boxing yesterday today and tomorrow

by Tom Donelson
Tom Donelson has been a free lance writer for over a quarter of century and his pieces have covered a wide variety of issues from economics and foreign policy to sports and culture. He is the author of five books including two on boxing, which he co-authored with Frank Lotierzo- More Tales From Ringside and Viewing Boxing from Ringside.

Mr. Donelson is a member of the BWAA (Boxing Writers Association of America) and presently writes for various boxing online publications. His interest in boxing began in the 60's as he, like others of his generation, became infatuated with Ali's boxing skills and from this point, began researching boxing. His pieces ranges from observation of the boxing scene today to review of boxing historical past. Mr. Donelson is presently working on his third book on boxing, Boxing in the Shadows, due to be released in 2005. Email TomJan52302@aol.com td@insideboxing.com

Klitschko wins
By Tom Donelson

There was talk of possible upset with slick boxer puncher Ruslan Chagaev challenging the best heavyweight

Boxing is still alive
By Tom Donelson

June 20, 2009 - Scott Kraus recently wrote in East Side boxing .com, “Can you name the last

Boxing HOF and Cotto vs Clottey
Tom Donelson
June 17, 2009 - This past Sunday, I had the chance to witness the induction

Berto and Cintron survives

by Tom Donelson

May 31, 2009 - Alfredo Angulo faced Kermit Cintron in a battle to determine pecking order in the junior Middleweight division. For Cintron, another loss would set his career back in this division and after a draw against Sergio Martinez in a fight that he should have lost; Cintron needed a victory. For Angulo, this was a major step up as he looked for a victory and possible...

Weekend Report

By Tom Donelson

Dawson and McEwan plus 3 Fights

Reflections on Manny and Oscar
By Tom Donelson
May 3, 2009 - With the recent victory

Weekend Action

By Tom Donelson

Froch cheats defeat with a knockout victory.
Spinks win a title again.

Weekend Action!
Sanchez squeezes by Corley, Arreola and Williams make a statement, Plus Review of HBO Thrilla in Manila
By Tom Donelson

Puerto Rican prospect Hector Sanchez came into his fight with Demarcus Corley...

McCline came out of retirement to earn a paycheck against Arreola and as...

The HBO special Thrilla in Manila tells the story of the Ali-Frazier rivalry from Joe Frazier’s point of view. Smoking Joe Frazier was an underappreciated heavyweight, who never... Read

Bradley wins championship
By Tom Donelson

It couldn’t started any worse in the first round for Tim Bradley as he...

Friday night fights
By Tom Donelson
Frankie Figueroa fought veteran Randall Bailey,

Peters vs Chambers
Weekend report

By Tom Donelson

Samuel Peter came into his fight with Eddie...

Ring is the King
March 15, 2009 - Ring Magazine rankings are the most authoritative ranking in the sport today. Forget the sanctioning bodies, they don’t count when it comes to ranking. Only Ring magazine counts since they have nothing to gain and no political ax to grind. There is one thing that irks me and that is when Ring Magazine leaves titles vacant, especially in selected divisions where the choice is or should be obvious. More

Weekend Action
By Tom Donelson
March 15, 2009 - The 22 year old Amir Khan faced his biggest fight against the Hall of Fame Marco More

Lacy vs Taylor: Jeff Lacy nickname says everything that you needs to know about how Lacy use to fight. “Left Hook” was
Thoughts on Peter and Dawson: Samuel Peter was that one heavyweight that seemed to generate excitement simply because he could knock people out with one punch and almost stopped Wladimir Klitschko in a fight that he was losing and eventually lost. When he fought Vitali
Judging in Houston
by Tom Donelson: September 9, 2008 - In my last piece, I was critical of the officiating in the Houston double header featuring Juan Diaz and Rocky Juarez. Being a judge is not an easy task. You are seated in one spot and you can’t move from that spot. The judges look up at the ring and when fighters go to the rope More
Recent book review of Langford, The Greatest Uncrowned Champion by Clay Moyle. Enjoy,: Clay Moyle recent biography, Sam Langford: Boxing's Greates Uncrowned Champion, tells a story of one of boxing’s greatest fighter. It could easily be argued that Sam Langford was the greatest pound for pound fighter in boxing’s history. This was a man who fought as a lightweight at the beginning of his career and ended his career as one of boxing great heavyweights in the early part of the twentieth century. More
Thoughts on Travis Walker and Alfonso Gomez
Peter Survives a Bullet: October 7, 2007 - This was desperation time for Jameel McCline. At the age of 37, McCline was facing the elimination fight of his career and recovering from a serious knee injury suffered in his last fight against Nickolay Valuev.
The Contender through Week Four: The Contender began with the march of the undefeated as two young prospects tested themselves. Jaidon Cordrington challenged the previously undefeated Vera and Vera accepted the challenge. Cordrington had beaten Vera in the amateur ranks and Vera wanted one shot to revenge that lost. More
Corrales-Casamayor: September 25, 2006 - The upcoming Diego Corrales-Joel Casamayor battle pits two fighters with conflicting styles and genuine dislike for each other. Casamayor is the boxer, slippery and elusive but has enough power to give Corrales trouble. Corrales is a power puncher with a vulnerable chin but excellent boxing skills. And to add to the drama, both fighters may be on the downside of their careers.; Corrales last five fights came against Casamayor, Arcelino Freitas and Jose Luis Castillo. The two bouts with Castillo and Casamayor as well as the bout with Freitas were tough bouts that could've taken something out of Corrales. The question is what Corrales has left after going through just a battering. More
Pound for Pound fighters rarely mention: Holyfield and Mike Moorer: September 9, 2006 - When discussing great pound for pound fighters, Evander Holyfield is rarely mentioned in the debate. Yet, Holyfield was not just a great Heavyweight but he was the premier Cruiserweight before becoming a heavyweight. As a Heavyweight fighter, he was one of the best of his generation.; As a cruiserweight, Holyfield was the first true superstar of that division. His domination of the division began when he took a split decision over Dwight Muhammad Qawi for the WBA Cruiserweight championship. Qawi, an excellent light heavyweight before moving up to snatch the cruiserweight championship, was tough swarming fighter. More
Woozel, Boxing, and Me: September 4, 2006 - Woozel, Boxing, and Me is Rusty Rubin's most recent book. Over the past two years, the industrious Mr. Rubin has written three books. (I should forewarn the readers that I co-authored Mr. Rubin second book, Billy Soose, The Champion that Time forgot. I also contribute to Mr. Rubin magazine.) This is Mr. Rubin best book for it gives us an insight in the world of boxing as well Mr. Rubin own personality.; Throughout the book, we view Mr. Rubin own odyssey and his relationship with Susiey "Woozel" Walker, a close friend. Rusty details his own health problems that and his own journey recovering from heart ailments that nearly killed him and the road back to health. Yet through all of this, Rubin own optimistic view of life never changed. For Rubin, his writing was his life but it was a career that never made him rich. Rubin never measured his wealth in money but in the friends that he made. More
Peters, Toney and Showtime: September 4, 2006 - James Toney is one of the all time greats. For nearly two decades, this warrior has fought many of the best fighters of his generation from Middleweights to heavyweights. Against Sam Peter, one of the Heavyweight division heavy-handed sluggers, Toney escaped danger time and time again. In a close fight that saw him on the losing end of a split decision, Toney's jab found its mark repeatedly. There were times that the old boxer found himself stunned but he not only survived but he bloodied both the nose and lips of the stronger Peter. This fight could have easily been scored in Toney's favor and most ringside observers including Showtime Al Bernstein had Toney winning the fight.; On paper, this was a fight that should never have gone the distance. Peter was younger, stronger and had the bigger punch. Yet, Toney threw accurate combinations and if he was not dodging Peter sledgehammer punches, he took them. Say what you want about Toney, the guy can take a punch. Toney was one of those rare fighters who could do it all in the ring. He could fight from the outside and box or he could fight inside. He could counter you off the ropes or he could simply embarrass you in the middle of the ring. More
Heavyweight Picture-What can be seen below the maddening Crowd: August 22, 2006 - There is sadness in Boxingville as no American boxer holds any of the Heavyweight crowns. With Oleg Maskaev demolition of Hassim Rahman, the Heavyweight division is left with only one true American legitimate contender in Calvin Brock. While there are some hopeful below Calvin Brock such as Tony Thompson or Ray Austin, there is little to suggest that these heavyweights have the stuff to seriously challenge the Eastern bloc, in particular Serguei Lyakhovich and Wladimir Klitschko. More
Toney and Peters: What to Watch For: August 14, 2006 - The James Toney-Samuel Peter has the feel of the Chris Byrd-Ike Ibeabuchi bout nearly decade ago. That bout featured an up and coming Nigerian fighter vs. a slick American boxer. Byrd quickness versus Ibeabuchi power and in that fight, power overcame the quickness.; Toney is the master boxer and is the kind of fighter who is hard to hit even when he is standing in front of you. Peter is a power-punching machine who can crack opponent body parts with sledgehammer power. This is an intriguing match up since Toney has the ability to embarrass you and Peter can stop you with just one shot. More
SHOBOX TOURNEY TIME: August 8, 2006 - Shobox is conducting their Super Middleweight tournament for prospects, with the winner being the IBO champion. Of course, being the IBO champion doesn't make the winner, the Super Middleweight champion. It does make the winner a player in the division. It also gives the losers some notoriety as well. This is SHOBOX version of the Contender, only without the drama. More
Boxing and Television: August 8, 2006 - Ringsports.com Jack Hirsch challenged a little bit of conventional wisdom, namely that golden age of boxing was in the distant past. How often do we hear, "the golden era of boxing on television was in the 50's, 60's or even the 70's and early 80's." Mr. Hirsch believes that we are living in the golden age of boxing and television. More
Heavyweight still Mired in the Mud: July 29, 2006 - Ray Austin found himself down in the fourth round in a fight that he was losing. Trying to sneak a right to Sultan Ibragimov, Austin got nailed by a right hook first from the southpaw Russian. Austin showed something that contender needed to show above all else, the ability to adjust and find a way to persevere. Using his height to its utmost, he forced Ibragimov to come to him and countered. In the latter rounds, it was the Russian who hit the canvas as result of a hook and the fight ended the way the fight began- as a draw. More
Contender is Roaring: July 29, 2006 - ESPN has taken over the "The Contender" franchise and this version is even better than last year. There are compelling stories being told and we are witnessing the development of new stars and we may be witnessing the end of other fighters' career.; Take the first episode when Michael Clark challenged Cornelius Bundrage. Clark viewed Bundrage as the easiest foe and even mocked his techniques during the initial training. The bout was between an wily veteran who was moving up in weight and a youngster, who was moving down. Cornelius Bundrage biggest opportunity in the past came when he faced fellow prospect Sechew Powell. That bout ended in 22 seconds with Bundrage sprawled along the canvas. Which may explain why Powell is facing Kassim Ouma and Bundrage is doing the "The Contender" gig. More
Thoughts on Taylor-Wright: June 21, 2006 - Most of us have come to terms with the results of the Jermain Taylor-Winky Wright recent struggle. The statistic themselves don't tell the whole story. Taylor threw more punches and his punches had more snap. Wright defensive skills were superior as he avoided many of Taylor's haymakers and his right jab proved accurate. There were numerous head butts including one in the ninth round that led to the swelling around Taylor's left eye. A clash of styles caused the head butts but the fight itself proved to be both intriguing and action packed. More
Judging Heavyweights: May 28, 2006 - Judging heavyweights is one of the more difficult aspects of any boxing historians. It is easier to rate middleweights from different era since there is a set weight for the division. Heavyweights are totally different since heavyweights have become bigger, in particular over the past three decades.; Between 1900 and 2000, the average American male grew 3 inches. Better diet along with new training methods has increased the average American athlete weight. So in measuring heavyweights from different era, this factor must be considered. Consider Rocky Marciano and Mike Tyson. Both fighters were essentially the same height but Rocky Marciano weighed 190 pounds whereas Mike Tyson fought close to 220 pounds at his peak three decades later. Could we assume, for argument sake, that Marciano may have weighed close to 220 if he fought three decades later? More
Meanings of Oscar De La Hoya: May 10, 2006 - When judging Oscar De La Hoya place in boxing history, you have to view more than De La Hoya accomplishments in the ring. Oscar De La Hoya is a businessman who fights. And his Golden Boy Production is not just another promotion company but a serious challenge to the present power brokers.; Oscar has managed to take good looks and a golden smile to new heights. As a Mexican-American, he has cross over appeal among all ethnic groups. He has broken down barriers rarely talked about but now need to be recognized. He is attempting to do what has been a rarity in boxing-taking his skills in the ring and becoming a force outside the ring. Golden Boy Promotions is not just another promotion company but a refugee for fighters to challenge the status quo of boxing establishment. As a sport, Boxing rarely takes care of its' own and often many boxers find themselves on the street after their career. More
Rivera Makes His Claim!!: May 10, 2006 - While much of the boxing world was focused upon Las Vegas, there was another crucial junior Middleweight bout being held in Worcester, Massachusetts. Jose Antonio Rivera challenged Alejandro Garcia for Garcia's WBA version of the junior Middleweight division. Garcia came in the bout confident as he traveled to Rivera's backyard and even tolerated three judges from Massachusetts. He simply felt that his right hand would be final arbitrator of the bout. More
Sergio Mora works the room: May 8, 2006 - Sergio Mora may not be the best fighter in the world and he may never succeed in winning a championship but against Archak TerMelikestian, he showed the heart that he demonstrated over several weeks in The Contender program.; Mora became a hero as millions of boxing fans as they followed his exploits throughout The Contender series. In some ways, Contender fighters such as Peter Manfredo, Jr. and Sergio Mora became even more celebrity than many of the champions. I suspect the more casual sport fan or even boxing fans know more about Mora than they do the various Middleweight champions including Jermaine Taylor, the recognized Middleweight champion! More
Pemberton Last big moment in the Sun By Tom Donelson: November 3, 2005 - Scott Pemberton has spent much of his boxing life on the peripheral, looking in. His first crowning moment came with two great bouts with Omar Sheika on ESPN Friday night fights. In both fights, there were many ebb and flows but Pemberton won the first bout by a split decision and stopped Sheika in the rematch. (He also won the heart of his fiance as he proposed to her after his first victory against Sheika.) More
Boxing Problems and Opportunities By Tom Donelson: October 9, 2005 - Recently, one boxing pundit predicted the end of boxing by 2020 or something like that. Okay, boxing has a lot of problems but its demise has been predicted at least every decade and despite boxing best efforts to commit suicide, it is still around.; Similar to other sports, Boxing is becoming a niche sport with a select fan base and unable to expand further. It is not the only sport with that problem when it comes to public viewing.; ESPN featured a movie about Roger Bannister becoming the first man to break the four-minute mile. Track, in particular the Mile event, featured a large fan base and many key track meets were on major networks. Today, it is relegated to cable late at night and the only time that track gets any significant airtime is during the Olympics. More
Byrd Grounded: October 2, 2005 - Chris Byrd last night did not take flight. In one of the more abysmal championship fights, Byrd won a decision over DaVarryl “Touch of Sleep” Williamson. The best you can say for this fight was that seeing the replay is the perfect cure for insomnia. Williamson decided to entice Byrd to come forward so he can nail him with his right hand, his best weapon. Byrd was reluctant since his strength is counterpunching. So what we got was nearly 12 rounds of posing and this fight was enough to make one wish for John Ruiz hug fest. It was that boring.

Which brings us to the million-dollar question, what is Byrd to do? He is a boxer by nature. With quick hands and little power in his punches, Byrd would love to have a big payday but the problem is that Byrd is not the most marketable fighter. Which is too bad, for he is one of boxing smarter fighter and good guys. The guy studies the sweet science and knows the sport. Well spoken, Byrd would make a natural boxing analyst when he finally retires. More
Lamon Brewster finds a way to win: October 1, 2005 - It has been said that when a fighter becomes a champion, he becomes a better fighter. Lamon Brewster may be proof of that old adage. Going into the eight round of his recent bout with Luan Krasnigi, he was behind on points. Krasnigi used his boxing skills to build up a significant point lead. Brewster seemed befuddled by Krasnigi’s consistent barrage of left and right combinations and incapable of mounting a significant offense. Just as in the Klitschko and Meehan fight, the taller boxer-puncher proved problematic for the rugged Brewster. More
The lessons of Leavander Johnson tragedy: September 25, 2005 - When a fighter dies in a very public moment, it leads to various soul searching and gnashing of teeth. One major website has even question if boxing should be abolished. For those of us who follow the sport on a daily basis were shocked by the death but yet we all know that this is a possibility.; So could have the tragedy been avoided? Yes, but hindsight makes us a little smarter. Maybe the referee should have stopped the fight earlier, and certainly Johnson corner should have prevented their fighter out for that fateful round but in a championship fight, emotions often take precedence over common sense. More
Big Night: Peters, Klitschko, and Cotto: September 25, 2005 - Miguel Cotto faced the undefeated Ricardo Torres, who took the fight on three week notice. Torres first 27 fights were in his native Columbia and his last fight was in Puerto Rico. Only six of those fighters had winning records so who knew how good this kid really was. For Cotto promoters, this fight was scheduled to be a mere filler until the big money fights against Mayweather or Hatton eventually happened.; In the first round, Cotto nailed Torres with a wicked left hook and Torres went down. Cotto decided to finish the action but as he moved forward, Torres rocked Cotto with a quick sharp right hand.. Cotto won the first round but Torres showed that he belonged with Cotto and he was not just going to be a pushover. More
Hall of Fame Thoughts By Tom Donelson: September 10, 2005 - What makes a Hall of Fame fighter? Interesting question and it is tough call when considering a fighter for the Hall of Fame. Many of us who vote for boxers face similar problems as other sports. And I am not so convince that other sports do any better than what we do in selecting Hall of Fame candidates. Can anyone explain to me how Art Monk has yet to make the Football Hall of Fame? When the guy retired, he was the NFL leading all time receiver and had caught a pass in 183 straight games. Translation, the guy caught a ton of passes and rarely was denied. There are stats that are so overwhelming that they can’t be denied. Except by some sport writers or in the case of Monk, many sports writers.; Sometimes athletes are overshadowed by others and their own records are not truly appreciated even after they are voted in. Recently, one writer recently lamented how Dwight Qawi made the Hall of the Fame. At his peak, Qawi was a relentless killing machine and champion in two divisions. At his peak, his only lost was to Mike Spinks for the unified light heavyweight title and to Evander Holyfield for the Cruiserweight championship. It took two Hall of Fame fighters to defeat him at his best. More
Braithwaite- Jones: The Fight Does Matter By Tom Donelson: INSIDE BXOING (August 31, 2005) - While much ink has been spilled on various upcoming fights such as Peters-Klitschko, very little is being spilled on the Wayne Braithwaite-Guillermo Jones bout. This bout is intriguing simply because just a few months ago, Braithwaite was considered one of the top two Cruiserweights in the world. Braithwaite ran into a buzz saw in French slugger Jean Mormeck, who dominated their fight. Throughout the fight, Braithwaite found himself on the ropes and fending off the Mormeck pressure. The question that remains is what does he have left after just a tough bout and is he ready to resume another attempt at the title? More
Soto and Vargas By Tom Donelson: INSIDE BOXING (August 21, 2005) - Boxing writer Adam Pollack once told me that the biggest problem that he had with Rocky Juarez was that he started slow and didn’t throw enough punches. Last Saturday night, Juarez was as economical with his punches as he has been in his past but he faced a determined foe that took his best shots. Humberto Soto trained with Erik Morales, so it is not like the undefeated American star would not intimidate him.; In the first six rounds, Soto boxed like an American. He threw jabs and beautiful rights as well as upper cuts. He moved and dominated the pace. Juarez could not get inside of Soto and suffered a cut underneath his left eye as a result of a jab. More
What does it all mean? By Tom Donelson: INSIDE BOXING (August 21, 2005) - What does it all mean? I mean what are Championship belts worth these days? Consider the case of Antonio Tarver. Both Antonio and Glen Johnson had a choice. They could defend their title against “mandatory challengers” or they could fight each other for some big bucks. Both having just beaten Roy Jones and both were recognized as the two leading light heavyweights, so it only made sense for them to fight. Unfortunately for the various sanctioning bodies, it did not. So Tarver and Johnson gave up their paper titles and fought for the true light heavyweight championship of the world and follow their first fight with a second equally competitive fight. Today, Tarver may not have a “sanctioning body belt” but he is the recognized champion of the world. More
New Stars are Rising By Tom Donelson: INSIDE BOXING (August 7, 2005) - Jeff Lacy dismantling of Robin Reid is ushering a new area of boxing as new superstars are challenging the old for supremacy. Boxing is a sport driven by personality due to it very nature of being an individual sports.; Mike Tyson is a prime example of this. For nearly two decades, the adventure of Mike Tyson both in and out of the ring sold tickets. Tyson fearsome power in the ring thrilled boxing fans and his soap opera outside the ring attracted even the most casual fans and his PPV numbers made history. Oscar De La Hoya was another crowd pleaser. Blessed with a golden smile and Hollywood looks, De La Hoya translated talent into a corporation. Tyson is now retired and De La Hoya looks very comfortable in his business suit. The old stars are fading from the scene and now new stars are coming forth. More
Lacy and Reid: My Choice: August 4, 2005 - Jeff Lacy is facing the biggest fight of his life against Robin Reid. Reid has fought the toughest fighters of the division and has the style to bother Lacy. Reid is an excellent counterpuncher with a tough chin, which means Lacy may not be able to stop him. Lacy is facing one of the division best before a possible showdown against Calzaghe. More
Super Middleweight and Middleweight Divison: INSIDE BOXING (August 1, 2005) - With the upcoming Jeff Lacy-Robin Reid clash, the Super Middleweights and Middleweights are suddenly becoming two hot divisions. Jeff Lacy is fighting a fighter who quite frankly can beat him. Reid is a tough fighter who lost two tough close battles to Joe Calzaghe and Swen Otkke.; While Lacy is the favorite, Reid has been in with the best and has fought higher caliber opponents. For the winner, this means a unification battle with the best of the Super Middleweights, Joe Calzaghe. The loser will still listed as one of the best.; Which brings me to the point. The Middleweights with the emergence of Jermain Taylor and the Super Middleweights with the emergence of Jeff Lacy is becoming a deep division with some great potential fights down the road. The beauty is that these fighters are young enough and strong enough to carry their rivalry up to the light heavyweight division and maybe to the cruiserweight division. More
Final Thoughts on Taylor-Hopkins: INSIDE BOXING (July 23, 2005) - When is a boxing decision a travesty and when is it not? Consider the recent Taylor-Hopkins fight. I scored the fight 7-5 for Taylor, which was the same as HBO’s Harold Lederman. As I mentioned in previous pieces, I have no problems with those who scored it in favor of Bernard Hopkins but to say that this was a boxing travesty as some pundits have suggested is crap. This was a close fight that happened in two parts.; In the first eight rounds, Taylor easily outworked Hopkins and averaged nearly twice as many punches thrown and landed. You would have been hard pressed to award Hopkins two of the first eight rounds. At best, Hopkins was down 6 rounds to 2 with four rounds left. More
History Repeats: INSIDE BOXING (July 18, 2005) - 18 years ago, Sugar Ray Leonard came up with the right strategy to beat one of the Middleweights most feared fighter- Mavelous Marvin Hagler. Leonard boxed and easily won the opening rounds and Hagler failed to pressure Leonard early. Hagler just assumed that eventually he would corner Sugar Ray and destroy him just as he destroyed Tommy Hearns. As it turned out, Leonard built up a big lead on the scorecard and when Hagler made his move to take control of the fight- it was too late.; Leonard early lead allowed him to take a decision. This was a fight in which Hagler lost as much as Leonard won. Leonard out smarted Hagler and Hagler underestimated Leonard. More
Oliveria and Augustus: Two Warriors: July 14, 2005 - Ray Oliveria is a lunch pail, blue-collar fighter who comes to fight every time he steps in the ring. It was not until his fight against Ricky Hatton did he ever fail to finish a fight. Then there is the mystery that is Emanuel Augustus. Augustus is one of those tricky fighters with quick hands and unorthodox in his approach to the sweet science. Augustus fights are always entertaining as he moves as if pulled from a puppet string and throws punches from every angle possible. The real mystery is how this guy ever managed to lose 24 fights.; When these fighters met on July 8th, these two warriors put on a clinic of professionalism and showed what it took to be a professional fighter. Throughout the evening, these warriors averaged over 200 punches per round!! There was not a second of non-action as the punches came fast and furious. More
A few thoughts on Saturday Night: June 25, 2005 - Floyd Mayweather is one of those once in a generation fighter, a man who is a maestro in the ring. He can punch and he can box. He can do it all. A rarity among boxers and yet, the man is the Rodney Dangerfield of boxing, he can’t get no respect.; Part of the reason may be Mayweather himself. This guy is a PR nightmare despite his good looks and pleasant smiles. It appears that he wants to cultivate his outlaw image and boxing fans never have warmed up to this modern day maestro. His outside life often resembled the chaos that mired Mike Tyson’s career over the past decade and half. As one boxing pundit noted, this guy could not even fill out boxing arenas in his own hometown. More
Movie Review of Cinderella Man: INSIDE BOXING (June 13, 2005) - Mae West once said, “when sex is good, it is great and when it is bad, it is still good.” Boxing movies are like that. Even the worse boxing movie can still be moving. If there was a sport made for the celluloid, it is boxing. Mano a mano, boxing represents sport at its purist. You have the drama of having one man fight another and you can see the fighter’s faces as well as their expression of anger and fear. There is no hiding in the ring and Hollywood thrives on the human drama and so does boxing. More
Cotto Shows his Mettles and the Kid takes a step forward: INSIDE BOXING (June 13, 2005) - Most sports editors sent their boxing writers to Washington D.C. for the McBride-Tyson fight, real boxing fans watch the HBO double header at the Madison Garden. These fights could easily have been shot in black and white as these four fighters fought hard, tough fights. It was as if the times was the 1930's in the old Garden, the original Mecca of boxing.; Almazhek Raiykylov, alias “Kid Diamond”, made a serious step forward as he took on Joel Casamayor, one of the lightweights best. In the first round, Casamayor showed his experience as he nailed Kid Diamond numerous times with his straight left and knocked the young fighter down with a straight right at the end of the round. More
England Lays Claim: INSIDE BOXING (June 6, 2005) - This weekend, Great Britain laid claim to two of boxing titles. Ricky Hatton pummeled Kotsya Tszyu into submission and now is the undisputed junior welterweight champion. Hatton showed not just brawn but adjusted his game to adapt to Tszyu weakness and won in impressive style. Even Tszyu understood when he failed to come out in the 12th round. He knew that he had lost and that for this evening, Hatton was the better fighter.; Hatton aggressive style forced a no quarter fight in which the older Tszyu had to fight every minute of every round. Going into the eleventh round, Tszyu knew he was behind and came out with one last charge. The first minute, his jabs and right hand scored but they did not have much effect upon the hard charging Hatton. The round was close as both men nailed each other with solid shots but when Tszyu went back to his corner, he knew it was over. The Australian fierce punching power was defanged by Hatton hard swarming style. There was nothing left in the tank and while Tszyu may have taken the eleventh round in close fashion- the fight was essentially over. Tszyu did not have the power to knock out Hatton and Hatton won most of the later rounds in convincing style. More
The Featherweights: INSIDE BOXING (May 30, 2005) - The upcoming SHOBOX special is putting a spotlight on the featherweights. If there is a division that emphasizes the globalization of boxing, this division does. SHOBOX is taking a break from its emphasis on young and talented prospects and showing a special surprise- Scott Harrison vs. Mike Brodie in the Battle of Britain.; Harrison, the defending WBO featherweight champion, is a slugger who has trouble with boxers. Brodie is a slick boxer, who had two tough bouts with WBC champion In Jin Chi and the style guarantee to give Harrison trouble. More
My pick for the upcoming Hatton-Tszyu fight and Tarver-Johnson fight.: Conventional wisdom has Kostya Tszyu beating Ricky Hatton. And Conventional Wisdom has much going in its favor. Tszyu is one of the hardest punchers pound for pound and Hatton will be sitting in harms way of Tszyu right hand. Hatton cuts and Tszyu punches are sledgehammers that can open up a scared tissue boxer. Hatton has not fought a fighter in Tszyu’s class nor in an event of this magnitude. More
Can Hatton Beat Tszyu?: INSIDE BOXING (May 24, 2005) -Can Ricky Hatton beat Kotysa Tszyu? Yes. On paper this is Tszyu fight to lose. Tszyu is a methodical killing machine. He is a like a cobra, with his sneaky right hand ready to strike. This right hand paralyzes his opponent and sends them down.; When Jab Judah fought Tszyu, he won the first five minutes of their fight but once he tasted Tszyu power and right hand, it was over. On paper, this is another Tszyu victory. Hatton will be in front of Tszyu, so it is not as if Tszyu has to go looking for Hatton. Hatton will be in range of the deadly Tszyu right. More
Brown almost made it: INSIDE BOXING (May 22, 2005) - Poor Dale Brown. Despite bleeding from cuts, Brown fought a brilliant fight. He out punched and at times, out slugged the slugger O’Neill Bell. In the third round, Brown was within a couple of punches from owning a piece of the cruiserweight championship. Compubox showed the dominance of Brown as he easily out punched Bell. The only place that Brown lost the fight was on the judges’ scorecard and that was the only scorecard that counted. More
Globalization of Boxing: May 16, 2005 - Joe Calzaghe is the world recognized best Super Middleweight fighter and he is from England. One of the Heavyweight leading contenders is a Nigerian fighter named Samuel Peters and Mexican fighters dominate many of the lower weight divisions . Boxing is an international sport and the Junior Welterweight division is the perfect example of the globalization of Boxing.; Kostya Tszyu is the king of the 140- pound hill and he is from Australia by the way of the former Soviet Empire. Vivian Harris is a native of Guyana, who presently resides in New York. Arturo Gatti is Canadian. Least I forget; Britain has Junior Witter and Rick Hatton. The leading American fighter is Floyd Mayweather, Jr. These are the top 140 pound fighters in the world. More
Final thoughts on Toney, Ruiz and King: INSIDE BOXING (May 1, 2005) - Never have a boxer in recent times been a victim of more derision than John Ruiz. I will admit that I was one of those who would cringe the entire time during a Ruiz fight. Yet, there was something noble about the guy. For one, he did not rape, plunder or pillage outside the ring. He conducted himself with dignity at press conference, never grabbling his crotch or unleashing a series of expletives. He was, well, the Quiet man. He never seemed to land in jail, much less get a traffic ticket.; Ruiz carried his blue-collar attitude in the ring when he fought. Nothing special, he would mug you and hug you. He would pound your body and then wrestle with you. There was nothing pretty about a John Ruiz fight but the guy won. Since 1996, he lost to three hall of fame fighters and to Tua, who had the talent to be a hall of fame fighter. The only guys who could beat Ruiz were hall of Famers. Everyone else lost. Every top ten fighter who was not or is destined for boxing Hall of Fame and even one Hall of Fame fighter (Holyfield), he beat. More
Toney and Peters Win: INSIDE BOXING (April 30, 2005) - The Heavyweight division is actually quite interesting, even if it is mired in mediocrity. Each fight has significance for almost every fighter either has a claim of the title or is in the hunt for the title. You have at least 10 fighters, who could be champion after any given fight. And each fighter has weakness to go with his strength and every fight is competitive with no sure winner to be predicted before the opening bell.; Samuel Peters is the latest edition of the Nigerian Nightmare and a man that most feel is the master of destruction. A slow moving methodical slugger, Peters power makes up for his lack of speed but he has yet to be truly tested. But in a heavyweight division that is even through the first top ten, Peters has a good shot as anyone to at least claim some version of the title. More
Henry Armstrong: INSIDE BOXING (April 27, 2005) - Between 1937 and 1938, Henry Armstrong was the greatest fighter ever. He won 27 fights in 1937 with 26 KO’s and then won 14 more fights in 1938 with 10 ending in knock outs. In addition, he won the featherweight, lightweight and welterweight championship. Three titles held simultaneously. No fighter has ever done that before or since.; Born in Mississippi in 1912, Armstrong moved to Saint Louis at the age of four. Armstrong style was perpetual motion, throwing punches from all angles and never stopping. His slow heartbeat allowed him nearly unlimited endurance as he wore his opponents out while punishing them. More
Ruiz Will Beat Toney: INSIDE BOXING (April 26, 2005) - James Toney is everyone favorite Saturday night as he prepares to tangle with John Ruiz. Let’s face it, no one likes to see John Ruiz fight and with good reason. The man mugs and hugs his opponents. That is the negative. The positive is that for all his faults, the guy wins. Period. He forces his opponents to fight his fight. Kirk Johnson was a good boxer and yet, the man was reduced to fouling before losing. Fres Oquindo spent more time mugging Ruiz than vice a versa. Ruiz reduced Rahman to rumbling in the proverbial mud. The only fighter who set his own pace was Roy Jones and Referee Jay Nady aided Jones. Even Evander Holyfield rumbled with Ruiz and Holyfield is a Hall of Fame fighter. As my good friend Frank Lotierzo reminded me, only Holyfield and Jones has beaten Ruiz since his defeat to Tua in 1996. More
Guinn Goes South and Brock stock pushes upward: INSIDE BOXING (April 24, 2005) - Last Friday night, Dominic Guinn punched sparely and manages to snatch a draw from the jaws of victory. What should have been an easy victory over Friday Ahunja, Guinn did what he has been doing over the past year- he fought not to lose as oppose fighting to win. In a fight that should have been a one-sided affair and early evening knockout, Guinn threw a few jabs and occasional right while allowing Ahunja to stick around. What allowed Guinn to salvage a draw was that Ahunja was even less busy and less effective. He rarely jabbed and moved forward with an X on his head, pointing to the easy target. Guinn just never seem willing to unload any significant combination on that X.; Guinn’s career is on life support and the reason is staring Guinn in the mirror. Over the past several fights, Guinn has taken steps backward as the intensity that was present in his victory over Michael Grant has now all but been extinguish. It is a pity for Guinn has the boxing skills and power to be a major player in the division. Guinn rarely listens to his corner during a fight. Ronnie Shields and Mark Breland give good advice- like throw punches but Guinn merely sleepwalks through fights. Guinn still has the talent to be a major player but it is what in his head that is holding him back. As for the fight itself, the judges had it right. Neither man fought to win and why reward either one with a victory? More
My Picks: Mosley-Estrada and Cintron-Maragarito.: INSIDE BOXING (April 20, 2005) - Saturday night ESPN fight night features two intriguing fight. The David Estrada-Shane Mosley on the surface looks like a mismatch. Mosley is the more experienced fighter and one of the boxing elites, even at this stage of his career. Estrada is an up and coming welterweight but there is a feeling that he is overmatched in this fight.; Mosley is returning to the welterweight division and this fight is a crucial one for him. Win and he puts himself in position to challenge for a championship. He has lost four of his last six fights, and the one win was a close controversial victory over De La Hoya. Throw in one no-contest and you apparently have a fighter on the wane. Despite those losses, Mosley is still a dangerous fighter and he only hit the canvas once in this streak. As Welterweight, he should have the power advantage. More
ESPN Goes PPV: INSIDE BOXING (April 19, 2005) - Everyone is excited about ESPN PPV event and why not? There are some exciting fights and the match ups on paper appear competitive. And these fights cost the consumer $30, which is not cheap but certainly less expensive charged for many less desirable bouts in the past.; The issue for me is not whether ESPN does PPV but how ESPN follows up their fine boxing programs with coverage beyond the ring. Friday Night Fights is one of the boxing best shows. ESPN has often presented some intriguing match ups and Teddy Atlas is not afraid to state the truth as he sees it. He does not coddle the audience and if a fight stinks, he tells you. More
Heavyweight Muddle: INSIDE BOXING (April 12, 2005) - The various Don King's Heavyweight champions are now beginning their own version of a fight off. James Toney is fighting John Ruiz and Lamon Brewster is tackling Andrew Golota. While Chris Byrd and Vitali Klitschko watches from the sideline, these four steps in the ring in what should further muddle the Heavyweight title further. When the smoke clears, there will still be four champions but then what else is new?; I like James Toney as a fighter for he is one of the best of this generation, but his fame as a Heavyweight is based on his victory over a long past his prime Holyfield. Since Holyfield, he has recovered from two serious injuries and found time to plastered Rydell Booker. More
Cruiserweight Division: INSIDE BOXING (April 4, 2005) - Cruiserweight division is one of boxing best kept secret. A division long since ignored by the public and boxing purists, who forever complain that we have too many division. Never mind the fact that the old divisions were established in a different era and that every other major sport has long since expanded. Cruiserweight is a logical division that sits between today’s heavyweights and light heavyweights. Since 1962, there has been only one Heavyweight champion that has weighted less than 200 pounds. (Leon Spinks was a paltry 197 pounds when he upset Ali in 1978.); Athletes today are bigger due to training methods, diet and occasional help from pharmacology so it is only logical that new divisions be formed to recognize the new reality. In a world that has more than doubled in population and boxing, like other sports, have a wider pool to draw fighters from. The collapse of the Soviet Empire added to this pool as fighters, who were previously unable to fight professionally in the west, are now making their fortune in professional boxing. And when Fidel Castro finally join the rest of the Marxist world in the ash heap of history, then professional boxing will have yet another quality pool to draw from. More
Jerry Simpson- Fighter: INSIDE BOXING (March 23, 2005) - Jerry Simpson is 34 years old. And he is a fighter. After a five-year hiatus from the sport of a career that contained only two fights previously, Simpson fought the undefeated Joe Stofle on February 5th. Stofle had stopped his first three opponents and Simpson duty was to be another name on Stofle resume. The script called for Simpson to be Stofle fourth victim after putting a brief but courageous fight. It looked like Simpson was following the script after Stofle knocked Simpson all over the ring in the opening stanza. Except something happened. Simpson not only survived but came back to win a decision. And Stofle zero disappeared.; As former Heavyweight Champion Tony Tubbs, who helps train Jerry “Ruff House” Simpson, noted, “When I saw Jerry get out of that first round in his last fight and not give up and fought hard until the end, I knew he had heart.” More
Highlights on Three Journalists: INSIDE BOXING (March 21, 2005) - I found myself sitting next to Pedro Fernandez last fall during the Judah-Spinks fight. Pedro jokily told me that I maybe shouldn’t get too close “in case any stray bullets aimed for me hit you by mistake.”; Pedro is boxing muck racking journalists, whose reports often discuss the darker side of boxing. No subject is beyond Fernandez reach and his website, “RingTalk” is one of the most entertaining websites in all of sports, not just boxing. With the flair for dramatic writing, Fernandez writes with desperation of a Paul Revere yelling, “The British are coming! The British are coming!” Short and pithy, Fernandez gets to the point and his writing staff style follow a similar scripts. Cliff Rold is as opinionated as his boss with his analysis of the weekend fights but often his analysis proves correct. With a growing staff of beat writers, Fernandez edits one of the most enlightening and entertaining websites. More
Mayweather and Castillo: INSIDE BOXING (March 9, 2005) - There are fighters whose talents are unquestionable but whatever reason can’t attract a crowd when they fight. Take Pretty Boy Floyd Mayweather. This fighter is as talented as any fighter today but he has yet to highlight his own big PPV show. Everyone feels that Mayweather is the better fighter compared to Arturo Gatti but it is Gatti who sells the ticket. The force behind the proposed Mayweather-Gatti PPV was Gatti’s popularity and the fact that Gatti owns a piece of the junior welterweight championship. My point is that at this stage of Mayweather career, he should be a major star but he is not. The recent collapse of the Gatti-Mayweather fight demonstrate Mayweather dilemma, namely whom can Mayweather fight to get a title shot and a big PPV. Let say that Ricky Hatton upset Koysta Tszyu. Hatton is the bigger draw and he can easily fill out an arena in England. So Mayweather is not guarantee that he would get the lion share of that purse and again, it will be Hatton that fills the seats not Mayweather. So Hatton will be in the driver seat in any negotiations with Mayweather just as Gatti is now. More
Weekend Thoughts: INSIDE BOXING (March 6, 2005) - A few thoughts upon this weekend clashes. First, I love SHOBOX. This is one series that is indispensable for boxing for one simple reason- it forces young prospects to fight talented fighters and test themselves. What you won’t see is some hot prospect against the barely living. It doesn’t hurt that SHOBOX have some of the boxing announcers in Nick Charles and Steve Farhood and it doesn’t hurt that Al Bernstein can step in and substitute.; Last Thursday night was no exception. In the lightweight division, you had Almazbek Raiymkulov vs. the slick boxing Koba Gogoladze. Gogoladze started out fast but in the end, it was the power of Raimykulov that determined the fight. In the fourth round, Raiymykulov sent the game Georgian down and he repeated this in both the fifth and sixth round. At the end of the sixth, Gogoladze no longer could continue fighting. More
Cotto, the Next Best Thing: INSIDE BOXING (February 28, 2005) - Miguel Cotto chopped down Corley “Chop Chop” DeMarco but not without a little controversy. In my own mind, the fight was stopped too quickly since DeMarco purposely went down to avoid more punishment with the idea that he would come back in the sixth. It was also obvious that it was a matter of time before Cotto would stop the gallant but outgunned DeMarco. Cotto was breaking down the smaller DeMarco and this was Demarco third time on the canvas.; DeMarco demonstrated some flaws in the “Cotto Express” but also he exposed those qualities that will make Cotto the next feared thing. Cotto’s strength will serve him well in both the 140 and 147 pound division. The man is a natural junior and middleweight, who happen to be fighting at the lower division.; DeMarco showed that an excellent counter puncher could derail Cotto as he nearly ended the Puerto Rican undefeated record with a right hook in the third round. But other than the third round, Cotto dominated the smaller DeMarco with a vicious body attack and a left hook that consistently found its target. (On the reverse side, DeMarco right hand hook and straight left found Cotto face often enough.) More
Hopkins: Still the Champion: INSIDE BOXING (February 21, 2005) - You know why I like Hopkins? The man is one of the smartest boxers around that is why. Here is a 40-year old fighter, who should long past his prime. Yet, he still beat the best in his division and dominates the Middleweight division. Last Saturday night, he defeated Eastman. Here are the facts. Hopkins throws less than 30 punches per rounds and connects on nearly half of those. His opponent throws nearly twice as many as punches but he rarely connected. Eastman hit air; he hit Hopkins arms but rarely Hopkins body.; Hopkins moved throughout the first four rounds to a chorus of boos. Fans, still excited by Jermain Taylor short evening, disapprove of the lack of action. Hopkins did not stand toe to toe with Eastman but moved and boxed.; Then in the fifth round, Hopkins punches started to hit their mark consistently. Every round, Hopkins threw 25-30 punches and nailed half of them. Eastman threw weak jabs, Hopkins responded with stiff jabs. Hopkins threw left hooks and on occasion, threw a right hand over Eastman left jab. Eastman could take Hopkins best punches but he rarely tested Hopkins chin. More
Chess Champion Talks Boxing: INSIDE BOXING (February 21, 2005) - Chess champion, also a boxing fan, recently lectured me on the similarity on Chess and boxing. He began by noting “There is no such thing as a certain answer in chess, also there no such thing as the best move.” How true is that in boxing? Most pundits, including yours truly, predicted Spinks to defeat Judah. Not only did Judah win but he also knocked Spinks out. Nor was this the first time the unexpected happened in boxing. In the De La Hoya-Hopkins fight, De La Hoya came out swinging and unleashing his lethal combinations but to no avail. Hopkins outsmarted both the pundits and De La Hoya.; Chess Champ tells me that in Chess, “There is the positional play, attacking play, open positions, semi open positions. All those positions can be achieved by different openings.” Hopkins merely positioned himself to counterattack the more aggressive De La Hoya. Instead of boxing, De La Hoya moved forward and into Hopkins trap. Hopkins merely positioned himself to better counter De La Hoya. In the ninth round, he checkmated De La Hoya. (In boxing terms, he knocked De La Hoya out.) More
Charley Burley: Great Fighter No One Knows: INSIDE BOXING (February 10, 2005) - A friend of mine mentioned to me that when discussing the great fighters, no lists would be complete without a mention of Charley Burley. Ring Sports editor Rusty Rubin told me that in his opinion, Burley was the greatest fighter never to have won a championship or for that matter fight for a world title.; Legendary trainer Eddie Futch declared that Charley Burley the greatest all round fighter he ever witnessed and considering that Futch’s career in boxing span eight decades, that is high compliment. While campaigning as welterweight or middleweight, Burley was denied his shot at glory and today is a forgotten fighter except by hardcore fans.; Burley established himself as contender early in his career when he defeated Billy Soose, a future middleweight champion and he also split two fights with Fritzie Zivic, a future welterweight champion to show that his victory over Soose was no fluke. In 1942, Burley lost two decisions to the future heavyweight champion Ezzard Charles in a five-week period but he managed to squeeze in a knockout victory over Holman Williams. Today, a fighter fights one fight in three months, it is consider a heavy load and yet Burley fought three fights in less than six weeks against topnotch candidates! In 1944, he decisions the future light heavyweight champion Archie Moore. More
Dempsey and Johnson: Who would win?: INSIDE BOXING (February 7, 2005) - I received an EMAIL from a boxing enthusiast and he challenged me- Could Jack Dempsey really beat Jack Johnson if they both fought? His point was that Jack Dempsey couldn’t carry Jack Johnson jock strap and made an excellent case for Johnson superiority. So I asked boxing historians for their view. Both fighters had common opponents, Jess Willard and Fireman Jim Flynn. Willard defeated Johnson whereas Dempsey destroyed Willard. In the reverse, Johnson slaughtered Flynn whereas Dempsey was knocked out in one round in one of his first fight with the Fireman. (He did revenge the lost with a one round knock out in their next encounter.); But let us discount these fights. Willard defeated an out of shape and old Johnson, who spent the previous three years overseas and avoiding prosecution from the Mann Act. When Dempsey fought Willard, Willard had only fought one time in four years.; What we need to examine is boxing style. Dempsey fought boxers such as Tunney, Gibbons and Carpentier. He easily beat Carpentier and out slugged Gibbons. However, Tunney easily beat Dempsey twice. Tunney was a boxer in Johnson class and showed that a great boxer could beat Dempsey. My critics will remind me that Dempsey had not fought in three years and was 31 years old. My counter is that Dempsey was only three years older than Tunney and in the rematch, it was Tunney who had taken the whole year off while Dempsey defeated Sharkey in a elimination fight. Dempsey did not have the excuse of being rusty in their second match. It was my belief that the Dempsey that defeated Willard would have probably beaten Tunney but the 1923 version that scratched out a decision against Gibbons would have had difficulty in beating Tunney. More
Saint Louis: The Way Boxing Should Be: INSIDE BOXING (February 7, 2005) - It is Mardi Gras time in Saint Louis where normal people for one night shed all inhibitions in preparation for Lent. And many ways boxing is the perfect sport for Mardi Gras, for it often proves to be the theatre of the unexpected and on occasion, the absurd. There is nothing predictable about a boxing match and Judah-Spinks championship bout proved no exception. When you add the maestro of the whole affair is Done King, then only the unexpected can be expected.; The fight was a sell out and as I walked through Saint Louis in the mid mornings, I come to think of what could the unexpected factor- Cory Spinks fighting at home. Normally, the home court advantage benefits the hometown fighter- in particular, with the judges. Close rounds go to the hometown favorite and when you add the factor of the hometown fighter is also the champion- this benefited Spinks even more. There was another thought. Will Spinks, a normally disciplined fighter, allow the hometown crowd to affect his fight plan? Zab Judah indicated that he would push the action and will the crowd push Spinks to exchange blows and give Judah his chance to end the fight? Spinks was an excellent boxer and his advantage was his ability to counterpunch a charging Judah. If he went toe to toe, he gave the harder punching challenger his opportunity such as he did in the twelfth of round of their previous fight when Judah nearly pulled out victory from the proverbial jaws of defeat. More
My Picks for The Saturday Night Fights: INSIDE BOXING (February 2, 2005) - Friday morning, I will be traveling down Iowa 218 and on the way to Saint Louis. The reason for my traveling to Saint Louis is to watch Jab Judah and Cory Spinks get it on one more time in Spinks’ hometown. Like all Don King Production, there are fights galore before the main event. Call it appetizers before the main course.; You have the IBF/WBC elimination fight between Owen “What the Heck” Beck and Monte “Two Gunz” Barrett. You can add Iowa’s giant Tye Fields fighting Ray Lunsford and undefeated Cincinnati junior Middleweight Robert Dula is on the card as well. And it is on Showtime as part of Showtime Saturday night’s monthly clashes.; Now let’s get to the fights themselves. All of Lunsford 21 fights have been held either in Mississippi or Memphis. At six foot, Lunsford might just be at a little disadvantage against the 6’9” Tye Fields. And when you throw in Lunsford 7 knock out in his 17 victories, don’t count on a repeat of Dempsey-Willard. Lunsford will not play Dempsey to Fields’ Willard. Fields has 29 knockouts in 31 fights but most of his fights have been held in the friendly confine of Iowa and neighboring states. Fields only lost was a first round knock out to Jeff Ford but Fields revenged that with a first one stoppage of his own. This will be quick entertaining fight between two fighters who till mostly in the Midwest against mediocre opponents. Fields wins early. More
Harry Wills, Shot for Glory Denied: INSIDE BOXING (February 1, 2005) - Between 1915 and 1927, Harry Wills was one of the best fighters, if not the best, in the heavyweight division. Yet, he never got his chance to fight for the heavyweight championship. Like other black fighters in the early part of the past century, Harry Wills was nothing but a footnote in boxing history. What denied Wills his place in history was the color of his skin. At a time in which the heavyweight championship was considered the purview of the Caucasian race, Harry Wills tilled in the heavyweight division hinterland. After Jack Johnson’s reign as champion ended, white promoters were determined not to allow blacks a whiff at the championship belt.; Jack Johnson’s personal conduct outside the ring scandalized White America as modesty and humility were not part of his make up. Jack Johnson essentially gave White America the middle finger as he violated every taboo of his time. Jack Johnson found white women more to his liking as he said, “Every colored lady I ever went with two-timed me, white girls didn’t.” And when he was not bedding white women, he was beating white heavyweights. He did not just beat his opponent; he taunted and tortured them before beating them. Ring Ladner described Jack Johnson as that “grinning Negro whose delight was in whipping purpose.” Johnson spent the last years of his championship reign outside the country and eventually lost his title to Jess Willard under the scorching Havana sun. More
Gatti and Ouma: Fighting for Respect and Money: INSIDE BOXING (January 30, 2005) - I sat down to watch a Gatti’s fight and a boxing match broke out. In an effort to lengthen his career and protect what is left of his face, Gatti is now a boxer. Gatti moved and jabbed the first 13 minute of the fight as he peppered Leija with his straight left. Gatti did not miss and he moved with fluidity, a feat rarely associated with the Thunder.; In the fifth round, Gatti caught Jesse James with a perfect placed right hand and sent Leija down for a count of nine. Leija made one last effort as both men frantically exchanged punches. Gatti looked to end it and the warrior came out in him, as he smelled blood. Leija was hoping for lightening to strike but the only lightening that hit was a Gatti left hook. Leija went down and this time, he stayed down. More
Great Boxing Weekend: INSIDE BOXING (January 22, 2005) - Prospects go through different stages. First, there are the tomato cans and the barely breathing. Then there are the older fighters on last legs, followed by top twenty fighters but not the elites. Then there are the top ten fighters.; Calvin Brock fought a top twenty fighter in Clifford “The Black Rhino” Etienne and this was his first major test since he fought the undefeated Terry Smith last May. Etienne looked sharp in the first round as he ripped some effective body shots. His punches looked sharper and more compact as Brock was willing to fight inside with Etienne.; ESPN Teddy Atlas noticed that the “Black Rhino” was leaning in and vulnerable to Brock uppercuts. Atlas proved prophetic as Brock took advantage of Etienne’s mistakes. In the second round, Brock took a step back and unleashed left and right combination then sent Etienne down. Etienne made a comeback in the last thirty seconds as his experience allowed him to survive. All this little flurry did was delay the inevitable. In the third round, Brock laid another right to the top of Etienne’s head and down went the “Black Rhino.” Brock had Etienne in trouble and unlike the second round, he did not allow this opportunity to slip past him. So Brock finished off Etienne for a nice three round victory. More
TNT is still fighting: INSIDE BOXING (January 19, 2005) - Young 17 year old James Helger was pumping jabs after jabs into the hand mitts of his trainer. After two rounds of nothing more than pumping jabs, Helger added a straight right to his jab as the trainer kept encouraging his young student. Each round, the trainer kept adding new twists to his young protégé. Each round, his young protégé looked more comfortable and more fluid in movements across the ring. As the evening wore on, James Helger started to look more like a boxer. The jab that began pumping slowly and softly one at a time was now pumping angrily into Tubbs hand mitt. A boxer began to emerge.; Helger amateur debut was just three days away. The trainer was one of the great masters of the jab in the 80’s- none other than Tony “TNT” Tubbs. In the mid 80’s, Tubbs was one of the slick boxers of his era and for one brief moment, he out boxed fellow slick boxer, Greg Page, to claim the WBA Heavyweight title.; At the age of 46, Tubbs still hopes for one more run at a title, if not at least a top ten rating. Now Tubbs helps young amateurs in a small gym in Cedar Rapids, Iowa while training for his own matches. In December, he out boxed the undefeated Brian Minto. Previously, Minto fought Vincent Maddalone in one of 2004 fights of the year and the Minto camp was looking for a high profile name for Minto’s resume. Tubbs did not play the role of mere opponent and gave the young Minto a boxing lesson. More
Jack Johnson, the Original Ali: INSIDE BOXING (January 14, 2005) - Jack Johnson was the original Muhammad Ali, possessing quick hands and defensive skills ahead of his time. Early boxing reporters and some boxing historians considered him one of the greatest and Jack Johnson became a hero to his race when he captured the heavyweight championship.; His conduct outside the ring challenged every taboo of prevalent attitudes of White America. If he was not knocking out white men in the ring, he was bedding white women outside the ring. Arrogant and fun loving, Johnson lived life at a reckless pace and his public life was an irritant to white America, essentially giving White America the middle finger. With Johnson accession to the heavyweight championship, white promoters began a search for the Great White Hope. Unfortunately, no white challenger could match Johnson skills.; Johnson, for one, changed the rules of boxing by depending upon guile as much as brute strength. In the early part of the century, strength was the key factor. Gentleman Jim Corbett could not handle the power of James Jefferies, despite being the superior boxer. As one boxing historian stated, “If Jeffries could not outbox an opponent, he could certainly outlast the best of them." With fights lasting as long as 45 rounds, strength and endurance played key roles in winning championship fight. Corbett’s first fight with Jefferies demonstrated this point as he easily dominated most of the fight. By the end of the 23rd, Jefferies strength eventually wore the flashy conqueror of the great John Sullivan. More
Judah-Spinks: INSIDE BOXING (January 13, 2005) - The Master Chess players are always several moves ahead of their opponent. The Masters know almost by instinct, if not by the actual maneuver what their opponent is up to. When Bernard Hopkins defeated Oscar De La Hoya, he performed as much as chess master as he did a boxer. Knowing that Oscar wanted to box and move, Hopkins allowed De La Hoya to come forward and be the aggressor. He gave away a few of the early rounds and this move proceeded against the prevailing boxing wisdom that stated he needed to jump on De La Hoya immediately. Just as a Chess Master allows the inexperienced player to move his or her pieces forward, Hopkins allowed De La Hoya to expose himself to Hopkins heavier barrage. De La Hoya moved into Hopkins’ trap. What resulted was a Hopkins knock out.; Hopkins did pretty much the same thing against Trinidad as well. He boxed Trinidad and took advantage of Trinidad aggressive style and when the time came, he checkmated Trinidad with the perfect right hand. The lesson that Hopkins learned is that sometimes, you have to ignore conventional wisdom to win. A Chess Master may on occasion; think outside the box to surprise his or her opponent and in his biggest fights, Hopkins also ignored conventional wisdom. More
Glen Johnson: My Fighter of the Year: INSIDE BOXING (January 8, 2005) - Glen Johnson is my fighter of the year. Who would have thought that at the end of 2003 that the best light heavyweight fighter would be Glen Johnson? Who would have believed that by the end of this year, Glen Johnson would have defeated both Roy Jones and Antonio Tarver? Certainly, not I.; When Glen Johnson traveled to Memphis to face Roy Jones, I was invited to pontificate about the fight on the George Lapides morning show. Like everyone else, I predicted an easy Jones victory. The Jones-Johnson was to be Jones big comeback from his two round loss to Antonio Tarver but Johnson refuse to be a prop in a Jones fight.; In the first round, he rushed out and forced Jones on the rope. Throwing punches from every angle, he managed to connect in between Jones’ defenses. Throughout the fight, Jones looked lethargic and Johnson maintained a strong pace. There were moments that Jones would unleash the devastating hand speed and attack that stunned so many light heavyweights but on this night, Johnson merely smiled after such a combination. Nothing was going to stop him. Only Johnson and his corner knew that he could win. More
Will Mesi Come Back?: INSIDE BOXING (January 5, 2005) - Last year Baby Joe Mesi was an “enigma wrapped in a riddle” as his opponents consisted mostly old fighters on their last legs or the barely breathing. Now, the big question- will Mesi ever fight again?; Some questions were answered and some were left unanswered. And those unanswered may never be answered. Going into the 2004 year, Mesi had dispatched DaVarryl Williamson in one round before engaging in a close bout with Monte Barrett. Mesi proved too strong for Barrett in the first five rounds and just dominated the tentative New York City native before Barrett made a second half comeback to tighten the fight on the scorecard. Barrett boxing skills nearly undid the Buffalo native, as Mesi appeared to run out of gas. More
Multiple Champions Have Always Been With Us: INSIDE BOXING (December 29, 2004) - In the world of boxing today, it would appear that there are enough sanctioning bodies for every fighter to be declared champion. However, the multiple world of boxing sanctioning bodies is not a new state of affairs. As 1965 began, there were two world heavyweight champions- Muhammad Ali and Ernie Terrell. It would not be until 1967 when Ali defeated Terrell that Ali would actually be the undisputed world heavyweight champion. For nearly three years after he beat Sonny Liston, Ali was not recognized as the undisputed heavyweight champion, incredible as it may sound.; Throughout boxing histories, there have been moments that numerous champions competed for championship recognition. In the late 60’s, Jimmy Ellis and Joe Frazier both held the title world heavyweight title while Ali was stripped of his title. Frazier would claim the mantle of undeclared champion on February 20, 1970 when he stopped Jimmy Ellis. More
Byrd- Ruiz or Byrd-Rahman match up: INSIDE BOXING (December 21, 2004) - Here is a fight that might actually happen. John Ruiz versus Chris Byrd. Since both are control by Don King and if one wins, Don King still wins. In this match up, I like Byrd but this would be a tough match for Byrd. If Byrd moves as he did against Tua and Holyfield, then he can easily win. Ruiz love fighters to stay in front of him so he can wrestle with his opponents to wear them out. Lately, Byrd has been satisfied to lay on the rope and fight more flatfooted than in previous fights. If Byrd does that, then this becomes a wrestling match. If he moves like Roy Jones did in his fight with Ruiz, then this is a easy decision.; The advantage of Ruiz enjoys is that Byrd does not have a powerful punch. He is not going to hurt Ruiz and Ruiz can move forward with no real fear. Ruiz can hurt Byrd with an occasion right hand and left hook that is when he decides to throw them. And if he gets Byrd in a wrestling match, then who knows what the judges will decide. More
How does Klitschko Measure up?: INSIDE BOXING (December 21, 2004) - So how would Klitschko measure up against the other Heavyweight champions and contenders? Right now, I have to say I would favor Klitschko over the others but it not automatic that Klitschko would, in fact, prevail.; Boxing match ups is as much about style as anything else. For example, Chris Byrd has fought the two Klitschko brothers over 22 rounds and you would be hard press to find any rounds that he actually won. While he is 1-1 with his victory over the older brother Vitali, Byrd had difficulty in fighting the bigger and stronger Klitschko brothers. Their height, boxing ability and strength made it difficult for Byrd to gather momentum. What saved Byrd in their first fight was Vitali’s damaged shoulder. More
Boxing Final Big Weekend for 2004: December 18, 2004 - Thursday night HBO Boxero series featured two up and coming fighters in Librado Andrade and Brian Viloria. In the first feature, Super Middleweight Librado Andrade faced light heavyweight trial horse Thomas Reid. Reid is a smart crafty boxer with little power, as his 13 knockouts in 33 victories would attest to. In his last fight, Reid lost a 10 round decision to Montel Griffin and came down to the Super Middleweight weight for this bout.; The undefeated Andrade showed from the very beginning who was the power puncher as every punch had Reid clinching in pain. Reid offered very little in return and never could hurt Andrade whereas every punch Andrade threw seem to put Reid on the defensive. Not only that but Andrade accuracy combined with his power never allowed Reid any opportunities to get into this fight. From the opening bell, Andrade used a variety of punches. He used his jab to neutralized Reid boxing skills and then when he got on the inside, he followed up with devastating uppercuts and hooks to the body. In the fourth round, Andrade unleashed a variety of punches as Reid covered up for dear life. The referee stopped the fight after Reid no longer put any resistance. During Andrade’s last volley, Reid merely covered up and was getting hit with hard punches after hard punches. When the fight stopped, Reid put up no protest. He was as happy to see this end as his opponent. He had enough. More
Klitschko and Moorer Wins: Now What?: INSIDE BOXING December 14, 2004 - Michael Moorer beat Jirov. Those are the facts but what’s now for Moorer? I don’t buy into the notion that beating Jirov entitles Moorer to a heavyweight shot or for that matter a top ten rating. For most of the bout, Jirov out hustled and out boxed Moorer. Jirov maneuvered side to side and attacked from different angles and true to his nature; threw a lot of punches. Moorer for most of the bout played catcher, as he seemed to be deflecting many of Jirov’s punches with his head and body. Rarely did Moorer strike back with his jab.; What saved Moorer was that Jirov was a cruiserweight and not a heavyweight. Jirov rarely punished or hurt Moorer and Moorer could stand in Jirov’s wheelhouse. At the end of the eighth round, Jirov showed sign of tiring and Moorer, being the heavy puncher, could afford to be losing rounds as he had the equalizer. He struck with the equalizer in the ninth. More
Past weekend observations: INSIDE BOXING (December 5, 2004) - This weekend saw some great boxing with pretenders and contenders fighting for their future. We saw one prospect Jermaine Taylor graduate to becoming a contender. We saw Dominic Guinn with his career still floundering and leaving us with more questions than answers. We saw a young champion overcome a tough challenge as Jeff Lacy defeated a game Omar Sheika.; We saw Casamayor move up to the lightweight division and challenge the best lightweight before falling short. Is Samuel Peters the real thing? Well we now know that he is still a prospect but he is coming closer to answering that question- is he a contender or pretender? More
Viewing A Classic Barrera- Morales- The End?: INSIDE BOXING (November 28, 2004) - There are fighters who excite us and leave us having more. Rivalries build sports and boxing has had their share of rivalries. Bowe-Holyfield and Gatti-Ward were two of the better trilogy over the past two decades. Then there was the greatest of all boxing trilogy- Ali-Frazier, a rivalry that transcended the sport.; Last night, Barrera and Morales added their name to great boxing rivalry and who knows, there may yet be a fourth chapter. The Barrera-Morales fight was not about championship belts but something more. For many years, Morales smoldered inside at the attention granted Barrera. For Morales, he consider himself the rightful heir to the mantle of the best Mexican fighter of his generation. Barrera rivaled Morales for attention among Mexican boxing fans and Morales own opinion was that he was the greater fighter of the two fighters.; As for Barrera, pundits were writing obituary to his career since his lost to Manny Pacquaio. As Rick Reeno, the intrepid editor of Boxing Scene.com, reminded us all- this was Barrera Alamo for another loss and his career as a big time PPV fighter died. For Barrera, the stakes were higher than even for Morales. More
Big Fights Over the Horizon: INSIDE BOXING (November 24, 2004) - Over the next three weekends, there are some big fights worth looking at. Here are my observations and predictions:; Barrera-Morales- You can call this the Mexican version of Ali-Frazier. There is some serious dislike on both sides and while a championship belt is on the line; these fighters are fighting for more than a championship. They are fighting to see who is the master. The first two fights were tough in the trenches type of fights and the results were split. This is the rubber match in what has been a close series of bouts.; Barrera has shown an ability to box and move as well as slug whereas Morales is a pressure fighter. Morales is the taller fighter and he has already had three fights at 130 pound, whereas this is Barrera first fight at 130 pounds. So this may work to Morales advantage. While many have questioned how much Barrera has left after his pitch battle with the Pac-Man, the same question can be asked of Morales. Morales has been in his share of wars and Barrera looked good against Ayala (even though Ayala is on the down side of his career and not a fighter who threatened Barrera, so it is hard to judge what Barrera has left based on that fight.) With Casamayor and Corrales moving up to the lightweight divison, the winner will be the unofficial king of the junior lightweights. I like Morales in a decision but this will be a close and tough fight. The winner may not be much better off than the loser. More
View From the Bay in Vegas: November 21, 2004 - Winky Wright beat Shane Mosley. That is the headline for Saturday night fight. But in every fight, there are opportunities missed and opportunities taken advantage of.; The story of this fight shows that little things matter. Al Bernstein quipped after the fight, “Mosley left hook landed at will but he did not take full advantage.” That may have been the story. Before the fight, it was unanimous conclusion that Winky Wright would win. Or almost unanimous conclusion. Michael Katz was one of the dissenters. As he sat in the media room previewing the first fight, he concluded that Wright could be had if Mosley fought a different fight. “Wright fought as good as a fight as he could the last time but Shane didn’t,” Katz observed, “I am watching this fight and when Wright hit Mosley flushed, nothing happened. The first fight I went with Wright. This fight, I am going with Mosley.” Al Bernstein added before the fight, “This fight is going to be closer than anticipated, this is not going to be a rout or the same as the first fight. Mosley can win.” More
The Soul of a Butterfly: November 18, 2004 - The Soul Of A Butterflyis not a book about boxing; it is a book about life. Muhammad Ali reflection on his life co-written with his daughter Hana Yasmeen Ali deals with issues that go beyond boxing. Ali details his own journey from the small skinny kid who started boxing to punish the thieves that stole his bike to one of the most recognizable men in the world today. While it was Ali who stood down the United States Government and invented the rope-a-dope to upset George Foreman, it was Cassius Clay who first dreamed of being heavyweight champ. We see the transformation from Clay to Ali.; Ali seemed to have that inner drive to achieve greatness and an awareness of the world around him from the very beginning. As a youngster, he could never understand why he only saw white super heroes and a Christ that was white as well. It was Ali dream to be that black role model. This would lead him on a journey that extended beyond the ring. More
Heavyweights at the Garden: INSIDE BOXING (November 14. 2004) - At the end of the ninth round, Holyfield nailed Donald with a sharp right and Donald went back to his stool, shaken. At the beginning of the tenth round, Holyfield attacked once again and once again Donald appeared to be on wobbly feet. Then after 30 seconds, Holyfield’s brief burst was over. Donald weathered the storm and went on to out box Holyfield for the rest of the fight just as he did for the first 9 rounds. For one brief 45 seconds, Holyfield looked like the old Holyfield but for the rest of the fight, Holyfield was just an old fighter. The old Holyfield would have knocked Donald out after having him in trouble. Let us be frank, Donald, as a fighter could not carry a prime Holyfield’s jockstrap. At his peak, Holyfield would have taken Donald to the wood shed and this fight would not have even gone the distance. Today Holyfield is not even competitive against a second tier fighter. As one HBO announcer observed, when Holyfield lost to Toney; he lost to one of the best technical fighter. Losing to Donald is different. For most of this fight, Donald just pot shot the former champion and had an easy evening. Last night, we saw the continuing decline of once great fighter. More
When Does a Fighter Retire?: November 12, 2004 - When does or should a boxer decide to say, “adios?” As for athletes in other sports, it depends upon the fighter. Take the case of Billy Soose. Soose never fought after his 26th birthday. World War II first shortened his career as he fought for his country. After the war, Soose was offered $100,000 to fight Billy Conn but he turned it down. Soose’s wife did not want him to fight anymore and he jointly owned property in the Pocono. He was financially secure, so he did not need to fight. He simply went on with the rest of his life.; Now turned to the present day and let’s look at three fighters: Evander Holyfield, Roy Jones and Oscar De La Hoya. All three fighters are coming off brutal losses and all of these fighters have large sum of money to fall back on. Both Jones and De La Hoya have other business enterprises that are doing quite well so they have money coming in. As for Holyfield, he has kept enough of his winnings to live comfortably for the rest of his life. So for these fighters, financial security has already been accomplished. More
Baby Bull and Kostya Tszyu: November 6, 2004 - Baby Bull Juan Diaz is a perpetual machine, arms always moving and accurately hitting their target. Diaz is one of those guys who you can love. He is wiser than his 20 years of age and when he marches into the ring, he is all business.; Against Julien Lorcy, he pounded the Frenchman from one side of the ring to the other. Lorcy, a tough nut, withstood the pounding of the Baby Bull but he could never seem to get Diaz off stride. As the fight progressed, Diaz merely got stronger. Diaz pressure and hand speed overcame Lorcy experience. Speed and endurance beat experience.; What impresses you about Diaz is his arsenal. A pressure fighter, Diaz jabs his way into his opponent chest. His jab moved smoothly into Lorcy face and rarely missed. Neither did his left hook and the swelling of Lorcy left side showed the effect of the hooks. And then when Lorcy was looking for the left, Diaz right hand nailed the center of Lorcy’s face. More
Soose for the Hall: INSIDE BOXING (October 29, 2004) - Last year, I wrote a piece about the great Middleweight champion Billy Soose. Soose is one of the most interesting fighters in boxing history. As an amateur and collegiate fighter, Soose forte was power. As a college fighter, he was so good that NCAA outlawed golden glove champions from competing and this legislature was directed at Soose. Soose knocked out every collegiate fighter he competed against and many college teams refuse to compete against him.; Soose continued his winning way in the amateur and when he turned pro, Soose’s right hand would be his ticket to fame. Early in his career, Soose fought Al Quail and in the process of beating Quail, he split the tendon on his middle knuckle. From this point, Soose lost the power to punish his opponent and switched from slugger to boxer. For me, what makes Soose a great fighter is his ability to adopt. Once he lost his right hand, he became a boxer. Rarely has a boxer made as dramatic switch in style as Soose did. More
Judging a Fight: Some Ideas: INSIDE BOXING (October 28, 2004) - Judging a fight is very subjective. The one area in which most boxing pundits and judges appear to agree is the effect of a knockdown upon scoring. It is boxing tradition that if a fighter’s butt hit the canvas, he will lose a round by two points.; What if a fighter so dominates a round but fails to knock down his opponent down? Does he deserve a 10-8 round? Most judges will award a 10-9, regardless. For most judges, the knockdown is the defining standard. Knock your opponent down and you will get a 10-8.; When I asked Mike DeLisa of Cyberboxingzone.com, he said, “It all depends. I don't need a knockdown for a 2-point round, nor do I automatically give a 10-8 for a knockdown. I ALWAYS give the round to a fighter who has scored a knockdown by at least 10-9 -- sort of a bright line I can't pass.” Michael DeLisa envisions a scenario in which a fighter wins a round by two points without a knockdown and at least a fighter can never lose a round if he knocks the opponent down. More
King Big Show: INSIDE BOXING (October 20, 2004) - On November 13th, Don King is putting on one of those King’s extravaganza. It seem that every Heavyweight whose name is not Klitschko will be fighting. Each match is intriguing since each fighter has serious strengths and weakness. I can’t see one fight in which one fighter is so much better than the others and the only exception to this may be Holyfield –Donald since does anyone really believe that Holyfield has anything left but heart?; Here are some of my thoughts on these fights: More
Wright-Mosley II: INSIDE BOXING (October 20, 2004) - For many years, Winky Wright looked for respect and a big payday. His first opportunity against Fernando Vargas ended in defeat as he lost a close decision that many felt could have gone his way. Given a second chance against Mosley, he did not fail and became the best 154-pound fighter in the world.; I wrote the following before their last fight, “Wright is one of those fighters who is not very pleasing to the eye. A patient and awkward fighter, he makes his opponent look bad but it is not that he looks any smoother… I like Mosley for he is one of those fighters who are good for boxing. But over the past three years, he has not been the same fighter that he was at in the lower weights.... He has looked tentative and loading up on power shots.” More
Tszyu and Mitchell pick: INSIDE BOXING (October 20, 2004) - Kostya Tszyu and Sharmba Mitchell fight on November 6th to decide who is the best 140-pound fighter. Over three years ago, Mitchell suffered a knee injury that forced him to quit in the seventh round in their first fight. At the time of the stoppage, Tszyu led on two of the three scorecards and was even on the third. Mitchell lack of mobility hurt the speedy American and Tszyu started to take command of the fight. For Mitchell, this is payback. He has had this fight on his calendar for three years and this is the one fight that could define his career. If Mitchell wins, he can claim an element of greatness in defeating one of the better fighters in the past decade. Kostya Tszyu has been the best 140-pound fighter over the past decade but age and injuries has many doubting whether this great champion can marshal his resource to beat the more active Mitchell. While Tszyu has been recovering from injuries, Mitchell has been staying busy. For Mitchell, every fight over the past three years has been a dress rehearsal for this night. This is his Super Bowl. More
Mayorga: Opportunity Missed: INSIDE BOXING (October 12, 2004) - Why was Michael Jordan one of the greatest basketball player in the world? The answer is obviously talent but something else as well. He worked at his craft. He was the first to practice and the last to leave. He was the first in the weight room and the last out. Even in winter of his career, he displayed a blue-collar work ethic. He studied the game and his smarts were why he consistently beat his opponent.; Boxing is no difference. How did Hopkins become one of the great middleweights? Simple, he rarely stepped outside the gym between fights and he studied the game. Hopkins is one of the smartest boxers that I have seen and one of the best at adopting during a fight. No fighting style remains a mystery to Hopkins inside the ring and he can box with you or brawl- it does not matter. More importantly, he knows boxing. A profligate student of the game, Hopkins never goes into a boxing match without a game plan and like a great chess player, he already knows your next move. More
Jeff and Vladimir: INSIDE BOXING (October 30, 2004) - Wladimir Klitschko was once considered the heir apparent to the throne but now he is a fighter searching for a career. Last night, nothing was solved as far as Klitschko’s career was concerned. Davarryl Williamson adopted a strategy of survive and run for the early rounds with the goal of dominating the latter rounds.; Two things happen that changed the dynamics. The first was Williamson flash knockdown of Klitschko in the fourth round. Within the first minute, a Williamson right caught an off-balance Wladimir flushed. Klitschko immediately stood up and came back strong to salvage the round. Two of the judges gave Klitschko credit for winning second half of the round and awarded Williamson a one-point advantage. The second thing was the clash of heads at the end of the fifth round. This accidental head butt ended the fight and sent it to the scorecard, in which the Ukrainian fighter had an edge on two of the judges’ scorecard. More
Four Fighters at the Crossroad: INSIDE BOXING (September 27, 2004) - This past week, four of boxing superstars found themselves at a crossroad. Bernard Hopkins finally established himself as a superstar with a yet one more mega fight left in his future. For the first time in his career, he has options and he can no longer be ignored. Closing in on 40, Hopkins has already stated that he has one more year left of fighting. Hopkins wants one more big payday and his eyes are staring at a possible date with Antonio Tarver or the winner of the Trinidad-Mayorga fight along with at least two more defense of his middleweight title. Hopkins has now beaten two of the better fighters of this generation and now he bask in the adulation that he so richly deserve. Hopkins is the Dorian Gray of boxing; he never seems to get old. A freak of nature, Hopkins looked like he could fight for another decade and now for the next year, he plans to add to his legacy and wealth. More
Jones Tries to Answer Some Questions: INSIDE BOXING (September 22, 2004) - Mention Roy Jones, and you will be guarantee a debate. He is the enigma for most boxing fans and pundits as we try to sort out his career. With the defeat at the hands of Antonio Tarver, Jones fall from boxing pundits’ graces has been in full bloom. When he defeated John Ruiz, he was hailed in many corners as the greatest. When he lost to Tarver, he was essentially demoted to boxing purgatory.; This Saturday, Jones faces Glen Johnson for the WBO light heavyweight championship belt but this fight is not about a minor title. It is about whether Roy Jones still has something left in the tank or that the Tarver defeat was a mere aberration. On paper, this is a mismatch. Johnson has lost as many fights as he has won over the last 18 fights and his style is that of a being a human punching bag. His style is based on the premise, “hit me as many times as you like and I will hit you back.” Against Clinton Woods, Johnson face and body was the target of nearly half of Woods punches. And no one will compare Woods to Jones or Tarver. So we know one thing going into this fight, Jones will be able to hit Johnson with regularity. More
Hopkins Has His Legacy: INSIDE BOXING (September 19, 2004) - Last night, Bernard Hopkins showed the world what most of us have suspected- he is one of the best fighters of this generation. Before we start saying that Bernard only beat a junior middleweight, let face one fact. Hopkins beat one of the better fighters of our generation in Oscar De La Hoya.; When I was thinking about this fight, the one person that came to mind was Larry Holmes. Holmes was the Roger Dangerfield of Heavyweights, for no one really would give the Easton Assassin his due. For seven years, Holmes beat every fighter in front of him and all he would hear was that he beat a bunch of nobodies or that he was not Ali. He won 21 championship fights in a row and dominated the division not seen since Joe Louis and people still complain.; It was not until he would beat Ray Mercer and gave Evander Holyfield a tussle past the age of 40 when we finally realize that it was safe to mention Ali and Holmes in the same sentence. More
My Pick is....: INSIDE BOXING (September 17, 2004) - Everyone has their opinion on the weather and everyone has their opinion on the Hopkins-De La Hoya fight as well. Before I give you mine, a few thoughts.; De La Hoya strengths will be his hand speed and mobility. Look at the first nine rounds of the Trinidad fight and you can easily see the strategy that could defeat Hopkins. Then look at the three last rounds of the same fight and you see the main weakness of De La Hoya. In the big fights, he fails to close the show and always leaves his big moments hanging in the hands of the judges.; Hopkins weakness will be his age and hand speed. He is the slower fighter. His advantage is that he can pressure De La Hoya all fight and he will not tire down the stretch. More
Cotto's ready to make his move: INSIDE BOXING (August 12, 2004) - Miguel Cotto showed why he is ready to challenge for the title. Showing techniques and wisdom beyond his years in the ring, Cotto destroyed Pinto. From the opening bell, Cotto was on a seek and destroy mission as he wanted to wipe out the memory of his rival victories in the amateurs. Tall and Lanky, Pinto had what Emmanuel Steward described as a Tommy Hearns body. He had two victories over Cotto in the amateur and the confidence that in the professional rank that things would stay the same.; In the first round, Cotto demonstrated his growth. He kept his hands up high and moved forward with purpose. His jab allowed him to penetrate the defenses of the taller Pinto and when he got inside, he threw sharp punches to the body and head. Pinto threw round house punches that came in bunches but were inaccurate against Cotto superior defense.; After being rocked in the first round, Pinto’s right hand looked like they hit their mark in the second round as Cotto eased up his aggressive stance. For a brief minute, Pinto appeared to have the upper hand as he pursued Cotto, who bided his time. With 45 seconds left in the round, Cotto ripped a straight right followed by a left hook that send Pinto sprawling on the ring. Pinto staggered slightly as he rose from the canvas and survived the round. From this point, Cotto’s final victory was inevitable but Pinto refuse to give up. More
Legacy of De La Hoya and Hopkins: INSIDE BOXING (August 11, 2004) - With all the discussion centering on the upcoming De La Hoya-Hopkins fight, the one question that have been asked is what would a loss or a victory mean on each fighter’s legacy?; My own thesis is that a victory will enhance both fighters but a lost will not or should not affect their place in history. Consider the example of Hagler-Leonard fight, since this fight has been contrasted to that classic battle.; When Hagler came into the match, he was considered the most feared Middleweight and very few pundits gave Leonard much of a chance. Hagler had beaten the best at the Middleweights and had already beaten two of Leonard rivals, Duran and Hearns. Leonard had only one fight in the previous four years. Leonard victory enhanced his status as a great fighter and cemented his place in boxing history. By beating Hagler, Leonard added to his resume that included Hearns, Benitez, and Duran. While Leonard reputation was enhanced, Hagler did not lose his place in boxing history. Having eleven knockouts in twelve previous championship fights, losing to Leonard did not diminish a brilliant career. One reason was that this fight was a close fight and Hagler’s supporters could make the case that Hagler actually won the fight. More
Fallout from Spinks and Brewster: INSIDE BOXING (September 9, 2004) - Here are some thoughts that have been cascading through my minds. The first is that Cory Spinks should be credited for being one of the better pound for pound fighters at the moment. I am not ready to put Spinks in the pantheons of great Welterweight but the guy has lost only one fight and has beaten some very good fighters. He traveled to Europe to capture his title and he then followed that up by upsetting Mayorga. He followed the Mayorga victory by beating Jab Judah. Spinks is the Chris Byrd of the Welterweights as he will box your ears off but he won’t awe you with his power. He uses his smarts to beat you but the modern day boxing fans love their fighters with a little “shock and awe” and there is very little market for the slick boxer. Which is why Spinks garners very little attention with the media or boxing fans. Pity, the kid is good. more
Will History Repeat?: INSIDE BOXING (September 8, 2004) - The September mega event between Oscar De La Hoya and Bernard Hopkins is upon us and many have compared this to the famous Leonard-Hagler fight.; The first similarity was that both Leonard and De La Hoya were two of the better fighters of their generation whereas both Hagler and Hopkins were the best Middleweights of their era. Both Hagler and Hopkins were overwhelming favorites.; Here are some differences that need to be explored. When Hagler faced Leonard, both fighters had one great fighter that was on both fighters resumes- Tommy Hearns. Leonard defeated Hearns by knocking him out in the 14th round in one of the greatest welterweight fights whereas Hagler pounded Hearns in eight of the greatest minutes in boxing history. The one fighter that both Hopkins and De La Hoya shared on their resume was Trinidad. Hopkins pounded Trinidad and stopped him in the 12th round. De La Hoya out boxed Trinidad before essentially giving Trinidad the last three rounds and losing a controversial decision. More
The Great Eddie Futch: INSIDE BOXING (September 1, 2004) - The most important prizefight in boxing’s history would take place on Boxing’s biggest stage - Madison Square Garden. It was Ali-Frazier I and in Frazier’s corner was a diminutive man, whose strategy would prove decisive. The man was Eddie Futch. Futch wanted Frazier to force Ali on the ropes and rip the body. Frazier style was designed to have Ali throw uppercuts, so Ali would be open to Frazier fearsome left hook. To see the success of this strategy, all you have to do is to review both the 11th and 15h round. A Frazier left hook sent Ali sprawling to the canvas in the last round and in the eleventh round, a Frazier left hook over Ali’s right hand sent Ali spinning 180 degrees and nearly ended the fight.; Futch proved to be as much as an Ali’s nemesis as either Frazier or Ken Norton. Ali would win four of six fights against both fighters but each fight was a nail biter and always in doubt till the very end. Some would even argue that Norton should have been given the decision over Ali in their rubber match. Eddie Futch resided in both fighters’ corner. More
My Thoughts on Olympic Boxing: INSIDE BOXING (August 28, 2004) - Now that the Olympics boxing tournament is almost over and as I write this, we are down to one more chance for a least one gold medal for this Olympic. We are now reading how the United States boxing team is a failure and there is a general panic about how United States Olympic boxing has hit rock bottom.; Virgil Hill, on ESPN Friday Night Fights, observed that amateur boxing was essentially semi-pro when he fought in the early 80’s. Today, I am not sure if training a young fighter to become an Olympic champion is not counterproductive in preparing a young fighter for the professional ranks. Which is the dilemma of the US Olympic committee trying to design a training program to maximize American results in 2008 Olympics.; Hill also noted that past Olympic fighters had as much as 200 fights before entering the pro whereas many young amateurs are entering professional ranks with one-third less fights. The real question for a fighter is how much amateur fighting will benefit him if he wants to make a living as a pro fighter. And if many Amateur fighters are just asking themselves if fighting international amateur boxing is even a productive apprenticeship for young boxers. More
Pete Rademacher Revisited: August 27, 2004 - It is August 22nd and the year is 1957. Olympic gold medallist Pete Rademacher stepped into the ring against the Heavyweight champion of the world, Floyd Patterson. Rademacher goal was to do what no man has ever done, win the heavyweight championship in his first fight! In the second round, Rademacher knocked Floyd Patterson down and it appeared that maybe Rademacher would do the impossible. But the Olympic star could not counter the professional experience of Floyd Patterson, as Patterson would stop Rademacher in the sixth round. The miracle beginning ended as the twelve struck midnight and the amateur champion succumbed to reality. From the third round till the end, Patterson dominated the fight.; So what would prompt the Olympic champion to go straight for the world champion without even a tune up? “When I saw Patterson fight Moore for the heavyweight champion after the retirement of Marciano, I saw a young kid and old fighter going for the championship. I figure if I could win the gold medal, I had a shot of winning the title from either one,” Rademacher told me in a recent interview. More
Boxing Rankings: INSIDE BOXING (August 18, 2004) - Boxing lives in chaos and anarchy and as a sport it always had. Today’s boxing is par for the course when it comes to chaos. Name every world champion of every division. Not even the most informed of boxing pundits could do that without looking it up. What to do?; Many of my wiser friends in this business remind me, the powers to be are perfectly content with the way boxing is run and so any reforms of the sport runs smack into the interest of those who truly control and profit most from the sports.; There are steps that can be done to at least eliminate some of the confusion that drives boxing fans nuts and turn off casual sports fans in general. Define the true champion of each division. Before reforms can be implemented, it should be understood that you are not going to be rid of sanctioning bodies or the promoters. You are still stuck with various state boards that reek with incompetence.; The one thing we can do is to establish, even in an unofficial way, true champions. ESPN has begun this process by only recognizing Ring magazine rankings and certainly, it would not that difficult for us to take this a step further. More
Witnessing History: INSIDE BOXING (August 15, 2004) - Last Saturday night, I spent the evening at Soldiers Field, watching a soccer game. Our seats were located around what would be the 40 yards line some 20 rows up and in the center of the field was a circle for where the soccer kick off would begin the match. It is here that I have to suspect that the boxing ring that featured Jack Dempsey and Gene Tunney would be located. While I munch on dinner, I tried to imagine the fight as it unfolded.; 104,000 fans filled Soldier field that September night along with some 60 million more listening on radio. This was one of sports biggest events. I have to imagine that in the field itself were folding seats for the dignitaries. As for those, who sat in the highest row of the nosebleed section, they could still see the action. The fighters would appear like miniature toys in a small rectangular ring. There were no big screen TV, so what they saw would have to be enhanced by binoculars.; In the opening rounds, Dempsey was the stalker as he attempted to attack the body. Tunney countered by foot movement and sharp punches starting with the jab. Dempsey was cautious in the first three rounds, trying to sucker Tunney into exchanging blows. Tunney did not take the bait. The audience would witnessing a chest match. More
Freitas Woes: INSIDE BOXING (August 12, 2004) - It was just a generation ago, when a young fighter’s career was not destroyed by one loss and it was often considered part of the job that a fighter actually loses a fight or two. Was Joe Louis career destroyed when he lost to Max Schmeling in 1936 by a 12th round knock out? No, on the contrary, he managed to wriggle a championship bout against James Braddock and then promptly a year after that, revenged his loss to Schmeling. If Louis was fighting today and lost to Schmeling at a similar stage in his career, he would have been condemned as “over rated” bum.; My point is that a loss on a fighter’s record should not condemn a fighter to boxing purgatory and that a fighter’s career should be judged by its totality. Let us take the case of Arcelino Freitas, who is now everyone’s poster boy for “overrated fighter.” (I will add that Diego Corrales is now being hailed as the latest and greatest. There are some who are now talking about Corrales beating Floyd Mayweather, the same Mayweather that knocked Corrales around like a pinball machine in their last fight.); Freitas was one of the best 130-pound fighters in the world and he is still one of the best lightweight. When he fought Corrales, he fought a very good fighter who was fighting the best fight of his life. Before this fight, Freitas was considered the favorite simply because he did beat Casamayor in a very close decision whereas Corrales had lost one of two fights against the Cuban fighter while ending up on the canvas three times! More
Freitas-Corrales: INSIDE BOXING (August 9, 2004) - Now that I have had 48 hours to think about the Acelino Freitas and Diego Corrales fight, there are some interesting and unexpected things that occurred.; I felt that this fight would be tactical in the beginning and that one fighter would use plan B as oppose to turning this into a toe-to-toe encounter. Diego Corrales, in his second fight with Casamayor, showed that he could adjust from his slugging personality and box. In this fight, it was Freitas who became the boxer.; Freitas moved side-to-side and popped Corrales with effective combinations and on some occasion, stunning him. Freitas had the quicker feet and hands and this neutralize one of the Corrales weapons- the left jab. The left jab was an effective weapon against Casamayor but against the moving Freitas, it was ineffectual. Corrales’ jab missed its target and Corrales forsake the punch. Corrales cut off the ring but he rarely could trap Freitas for long periods and had trouble landing effective combinations.; For the first seven rounds, Freitas was comfortably ahead but Corrales showed something else. A refusal to panic when falling behind. Corrales gambled that Freitas couldn’t keep moving and boxing at this pace for all 12 rounds and the Brazilian fighter would eventually slowed down. He continued to pursue Freitas and by the seventh round, Freitas started to slow down as Corrales and his corner predicted. This allowed Corrales to trap Freitas and punish him. More
Tyson Place in boxing history: INSIDE BOXING (August 6, 2004) - How does one place Mike Tyson in perspective as a fighter? There are fighters that most pundits agree on their greatness. Ali and Louis are unanimously considered great fighters, the only debate we have is who was the greater? Then there are fighters where mythology often takes precedence since their days have long past and there are very little films to observe. Jack Dempsey and Jack Johnson are two fighters where myth and written accounts account for our perspective since most, if not, all of the eyewitnesses are dead. Most boxing fans in the early 20th century read about the exploits of these fighters or in the case of Dempsey, listen on radio. Imagination plays a role in their perception and those perceptions have been handed down to us in its original form. The story of Jack Dempsey and Jack Johnson read more like ancient classics than a sport story.; Then there are fighters who leaves us not sure and hoping that history will unravel some of the questions. Mike Tyson is one of those fighters and Roy Jones, Jr. is another. For both men leave as many questions as answers, when discussing their greatness. For Mike Tyson, his early career was a history of destruction as he left nothing standing in his path. The height of Tyson career was his 91-second destruction of Michael Spinks, then the second best heavyweight in the world. At the age of 22, Tyson reached his high point and from there, his career unraveled in a series of off court adventures and misconduct to go along with an increase disappointing ring career that left us unfulfilled.; Even today, there are those who will argue that no one would have touched the 22 year old wunderkind that was Tyson, the Tyson whose demolition of Spinks was his Picasso. Those 91 seconds are the lasting impression of Tyson for many. Mention Tyson and the memories of those 91 seconds represent what was and what could have been. More
Boxing and Tennis: INSIDE BOXING (August 4, 2004) - When I am not writing about boxing, I follow the sport of Tennis. Granted, the average Tennis player does not walk out of a Tennis court bloody or bowed, there are still similarities to explore.; In Tennis, you have the silky smooth performance of Roger Federer, the best player in the game today. The Federer artistry on the court reminds me of Muhammad Ali in his prime. Federer slides to the ball such as Ali would always dance and move his head away from incoming blows.; Then there is Andy Roddick, whose powerful serves resembles the sledgehammer jabs of George Foreman or Sonny Liston at their zenith. Coming at 140 mph, the golden arm of Roddick right hand can paralyze a opponent as much as Liston or Foreman’s jab would stop opponents in their path. The powerful serves combine with his ferocious forehand remind you of a George Foreman left-right combination that often send opponents to the canvas. More
The End of an Era: INSIDE BOXING (July 31, 2004) - When Tyson went down for good in the fourth, an era ended. Last Saturday night, the 90’s officially came to an end as far as the Heavyweights are concern.; From the time that Ali and Frazier were exchanging punches through the Lewis reign, the Heavyweight division saw a cascade of great champions. While I have always felt the 70’s were the golden era of heavyweights, the 90’s produced their own stars: Holyfield, Tyson, Bowe and Lewis. Last Saturday night ended Tyson as a serious championship contender and he is the last of the group to fall.; An easy favorite before the fight, Tyson won the first three rounds against the game Williams but he could not put the Britain away. What Tyson showed at 38 was that he was a three round fighter and in the fourth, Tyson had nothing left. No longer feared and no longer armed with endurance, Tyson simply collapsed as Williams showered him with punches. Tyson, once the most feared man in the ring, now found himself at the end of his career. Williams showed no fear and took Tyson best. In the beginning of Tyson career, if fighter fought toe to toe with Iron Mike, they found their evening over early. That was the old Tyson and now the present Tyson has long lost his advantage of intimidation. Williams knew that if he could ride out the storm in the early rounds; he would win for Tyson could not fight a full 10 rounds. This was proved in his fight against Lewis when after one round, he no longer could pursue Lewis with abandon. In his early career, Tyson was not easy to hit and he could knock out an opponent with either hands. The Tyson that exist today is easy to hit and no longer capable of fighting for full three minutes rounds. Survive early rounds and your chances of victory go up with today’s Tyson. More
Four prospects Show Potential: INSIDE BOXING (July 20, 2004) - The Saturday night HBO triple-header is behind us and with a little chance to reflect. Going into last Saturday night, we had four prospects and when it was over, we saw four contenders. And one can now claim a mantle of champion.; Kermit Cintron looked dominating but looks are deceiving. Yes, Cintron easily mastered Teddy Reid and he knocked Reid down twice before ending the fight in the tenth. However, Cintron showed a few other qualities. In every young fighter career, a young fighter must fight that grizzly veteran with nothing to lose and who won’t lie down. Reid, despite being outclassed, gave Cintron an excellent learning experience. First, Mr. Reid fought a tough and on some occasion, a dirty fight. He hit on the break and on two occasions after the bell ranged to end the round. He pushed and shoved. He also nailed Cintron with sharp left hooks and overhand rights that sent Cintron reeling but Cintron kept his cool and fought his fight. He jabbed effectively and showed excellent techniques downstairs as his body shots weakened the veteran Reid. He boxed and when needed, moved out of harms way. He didn’t allow Reid to intimidate him and when he had Reid in trouble at the end, he finished the job. More
Hustle and Brains win Fights!: INSIDE BOXING (July 17, 2004) -In boxing, the fight is not always won by the most talented or better fighter. Thursday night SHOBOX David Estrada-Nurhan Suleyman fight was an example of that. Suleyman was the better technician and the favorite. With an extensive amateur background, the undefeated Suleyman had the advantage when it came to boxing. Estrada had one chance and that was to out hustle Suleyman. And that is what he did. Estrada threw punches in bunches, and when he was not punching, he avoided Suleyman punches with an improved defense from previous fights.; What won Estrada the decision was his constant movement forward and sideway. Since Suleyman did not have great knock out power, Estrada was able to wade in without fear. Suleyman seemed a step slower than the younger Estrada and Estrada offensive flurries forced Suleyman on the defense. Suleyman was reduced to throwing one punch at a time. What lesson to be learned? Simple, when one fighter has the desire and will to impose his or her will, he will win. Estrada did not win by being the better technician but by out hustling Suleyman. More
Hot Night In Miami: INSIDE BOXING (July 3, 2004) - Michael Moorer has fought some of the best Heavyweights in the world over the past decade and been champion twice. Tonight, the hand speed that marked his career disappeared as Eliseo Castillo beat him to the punch. Moorer cut off the ring and on numerous occasions had Castillo right where he wanted him. The problem was that Moorer never could deliver the punches. Castillo shot the right hands into Moorer every round and Moorer’s head always seemed to be in the way.; For the first 8 rounds, Castillo moved and danced as Moorer was always one step behind. Then in middle of the eighth round, Moorer laid on the rope and Castillo went toe to toe with the old champion. Moorer now had Castillo in front of him and Moorer could punch Castillo all he wanted. Nothing happened. Moorer was out punched two to one as Castillo ripped shots into Moorer body. His hand speed over the former champion was there for all to see. Moorer no longer had anything left.; After that exchange in the eighth, Castillo continued his mastery and while two of the judges gave Moorer three rounds, even this was generous. You were been hard pressed to give Moorer any rounds. He was never in the fight. More
The Story of Three Men: INSIDE BOXING (July 1, 2004) -There are times in which good men find themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time. Max Schmeling, Joe Frazier and Gerry Cooney were three good men who found themselves playing boxing villains.; In 1936, Max Schmeling upset Joe Louis with a 12 round knock out and momentarily derailed the Louis express. In the two years between their classic rematch, the horror of Nazis Germany became more obvious. So when Max Schmeling fought Louis for the heavyweight championship, this fight became Germany vs. America- good vs. evil. Schmeling became a symbol of Germany “Master race” and certainly the Germans were perfectly willing to allow Max to assume the mantle of the German Super man. The Nazis looked at this fight as the national referendum of Germany’s superiority; For Schmeling, the pressure was intense. Schmeling, like other Germans, was proud of the German progress in the 1930’s as Germany began to rebuild its military and its pride. While many felt that Schmeling was a willing pawn in Hitler’s schemes, Schmeling himself was not a Nazi or anti-Semite. His own manager was Jewish and he refused to fire his manager despite pressure from the Nazi hierarchy. On one occasion, he even aided a Jewish family to escape Germany in the late 30’s. Before the fight, the Gestapo detained Schmeling’s parents and family. The message was clear, “defect and your family will be imprisoned.” More
Are there too many Weight Divisions?: INSIDE BOXING (June 27, 2004) - When I talked to Al Bernstein , a couple of weeks ago, he mentioned that he would like to see various weight division reduced to the original eight or maybe 10. Rusty Rubin of the Ringsports.com had told me the same thing. I am going to take a dissenting point of view. I like the various weight divisions seen today.; My argument is centered on one point, that the average athlete is today naturally bigger and stronger when compared to a century ago. The old weight divisions were set in a different era. The real problem is determining what is a true middleweight today versus yesterday? Is the Cruiserweight division more of a reflection of what a light heavyweight would be today as oppose to a century ago?; What the different weight division does is reflect the increase of average growth of athletes and boxers in general while maintaining the traditional weights. Consider heavyweights. The average heavyweights today weigh beyond 230 pounds and Chris Byrd is a small heavyweight at 210 pounds. Even 30 years ago, Byrd weight would classify him as a big heavyweight or at least a medium size. Ali did his best boxing between 205 and 220 pounds. Today, Ali would be a “small Heavyweight” based on his peak weight and Joe Louis would be a cruiserweight at his best! More
Shoot out Next Week in Miami: INSIDE BOXING (June 26, 2004) - Daniel Seda is a young knock out artist with 16 KO’s in 21 fights with his only blemishes being a technical draw with former champion Derrick Gainer. Seda has a reputation as a straight-ahead brawler but in his last fight with Anthony Martinez, he showed a little boxing skill as he not only out punched but also out boxed Martinez. For Seda, this fight could lead to one more shot at a title as his last opportunity ended with a cut as result of a clash of head.; Seda biggest obstacle is Joel Casamayor, now possibility the best 130-pound fighter now that Diego Corrales and Acelino Freitas have moved up to the lightweight division. (Yes, I would for the present rate him above Erik Morales.) For Casamayor, this victory is more than a shot at another title; it is a fight that leads to completion of unfinished business. For Casamayor, there is the matter of a rematch of Acelino Freitas, who defeated him in a controversial decision. Freitas has shown no desire for rematch and there is Diego Corrales. These two men have split their two fights and Casamayor wants one more chance to beat Corrales and end the trilogy in his favor. Of course, there could be the multi-million dollar pay out with Erik Morales. More
Mike Tyson comes back or Something Like That: INSIDE BOXING (June 26, 2004) - Okay, Mike Tyson is coming back to fight British Heavyweight Danny Williams. Mike Tyson, who is in debt to IRS and various creditors, now is fighting to pay the bills. Hardly the best reason to fight but in the process, he might find himself sharing a share of the Heavyweight championship. Team Tyson appears to be planning his comeback with care, as his first opponent should be certain victory. Originally slated to fight Irish fighter, Kevin McBride, he is now going to fight Williams and let face it, Team Tyson would not risk their prize student in a preliminary fight that he could possibly lose.; Then there are the rumors of a Tyson-Tarver fight or a Tyson-Brewster fight, both that make sense. First, they are big money fights that could attract a PPV audience and second, these are fights with fighters that are fit for Tyson style. As my good friend Frank Lotierzo has written, Tarver does not have the power to stem off Tyson and Tyson will prove too strong for the light heavyweight champion. Tarver best chance would be prolong the fight into the later rounds but that is a very doubtful scenario. As for Brewster, this is one of those fights in which both men would exchange blows and may the strongest man win. More
My Weekend In Nevada: Introduction; This following piece was based on a recent trip to Nevada. I used this trip to cover three goals:; The first was to visit with members of the SHO BOX and Showtime championship broadcasting teams to discuss their view of boxing. I visited with Steve Farhood and Nick Charles in Laughlin, Nevada and talked with Al Bernstein in Las Vegas.; The second goal was to cover the SHOBOX fights in Laughlin and view young prospects and the future of boxing while scouting some veterans to see what they had left.; The third goal is to do some final research on my upcoming book, Boxing in the Shadow, which documents great Black boxers in history and begin research on boxing in Nevada- which details how Nevada, in particular Las Vegas, has become the center of boxing universe. More
Thoughts on Judging the Fight: INSIDE BOXING (June 13, 2004) - There is nothing more frustrating that seeing what appears on the surface a bad decision to mar a great fight and certainly there have been many great fights mired in controversy due to the final judges tabulation.; This column is not about laying blame but give some of my own thoughts on how two people can see the same fight differently. I am going to take as a case study three fights:; The second De La Hoya Fight with Mosley.
The Recent De La Hoya- Sturm fight
And finally the Toney-Jirov Fight.; The first two fights generated their fair share of debate and discussion with cries of fight fixing and declaration of “Yet another black eye for Boxing.” I still believe that I am correct about who won and who lost but I do understand the reasoning behind those who disagree with me.; The second De La Hoya fight begins with two questions? Do you like the boxer who can control the pace of a fight with his feet or do you prefer the banger who when he connects sends heads snapping? Take the first round, which I scored for De La Hoya. For the first two minutes of the round, De La Hoya danced and moved around Mosley. De La Hoya delivered what punches that landed, until the two-minute mark of the round. Mosley nailed De La Hoya with a vicious left hook that sent De La Hoya reeling. 20 second later, Mosley walked right into a sharp, compact left hook that stopped his momentum. From that point, De La Hoya took over the last 30 seconds and in my estimation won the round. I had one very knowledgeable boxing writer tell me that he gave the round to Mosley based on that one left hook, since it was the most telling blow of the round. I gave De La Hoya the round because he won 2 minutes and 40 seconds of it and he, too, delivered one very excellent hook of his own that in my estimation neutralized the Mosley heavier left hook. Two opinions of the round by two very knowledgeable experts that both have validity. More
The Tale of Ramon Garbey: INSIDE BOXING (June 9, 2004) - At the 2-minute mark of the fifth round, Ramon Garbey nailed Kendrick Releford with a beautiful combination that looked like a blur. Like his amateur days of yore, Garbey looks like he was going to take command of the fight against the younger and less experienced Releford. Garbey, a veteran of 300 plus amateur fights and 20 previous professional fights, was losing this fight but now it appeared that the flurry was going to turn the tide. The flurry was that- a flurry and just like that, Releford countered back to retake control of the fight.; From this point Garbey punches became less and less frequent as Releford won an easy decision despite fighting on only six days preparation. Garbey was once one of the great Amateur fighters and when he defected from Castro’s Cuba along with Joel Casamayer, he had a bright future ahead. This is a man who had beaten in the amateur many of today’s better fighters including champions Chris Byrd and Antonio Tarver. More
Weekend Thoughts: INSIDE BOXING (June 6, 2004) - De La Hoya has a habit leaving matters unresolved rather he wins or loses. As my friend Frank Lotierzo noticed that in many of De La Hoya signature fights, the fights were extremely close or controversial. There never seems to be a satisfactory end to what are normally mega events. When Sugar Ray Leonard was at his peak, he would close the show and leave nothing to chance. De La Hoya has a habit of leaving things unresolved.; Look at his fights- Whitaker and Quartey were victories but he could easily have lost them. I had him winning both but I will not argue with any one who has a different opinion. He won the Trinidad and second Mosley fight except on the scorecard but as George Foreman noted after the Trinidad fight, De La Hoya allowed the judges make the decision. He did not close Trinidad out.; In his most recent effort against Sturm, he clearly lost in the ring but in a reversal of role, he won on the scorecard. Bottom line: De La Hoya has a habit of leaving issues hanging and somehow after a De La Hoya extravagance, you never seem quite satisfied. There are never any clear resolution and you are left with controversy. More
De La Hoya, The Boxing Business Man: INSIDE BOXING (June 2, 2004) - This is not an article about Oscar De La Hoya as the boxer. It is about Oscar De La Hoya, the promoter. De La Hoya company “Golden Boy Promotion” is making inroads into the growing Hispanic market, the one demographic that for the moment is providing boxing with any growth at all as far as fan base. With the influx of Hispanic fighters both U.S. bred and from beyond the border populating this sport, De La Hoya is working on his career after boxing.

Oscar De La Hoya as a fighter has been protective of his image and legacy and while he has his share of critics, there is one thing that no one can deny- De La Hoya has fought the very best of his generation and accepted all challenges. He has risked his legacy and when he finally ceases to fight within the ring; we will truly know his status in boxing history. More
The Best at Light Heavyweights Since World War II: INSIDE BOXING (May 31, 2004) - Here is a thought for you. Name me the best light heavyweight since the end of World War II and name me the best light heavyweight champion since the end of the World II? You are probably going to say that both are the one and same person, right? Wrong!; The best light heavyweight since World War II never claimed the title but all he did was beat the best light heavyweight of his era- names like Jimmy Biven, Joey Maxim, Archie Moore and Lloyd Marshall. Ezzard Charles instead opted for the heavyweight championship and greater glory.

Charles dominated Archie Moore, beating him three times including stopping the Old Mongoose in one of those bouts. As for Maxim, He never beat the Cincinnati Cobra either. Charles had all the tools, for he could box and he had no fear when it came to mixing it up.

Why do I like him as the best? As I stated, he was the best of his era as a light heavyweight and his heavyweight career was exceptional as well. He beat Jersey Joe Walcott to claim the title after the retirement of Joe Louis and in 1950; he defeated the great Louis when Louis came out of retirement. You can make the case that the Joe Louis that fought Charles was old and rusted from a two-year layoff but you can’t dismiss Charles performance. Charles was outweighed by nearly 30 pounds when he fought Louis and yet, there were moments that he went toe to toe with one of the great sluggers of his era. At the end of the fight, both fighters had their right eye swollen but down the stretch, Charles had more in the gas tank than the old champion to win a unanimous decision. Louis would still campaign for another year before being stopped by Rocky Marciano. When Louis finally ended his career, he was still one of the top three or four heavyweights in the world. His retirement came because he could no longer be the best. More

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Saturday night fights Slugfests By Tom Donelson

Campbell Wins and Other News By Tom Donelson

Saturday night fights Slugfests
By Tom Donelson