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Hannah Cohen
The Journalistic Essay
Nicole Williams
October 1, 2014
Sam Cohen: Boxing Master
Hair combed back and blue glasses on, my Grandfather, Sam Cohen, is smiling. Seeing
me, his favorite oldest granddaughter, makes him that way. I could only talk to him on Skype
because he lives in Boynton Beach, Florida, with his wife, my grandmother, Harriet Cohen. He
discovered this new technology and told me that he is going to use it much more often. He is
smiling at me because he is happy to see me, of course. When he is speaking to me, he is in his
office, which is covered floor to ceiling with boxing memorabilia. I noticed that he was wearing
a black t-shirt with a logo on it that said Heavyweight Factory.
Telling me about his childhood, Papa is trying to remember the details of where he went
to school and when he graduated. Always a comedian, he began by saying, I was born at a
young age, which is in his normal style, always the funny man Sam Cohen I have heard people
say, and of course they always mean that in the best way possible. He lived on the Lower East
Side of Manhattan until he was in Middle School. He and his family then moved to Scranton,
Pennsylvania where his father, Marty, was a boxing promoter and became the associate editor for
the Scranton Newspaper. Papa is always the one to make people laugh and as long as I can
remember he has always succeeded. He didnt get into boxing until later years. On January 14
th
,
1962, at thirty years old, he saw his first fight. It was one of the biggest fights in history. It was
the fight of Benny Paret vs. Emile Griffith in which Griffith killed Paret. One punch in the head
and Paret died.
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Papa told me about when Marty was in the coal business. He then became a boxing
promoter at Queensboro and St. Nicholas arenas. He was the associate editor for the Scranton
Paper. He was a boxing promoter for seventy years until his death in 1994. Marty did not want
Papa to be a part of boxing, but Papa did anyway. He continued to promote and manage the men
his father managed. When his parents got divorced, Papa became closer to his father. He used to
watch Marty manage his boxers and get them into fights all over the country. Because of this,
Papas love for boxing was created. Marty managed Hector Macho Camacho, who was a
seven- time world champion heavyweight boxer. When Marty passed, Papa became Camachos
manager and managed him for sixteen years until Camacho died of cancer.
He got started in this business because he saw this fight and loved the energy and the
sophistication of the sport. When hes at a boxing match, he feels very good because he is such
an important person in boxing. He is always willing to answer anyones questions. To him, that
is the most important part of a match. Papa simply loves to help people. I was curious if he ever
actually goes for the fight. Papas favorite thing about boxing is the science of the sport. There is
a system of footwork and hand speed that one has to master in order to be a good boxer. When
the fighters are in the ring, youre all alone once the bell rings. Its you and you alone. Thats
what makes boxing interesting.
At 82, Sam Cohen is still an active member is the boxing community. Papa primarily
works in Florida. He has been all over the world working with people in the boxing community
and many, many boxers. Then, the phone rings. Im listening to him speak and he is talking to
someone who is interested in interviewing him. Papa said that he gets calls about people
interviewing him sometimes and it is most often about boxing. He then gets me to look at
pictures in a local newspaper, in which he and my Grandma and another couple are featured.
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Occurrences like this have happened before: in 2005, the Sun Sentential, a south Florida
newspaper, interviewed Papa for his involvement in boxing. The title is Mans passion for
boxing sparked by dads love of sport. Its the perfect sentence to sum up his life. Boxing has
been such a huge part of everything he has done over the past few decades, and it was all thanks
to his father, Marty Cohen. Quite frequently, Papa gets calls regarding his gallery. In his home,
he has a museum dedicated to boxing memorabilia. He has everything you could possibly
imagine, including a dress form with a robe that a boxer would wear when he or she enters the
ring. I think this is something that keeps him close to his father.
As a boxing promoter and manager, Papa got close to all of his boxers. He told me a lot
about the personal struggles one can go through while in the spotlight. Drugs are a strange
thing, he said solemnly. Looking at me through the camera I can see in his eyes the impact
drugs have had on the lives of people he cared about. Throughout his life, he has seen many
people destroy their lives. He looked right at me and said I want you to write about this in the
story. What he said next was so incredibly sincere and somber: Dont do drugs. Ive seen what
drugs can do; they can destroy people they cannot fool around with drugs they cant. He
was looking away from the camera toward something that was out of sight, his face very serious
and dispiriting. I could tell that he was saying was incredibly serious. He saw so many of his
colleagues and friends change or die because of the toll drugs took on their lives.
In 2009, Papa was elected to the board of directors as a Vice President of the Florida
Boxing Hall Of Fame. In January of 2014, he resigned because of differences in opinions on the
board of directors. He was then recommended for the VP of the International Womens Boxing
Hall Of Fame. I am happy to say that he is still the same goofy, humble man that he has always
been despite his new and prestigious title.
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I have never been to a fight because to my mother, boxing is too violent. I asked him
what he would say to people who oppose the sport of boxing because they think boxing is
violent. He gets asked that question a lot, I know this for a fact. My mother told Papa that she did
not want my brother going to a match for the same reason as me, because it was too violent for
a young man. He then told my mother the same thing he says to everyone. Boxing is violent?
If you go to see a hockey game and you dont see a fight how do you feel? he asked me that
question directly. I said that I would feel like I was let down. He continued, if you didnt see a
fight anyone would be disappointed and people would say Its boring. He then talked about
how in NASCAR, if there is no crash everyone is disappointed. Papa stated, (in regards to a
match) at least with boxing youre going to see what youve paid to see. [The boxers] weigh the
same and its even Its very controlled.
In the passion Ive had for boxing, Ive traveled all over the world. Ive been with
everybody I can think of. He then listed many different boxers including Mohammed Ali and
his daughter Laila, Gerry Coney and Roberto Durand. He has become friends with so many of
these people. To me, this is a dream come true. Papa has met so many of the big names in the
sport that he calls his passion. He looks right at home when I am speaking with him, like he
has obviously done this before. Papa then told me that the most interesting person he ever met
was Evel Knievel. He said that he and Knievel became friends and Knievel told him many things
in confidence he then told me about how he has seen many people destroy their lives because of
decisions they have made.
I think one of the most important things that Papa told me is that he earned the title of
Octogenarian of the Year a couple years ago. This award is usually given to people who are over
eighty years old and it is rare that one receives the award at eighty as Papa had. He earned this
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title because he has been so charitable over they years. Papa has made countless donations to
many charities, including organizations that keep young children off the streets and keep them
away from drugs. The children are then given food, clothing, and given medical care. I asked
him why he gives so much to people he does not even know and he said, You never see a
UHaul following a hearse. You gotta give what you have when youre still in this world. Papa
states, [Boxing] vitalizes. It just makes a better person out of them. My grandfather is the kind
of man that people look up to. Whenever I meet someone he knows I am told that he is one
special man. After learning about his life in depth, I realize now that he is indeed special, but he
is also one of the most important men in my life.