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Interview:
Rusty Rosenberger, Author & Retired Boxer: 26th
December 2003
Mediaman,
Greg Tingle, receives many requests for promotion,
interviews and the like. Once in a while we hear from
someone that we just want to give a hand to.
Rusty
Rosenberger is just that man.
We
interview Rusty about his life, the boxing business,
and his latest book, 'Unclaimed Destiny - The Heart
of a Champion'.
Rusty
pulls no punches in this tell all interview about
what the boxing business is really like!
What's
your background?
This
answer is detailed in my book.
What
led you to discover your talent for writing?
I've
always had a talent for being able to express my feelings
in letters. When I began writing my book, inspired
by an inmate I'm in charge of, whom himself has written
and had published 3 books currently, and working on
another now, who's last book was a Pulitzer prize
nominee in 2003.
What
motivates you?
My
underling promise to myself never to give up tying
to have the world know what happened to me and my
boxing career at the hands of someone I trusted completely
and to make him some how, some way stand up and take
his rightful blame for his underhanded, even criminal
tactics used on a very talented, dedicated, trustful,
young boxer, me. I REFUSE TO GIVE UP!
What
makes a champion?
A
whole bunch of ingredients, desire, dedication, being
able to face your own fears of doubt, conditioning,
stamina, athletic talent and ability, the right breaks,
luck, intelligent match making, knowing each opponents
strengths and weaknesses, most of all it's knowing
and realizing all these factors and being able to
still believe you are the best and listening to rumors
from anyone is not acceptable. Believing in yourself
through consistent training and continual training.
There are no guarantee's, you just have to put the
time in training and believe in yourself.
What
makes a great promoter?
Knowing
different fighting styles, promotions, the ability
to catch peoples attention with a catchy saying or
logo,i.e.: The Rumble in the Jungle" and knowing
how to handle different personalities of fighters
to make sure each fighter feels as though he is the
main event.
What
are your favourite sports arenas of all time?
Never
really thought about it or cared. I think my favorite
arena's would be any arena I would be fighting in.
Why
does professional boxing act as a breeding ground
for corruption?
Lots
and lots of money. Where ever and whenever you find
an event with huge sums of money, you will find corruption,
it's just a fact of life. The Mob will be there.
How does one avoid that "dark
side" of professional boxing?
Develop
a fighter that his talent is elite and then you can
call all the shots. Though the mob will be calling
upon you, you can politely tell them no thanks, but
when they want something bad enough, they usually
have the finances to convince even the stubbornness
of people to see it their way.
Did
Antonio Inoki "expose" boxing when he dominated
Mohammed Ali in that infamous match?
I'm
not sure who you are speaking about. If it was the
oriental fellow who laid on his back and tried kicking
Ali, how could you even consider that a fight. It
was more of a survival exhibition and I thought it
was stupid. If in fact he would have fought Ali on
his standing on his feet, Ali's superior fighting
ability would have shone through in the form of a
knock out.
What
weight class do you prefer to watch your boxing in,
and why?
I
can enjoy any weight class as long as they have talent
and ability. Though the lighter weights throw more
punches in combination form which is always exciting
to watch, I also like to watch the bigger men throwing
hard, powerful punches which a lot of times end up
in a spectacular knock out. If the fighters have good
techniques and know how to fight, I enjoy watching.
How
did some of Australia's greatest boxers do in the
US?
I'm
not sure, I'm not familiar with fighters from the
land down under. I do remember Joe Bugner, I think
he was from your country, he was a good enough boxer,
but your fighters need a trainer to teach them how
to fight on angles, foot fiernts and foot movement.
Slipping punches a countering before your opponent
can recover and react. What bends, what locks out,
when to turn the hips, follow through with each and
every punch. I can go on, but if you have no one with
the ability to teach this fighting style, I'm just
spinning my wheels.
What
do you see as been the next big money fight in world
boxing?
Roy
Jones Jr. vs. Mike Tyson-My pick is Jones Jr.
What
do you consider to the the highlights of your personal
and professional career?
Winning
the NJ Middleweight Championship and meeting, marring,
and being married to my wife for the past 21 years.
Book.
What
do you do to relax?
Run.
...end.
Editors
note: Rusty Rosenberger is a humble man, and I dare
say, a champion on a man. Rusty has recently released
his book, 'Unclaimed Destiny - The Heart of a Champion'.
Read it to find out more about this extraordinary
man, and the world of boxing.
About
the author of Unclaimed Destiny
Gregg
"Rusty" Rosenberger was born to be a professional
boxer. In 1979, after years of hard work and dedicated
training, he became the New Jersey State Middleweight
Champion, and a legitimate contender for the World
Title. It seemed like destiny. Then, one night before
a fight, his manager, Lou Duva, gave him some pills
to take. After that fight, neither Rusty nor his career
would ever be the same.
Rusty
is a Sergeant working in an Ohio correctional facility.
He's been married for nineteen years and has four
wonderful, intelligent, athletic sons. He loves his
family dearly, and thanks God for sending an angel
named Cindy to watch over him.
At
47 years old, he still works out on an almost daily
basis, staying in top shape. While he trains, thoughts
of what could have been, what should have been, what
WOULD have been never leave his mind. He feels that
it is important for others to know his story, to learn
from his life.
Synopsis
from the publisher of Unclaimed Destiny
In
1979, Rusty Rosenberger shocked the world by defeating
Reggie Jones to become the New Jersey Middleweight
Boxing Champion. The World Title was within his grasp--he
believed it was destiny. Then his manager slipped
him some pills before a match. How could he take the
beating that followed?
This
book is about the worst that men can do, and how a
man can stand back up and fight after he's been knocked
down. It's for anyone who's into the sport of boxing,
and especially for anyone who needs a hero. Rusty
offers a deeply personal look into the life and times
of a true contender.
Links
Articles
What
Makes a Boxing Champion, by Greg Tingle
The
Great Yankee Promoters, by Greg Tingle
The
Great Aussie Promoters, by Greg Tingle
Book
Review - Unclaimed Destiny - The Heart of a Champion
The
Shitville Pub, by Ross Renwick
Mediaman links
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