Please use the form below to contact RSR’s Feature Writers/Photographers:

Mike “Rubber Warrior” Plunkett – RSR Message Board Moderator & Feature Writer – Canada

Mike “Rubber Warrior” Plunkett comes to us from The Great White North – Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

As a young child in the 70’s, Mike found boxing to be a positive outlet, attending a gym for the first time shortly after watching a replay of Ali/Frazier III on Wide World of Sports. Eschewing conventional team sports, he was particularly fascinated by the array of different personalities, the discipline and character required for two men to put all on the line, for the sake of pride, glory and as a means of making a living.

Decades later, with the advent of cable, PPV, and the World Wide Web, Mike finds himself linked to a vast community that shares the same love and fascination for the most difficult of all sports.

Among his favorite matches are Marvin Hagler Vs Thomas Hearns, Bernard Hopkins Vs Felix Trinidad, Evander Holyfield Vs Mike Tyson and, of course, the Muhammad Ali Vs Joe Frazier trilogy.

As of 2006, Mike has been working in the Telecom Industry for 21 years, initially as a field technician, and more recently as an Operations Director for a respected service distributor. With his new important role as RSR’s “Man in Charge” of the Message Board, look for some very big things in the months to come in the various forums.

Brian Wilbur – Feature Writer – California

Brian graduated from the University of California, Davis in 2005 with a degree in Biochemistry and a minor in Economics. His love for boxing came at an early age, appreciating both the explosive punchers, like Naseem Hamed, and the boxers who have perfected the art of the sweet science, like Pernell Whitaker.

According to him, there is nothing more intense than the moments leading up to an anticipated marquee fight. Brian has been following boxing for over 10 years and in addition to writing for Ringside Report has worked as a boxing correspondent for the Sacramento Bee.

His areas of expertise include today’s boxing scene as well as the vast history of the Heavyweight division. Brian is now working at a pharmaceutical company and lives in Sacramento, California.

Gina L. Caliboso – Feature Writer – California

Gina’s love for boxing started with Sugar Ray Leonard. “We were the only family with cable TV so we hosted great fight parties. My earliest memories include the fights between Sugar Ray Leonard and Roberto Duran and then Thomas “The Hitman” Hearns.” Now, Gina finds herself a fan of Manny Pacquiao, “Being Filipino, there’s a great deal of pride to see him succeed and rejuvenate the boxing scene with such speed and power!”

Although her earliest memories are of boxing, Gina has been practicing her own brand of mixed martial arts at a school in Santa Monica, California, where she also teaches. In 10 years, she still practices Jun Fan/Jeet Kune Do, Muay Thai, Kali, Savate, and now Grappling. She has also earned a Level 2 Certificate in Muay Thai from the Thai Boxing Association and also a Blue Glove in Savate. Gina advocates the warrior and spiritual mentality of the martial arts. She believes that a fighter must show respect, intelligence, and integrity in and outside of the ring or octagon.

In addition to boxing, Gina also follows MMA. Her favorite fighters include Gina Carano, Cris Cyborg, Forrest Griffin, Anderson Silva, Chuck Liddell, BJ Penn, and George St. Pierre. When not living and breathing martial arts, Gina enjoys spinning and practices yoga.

Gina’s to do list includes getting certified in scuba, testing for Level 3 Muay Thai for Instructor, and writing a detective novel. Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, Gina graduated from Cal-State Dominguez Hills with a BA in History and a Minor in English.

Gary “Digital” Williams – Feature Writer – Maryland

Gary is a veteran boxing writer who has covered the DMV professional boxing scene for the last 25 years.  He was inducted into the DC Boxing Hall of Fame in November 2009 and currently covers the professional local boxing scene for his very popular website “Boxing Along The Beltway.”

Gary will now extend his coverage of the amateur local boxing scene to RSR  in his brand new column:  Gary “Digital” Williams’ Amateur Pulse

Jeff Stoyanoff – Feature Writer – California

Jeff has been doing two things for quite a long time, going to school and watching boxing. He has a BA in Broadcast Journalism from Columbia College as well as an MA in Psychology from Pepperdine University. He has been fascinated by boxing since he first started watching fights way back when fights were actually televised on weekend afternoons. After that, it was watching every incarnation of boxing programming that came on the air.

“I suppose I have favorite fighters, but I just have so much respect for the courage and commitment required to box that I end up admiring all of them.” Writing about boxing has been little more than a hobby for Jeff for some time. He is deeply interested in all aspects of the sport; everything from History to social impact outside the ring to analysis of results in the ring.

Predictably, Jeff is currently pursuing an MA in History. He remains confident that he will eventually hit the right degree. In the meantime, it’s school and boxing.

Joe Wilson – Feature Writer – Texas

Joe grew up in a city just one hour outside of Houston, Texas. He moved to Dallas immediately after High School and lived there for several years. Joe was always a natural born artist from his childhood days. His studies included Computer Aided Design and Graphic Design in College. After completing both fields of Study he decided to try his hand at acting. While living in Dallas Joe found an agent, took several acting classes and workshops along with holding down a full time job. Shortly afterwards he started auditioning for movie roles. He was given the opportunity to act in 3 film projects. The biggest film was playing a Miami Shark’s Assistant Coach in the football movie “Any Given Sunday” starring Al Pacino, directed by Oliver Stone. Joe was given the honor to work side-by-side with an All-Star cast including; Al Pacino, Jamie Foxx, LL Cool J, Dennis Quaid, Jim Brown, Cameron Diaz and James Woods to name a few.

In 2003, he and his family relocated to Phoenix, AZ. Joe worked as an Account Executive in Mortgage Banking. During that time he was also a member of the 2005 and 2006 Phoenix Film Festival Viewing Committee. Joe started writing short stories after he stopped auditioning for movie roles. Writing became his hobby of choice. Over the next five years, he spent a lot of time traveling between Phoenix and Southern California mostly around Irvine and San Diego area. Those trips were mainly work related being that his Mortgage Corporate Office was located there. He also had relatives living in Los Angeles and a couple of actor friends living in West Hollywood. So, when he wasn’t working, he spent time in Los Angeles and around Hollywood, including the studios.

Joe admitted even then, he very seldom missed a boxing match. He has always been a big fan of boxing. While living in Phoenix, anytime there was a boxing event televised, he was always tuned in… free or PPV. There were several venues around Phoenix that showcased boxing events! He always thought being in those venues were the next best thing to being in Las Vegas watching the fights live. Usually, after most big fights he posted comments online with other boxing fans.

During the summer of 2008, Joe was transferred back to the Dallas area, by his employer and resides there today.

 

Jesse Castleman – Feature Writer – Pro Wrestling – Massachusetts

Jesse Castleman is an Endicott College graduate with a degree in Sport Management. His natural interest in sports and theatrics has translated to a deep appreciation for professional wrestling. A lifetime member of Red Sox Nation, Jesse also supports the Celtics, Patriots, Bruins, and the Netherlands national soccer team. Some of his favorite athletes include Shawn Michaels, Manny Ramirez, Bill Mueller, Ty Law, Wesley Sneijder, Zinedine Zidane, CM Punk, Chris Jericho, and the Rock. His favorite era in professional wrestling was from 1998 to 2004.

While currently residing in Hamilton, Massachusetts, Jesse is eager to deliver sport entertainment results to, and share his opinions with, Ringside Report visitors worldwide.

Andrew Ryan – Feature Writer – Pro Wrestling – Wisconsin

Andrew Ryan was born and raised in La Crosse, WI. He is currently a senior at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse where he is majoring in Rhetoric and Writing Emphasis with a minor in Creative Writing. He became captivated by professional wrestling as a child in the mid-late 90s and consumed everything he could related to the sport. He has a deep passion for the history of the business and is highly interested in its politics and inner workings. His favorite wrestling promotion of all-time is the original ECW.

A few of his all-time favorite wrestlers include Terry Funk, Tommy Dreamer, Steve Austin, The Crusher and Mitsuharu Misawa. Some of his other interests include: poker, boxing, MMA, football, baseball, writing, watching television, animals and spending time with his dog, cat, family and girlfriend.

Eric Fleming – Lead Photographer – Maryland

Eric Fleming has been involved with photography for roughly 30 years now and loves it just as much as when he started as a young teenager. He started at Bladensburg High School in Bladensburg, Maryland, where he worked on the school newspaper and Yearbook Staff. During that time, he photographed all Varsity sports to include, Basketball, Football, Wrestling, and Track and Field. Even back then, he was shooting rising stars such as Thurl Bailey who at the time was a senior. Bailey was on the NCAA championship team at NC State University and went on to play professional basketball for the Utah Jazz.

Fleming’s portfolio includes various social events such as the Congressional Black Caucus, National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty and other Corporate Events. It also includes stock photography of, landscapes, nature, and architectural. He has done professional shootings for weddings, family social events such as portraits, birthday and anniversary celebrations.

Eric is also an avid Jazz fan and has photographed many artists such as Joe Sample, Jeff Lorber, George Duke, and Jonathan Butler.

Now we come to the really fun part for him. Fleming, loves the sport of Boxing and has watched it since he was a child. His favorite boxer of all time is Muhammad Ali. In Eric’s words, “He showed the world that it was okay to be “Black and Proud” and not be ashamed of who you are and to stand up/behind your convictions no matter what.”

The most memorable moment in boxing for Fleming, and the most tragic, was watching the Duk Koo Kim vs. Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini fight. Tragically after an all out war, Kim would pay the ultimate price when he passed away shortly after from sustained ring injuries.

Fleming is excited to put his skills to work at RSR which will truly highlight just what this amazing photographer can do behind a camera lens…

Comments or questions are welcome.

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