About 10 years ago, I stayed up for 68 hours straight. People often ask me what the hell I was doing for those 68 hours. It’s not like I wanted to stay up for almost three days just for the hell of it. I was opening my production of Glengarry Glen Ross, writing mid-term papers and a boatload of fellowship applications, and in the middle of shooting long days on a documentary short. As all the deadlines converged, sleep just had to go.

Anyway, the subject of the documentary short was Lenard Pierre, a young, amateur boxer (it starts with a looped mantra-like voiceover of Pierre saying, “my name is Lenard Pierre…I’m going to be champion of the world” over shots of him absolutely killing a heavybag - dope).

Pierre was the gem at Kevin Rooney’s gym in the Catskills. Rooney, an apostle of the late, great Cus D’Amato, who trained Iron Mike Tyson when he was the all-universe Mike Tyson, had high hopes for the kid, who’s raw punching power reminded Rooney of a young Tyson.

I remember shooting a training session, up close and personal, of Lenard punching the hell out of stuff, and the impact of his punches would shake the camera. I’ve never seen, a 16-year old who could hit with such ill will. Maybe not so curiously, it was Tyson’s success as a boxer that inspired Pierre’s father to get his son into boxing. Lenard would have much rather learned karate because, “it’s more fun, with the kicking but the boxing has the money.”

As a casual boxing fan, I’d to Google Lenard Pierre over the years to see what he was up to but with no results. I just figured that he just disappeared.

Then today, Conrad Connecticut - a pugilist who plays the part of a barrister in real life - sent word about a fight that he had recently read about. Here’s the ESPN write up he sent me:

Super middleweight
Willie Gibbs TKO12 Lenord Pierre

Records: Gibbs, 20-1, 16 KOs; Pierre, 18-2
Rafael’s remark: This one wasn’t televised but by all accounts we’re looking at the early fight of the year candidate. Matchmaker Ron Katz called from ringside during the fight to say it was one of the best matches he had ever done, and Katz has been making fights for more than 20 years. He compared it with the epic 1995 match between Merqui Sosa and Prince Charles Williams, the brutal slugfest that was stopped after seven rounds and called a technical draw because of excessive brutality on both sides. Alongside Katz was ESPN2 boxing announcer Joe Tessitore, who was just as insistent that he had seen the most sensational brawl he’d ever witnessed. Gibbs rocked Pierre with a flush right hand in the opening round, and the back-and-forth brawl was on. Gibbs opened a cut over Pierre’s left eye midway through the fight. By the 12th, however, Pierre was on his way to a split-decision victory if he could stay on his feet to the final bell. But Gibbs came out with a sense of urgency for the final round. With 30 seconds left, a right hand dropped Pierre, who survived. But Gibbs landed a left hook out of nowhere that flattened Pierre with seven seconds remaining to pull out the comeback victory as the crowd was went nuts. We’re anxiously awaiting the video of this baby.

As it turns out, I had been spelling Pierre’s name incorrectly - “Lenard” instead of “Lenord.” Conrad Connecticut drops some science on the state of affairs in the sweet science:

[Pierre] didn’t disappear. It just takes a long ass time to get a kid from amateur to pro to prospect to contender. He is only 26! He was hot undefeated prospect and last March he fought another hot undefeated prospect named John Duddy who is from NY by way of Ireland (I am going to see Duddy fight at MSG on Thursday, the night before St. Paddy’s). Duddy knocked him out in the first round. Pierre went back to regroup with a few more fights and was apparently in [this] absurd war on Friday.

Too bad our director was disorganized, confused, and totally ill-equipped to make the doc, resulting in a finished product that has little to no point. It sucks because since it’s wonderfully edited and beautifully shot, I’d be trying to sell it to ESPN Fight Night or at least post it on YouTube (while our doc may not be as cool as the video of the guy who beats Zelda in 30 minutes, it’s still pretty cool in its own way).

Keep an eye out for Lenord “The Haitian Sensation” Pierre. Though he’s suffered a couple loses, he’s one to watch.

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