The Online Portfolio Of A.J. Dugger III
  • Home
  • Cover Stories & TV Appearances
  • Gallery Of Work
  • Books
  • Celebrity Interviews
  • Awards
  • Blog
  • Contact Info
  • Forum

Spring 2012 Updates

4/1/2012

0 Comments

 
A lot has happened since the last time I sat down to write a blog. I'm going to take more steps into video blogging, but that doesn't mean that I'm going to abandon writing. I was born a writer and will be a writer until they put me in the ground. But before I get into that, there's some recent events I want to talk about.

Picture

                        Deaths In Boxing

In one of my previous blogs, I wrote about my experience of interviewing the NAACP Freedom Riders. At the same time, I was grieving over the death of Smokin' Joe Frazier (not my dog, but the former heavyweight champ). As far as boxing goes, we've had other shocking deaths over the past month. Muhammad Ali's trainer Angelo Dundee died at 90 years old. I was unhappy to hear about this naturally, but it didn't surprise me. In fact, when his wife died over a year ago, I felt Dundee would definitely leave us sooner than later because of heartbreak and old age. It's sad that he left us. Angelo was a terrific human being, but my opinion on his training still stands. He wasn't a great trainer, but more of a motivator. Muhammad Ali trained himself. He invented his own style, taking the speed of a light heavyweight and adapting it to his 6'3 heavyweight frame. Only Muhammad Ali could fight with his hands down low and not get punished for it often. No disrespect to Dundee, who also trained Jimmy Ellis, Sugar Ray Leonard, George Foreman and others, but in this writer's opinion, he was far from being one of the best trainers in the sport.

Less than a week ago, Bert Sugar passed away from lung cancer at 75. The ironic thing is that I never once saw Bert smoke those cigars he always had in his hand. My wife and I joked that it was just a prop. But evidently he was smoking them away from the cameras, which could likely be the reason for the lung cancer.

The deaths of Frazier, Sugar and Dundee hurt. Yes, they were all getting up in age, but they were still active within the boxing community. They were still giving interviews and appearing on TV programs, reflecting on past fights and commenting on the poor state of heavyweight boxing today. When they spoke, I hung on to every word. It was always a pleasure to hear their perspective on different boxing topics. On that note, Ron Lyle passed away shortly after Joe Frazier did. No one will forget the brutal, hard punching showdown he had with George Foreman in the late 1970s. Butch Lewis died a few months ago as well. A lot of boxing legends are peeling off and it's really sad to see.

                    Tua Hangs Up The Gloves

Picture
Just a few days ago, I got another shocker. My favorite boxer, David Tua, officially decided to hang up the gloves. I have mixed emotions about this; feelings of frustration and relief all at once. David is my favorite fighter because of the explosive punching power and relentless aggression he showcased during his prime. 

I've blogged enough about David Tua in the past so I'll just say this....I'm not entirely happy that he's retired, although it's the best option for him. Seriously, if he can't beat Monte Barrett in two fights or knock out a low level contender like Demetrice King, can any sane person picture the lethargic, overweight David Tua of 2012 defeating either of the Klitschkos for a world title? No sir. However, Hasim Rahman still calls out David Tua quite often. He's desperate for a rubber match with the Tuaman. I'd like to see them get it on for a third time. Meanwhile, Evander Holyfield has done moderately well against guys like Brian Neilson and Francis Botha, but could he withstand the devastating power of David Tua? We'll never know unless they fight. Obviously, there are still a few washed up name fighters out there for Tua that could draw a big gate. But I've heard that Tua is homeless and heartbroken over his wife Robina leaving him. My heart goes out to the guy. I just hate that after the 20-year career he's had, he doesn't have a world title or money to show for it. 

                          Goodbye, Whitney

Picture
We lost Whitney Houston two months ago. It was a sad shock, but I don't feel cheated by her death. The reason? I've always supported Whitney, even when the rest of the world didn't. She released a dynamite album in 2003 with some solid grooves on it. Her voice sounded phenomenal as usual. Despite having songs produced by Ronald Isley and Babyface, no one cared about the album and it sunk without a trace. I was the only person I knew that had the album. Most people were writing Whitney off as a crack addict, not even giving the music a chance. The same thing happened in 2009, when she released another terrific album. Again, it seems like everyone ignored the album except me. Now that Whitney's deceased, everyone wants a piece of the pie. People are going to finally check out her last two albums--music I've been listening to and blasting in my truck for years. It's sad that Whitney's gone, but her death still doesn't quite add up. Regardless, unlike many of her "fans," I supported her while she was here. 

Last but not least, my last blog was a video where I was giving advice to aspiring journalists. I think I'm finally going to take my own advice and get more involved in this digital era that we live in. I'm somewhat against video blogging because everyone is doing it. It seems like everybody is talking in front of their cell phone or web cam  while filming themselves. It's not really my cup of tea. But at the same time, I'm a journalist. It's expected of me to do things like this. 

Writing is and always will be the most important thing; it's the very skill that brought me to the dance. The most important thing in journalism is your content. But I think I'll become more vocal with videos, especially when I encounter a celebrity. I've got some things planned that I can't wait to share with everyone. Stay tuned. Same Dugger time, same Dugger Channel! 
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Picture
    Award-Winning Journalist A.J. Dugger III

    Promote Your Page Too

    Author

    A.J. Dugger is an Award-Winning Television and Print & Media Journalist.

    He appears as a crime analyst on the TV-One crime series, For My Man, and is the author of three books: Black Journals,  the horror anthology SoUtHeRn TeRrOr, and The Dealers: Then and Now, the sensational story of his mother and uncles' career as a funk band.

    The Dealers: Then and Now

    Promote Your Page Too

    Enter your email address:

    Delivered by FeedBurner

    RSS Feed

    Categories

    All
    2002
    2011
    2012
    Andre Bishop
    Angelo Dundee
    Anxiety
    Baritone
    Barrett
    Bass
    Bel Biv DeVoe
    Bert Sugar
    Bipolar
    Bipolar Disorder
    Bite
    Blog
    Bloodsport
    Bluffington
    Bobby Brown
    Bolo Yeung
    BOXING
    Bruce Williamson
    Butch Lewis
    Chong Li
    Chuck Lane
    Curl
    David
    David Tua
    David Tua Retire
    Death
    Deontay Wilder
    Donald Ho
    Doug Funnie
    Ear
    Earnie Shavers
    Evander Holyfield
    Fabricate
    Facebook
    Falsetto
    Fight To Survive
    Forest Whitaker
    Frank Dileo
    Frank Dux
    Fraud
    Freelance
    George Foreman
    Ghostwrite
    Hair
    Haye
    Invincible
    Jack Dempsey
    Jack Johnson
    Jackson
    Jean-Claude Van Damme
    Jheri
    Jimmy Jam And Terry Lewis
    Joe
    Joe Frazier
    Joe Herndon
    Joe Louis
    Johnny Gill
    Journalism
    Judy Funnie
    Justin Timberlake
    Kickboxer
    Knockout
    Kumite
    Larry Holmes
    Lennox Lewis
    Martial Arts
    Max Baer
    Mentally Ill
    Michael
    Michael Jackson
    Michael Spinks
    Mike Tyson
    Mills Lane
    Miss. Wingo
    Monte
    Monte Barrett
    Moonwalker
    Muhammad Ali
    New Edition
    New Jack Swing
    Nickelodeon
    On My Own
    Otis Williams
    Paco
    Patti Mayonnaise
    Phil Funnie
    Porkchop
    Principal Lamar Bone
    Privacy
    Ralph Tresvant
    Razor Ruddock
    Rematch
    Review
    Ricardo Morra
    Rocky Marciano
    Roger Klotz
    Ron Lyle
    Ron Tyson
    Sensitivity
    Skeeter Valentine
    Smash Adams
    Sonny Liston
    Southern Terror
    Stan Bush
    Stephen Glass
    Still Here
    Sumo
    Teen Nick
    Tenor
    Terry Weeks
    Theismann
    The Making Of Thriller
    The Tempations
    Thriller
    Timeline
    Tnr
    Tommy Morrison
    Tua
    Undisputed
    Victory
    Video Blog
    Vitali
    Wave
    What If?
    Whitney Houston
    Wig
    Wladimir

    Archives

    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    February 2013
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.