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Vinny’s Views: A Tribute to Aaron “The Hawk” Pryor (1955-2016)

IMG_7653By Vinny “Glory Days” Lucci

With deep regret I’m writing about the passing of the great Aaron Pryor this past Sunday morning, October 10th as confirmed by his widow Frankie Pryor. “The Hawk” passed on in a hospice where he was fighting heart disease since this past July. The champion had fists of fury that would land with unbridled precision as they rained in from every conceivable direction and angle, both high and low. His windmill style of leading with his chin behind an onslaught of piston like flurries resembled a Gatling Gun on two legs instead of a tripod.

Often compared to the great Henry Armstrong for his unique ability to get inside the pocket quickly and neutralizing his foes reach with a tornado of punches that whirled around a foe like a plastic bag in a windstorm. In a 24’ square ring his opponent simply had nowhere to hide. Pryor was relentless from the first bell to last beguiling fans with perpetual motion. His fluidity in rapid fire succession of combos also quickly endeared himself to writers and historians alike. Yes, there is a whole lot to report other than he became champion at 24, and left us too soon at 60.

Aaron first laced up the gloves at age thirteen. In 1975, he was a talented amateur who garnished attention by winning the Silver Medal at the Pan American Games. In 1976, he had beaten Thomas Hearns in the National Golden gloves lightweight finals, but lost to Howard Davis, JR. for a birth at Olympic trails. He was selected as an alternative on the U.S. Olympic Boxing team. It must have been pure heartache to watch John Tate, Leon Spinks, his brother Michael, Ray Leonard, Leo Randolph, and the late Howard Davis, JR. win Gold Medals and start their careers off with network contracts guaranteeing financial stability in the cold hearted never forgiving world of professional boxing. His amateur record read 204 wins against just 16 losses.

Buddy LaRosa managed the highly energetic kid from the start and without much fanfare took him to a 24 and 0 record as a lightweight prodigy. Early frustrations mounted as Pryor quickly became a feared hired gun to avoid in the ring. The top talent at 135 pounds were avoiding him. The late great Gil Clancy then a match maker as well as trainer and sports commentator, offered “The Hawk” a shot at the junior welterweight title against the favored champion Antonio Cervantes if he was willing to rise five pounds and take on the long time legend which Pryor eagerly accepted. As his usual style of coming out like the house was on fire, Aaron went after the champ with a vengeance and a mission to punish him for the disrespect shown him by being ignored by lightweight champions Jim Watt and Hilmer Kenty. With the WBA belt on the line, Pryor stopped the game champion in the fourth round and a legend was born.

He went on to defend that belt nine times with network or cable coverage including two superstar bouts against the all-time great Alexis Arguello. He had a brief retirement exhausted at keeping his own pace in the ring with the WBA’S mandatory rules back then that their belt be defended every six months. At this point, the IBF was in its infancy and looking for established names to fill their champion slots. Aaron vacated his title to fight for the IBF strap against Nicky Furlano and was back in action with a new belt. He defended that one successfully against Gary Hinton but appeared to fall off the radar with everyone from his camp to the networks and fans.

Somewhere along the primrose path to success Aaron needed the comfort of an escape from the grueling pace of fisticuffs and unfortunately found himself immersed in the seedy underworld of drug abusers. After a long two year absence he returned to fight welterweight Bobby Joe Young. The added seven pounds didn’t fit well on Pryor’s body and it was quickly evident he hadn’t fully prepared for his comeback. Young wasn’t a world class foe, but was a talent to be reckoned with nonetheless. Bobby stopped Aaron by TKO in seven rounds. Over the next three years, he’d fight three more times stopping unrecognizable names in ten rounder’s before hanging up the gloves for good. In between this period he had been arrested for drug paraphernalia and residue. His apparent addiction of choice was smoking Crack Cocaine. He pleaded no contest and was ordered to complete two years of drug treatment.

The hard knocks continued to hit a good man when he was down. As if his personal demons and addiction weren’t enough, he formed a severe cataract and detached retina which were operated on just prior to his second to last bout. The Nevada medical advisory board declared him legally blind in his left eye and refused to license him to fight in their state. Both California and New York honored the ban. His last fight was in the state of Wisconsin who arranged for him to sign a waiver releasing the state of any liability if he was injured in that match. Pryor finished his career with a 39-1, 35 KO’s record coming from the orthodox chainsaw who like many before him was a comet that nobody including himself could keep up with.

His career came with several blemishes of unfavored notoriety, most notably his fight of the year against the great Arguello. In a see-saw battle of truly epic proportions, it appeared late in the thirteenth round, that Alexis was finally gaining an edge in his quest for then unprecedented fourth title. In between rounds, the HBO cameras caught Pryor’s trainer Panama Lewis asking for a mysterious little black bottle that “he mixed.” Nothing is allowed in corner besides drinking water. Nothing! Pryor came out of his corner when the bell rang renewed and energized after nearly being beheaded just two minutes earlier. To those that witnessed the carnage or study a replay believe he ingested some type of stimulants. His corner would make several lame excuses that is was peppermint schnapps and club soda. Lewis was later banned from boxing for life for having removed the horse hair padding inside his fighter Luis Resto’s gloves in a bout where he savagely beat a promising young fighter named Billy Collins into retirement before his career ever took off. Arguello was stunned with shots that drove him to the ropes. There Pryor unleashed pure hell in a two fisted flurry that was knocking the legend senseless. Twenty nine punches later the bout was stopped by a very tardy Stanley Christodoulou as Arguello laid prone on the canvas for several minutes with ringside spectators fearing the worst. Later many scribes and fans alike who fell out of love with Pryor during his hazy drug days and absence from the ring believed Nicky Furlano deserved the nod in their fight.

Pryor was knocked down several times in his career but always rose to take on the challenge and win. Life was no different as he finally kicked the monkey on his back to the curb in 1993, and remained clean the remainder of his life. “The Hawk” was elected into the Boxing Hall of Fame in 1996. Besides his wife, he is survived by three children Aaron, JR., Antwan Harris, and Elizabeth Wagner, along with three grandsons.

It is estimated that he earned between 4 and 5 million during his title reign. Huge money bouts with Saoul Mamby, Ray Mancini, and Ray Leonard failed to materialize for varied reasons. He balked at a half million payday that was offered by the Leonard camp to move up seven pounds. He was prepared to cash a million dollar check in a unification match with Mamby but the bouts promoter Harold Smith had disappeared amid allegations he embezzled 21. 3 million from Wells Fargo National Bank as his source of revenues to pay for the fights he was promoting. Another million dollar payday fell by the wayside when Mancini was stopped by Livingstone Bramble. Throughout it all Pryor remained upbeat and sullen at the same time. He was an enigma that could talk as fast as his fists always honest and quotable. On his best nights he was nothing less than electrifying and in the glorious era of the 80’s surrounded by legends and icons he made an everlasting name for himself. Considered one of the greatest junior welterweights who ever laced up leather and today favorably compared with the immortals.

I can still hear his war cry in training resonate in my mind’s eye and reverberate through my soul….”What time is it?”………………..”Hawk time!”

Rest easy champ…

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