Delen Parsley before fight |
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Delen Parsley before fight |
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June 5 2010 will go down as a day I watched two people I genuinely care about lose their fights; James Moore and Yuri Foreman. That’s the bad news. The good news is they both fought with tremendous courage and pride and neither one of them gave up. The first thing they teach you at the University of Missouri School of Journalism is to never get involved with the people your photographing or filming on any level, period. I’ve not only believed it but I’ve told scores of other photographers and filmmakers the same thing. What a hypocrite I must be, I did everything I could do not to get close to either one of these guys. Even though the relationships are radically different, I would’ve loved to had seen them succeed in their goals. Success is a good thing. Winning is a good thing but I guess we all have to learn from our non successes. I can’t use the f word because failure is not an option- it’s never an option. I’ve spent 5 years working with Harry Keitt, James Moore, Yuri Foreman and several other very bright, talented people.
I remember Floyd Patterson beating Ingemar Johansson, then it was Cautious Clay (Muhammad Ali) against Sonny Liston. I think a lot of people will remember this fight- Yuri Foreman against Miguel Cotto. As most of you know, I’ve been working 5 years on a documentary and Yuri Foreman is the main protagonist along with Harry Keitt, James Moore and several other players.There hasn’t been a fight in Yankee Stadium since 1976; Mohammad Ali against Ken Norton. In my opinion, the key to any great sport’s photograph is timing, shutter speed, timing, and yes, timing again. You study a boxer and you know he throws combinations of 3 lefts, 1 right, 2 lefts, 1 right, and then a hook to the body. You try to time it. Peak action is absolutely critical. There’s a point where a glove moving very quickly stops for a millisecond on a person’s chin. In a perfect word, that’s what your looking for. As a photographer and former photojournalist, you’re not supposed to root but that’s hard not to do. On the evening of June 5th, I’d love to see 2 people win, James Moore and Yuri Foreman. A simplification of
You have to know that most people do not want to go to the hospital and visit. Let’s be honest, there isn’t a whole lot you can do or say and most people would rather be having a cup of coffee or maybe a Jameson’s straight up. Hell, maybe they would rather be sparing 2-3 rounds with somebody, but nobody really wants to go to the hospital. What a pleasant surprise when my dear friend James Moore showed up and stayed for an hour. Everyone in the rehab gym wanted to meet James so we went down and introduced him. James is not only a great fighter and a great husband but he is one of those genuine people who really cares about his friends. He’s going to make history on June 5 in Yankee Stadium. There hasn’t been a fight held there since 1976. James will have a 10 round fight with Pawel Wolak. He’ll be leaving Brooklyn for his Pocono training camp and he will be coming to Chez DiMaggio for at least one dinner. It’s going to be a tough fight but if James fights his fight, I think he’s going to be victorious. When he digs in a right hand to the body, my teeth shake and I’m 15 feet away. He’s very strong and tough and he’s got a heart of gold. Good Luck James.