Life Doesn’t Have Him on the Ropes Yet

Don Fraser, longtime boxing publicist and promoter who will be inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in Canastota, N.Y., on June 12, was honored at a gala event Saturday at the Sportsman’s Lodge in Studio City.

Councilman Bernard Parks presented Fraser with a proclamation from the city of Los Angeles. Many prominent people from the L.A. boxing scene also were there, and a big-band jazz group entertained.

“I’m glad this is not a memorial,” said the 78-year-old Fraser.

Trivia time: Fraser promoted a Muhammad Ali fight at the Forum on Sept. 10, 1973. Who was Ali’s opponent?

A great idea: Former Times sports columnist John Hall, who first met Fraser when both were students at Manual Arts High, recalled how his lifelong friend always was coming up with wild ideas to publicize fights.

Hall said when Ali, then Cassius Clay, was to fight Alejandro Lavorante at the Sports Arena in 1962, Fraser, the fight’s publicist, staged a news conference at Union Station.

“On the way to the press conference, Don stopped off at a dime store and bought a badge for Ali to wear,” Hall said. “It read, ‘I am the greatest.’ ”

Two years later, before he fought Sonny Liston, Ali proclaimed to the world: “I am the greatest.”

The mane event: Hall recalled that Fraser once got a real lion to pose with Lauro “the Lion” Salas to promote a fight at the Hollywood Legion Stadium.

“When the lion trainer took the lion out of his cage and said, ‘Nobody move,’ he certainly got everyone’s attention,” Hall said.

Better than a stale mate: Former chess champion Bobby Fischer, calling himself a political pawn after being held in detention since his immigration arrest last July, finally left Tokyo last week for exile in Iceland with bride-to-be Miyoko Watai, head of Japan’s chess association.

Wrote Dwight Perry in the Seattle Times: “A Japanese fiancee? Guess Bobby couldn’t find a Czech mate.”

Pitfall: West Virginia basketball Coach John Beilein, on Fox Sports radio Friday, said that center Kevin Pittsnogle’s last name had become a verb, as in “you’ve been ‘Pittsnogled.’ ”

Another example: Louisville “Pittsnogled” West Virginia, beating the Mountaineers, 93-85, in overtime Saturday.

Looking back: On this day in 1993, Teemu Selanne, then a rookie for the Winnipeg Jets, scored his 69th and 70th goals of the season in a 3-3 tie with the Kings. Selanne became the eighth player, and first rookie, to have a 70-goal NHL season.

Trivia answer: Ken Norton, who earlier in 1973 scored a decision over Ali in San Diego. Ali, who went the full 12 rounds in the first fight despite suffering a broken jaw in the second round, avenged that loss with a 12-round decision at the Forum.

And finally: From Jay Leno, on Friday’s “Tonight Show”: “I have an announcement to make. I have good news. We have Laker tickets for everyone in our audience. The bad news, they’re for the playoffs.”

Larry Stewart can be reached at larry.stewart@latimes.com.