The Resurrection of Antonio Villaraigosa

My profile of Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, in TIME.

When he was a young man Antonio Villaraigosa, dropped out of school, was in numerous street fights, and had a tattoo inked on his right arm that read: Born to Raise Hell. In 2005 he became the first Latino mayor of Los Angeles since 1872. It was practically scripted: the inspirational tale of a troubled boy from the gang-infested Boyle Heights neighborhood of East LA who makes good, goes to City Hall, and turns Los Angeles into a “city of purpose.”

But, until last week, the mayoral tale of Antonio Villaraigosa was starting to look like a box office bomb. In 2007 came revelations of an extramarital affair with a Telemundo newscaster, which seriously hurt his popularity, particularly in the Latino community. His ambitious but ultimately misguided plan for a school district takeover was defeated in court. A weakening economy and his unsystematic management style led to even more political stasis…

Click here to read the rest of the article.

This entry was written by Poole, posted on February 27, 2012 at 9:51 am, filed under Los Angeles. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink and follow any comments with the RSS feed for this post.



TIME: Vegas and Brain Science: Sin City Raises a Temple to Research

My profile of Larry Ruvo and The Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health, in TIME. Click here.

This entry was written by Poole, posted on February 24, 2012 at 10:19 am, filed under Boxing. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink and follow any comments with the RSS feed for this post.



A Champion in Purgatory: Muhammad Ali Returns to Vegas

My article, “A Champion in Purgatory,” about Muhammad Ali, in TIME.

This entry was written by Poole, posted on February 19, 2012 at 9:29 pm, filed under Boxing. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink and follow any comments with the RSS feed for this post.



On Freddie Roach: Episode 3

I make an appearance in Episode 3 of “On Freddie Roach.” It’s a Peter Berg documentary about the great boxing trainer Freddie Roach. It’s on HBO. That’s me. The dude on the left. Kind of a badass, aren’t I? And I think Kevin Durant copied my backpack look.

This entry was written by Poole, posted on February 7, 2012 at 12:11 am, filed under Boxing. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink and follow any comments with the RSS feed for this post.



TIME: Pacquiao vs. Mayweather: The Fight of the Century Ain’t Gonna Happen Again

My article, in TIME, about the fight of the century not happening. Again. Makes you wonder about these two guys, doesn’t it?

This entry was written by Poole, posted on February 3, 2012 at 11:41 pm, filed under Boxing, PacMan. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink and follow any comments with the RSS feed for this post.