BOXING / EARL GUSTKEY : Conspicuous Absences From Nappi’s Funeral

In the misty hills at West Point, N.Y., above the Hudson River, a cold rain fell steadily on the small group of people who bore Pat Nappi to his grave.

It was a full military service. From a nearby hill, a bugler played. A volley was fired in tribute as the most successful Olympic boxing coach in U.S. history was lowered into the ground.

Among those who watched from beneath umbrellas were family members, close friends and two representatives from amateur boxing, Col. Don Hull and Rolly Schwartz. Both are 80-year-olds and retired.

Nappi coached 14 Olympic champions in 1976 and 1984. None attended his funeral.

Nappi, 75, died of cancer at his Syracuse home on Feb. 28. He was a controversial coach, who battled as much with his fighters as he did with amateur boxing’s administrators.

But no one ever challenged his record.

In 23 Olympic gold-medal bouts in the 1976 and 1984 Games, Americans won 14 times.

Yet not one came to say goodby.

A Syracuse newspaper photographer was assigned to Nappi’s funeral and told to take pictures of “high-profile boxers.”

He never took off his lens cap.

It was odd, also, that not one executive from USA Boxing headquarters in Colorado Springs attended. One board member, USA Boxing past president Billy Dove, was there.

Schwartz, for 50 years an amateur boxing referee and judge, talked recently about the Nappi funeral.

“Here’s a guy who gave his life to amateur boxing,” Schwartz said. “Pat could have left the amateurs years ago and made a lot more money training pros than he did with amateurs--but he loved those kids in the amateurs.

“When I got to that cemetery and saw there wasn’t one single boxer there . . . it made me sick.

“He was an outstanding man. He was a class gentleman. He never even used profanity around those kids.

“Where was (Evander) Holyfield, for God’s sake? Nappi stuck his neck out from here to China for Holyfield at the L.A. Olympics.

“When that referee disqualified (Holyfield), Nappi was on the ring apron like he’d been shot out of a cannon. (Assistant coach) Roosevelt Sanders had to pull him off the apron. We thought Pat was going through the ropes, after the referee.

“The way I feel right now, for not honoring Pat, they’re all a bunch of ungrateful jerks.”

And where was Holyfield?

“I didn’t know he’d died until a couple of days later,” Holyfield said. “I had to go out of town. . . . I sent a contribution in his name to a charity in Syracuse.”

What about Mark Breland, another gold medalist from 1984?

Breland, now retired from pro boxing, was between acting jobs when Nappi died. He lives about three hours from the West Point cemetery.

“I didn’t know he’d died until two or three days later, and then I didn’t know who to call about the funeral,” he said.

Nappi’s gold medalists from two Olympic Games:

1976--Leo Randolph, Howard Davis, Sugar Ray Leonard, Michael Spinks and Leon Spinks.

1984--Paul Gonzales, Steve McCrory, Meldrick Taylor, Pernell Whitaker, Jerry Page, Mark Breland, Frank Tate, Henry Tillman and Tyrell Biggs.

Nappi’s widow, Mary, said he would not have expected a turnout of boxers at his funeral.

“We didn’t expect that any of the boxers would come,” she said. “It’s so expensive to travel these days, hotel rooms and all. And maybe some of them just couldn’t afford it.”

The future of the California Athletic Commission remains muddled in Sacramento. Proposed legislation that would substantially increase all boxing license fees remains bogged down.

Further, Richard DeCuir, commission executive officer, said he has met resistance in trying to find sponsorship for legislation that would grant the commission tax revenue from pay-per-view boxing telecasts beamed into California.

The commission enforcement staff, DeCuir said, is dangerously short of personnel because of budget cutbacks. His point was proved two weeks ago. In El Segundo, a “Toughman” contest was held.

“Toughman” contests are illegal in California. It’s considered unlicensed boxing by the commission, and three such shows were busted a year ago. But the commission staff, DeCuir said, didn’t learn of the El Segundo event until it was over.

The replay of the classic light-flyweight championship bout between Michael Carbajal and Humberto Gonzalez will be broadcast at 7:30 p.m. April 19 on Prime Ticket.

Carbajal, behind on all scorecards and having been knocked down twice, rallied to knock out Gonzalez during the seventh round of their fight in Las Vegas on March 13.

It’s the leader in the clubhouse for the 1993 “fight-of-the-year” award.

Boxing Notes

Larry Goossen has opened a new, bigger gym at Big Bear Lake. When he started his gym at that community’s airport more than a year ago, many top boxers seeking a high-altitude training camp became temporary Big Bear residents, including Oscar De La Hoya, Michael Moorer, Rafael Ruelas, Gabe Ruelas and Greg Haugen. . . . Evander Holyfield’s next match, according to promoter Dan Duva, will be against Jorge Gonzalez or Alex Stewart on a pay-per-view card in Atlantic City, N.J., that might include Vinnie Pazienza vs. Roberto Duran. . . . According to the Pay TV Newsletter, the top pay-per-view boxing show is still the April of 1991 match between Holyfield and George Foreman, with $48.9 million. Last November’s Riddick Bowe-Holyfield fight is in fourth place at $34.3 million. Last September’s Julio Cesar Chavez-Hector Camacho show is ninth at $19.8 million.