by Mike Toone, editor
James DeAngelo, film correspondent
Click here to read Part 1.

Kelly Perine, an actor, and friend was one of the first celebrities Jim met at the Playboy Press Release. They did not meet at the Playboy mansion. It seems the ride to the land of Playboy Mansion started in a church parking lot on Wilshire Blouvard in Beverly Hills. It was there invited guests parked, and took a shuttle over to Hef’s Home. This was fitting. The Playboy Mansion was the setting for a good deed, starting off at a church just seemed to fill the bill. The host of celebrities involved making the event a success helped to bear this out.

Kelly shared an agent with Jim, and they crossed acting paths in the past. Kelly now stars in a television show called "One On One". Prior to that a few of his parts were in "Between Brothers, Drew Carey Show, Seinfield, Mad About You etc". He talks about what it is like to be a commodity, how to market yourself, and take care of business. He is, in his chosen career, a fighter. He was there to show support for boxers, as people do for his acting work.

In that same thought was actor Danny Trejo presence. He is perhaps best known for his movie work in "Con Air, Dusk Till Dawn, Heat, and Death Wish 4" to name just a few. Not so well known are Danny’s encounters with the law as a youth. In time Trejo found solace in boxing, and did become a Golden Glove. In time he learned one thing for sure. To stay out of trouble he had to get involved in helping others. He also learned he needed to make a living. Life, as it sometimes does, presented an opportunity for him to do both. Actually boxing paved the way. Trejo needed a job; a film director needed a boxer. A career for Danny was born. When not doing films he works with youth gangs in the Los Angeles area. Today he was here to help those who chose a career that once helped him.

Of course there were more than just actors, boxers and press people at the gathering. There was the Chicago born Hugh Hefner. A fighter in his own right, and very successful in his chosen field. When his employer, Esquire magazine, moved to New York City he stayed in Chicago. On a kitchen table he put together a test magazine called "Playboy". He never had to find new work again. There was also a local sculpture/artist named Mike Morris. His contribution served a few purposes. He crafted a bronze sculpture of Mike Tyson. It was presented as a gift to "Hef" for opening up his home. In addition to the original sculpture Mr. Morris created nine more duplicates. They are going up for bid with all proceeds to go to the Retired Boxers Foundation. For more information on the sculpture, and why Mike Tyson was chosen for the statue, plus a chance to bid on the artwork go to the Retired Boxers website and look under press releases. Also at this site many photos are provided of those in attendance at the Playboy Press Release.

As I mentioned in Part One of "Gloves Still On" women have become involved in the sport of boxing. Of course the fight is not always in the ring. Sometimes the real battle is fighting the mounds of paper work to get anything done. For that a gladiator was needed and found by Alex Ramos who created the Retired Boxers Fund. Jacqueline L. Richardson joined forces with Alex in 1998. She is now the Executive Director of the RBF. You won’t see the gloves, but they are there. Worn on the heart.

Inside the ring battling women are catching on. It is the same skills, same ability, and same intensity shared by boxers, and those that enjoy boxing, worldwide. Joining the celebrities at the Playboy Mansion is Mia St. John. She has crammed a lot into her young life but her biggest professional pleasure is boxing. In the style of Tae Kwon Do she is known as the "Queen of Four Rounders". In this type of fight moving fast is essential. Four rounds go by real quick. Considering St. John has had twelve wins, seven knockouts, and no losses, I would say she is the Queen. She also is well aware of the down side to boxing. For many participants it is a relationship of love and hate.

For too many it is a relationship that goes nowhere.

It has been mentioned by some interviewed that boxing is a business. In fact it is a big business. The latest statistics have shown that over $219 million was made just from Pay Per View (PPV) in 1999. That is just the tip of the boxing iceberg of money. No sport or sports exhibit relies just on people tuning in on television. Of course one can’t ignore it helps when the money generated from advertisement revenues add up. Now we are talking big bucks. Then there is money at the gate, film reruns of the bout, and the selling of merchandise. One way or the other the promoters of boxing make their money. You don’t think some of those million dollar purses comes from charity do you? Money makes money but very little goes to those that make boxing happen. By that I mean the boxers.

Don "The Dragon" Wilson is a kick boxing legend. He has seen the money go everywhere, but to boxers. He was lending his backing at the Playboy Press Release. According to Mr. Wilson boxers have no one representing them after the fight. Only a few make the millions of dollars, yet many fight. What happens when those ring days are over? No organization cares but the Retired Boxing Foundation.

Jeremy Williams is a relatively young heavyweight in the boxing sport, or should I say business. With 34 KO’s in 37 wins he knows a thing or two about his profession. He also knows what his future looks like. If he left the sport of boxing what he has now, is all he has. No medical, retirement, or anything but the memories of past fights. He is well aware that memories are tough to eat. Some of the solution to this is in the hope that the Retired Boxers Foundation gives to boxers worldwide.

There were many speeches and punches thrown, with words and not gloves. Words that hit hard, words that spoke volumes. Words that came from one’s heart, in hope of reaching other hearts. Not an easy task in the boxing profession. There is much to be done in the world of boxing. It is a world wide sport dominated by the young. What reader thought about rights, insurance, retirement, etc. when young? Young boxers saw a chance to shine, or fail, in a ring. They grabbed it, as I would of, at the moment offered. A thought that many of us have learned in time only pays off for a few. No matter what the profession. I feel it is safe to say the biggest challenge to boxing is changing the mindset of boxers, fans, promoters, endorsers, etc. Nobody goes into the ring of life a loser. None should leave it that way. Boxing needed a spokesperson. They found it in Alex Ramos. The man has heart and believes in words like dignity and respect. He was, and will always be, a boxer.

As I wrote in the first part of this article boxing has been around for over 6,000 years. So has some of the thinking. Alex, and many others hope to change this. Keep the sport as it is. Just throw in dignity and respect to all the workers that make it happen.