Stanley Levin was a positive force in the sport of Boxing.

By Mike Cassell

My dad always used to say, "It's what you do when the lights are out that counts" meaning it's what you do when no one is watching. It defines who you are as a man, and as a human being. Attorney Stanley Levin was a man who was truly defined by his actions, even if he never stood in the spotlight long enough to take credit for it. He was an advocate for the side of boxing that never gets the press. He championed the good people in the game, choosing to look out for the most important part in the game, the fighters. Some men are judged for who loved them. We can judge Stanley by all the men who didn't like him at all, and that was most of the big name promoters. These were the guys who thought they were bigger than the fighters they promoted. Stan the man set them straight. He put the fighter first, and he may be a very big reason why people know the name Roy Jones Jr. today.

A young and very talented Roy Jones Jr. was disgusted with the dirty dealings and politics in the sport of boxing, after he was robbed of a gold medal in Seoul South Korea in 1988. Stanley's integrity and honor convinced Roy that there were people he could trust in the game. That crooked judges or promoters were not the final arbiter for the sport of boxing, because men like Stanley Levin existed. He very quietly, and through his brother Fred Levin, kept the lights on at the Escambia County Boys and Girls Club, where his son was involved with Roy Jones Jr. He didn't want the credit; he wanted the sport to thrive in Pensacola Florida, and for the world to know about Roy Jones Jr. He was recognized as manager of the year in 1994 and 1995 by two separate organizations. He managed Roy Jones Jr. through the most important part of his career, until his health began to fail, and stepped away from the day to day.

He always respected and defended the fighter, and treated many of them as members of his own family, inviting them to his home, and on vacation. He made sure they had tickets waiting for them to see Roy Jones Jr. fight anywhere.

He was a caring honest man that chose to dive into the deepest darkest caverns of boxing, and stand toe to toe with anyone for the sake of the fighter. He put himself out there with the titans who controlled the sport, with no fear. Stanley Levin lost his final battle with a long illness at 70 years old on Friday night. The media tends to stick to the worst part of Boxing. We always write about the car wreck, but we never mention the hero who is jumping into the wreck to try and save a life. Stanley Levin was that quiet hero. And as bad as the sport of boxing can sometimes get, it only takes one Stanley Levin to give this reporter hope for the future of the game. Thank you Stanley, you will be sadly missed, but never forgotten.