Rusty Rosenberger drugged before nino gonzalez fight

About ten years ago I was doing boxing book reviews for Ringsports magazine. Rosenberger sent me his "book" (which amounted to a few chapters) in word document format and wanted help either getting it published or getting it reviewed, I cant remember which. After reading it I wouldnt touch it. It was so unbelievable I wouldnt even review it. It amounted to slander as far as I was concerned and wanted nothing to do with it. All Rosenberger had was a bitter conspiracy theory to explain why he never became a champion, completely ignoring that everytime he stepped up in class even marginally he either lost or struggled.

 

This thread has been here four years without challenge.. Artie got his answer.. Can this thread be removed.. It serves no purpose anymore..

 

That works pretty good. Now, this needs to be said here..

First of all, why are you slamming Rusty's story as a bitter conspiracy theory to explain why he never became champion..? That's not his complaint. His complaint is he never got the chance to prove he was the best... And your remarks about his book’s quality? And then you go on to say every time Rusty stepped up in class, even marginally, he lost or struggled..? You don't know what you are talking about! It is well documented Rusty was never the same fighter after the Nino Gonzales fight. All his loses came after that fight.. Rusty was forced to lose 11 lbs in five days to get to 155. He was scheduled to fight at 166 with another opponent.. That fight fell through..So Lou Duva switched opponents and the contract weights for the Nino Gonzales fight, who was the N.J. Welterweight champion.. and a very good prospect, I might add.. Rusty, being the N.J. Middleweight champion took the fight at a catch weight.. Eating sprinkled lettuce for five days. A gut wrenching weight cut.. Then you disclaim what Rusty said, that Lou Duva gave him two pills.. Were you there? Witnesses saw this. Did you? Rusty didn't want to take the pills, and he didn't want to wring off 11 pounds of muscle in 5 days either.. But his dad, unexplainably, talked him into it.. Besides the debilitating weight loss, he was given something in those pills that made him lethargic ... Rusty took too many punches to the head in that fight and didn't remember a thing afterwards..and left him with permanent double vision afterwards. Rusty should never have been allowed to fight again after that fight... His future loses were the result of his eye injuries, that resulted in more damage to his brain.. Your statement that when he stepped up in class, he either lost or struggled.. That doesn't jive with the facts.. His very next fight, and loss was to Benny Mitchell 8-10-1, does that sound like a step up in class? And his other loses were against lower or marginal level opponents. He clearly was not the same Rusty after the Nino fight.. Lesser opponents stopped him.. Witnesses will testify to that.. His handlers led him to the slaughter…. Tell me this, if Rusty's claims are untrue and slanderous, which is your conjecture, why no legal action against Rusty.. ? Shouldn't his slanderous charges be challenged in court? No, because Lou knows it's true! Nobody but Rusty Rosenberger, and myself, are using their real full names on this thread.. Your remarks are a disgrace as a book reviewer.. Who really asked the above question you so quickly responded to..? It seems like the perfect setup for your irresponsible remarks... The question and your answer were posted within the same hour.. Then streamed to goggle under the title of Rusty's book. If you were not going to review his book when he presented it to you, what gives you the right to slam his book, and his motives, behind his back? It appears you have a personal motive for discrediting Rusty.. No legal action was taken against Rusty for his claim against Duva.. Instead, Rusty has a letter of apology from him.. In it he says, “I’m sorry , I thought you would get knocked out with the first punch Nino threw... I never thought you would take that beating for 10 rounds…” Lou got himself in a fix by guaranteeing, to the wrong people, that Rusty could not possibly win the Reggie Jones fight for the N.J. Middleweight title.. It wasn’t a fix, but Lou's knowledge of the game. His reasoning was , no way, could Rusty, a 6 round fighter, last 12 rounds, much less win, against the caliber of fighter Reggie Jones was… Somebody lost a lot of money betting on Reggie. And they were mad.. Lou had to make it up to them or get fitted for a pair of cement shoes.. There is another book review everyone should read.. This reviewer will present to everybody his take on Rusty's story.. and he didn't hesitate to believe Rusty. It is an honest assessment from an honest man. That review is below this message.. :fire

 

Unclaimed Destiny - The Heart of a Champion, by Dane Crandon

This Book Reviewer read it right ....

Ever been taken for ride? Abused, misused or manipulated? We all know that greed is everywhere. It's endemic. It's a disease that cannot be treated. A sore that never heals. Gordon Gecko of Wallstreet said, "Greed is good." I doubt Gregg "Rusty" Rosenberger will agree. Rusty who? The name meant nothing to me. I'm not a boxing aficionado. The story of Unclaimed Destiny: The Heart of a Champion, however, means something. The noble art of boxing has taken many punches to its shaky reputation. Brains have been damaged and combatants killed, fights have been fixed and shonky promoters have accumulated a wealth of sly riches. Brutality aside, the lucrative nature of pugilism is such that those unable to resist the lure of temptation will seek to gain from the exploitation of others - irrespective of the cost.
Rusty was a boxing talent. In 1979, this developing talent struck a decisive blow to the chin of the fight world when he claimed the New Jersey State Middleweight Champion. Higher honours beckoned. Committed to success, dedicated to achieve, but too trusting, the latter was a knockout punch to his blossoming career. The victim of his manager's short-term greed, Rusty accepted some pills prior to stepping into the ring. Ironically, his nickname typified his drug-infected performance. Rusty seized. Hit hard and often, he was never the same boxer again.
Unclaimed Destiny: The Heart of a Champion will never be a literary great. Don't expect a tale of epic proportions. This is not a Pulitzer Prize winner or ****ensian masterpiece. It's a sad and simple account of man whose trust sent him to the canvas of boxing oblivion. Now speech affected, suffering a punch-drunk affliction common to many aging boxers, Rusty is a sergeant working in an Ohio prison. Dreams of glove greatness long since counted out, still carrying the bruises of what may-have-been, the full force of deceit and exploitation crushed his lofty aspirations but not his formidable spirit.
:deal

 

Interview with : Rusty Rosenberger, Author & Retired Boxer: 26th December 2003 :deal

Media man, Greg Tingle, receives many requests for promotion, interviews and the like. Once in a while we hear from someone that we just want to give a hand to. Rusty Rosenberger is just that man.
We interview Rusty about his life, the boxing business, and his latest book, 'Unclaimed Destiny - The Heart of a Champion'. Rusty pulls no punches in this tell all interview about what the boxing business is really like! :bbb

What's your background?

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What led you to discover your talent for writing?

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What motivates you?

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What makes a champion?

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What makes a great promoter?

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Why does professional boxing act as a breeding ground for corruption?

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How does one avoid that "dark side" of professional boxing?

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Did Antonio Invoke "expose" boxing when he dominated Muhammad Ali in that infamous match?

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What weight class do you prefer to watch your boxing in, and why?

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How did some of Australia's greatest boxers do in the US?

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What do you consider to the highlights of your personal and professional career?

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I don't know where that interview came from, or why someone would ask a journeyman fighter from New Jersey about Antonio "Invoke" or "How did some of Australia's greatest boxers do in the U.S.?"

And I find this whole story completely ridiculous.

I never heard of this boxer, even though I've been following boxing since the 1970s. Imagine my surprise when I found a series of videos on YouTube of this journeyman ... and calls begging for movie studios to buy the script of his life story.

This video, in particular, was galling. I could see why Klompton ignored his story.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3vAXvK9ZXI

It's a clip of Rosenberger's fight with Reggie Jones (another journeyman). The video claims Jones was the New Jersey Middleweight champ. (He wasn't. There hadn't been a New Jersey Middleweight champion in more than 20 years prior to this fight.)

The video also says Jones was "contracted" to fight for the Middleweight title if he won against Rosenberger. This is INSANE.

There was ONE middleweight champion in 1979. Not a half-dozen, like there are these days. When Jones and Rosenberger fought in April 1979, HUGO CORRO was the middleweight champion (not Antuofermo).

Antuofermo won the title in June that year in an upset over Corro. Marvin Hagler was the number-one contender.

After Antuofermo won the title, his list of challengers included Marvin Hagler (who was promised and would get the next shot), the dethroned champ Corro, the Olympian Alan Minter, Ronnie Harris ...

There were no journeymen from New Jersey on anyone's radar. None of them were "contracted" to fight for the ONE World Middleweight Title ... especially not either of these guys ... neither of whom was ranked or world-class.

The video also says "Duva promised the Mob" and at the end "Duva owed the Mob" ... who did he "owe" exactly, because ********* won? What member of what mob?

Ignoring the fact that nobody seems to remember who the champ was (Corro) at the time, or that nobody was the New Jersey Middleweight champ at the time ... it should also be noted that, in 1979, Lou Duva was A NOBODY.

He ran a mom-and-pop promotional company in New Jersey that was attended by a couple-hundred people a show. His daughter-in-law Kathy sold and tore tickets at the door. Duva trained the boxers. His son promoted the shows locally. They were a local, small business.

They weren't "players" on the global boxing scene.

Lou Duva never even registered on anyone's radar until ESPN began broadcasting boxing in 1980 ... and they began to televise shows from IceWorld ... and Bobby Czyz took off. And, even then, it was well into the 1980s before those guys were ranked contenders.

None of these Rusty Rosenbergers or Reggie Jones' were even being covered.

I don't know where all this nonsense began, but that's all it is.

If this Rosenberger fellow cut weight to fight Nino Gonzales (who wasn't a world-class boxer, either), and Gonzales permanently injured him, that's terrible. But, if Gonzales could permanently injure you, freaking Marvin Hagler wouldn't put him in his grave.

I don't know where this title "Unclaimed Destiny" came from, but what was he supposedly "Destined" to become?

He certainly wasn't going to knock off Marvin Hagler to become the middleweight champion. Not if Nino Gonzales apparently was good enough to inflict permanent injuries on him.

And, at the end of the video, is says cryptically that "for some reason," the whole fight wasn't recorded. It wasn't recorded because it was a local, untelevised fight between two nobodies, and the fight was boring.

And no Hollywood exec is going to come calling.

If Lou Duva gave the guy diuretics to lose weight so he could keep his local main event from being cancelled, and the fighter who took them got beat up severely because he was weight drained, that sucks. But guys cut weight to save main events all the time. It wasn't shocking then, and it's not shocking now.

 

ROUND 2

I thought the interviewer sucked too.. Like you, I had to laugh at some of his questions... But, it included some good points from my friend Rusty, so I put it up here.. And, don't you think there is a lot of BS spread around in here anyway?, A couple of your facts were off too. Rusty's fight with Reggie Jones was for the N.J middleweight championship. Look it up.. A couple of my facts were off too.. Corro was the middleweight champ that month. Sorry, Vito was the champ in 79 though.. I just got the month wrong.. details details.. Make me work harder, thanks.. But You certainly show no respect for other people's ambitions.. or efforts ... Why you so angry towards Rusty's Story.. you seem like a fair guy.. don't you think all fighters (past and present) deserve a little respect..? Again, I back up my statements, (error in details and all) with my real full name..Who are you? And what color is the sun on your planet? That was just to get your sweat up.. I don't want you to calm down yet.. That would be boring too... This could be fun... Like donnybrook or crossfire ... Let's see how the moderators/readers like a little infusion of verbal boxing.. I'll keep it above the waist if you will.... Oh, thanks for the youtube video plug, if I can return the favor, be happy to.. Watch Rusty's movie when it comes out next year...I'll even buy the popcorn... You only been following boxing 20 years...? I have boxing trunks older than that.. A jock cup or two too... :bbb

 

You hit the nail on the head and took the words right out of my mouth down to the fact that Ive been following boxing since the late 1970s and had never heard of Rosenberger until he sent me his "m****cript." His entire story is a sad fantasy he has. How he was ever robbed of a chance at the title, how he shocked the world when he won the NJ MW Championship (does the world even know about or care about the NJ MW Championship?), how he thinks he was ever even close to any kind of glory based on the complete lack of quality of his opposition and his inability to beat all of them is just bizarre. Prior to losing to Nino Gonzalez Rusty (who is likely James, because who really gives a **** about this story) fought opposition whose combined record was 61-152-11. Hed had only one fight scheduled for more than 8 rounds. 12 of the 15 guys he had fought had only three wins or less. 11 of the 15 opponents had either no fights or had a losing record (one was 7-6). Im sure he had guys like Corro, Antuofermo, Hagler, Minter, Harris, and everyone else rated WELL above Rosenberger (who was never rated anywhere) shaking in their boots about a guy who got the **** kicked out of him and was given serious brain damage by Nino Gonzalez, who wasnt exactly a great himself and wasnt exactly a dynamite puncher. Furthermore, given the nature of Rosenberger's story: his attack on a respected and established personage in boxing, who has proven himself and moved several champions, without proof of any kind, is both irresponsible and slanderous. I did him a favor by opting not to write a review of his "book" (which at that time was nothing more than a word document consisting of about a dozen pages. The only book review that was ever requested of me where no book was sent.). Had I written a review of the book I wouldnt have had a single kind word to say about it or the bull**** contained inside. Instead I considered it the work of a sad, delusional individual and opted to leave it at that. I would remind Mr. Rosenberger/Townes/artie, whatever he wants to call himself today, that the producers of the film Hurricane had a lot deeper pockets than he does and got sued for a lot less than what he is alleging. Instead of blaming his limitations on Lou Duva he should move on with his life.

 

You totally ignore my points.. and just go on ranting with yours.. You are a friend of Lou Duva's... And I'm a friend of Rusty's. So, there we are.. You defend your friends, I defend mine. Too bad we aren't friends..

 

First of all Rusty sought me out and asked my opinion. Not the other way around, so he invited the criticism. Second, somebody on here asked if anyone knew anything about it and I answered with my experience. Trying to pretend Im kicking a down and out fighter is a joke. If you hang that kind of a statement out there you are going to invite criticism since you have nothing to back it up with. Finally, Duva doesnt need to sue Rusty because Duva has a reputation and nobody gives a **** what Rusty says because the more anyone hears you/him talk the more they will understand how ridiculous his claims are. Now, if you care to explain based on the above how Rusty can claim he shocked the world and was on the cusp of a title shot Id love to hear that argument.

 

No ... the 70s were 40 years ago. Not 20. If you have a jock that's 40 years old, I suggest you throw it away.

I started following boxing in 1975. And I never heard of Rusty. I never heard of the guy he fought for the "vacant" N.J. title. I've never heard of you.

But a no-name taking a fight on short notice against another no-name isn't shocking.

Cutting too much weight and getting pummeled because you have no energy isn't shocking.

And getting punched repeatedly in the head and suffering permanent damage as a result isn't shocking either.

Ali took diuretics to lose weight before the Holmes fight and had nothing left, too. Nobody gave a ****. They only got mad when Ali didn't get his entire purse.

And people make wild claims all the time and aren't sued, because if the person making the claims isn't believed, there's no damage. And considering only about a 100 people have watched those videos, and nobody seems to care, there's nothing to sue over.

Plus, I highly doubt a nearly 100 year old Lou Duva remembers who Rusty is or cares what he says. Duva trained hundreds of fighters since 1979, and I'm sure most made a far greater impression.

And if Lou Duva DID apologize to a brain-damaged fighter who was injured on a card he put on, good for him. Many wouldn't take the time.

Speaking of time, I've already spent more time on this than it probably deserved.

If Rusty didn't want to lose weight, and he didn't think he could fight that night against a smaller guy but did anyway, ultimately, the fault is his.

 

Rusty had to put in writing what he thought happened to him. It's not a work of art.. but a simple sad account of a man who's dreams where shattered.. And he truly believes his story. We don't know. We weren't there. As far as Lou Duva goes, it was strictly a business thing.. No lofty admirable character goals, just make a lot of money...helping some. and hurting some, to do it. He made business choices.. Nothing wrong with that.. It's a dirty business. If he did that to Rusty, it was to make money.. And I say IF, for your benefit.. I don't want to argue with you anymore whether it's true or not..Lou was a gruff hard nosed manager.. perfect for a fight manager.. No one can deny his achievements.. He is a hall of framer. But can anyone ask him this simple question before he dies. "Did you give Rusty two pills, knowing it would effect him the way it did..?" That would settle our he/said he/said dialog here... Oh, by the way, I know it's hard to believe, but my name is James Townes.. I don't hide behind fake names.. Like....oh, never mind.

 

What bothers me about your statement, "he asked my opinion" so he invited criticism... Yes, to him.. not the worldwide web.. If you didn't like his book, or his motives, or anything about him.. why didn't you be professional about it and just politely decline.. tell him no.. Would you like everyone that has a negative opinion about you to post it here or anywhere in the social media world.. Your excuse is what is ridiculous.. somebody asked.. so I told him my experience. Since you don't even believe I am giving you my real name, allow me to express my skepticism as to who posed that setup question to begin with.. The original question: "Does anyone know anything about Rusty's claim that he was drugged by his manager before the Nino Gozalez fight"? Then, within the same hour, you thought you would inlighten this person.. Personally, I think it was a set up.. You are artie... If not, please artie, I.D. yourself. What's your real name? How can we virify who is a real person here.. ? For someone who doesn't give a **** you sure are going over the top to disclaim Rusty's book and the claims he made in it, and the subjective opinion of his boxing ability. Why? Oh, just so I don't leave you hanging on that statement in your post below. I quote from you again.

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I didn't write that. I'm not sure who did...There has been a lot written about Rusty.. from many scribes. I include some here.. I thought it was over the top too! So what? Again, why does it bother you? What's in it for you to trample on Rusty's career, his book, and his belief that he was done dirty, and doing it in such away, that nobody could take it any other way then you are kicking an old down and out fighter .. just because you disagree, doesn't mean you have to go to the lengths you have gone.. After this, I would warn anyone not to send you his book for review.

I was done.. but you said, you'd love to hear my argument. I have more.. Keep it coming.. You are only showing what I say is true.. You are way too vested in this to not have some personal grudge against Rusty.. If not.. Why are you still here kicking him. I'd love to hear that argument too..

 

Thats exactly what I did until he published his book and someone asked other peoples opinions on his stories. Once you put that out in the public arena you better be prepared for the public to give their opinions. Otherwise keep it to yourself.

You obviously arent familiar with me.

Why is that an "excuse" and why is it ridiculous? An excuse for what?

I dont care what you think. I have no dog in this fight. I couldnt care less about this book and I certainly wouldnt waste my time creating a fake account to pose that question just to answer it myself. Anyone who knows me knows Ive posted my thoughts on several books here under my name. I dont know who artie is and I dont care. I dont know who you are and I dont care. I dont care about Rusty either. I do care when someone writes a load of hogwash that isnt supported at all, even by himself (he blames Duva but says his dad talked him into taking the pills, which is ultimately his decision anyway).

It isnt subjective to suggest that Rusty was never anywhere near a title shot, and never anywhere near even being a contender. Its not subjective to call into question his ability based on the absolute **** level of competition he fought and his inability to beat even that low level of fighter. There isnt anything subjective about that all.

This is Rusty's tag for his book on Amazon, you also posted it on your youtube account, which by the way, you admit is your account and yet every single video is related to Rusty and speaks about him/you in the first person... Come on, I wasnt born yesterday:

"In 1979, Rusty Rosenberger shocked the world by becoming the New Jersey Middleweight Boxing Champion. Then, his manager, Lou Duva, slipped him some pills before a match. This book is about Rusty's rise and fall and rise again, about a man with the grit to stand up when he was down."​

You also say in one of your videos that Rusty "was knocking on the door for a chance" at the title. You said in another post above before you edited it that he was close to a title shot. No, he wasnt, I would bet more money than Rusty ever got paid for a fight that none of the top ten boxers had even heard of him. He sure as hell wasnt anywhere near a title shot.

No there hasnt. In fact this thread is probably the most thats ever been written about him by anyone other than himself.

It doesnt, as a matter of fact I made that post over 4 years ago and had forgotten it shortly after I wrote it. It was you who revived it after so long and then demanded I remove the link from google (as if I have any control over that). Obviously you were googling yourself, Rusty, and saw that and decided to revive it.

Uhh no, Rusty is kicking an even older manager who has a hell of a lot better rep than Rusty does by blaming him for Rusty's mistakes. That irritates me, that and the fact that I have actually dealt with Rusty puts me in this position. A position which I cared nothing about until you revived this four year old, completely forgotten post. Which BTW I had forgotten about Rusty a decade earlier after refusing to review his little word file until this person asked about that situation.

Then you shouldnt have revived this long dead post.

Please do as I dont review books anymore and havent for over a decade.

So was I, a long... LONG time ago.

And Im still waiting...

More than what? You havent even presented one yet.

If you couldnt fight any better than you are making your case then its no wonder you never amounted to ****, and that has nothing to do with Duva either.

The only reason I am even responding is because you saw fit to revive a four year old post and allege that I started this entire thread under an alt in order to bash Rusty. You further went on to suggest I dont know what Im talking about. Etc etc. Dont pull that **** with me and then question why Im vested in this.