Boxing

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.

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.

Like other retailers, auctioneers will be catering to last-minute shoppers during this final week before Christmas, starting today. At 10 a.m. in Norristown, Ah Ram Lee, an auction newcomer, will conduct the first session of a two-day sale offering collectibles and sporting memorabilia, much of it devoted to boxing. The boxing memorabilia, consigned by John Iorio, a former middleweight now living in Norristown, will be offered at today's session, along with a late-arriving consignment of African statuary.

I don't know all the circumstances surrounding his indictment, but Philadelphia boxer Calvin Davis did a lot for Philadelphia such as donate money to the African American museum, help women with domestic violence, provided basketball events for children, so let's focus on the positive instead of negative media coverage. Calvin Davis'record speaks for itself with the Philadelphia community. George Hall State Correctional Institution-Greene I have seen all the great, great fighters from the '20s through the '90s, but all of them were beaten many times.

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.

While it was way too long and depressing for summer (let's face it: 'toons, guns, and superheroes always rule in the heat), Ron Howard's Cinderella Man still packed a serious punch. The DVD, available in single-disc form and a two-disc collector's edition, does a pretty good job of protecting the film's integrity. The story is the stuff of boxing legend. A once-promising heavyweight prospect, James J. Braddock (admirably portrayed by Russell Crowe), rises from the ashes of the Depression to upset champ Max Baer (Craig Bierko)

Hinda Schuman is a photojournalist, but she is capable of looking at the world though an artist's eyes, as many of her professional colleagues do. In any case, the distinction between pure reportage and art has never been all that distinct, as Schuman's suite of photographs in the current Challenge exhibition at the Fleisher Art Memorial suggests. Schuman's 13 black-and-white photos were made at boxing matches in Philadelphia and Atlantic City over a two-year period. Individually, the pictures represent the standard boxing images one finds in the newspapers; in this sense, none is remarkable or an indisputable work of "art.

Last week and total box office in millions. Weeks    Per    Rank/Title/Studio Last Week   Total    Out   Location    1. Iron Man 3 (Disney) $72.5   $284.9   2   $17,053    2. Great Gatsby (Warner Bros.) 50.1   50.1   1   14,169    3. Pain and Gain (Paramount) 5.0   41.6   3   1,514    4. Peeples (LionsGate) 4.6   4.6   1   2,259    5. 42 (Warner Bros.) 4.6   84.7   5   1,566    6. Oblivion (Universal)

SOUL AGENDA Who: Pittsburgh (1-5) at Soul (3-3) When: Saturday, 7 p.m. Where: Wells Fargo Center (19,500) TV: The Comcast Network Radio: WBZC (88.9-FM) On the web: Soul.ArenaFootball.com/ AllAccess About the Power: There are three teams in the Eastern Division: the Soul, Pittsburgh and Cleveland. The Soul is 3-3. Pittsburgh and Cleveland are 1-5 . . . Quarterback Jordan Jefferson played at LSU and was the starter when the Tigers were overwhelmed by Alabama in the BCS Championship Game following the 2011 season.

Danny Garcia follows his father up the narrow, wooden staircase at Harrowgate Boxing Club in Juniata Park. Angel Garcia has led his son into the rugged gym on East Venango Street since 1998, when Angel Garcia saw boxing as a way to be a better father after his release from prison. This is the only gym the father and son, the unified light-welterweight world champion, have ever called home. But after Saturday night they will bid Harrowgate farewell. Danny Garcia (25-0, 16 KOs)

  WHEN I adopted a second adult cat a few months ago, I knew I was at risk for having one cat or the other - or both - avoiding the litter box. Failure to use a litter box is the top behavior complaint of cat lovers, sending countless cats to shelters every year. But that doesn't have to be the sad outcome, if you're willing to work on the problem. The first step in getting a cat to use the box is to make sure there's not a medical condition driving the behavior. Urinary-tract infections and diseases such as diabetes make consistent litter box use impossible for even the most well-intentioned cat. You cannot hope to get your cat to use the box again until any health issues have been resolved.

Sea Box Inc., of East Riverton, said it received a $34.6 million contract from the U.S. Air Force for 88 modular shower and latrine systems that are designed for quick setup and teardown.   The contract runs five years, said Sea Box, which specializes in converting shipping containers into shelters and related equipment for military and commercial applications.   Sea Box said an advantage of its system over tent-based shower and bathroom systems is that they can be heated and cooled to comfortable temperatures even in extreme weather conditions.