|
|
|
|
|
Al Buck Award by Tim Graham Buffalo News Apparently, it's pretty difficult to nudge Alan Haymon toward the spotlight. The incisive businessman, who flourished in the music and television industries before getting involved with the sweet science, prefers to handle matters behind the scenes and let his clients bask in the glow of their accomplishments. To Haymon, that's what a successful manager should be about. "The stars are the fighters and, personally, I think it takes away from the sport when managers and promoters steal away attention from these talented young men, who do something very dangerous for a living," Haymon said. We at the Boxing Writers Association of America understand Haymon's aversion to being the center of attention. Quite frankly, that's refreshing. Nevertheless, his fighters had one fine 2005, and that's why he will receive the Al Buck Award as Manager of the Year. Whether the preferred title is manager, advisor or consultant, nobody was more deserving of high recognition for what he accomplished than Haymon, who has joined such legendary managers as Gil Clancy, Angelo Dundee, Eddie Futch, Lou Duva, Yancey Durham and Emanuel Steward to have won the Al Buck Award. The honor, named after the renowned New York Post boxing scribe, was created in 1967. It's not necessarily bestowed each year. "I'm extremely humbled and very proud to be a recipient of this award," Haymon said. "I can only thank the group of young men I've had the pleasure to work with along with my hard-working staff. I also want to thank my brother, Bobby, who was a fighter and taught me this sport when I was a young man." Our members extended the honor to Haymon because in 2005 he advised some of the sport's elite names. His superstar clients included Floyd Mayweather Jr., Jermain Taylor and Antonio Tarver. Haymon also worked with a slew of other big names. Haymon advised former welterweight champ Vernon Forrest (our 2002 Edward Neil Award winner as Fighter of the Year), whom Haymon credits with getting him involved as a boxing advisor, former cruiserweight champ Vassiliy Jirov (participant in our 2003 Harry Markson Award-winning Fight of the Year) and heavyweight champion Lamon Brewster. Haymon's stable also included heavyweights Audley Harrison and Chris Arreola, super middleweights Librado Andrade and Enrique Ornelas, welterweights Andre Berto and Paul Williams and junior welterweight Lorenzo Reynolds. "This honor is a tribute to the talented fighters that I've had an opportunity to work with," Haymon said. "I really have to defer the credit to them because their accomplishments obviously were significant enough for people to look all the way down the totem pole and find me there. But clearly the glory goes to them because there's no more individual sport than boxing. ""When you work with quality young men like this, it's hard not to be successful because they're so talented." |
Al Buck Award 1967 -- Gil Clancy 1968 -- Angelo Dundee 1969 -- Yancey Durham 1970 -- Dick Sadler 1971 -- Yancey Durham 1972 -- Paddy Flood, Gregorio Benitez 1973 -- Gil Clancy 1974 -- Herbert Muhammad 1975 -- Eddie Futch 1976 -- Bob Biron 1977 -- Bill Slayton 1978 -- Richie Giachetti 1979 -- Angelo Dundee 1980 -- Emanuel Steward 1981 -- Janks Morton, Michael Trainer 1982 -- Howard Albert, Carlos Espada, Emile Griffith 1983 -- Goody and Pat Petronelli 1984 -- Lou Duva 1985 -- Dave Gorman, Paul Reyes 1986 -- Jim Jacobs 1987 -- Bill Cayton 1988 -- Kevin Rooney 1989 -- Emanuel Steward 1990 -- Shelly Finkel 1991 -- Al Certo 1992 -- Rock Newman 1993 -- Lou Duva, Shelly Finkel 1994 -- George Foreman 1995 -- Fred and Stanly Levin 1997 -- Pat Lynch 1998 -- Floyd Mayweather Sr. 1999 -- Panos Eliades, Frank Maloney 2000 -- Felix Trinidad Sr. 2001 -- Ricardo Maldonado Sr. 2002 -- Norman Stone, Klaus-Peter Kohl 2004 -- Bernard Hopkins 2005 -- Al Haymon |
|
|
©2004 - 2008 Boxing Writers Association of America. All rights reserved. |
||