Boxing

IN 2009's "The Ultimate Book of Sports Movies," co-authors Ray Didinger and Glen Macnow make the case for boxing's being the best sport for Hollywood to bring to the silver screen. Thirteen boxing-themed flicks make their top 100 list, and a few worthy contenders just missed making the cut. It is the "easiest sport to film," they correctly note in a chapter dealing with the fight game's continuing hold on moviegoers. "There are two fighters, face to face, in a confined space. It is not like nine players spread out on a baseball diamond or 22 men in helmets and pads sprawling across a football field.

A former bingo hall tucked underneath a rumbling I-95 overpass and located just a short walk from the city's shipping docks might be where boxing receives a needed jolt of rejuvenation. Known infamously for its role in the rise of "extreme" professional wrestling more than a decade ago, the small, gritty Asylum Arena in South Philadelphia aims to fill the city's boxing void created by the shuttering of the legendary Blue Horizon on North Broad Street. And on Saturday, live on the newly minted NBC Sports Network, the arena will be displayed as a stepping-stone for a sport in need of a comeback.

Samuel David Solomon, a veteran boxer who trained a string of champions including Ernie Terrell and Leon Spinks, will be remembered at "final round" services tomorrow in West Philadelphia. "Sam" Solomon, a jovial man intensely committed to his sport, died Sunday at a West Philadelphia nursing home. He was 83. "We are mourning the loss," said former heavyweight contender Marvis Frazier, manager at Joe Frazier's Gym in North Philadelphia. "He was a strict guy, and he didn't take any prisoners.

Who knew thatOctomom's masturbation porno shoot was really just training her hands for a boxing match? Octomom, a/k/a Nadya Suleman, will be in Atlantic City June 23 to either box or pillow-fight an undetermined challenger. Suleman's self-pleasuring porn film has started shooting, according to TMZ, but no distributor or release date has been identified. When we interviewed her last year, Suleman was horrified and offended when we asked if she would ever consider the porn offers she had received.

The recommendations made by former heavyweight boxing champ Larry Holmes make a lot of sense. The safety of prize fighters should be the premier concern of all those who enjoy the sport of boxing. All too often boxers are seriously injured because of too-frequent bouts and the promoters' concern for profits instead of the boxers' welfare. If the individual state boxing commissions are not willing to oversee the welfare of fighters, the federal government should pass laws regulating this "industry.

People in the boxing world aren't shocked by much. But the news that legendary trainer Eddie Futch died Wednesday morning at his Las Vegas home stunned almost everyone. That's because everybody thought Futch would be around forever. It wasn't that Futch appeared indestructible - he was 90 years old, frail and arthritic - but he was such a venerable and beloved figure that everyone wanted him to stay around forever. "There was nothing bad about Eddie Futch," promoter Lou DiBella said.

J. Russell Peltz, who is known as a walking encyclopedia of boxing history, kept his most treasured items in his office at 25th and Brown Streets. His collection of pugilisticmemorabilia was valued at $1 million. Today, a portion of that collection - ranked among the best in the world - is in ruins. Peltz, a boxing promoter, and Philadelphia police are trying to determine why the office, in the city's Fairmount section, was firebombed early Friday morning. The fire consumed much of Peltz's secretary's space, where various boxing artifacts were kept.

Comcast-owned sports channel OLN is poised to enter boxing in a big way, in a move that would add another major indoor sport to the lineup of a channel that used to be called the Outdoor Life Network. Several people familiar with the negotiations, who did not want to be identified, said OLN is close to sealing a 10- to 12-date deal with boxing promoter Bob Arum that would create a national Thursday night fight series beginning in July. OLN would pay Arum $250,000 per date to produce the boxing shows, the people said.

It may not come as a surprise to anyone that boxing has been corrupted by underworld influence. That sad fact has been documented by investigations in the past. Nonetheless, the New Jersey Commission of Investigation has performed a useful public service by conducting an extensive study of the inner-workings of the boxing business and reporting its findings. It is not a pretty picture. The commission has detailed, for example, how young fighters controlled by the mob are elevated quickly to contenders for world championships through fraudulent means.

Mike Tyson had been found guilty of rape 18 hours earlier, and the No. 1 topic of discussion among the late-afternoon crowd at Joe Frazier's Gym in North Philadelphia was the former heavyweight champion's unanimous-decision defeat at the hands of 12 Indianapolis jurors. Some of those at Frazier's Gym were steadfast in the belief Tyson had not committed the crime for which he was convicted; others said that the verdict against him was justified. But regardless of where they stood on the question of guilt or innocence, there was a unanimity of opinion that the downfall of an individual, no matter how powerful or prestigious, does not presage a downfall for boxing.

  RECENTLY RETIRED Daily News sports writer Bernard Fernandez, for the 11th consecutive year, had placing entries in the Boxing Writers Association of America writing contest, known as the "Barneys" in honor of the late former president of the BWAA, Barney Nagler. Fernandez took first place in the column category, for an analysis of why retired former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson still mattered in a division dominated by Eastern Europeans and bereft of compelling American contenders.

Sitting ringside at the Ali-Frazier "Fight of the Century," Joe Hand peered around him. Burt Lancaster was chatting at the announcer's table. Frank Sinatra snapped photos for Life magazine. Hand looked over his shoulder. Filing into their seats were a couple of Kennedys. "How the heck did I get mixed up with this crowd?" he asked himself inside Madison Square Garden on that night in March 1971. On Sunday, standing among some of the state's boxing blue bloods at his induction into the Pennsylvania Boxing Hall of Fame, Hand, 75, will again ask himself that question.

SHOTS ON GOAL Upcoming game: New York Red Bull (6-3-1, 19 points) at Union (2-5-1, seven points) When: Sunday, 12:30 p.m. Where: PPL Park, Chester TV: ESPN2 On the web: Streaming online at MLSSoccer.com For kicks: New York comes in on short rest, but rides the wave of a three-game win streak after dispatching Houston, 1-0 Wednesday night. A string of injuries and suspensions aside, coach Hans Backe has utilized his bench to get positive results, even with the loss of goal-scoring guru Thierry Henry.

Who knew thatOctomom's masturbation porno shoot was really just training her hands for a boxing match? Octomom, a/k/a Nadya Suleman, will be in Atlantic City June 23 to either box or pillow-fight an undetermined challenger. Suleman's self-pleasuring porn film has started shooting, according to TMZ, but no distributor or release date has been identified. When we interviewed her last year, Suleman was horrified and offended when we asked if she would ever consider the porn offers she had received.

Weekend Box Office Weeks Per Rank/Title/Studio Last Week Total Out Location 1. The Avengers (Disney) $207.4 mil. $207.4 mil. 1 $47,698 2. Think Like a Man (Sony) 8.1 mil. 73.1 mil. 3 4,033 3. The Hunger Games (Lionsgate) 5.7 mil. 380.7 mil. 7 2,040 4. The Pirates! Band of Misfits (Sony) 5.5 mil. 18.7 mil. 2 1,639 5. The Lucky One (Warner Bros.) 5.4 mil. 47.8 mil. 3 1,786 6. The Five-Year Engagement (Universal) 5.0 mil. 19.1 mil. 2 1,710 7. The Raven (Relativity)

ATLANTIC CITY - Among the many funny things Yankees Hall of Famer Yogi Berra is alleged to have said is "It's déjà vu all over again. " Maybe Yogi, that master of the malaprop, actually spoke those exact words at some point during his English-mangling baseball career. And maybe he didn't. There are those who will tell you that when boring facts conflict with colorful legend, always go with the legend. It's more interesting, easier to remember and more apt to be believed.

EIGHT WEEKS AGO, after a controversial double-tiebreaker loss to Terrell Gausha at the USA National Championships in Fort Carson, Colo., ended his dream of representing his country at this summer's London Olympics, a bitterly disappointed Jesse Hart hinted that he might be through with boxing forever. "Right now, I don't think I'll ever fight again," said the 22-year-old North Philadelphian. "I don't even know about the pros. " But they say that time heals all wounds, and the signing of a lucrative contract and a chance to make your professional debut on one of boxing's biggest stages make a great salve.

Who: San Jose (3-1) at Soul (3-1) When: Saturday, 6:05 p.m. Where: Wells Fargo Center TV: None Radio: ESPN (950-AM) About the Soul: Coming off a franchise-record explosion in a 92-42 win at Georgia. The outing netted quarterback Dan Raudabaugh (six TD passes) and linebacker Joe Goosby (two interceptions returned for TD) the Arena Football League's offensive and defensive player of the week honors . . . The Soul shares the East Division lead with Cleveland, which won in Philly 2 weeks ago . . . The Soul leads the AFL in points per game (75.3)

Film fans are still forking over for The Hunger Games, which took in $33.5 million to lead the box office for a third straight weekend. According to studio estimates Sunday, The Hunger Games raised its domestic total to $302.8 million and easily topped the American Pie sequel American Reunion and a 3-D version of the blockbuster Titanic. Both newcomers opened solidly - American Reunion pulled in $21.5 million, while Titanic in 3-D reeled in $17.4 million over the weekend, raising its domestic take to $25.7 million since opening Wednesday.

Every month, Heather McCaulley spends about $50 on beauty supplies she's never slathered, sniffed, or seen - and she wishes she could spend more. McCaulley has three beauty-box subscriptions, the latest trend in cosmetic marketing. Customers pay $10 to 20 a month to receive at least five samples of the latest body creams, eye shadows, and hair conditioners, all in a pretty little box. Customers say they like getting a variety of handpicked, mostly high-end samples for less than the cost of a movie.