MITTLEMAN REAL MIDDLE MAN AS FIGHT FIXER

In what is arguably one of the strangest dramas about fight fixing in professional boxing seems to be playing out at turtle speed on both side of the Atlantic, especially when it comes to determining how this freaky scenario started in the first place.

Fraught with sub plots, the dialogue does not concern a rich world championship fight that might be ripe for a betting coup. The combatants were virtually unranked and so far down the ladder, one ringside wag was on the money, asking, “Why fix a fight that didn’t need fixing?”

Front and center is Robert Mittleman, who was known for his congeniality in days gone by when he nursed a heavy dream to be an entrepreneur in the sport directing millionaire champions.

Mittleman, 61, out of Oak Park, ll., must have thought he was on the right avenue to fame and fortune when he and Steve Nelson, of Baltimore, Md., managed to outmaneuver Shelly Finkel and Main Events to sign Oscar De La Hoya as a pro fresh off his gold medal score in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.

Mittleman and Nelson were ambitious co-managers but they couldn’t generate the kind of money De La Hoya demanded. Early in 1993, the Golden Boy from East Los Angeles broke with Mittleman and Nelson and moved his super talents under the banner of Top Rank’s Bob Arum where he won five world titles, earning $150 million in boxing alone.

The discarded managers went their separate ways but Mittleman, working as an advisor and agent, remained in the mix with former WBA heavyweight champion Hasim Rahman, Wilfredo Rivera and Carlos Santos among others. Nelson later teamed with Stan Hoffman, taking Wiliam Joppy to a middleweight title.

That golden dream Mittleman had long harbored had turned into his worst nightmare and shocked many boxing friends of long standing when the Associated Press reported in Las Vegas that the ring veteran pleaded guilty to fixing fights, plus trying to bribe a federal prosecutor and judge $15,000 each if they would drop a case against one of his indicted fighters. Mittleman also reportedly pleaded guilty to two counts of sports bribery and one count of bribing a public official.

The more promoters and boxing officials heard about Mittlemen’s exploits, the more they shook their heads in dismay, notably when he admitted pairing heavyweight Thomas Williams with Brian Nielsen Mar.31, 2000 in Copenhagen, Denmark with instructions to lose.

Williams was “knocked out” in the third round. According to Mittleman, Danish boxing promoter Mogens Palle suggested the bout and paid Williams $40,000 for taking a dive. Mittleman’s fee was $1,000.

Mittleman also admitted, at the request of promoter Robert Mitchell, he matched Williams with undefeated Robert Melito, Jr. Aug.12, 2000 at the Las Vegas Paris Casino. Williams was knocked out in the first round, getting $15,000 while Mittleman was paid $1,000 for fixing the fight.

Mittleman continued to shoot himself in the foot big time, especially when he learned Williams had been indicted on federal sports bribery charges. Showing super bad judgment, Mittleman tip-toed around until he found an undercover Fed in Las Vegas on Oct 30, 2003.

To show good faith, Mittleman gave the officer $3,000 after telling him there would be $15.000 each for the assistant U.S. attorney and a U.S. Federal judge if the charges are dropped.

Mittleman ended up in a plea bargain Apr.16 but it wasn’t announced until May 3 by the U.S. Attorney’s office in Las Vegas. He is scheduled to be sentenced July 26, going before U.S. District Court Judge Robert C. Jones.

The beleaguered manager hopes to get a reduction in his sentence for testifying against Williams and Mitchell when they go on trial in Las Vegas in August on charges of sports bribery.

Despite his deal with the government, Mittleman could be facing a five year sentence and a $250,000 fine on sports bribery, plus a possible 15 years and another $250,000 fine in an attempt to bribe a public official. He has been released on his own recognizance prior to sentencing.

Palle. well-known in the United States as a boxing judge and promoter, issued a statement on May 6, strongly denying any attempts to fix fights in Denmark.

In his admission of guilt to fix two fights for Williams, Mittleman said he had been contacted by Palle on Mar.31, 2000.

“Whatever Mittleman has been entertaining a judge with in the United States, I can only firmly say that I have never during my 47 years in this business, bribed any boxer to come to Denmark and lose on purpose.” Palle said in a statement to the Associated Press.

Attorney Michael Marley, representing Williams, told the Los Angeles Times in a letter to the U.S. attorney’s office in Las Vegas “that Robert Mittleman is a vicious liar when he claims my client deliberately lost a fight in Denmark.”

“Mr. Mittleman has said many vicious and untrue things about Mr. Palle. The worst is that Palle ever told Mittleman to fix any fight or fights. That never happened except in Mr Mittleman’s wild imagination.”

Williams had reportedly said in an affidavit back on Aug.29, 2000 that “I fought as hard as I could. I did nothing to intentionally lose that fight. Nobody ever approached me or otherwise attempted to bribe me to
lose that fight.”

Obviously using the “confession is good for the soul” philosophy, Mittleman told the Times “I made a mistake, a terrible mistake. This was an aberration. I’m not a serial fight fixer. It was crazy.”

“I have been in boxing for 35 years , except for a little while in the music business. And I have never done anything like this. I had a clean record in boxing. I was
once disciplined for hollering at a referee in Vegas. That is the worst thing that has ever happened to me. I know how to pick fighters and build a fighter’s career without fixing fights. Look at Oscar De La Hoya and Hasim Rahman for examples.”

The quirky part about the Williams-Melito fight in the Valley of the Dollars was being the first bout among the prelims to Evander Holyfield defending his WBA heavyweight crown against John Ruiz, The promotion wasn’t a sellout anyway, but virtually no one saw the Williams-Melito farce.

The doors weren’t open to the public and the fight wasn’t slated for TV. The media was enjoying an excellent pre-fight meal and could care less about those wannabes in the ring. Even a degenerate gambler couldn’t get down because Nevada’s licensed bookmakers never take action on the undercards in boxing.

Marc Ratner, as the Nevada State Athletic Commission’s executive director, was at his ringside post when Williams and Melito stepped into the ring. The bout was scheduled for 10-rounds, but it didn’t last three minutes, Melito winning on a knockout.

Even with boxing’s tarnished reputation, it was good to have somebody of Ratner’s integrity certifying the fistic brevity.

“As far as that fight’s concerned, I didn’t see
anything untoward. Williams took a solid punch square on the chin and crumpled through the ropes, almost landing in the lap of judge Carol Castellano,” Ratner reflected.

Whatever hand the federal court deals Mittleman for jeopardizing his career, he will stand unmatched forever as a trivia answer in the category of ultra-stupidity and ignorance.

(Jack Welsh is a syndicated columnist headquartered in Las Vegas and an exclusive contributor to Ringsports.Com.)