SHADES OF OPERATION MATCHBOX
Peter McKinn
San Francisco, CA– When you look at the things that promoter Peter McKinn did to Joe Diaz, supposedly trying to hire people to burn down his house, and the years of Diaz not being able to train fighters that led to the shutdown of his Phoenix, AZ gym, to me it was beyond despicable. Of course this was all based on documents Forged by McKinn that also led to the sidelining an an aged “Yory Boy” Campas. In 2009, McKinn was charged in a Maricopa County Grand Jury Indictment with five felony counts: Count 1 Theft (Class 3), Count 2 Fraudulent Schemes and Artifices (Class 2), Count 3 Forgery (Class 4), Count 4 Perjury (Class 4), and Count 5 Conspiracy to Commit Theft (Class 3).
PROBATION “CLAUSE” REDUCED FELONY CHARGES
After the jail time, paying fines and restitution, any Felony charges McKinn had were all reduced to Misdemeanors. To me, this is like the difference between six and a half dozen. He committed Felonies certainly, but officially now Peter McKinn is not a Felon. To that we say congratulations for having completed your probation.
SHADES OF OPERATION MATCHBOX 2
Look, these people have a lot of money and they are threatening me left and right. Next it’ll be John Montano claiming he didn’t lose a court case against the World Boxing Organization. To be clear, Mr. Montano promoted title fights under the North American Boxing Organization banner, an arm of the WBO and something a jury found to be illegal. So as to whether he technically embezzled, misappropriated funds, whatever, a jury in Puerto Rico said he had NO RIGHT to do so and ordered him and two others to pay the $200 grand to the WBO.
NOBODY SAYS THESE ARE NICE PEOPLE
Favio Flores remembers the “Arizona Guys” surrounding me at a Central California fight card topped by Floyd Mayweather many years ago. It hasn’t changed, physical intimidation, people in Phoenix boxing still running scared, me looking over my shoulder, it’s time to just get out.
HOWARD COSELL SAID “YOU CANNOT CLEAN DIRT”
There was a chance when the Justice Dept. had Bob Arum’s Top Rank in their gun sights, that
The “Face of Boxing”
boxing would have exposed in a major trial and after that, well, who knows. But we never got to trial. Two FBI agents who were part of the Operation Matchbox case murdered somebody for the Mob, and the Fed’s threw the baby out with the bath water.
JOURNALISTS UNDER ATTACK
In closing, if it has gotten to the point where “public” people can’t be called “fleas,” we’re screwed as a country as this is certainly an indictment of the First Amendment rights given to journalists. Thus, after years of pounding my head against the wall trying to get some sense of decency in boxing, all you bad guys out there, I’m done! While I found it hard, but managable, to deal with real life criminals as a Policeman, boxing…it’s just so soiled that maybe Cosell was right.
THOUGHT AL HAYMON MIGHT CLEAN UP BOXING
I thought Superfly Al Haymon wanted to straighten out boxing, that he was going to be the savior of boxing. Why am I always trying to put a positive face on what amounts to, “The Joker” of sports.
Pedro Fernandez
Note: Mr. Fernandez is an award-winning writer, TV commentator, radio talk show host, former San Francisco Policeman and four-time Golden Gloves champion, who also pens feature stories for the R & B band Tower of Power. Comments regarding this submission can be left below.
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