep up more performances like the first half, we may be able to breath a bit easy a lot sooner in the season then we're use too. Twat of the night undoubtedly goes too referee Mark Clattenburg, who was pulling out the cards at a breakneck speed leading to eight Hammers in total picking up yellows. That Mark must be doing some kind of special math seeing as everyone was astounded when he added on six minutes of injury time for no apparent reason other than wanting a chance to reach into his pocket once or twice more.