World Boxing News broke the story of Mark "The Hammer" Weinman's returning to the boxing ring on September 7th in Tampa Fl. Weinman's inclusion on the card was organized under a veil of secrecy and resulted in a spectacular 2nd round KO of Elvis Martinez.
With Weinman's appearance in the ring after a 21-year absence, boxing history was made as it was the longest interval ever between bouts for a boxer. We've now learned that famed promoter Mickey Duff once had his eyes on signing "The Hammer" after witnessing the domination of his charge on the then WBC welterweight champion Lloyd Honeyghan during a sparring session.
It seems Weinman was hired as a sparring partner for Honeyghan to prepare him for a title defense against Gene Hatcher back in 1987. He was engaged to work three weeks to get Honeyghan in shape.
After the first day of sparring in which Weinman handled Honeyghan like a baby, Duff was so impressed with the hard punching youngster from Queens, New York, that he was overheard telling Weinman, "I'm a big fan of yours Mark. I can make you a star in London. Let me arrange to put you on some cards."
Following that first day of sparring with Honeyghan, Weinman continued to manhandle Honeyghan with such ease that after the conclusion of the first weeks work, he was sent home packing. Weinman never took Duff up on his offer which he now seem to have some regrets. "What can I say, I probably a big mistake but I can't change the past." spouts Weinman.
World Boxing News has also learned that Weinman has already set his sights on his second bout on the comeback trail, tentatively set for November 3rd in Florida. "I'm back and want to keep very busy. My manager Steve Tannenbaum hooked me up with a new coach, Raul Alvarez, who is great.
"He kept me relaxed and made things simple for me. No more craziness in the corner. I wish I had Raul with me back in the day." declares Mark "The Hammer" Weinman.