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A18   SPORTS
                  Thursday 9 March 2017
                  Boxing Hall of Famer Lou Duva dies at 94, handled 19 champs



            PATERSON, N.J. (AP) — Lou                                                                                           Duva for almost 60 years.
            Duva,  the  Boxing  Hall  of                                                                                        “Lou  always  made  me
            Famer  who  handled  the                                                                                            feel  like  I  was  a  special
            careers  of  19  champions                                                                                          person,” Hascup said. “He
            including  heavyweight  ti-                                                                                         was a great story teller who
            tlist Evander Holyfield, died                                                                                       kept everyone captivated
            Wednesday. He was 94.                                                                                               with  his  stories.  He  was  an
            The  colorful  Duva  died  of                                                                                       icon in the sport of boxing,
            natural  causes  at  a  hos-                                                                                        who  held  every  role  there
            pital  in  Paterson,  where                                                                                         was in the sport. I told him
            he  lived,  his  son  said  in  a                                                                                   once that the only role he
            statement released by the                                                                                           didn’t play was ring girl. He
            family.  A  gruff,  down-to-                                                                                        was  a  great  cheerleader.
            earth manager and trainer                                                                                           You knew when he was in
            who was generous with his                                                                                           a  boxer’s  corner,  psych-
            pupils, Lou Duva had a ca-                                                                                          ing that guy up. You could
            reer  that  spanned  seven                                                                                          hear him. It’s a tremendous
            decades. Besides Olympic                                                                                            loss to the sport of boxing.”
            medalists  like  Holyfield,  he                                                                                     Duva is survived by a son,
            also handled welterweight                                                                                           Dino,  and  daughters  Don-
            champions  Pernell  Whita-                                                                                          na  Duva  Brooks,  Deanne
            ker and Meldrick Taylor. His                                                                                        Boorman  and  Denise.  He
            first titlist was middleweight                                                                                      was preceded in death by
            Joey  Giardiello,  who  won                                                                                         his  wife,  Enes,  and  a  son,
            his crown in 1963.            In this June 12, 2011, file photo, Lou Duva gestures at the Boxing Hall of Fame parade in Canas-  Dan,  whose  wife,  Kathy,
            The  son  of  Italian  immi-  tota, N.Y.                                                           Associated Press  helped run Main Events.
            grants, Duva and his family                                                                                         A viewing will be held Sun-
            built the promotional com-   the  Year”  in  1985  by  the  the Year.”                 Fame and the National Ital-  day at Festa Funeral Home
            pany  Main  Events  (found-  Boxing  Writers  Association  Duva was enshrined in the  ian American Sports Hall of   in  Totowa,  with  a  funeral
            ed in 1978) into one of box-  of  America.  In  1987,  the  International Boxing Hall of  Fame.  Henry  Hascup,  the   Monday  at  St  Mary’s  Ro-
            ing’s  powerhouses.  Duva    World  Boxing  Association  Fame (1998), as well as the  president of the New Jersey   man  Catholic  Church  in
            was  voted  “Manager  of     chose  Duva  as  “Trainer  of  New  Jersey  Boxing  Hall  of  Boxing Hall of Fame, knew   Paterson.q
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