Michael Katz’s wife, Marilyn Neale, was a vice president of Ruder Finn & Rotman Inc., the public relations firm.
Sadly, a 2012 Hall of Fame inductee boxing columnist, Michael Katz, passed away on Monday, January 27, 2025, at 85, in a nursing home in New York.
Highlights
- Michael Katz passed away at 85 on January 27, 2025, for unspecified reasons.
- Katz married Marilyn Neale, former media coordinator for the Virginia Slims tennis tournament.
- Michael’s daughter, Moorea Katz, passed away on August 1, 2021, due to cancer.
A former Keep It In The Ring editor, Rich Mancuso, poured a small tribute to Michael Katz through his official Facebook handle. He wrote,
RIP Michael Katz, a boxing writer who never held back. Hall of Famer. We had a rough beginning but grew and worked together at ringside. One of the greats of the old school era with my late mentor Bert Sugar, Pat Putman, Eddie Schulyer. and publicist Tom Kenville of Madison Square Garden. And never forget how Mike and I all sat and enjoyed the fun across the street after those bi-weekly boxing cards at the Felt Forum. The good old days of who we called honest boxing scribes.
Rich Mancuso
Katz was an extraordinary writer whose style helped his readers better understand the boxers. He understood fighters at a basic level and earned their trust.
His long-time friend Gerald Eskenzai, a New York Times sports writer, described him as a “Runyonesque character.”
Michael covered the April 12, 1997, WBC welterweight title fight between Pernell Whitaker and Oscar De La Hoya at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
De La Hoya won a unanimous decision by scores of 116-110 twice and 115-111. However, Katz disagreed with the decision and thought Whitaker deserved the victory.
He campaigned publicly for it, and when De La Hoya refused to give Whitaker an immediate rematch, Katz dubbed him “Chicken” De La Hoya.
Earlier, Katz feuded with legendary promoter Bob Arum, who sued Katz for libel after a Daily News story criticized him for scheduling a fight on the night of Yom Kippur.
Katz was outraged that Arum promoted a fight on the holiest day of the Jewish year. Arum countered by saying television controlled the date.
Michael Katz’s Wife, Marilyn Neale, Passed Away Due to Breast Cancer
Boxing columnist Michael Katz, born December 2, 1939, married Marilyn Neale, born in 1953. The exact marriage date has not been revealed yet.
Marilyn Neale was a native of Birmingham, England, born to her father, Brian Neale, and her mother, Brenda Neale. She grew up along with her brother, Anthony Neale.
She served as a freelance photographer in Paris and New York.
In addition, she was the media coordinator for the Virginia Slims tennis tournament before joining Spencer & Rubinow Ltd., a public relations concern.
Then, she served as a vice president of Ruder Finn & Rotman Inc., the public relations firm.
Sadly, Marilyn Neale died on Sunday, January 14, 1990, at 37, in her home in Manhattan after a battle with breast cancer.
Michael And Marilyn Were Blessed With One Daughter
Michael and Marilyn Neale had one daughter named Moorea Katz on January 30, 1982.
Moorea attended the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and received a Bachelor of Arts in 2005.
After deciding to pursue a legal education, she enrolled at the William S. Boyd School of Law and was awarded Juris Doctor summa cum laude in 2010.
After completing her education, she became a New York attorney at H1 Law Group.
She married her husband and had one daughter, who chose to stay away from social media.
Sadly, Moorea Katz died on August 1, 2021, at 39 after battling with cancer. Hone Law poured a tribute to Moorea through their Facebook handle by stating,
Our colleague and teammate Moorea Katz passed away peacefully Sunday morning at her home in Brooklyn, New York, after a courageous and valiant fight with cancer. More important than Moorea’s brilliance and success as a lawyer, she was our friend, partner, and mentor — a unique example of all the best that attorneys and humans can be. We grieve with Moorea’s family. The world, our firm, and the legal community will forever be better for having had Moorea. We are dedicated to ensuring that Moorea’s legacy, goodness, and excellence continue through our personal lives and our mission for decades to come.
Hone Law
Her funeral service was held at Lockwood Funeral Home on August 6, 2021, and she was buried in Interment at Sleepy Hollow Cemetry – 540 N Broadway, Sleepy Hollow, NY 10591.
Additional Information
- Michael Katz won the Nat Fleisher Award from the Boxing Writers Association of America for career excellence in boxing.
- Katz became the Times’ lead boxing writer in 1979 but moved to the Daily News in 1985 because the latter covered more boxing than the Times.
- Katz covered the first title fight, Jimmy Ellis’s 15-round unanimous decision over Floyd Patterson, which took place in Stockholm, Sweden, on September 14, 1968.
