Daniels honored to enter Florida Boxing Hall of Fame
Robert Daniels was intrigued by the van picking up fellow youngsters in his Miami neighborhood. The then 8-year-old Daniels became curious about the vehicle and its occupants’ destination every weekday afternoon.
“I found out that this boxing man took the young kids to Elizabeth Virrick Gym to train,” Daniels said. “One day he asked if I wanted to join them.”
Daniels accepted the offer and only one trip to the since-razed gym in Coconut Grove convinced him that boxing would become a life companion. The minute he walked into the gym, Daniels began a journey with the sport which eventually featured multiple amateur accomplishments and the prize coveted by any professional fighter — a world championship crown.
Daniels’ career will receive special recognition the weekend of Nov. 6-8 in St. Petersburg. Daniels, 54, will be inducted into the Florida Boxing Hall of Fame.
“I am grateful and honored with the selection to the Hall of Fame,” Daniels
said. “In spite of some setbacks, I had a wonderful boxing career with memories I will always cherish.”
One distinction that stands above all was Daniels’ decision victory against Dwight Muhammad Qawi for the world cruiserweight title November 1989 in France. With the victory, Daniels became the first native Miamian to win a professional world boxing championship.
“Going into the fight, I was confident I would beat
Qawi,” Daniels said. “A lot of people underestimated me because I had never fought anyone of his caliber. That gave me a lot of motivation not only to win but to look good. With the good Lord watching over me, I was able to do both.”
Daniels made two successful title defenses before losing his belt against Bobby Czyz 15 months later. After the split-decision loss, Daniels was never granted a rematch with Czyz nor did he fight for another major organization title.
“I fought my heart out against Bobby Czyz but I blame myself for not getting the win,” Daniels said. “Around that time I was in the process of buying my first house and was not 100 percent focused. I let the house overwhelm me and it cost me.”
Daniels fought until 2007and twice won second-tier sanctioning body cruiserweight belts. Following a five-year absence, Daniels returned for one final bout and retired with a 49-10-1 record and 41 knockouts.
For Daniels, one constant throughout his amateur and professional career was the presence of trainer Dave Clark. Under Clark’s guidance, Daniels won championships at different amateur levels and made the adjustment to professional boxing, highlighted by the world title-winning performance.
“Dave was a good person, who always cared for his fighters,” Daniels said of Clark, a 2013 Florida Boxing Hall of Fame inductee who died three years ago. “He was like a father, he protected me. Sometimes, managers wanted to put me in against fighters I wasn’t ready for and Dave let them know it. I would get mad at him sometimes but I realized Dave was looking out for my best interests.”
Clark’s influence encouraged Daniels to become a trainer after he retired. Moreover, Daniels ran the Miami-Dade amateur boxing program for eight years.
“One belief I always follow is I would never force a kid to get into the ring, unless he wanted to,” Daniels said. “Some trainers used to do that. Boxing is not for everybody.
“This is a very difficult and demanding sport. If a kid just wanted to learn the basics and get in shape and leave it there, that’s fine with me. There is a big difference between getting in shape and training to get ready for competition.”
In addition to Daniels, the 2020 Hall of Fame class features other retired fighters with South Florida ties. Former women’s featherweight champion and trainer Bonnie Canino, heavyweight Eliseo Castillo and middleweight Rocky Torres also are part of the new class.
The induction ceremony on Nov. 8 will culminate three days of events at the Marriott Hotel St. Petersburg. For information, visit the Hall of Fame website at floridaboxinghallooffame.com. The event was rescheduled from June because of shutdowns caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
BIG SHOWDOWN
The promotional storyline involves the young champion and the seasoned veteran with a title-fight pedigree that spans nearly a decade.
Before he envisions a dominant championship run, Gervonta Davis acknowledges the challenge awaiting him Saturday night in San Antonio. Davis (23-0, 22 KOs) will face four-division champion Leo Santa Cruz at the Alamodome.
“I definitely feel that I’m maturing with each one of my fights and as I keep moving forward,” said
Davis, 27. “All I have to do is stay focused, stay humble and the rest is history.”
Santa Cruz (37-1-1, 19 KOs) has won world titles as a bantamweight, superbantamweight,-featherweight, and super-featherweight. The 32-year-old Santa Cruz has fought in 16 championship bouts since his bantamweight titlewinning performance eight years ago.
Gervonta doesn’t have the experience that I have,” Santa Cruz said. “I have to watch out the first few rounds and be careful, but I’m still a warrior who wants to mix it up. We’re going to do a little of both — the brawling and boxing. In the end, I know that I have to do whatever I can to win the fight.”
COMING UP
Saturday (2 p.m.,
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DAZN): Oleksandr Uzyk vs. Dereck Chisora, 12, heavyweights.
Saturday (7:30 p.m.,
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ESPN Plus): Naoya Inoune vs. Jason Moloney, 12, for Inoune’s IBF and WBA bantamweight titles.
Saturday (9 p.m.,
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pay-per-view): Gervonta Davis vs. Leo Santa Cruz, 12, for Davis’ WBA lightweight and Santa Cruz’s WBA super-featherweight titles.