Few recall rubbing shoulders with undercover detective

Dean Juipe

Friday, Jan. 16, 2004 | 11:22 a.m.

For all of "Big Frankie" Manzione's supposed desire to make connections within the Las Vegas boxing community and ingratiate himself with its active participants, few outside the offices of Top Rank Inc. appear to have made contact with the undercover FBI agent during his 20 months in the city.

Reports that Manzione frequented boxing matches, gyms and specific bars and restaurants in Las Vegas have proven difficult to substantiate.

"No, we haven't seen Big Frankie down here," said Johnny Tocco's Gym owner James Pollins on Thursday. "And everybody in Las Vegas' boxing or who comes to Las Vegas with an interest in boxing comes down to Tocco's at least once.

"Everybody but Big Frankie that is."

Pollins added that his gym operator, Luis Tapia, also had neither seen nor knew of Manzione. Tapia is in Florida at the present time, but Pollins said "we talked about it, and he said he didn't know who the guy was."

Several stalwarts of the Nevada Partners gym said they had never seen Big Frankie around. People who frequented the recently closed Golden Gloves gym said much the same.

Likewise, although Manzione was described as a regular at the Foundation Room at the House of Blues and at Charlie Palmer's Steakhouse according to a story in the New York Daily News, the Sun's random nighttime checks at both locations failed to turn up anyone who knew him.

At Charlie Palmer's, in the Four Seasons resort, a valet and two bartenders who have worked at the restaurant since it opened five years ago said they didn't recognize Manzione's name or description or a photo of his alleged constant companion, Joey Torres.

At the Foundation Room at the House of Blues, inside Mandalay Bay, neither the director of operations -- Omar Gutierrez -- nor a charter member -- Alan Bjorklund, a retired NASA employee who describes himself as a regular at the bar -- nor a doorman nor an elevator operator recognized Manzione or Torres by description or photo.

The man who trained Torres for his only professional fight, vs. Perry Williams two years ago in Anaheim, Calif., said was sure he never saw or met Manzione.

"I honestly don't think I ever saw him," said trainer Kenny Adams, who trained Torres for six days in Las Vegas and then worked the fighter's corner the night of the fight. And yet Manzione supposedly was inseparable from Torres, particularly around the time of the fight.

"I don't think so," Adams said, disputing that claim. "At the fight I remember Joey had a lot of black guys around, a lot of loud rap music and some limousines coming and going, but no white, middle-aged, overweight guy from New York."

Adams trained Torres at Tocco's gym, as Pollins vividly recalls.

"Joey was here for a few days and he came in about 1 p.m. and left about 2 each day," he said. "He always came in by himself, and after the fight in California we never saw him again."

Marc Ratner, the executive director of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, said, "I never met (Manzione) but I may have seen him once at the Orleans (at a boxing card) sitting by himself."

Employees at Top Rank's private gym politely declined to answer any questions about anything related to the FBI investigation of the firm. They refused to admit a reporter to the gym and repeatedly said they were under orders not to discuss anything pertaining to the investigation, Manzione or Top Rank fighters.

One Top Rank employee, Sean Gibbons, has already been fired.

"They needed a scapegoat and that's the guy," Pollins said of Gibbons being let go.

"This is causing Top Rank a lot of trouble, which is very unfortunate," said Tyrone Boone, an independent trainer who has worked with Mike Tyson among others and who had been stationed at Golden Gloves but who has since moved to Tocco's. Asked whether he had any contact with Manzione, Boone said, "I can't say for sure but I certainly don't think so."

Sun sportswriter Rob Miech contributed to this story.