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BOXING.....now and tomorrow

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Posted by: TJ Cline

This thread is for boxing news, perdictions, history, upcoming fights or what ever else you want to talk about in the boxing world.


Posted by: TJ Cline

Wrestling Icon "Christian" with Pacquiao at Today's Weigh-in

LOS ANGELES, CA (September 9, 2005) -- Team Pacquiao has beefed up its membership with two of professional wrestling's biggest grapplers. The Undertaker and Christian have tag teamed to support Manny Pacquiao in his 12-round rumble with Hector Velazquez for the WBC International super featherweight championship, Tomorrow night! at Staples Center.. Televised live by HBO, beginning at 9:45 P.M. ET / 6:45 P.M. PT, the card, entitled "Double Trouble, " will also feature Erik Morales in a 12-round championship bout against Zahir Raheem, for the WBC International lightweight title.

The 6'2 235-pound Christian, also known as "Captain Charisma," will be watching Manny's back at today's weigh-in at Staples Center Star Plaza, beginning at 3 P.M. and open to the public. The 6'10, 328-pound Undertaker will be leading Manny into the ring tomorrow night, carrying the America Flag. Both are huge fans of Manny and flew into Los Angeles today to personally support him at the fight.


Posted by: TJ Cline

Evander Holyfield Needs to Follow Jerry Rice’s Lead

08.09.05 - By Geoffrey Ciani: After an amazing twenty years in professional football, Jerry Rice has finally decided to call it a career. Having passed the point where he’s capable of performing at a top level, this decision couldn’t have come at a better time. Evander Holyfield should take note..

The similarities between the careers of these magnificent athletes are actually quite astounding. At the peak of their skills, each achieved the highest level of greatness possible in their professions. Rice was the most dominant receiver in football throughout much of the late 80’s until the mid 90’s; likewise, Holyfield was a top contender in the cruiserweight and heavyweight divisions during this same time frame. In fact, Holyfield once held the undisputed championship in each of those divisions.

A lot has changed since that time, and now it seems those days are long gone. Neither athlete has been at the top of his game for some years now. Both Rice and Holyfield have been in decline for near a decade, and each has hung around longer than he should have. It’s been three years since Rice has played at a Pro-Bowl caliber-level, and it’s been three years since Evander Holyfield last won a boxing match.

The biggest difference between the two right now seems to be that Rice—at least—had the sense to know when to get out of the game. Not wanting to be reduced to a minor role after such an illustrious career, Rice knew the time to leave was now as opposed to later. Sadly, Holyfield has no such sense. And in boxing, this can be detrimental to his health.

“I never thought I’d ever see this day.” Those were the words of the great Jerry Rice once he realized it was finally over. It’s difficult for someone with the competitive nature of a professional athlete to admit when his time is up.

This is especially true with truly outstanding athletes that have defied the odds time and time again. Father time does eventually catch up with everyone, however--even amazing athletes like Rice and Holyfield, whether or not the “The Real Deal” wants to admit it.

Holyfield is scheduled to move on with his career, and is slated to face 35 year old journeyman, Frank Wood on October 8, in Sardinia, Italy. This is an ill-advised decision on his part. “The Real Deal” is clearly a shot fighter, and has nothing left to offer himself or boxing fans.

His last win was in June of 2002 against Hasim Rahman, and even then it seemed to be somewhat of a fluke. Rahman’s face swelled to gigantic proportions after being on the receiving end of a legendary Holyfield head-butt. Since that time, he has been utterly outclassed by Chris Byrd and Larry “The Legend” Donald, and he was stopped in 9 rounds by former middleweight, James Toney.

This is not the same Holyfield we all love and remember. That version of “The Real Deal” is long gone -- much like the version of Jerry Rice who used to swipe passes on quick slant patterns from Joe Montana is long gone, and at long last Rice was able to realize that. Holyfield, who coincidently is just six days younger than Rice, really ought to follow the older man’s lead.

Holyfield, please retire.


Posted by: TJ Cline

MORALES DEALS THE CARDS
September 8, 2005

Erik Morales is in a most unique position for a prizefighter. He doesn't need anyone but himself to get to the prize.

Of course he needs opponents but he doesn't need a specific opponent. They, in fact, to a man need him. That is a distinction with a significant difference.

Whether you fight at 135 pounds, 130 pounds or 126 pounds, if you want to make real money today in boxing you need to fight Erik Morales. Fortunately for such boxers, and for the sport itself, Morales is happy to oblige. All you need to be is a real challenger.

Unlike so many of his contemporaries, Erik Morales is a guy always looking for a fight. He's not just looking for soft paydays. He's looking for the big risk that produce the big money. It used to be like that all over boxing but no more. Today too many fighters consult actuarial tables. They are risk averse. Erik Morales seeks out risks.

That's why he chose to face slick moving lightweight Zahir Raheem (26-1) in his first foray into the 135-pound division on Saturday night at Staples Center in Los Angeles. The fact that Morales will be fighting at that weight for the first time is not necessarily good news to the co-feature on that HBO-televised event however because junior lightweight Manny Pacquiao is one of those guys spoiling for a fight with Morales. He's just not looking to do it at 135 pounds.

This card has been billed as a tune-up for a early spring rematch between Morales and Pacquiao to settle an issue Morales feels doesn't exist. He prevailed the first time on a night when Pacquiao did not look good but Pacquiao later claimed outside distractions born from managerial and promotional problems adversely effected his preparation and focus.

Although Morales doesn't buy that excuse he's willing to give the hard-punching Filipino idol a second chance to prove his point.

Or will he?

Pacquiao and his trainer, Freddie Roach, have made clear that Pacquiao is not a lightweight. Even 130 pounds is a reach for him in their opinion, although he would make the effort to get there again to fight Morales despite the fact Roach feels his best weight is still 126. Morales, meanwhile, spoke this week like a man on the move up the fistic weight scales.

"Fans expect big fights, more championships, you know,'' Morales said. "Something great at 135. I give as much as I can for as long as I can to the fans. Winning a fourth title (after holding belts that have become all but meaningless to him at 122, 126 and 130 pounds) would be great. I want to show what I can do in this (lightweight) division.''

That would seem to eliminate Pacquiao despite the expectations of the public, HBO and his promoter, Bob Arum. Just because others have plans it doesn't mean Erik Morales' agrees with them and unlike most fighters if he doesn't agree he doesn't have to do a thing but wait for someone else to challenge him.

Yet there is one thing the popular Mexican firebrand can't seem to resist. He can't pass up a challenge. Or a challenger the public wants to see him face and so he gets back to Pacquiao just about as quickly as he left him to talk about advancing in the lightweight division.

"Some people feel Pacquiao was not at his best,'' Morales (48-2, 34 KO) said of their first fight. "I think he was. If there are some doubts I'll erase them in our second fight.''

That assumes there will be a second fight, which there might well be because of who Morales is. But then again, for the very same reasons, perhaps a fourth fight with his long-time rival Marco Antonio Barrera, who has given him his only two losses, will take precedent over that in his mind.

Or perhaps even a first showdown with the winner of the Diego Corrales-Jose Luis Castillo rematch to settle who is the supreme ruler in the lightweight division will override all other considerations for Morales and convince him to stay at 135, a weight it's unlikely Pacquiao will try his hands at.

Whatever the future holds, Erik Morales will decide it for himself. He will not be dictated to by any fighter or any situation. He will fight who he wants, which fortunately for fight fans is usually the fighters they want to see him fight, when he wants.

"I have my own path drawn out,'' Morales said this week. "I don't depend on anyone else. Right now I'm not thinking of any other fighter than Zahir Raheem.''

That includes the guy who will step into the ring just before he does Saturday night. That includes Manny Pacquiao. At least for the moment.


Posted by: TJ Cline

MANNY PACQUIAO: SOUNDS OF SILENCE
September 2, 2005

Boxing is a lonely business but never more so than it is at the moment for Manny Pacquiao.

In the long weeks leading up to his classic confrontation in March with Erik Morales, Pacquiao was seldom left alone, either in the gym or in his thoughts. Every day the Wild Card Gym in downtown Los Angeles was jammed with his loyal following of Filipino fans. His every move was cheered and, his trainer now believes, his every move was also orchestrated more to please those crowds than to prepare himself for Morales.

When the crowds were gone, the din did not lessen. There were meetings with lawyers, managers and sycophants, all talking about how to defeat a new opponent, his soon to be former promoter Murad Muhammad.

When they all finally left him, Pacquiao sat alone but his thoughts seldom focused solely on Morales, who is one of the best 130-pound fighters in the world. Rather they kept coming back to what had become a seemingly endless war with Muhammad and his original handlers back in Manila, whom Pacquiao and roach believe shortchanged the fighter out of hundreds of thousands of dollars in purse money.

As the days wore own, Pacquiao wore down. His focus on Morales seemed to slip away until he appeared to be only a shadow of himself when Fight Night finally came. He fought bravely, as always, but he did not fight well and he was punished for it. Pacquiao's tactics seemed nonexistent and his stubborn insistence on finding a way to knockout the resilient and resourceful Morales with one punch led him to a painful defeat.

It has been five months now since that disappointing night and Pacquiao is back at the Wild Card Gym preparing for a tuneup against a Mexican professional named Hector Velazquez (41-10) on a Sept. 10 HBO card at the Staples Center. Pacquiao will share the spotlight with Morales, who faces Zahir Raheem (26-1, 18 KO) on the same card, both men knowing what those fights mean.

They mean a rematch for big money if both win as expected and abject defeat if they do not.

Pacquiao and Roach understand this but more importantly they understand what happened in the weeks before the Morales fight cannot be repeated. The legal problems with Muhammad have been settled and Pacquiao has signed a two-fight deal with rival promoter Gary Shaw, who he said this week "is funny.''

Perhaps just as important as the absence of legal problems is the presence of silence. The crowds of eager fans have been locked out of his gym in L.A. and Pacquiao now prepares to fight the way Roach likes him to. Alone.

"There were too many distractions before,'' Roach said this week of the months leading up to their loss to Morales. "This time things are more private. We close the gym to the public when Manny trains. There's room to breathe now.

"We love the Filipino fans but you couldn't breathe in the gym before Morales. Those fans have been great to us but Manny was performing for them and not so much for me last camp. Now he can concentrate on the fight and practice what we need to practice on.''

The first couple of days of training word had not quite filtered out yet about the closure and fans began to congregate around the old building. Roach finally employed several burly bodyguards to make the point but he also appealed to Pacquiao's fans to show if their love for him was real.

"They understood if they're really Manny's supporters they'd help him out and let him work,'' Roach said. "The fans respected that. They stopped coming.''

Pacquiao seldom does, which is part of his problem. His blind insistence on aggression and forward motion cost him dearly against the slick but warrior-like Morales and Roach is not in denial about that. He has his fighter working on increasing his body punching now, believing that is what's necessary to wear down Morales while also convinced that if he can take that approach in against the less dangerous Velasquez it will carry over to what is expected to be a pay-per-view rematch early next year between two of the most popular and two of the most dangerous fighters in the world.

"Velasquez has a similar style to Erik's,'' Roach said. "He's not of that caliber but he's very resilient. He's gone a lot of rounds with people so Manny needs to wear him down. It's the same with Morales. I felt Manny didn't work the body enough against Morales last time. My hope is if he does it this fight it will carry over.''

Of course to get to that fight Pacquiao first must rid himself of Velasquez (41-10, 30 KO). That is not as difficult a task as Roach might want you to think but then again it may not be as easy as some might assume either. That is why they are training in silence. It is a quiet reminder to his fighter not only what is at stake but also what cost him so dearly in March. It is a lesson, it seems, that Manny Pacquiao has learned well if perhaps a bit late.

"This time my training is focused 100 per cent,'' Pacquiao said from Los Angeles. "No distractions. no worries. I am focused only on Sept. 10. Last time I had a lot of problems. I couldn't concentrate.''

Last time, it seems, Pacquiao had so many problems outside the ring he forgot his biggest worry was Morales, who many consider the best super featherweight in the world despite the fact Marco Antonio Barrera would loudly dispute that.

Such mental slippage might seem odd considering Morales' reputation and proficiency but such were the promotional, managerial and, most of all, financial problems Pacquiao was coping with then that by the time he got to Morales all he wanted to do was punch his head off his shoulders, making him pay for the sins of people he had trusted with his future.

In a sense that has always been Pacquiao's approach for he is an action fighter of the highest order but in retrospect he knows his wavering mind conspired against him, leaving him unable to adjust as the fight wore on. Roach recognizes that but he also recognizes that he must work within his fighter's nature. He has a puncher in the Wild Card Gym and he will have the same on Fight Night at the Staples Center and so he adjusts his teaching methods and his fistic curriculum to his student's abilities and inclinations.

"Manny's nature is to be aggressive,'' Roach conceded. "He's a puncher. You can't take that away. But Manny's a much better fighter than he showed that night against Morales. Maybe I didn't do my job correctly (then) but with the bad people out of the way it makes a big, big difference.

"Manny showed a lot of guts in that fight but he stood right in front of the guy with not much head movement. He knows better than that.''

What he also knows, and what Roach is reinforcing in case he forgot, is that he has to use his jab more instead of concentrating solely on his powerful left hand. Against Morales he was beaten back and held at bay all night by the jab yet Roach believes his fighter has the superior one when he throws it. And so, in silence, Pacquiao throws it day after day with only Freddie Roach to please.

Throws the right jab and barrages to the body. No need for the pupil to please anyone but the teacher now because the classroom is empty. No one there but Roach and the memory of Erik Morales.

"We're not going to stumble and take Velasquez lightly,'' Roach said with assurance. "Believe me. Many could make 126 easily but he wants to fight Morales so that's why we're still at 130. That fight is the kind that can take something out of you. I think having this fight before a rematch is important. But if we don't win this fight there is no rematch. Manny understands that.''

No one has to tell Manny Pacquiao that, which is a good thing, because no one's around these days to do it. Which is the way Freddie Roach likes it.


Posted by: goandykid

When's the Jones v Toney fight? And is Mayweather even scheduled for another fight w/in the next few months?


Posted by: TJ Cline

Quote:
Originally Posted by goandykid
When's the Jones v Toney fight? And is Mayweather even scheduled for another fight w/in the next few months?
Jones is fighting Tarver. Mayweather just fought Gati


Posted by: goandykid

The gatti fight was over 2 months ago, my b on the tarver fight.


Posted by: TJ Cline

Quote:
Originally Posted by goandykid
When's the Jones v Toney fight? And is Mayweather even scheduled for another fight w/in the next few months?
Antonio Tarver
23-3, 18 KOs

VS.

Roy Jones Jr. 3
49-3, 38 KOs 12-Rd. Light Heavyweight



October 1, 2005
9:00 PM ET/6:00 PM PT St. Pete Times Forum
Tampa, FL


Posted by: TJ Cline

Quote:
Originally Posted by goandykid
The gatti fight was over 2 months ago, my b on the tarver fight.
They fought 6-25-2005
about 6 weeks ago

Mayweather has no scheduled fight right now.


Posted by: goandykid

get technical y dont u


Posted by: TJ Cline

Quote:
Originally Posted by goandykid
get technical y dont u
most of the top fighters only fight every 4-6 months....so about 2 to 3 times a year......


Posted by: P-funk

I learned some boxing history today:



Snapple Fact #150- The first sport to be filmed was boxing in 1894.


Posted by: goandykid

I jsut saw a rerun of that 7 foot fighter win. He's like Yao Ming. Tall and crappy.


Posted by: goandykid

Quote:
Originally Posted by P-funk
I learned some boxing history today:



Snapple Fact #150- The first sport to be filmed was boxing in 1894.


I love snapple facts.


Posted by: TJ Cline

Quote:
Originally Posted by P-funk
I learned some boxing history today:



Snapple Fact #150- The first sport to be filmed was boxing in 1894.
Snapple has been proven to shrink your penis and to inhibit skeletal hypertrophy.


Posted by: TJ Cline

Quote:
Originally Posted by goandykid
I jsut saw a rerun of that 7 foot fighter win. He's like Yao Ming. Tall and crappy.
Nikolay Valuev
Sex Male
Nationality Russian
Alias Beast From The East
Global ID RU-00-019904
Hometown St. Petersburg, Russia
Birthplace St. Petersburg, Russia
Rated at Heavyweight
World Rank 23 / 1041
Date of Birth 1973-08-21
Age 32
Stance Orthodox
Height 7' 0
Trainer Manuel Gabrielian
Manager Wilfried Sauerland
W 41 (31 ko's) | L 0 | D 0 | Total 42
Far from crappy


Posted by: P-funk

Quote:
Originally Posted by ForemanRules
Snapple has been proven to shrink your penis and to inhibit skeletal hypertrophy.

this explains a lot.


Posted by: P-funk

Quote:
Originally Posted by ForemanRules
Nikolay Valuev
Sex Male
Nationality Russian
Alias Beast From The East
Global ID RU-00-019904
Hometown St. Petersburg, Russia
Birthplace St. Petersburg, Russia
Rated at Heavyweight
World Rank 23 / 1041
Date of Birth 1973-08-21
Age 32
Stance Orthodox
Height 7' 0
Trainer Manuel Gabrielian
Manager Wilfried Sauerland
W 41 (31 ko's) | L 0 | D 0 | Total 42
Far from crappy

7ft tall!! Jesus! What is his body weight?


Posted by: goandykid

I don't think my guy was russian 0.0 He was black, braided head, might have been an amatuer fight. It was on comcast sportsnet.


Posted by: TJ Cline

Quote:
Originally Posted by P-funk
7ft tall!! Jesus! What is his body weight?
Last fight he was 333


Posted by: P-funk

Quote:
Originally Posted by ForemanRules
Last fight he was 333

Damn! At 7', 333, he must have a hell of a reach. I bet he packs a mean punch.


Posted by: TJ Cline






Posted by: P-funk

LMAO....that looks ridiculous! He looks like a giant next to that other dude. How the fuck can that guy get inside on a person this tall?


Posted by: TJ Cline

Manny Pacquiao KO's Velazquez In 6th
Round!
10.09.05 - Jeff Bastasini: A dominant Manny Pacquiao (40-3-2, 31 KOs) had it easy defeating an overmatched Hector Velazquez (42-11-2, 16 KOs), in a sixth round TKO. Velazquez offered very little resistance to Pacquiao, who simply walked right in on Velazquez, and landing every punch he threw. The end was never in doubt from the opening rounds, as Velazquez didn't have the firepower to keep Pacquiao off him, as Erik Morales had done in their bout in March 2005. The fight was stopped at the 2:59 mark of the sixth round, with Pacquiao landing a devastating flurry that had Velazquez virtually defenseless and out on his feet. l 23 comments


Posted by: The Monkey Man

Quote:
Originally Posted by ForemanRules
Jones is fighting Tarver


Tarver STILL! has some big ass lips.


Posted by: The Monkey Man

Quote:
Originally Posted by P-funk
LMAO....that looks ridiculous! He looks like a giant next to that other dude. How the fuck can that guy get inside on a person this tall?
I doubt he is very quick on his feet...
(Although I have not seen him move)

The Old Tyson... head slipping inside fighter, would be a good match


Posted by: topolo

Quote:
Originally Posted by The Monkey Man


Tarver STILL! has some big ass lips.
would you bang him?


Posted by: The Monkey Man

Quote:
Originally Posted by topolo
would you bang him?
SURE!...

With the bumper of my truck as he's crossing the street -


Posted by: TJ Cline

Locche Passes Away

08.09.05 - By Amato: It is with great sadness to report that former world junior welterweight champion Nicolino Locche of Argentina has passed on. He was 66 years old. Reports from his homeland say that heart failure was the cause of death. Loche was a defensive genius who won the crown from Paul Fuji..

Locche had several successful defenses including one over the legendary Antonio Cervantes. He eventually lost the title to Alfonso "Peppermint" Frazier of Panama. Cervantes would defeat Frazier for the title and in a rematch, Locche would fail in an attempt to regain his crown from Cervantes.

Locche fought from 1958 to 1976. He ended his career with an impressive 117-4-14 record. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall Of Fame in 2003.

Rest in peace...


Posted by: TJ Cline

Q & A With Antonio Tarver: I'm Gonna Close The Book On This Guy!

12.09.05 - By Scoop Malinowski - boxinginsider.com - Antonio Tarver solidified his status as an all-time legend of the ring with that unforgettable one-punch destruction of Roy Jones Jr. on May 14, 2004 in Las Vegas. Yes, sometimes just one night of genius does make a great fighter. Now Tarver, 36, will have to do it again. Roy Jones hungers for redemption. Roy Jones believes he can solve the mystery of The Magic Man. Roy Jones is willing to lay it all on the line one more time - at the risk of getting himself knocked into dreamland for all the world to see again. The always eloquent IBO Light Heavyweight champion spoke recently about this upcoming Superfight trilogy with Roy Jones which will take place in Tampa, FL on October 1 on HBO pay-per-view:

Are you a little surprised that Roy Jones is taking this fight? Almost everyone in boxing was surprised he did, they think he could possibly get seriously hurt.

Antonio Tarver: "Surprised? I think they should commend the guy. I mean, in his career, you look back, you say that he never stepped up to the plate, he's always avoided his toughest challengers.. That's what the word was on Michalczewski, he didn't give James Toney or Bernard Hopkins a rematch. So we need to take our hats off to Roy Jones Jr. He don't want to come back and pad his record. He don't want to steal from the fans. He wants to come back and really have that opportunity to capture that moment. So that he can always be revered as one of the best that ever did it. And the only way that he can do that is through Antonio Tarver. This gives him vindication, this gives him redemption. And I'm the only man that can give that to him. So why not take this fight?

Is there any way he can beat you? He must be confident about something to take this fight, are you a little concerned that maybe he knows something?

Antonio Tarver: "I'm not...you know what? I'm not gonna say that the guy can't win. I mean, I don't know what he's doing in preparation. But I will make sure that I do everything in my power to make sure that victory escapes him. So that's my responsibility in this fight. I didn't come this far right now to take a back step. So that's my motivation and my determination. I'm gonna close the book on this guy. So get your tickets early because this will be your last RJ sighting and I'm determined to get rid of the guy once and for all."

When did you realize you were going to knockout Roy Jones in the last fight?

Antonio Tarver: "I had to train hard, man, because I didn't want the politics to interfere with an injust decision. When you go to the scorecards, it's the possibility there that you can get jerked. So that's why I was so determined to stop the guy. And I knew I would have to lay my butt on the line to take the risk and it was a gamble. And it paid off."

Do you think you broke him down psychologically and then it just took the one punch to do it physically?

Antonio Tarver: "I don't know where his psyche is but if I had a guy beating down on my door like that, a thorn in my ass for so long and then the way things turned out, I think that you could say I broke his psyche, yes. Because I never looked at him as the great Roy Jones Jr., the immortal champion, the guy that was unbeatable, unstoppable. I never looked at him like that. I always looked at him outta my eyes. And when I looked at him I saw him as a regular person. Just a man. And that's why I was able to go in there and have the confidence - and to know if I got the opportunity - I would be revered as the best fight he's ever faced. He was coming off of winning the heavyweight championship of the world when he faced Antonio Tarver. So I know, excuses aside, he hadn't faced a real fighter until he faced me."

Do you think your confidence heading into both fights spooked him a little bit, didn't it?

Antonio Tarver: "I don't know about that. But like I said, I always felt in my hear that I was a great fighter. And it just took the world a long time to recognize that. But when you go back and look at my amateur caeer - how can you not know? That's what's so confusing to me. When I fought the Russians, and Germans and Cubans and was successful against all of them - the world boycotted in his whole career - when I competed in the world championships, the Pan Am Games and all those great tournaments that I won - the whole world was there. And I beat the best. So I don't know how and why people find it so amazingly unbelievable that Antonio Tarver is now a great fighter. I've always been a great fighter. My amateur record proves it."

How has your life changed since the KO and the now world famous, What excuses are you gonna use tonight Roy? quote? You out-Ali'd Ali with that one.

Antonio Tarver: "It changed my life. Because, you know, that's why God is so powerful. He lives. I couldn't have wrote that script. That was bigger than mankind [smiles]. When things happen like that, you know that God is involved. I'm jus thankful He allowed me the courage to really feel in my heart and to really believe in what I said. And then to go out there and knock this guy out two rounds later, oh my God, and I told the world at the Ruiz press conference, I told the world, I want your legacy to be intact when I knock you out. When am I gonna get my shot at history Roy? You have to really go back and recognize the power, the power of the mind, and a vision. I had that vision. And I never let it go. I didn't care what the politics said, what the sportswriters wrote, I never lost my vision and that's why I went in there and did my thing."

What is the greatest moment of your career?

Antonio Tarver: "Beyond a shadow of a doubt, Do you have any excuses tonight Roy Jones? And seven punches later - seven is the number of completion - seven punches later is Roy Jones no more. So you have to look back, it's a powerful, powerful statement. I told Roy Jones when he was the heavyweight champion, You're not even the best fighter in Florida. And I got to prove it. So it's a spiritual thing when you think about it, man. And I'm just so thankful. Going through the transition from amateur to the pros - they can't deny me no more. I refuse to be denied. And I told the world that it will recognize, before it's all over, they will recognize. And now they do."

Are you expecting this to be a very challenging fight on October 1?

Antonio Tarver: "It's going to be a challenge. I will be the best Antonio Tarver ever. You're gonna see the speed, you're gonna see the determination, you're gonna see the power. I have to. Because if this fight goes the distance, you never know. I gotta be at my best. I'm gonna train hard. I'm gonna take this fight as if I'm coming to fight the best Roy Jones ever. Because this is what it means. It means everything. He will only be judged by October 1st."

Closing comments: As you can see Tarver has a tremendously articulate gift of gab. He is not only a great champion but a remarkably adept ambassador and representative for what is good about the sport. At the initial New York press conference to announce the fight at Copacabana last month, you could see the HBO executives listening intently and admiringly as Tarver spoke. As if maybe, just maybe they were wondering or considering, Hey, maybe Antonio Tarver would make a splended HBO color commentator someday.

When it became apparent Roy Jones would fail to show up to the press conference, HBO President of Sports Ross Greenburg, seemed more than a little peeved when he stepped to the podium and said, "I'd like to credit Antonio Tarver for being the class champion that he is. And I'd like to admonish Roy Jones for not being here. I hope he'll get his little rear-end through the ropes in Tampa on the night of the fight."

Are the HBO decision-makers tiring of the primadonna ways of the former pound-for-pound king? And are they in appreciation of the wonderfully polite and endearing qualities of the always affable Antonio Tarver? We shall see.


Posted by: TJ Cline

Erik and Oscar, a tale of fading champions

11.09.05 - By Andy Meacock: Erik Morales shockingly lost a 12 round points decision to Zahir Raheem in Los Angeles on Saturday night. This fight was the joint main event of a double bill that featured Manny Pacquiao and Hector Valazquez on the undercard. This was intended to be a promotional selling tool for the eagerly awaited Morales/Pacquaio rematch intended for early next year. Raheem had different ideas. The heavy underdog out-boxed Morales for much of the fight and despite a late rally from Morales, which included a couple of questionable knock downs not given, it was all too late.

So why did it all go wrong for the great from Tijuana, Mexico?

Well first of all we have to give Raheem his due, nobody gave him a chance against Morales and he proved them wrong. Raheem’s stock has risen dramatically due to this unexpected win and at least for now, he is something of a player in the lightweight division..

People will also look at the loss as a case of styles making fights. Whilst Morales can box efficiently, he’s known as a proud man who enjoys fighting in wars. When preparing for Morales, Raheem must have been aware of the aggressive tendencies Morales has in the ring and set his strategy accordingly.

So was it a case of styles?

It’s possible but I really don’t think so. The fact is Morales looked very slow in the ring against Raheem, you have to think that a Morales who was firing on all cylinders would have got the job done.

So the question we ask is, why was Morales so slow and lethargic?
The one thing that many people love Morales for is that his fights are rarely boring. He’s an entertaining fighter, there’s no denying it. His battles with Marco Antonio Barrera and Pacquaio tell us that. The problem with having wars is that it takes its toll on the body in the long term. This fact is obvious but often overlooked.

Morales has had fifty one fights. His last five fights have all gone the full twelve rounds and have all been fairly close and he’s looked slower. He’s lost two of those last five fights. So without wishing to jump on the ‘fathertime’ bandwagon, I feel that Morales recent struggles (Pacquaio fight aside) are down to long term fatigue.

Top calibre boxers are first and foremost athletes but they are also human. Everyone has limits as to how far they can go and how long they can stay at their peak but then they begin to decline. After peaking, the muscles start to tire, reactions get slower and so on. Erik Morales is probably as game and determined fighter that there is in boxing but the fact remains that whilst Morales’ will is strong and his body is jaded.

You can compare this analogy to any great champion in any sport.

I know this is a strange cross-over to make but look at tennis for an example. A few years ago you had Pete Sampras destroying all that came before him. He was very accomplished and had great success but he eventually began to fade and lost his way. It’s sad seeing any great champion in any sport decline and sadly that’s what I see happening to Erik Morales.

The title of my article is, ‘Erik and Oscar, a tale of fading champions’. The Oscar I refer to is none other than Oscar de la Hoya. When I was thinking about Morales loss, I saw many parallels with Oscar. Both men have been at the top for a long time, both men are multiple champions at various different weights and both men are destined for the hall of fame once their careers finally come to a close.

Sadly, there are some negative comparisons to be made between these two greats.

They have been in there with the best and have the physical scars to prove it. Morales has fought great fighters like Junior Jones, Wayne McCullough, Marco Antonio Barrera, Jesus Chavez and Manny Pacquaio. Oscar’s list of opponents is equally as impressive, names like Julio Cesar Chavez, Pernell Whitaker, Ike Quartey, Felix Trinidad, Shane Mosley and Bernard Hopkins. I could have named more great previous opponents for both men.

The point is that you can’t continually fight guys of that calibre without experiencing long term fatigue, it’s a sad inevitability. It also has to be stated that another significant factor in the demise of these two men is moving up in weight. Whilst it’s admirable to want to challenge bigger fighters in higher weight classes, it’s also draining on the body and especially in de la Hoya’s case; it can have a negative effect of stamina and conditioning.

As for the future of these two men. Morales will go ahead with his rematch with Manny Pacquaio early next year. I’m having problems deciding who I think will win this one. On the basis of last nights performance I’d have to pick Pacquaio, maybe even by knockout but then if there’s one thing that sums up Morales, it’s that he’s determined and very proud. He’ll come out like a wounded lion against Pacquaio but whether that will be enough against the quicker opponent is to be seen.

Oscar de la Hoya worries me even more than Morales as at least Morales still seems have the fire in him and attitude. It seems to me like Oscar is already proud and at peace with his accomplishments. Lack of desire and motivation is a fighters worst enemy and sadly that what I think of modern day Oscar de la Hoya. It’s widely reported that Oscar will be back in May 2006, possibly against Fernando Vargas.

I just want to state that this article wasn’t written to ridicule, criticise or sound hateful towards either man. The truth is that I’m a huge fan of both and whilst I think their better days are behind them, I still hope and wish they do well...

If you agree or disagree with this piece or simply have an opinion on these two fighters then please leave it in the comments section below.


Posted by: The Monkey Man

"that's why God is so powerful. He lives. I couldn't have wrote that script. That was bigger than mankind [smiles]. When things happen like that, you know that God is involved. I'm jus thankful He allowed me the courage to really feel in my heart and to really believe in what I said"




Posted by: TJ Cline

God is love
Love is blind
Ray Charles is blind
.....................fill in the blank


Posted by: The Monkey Man

Quote:
Originally Posted by ForemanRules
God is love
Love is blind
Ray Charles is blind
.....................fill in the blank
Ray Charles is GOD!?!? -


Posted by: TJ Cline

Gary Shaw Blasts Warren/Calzaghe

WAYNE, NJ (September 12, 2005) -- Professor Moriarty? Colonel Mustard? Who dunnit?! Who killed the biggest super middleweight title fight in 11 years -- Jeff Lacy vs. Joe Calzaghe? "It sure as hell was not the butler," said promoter Gary Shaw. "SHOWTIME had November 5 reserved. Jeff was ready to fight in Cardiff, London, or any other homecourt venue Team Calzaghe desired. Calzaghe's promoter, Frank Warren (aka "Less Than" Frank Warren) has been sitting on the contract I sent him for nearly three weeks.. I should have known he did not want Calzaghe to fight Jeff. Having Calzaghe take a meaningless fight against a meaningless opponent. Evans Ashira was the WBO's No. 9-rated MIDDLEWEIGHT contender in its July 2005 ratings! Warren didn't want rounds for Calzaghe, he wanted an escape hatch from fighting Jeff!

"Jeff satisfied his mandatory against top-rated contender Robin Reid in August so he wouldn't be stripped and the fight would be a true world title unification fight," continued Shaw. "Reid was no warm-up fight."

The (Frank) Warren Commission found further evidence that proceeding with the Calzaghe-Ashira fight was folly as stated in Calzaghe's August interview with the BBC following Lacy's victory over Reid.

"Lots of things can also happen between now and then, not least among them injuries." he said. "I have had problems with my hand and back on and off over the years, which is hardly surprising when you have been fighting since the age of nine like I have."

Calzaghe continued: "He [Lacy] wants it and I want it and the prospect really excites me, but I haven't even talked money yet so nothing is cut and dried." http://www.secondsout.com/UK/news.cf...Joe%20Calzaghe

EXHIBIT A: If you have injuries, why take a warm-up fight and risk blowing the biggest fight of your career?

EXHIBIT B: Did Calzaghe proceed with the Ashira fight because he did not have his deal in place for the Lacy fight with his promoter?

"Jeff will defend his titles November 5 and Showtime will televise it," said Shaw. "Jeff is not only the most active world champion in boxing, he is the shining light of the 12stone division. Jeff has successfully answered every challenge in his professional career, but when it came time for Calzaghe to face Jeff, his team threw in the towel."

Calzaghe the king of the bums....what a loser


Posted by: TJ Cline

An Open Letter To Calzaghe & Boxing Fans

12.09.05 - By Evans Ashira: I want to use this opportunity to thank my promoter, Don King and all the boxing fans who came out for my fight with WBO Super Middleweight Champion Joe Calzaghe in Wales. I made it back home safely. I think the fans got their worth of their money but I want you all to know that what I read in the media about Calzaghe hurting his hand is not true. He's trying to make excuses, so I want the public to know the truth..

I want you all to go back to that fight tape, watch it and be the judge. Who was really hurt? I was, I injured my right shoulder in the fourth round when I tried to hit him with an uppercut but I ended up hitting his elbow so I pulled my right shoulder. I fought with one hand, my left, throughout the rest of the fight.

Now, Joe Calzaghe and his people are claiming he hurt his hands, that's BS. I don't think so, this maybe is a way to avoid Jeff Lacy. If he thinks he beat me with one hand, lets do it again. This time somebody will get knocked out. Calzaghe never hurt me once in the fight, I was just moving fine but I couldn't use my right and he's a southpaw. He was disappointed by his performance, he told the world he would knock me out but he was hitting me behind my head and just trying to survive. I was the one fighting with one hand go check out the tape, I did my best with one hand and I'll be back soon. Thank you all for your support!

"The African Warrior" Evans Ashira Oure

Former IBF Intercontinental Middleweight champion


Posted by: TJ Cline

The Klitschko-Peter Press Conference

21.09.05 - By Scoop Malinowski / Boxinginsider.com: Round one began yesterday between Wladimir Klitschko and Samuel Peter of this Saturday's fascinating high-stakes heavyweight world title Elimination bout. To the uneducated eye, both appeared very relaxed and very confident. And of course both said all the right things.

However there were some highly respected veteran boxing observers in attendance, who are experienced enough to see through the carefully constructed postures and facades of the top fighters in these situations. Klitschko arrived to the press conference at Planet Hollywood in midtown Manhattan exactly on time. He looked comfortable and relaxed, wearing a red sweatsuit. He looked very good and in excellent physical condition.

LeRoy Neiman, the artist, who has closely followed the sport since the 1940's liked what he saw in the Ukrainian. "He's not about to lose," opined the artist who has never been particularly impressed by Klitschko in the past. "He's got the look of a man who's not considering losing in any way. It's more than confident. It's not temporary confident, it's something that he lives with all the time. He's got great social conscious. He's very socially prepared, confident socially. When he gets in there, look at him, he looks more like a fighter every day."

When I suggested that perhaps Klitschko has already made the decision in his own mind - to win this fight no matter what, Neiman agreed. "He decided. He's decided the fight."

Former top ten heavyweight Renaldo Snipes, whose powerful right hand had Larry Holmes in dire straits in their 1981 world title fight in Pittsburgh, by contrast, detected a little bit of tension in Klitschko. "From what I've seen, he's a little nervous now. He's a little bit too nervous for this particular fight. He's already been to the parade before. The moment of truth is coming out. The true nerves and jitters are coming out. I gotta see the other guy when he walks in."

At that point in the press conference, Peter had still not arrived and so Team Klitschko's Bernd Bonte decided they weren't going to wait and proceeded to start speaking at the podium. Of course, all hell nearly broke loose as co-promoter Dino Duva did not approve of this power play. But Bonte would not be denied and Klitschko made his statement and then began to do one-on-ones. They would not wait.

It was a stunning turn of events. These things happen sometimes at press conferences. It's part of the mental warfare. I'm the one in charge, you will wait for me. No I'm the boss, I don't wait for nobody. I recall Lennox Lewis at the Rahman rematch press conference - Lewis made his statement on the podium, then quickly departed, without even bothering to listen to Rahman. New champ Rahman and the rest of us were all left in the dust. But the subliminal message was clear. Lennox was the boss, and he certainly was not going to sit around and wait and listen, like a subordinate, to a man he perceived as just a lucky, one hit wonder.

Klitschko was almost done speaking with the media when Peter finally arrived about 40 minutes late. He looked stoic and serious but not exactly eager to be there. Peter, dressed in a native Nigerian robe type outfit, slowly walked through the crowd and up to the makeshift stage. He walked by Klitschko who extended his hand to shake. Peter politely shook the hand. Shortly thereafter, the two posed for photographers and then locked in on the staredown. They look into each other's eyes. These moments are always riveting. Klitschko had about four inches on Peter. Klitschko looked very confident with that European reservedness - but also there was a slight hint of wicked disdain in his demeanor. As if he could not wait to explode his steel hammers onto Peter, as if he was absolutely ready and eager to regain his stature in the boxing world. Peter looked confident also. He appeared tense and intense, sporting a very impressive scowl. But there was something about the two standing there together that suggested to me that Klitschko was the predator, the hunter in this fight. I can't quite put a finger on it, but Peter almost seems to be beginning to realize what he is up against. That he will be the prey to the more experienced and physically superior warrior.

They stared into each other's eyes for about 30 seconds with the room in near silence, except for the sounds of the cameras and a few random hecklers and cheerleaders. Peter looked away first, and looked around to all the photographers. As did Klitschko. But then Klitschko wanted to look at or study his adversary some more. Peter sensed this and reconnected the eye contact. It was at that point that Klitschko quietly said something to Peter, straight to his face. Peter did not respond. It was unclear if he ignored the words of Klitschko, or that he was maybe too frozen or surprised to say anything.

(Later on I asked Peter what Klitschko had said to him during the staredown, Peter recounted, "We were waiting for you." Then Peter added, "That's right.")

Shortly after that, Klitschko left the press conference with his team. And Peter was left behind. Peter spoke with the media and almost appeared more comfortable with Klitschko out of the room. Peter revealed he hadn't studied Klitschko on video and that "I know he's going to be knocked out on Saturday night."

Peter's trainer Pops Anderson said, "Samuel is very focused. Styles makes fights and (Klitschko's) style is perfect for Samuel...You haven't seen Samuel do everything he can do. He'll take it right to him."

Ibn Cason, also a member of Team Peter denied that his man is just a one-dimensional knockout machine with mediocre technical savvy, "If someone out there makes Samuel do something else (other than early KO wins), you will see a different Samuel Peter. Im telling you the man is a complete fighter...I say it goes two. But if it goes more than four, you're gonna see a complete Samuel Peter. A complete boxer. Samuel Peter is a complete boxer. You will hail him as the truth - as the up and coming heir apparent to the heavyweight division. I guarantee you. IF it goes more than four. But it's not gonna go more than two."

I asked Neiman for his comments on seeing Peter live and in person for the first time. "He has a Joe Frazier quality. He seems a little bit like Joe Frazier. But he looks a little bit overwhelmed by the, he's catering to the scene a little bit. Not so good. He's very comfortable, he's very confident, he's very tough. But you can't...when you go against a guy who's clever, I mean a guy that's got some moves, it's a different thing. It's not a matter of him getting hit. It's a matter of how many punches he misses to get the good one in. And what the other guy's gonna be doing in the meantime...He may be a little too short. Klitschko may be a little too sophisticated for him."

I just had to get Renaldo Snipes final comments on what he saw in Peter's behavior. Snipes would know, he was one of the best heavyweights in the world for a decade, who fought many of the best in his time. I asked Mr. Snipes if Peter seemed a little tense? "Yeah, yeah. Quiet, quiet storm. I think his inside is eating him up. I saw it. I'm back with Klitschko. At first I thought Klitschko was, I could tell he was jittery and stuff. But then Peter is more afraid than he is."

When asked if he was reasonably certain of those observations, Snipes replied, "Well, it's one thing...this can lie to you. Your mouth can lie to you. I saw Klitschko's body language, he was a little jittery. You're coming down to the true nerves. Everything is coming down right now. So this guy here (Peter), to show up so calm and all that kind of stuff, he's trying to hide something. He's trying to hide his heart."

Final comments: I believe there is a chance this fight could resemble Trindad Mayorga. It seems to me Team Peter is too overconfident about knocking out Klitschko, as El Matador was with Tito. It seems they are not fully aware of what they're up against - a hungry and still confident man who is absolutely committed to redeeming his previous failures. It's almost as if they are banking on Klitschko to fall at the first sign of trouble. I sense they are underestimating Klitschko who is back on track now. After defeating Williamson and Castillo and frightening Chris Byrd away from multi-million dollar jackpots to much safer but much smaller six figure paydays, Klitschko is eagerly ready for action.

I believe Wladimir Klitschko is ready to prove to the world what Byrd, Don King, the IBF, DaVarryl Williamson and a few others already know. Samuel Peter is going to be a hard man to conquer though. That's part of why this battle is so intriguing.


Posted by: The Monkey Man

Monkey begins some fundamentals this week,
to get warmed up for the Pre-Vegas cut -


Posted by: TJ Cline

A Question of Courage

23.09.05 - By Jim Amato: If a fighter did not have heart and courage he would never step into a ring. The boxer's mind is a fragile item. Case in point, Roberto Duran. He was and still is my favorite boxer. Therefore you can understand how I felt when he uttered the now infamous "No Mas"! My God, not Roberto. Not Duran. He later came back. He did not quit against Benitez or Hagler. He took his whoopin' like a man against Hearns. No excuses. He sucked it up and came back to upset Iran Barkley. Duran was later battered from pillar to post by William Joppy in 1998. He could have quit but he didn't. Finally a compassionate referee intervened and stopped the fight in the 3rd round.

Another fighter, Diego Corrales, could have gave up against Jose Luis Castillo but he didn't. Nevertheless, he fought through the pain and ended up winning. What I am trying to say here is that courage is already woven into the fabric of every fighter. At times, though, the mind out rules the spirit. Sometimes for the best, sometimes not. One more example...Buster Douglas was considered a "dog" after he gave up against talented Tony Tucker. Yet this is the same Douglas who got up off the
canvas and whipped the "baddest man on the planet," Mike Tyson, who was in his prime at the time of the fight. Yet in his next fight, the "dog" was to have returned when he was humiliated by Evander Holyfield. Go figure !!!

Did Leavander Johnson have too much courage for his own good? Probably, and now his family and friends live with the horror of his passing. Still, we all admire his tenacity and his will to overcome all obstacles. His courage...


Posted by: TJ Cline

Team Klitschko Looking for Excuses (Again)? Demand fight gloves be weighed

23.09.05 - In what New Jersey State Athletic Commissioner Larry Hazzard described as a "new level of dumb," in boxing, Team Wladimir Klitschko demanded that the boxing gloves to be used tomorrow night, when the former WBO champion faces Samuel Peter at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, be weighed to ensure they are the regulation 10 ounces.

According to Hazzard, he was contacted by Klitschko "boxing adviser" Shelly Finkel, public relations advisor Bernd Bonte and K-2 Promotions coordinator Burt Watson and told that Klitschko's camp would be bringing a small scale to today's unercard weigh-in (the main event weigh-in was held yesterday) to ensure there was nothing irregular about the weight of either fighter's gloves.an implication that enraged glove manufacturer Grant Elvis Phillips.

"If I said it didn't bother me, I'd be lying. This one here crosses the line with me. I take it personally. For someone to insinuate that we would favor someone is pretty offensive. It shows zero confidence on the part of Klitschko's people. I only had one other experience like this when Roy Jones fought John Ruiz. Roy had custom brown gloves and John Ruiz had black. (Ruiz manager) Stony (Stone) started a whole thing about the gloves and got punched in his face for it. Unfortunately, the same thing didn't happen to Bernd Bonte tonight."

When informed of this highly irregular request, Peter manager Ivaylo Gotzev says he was mildly amused. "The problem is not the gloves," he explained. "What they should be worried about is what's in them: a left and a right hand from Samuel, and it's too late for them to stop that now." "Both camps agreed on the Grant gloves," added event promoter, Dino Duva. "They are sealed at the factory and were opened in front of them at the weigh-in.

After the weigh-in, the commission kept the gloves, so I haven't even seen them." This is not the first time Team Wladimir has suspected wrongdoing. After his last defeat (a TKO 5 to Lamon Brewster), the Ukrainian and his people leveled accusations of deliberate poisoning and overly vasolined legs to explain the loss.

"There is dumb sh** in boxing all the time," concluded an obviously annoyed Hazzard, "but this is definitely a first for me." Peter vs. Klitschko is presented by Duva Boxing, K-2 Promotions, and Top Rank; in association with Caesars Atlantic City and will be televised live on HBO's Boxing After Dark.


Posted by: TJ Cline

Leavander Johnson Dies From Injuries

22.09.05 - By Jeff Bastasini: Former IBF lightweight champion Leavander Johnson (34-5-2, 26 KO's) died earlier today at the University Medical Center, 5 days after suffering a ferocious beating in a lightweight title fight with Jesus Chavez. Immediately after the fight, it was reported that Johnson complained of headaches in the dressing room. He was then put into a medically induced coma, following brain surgery to relieve pressure from a subdural hematoma on his brain.. Johnson was pounded relentlessly by Chavez (42-3), in a one-sided fight that was never close after the first two rounds. Finally, after 10 rounds of one-sided action, where Johnson's head was snapped back again and again by the force of Chavez's powerful punches, the fight was stopped at the beginning of the 11th round, when the referee stepped in an called a halt to the bout. In the final punch totals, Johnson was hit 409 times by Chavez.


Posted by: TJ Cline

Explosive boxing action this weekend: Peter-Klitschko ,Cotto-Torres

22.09.05 - By Shon Macklin: Saturday, September 24th, at 10 pm E.T. on HBO. Boxing fans can look forward to some of the best fistic action Seen in some time now; witnessing highly competitive, hard-hitting action. Miguel Cotto will face off against Ricardo Torres, and Wladimir Klitschko will square off against Samuel Peter at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey..

The heavy- hitting Miguel Cotto, 24-0 (20 ko’s) is going in against a big puncher himself, One, Ricardo Torres 28-0 (26 ko’s) It’s easy to conceive that the sparks will fly when these two get in the ring. Expect a lot of punches thrown and even more punches landing. Both fighters have knockout power, and will probably look to finish things as soon as possible; as neither fighter often, if ever leaves it to be decided by the scorecards.

And when it seems like you’re clearly in for a treat this weekend, you’ll be witness To another intense fight where neither fighter will want to waiver. Wladimir Klitschko 44-3(40 ko’s) and Samuel Peter, 24-0 (21 ko’s) will do battle in the main event of the evening.

Again, we have two fighters squaring –off against each other, both of them possessing considerable amounts of punching power.

Klitschko will want to prove his career as a fighter, is not over. Once considered the air to the heavyweight crown, now is reluctantly mentioned when discussing who can step up and acquire championship status. Wladimir Klitschko will be looking to win this one in excellent fashion.

Peter wants to prove he is more than a heavyweight prospect, and is ready to take his career to the next level. Peter will want to test Klitschko early in the fight, and look to box and set up his power; if he does not find a knockout opportunity, in the early rounds. But no matter how this fight turns out, it is sure to be a scorcher.

HBO is putting on quite a show for boxing fans … And I wouldn’t miss this one for the world.


Posted by: TJ Cline

Outside the Ring: Boxing’s Highs and Lows

22.09.05 - By Craig Parrish: Boxing has always had the reputation of golden opportunities. It is a sport that gives chances of dazzling success to Men who otherwise may have had very limited options. We have seen time and time again how these fighters achieve the greatest of all prizes in sports, a world Championship belt. Fame and fortune inevitably follow. Then, there comes a choice. Now that you’ve reached the top of the heap, what do you do with the rest of your life? How do you deal with the pressures of sustaining success, and also trying to give something back? Are you a role model? What are your responsibilities? What is next? These must be tough decisions to have thrust on a person who has spent their entire life focused on fighting.

Some Boxers have responded with incredible achievements outside the ring, which has added an extra luster to the sport, an air of respectability that goes beyond what they can do with their fists.

Others, unable to respond to the pressures of fame and success have fallen farther than one can imagine. I have collected a list of individuals that give examples of both categories. I have narrowed the list to Fighters who have been prevalent during my lifetime, and I’m sure there are many, many other examples that I am unaware of.

The Highs:

1.) Muhammad Ali: Ali transcended boxing. He became a political figure involved in Civil Rights, freedom of religion, freedom of speech. He ignited controversy wherever he went, as well as united people with his mesmerizing personality. His fights became world events, with people clamoring to see “The Greatest”. While he had his flaws, Ali demonstrated his convictions by standing up for what he believed again and again, even going to jail for it. Although he stayed in the game far too long, he remains today one of the most popular figures in sports in the world. Ali took the success he gained in the ring and used that clout as a force for change. He is “The Greatest” in many respects, not just for
being the brilliant fighter he once was.

2.) George Foreman: While Big George has not had the kind of social impact Ali has, he has shown the world what a person can do if he believes. It has been an amazing transformation that George has gone through since the early days, when he was the most feared fighter in the world. After his initial fall from grace, Foreman pulled himself out of a spiraling depression to become a Minister, a successful businessman, and oh yes, the oldest Heavyweight Champion of the World when he regained the title at age 45. If you look at the menacing young man who destroyed Joe Frazier and the joyous, charismatic personality of today, it is hard to believe that they are the same person. George has shown that, through faith, one can achieve greatness in more ways than one.

3.) Alex Ramos/Gerry Cooney: I put Ramos and Cooney together because they both had a common goal: To help former fighters after they retire. Ramos started the Retired Boxers Foundation, and two years later he and Cooney started the FIST foundation, which helps boxers get jobs after they have retired. With no boxing union, these organizations are sorely needed, and Alex and Gerry should be applauded for their efforts.They truly exemplify “giving something back."

4.) Oscar De La Hoya: “The Golden Boy” certainly has the Midas Touch. Oscar has parlayed his ring fame into Promoting, and his “Golden Boy Promotions” has been wildly successful. Ever the businessman, Oscar looks past rivalries, hiring former foe Bernard Hopkins to run the East Coast branch of his business. Whether he fights or not again remains to be seen, but Oscar has many other irons in the fire in the meantime. Oscar is also a grammy-nominated singer for his first album, the self-titled “Oscar De La Hoya”. Oscar founded the Oscar De La Hoya Foundation in 1995 to provide athletic and educational opportunities to the children of East Los Angeles.

5.) Sugar Ray Leonard: Although “The Contender” might not have been everyone’s cup or tea, you have to admire Sugar Ray and Stallone for trying to help thrust boxing back into the mainstream by creating a primetime network show. The show has been picked up for a second season by ESPN, and hopefully it will draw more fans to the sport. He also has his own management company, started the Sugar Ray Leonard Youth Foundation, and is heavily involved with D.A.R.E. America, which are anti-drug and anti-violence organizations for young people.

The Lows:

1.) Ike Ibeabuchi: Although there are others that have probably committed even more heinous deeds, I rank Ibeabuchi # 1 because of the sheer waste of talent and potential. This Fighter had the ability to rule the Heavyweight Division for years, but instead decided to commit rape on a stripper. Currently in prison.

2.) Paul Spadafora: This is a classic case of alcoholism. Spadofora basically knew two things, how to fight and how to drink. “The Pittsburgh Kid” would go on tremendous benders between fights, which culminated in shooting his pregnant girlfriend in the stomach because she accidentally flattened the tires on his SUV.

3.) Clifford Etienne: Some Fighters learn boxing in Prison and it saves their lives. Some fighters learn boxing in Prison, get out, are mildly successful, and then go back to prison. That’s where the “Black Rhino” currently is, after robbing a check cashing establishment and firing a shot at a Police Officer.

4.) Tommy Morrison: Apparently, Morrison has cleaned up his act, but what a fall from grace it was. After holding a Heavyweight Championship belt, Morrison was diagnosed with HIV and banned from boxing. After that his life was a chaos of drugs, bigamy, and prison.

5.) Mike Tyson: The worst part about Tyson’s antics, apart from the deeds themselves, was the coverage they got. Tyson continued to give the sport a black eye again and again, from his rape conviction to his road rage incidents to his bizarre statements and dirty fighting. Hopefully Mike has settled his Demons and will live a quiet life outside the ring. In his prime, one of the greats.


Posted by: TJ Cline

Wladimir Klitschko Prevails in One Heck of a fight!

25.09.05 - By Izyaslav “Slava” Koza: Suffice it to say that both Klitschko and Peter earned their respect when they agreed to fight each other. Thankfully, the same respect can be paid to both men based on what happened tonight in Atlantic City. Both fighters did what they did best, and the clashing styles melded to create a masterpiece that would make even the best painters jealous.

Obviously, more praise should go to the winner of this fight, in Wladimir Klitschko because, if I were to travel back in time and explain to fans that he would win this fight ala coming back from three brutal (and they were) knockdowns, I would kill them from manic hysteria and laughter. Wladimir Klitschko has definitely redeemed himself, and that is really the bottom line based on the conditions and the result.

First of all, let me just say that Samuel Peter’s punches that did land behind the head, were what I can best describe as relatively legitimate, and here is why. In the actual sense, it is against the rules to punch your opponent in this manner. It is classic rabbit punching and a fighter would get called on it were it not for the circumstances taking place in the ring.

However, the problem was that Wladimir Klitschko was holding way too much. Honestly, I was not surprised by this, as if anybody who has read some of my thoughts before the fight knows, while I did not predict the winner, I firmly believed the clinch was Wladimir Klitschko’s key to coming out victorious in the fight. Samuel Peter could only win from in close, or land lightning from far, if Wlad did not keep his right up, ala what happened in the Peter vs. Williams fight. Obviously, Wladimir definitely protected himself from the lightning threat, and the clinch was his best chance on the inside.

Again the brutal truth is that it’s the essence of a style known as the "Jab and Grab," as performed by John Ruiz. The difference is Wladimir Klitschko actually has boxing skills, as opposed to just the Jab and Grab, which is Ruiz’s only real way to win a fight, in my opinion. However, just because Wladimir is a better technical fighter, that does not change the fact that the amount of clinching in this fight, in truth, was borderline illegal and grounds for point deductions, and possibly a disqualification (although I would lean against the DQ, as Wladimir was actually boxing in more instances than clinching).

This is the reason why I was not against Peter getting away with illegal rabbit punching. A lot of fans think that my personal beliefs are that a fighter can and should only win fairly, and that is not true at all. A fighter should win by any means necessary. Many believe I was against Ruiz’s ability to clinch in the Jones Jr. fight and thought I was laughing at Ruiz because Nady took that away. No, the reason I was laughing at Ruiz and still do is because he didn’t do all he could to win. If the Jab and Grab is his only way to win, then he should have gone out on his “dirty boxing” shield, rather then get out boxed and complain in the dressing room later on. The same goes for Trinidad vs. Vargas, and his low blow to save himself after the knockdown, and the same goes for Corrales vs. Castillo in their epic war. A fighter should always do whatever they can, illegal or no, to try and win, and that is what I saw from both these guys, and why referee intervention (from a referee who doesn’t like to do that anyway in Neuman) was not necessary, and part of the reason why this was such an exciting fight. Both guys did whatever they had to try and win and you can’t ask for more then that from either man.

Wladimir Klitschko paid the price fine enough, by not only getting knocked down twice by way of technically illegal blows, and losing points but almost losing the fight via TKO. Samuel Peter, as I suspected, had no way to nullify the clinch, as I honestly thought he was weak inside, and when he realized this, the illegal blows were his only answer to try and win the fight. Nobody can take away from him the fact that he tried to win this fight every second of every round. He was less technically skilled, but he wanted it just as much as Klitschko, yet if we nullify that desire for both men Wladimir’s technical ability is left to slide the scale in his favor.

With that said, let me throw in a few words about the trainers of both fighters. Both Steward and Anderson did an outstanding job, for the most part. Anderson, for his part, didn’t say anything wrong during the fight, but he didn’t really prepare his fighter to get on the inside better, in my opinion, or stalk and crouch low, and that was part of his glaring deficiency in the fight, at which point it was impossible to tell him how to improvise that stand up home run swing style. Steward, for his part, did all the right things in both the training camp and in the “after knockdown” coaching in which he kept calm, and didn’t tense his fighter with nervous energy more then he had to. Now, the only thing I disagree with Steward about is attempting to force Wlad to be more aggressive towards the latter part of the fight. It is, in my opinion, the biggest reason why Wlad got caught in trouble and found himself in the cleanest knockdown of the three Peter put on him. When he was telling Wladimir to drop the right after Peter misses I shook my head no and screamed in disgust because mixing it up, even if fundamentally technically sound, was exactly what Peter wanted. That is when Wlad is close and when Peter could land his best stuff. I don’t remember if that is exactly what happened but were they to follow the same pattern Lennox Lewis followed against David Tua, (who, although less hungry and prepared than Peter, was still as dangerous), Wladimir would win much more convincingly on the cards, and have less scary moments and instances where he gets beat. A wide points win is and will always be a better and more telling indicator of a great fighter, than a knockdown. Wladimir Klitschko does not have the chin to go after a big puncher like Peter in that manner. Other than that, Steward did a near flawless job and once again proved that he is easily a hall of fame trainer.

Still, let us not take anything away from the man of the night. Nobody can take away credit from Wladimir Klitschko, a man who rises up from two relatively illegal knockdowns and a third devastating one, and goes on to win. I won’t lie when I saw him go down the third time, I believed that the fight was over. I was screaming at the TV from my knees for him to get up, and yet believed that it was a hopeless waste of lung energy. Yet, he got up like many great fighters before him, sucked it up and went on, you can question his chin, but not his will to win. Congratulations to Wladimir Klitschko on winning the hardest and most dangerous fight of his career.


Bonus Thoughts:

The bout between Miguel Cotto and Ricardo Torres could easily outgun Corrales Castillo as fight of the year. First of all, you had a fighter in Torres, who I thought had a good chance of being knocked out viciously, in this his first step up in class. Torres came in looking to win and wasn’t afraid to throw leather, and forcing Cotto to show what I and many suspect is his unflinching desire and dedication to prove his greatness by overcoming unexpected adversity. The reason I think this fight overtook Corrales vs. Castillo is because both guys threw and were hit with obviously debilitating shots. Each punch that landed put the receiver in dream land, something that in my opinion did not happen enough in Corrales vs Castillo war. On the other hand, the ending of that fight was as huge a round as a fight can have, so really it is a tough choice to make, and it is hard to say which of these two deserves fight of the year honors. I will say that at the very least this fight between Miguel Cotto and Ricardo Torres proved without a shadow of a doubt why the 140 division is the single best in boxing today.


Posted by: TJ Cline

Klitschko Conquers Peter, His Questionable Chin And Stamina

25.09.05 - By Aidan Monaghan: Despite being deposited on the canvas twice in the fifth round and once in the tenth, Wladimir Klitschko - looking much like his brother Vitali in his ability to box and move and much like the former student of his current trainer, Lennox Lewis, through his ability to hit and tie up his opponent when it mattered - Wladimir Klitschko pulled out a close unanimous twelve round decision victory over Samuel Peter, Saturday night in Atlantic City.

It was the type of result that was least expected by anyone - a twelve round decision.

Unlike previous losses for Klitschko when fatigue and knockdowns took their toll, Klitschko overcame these difficulties to return to his game plan that revolved around the most movement ever displayed by Klitschko, combined with timely lefts, rights and hooks..

Stalking Klitschko throughout, Peter was unable to unload accurately or with regularity, due to Klitschko's movement and legal - if not crowd displeasing - use of clinching. Although Peter scored 3 official knockdowns, none were the result of remarkably clean punches.

In the twelfth and final round, Klitschko staggered Peter seriously, but was unable to follow through with any significant punches that could result in a KO. Although Wladimir seemed on the verge of exhaustion throughout the second half of the bout, he never succumbed. And it was Peter who was feeling and showing the effects of the Klitschko attack, with swelling around both eyes.

With this victory, Klitschko now becomes the number one - if less than convincing - uncrowned heavyweight fighter in the world, by improving his record to 45-3, while Peter falls to 24-1, suffering the first loss of his career.


Posted by: IainDaniel

ZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzz............ Who Cares?


Posted by: TJ Cline

Troll I agree with you 100%


Posted by: The Monkey Man

Quote:
Originally Posted by ForemanRules
Troll I agree with you 100%
So, you agree with that particular breakdown of the fight?!


Posted by: TJ Cline

Quote:
Originally Posted by The Monkey Man
So, you agree with that particular breakdown of the fight?!
No I never agree with Iain


Posted by: IainDaniel

Oh I am sure we agree on somethings


Posted by: TJ Cline

Quote:
Originally Posted by IainDaniel
Oh I am sure we agree on somethings
I disagree with that statement.


Posted by: IainDaniel

Quote:
Originally Posted by ForemanRules
I disagree with that statement.
I agree with this statement.

I see


Posted by: TJ Cline

Klitschko - Peter: Observations, Rants and Raves

26.09.05 - By Michael Montero: I know, I know – yet another article on this fight. Hey, let’s face it – we haven’t had much to talk about in the heavyweight division lately – and this was an important, and entertaining, heavyweight bout. Several questions were answered, and yet still a few remain. Upon watching the fight three times, and dissecting it, here’s my break down:

My analysis of the fight:

Besides the 5th and 10th rounds, in which he made critical defensive errors, Klitschko controlled the entire fight. I scored it 115-109 in favor of the Ukrainian – scoring the 3rd round 9-9 (due to Peter’s bomb at the end of the round and Klitschko’s heavy clinching), the 5th round 9-8 for Peter (counting only one knock down, as the 2nd was clearly a push, and taking a point from Peter for rabbit punching), and the 10th round 10-8 for Peter (for the solid, and clean, knock down of Klitschko). I had every other round 10-9 in favor of Klitschko (you could argue that the 6th round was a 10-8 round for Klitschko as Peter failed to land anything, and Klitschko landed several shots without holding once). Samuel Peter was clearly the aggressor, always coming forward. Wladimir Klitschko fought in a mostly defensive stance, but poured on enough offense to clearly win the majority of the rounds. “The Nigerian Nightmare” showed very little technique and athleticism, but an iron chin, along with a big heart and solid determination. He was off balance several times after missing with wild shots, and a more offensive-minded Klitschko could have taken advantage of that. CompuBox numbers showed that Klistchko landed 204 out of 523 total punches (39%), and Peter landed 100 out of 440 (23%) as Klitschko beat Peter in every punching category. All in all, it was an entertaining heavyweight fight complete with drama, fireworks, and anxiety for fans of both warriors.

The “knockdowns”

In my opinion, there was only one legit knockdown in the fight – which was in the 10th round. The first knockdown in the 5th round was the obvious result of a rabbit punch. Peter was rabbit punching and hitting off breaks from the first round, and Wlad should have remembered the #1 rule in boxing – “protect yourself at all times”. The referee incorrectly scored this as a knockdown, and failed to warn Peter for blatant rabbit punching. The second knockdown, also in the 5th, was the result of a push, and nothing more (although Peter continued his illegal rabbit punching). Again, the referee incorrectly counted this as a knockdown. As a result of poor officiating, the 5th was scored as a 10-7 round for Peter by all three judges. This made the fight appear much closer than it really was. The third and final knockdown was completely legit. Wlad made a HUGE fundamental error by backing into the ropes, only to take a huge shot from Sam, than ran away with his hands down, only to take another shot to the chin that dropped him.

What did Sam show us?

The freakishly strong Nigerian proved to the world that he can take a punch – and he continued to show us what we already knew – that he packs some serious power. However at the same time he proved to be easy to hit, and seems unable to throw a straight punch. His weapon is his left hook – that’s about it. Neutralize that weapon by staying back, moving to his left, and bruising his face with jabs – and you can beat him. It’s clear that the man’s goal is to back his opponent into the ropes, and throw wild haymakers until something big lands. He is also content to fight dirty on the inside, blatantly throwing rabbit punches – especially during clinching and coming off breaks. The question is will the man improve as a fighter? Will he use this loss as a learning lesson and get better?

Most of the top fighters in the heavyweight division could probably out-box Peter to a unified decision, yet only a few could actually knock him out. At the same time – with his power, chin, and determination – Sam could knock out any of the top heavies on any given night with one punch (if he can land it). Bottom line – this guy is hittable and beatable – but will be a tall order for anybody in the division to defeat.

What did Wlad show us?

Well he showed us that he can get off the canvas, collect himself, and come back to win a fight. He showed us that he can last 12 rounds with a guy constantly putting pressure on him. He showed us that the fire is back, with the confidence and killer instinct slowly returning to boot. Though he did show some improved defensive fundamentals - he still has gaping holes in his defense. When seriously hurt he panics, backs up with his arms flailing (and no guard), and leaves himself open to taking a big shot. He simply MUST fix this bad habit if he wants to be champion again.

There’s also room for offensive improvement - when he has his opponent off balance, he needs to go for the kill. He also needs to punch at angles – instead of standing right in front of a guy and hitting him with straight rights. The only punch that seriously hurt Peter (in the final frame) was a left hook from a sideways angle. Peter looked like he was going to collapse right then and there from that single blow. Had Klitschko thrown 5 or 6 of those throughout the fight – we would have never scene the 12th round. The question of stamina is a question no more. Round after round, Peter looked slower, and Klitschko still looked fresh. As the bell rang for each round, Wladdy was waiting in the middle of the ring for his opponent. Even after the fight, he looked like he could go a few more with no problem.

What did Randy Neumann show us?

That it’s time to hang it up and do something else. He got on Wladimir’s case for holding several times – but only mentioned rabbit punching once or twice to Samuel. He certainly could have given a warning to Klitschko for holding - but there was absolutely no doubt that he should have warned, and penalized, Peter for constant illegal hits to the back of the head. Without a doubt, Peter should have eventually had a point deducted for his tactics. I counted 25 rabbit punches (including hitting on the break - as well as hitting behind, and on top of, the head) in the fight – this is completely unacceptable. Not even an official warning? Are you sh*tting me? I counted 66 clinches for Klitschko. Over a 12 round fight that’s nowhere near extreme – especially given the fact that he didn’t clinch at all in the 6th and 12th rounds. A fighter is supposed to clinch when he’s too close, and/or in trouble – and that’s what Klitschko did. Averaging a little under 6 clinches a round over a physical 12 round bout may not be too pleasing to the eye – but let’s be real people - it’s nowhere near John Ruiz’s output!

Another thing, in the 10th round when Peter floored Klitschko, Neumann should have made him walk to the farthest corner. It is common knowledge that anytime a fighter is knocked down, the referee is supposed to make the other man go to the farthest corner and wait. That’s elementary officiating, it’s nothing new. Anyway, I honestly feel that it’s time for Randy to do something else – b/c he incorrectly scored two knockdowns, and failed to penalize a guy who was clearly throwing illegal punches throughout the fight. Had this contest been remotely close – these officiating failures could have seriously affected the outcome of the fight.

Post-fight comments:

After the fight the men’s faces reflected the judges’ decision. While Klitshcko had some slight bruising and swelling under his left eye (caused more by heads colliding than punches), Peter’s eyes were almost swollen shut, and he had been bleeding from the nose and mouth through the end of the fight. Klitschko told HBO’s Larry Merchant that “Peter is a strong fighter with a good chin, but not much technique”. He also mentioned the rabbit punching, and even looked upset about it as he was pacing back and forth (as if he was still in the rhythm of the fight) while talking to Larry. Peter looked exhausted, and he looked defeated while stating “he beat me, what can I say?” to Merchant. He refused to give Klitschko any credit however, blaming his loss on his opponent’s holding. After the fight, Wlad told reporters that he would prefer to fight Brewster to “answer questions” – let’s hope that’s not all talk. This would be another good one.

Rematch?

At the post-fight press conference Peter’s manager demanded a rematch, which is just ridiculous. If the situation was reversed, Peter’s camp wouldn’t want to go backwards either – they’d want to go after a belt as the current IBF/WBO mandatory. Perhaps in the future Klitschko will hold one of those belts, and Peter will earn a mandatory position. Then, and only then, should these guys do a rematch. Besides, if they did an immediate rematch we’d only see more of the same – the better boxer out-boxing the plodding brawler.

What does the future hold for both men?

Peter stepped into the spotlight on Saturday night, now he needs to keep with Nigerian express rolling. There is nothing wrong with one “tune-up” fight against a gate keeper – but then he needs to go after a top ten guy. I would favor him to KO Monte Barrett, Jameel McCline, Kirk Johnson and Davarryl Williamson. A fight with Calvin Brock is a toss up, and I would expect James Toney to out-box him. Fundamentally Peter needs to work on his foot movement, and learn to box. He also needs to learn that there’s more to boxing that throwing looping left hooks, hoping to catch a guy with a big bomb. Although power will always give you a chance to win, a fighter MUST be able to box himself back into contention when he’s behind on points.

For Klitschko there’s only one choice – Lamon Brewster. In this rematch he could accomplish several things. Not only would he be avenging a loss, but he’d also be defeating another heavy handed, heavy chinned slugger. This would silence even more of his critics, and prove that the man is serious about taking on the most dangerous opponents out there. Finally, it would give him a belt alongside his big brother – something that they have always dreamed about. If and only if Brewster loses to Luan Krasniqi later this week – should Wladdy go after Chris Byrd. Fundamentally Klitschko needs to learn to stay away from the ropes, keep those hands up, and to protect himself at all times (including breaks). The defense still has holes in it, but it’s getting better. As long as he stays in the middle of the ring he can out-box most, if not all, of the top heavies out there – and simply over-power the others.


Posted by: TJ Cline

Where is Our Promised Heavyweight Tournament?

30.09.05 - By James Allan: Less than a year ago Don King was busy telling everybody that he was quite happy to let his fighters take part in a unification tournament, along with Vitali Klitschko, to crown an undisputed heavyweight champion. "I'm willing to gamble all three of my champions," King said. "Let's throw Klitschko in there with them and see who comes out on top. The guy who is left standing will get the respect of the public because he did it with his talent and skill, not because of the manoeuvrability and machinations of the promoters." Now, 10 months since that quote, not one tournament unification fight has taken place. Instead this week has seen more matches that will still leave the division in its fragmented condition and nobody any wiser as to whom the real champion is.

While this weekend’s fights between James Toney v Dominick Guinn and Chris Byrd v DaVarryl Williamson might turn out to be exciting match up’s, they are not the fights everybody wants to see, nor are they the fights that the division so desperately needs.

Byrd should have fought Wladimir Klitschko a few months back. That is the fight everybody wanted to see and it is the fight that should have taken place. Byrd might argue that Williamson deserved a shot more than Wlad, but it fools nobody. He took it because he sees Williamson as an easier option. Williamson lost to Wlad in five rounds back in 2004 and wins against Oliver McCall and Derrick Jefferson do not make him a legitimate contender, in my opinion.

James Toney is now 37 years old and started his career at Middleweight. While he beat John Ruiz in his last fight for the WBA title, he also tested positive for a banned substance. He can make whatever excuses he likes about not knowing he had taken a banned substance and how it didn’t make any difference to the result of the fight, but the buck has to stop with him. It is his body, he is a professional athlete and he should know what he is putting in it. That six months later he is back fighting again really does show you the mess that the division is in. If he had been a track or field athlete he would have been out of his sport for a minimum two years instead of only not being allowed to fight for the WBA title for two years. The fact is, Toney is entertaining and probably the best actual boxer of all the leading title contenders. This means that he will be allowed to box on, despite positive doping results.

Dominick Guinn fights under the nickname ‘The Southern Disaster’ and that’s exactly what his recent record is. In reality, Guinn has only been put there to make up the numbers. He isn’t a good enough boxer to outpoint Toney and he probably doesn’t hit hard enough to knock him out. Of course in boxing anything can happen, but I’m pretty sure the Las Vegas bookmakers aren’t trembling at the thought of a Guinn victory. In fact they would probably be quite happy about it. Any body that likes a flutter on the fights must surely have marked Toney down as a certain winner in this one.

As far as Ruiz goes, he doesn’t seem to have anything lined up at the moment, and most people seem quite happy about that. He has made a good living from the game, but that doesn’t mean he has been good for the game. He has, in the main, held onto his title by spoiling and holding. Roy Jones and James Toney handed him boxing lessons. Only Toney’s inability to monitor what substances he is taking has allowed Ruiz to still be in the shake up for any proposed tournament. The Brewster v Krasniqi fight only told us what we already knew, that Krasniqi also, is not a legitimate challenger, and the Wladimir Klitschko v Samuel Peter fight while exciting, hasn’t really taken us any further forward either. It proved that Wlad’s chin, while not exactly granite, isn’t pure porcelain either and that Peter can survive against a far better class of fighter than he had faced up until then. Wlad’s back in the hunt for a shot at another title, but Peter isn’t ruled out of it either as he is still young enough to learn from this defeat and to come back a better fighter for it. Two or three victories against decent calibre opposition and who would bet against Peter getting a title shot.

The Vitali Klitschko v Hasim Rahman fight comes across as being the most interesting fight of all the recent Heavyweight activity. But the excitement seems to be generated around whether or not, Rahman can land one big shot on Klitschko and knock him out. In truth, Rahman had his fifteen minutes against Lennox Lewis and then was soundly thrashed in their return fight, since then his record consists of losses to Evander Holyfield, John Ruiz a draw with David Tua and victories over such luminaries as Alfred Cole, Rob Calloway and Kali Meehan. His win over Monte Barrett, while a confidence booster doesn’t put him back at the top of the pile, nor does it prepare him for Klitschko who is heavier, stronger and a better fighter than many give him credit for. In truth, if Rahman wins the only people it will be good for is Rahman himself and Don King, as he will now control all four pieces of the heavyweight title.

That should be the cue for him to launch the long awaited unification tournament, but there will be problems there also. As already mentioned, Toney is banned from fighting for the WBA title for the next two years. If anybody can get round that I’m sure Don can, but it would make the WBA title worth virtually nothing. The belts are mostly gaudy baubles anyway, but for some reason they still seem to have a fascination for fighters, who seem quite willing to fight for whatever belt an organisation makes up. Wladimir Klitshcko should be involved in any tournament that is organised, but would he be willing to give Don King rights to promote any of his future fights. Maybe to get his chance he would but then again maybe he wouldn’t. Would Don be willing to allow him to participate in the tournament knowing that if he won it, he could to all intents and purposes be out of the picture as far as promotional rights are concerned. And all of this conjecture is based around Rahman beating Klitschko.

If Klitschko wins, as I fully expect him to, then he and Wlad have already made it clear that they will never fight each other. Thus meaning that the titles would remain fragmented for the foreseeable future. Of course even if the tournament took place, the titles would eventually break up anyway. The sanctioning bodies are only interested in their own financial well being, not in the good of the sport. But even when the tournament winner was stripped, for whatever reasons, of sections of the title, he would still in the public’s eyes be seen as the true champion with the rest as pretenders no matter what titles they may claim to hold.

What all of this basically adds up to, is that the division is a mess. There are so many different potentialities that can be exploited to the advantage of almost everybody but the fan, who is the person being asked to pay out their money in order to keep the whole business moving. It should never be forgotten, in any sport, that once the fans cease to care, then the sport could soon find itself moving off the back page and into the shadows.

I said in an article a few months ago, that Don King was the only man with the power to clean up the chaotic mess that currently passes for the Heavyweight division and I stand by that statement. The Klitschko’s may not like Don, but they will work with him if they have to in order to secure the big fights. Ali worked with him, Foreman worked with him, Larry Holmes worked with him, Tyson worked with him and Lennox Lewis worked with him. Don produces. Don gets the job done and Don is the only man with enough clout to make the tournament a reality. Vitali is already working with him, after all isn’t Hasim Rahman promoted by Don King. If Vitali gets through this and a unification match up is made with one of the other three champions he will be working with Don again. After all, doesn’t Don hold the promotion rights to John Ruiz, Lamon Brewster and Chris Byrd. He also has promotional rights to James Toney and just about any other viable heavyweight contender that you care to mention.

This unification tournament has to happen. It is vital for the sake of the division, a division that is now so bad that there seems to be a frightening apathy towards it from the general fight fans. In the main, boxing fans aren’t stupid, they can see terrible fights and terrible fighters a mile away, the heavyweight division is now so full of both of these that many fans don’t seem to care who wins this weekend. If what many people say is true, and boxing is only as healthy as its glamour division, then boxing must be in a pretty bad state at the minute. But we all know that that is not true. Boxing is in fact enjoying something of a renaissance at the moment. Good fighters are coming through and good fights are being made in many of the lower divisions. It’s about time the Heavyweight division joined in.


Posted by: TJ Cline

Tarver-Jones: The Thrilla in Tampa

30.09.05 - By Scoop Malinowski / Boxinginsider.com - "No two men can be half an hour together but one shall acquire an evident superiority over the other." --Samuel Johnson

It's a classic confrontation, one for the ages. The outspoken, articulate ambassador though vastly underrated and underappreciated hero vs. the once-mighty superstar me-first primadonna who has fallen heavily from his pound-for-pound pinnacle.

Tarver and Jones collide again in one of the most fascinating showdowns of the modern era.

Will the faded superstar be able to overcome the shock and humiliation of two one-sided drubbings in his last two fights? Will Jones be able to find the magic one more time? Or has his ego tricked him into believing he can offset Tarver when the truth is he is finished at the highest level of the sport because his greatest power - his speed - has dissipated?

By Jones's antics this week in Tampa, refusing to share the same room with Tarver, etc., it would seem to indicate Jones is uncomfortable being around Tarver, to some degree, somewhat like Ali's verbal mastery always seemed to discombobulate Joe Frazier. Tarver naturally seems to know which buttons to push, he seems to have Jones completely figured out. No matter what Roy says in the media, Tarver always has the wittier comeback. Never was it so apparent as when we heard Tarver say, I have a question, what excuses are you gonna use tonight Roy?

Tarver out-Ali'd even Ali with that historic line which will always be one of the most memorable one-liners in sports history.

Jones just can't seem to find an exploitable weakness in Tarver. It is my contention that Tarver totally conquered Jones psychologically before the last fight with all those interviews in which he exposed Jones' lies and hypocracies. Tarver knew Jones tried to avoid the rematch - with the help of HBO - and he never shut up until Jones finally signed on the dotted line. Tarver knew he had Jones mentally and once you win the psychological fight, the physical fight is easy. That's why it only took seven punches to destroy the great Roy Jones.

No one can say it was a lucky punch or Jones was not quite right, blah blah blah, that's nonsense. Antonio Tarver performed one of the greatest, most spectactular upset shockers in the history of boxing and all of sports. He absolutely deserves all the credit for slaying the Goliath of Roy Jones. And he did it with style that even Ali, Jordan, Tiger, Tyson and The Babe surely had to admire.

And I believe he is going to do it again. Tarver is taking this fight more seriously than the last one. He knows Jones is a desperate man to salvage his legacy and reputation. He knows Jones would risk all his millions, his health, everything really, to go out a winner - and not a knocked out loser. Tarver understands Jones better than any of us, he knows the Jones ego and is confident he can handle anything that comes his way in the ring on Saturday night.

Jones is the wildcard in this fight. Superman will try to conjure up the magic one last time. WIll he be able to turn back the clock and somehow re-find that superhuman hand and foot speed and utilize one of the greatest weapons in ring history to defeat Tarver? You can never count out Jones. Like he has shown many times, he is capable of almost anything in the ring, even stopping a challenger with a punch launched from behind his back!

If Jones is able to be successful in Tampa on Saturday night I believe it has to be considered one of the greatest comebacks ever. To witness Jones after the Glen Johnson massacre - laying there prone, as if in some kind of imaginary coffin - it is almost unfeasible to believe he can rise from that.

But Roy Jones is not the average normal human being. He is capable of superhuman feats.

The problem is Antonio Tarver has that kind of capacity and determination just as well.

It just may come down to who wants it more. It may turn into that kind of vicious struggle we don't often see at the highest level of boxing any more, such as The Thrilla in Manila.

I'm leaning for Tarver to do it again, but Jones is a dangerous warrior who, for the first time, is the clearcut underdog - and in a fight he really, desperately needs to win. We could see an aspect of Jones' greatness we have never seen before.


Posted by: TJ Cline

Glen Johnson just KO'd George Khalid


Posted by: TJ Cline

Glen Johnson was only the second man ever to KO Roy Jones


Posted by: TJ Cline

Roy Jones and Antiono Tarver fight this Sat on PPV HBO


Posted by: TJ Cline

Glen might and probably fight the winner


Posted by: TJ Cline

Exciting times in boxing this month


Posted by: topolo

Quote:
Originally Posted by ForemanRules
Roy Jones and Antiono Tarver fight this Sat on PPV HBO

thanks, i didnt know that


Posted by: TJ Cline

Quote:
Originally Posted by topolo
thanks, i didnt know that
I'll make a thread for you tomorrow.....to console you after Roy gets






















































































































Knocked the fuck out!


Posted by: TJ Cline

World Rankings: October - Pound for Pound,
02.10.05 - Compiled by Chris Ireland
Pound For Pound - 1. Floyd Mayweather - He's young, he's undefeated, and he's now blowing his opponents out. The problem? He needs to fight better fighters. Henry Bruseles, DeMarcus Corley, and Arturo Gatti, though respectable, aren't the kind of fighters you'd expect the top pound-for-pound fighter in his sport to take on a regular bases.

2. Winky Wright - Wright has had quite a coming out party. After being ignored for years and being robbed against Fernando Vargas, Wright has now defeated Shane Mosley twice, and Felix Trinidad without too much resistance. Now it looks like Wright will take on either Ike Quartey, Felix Sturm, or Kingsley Ikeke..

3. Bernard Hopkins - Make no mistake, "The Executioner" is not a shot fighter. What is apparent, however, is the fact that the former champ is slowing down. After starting slow against Oscar De La Hoya, Hopkins won a ho-hum decision against Howard Eastman. In July, he started so slow against Jermain Taylor that it cost him the fight. Now he gets a shot at redemption in December.

4. Antonio Tarver - Tarver became a pound for pound elite last year with the 2nd round knockout of Roy Jones. He followed that up with a loss to Glenn Johnson in December. "The Magic Man," re-established his high pound-for-pound status by defeating Johnson and Jones by decision.

5. Diego Corrales - Corrales won perhaps the greatest fight of all time against Jose Luis Castillo in May. Their rematch promises to be memorable as well on October 8th. Corrales' competition gets him to number five, defeating the likes of Joel Casamayor, Acelino Frietas, and Jose Luis Castillo in his last three fights.

6. Jose Luis Castillo - It's hard to fathom how a fighter's standing in pound-for-pound lists can improve after a loss, but Corrales-Castillo wasn't your typical fight. Jose was seconds away from stopping Corrales a few months ago, and now gets his second chance Saturday. Castillo has fought the best competition available, and you'll seldom find a tougher fighter.

7. Ricky Hatton - Ricky Hatton did what a challenger is supposed to do. He TOOK the title from Kostya Tszyu, forcing the former champ into a grueling war for eleven rounds before finally quitting on his stool before the final frame. Hatton is now set to take on Carlos Maussa, fresh off an upset victory over Vivian Harris.

8. Zab Judah - "Super" looked more focused and determined than he had in years when he took on Cory Spinks in a welterweight title rematch earlier this year. That focus paid off, as Judah took the title by knocking Spinks out in the ninth round. Zab is now wanting Floyd Mayweather in the ring.

9. Jermain Taylor - Though he didn't exactly do it smoothly or even that skillfully, Jermain Taylor ended Bernard Hopkins' streak of title defenses at 20. The Olympian ran out of gas late, and was nearly knocked out by the champion in the championship rounds. But Taylor remained upright, fought back, and came out the victor. Nobody has given Hopkins that much trouble in years.


10. Marco Antonio Barrera - With fights against Erik Morales and Manny Pacquaio possibly on the horizon, Barrera is patiently waiting for an opening while taking on the likes of Robbie Peden and Mzonke Fana. When Morales and Pacquaio are done with each other, rest assured that Barrera will want the winner
Others: ErikMorales, Manny Pacquiao, Juan Manuel Marquez


Posted by: TJ Cline

Tarver – Jones: The Fischer And Kasparov Of Boxing

02.10.05 - By Wray Edwards: A local scribe for The Tampa Tribune, Anwar S. Richardson, wrote an article for Saturday’s sports section which dwelled on the number three with such examples as “…mind, body and soul…Father, Son and Holy Spirit…Judaism observes three major feasts…three meals a day…” etc. as a lead-in to Jones-Tarver 3. After watching the beginning of this fight, it became obvious that Mr. Richardson had left out the most appropriate example: SOS (… - - - …). Right after the third (naturally) round, this writer left ringside and sought out the highest seats in the Forum (the seventh level press-box) to watch the rest of the fight.

In this case SOS stands for “Save Our Sport”. For the first Three Rounds, Jones danced to his right in endless counter-clockwise circles as Tarver just stayed in the middle of the ring and turned around and around to keep facing the circling challenger. Most in the press-box came to the conclusion that Roy was trying to get Tony dizzy by this tactic.. Tarver would step towards Jones from time-to-time but not much happened. The Fourth was probably much the same, but those three minutes were spent heading for the rafters. Perhaps a change of perspective would help.

Round Five finally contained a departure from Jones’ impersonation of a satellite orbiting “mother” Tarver. He made a few “charges” and some meaningless contacts after feinting so many times the crowd began to boo both fighters. He looked like the proverbial “mongoose at a cobra rally” except that the cobras were not striking. After one of his minor forays against Tony, Jones, apparently impressed with his zippy displays, did a “heel slap” reminiscent of an Oktoberfest beer-hall dancer in his lederhosen. To this point we had it Tarver: 9/10/10/9/9 (47) – Jones 10/10/9/10/10 (49) even though there was scant action, from either fighter, by which to award the rounds.

Round Six was punctuated by Roy’s decision to stick his tongue out at Tony. Perhaps he was having a flash-back to their long-ago amateur encounter. There were also a couple of head shakes by Jones which must have been intended to indicate to Tarver that his strikes had had no effect. Round to Roy, for slightly more contact and his excellent impersonation of Gene Simmons, Tarver 66, Jones 68. There were now increasing murmurings about the emerging chess-match nature of the “fight”. Endless comparisons spring to mind: cat and mouse, spider and fly, Laurel and Hardy. Up high, with the crowd no longer surrounding one, it was possible to survey the whole Boxing organism as it lived out its Mayfly-like existence.

The eager media, the fickle masses separating into cheering camps when their guy showed the slightest glimmer of initiative, only to abandon their heroes and join together in mutual choruses of boos in hopes that they could somehow coax a real boxing match out of these two all struggled in vain to find some action. The corners pleaded and cajoled…with Buddy waving a strict finger at Tarver and Roy’s people trying to get their tentative charge to do so there may be some pics of seemingly effective punching, but stills cannot convey the utter frustration of hopes that a real fight would break out. Some said Tony was just waiting for Roy to get tired and then we’ll really see something. Others had it just the opposite.

During the contest there were one or two strikes by Roy which caused Tony’s sweat to fly, but he pretty much just walked through them. Tony had Roy a little dazed a couple of times but could not close the show. Even though Roy’s gloves got lower and lower during the bout Tarver never really went in for the kill. It seemed that he was getting pretty tired himself. McGirt urged Tony on, but it appeared that both fighters were showing their age. Rounds Seven through Twelve were filled with some smatterings of action, but not enough to keep the crowd from booing many times for lack of action.

Tarver marginally earned Rounds Eight through Eleven, with Roy edging Tony slightly for Twelve, Tarver 115, Jones 114. Many may scoff at this close call, but the “Champ” did not look like one, and the challenger did nothing to take it away. The switch to the sky-box brought the scoreboard TV (which cannot be seen from the apron) image in view and gave added perspective. The downside was no pics from yours truly, but there wasn’t really that much to photograph.

The author had composed a totally different lead which was inspired by the hype and personal expectations. Unfortunately, this event was much less entertaining and important on its face than the recent Lacy-Reid encounter. One must be tempted to conclude that Roy is much better off assisting Lampley and fielding Larry’s comments while, in this author’s opinion, doing what he now does better than boxing. Jones needs to get back behind the mike and preserve that friendly smile and informed commentary. Fans, when asked, generally expressed disappointment with the quality of the match. Jones really had and has nothing to prove. This vain attempt to finish his career with a flourish might only serve to tarnish it. As for Tarver, he fancies himself and is listed as the champ. Tough shoes to fill even though he is already in them.

In other action during the evening a 10 round heavyweight bout between Brian Minto and Vinny Maddalone featured Vinny trying to do nappy-time on Brian’s shoulder every time he got whacked. Maddalone’s attempted punches went wild for the most part while Minto’s left jab prepared Vinny for many rights, one of which buckled his knees to a severe degree. The fight was called a TKO of Vinny by the Ref. at 1:21 of the seventh when Minto delivered no less than Fifteen unanswered lefts in a row which pretty much hung Maddalone out to dry while still on his feet. During the replays most of the fans counted out loud as the fifteen blows were repeated, you guessed it, three times. Does anybody know if this might be some sort of record? The author has never seen anything close to that number of unanswered, consecutive strikes with the same hand.

Andre Ward of Oakland, Ca. stunned St. Pete’s Glenn LaPlante to his knee with a stiff left for an eight, and shortly thereafter a whack behind the ear put Glenn down for the count at 2:59 of the First Round.

The best and most action-packed fight of the evening was between lightweights Nate Campbell from Jacksonville, Florida and Almazbek “Dr. Evil” Raiymkulov from Las Vegas, Nevada. The First Round ended several punches after the bell, as both fighters seemed to resent the interruption. Almazbek was staggered in the Second and clinched to clear his head. Nate’s counters were pretty effective. Campbell ducked effectively…a talent Almazbek sorely missed as he was often unable to do the same.

Raiymkulov spent a full two minutes on the ropes in Round Four. In Round Five Nate KD’d his opponent twice at 0:43 and 0:26. This effort seemed to cause him to become arm weary in Rounds Six through Nine. There were energetic and prolonged exchanges throughout the fight. Finally, in Round Ten Campbell gained the upper hand in energy and accurate strikes to the point that the Ref. stepped in (2:26) and “Dr. Evil” said he could not continue.

Campbell’s attitude was business-like and contained none of the show-boat antics of previous fights, one of which included his attempt to emulate Mayorga when he dropped his gloves to his sides and offered his chin to...think it was Robbie Peden…who naturally did his thing. That resulted in his right jaw being blind-sided which dropped him like an imploded building. He was ahead 90/79 when he stopped Raiymkulov.

This boxing show at the Forum did not have the spirit or organization of the Lacy-Reid weekend. The event staff at all levels was less organized and professional than their predecessors at Lacy-Reid. Mike Tyson, Michael Jordan and other Boxing luminaries were noticeably unimpressed with the main event. From the sweltering heat of the weigh-in venue, to the anti-climactic nature of the “main event”, this enterprise just fell short of its promise. Many thanks to Jessie, Erika, Theresa and Lisa, who made things much better at a different location after the fights. Let’s just say that they made Hooter’s girls look like armadillos.

Win some lose some. That’s Boxing, and that’s also reporting. The IBO was not particularly validated by the level or outcome of this encounter. Tarver appeared to fade drastically in the latter rounds either from age or taking this bout for granted. Actually, he does not seem particularly concerned, beyond ego gratification, about the seriousness of the sport. He had better find another focus because his vaunted trilogy with Roy ended not with a bang…but a whimper. See you at the fights.


Posted by: TJ Cline

It's unanimous: Tarver earns decision over Jones
By Chuck Johnson, USA TODAY
TAMPA — Antonio Tarver, scoring more often and with more fury, retained his world light heavyweight championship Saturday night with a unanimous decision against Roy Jones Jr.
Antonio Tarver, right, sticks Roy Jones Jr. with a punch during their light heavyweight championship bout in Tampa.
By Chris O'Meara, AP

A crowd of 20,895 fans at the St. Pete Times Forum and a worldwide pay-per-view audience watched Tarver win for the second time in three fights between the Florida-bred rivals.

Although the victory was strategic and not nearly as dramatic as Tarver's second-round knockout of Jones in May, 2004, it was every bit as decisive. Judges Paul Herman and Michael Pernick scored the fight 116-112 for Tarver while Peter Trematerra scored it 117-111.

Tarver (29-3,18 KOs) sensed danger throughout the fight even though he was mostly in control.

"Roy had a lot of resistance," he said. "You're playing chess all night. One mistake and I was checkmate. I wasn't assured of victory until they raised my hands. I just did the best I could."

Jones (49-4, 38 KOs) won a controversial split decision against Tarver in their first fight in November, 2003 and was coming off consecutive knockout losses, including a ninth-round stoppage by Glen Johnson last September.

Going the distance amounted to a morale booster for the once pound-for-pound king, who saw this fight as a chance to restore the lustre to his Hall of Fame-caliber career.

"Tarver would give me trouble even in my best days as a light heavyweight," Jones said. "It was hard to go out there like I did after getting knocked out two times. I realize I lost the fight, but I'm satisfied with my performance."

Tarver almost had Jones knocked out on his feet in the 11th round, but couldn't put him away because of his own fatigue. The Orlando native, now living in Tampa, had Jones woozy after landing a vicious right hand, but Tarver wound up flipping over the top rope in his haste to follow through.

The fight began with both fighters waiting each other out. Tarver connected the first damaging shot with a left hook in the second round. It obviously hurt Jones, but the pride of Pensacola shook his head as if it didn't.

In fact, Jones did a great deal of showboating throughout the fight although Tarver refused to be sucked in. Jones' stuck out his tongue, wiggled his hips and shuffled his feet while Tarver never changed his serious expression.

Chris O'Meara, AP
Roy Jones Jr. leans out of the way as Antonio Tarver falls over the ropes during the 10th round.

"He was trying to bait me," Tarver said. "But I wasn't going to fall into that trap because I knew he came to fight."

Jones' best round was the fifth when he hurt Tarver with quick combinations, an uppercut and body shots. But Jones wasn't nearly busy enough most rounds.

According to unofficial final punchstats, Tarver nearly doubled the number of punches thrown by Jones, 620-320, and his connect advantage was 158-85. Tarver also had the edge in power punches thrown, and 341-207, and power punches connected, 107-74.

"I had to do my homework," Tarver said of what it took to win the rubber match against his childhood rival. "I had to go to school, and I passed with flying colors. Y'all though I was going to be one-punch happy. But it wasn't the left hook tonight. The right was the big punch.

"Maybe now people will give a man credit where credit is deserved. Roy Jones was beaten by a better fighter period. I'm one of the best in the world."


Posted by: TJ Cline

Tarver stakes his claim

The Tampa resident, looking to cement his legacy, again defeats Roy Jones.

By JOHN C. COTEY, Times Staff Writer
Published October 2, 2005

[Times photo: Bob Croslin]
Antonio Tarver, left, sends Roy Jones toward the ropes during their light heavyweight bout at the St. Pete Times Forum. Tarver, a Tampa resident, won by unanimous decision.


TAMPA - They say that every great fighter has one great fight left in him, and Saturday night Roy Jones proved that was probably true.

Unfortunately for the Pensacola native, that fight was against John Ruiz in 2003.

In front of 20,895 at the St. Pete Times Forum, the new star in the light heavyweight division cemented his hold on his throne, and one of the greats was shown the door.

Hello, Antonio Tarver.

Goodbye, Roy Jones.

Tarver scored an easy 12-round unanimous decision, winning 116-112 on two cards and 117-111 on the other.

The Times scored it 116-112, giving Tarver every round but the last from the sixth on.

"Give a man his credit," Tarver said. "He was beaten by a better fighter tonight."

Tarver, 36, successfully defended his IBO title, but more important retained his status as the undisputed Ring magazine champ.

The fighters earned in excess of $4-million apiece plus a share of pay-per-view revenues, which were expected to generate close to $20-million from 400,000 sales.

Despite being booed by the hometown crowd, Tampa resident Tarver stalked Jones all fight in their third meeting and patiently waited for openings. Jones, the fan favorite, clowned around, stuck out his tongue and tried to show up his opponent.

A big 11th round by Tarver (24-3, 18 knockouts) sealed his victory. He almost knocked Jones down on a number of occasions, and nearly fell over the top rope while chasing Jones and staggering him in the center of the ring.

Jones (49-4, 38 KOs) seemed visibly hurt and wobbly, staying on his feet but wincing after the exchanges.

"Roy was sharp," Tarver said. "It was like playing chess. It was a chess game, and one mistake and I'm checkmated.

"The guy had resilience. You all (media) thought I was one-punch happy, but I passed my test tonight. I did my homework."

By the final round, all Tarver had to do was stay away and endure one final rally.

"It's hard to go out like I did (with two knockouts), and I'm satisfied with my performance and realize I lost the fight," Jones said. "Tarver could give me a hard time even in my best days at light heavyweight."

After complaining vigorously about a lack of respect last week, Tarver might have finally achieved that and more. The crowd seemed to turn in his favor late, recognizing he was the better fighter.

Tarver was never in trouble. Jones was his old self, dancing around the ring and playing to the crowd.

But after some impressive exchanges in the fourth and fifth rounds, which all three judges scored for Jones, he failed to let his hands go the rest of the fight.

Tarver landed 158 punches to 85 for Jones. Tarver threw almost twice as many punches (620-320) and landed 51 jabs to 11 for Jones.

"I'm not the kind of fighter that's going to go in and rumble with him like (Glen) Johnson did," Jones said. "That's just not the kind of fighter I am."

Jones, 36, said he wasn't sure if it was his last fight, but adviser Brad Jacobs said last week that the fighter would walk away if he lost and likely return to his role as an HBO commentator.

Once regarded as the finest pound-for-pound fighter in the world and the Boxing Writers Association of America's fighter of the decade in the 1990s, Jones will ride off into the sunset after salvaging some of his legacy. He won world titles at middleweight, super-middleweight, light heavyweight and heavyweight to ensure his place as a Hall of Famer.

Tarver might now escape Jones' expansive shadow after toiling as one of boxing's most underrated and underappreciated fighters. He has long wondered what it would take.

It took Saturday.


Posted by: TJ Cline

Jones Vows to Return After Loss to Tarver



By JOHN ELIGON
Published: October 2, 2005

TAMPA, Fla., Oct. 1 - The fact that Roy Jones Jr. was knocked out in his two fights before Saturday night's bout against Antonio Tarver did not seem to matter much to the more than 20,000 fans at the St. Pete Times Forum.

They cheered almost every one of Jones's actions - a cameo an hour and a half before the fight, footage of him flashing across the big screen, his ring walk, his dancing around the ring - hoping, perhaps, to resurrect a man who once dominated his sport.

Fighting for the first time since last September, Jones brought back some of his trademark moves: shimmies, head waggles and quick flurries of punches. In the end, however, Tarver's methodical work earned him a unanimous 12-round decision. The victory gave Tarver (24-3) his second triumph over Jones in three fights.

"Roy had a lot of resistance; Roy was sharp tonight," Tarver said. "Give a man credit where credit is due. He was beat by a better fighter, period."

Despite losing for the third time in a row, Jones said he was not ready to step away from the sport.

"Can't nobody else beat me in the light-heavyweight division except for Tarver," Jones said after the fight. "I'll be back. But if I got hurt bad, I would quit."

After Tarver, 36, knocked out Jones, also 36, in the second round of their fight in May 2004, many expected him to walk through Jones again. Many even questioned Jones's decision to return to the ring. But Jones (49-4) showed flashes of brilliance, and proved he deserved at least one last shot to reclaim glory.

From the time he entered the ring, Jones appeared to be having fun. He was smiling before his introduction, and during and between rounds. During a flurry in the fifth round, Jones kicked his right foot back, slapped it with his right glove, then twirled his arm like a propeller. And after Tarver grazed Jones with a punch in the sixth round, Jones stuck out his tongue.

In the early rounds, it was evident that both men were counterpunchers: neither seemed to want to throw a punch. Jones came to life in the middle of the fight, however, and appeared to be in control for a couple of rounds.

But Tarver kept plugging away, moving in for swift combinations, then stepping out.

A clean right hook from Tarver in the 11th round had Jones so hurt that he appeared to be sleepwalking for a few moments. But Jones stood his ground and was able to fight back.

Reclusive in training during the two months leading up to this bout, Jones showed his eagerness to be in the spotlight an hour and a half before his fight. Jones, who lives in Pensacola, Fla., popped out of the tunnel, blew a kiss to the fans and held two fingers in the air as most gave him a standing ovation.

It was an early sign of whom the crowd was behind. When footage of Tarver entering the arena was played on the big screen, most fans booed, even though Tarver lives in Tampa.

Although Jones was knocked out in his two fights before Saturday night, he felt compelled to avenge his defeat to Tarver.

"It's hard to go out like I did after getting knocked out two times," he said. "I'm satisfied with my performance tonight."


Posted by: TJ Cline

The lighter Side of the Game

03.10.05 - By James Allan: Boxing has without doubt thrown up some memorable characters and some classic quotes. The game can very often be a brutal business. Injuries, both minor and serious occur and death sometimes stalks the sport. Fighters get ripped off, fans get ripped off and promoters and managers too often are the ones who profit from it. But after saying all this, it has produced some of the funniest characters to ever get involved in organised sport.

Max Baer, Willie Pep, Bob Arum, Jack Johnson, Sam Langford the list of quotable figures is almost endless. However, there are to my mind, three men who stand above the rest when it comes to delivering classic one liners and put down’s.


Posted by: TJ Cline

1. James Toney

Toney is without doubt the most consistentely funny guy in boxing today. His put downs and smart arse remarks are fast propelling him into legendary status. No matter what the rest of his fighting career holds for him his trash talking alone deserves to earn him a place in the hall of fame –

“The fight with Ruiz is going to be any way he wants to make it. He can do it the hard way, get beat up for 12 rounds and end up in the hospital. Or, he can do it the easy way, get hit on the chin and go to sleep.”

“John Ruiz, he younger than me and I destroyed him with one hand!”

“Evander and I are great warriors. We put blood and guts in the ring. We do not run around and hug and kiss. Well, Evander might do that, but I do not.”

“Dominick Guinn was the only one in the top 10 who had the balls to get into the ring with me! You got Chris Byrd, Wladimir Klitschko, Vitali Klitschko. They all suddenly gotta be doin' something else or having surgery or something like that.”

“The Klitschkos, they suck. Chris Byrd, I will put him to sleep. Chris Byrd is garbage. Fres Oquendo is garbage. Every heavyweight in the division is garbage.”

“You do not want anyone to run around for 12 rounds unless you are in the ballet.”

“I was not right the first time against Jones. He took advantage of it and won the fight. Bring his ass on now. Bring anybody. Lewis, Klitschko, Tyson, Jones, their mommas. I will knock them all out.”


Posted by: TJ Cline

2. Muhammed Ali

All right, so it’s an obvious one, but the fact still remains that Ali was one of the most quotable boxing figure of all time. Ali could be cruel, Joe Frazier knows that only too well, but he could also be hysterically funny. Here are a few of his to remind us why he is still called the greatest –

"It's just a job. Grass grows, birds fly, waves pound the sand. I beat people up."

"Howard Cosell was gonna be a boxer when he was a kid—only they couldn't find a mouthpiece big enough."

When asked about his golf game: "I'm the best. I just haven't played yet."

Ali talking about Floyd Patterson - “He's too short, he’s to slow, he can’t take a punch, he don’t hit hard and he hasn’t got the footwork.”


“Fifteen referees. I want fifteen referees to be at this fight because there ain't no one man who can keep up with the pace I'm gonna set except me. There's not a man alive who can whup me. I'm too fast. I'm too smart. I'm too pretty. I should be a postage stamp. That's the only way I'll ever get licked.”

“My toughest fight was with my first wife, and she won every round.”

“I'm so fast that last night I turned the light switch off in my bedroom and I was in bed before the room was dark.”

"It's hard to be humble, when you're as great as I am."


Posted by: TJ Cline

3. Randall ‘Tex’ Cobb

Cobb is the funniest guy to ever lace up a pair of boxing gloves. Even Cobb’s throwaway quotes would be diamond’s in someone else’s mouth. Not the best fighter to ever challenge for the Heavyweight title, he is without doubt the most hilarious. There are so many brilliant Cobb quotes that it would be impossible to list them all. If I could choose just one boxer to sit and talk to, Cobb would be the one I would pick. Here are a few of his best to help you understand why -



Cobb’s reply on being told that his savage beating against Larry Holmes persuaded Howard Cosell to never again commentate on another boxing match. "If I had known that’s what it would take to get Cosell to quit doing boxing I would have fought Holmes a long time ago."

Cobb responding to a reporter who had called him a fat, cocaine snorting drunk.
"I'm not fat."

Cobb on after being knocked down in a fight he was involved in -

"When I got up I stuck to my plan -- stumbling forward and getting hit in the face."

Cobb on an attempt to berate Don King -
"I was at this affair with a bunch of different people involved in the boxing business, and King shows up. I stood up and called him every name in the book. King was slick, though. He extended an arm my way, took the floor, and said, ‘Let’s hear it for Tex Cobb, a great entertainer, great showman…’ He made it sound like I was just putting on."

“I was once knocked out by a Mexican bantamweight - six of my pals were swinging him around by his heels at the time.”

“Philadelphia is the only place where you see two winos in a street fight jabbing.”

“Larry Holmes doesn't hit as hard as Earnie Shavers. Nobody hits like Shavers. If anybody hit harder than Shavers, I'd shoot him.”

Cobb on being asked his best punch – “I don't know, I've never hit myself.”

I hope you enjoyed these and I hope some of them you haven’t heard before, but even if you have, they are always worth hearing again.


Posted by: TJ Cline

No One Can Deny It Now, Tarver is the King

03.10.05 - By Scoop Malinowski / Boxinginsider.com - It may seem hard to believe for some, but the truth has been confirmed. Antonio Tarver is the superior pugilist to Roy Jones.

Antonio Tarver finally proved, beyond a shadow of a doubt he is the best Light Heavyweight in the world, and the first man to ever conquer the great Roy Jones Jr.

"It was hard to go out like I would have - being knocked out twice the last couple of times," said future Hall of Famer Roy Jones. "I'm a true champion. I've been at the top. Being the champion that I am, it was good. I was satisfied with my performance, but I do realize that I lost the fight. I'm not the kind of fighter, like (Glen) Johnson that can brawl. And that's the way you have to fight to beat Tarver."

Jones was pure class in defeat, like most of the other greats of ring history.

"Tarver would have given me all I could handle in my best days as a light heavyweight. I'll be back. I got hurt once and I think that was the turning point of the fight. He hit me with a good shot. But I kept coming. Can't nobody else beat me but Tarver."

Roy Jones astoundingly was able to turn back the clock after his double disasters - we saw that he still had some of that vintage magic on Saturday night. The blinding handspeed and the superhuman physique and power were back, so was that cocky arrogance and showboating. But Tarver is just too darn good, too smart and too confident and focused for Jones.

It was a great exciting fight. Larry Merchant, Emanuel Steward and Jim Lampley were fantastic throughout the HBO telecast and really conveyed the moment. Like the two fighters, they were in top form. But I thought Merchant was innacurate in the post-fight interview with Tarver, when he implied that Tarver had bested a faded Jones.

Tarver vehemently took offense to that viewpoint and sincerely lauded Jones for his intelligent strategies, which undoubtedly would have been spectacularly successful against the likes of Clinton Woods, Glenn Kelly or Virgil Hill. Tarver insisted that if he had made just one little mistake it would have been lights out. He emphatically believes Jones would have capitalized on any error and ended the fight in an instant. Jones waited and waited for that opening but Tarver was masterful. Merchant may not have appreciated the offensive effort Jones gave but Tarver, who was in the ring competing against it, certainly did.

Tarver has his number. Tarver has the upper hand. And Tarver has the style, weaponry, experience, intelligence and wit to defeat Roy Jones any time. Period. I really believe Jones looked as good as he ever has, as strong and speedy as ever, it's just the dilemma is that he simply can't shine against Tarver as he did in all those other fights. No matter what Roy tries, he just can't solve the mystery, the complex puzzle that is Antonio Tarver.

"I had to do my homework. I had to go to school and I passed with flying colors. If I would have made a mistake, he would have punished me. GIVE ME CREDIT," Tarver stated after his victory. "Roy had a lot of resistance and resilience. Roy was sharp tonight. Ya'll thought I was gonna be one-punch happy - but I passed my test. I did my homework. You're playin' chess all-around. It's a chess game. One mistake and I'm checkmate."

"Give a man credit where credit is due. He was beat by a better fighter. Period. I am one of the best fighters in the world. GIVE ME MY CREDIT."

Jones deserves so much credit too. To comeback from those devastations in his last two fights with the calibre of performance he put on in Tampa - against such a dangerous adversary - was amazing. Jones proved beyond any question he is one of the greats of the decade (just kidding - of all-time). And how he endured those wicked punches in round 11 - without crumbling - was almost miraculous. It's like he willed himself to not be knocked out again - no matter what he got hit with. Mind over matter.

Both gladiators have to be commended for such a thrilling and fairly contested superfight. Despite the high stakes and egos involved, Jones and Tarver showed their high class. Formerly one of the most self-gloating superstars you'll ever see, Jones displayed humility and character after losing such an important duel. Despite the failure, I believe his monumental career probably closed on a positive.

Just as well, Tarver showed his great rival plenty of respect. Despite all the harsh words and bad blood, the two clashed like an explosion, but after the violence was all over, the two warriors embraced and departed with mutual respect.

It was yet another very impressive high-point for the number one sport on earth.
The trilogy of Tarver and Jones is over now. And instead of one superstar, we now have two. Antonio Tarver shocked the world by achieving something no man ever did - he defeated the great Roy Jones not once, but twice.

Hail the Magic Man, the one and only Antonio Tarver.


Posted by: TJ Cline

Chris Byrd: Hang It Up!

04.10.05 - By Craig Parrish: This past Saturday night I had the great displeasure of watching another Chris Byrd “Title” defense. I have not been this bored or frustrated since the last outing of John “The Anaconda” Ruiz. The fight was soundly booed by the fans at ringside throughout. And as tentative as Byrd was, his opponent, DaVarryl Williamson was just as guilty. This fight was so tentative, so lackluster, that the Ref instructed the fighters to start mixing it up on several occasions. Now, I happen to agree with the ringside announcer who claimed that the Ref has no business telling fighters how they should fight. They are the guys out there who are risking their necks, although that was certainly not the case here. I did feel sympathy for the Ref, however, who probably felt that if he didn’t spur something he would soon be asleep, thereby forfeiting his paycheck.

I respect the fact that Byrd is a great “technician”, as he is slick and crafty. I respect the fact that he has come up from a much lower weight to win Heavyweight fights. He seems like a HELL of a nice guy as well, so it’s not easy to criticize him. But COME ON! If you want to be taken seriously as a Heavyweight Champ, you better get out there and throw some punches! Lamon Brewster doesn’t have nearly the skills of Byrd, but I respect him so much more as he is willing to fight. The same goes for James Toney, who in many ways is similar to Byrd but far more gutsy (no pun intended). When Toney says he will fight
anybody, anytime, anywhere, I believe him.

Byrd reportedly turned down millions in a Wladimir Klitschko rematch to “fight” Williamson. Although reports vary of why Byrd turned down the fight, it’s pretty clear he wants no part of Klitschko. What is left for him out there? Who is he going to fight next? Klitschko is his #1 contender, but that will be avoided as long as possible. Perhaps another Andrew Golota match? Ruiz? HOLYFIELD? It is becoming a lazy Susan of the same old tired matchups with the same old boring fighters.

Recently, Wladimir Klitschko surprised a lot of people by agreeing to fight Sam Peter, who many predicted was the next “Savior” of the Heavyweight division. Klitschko surprised even more people by winning the fight, given his china chin. This is what we need more of in this division. Step up Chris, or hang it up. And take Ruiz with you.


Posted by: TJ Cline

World Rankings - October: The Cruiserweights


Posted by: TJ Cline

1. Jean Marc Mormeck - Mormeck became the best Cruiserweight in the world in April with his victory over Wayne Braithwaite. Mormeck was so impressive that he turned some heads to towards the division for the first time in years. He must be more active to capitalize, however. He has no bout scheduled at this time.


Posted by: TJ Cline

2. Steve Cunningham - It's been a solid year for the undefeated American. In April, he edged out fellow elite Cruiserweight Guillermo Jones by split decision. Cunningham followed that up with a easy decision victory over former WBA champ Kelvin Davis. A shot at Mormeck can't be too far away.


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3. Guillermo Jones - Many people thought Jones defeated number two cruiserweight Steve Cunningham a few months ago. "El Felino" has otherwise had a career year, knocking out former champions Kelvin Davis and Wayne Braithwaite in four rounds apiece. Rematches with Cunningham or Johnny Nelson, whom he drew with three years ago would be ideal.


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4. Johnny Nelson - Nelson has yet to fight this year, and when he does, it will probably be against Vincenzo Cantatore in a mandatory title defense. Nelson's placement among the elite is in limbo, mainly because of his lack of activity.


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5. O'Neil Bell - The IBF champ probably shouldn't be holding a belt right now, and if you saw his May bout with Dale Brown for the vacant title you know what I mean. If a rematch with Brown doesn't come, it's hard to justify Bell's status as a true champion. His thrilling bout with Sebastian Rothmann is worthy of a rematch as well.


I saw this fight...Brown kicked his ass......more corrupt judging


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6. Dale Brown - "Cowboy" has every right to feel as though he should be holding a title right now. At 33, his window of opportunity for redemption is closing. After a victory over Damon Reed in August, Brown will hopefully get another shot at a title.



Dale is really ranked 5th in my book.....he beat up bell very bad


Posted by: TJ Cline

7. Wayne Braithwaite - Braithwaite has yet to tally a victory in 2005, so the former champ has fallen far from his standing as the division's best fighter at the beginning of the year. Don't write off "Big Truck" yet, however. His two losses were to Jean Marc Mormeck and Guillermo Jones, two of the most impressive cruiserweights in the world.



Total bum......this ranking is a joke


Posted by: TJ Cline

8. Carl Thompson - Thompson owns wins over the likes of Sebastian Rothmann and Chris Eubank. Age, injuries, and inactivity, however, will likely end his career before too long.


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9. Sebastian Rothmann - Rothmann has given some of the best cruiserweights in the world some scary moments. Last year he knocked down Carl Thompson in the fourth round of their nine round war. He followed that up by losing a narrow majority decision to Steve Cunningham. This year he was giving IBF champ O'Neil Bell fits before being stopped in the eleventh round. Rothmann is a fighter capable of going toe-to-toe with virtually anybody, but has yet to capitalize on his oppurtunites and notch a big victory.


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10. Alexander Gurov - Gurov has recorded six straight knockouts since his 2003 loss to Jean Marc Mormeck. The Ukrainian must take on better competition to prove he is ready for another title shot.


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Duva Encouraged by Peter Performance

04.10.05 - Having taken a week to evaluate the overall picture, promoter Dino Duva says he is encouraged by much of what he saw on September 24, while watching his fighter Samuel Peter suffer his first loss. Peter, now 24-1 (21 KOs), dropped a close unanimous decision (114-111 X 3) to former WBO Heavyweight Champion Wladimir Klitschko, but scored three knockdown and at times, seemed on the verge of a stoppage victory.

“While certainly he showed there are skills he must build on, in my opinion, he came out of this fight proving he is the future of the division,” said the confident Duva. “With a little more refinement, he’s going to go all the way. Klitschko got the "W" and I don't want to disrespect him, but if it is possible to come out of a loss with a lot of positives, Samuel did it with this fight.”

In evaluating the encouraging aspects of the fight, Duva points to a list of questions about Peter that were answered in impressive fashion. “Samuel showed he has tremendous heart; he never quit coming against a guy who could be the second-hardest puncher in the division. And in so doing, he put his world-class chin on display. Plus, Samuel stayed strong throughout; he even dropped Klitschko in the tenth, so his stamina was also proven.

Overall, when you look at the fact that he’s only 25 years old, with lots of time to make adjustments, you have to come away thinking he is definitely the future of the heavyweight division. That was no joke he hung tough with,” reminds Duva, “that was the former heir apparent to the crown. And Samuel had him holding on and running for much of the fight. In fact, if the referee (Randy Neumann) had rightly warned and then taken points away from Klitschko for holding, it may have changed the entire style of the fight and very possibly ended in a KO for Sam.”

Peter’s manager Ivaylo Gotzev agrees. “It’s obvious now that heavyweight boxing needs Sam Peter. He is the excitement in the division. And the James Toney and Chris Byrd bouts on the weekend only further proved my point. Those guys put everybody to sleep.

It’s always exciting when Samuel fights. We got the short end of the stick this time, but look at the two fighter’s performances. Who would you want to see again? There was one fighter wanting to fight and another one that was holding on for dear life to get the decision. You tell me who you would pay to see again.”

Duva says the next step for Team Peter will be two-fold. “We have to make slight adjustments in his training, boxing skills and corner strategy; I think that’s clear. But I also think it’s important we put him back in action as soon as possible, to keep people excited about this young puncher with such a tremendous upside. "The TV Executives and fans around the world now have what they want and need – a crowd-pleasing heavyweight star of the future. He may have lost the battle, but he showed the world where he’s at in terms of progress and I’m completely convinced that by the end of 2006, he will be World Heavyweight Champion.”


Posted by: TJ Cline

Will Boxing Ever Again See a “Golden Age”?

04.10.05 - By Aaron King: From the turn of the 20th century and for many years later, boxing was a staple of American entertainment. It was second only to baseball in the sporting world, and its champions were heroes of the highest order. Jack Dempsey was the biggest star of an era that housed names such as Babe Ruth, Red Grange, and Charles Lindbergh. In fact, he made more money than any of his contemporaries.

A championship fight was the most anticipated sporting event, outside of the World Series, and even that at times was no match for a good title bout between two great champions of the day. The 1938 rematch between Joe Louis and Max Schmeling is still considered by many to be the most important sporting affair ever.

Boxing had a way to transcend the boundaries of sport in a way that no other could. Social and racial lines have been drawn and crossed throughout its history. Perhaps no other man has been hated more than Jack Johnson, the black champion in a white man’s game, who, just because he could, caroused with white women. Muhammad Ali, besides being arguably the greatest boxer of all time, was a prominent figure in the civil rights’ movement. His defiant stand on the Vietnam War spoke for a nation of people of all creeds and backgrounds. In many ways, he was their voice; the voice of a nation crying out against the social injustices and political wrongs of the day.

Names like Rocky Marciano, Sugar Ray Robinson, George Foreman and Jake LaMotta are common outside boxing circles. Even more, such as Henry Armstrong, Carmen Basilio, Gene Fulmer, Sandy Saddler, Gene Tunney, Jersey Joe Walcott and Ezzard Charles, just to name a few, have a lofty place in boxing lore. Champions had followings that rock stars could only wish to have. Fighters were upper-tier athletes, as well as upper-tier men.

Boxing had a steady place in the American psyche. Its champions were celebrities and heroes. So how is it that boxing finds itself where it is today, without any sign of life on news broadcasts, barely a speck in newspapers, and even scant mention in sports television?

Interest in boxing is obviously not what it once was. The last true superstar was Mike Tyson, and for the most part, his stardom was an infamous contention. Even now, the most recognizable name is Tyson’s. That doesn’t say much of the sport. What initiated this collapse from grace, this precipitous freefall from its darling status of yesteryear? Has boxing reached the point of no return?

Ask different fans what the golden years of boxing were, and you’re bound to get different answers. Some will tell you it coincided with the Roaring Twenties, the days of Dempsey, Tunney and Benny Leonard. Every town and ethnic group had their own clubs. It was a way out for the sons of the poor immigrants who flooded the cities. Still others will tell you that boxing saw its best days in the ‘70s, when the heavyweight division experienced its peak with men like Ali, Joe Frazier, Foreman, Ken Norton and many others. Other future legends like Roberto Duran, Sugar Ray Leonard, Salvador Sanchez, Carlos Monzon, Wilfredo Gomez, Bobby Chacon and Alexis Arguello crowded the lower divisions.

As the golden era of the ‘70s progressed, a man named Don King had begun to emerge as boxing’s premier promoter. Since that time, he has promoted hundreds of fighters including Ali, Duran, Larry Holmes, Julio Cesar Chavez and Tyson. As he and rival promoter Bob Arum began to obtain more and more of the best fighters, they began to obtain more and more of the power. It is King’s rise to prominence that many blame for boxing’s recent tribulations.

It is true that King, as well as Arum, have assumed a lot of power in boxing, especially with the major sanctioning bodies (all three have named King the greatest promoter in history). Boxing has a much more business-driven appearance to it. But, all things considered, the shrinking interest in boxing far exceeds those created by King or Arum.

Boxing is far less accessible than it was years ago. It is impossible to see a fight on the traditional stations (NBC, ABC, and CBS), and the best fights almost always have a price tag of about $50 with them. This is hardly a product of King’s tenure. Sports’ business as a whole has evolved to this point. There are more sporting options, all competing for the consumer buck, for people to watch, so young fans will tend to gravitate to the more accessible ones.

Because of this, that most marquee fights are on HBO, Showtime or Pay-Pay-View, incoming sports fans will probably watch what they can for free. Another deterrent for young fans is that they are coming up in the “highlight age”. Baseball teams each play 162 games a year. It is easy for a young fan to sit down and watch a game on almost any given day, and if they miss it, they can turn on ESPN or Fox Sports to catch the highlights of the game. The same applies to basketball, football and hockey. They each have set seasons and each team play during this season. It’s a pretty basic formula, but its reliability creates new fans easily. Your favorite team will always be playing, and you can bet that your favorite player will be their too. This reliability doesn’t exist in boxing. Fights can be scheduled at any point during the year, and the best fighters aren’t ever fighting very often. Many of the best champions fight once or, if they’re busy, two times a year. This doesn’t give the incoming fan much to observe.

A few weeks back, when the idea to write this piece first came up, I was speaking with a friend of mine. He, like me, is a sports fan, but doesn’t refine himself to just one. To be sure, he loves all sports, including boxing, although he doesn’t follow it nearly as closely as I do. I asked him why he didn’t enjoy the sport as much as he did others, and he gave me a short response. “I don’t see the fighters on SportsCenter.” It was strikingly true. As I let the comment settle in me for a second, I asked him why that mattered. Once again, there was little hesitation. “If they only fight once a year, then they aren’t on ESPN. If I don’t see them there, I have to watch the broadcast. If I have to pay $50 for something I’ve never watched before, then I’m not going to order it,” he said, later confessing that he first saw his favorite baseball player, Ken Griffey Jr., on SportsCenter highlights.

With that, he summed up much of the problem in boxing viewership - the younger people aren’t watching it as much because they don’t see the best fighters enough. And it’s perfectly logical that they wouldn’t want to buy a Pay-Per-View bout if they hadn’t seen the fighters before. If they only fight once a year, then young sports fans don’t have the opportunity to see their highlights often, as they do with their favorite teams and players in other sports. As a result, there is less demand for these highlights, so when there is a big fight, SportsCenter has less an obligation to show these highlights.

It seems like quite a cycle. So, does it mean that boxing as a popular sport is doomed?

Not quite. Most sports writers will admit that few things in sport are as electrifying as a major championship fight. That has been the case since the late 1800s. It is as addicting an atmosphere as one can find in sports, and if a hearty, young fan stumbles upon such an event, chances are good that he or she will come back for more.

There are still fights and fighters that generate enough buzz to convince people to watch. A perfect case is the trilogy between Arturo Gatti and Mickey Ward. The first bout was arguably one of the greatest in the history of boxing. For those who didn’t watch it, the word spread quickly of how the two men fought like there was a championship on the line; of how it was a throwback to the earlier times; of how the excitement was unmatchable. I have personally met people whose love for boxing was fashioned by these fights. A few of them had actually never watched a match before. Gatti and Ward, respectively, had been very popular in their careers before their epic battles.

Ultimately, the heavyweight division will likely always dictate the popularity of the sport. As of late, there has been little reason to feel wound up about the “glamour division”, but there are now some men on the way in that could change that. Despite his loss to Wladimir Klitschko, Samuel Peter has the sort of power that can bring fans back to boxing. Big power leads to big knockouts, and that has always been one of boxing’s strongest selling points. Peter has the ability to charge the division.

Boxing is in a very critical time in its development. It’s competing with more sports than ever for viewers. Whether or not it gets some of this viewership is going to depend on how well it appeals to young fans. The programs on the ESPN networks and others such as MSG and Fox Sports will help perpetuate the fight game to new fans, who will then go to HBO, Showtime and Pay-Per-View, so long as the quality is good. In other words, as long as there are good boxers that fight often enough to be seen, boxing will always have a home. How big that home is, is continually changing, but we can be assured of this: There are few feelings that match the adrenaline rush of the opening bell.


Posted by: TJ Cline

What now, Roy?

04.10.05 - By Jim Amato: OK...You're Roy Jones Jr. and you just got your butt whipped by Antonio Tarver again. You managed to go the distance but in doing so you sacrificed any chance you had of winning. Tarver is just a tough nut for you to crack. He's a tall, rangy southpaw with good power but you already knew that. You remembered the shot he caught you with in the second fight. You were not going to get hit with that shot again. No way that was going to happen. So you decided to fight a safety first fight. This was a fight Roy Jones could have won...should have won. Tarver is a very, very good fighter but if Roy would have gambled a bit. If he would have jumped into the foray with both hands blazing. Who knows what would have happened.

It's too late to turn back now but Roy said he is going to fight again. Last time I looked Roy has lost his last three fights. Someone mentioned a rematch with Glencoffe Johnson. Bad move...Roy would need speed to deal with the pressure that Johnson would put on him. At this stage of his career Roy just does not have the tools to hold off Johnson. That match
would probably be a repeat of their first fight.

To me if Roy is hell bent on continuing he should seek a match with IBF titleholder Clinton Woods.This is a natural. A prime time Roy stopped Woods a few years back. Now that Woods is champion I would think that he would like to avenge that loss. He'd also pick up a hefty chunk of change. Woods is a very improved fighter as he showed in his recent victory over rugged Julio Gonzalez.

Personally I would like to see Roy retire. He has nothing left to prove but with each loss he is tarnishing his legacy. Roy will be in the Boxing Hall Of Fame. Probably a first ballot inductee. Still as the losses mount up fans will wonder if he deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as Ezzard Charles, Archie Moore, Billy Conn, Bob Foster, Michael Spinks, etc...

Roy was the best light heavyweight of his time and I'll always feel he could have handled Tarver and Johnson when he was at the top of his game. I say that with no disrespect toward Antonio or Glen.

I've never been a big Jones fan but I have to respect what he has accomplished in his career. It is such a sd thing to watch a once great fighter hanging on, seeking his past glory. I just hope Roy does not hang on too long.


Posted by: TJ Cline

The Ring has Jeff Lacy Covered!

ST. PETERSBURG, FL (October 5, 2005) -- U.S. Olympian...IBF champion....IBO champion. Now undefeated world super middleweight champion JEFF "LEFT HOOK" LACY can add "The Ring" cover to his impressive and ever-growing resume. Lacy, 20-0 (16 KOs), from St. Petersburg, FL, makes his cover debut on the Fall 2005 issue of The Ring where "The Bible of Boxing" touts Lacy for bringing excitement back to the super middleweight division. The issue hits newsstands October 11.

"Left Hook," who won the vacant IBF title by knocking out Syd Vanderpool, October 2, 2004, has successfully defended that title three times over the past 11 months. He added the IBO title to his trophy case when he stopped defending champion Robin Reid in the eighth round of their August 6 title unification bout, in front of over 15,000 fans at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa, FL.

The first member of the 2000 U.S. Olympic team to win a world title, Lacy begins the second year of his world championship reign with a title defense against the IBF's No. 5-rated contender, Scott Pemberton, 29-3-1 (24 KOs), Saturday, November 5 at Caesars Tahoe. SHOWTIME Championship Boxing will broadcast it live along with the Rafael Marquez-Silence Mabuza IBF/IBO bantamweight title unification bout.


Posted by: TJ Cline

World Rankings - October: The Light Heavyweights


Posted by: TJ Cline

1. Antonio Tarver - "The Magic Man" made it two out of three against Roy Jones last Saturday. Now that it's clear he has Jones' number, a rubber match with Glen Johnson is the next logical move for the champ. After that, a move up to heavyweight may not be too far behind.


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2. Glen Johnson - Johnson is out to prove his breakout year in 2004 was no fluke. After losing to Antonio Tarver in June, Johnson bounced back with an easy decision victory over George Khalid Jones September 30th. Look for "The Road Warrior" to land another big fight in the near future.


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3. Zsolt Erdei - Erdei made a terrific splash when he easily out pointed Julio Gonzalez last year. Since then, the undefeated Hungarian has struggled with Huga Gernan Geray. Erdei won a majority decision against Geray last year and won a split decision this year. Former WBA champion Mehdi Sahnoune is next (October 22nd).


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4. Roy Jones - Jones, despite losing his last three fights, says he will be back in the ring. The good news is the former champ did manage to give Tarver some trouble in their third fight, which is a lot more than could be said for their second fight. Now it seems Jones is a fighter more interested in not being knocked out than winning the fight.


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5. Fabrice Tiozzo - Tiozzo effectively ended the career of Dariusz Michalczewski in February by knocking out the Pole in the 6th round. A December defense against Paul Murdoch figures to be next.


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6. Clinton Woods - Woods out pointed Julio Gonzalez last month to win the IBF title. Before that, he knocked out the undefeated Rico Hoye in the fifth round in March. So far, 2005 has been very kind to the man best known for a questionable draw with Glen Johnson and a TKO loss to Roy Jones.


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7. Tomasz Adamek - The WBC champion earned his title the hard way - by beating Aussie Paul Briggs in a 12 round war in May. Now he takes on Thomas Ulrich October 15th in Germany. Adamek is a extremely tough, undefeated young champion that has a bright future in a division ruled by many fighters in the twilight of their careers.


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8. Paul Briggs - The former champ lost his belt to the man one spot ahead of him on this list, Tomasz Adamek, in May. Briggs' next opponent has yet to be determined, although he seems committed to fighting again before the year is out.


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9. Thomas Ulrich - Ulrich's lone loss on his record was against Glen Johnson, which says a lot of good things about the German. Now he gets his shot at a title, against Tomasz Adamek of Poland for the WBC strap.


Posted by: TJ Cline

10. Julio Gonzalez - After beating dangerous veteran Montell Griffin by technical decision earlier this year, Gonzalez lost to Clinton Woods in Woods' backyard of England. At 29, Gonzalez has already fought elite competition and won a major title (WBO). There's still plenty of time to rebuild.


Posted by: TJ Cline

Castillo vs Corrales II final press conference

- Diego Corrales, WBC/WBO lightweight champion (r): "This is round 11. We are picking up where we left of in the first fight five months ago. This is the final battle and I will win the war. If necessary, I will go to Hell's end to finish this fight and keep my belts."

Jose Luis Castillo, former two-time WBC lightweight champion (l): "I know I lost the battle but THIS is a war. And I know I will win the war. Saturday's fight will be much better than the first one ... because I will leave the ring as world champion ... again."

"Uno Mas!" . . . "One More Time!" -- the world lightweight championship rematch between Diego Corrales and Jose Luis Castillo, takes place Saturday, October 8, at Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, NV. Promoted by Gary Shaw Productions and Top Rank, in association with Caesars Palace and Wynn Las Vegas, will be broadcast live on SHOWTIME Pay-Per-View begining at 9 P.M. ET / 6 P.M. PT


Posted by: TJ Cline

James Figg: Father of Modern Boxing

06.10.05 - By: M.C. Southorn: James Figg was born to a poor farming family in Thames Village, Oxfordshire in 1695. He was the youngest of seven children. Figg took to the martial arts early, and he was already reknowned as a master of the short-sword and cudgel when he took up unarmed fighting. Based from The Greyhound Inn in Cornmarket, Thame, Figg travelled far and wide working the fighting booths of the popular fairs of the time. He was soon a regular at such festivals as the Southwark fair, where he challenged all comers at both armed and unarmed combat “from noon ‘till night”. It was here that he was first spied by the Earl of Peterborough, who became his patron and took him to London.

With the Earl’s patronage, Figg opened a fighting academy in the Tottenham Court Road district. He called it “Figg’s Amphitheatre” and became an instructor, and later, a promoter of some of his 1000 students.

His business card, designed by his artist friend William Hogarth (who later painted his portrait) declared Figg to be the “master of the noble science of defence” available to teach the use of the “small backsword and quarterstaff at home and abroad”. Although there are records of prizefights in England dating from 1681 (the first being between the Duke of Albemere’s butler and his butcher), Figg is the first to have attained national celebrity thanks in part to his association with Hogarth.

The boxing of Figg’s day was not so much boxing as streetfighting. Bare knuckles and open-hand blows were allowed, as was grappling, and hip-throws. Kicking a man when he was down (known as “spurring”) and eye-gouging were permitted as well. In these respects the sport was less civilized than it had been in ancient Greek times, and in fact, it closer resembled Pankration (Greek no-holds-barred fighting) than it did Pygmahia (Greek boxing). Thanks to his Academy, Figg popularized both armed and unarmed fighting techniques, and added the parries of the sword and staff to the conventional unarmed combat of the time.

In 1719, the 24-year-old Figg declared himself Champion of England. His claim was universally accepted, as he had beaten all the other major fighters including Tim Buck, Tom Stokes, Bill Flanders and Chris Clarkson.

In 1720, Figg effectively franchised sold his Amphitheatre to one of his students and set up shop at a place called The Boarded House in the Bear Garden, located in Marleybone Fields on Oxford Street in London. At this establishment contests between men, between women, and between baited animals were held. A printed article from the period featuring a challenge from one Rowland Bennett of Ireland asserts that, having seen a demonstration by James Figg, Bennett became “fully persuaded that if the proper method is executed against him, he (like Sampson with his hair off) is like other men.” Bennett offered
the following challenge: “For a trial of which I do now invite him to meet me and exercise the usual weapons fought on the stage.”

Bennett is referring to the custom of the time that had fights consist first of a sword duel to first blood, then of a fistfight to first fall, and finally of a match of cudgels (clubs) to first fall. The winner of two out of three of these matches would win the contest. This method of combat was all the more risky considering antibiotic medicine did not exist, and there was little to prevent an infected wound from becoming fatal.

Figg replied that he would “give the said Rowland Bennett the opportunity of putting this proper method in execution,” promising that he would, “not fail to meet at the place and time appointed”. Figg goes on to express his hopes that “spectators may from thence receive entire satisfaction” and he closes by promising all that his methods will be “by the way of the old style”. The article ends, like all good advertisements with, “The doors will be opened at four and the matters mount at six precisely.”

Figg retained his claim to his Title against Rowland Bennett, and also against such fighters as Philip McDonald (the Dublin Carpenter), James Stokes (Citizen of London), and William Finn of Ireland. In all, Figg was believed to have had around 270 fights, and he only lost once, in 1726, to a pipe-maker named Ned Sutton. Figg, then 31, claimed he was ill and demanded and received a re-match, which he won. Sutton demanded and received a third bout to determine who was The Champion once and for all.

In this third fight, Sutton was stabbed in the knee in the first round and was thus forced to retire before the unarmed round could begin so Figg regained his Title.

Shortly after this fight James Figg went into semi-retirement. He still called himself “Champion”, yet he preferred to promote his young protégés, who tended to favour unarmed prizefighting over swords and cudgels.

In the years following his unofficial retirement, Figg’s Amphitheatre attracted hundreds of young boxers – enough to keep the master in the business of fight promotions until his death in 1734 at the age of 38 (most likely of tuberculosis). With Figg gone The Championship of England was up for grabs and there is some confusion as to who exactly was the heir to The Title. Regardless of this, and in spite of the vast differences between today’s sport and that of the early 18th century, the modern lineage of

The Heavyweight Championship of the World begins with James Figg.


Posted by: TJ Cline

Witter Lynes up Colin, Branco and Mayweather

06.10.05 - Bradford’s Junior Witter will meet Italy’s Gianluca Branco in a final eliminator for the WBC light welterweight title once he has successfully defended his British, Commonwealth and European crowns against Colin Lynes at the York Hall in Bethnal Green on October 21st.Whilst the Lynes fight – promoted by Matchroom Sports - has been scheduled for a while now, the WBC’s decision to mandate a contest for the right to fight their champion Floyd Mayweather was only made today, (October 6th), at their annual convention being held in Cadiz, Spain.

“This news means that Junior is rapidly closing in on a super fight against Mayweather, one of the world’s best pound for pound fighters,” said promoter Mick Hennessy, who is in Cadiz representing his boxers.

There was more good news for Witter. The WBC also decided that if a purse bid were required to establish who had the right to promote the fight against Branco, he would be entitled to 60% of the winning offer.

“Normally, in this situation the winning bid is split 50-50 between the two co-challengers for the mandatory position,” Hennessy explained.

“But after a vigorous discussion between the WBC, Branco’s promoter and Hennessy Sports, it was agreed that the split would be 60-40 in Junior’s favour.

“This is in order to reflect the fact that Junior has already won a WBC eliminator – when he dominated the world class Lovemore N’Dou in Los Angeles in February, scoring two knockdowns on the way to a sensational points win.

“When you also consider Junior’s recent performances, his loyalty to the WBC and the fact that we have requested final eliminators for him in the past, it becomes even more evident that he deserves the bigger share.”

Witter, of course, first has to get past Lynes, who fancies his chances of causing an upset. Last week the 26-year-old from Dagenham stated that it was time for Witter to be beaten by a younger fighter. It is a claim that has been met with derision.

“Is that all he can say about why he is going to win this fight? Sounds like he is grasping at straws to me,” said Witter. “Yes I am older than him, but if anything I will use that as motivation. I enjoy beating young up and comers who think they can take me on; it gives me satisfaction.

“And after all, I am only 31 – and a young 31 at that. You haven’t seen me in too many wars have you? How am I going to get old yet?

“In fact, I am still improving. I am fitter that I have ever been, faster than I have ever been and packing a bigger punch with both fists. Unfortunately for him, he’s going to be finding that out first hand.

“Hopefully I will peak around the time I get to fight Mayweather next year. I will need to be at my best for that, but I know that if I land flush on him, or any other 140lb fighter, its lights out.”


Posted by: TJ Cline

Jose Luis Castillo: "I am 1000 Percent Ready"

05.10.05 - Two-time world champion Jose Luis Castillo shook out at Caesars Palace today and said he is "1000 per cent ready" to take on Diego 'Chico' Corrales in 'One More Time - The Epic Rematch' at the Thomas and Mack on Saturday night. "Corrales won the first battle - but I am going to win the war and believe me, this second fight will be a war," said Castillo..

Castillo, with a large crowd wrapped around an outdoor ring, shook out, hit the mitts, cracked the speed bag and then signed many autographs and posed for photographs with fight fans.

He looked in top condition, was in excellent spirits and was at the outdoor arena - the Roman Plaza at Caesars Palace - for over an hour.

Carlos 'Famoso' Hernandez, Jorge Arce, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. then hit the ring followed by Chico Corrales.

Chavez Jr., it was announced today, will take on Jeremy Stiers of Kansas City. The fight is scheduled for six rounds.


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http://www.hbo.com/boxing/


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Seek and Destroy: Klitschko vs. Rahman
World Heavyweight Championship. Saturday, November 12, Live on Pay-Per-View.

LAS VEGAS, September 19 – There can only be one king and on Saturday, November 12, at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, NV, world heavyweight champion Vitali "Dr. Iron Fist" Klitschko and interim heavyweight champion Hasim "The Rock" Rahman will go mano-a-mano in the biggest event of the year for the biggest prize in sports. Top Rank, in association with K2 Promotions, Caesars Palace and Wynn Las Vegas, presents "Seek and Destroy!" -- The Heavyweight Championship of the World.

"This is the most significant heavyweight championship bout in many years," said Bob Arum, CEO of Top Rank. "There's nothing like a highly-anticipated heavyweight title fight," said Mark Taffet of HBO PPV. "Boxing fans have been waiting a long time for the Klitschko-Rahman showdown and on Nov. 12 they're finally going to get it."

Tickets for "Seek and Destroy" go on sale Wednesday and are $1,000, $750, $500, $300, $200, $100 and $50. The box office phone number is (702)-739-3267.

HBO PPV.com
HBO PPV.com
My personal opinion - Rahman is the strongest fighter in the heavyweight division right now. He has a lot of weapons. I don't want to make the same mistake as Lennox Lewis.
- Vitali Klitschko
HBO PPV.com
Klitschko, 35-2 with 34 knockouts, from Kiev, Ukraine, is the World Boxing Council (WBC) and the Ring Magazine champion. He is universally recognized as the World Heavyweight Champion. WBC interim champion Rahman, 41-5-1 with 33 knockouts, of Baltimore, MD., is looking to regain the title he won in 2001, when he knocked out Lennox Lewis in South Africa.

Arum also announced that World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight champion Antonio Margarito, 32-4, 33 KOs, of Tijuana, Mexico, will defend his world title against Manuel Gomez, 28-10-2, 20 KOs, of Laredo, Texas.

As an added attraction, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. “the enormously popular teenage son of the legendary Julio Cesar Chavez" will box on the Pay-Per-View telecast.

At the age of 34, Klitschko has been fighting as a professional for over 8 ½ years. He won the vacant WBC world heavyweight title in April, 2004, and made a successful defense in his last fight on Dec. 11.

In his title defense Klitschko tore into Danny Williams and dominated the fight. Klitschko scored one knockdown in the first round, cut Williams over his right eye and scored additional knockdowns in the third, seventh and eighth rounds.

The referee stopped the fight at 1:26 of the eighth round. Klitschko led by scores of 70-60, 70-60 and 70-59.

"I was surprised he was able to take so many punches," said Klitschko.

Klitschko will now focus on Rahman who is the WBC interim heavyweight champion.

Rahman was scheduled to challenge Klitschko on April 30 for the title but the fight was postponed and rescheduled. The WBC authorized a title fight for the interim with the condition that Klitschko fight the winner.

HBO PPV.com
HBO PPV.com
I just had some chicken Kiev prepared for him, because I am so happy he's not chicken anymore. We're finally getting in the ring. I'm glad he's all healed up. I just hope and pray he doesn't stub his toe or prick his finger before November 12th.
- Hasim Rahman
HBO PPV.com
Rahman won that fight, defeating Monte Barrett on August 13.

Rahman had an unusual introduction to boxing. When he was a teenager, he was challenged by a local boxer to what was called a "body punching contest."

"I got the better of him and he said I should stop by the Mack Lewis Gym. I never forgot what he told me 'You could make a million bucks."

So, at the age of 20, Rahman began training in the local gym.

Klitschko is the older brother of 1996 Olympic gold medalist and former WBO world heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko. Vitali was born in Kyrgystan, Wladimir in Kazakhstan. When they were young boys they traveled extensively through the Soviet Union with their father, Wladimir Rodionovich, a colonel in the Soviet Air Force from Ukraine, and their mother, Nadezhda Ulyanovna, a clerk, from Russia. The family settled in the Ukraine in 1985.

Vitali started boxing at the age of 13, his brother Wladimir at 14. Both brothers have doctorates and speak Ukrainian, Russian, German and English.

The Klitschko vs. Rahman pay-per-view telecast, beginning at 9 pm ET/6 pm PT on November 12, has a suggested retail of $49.95. It will be broadcast live on HBO Pay-Per-View and will be available to over 50 million pay-per-view homes. The telecast will be available in HD-TV for those viewers who can receive HD.


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AAPRP Announces ‘Medical Recommendations To Improve Safety In Boxing'

Darien, Connecticut – October 7, 2005, – At the request of boxing commissions and in response to the recent ringside tragedies, The American Association of Professional Ringside Physicians (AAPRP) announced today recommendations to improve safety in professional boxing. At the recent AAPRP Medical Conference in Atlantic City, New Jersey, the AAPRP Board Members in cooperation with the AAPRP membership discussed immediate changes in boxing to decrease the likelihood of additional injuries or catastrophes in boxing. Dr. Michael Schwartz, AAPRP Chairman stated, “It is time that we urge all commissions across the world to develop uniformed standards to protect these athletes. In an inherently dangerous sport, it is imperative that these recommendations be adopted immediately in the hope of saving a life. Obviously, additional research is needed and we ask all of our ringside physician experts to continue to investigate and develop ringside protocols to improve the sport.”

Below are the AAPRP Recommendations:

All sparring should take place with oversized gloves to minimize the cumulative forces of the punches during training. (i.e. Heavyweights 20-22 oz gloves...Middleweights 16 oz gloves and lightweights 12 oz gloves, etc.)
Minimize head shots during training to decrease the likelihood of pre-existing damage prior to entering the ring for the competition.

All states immediately adopt the minimum medical requirements of the ABC and AAPRP. If these requirements are not adopted, the AAPRP asks promoters and sanctioning bodies to consider not holding boxing matches in these venues until they comply with these recommendations.

Boxers who have not fought for over 12 months should not fight more than 10 rounds. The question of inactivity raises concerns about the likelihood of increased risks of injuries based on inactivity and conditioning.

Fighter's not be permitted to lose more than 3% body weight at the weigh-in before a fight. Additionally, no fighter gaining more than 5% body weight should be permitted to compete after the weigh-in.

Medial data bank is implemented immediately to follow the medical history during a boxer's career.

Promoters, managers, cornermen, commissioners are encouraged to anonymously report boxer's whom they believe are showing early changes consistent with brain damage. This information will then be investigated and (if necessary) be utilized to require more tests or to terminate a boxer's career.

The ringside physician should remain at the venue until all the competitors have left the
arena.

The ringside physician should notify the local hospital and on-call neurosurgeon that a
boxing match will be taking place.

10) No fighter who is Hepatitis C or HIV antibody positive should be permitted to fight even

if the virus is undetectable in their blood.

11) Further research (i.e. the medical severity index, the Impact concussion study, rapid

HIV/infectious disease testing, etc.) is encouraged and should be utilized to determine

those at greater risk for injury.

12) A minimum of two ringside physicians should attend every boxing match.

For more information, please contact the AAPRP (Ringsidemd@aol.com ), visit our website at www.AAPRP.Org or call (203) 662-8900.

Established in 1997, the AAPRP was created to develop medical protocols and guidelines to ensure the safety and protection of professional boxer. The not-for-profit association is comprised of experienced ringside physicians from around the world who are dedicated to the medical aspects of the sport of boxing. Since its inception, the AAPRP has consistently grown to include physicians from around the globe who are working together toward a common goal of helping to ensure the health, safety and protection of professional boxers.


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HBO needs to bring back "Big" George Foreman

06.10.05 - By Geoffrey Ciani: Two weeks ago, I was thrilled by “Big” George Foreman’s unexpected return to HBO’s commentating booth. It was like a breath of fresh air! Just hearing the clever words and witty remarks of the man who used to be the best part of HBO’s commentating team, bar none, made the entire evening of boxing that much more enjoyable. That’s the type of professional George Foreman is – he’s so good, that his presence alone can help elevate the entire overall boxing experience for fans across the globe. The night Wladimir Klitschko defeated Sam Peter was an example of such. “Big” George helped elevate the overall quality of the boxing broadcast with his magnificent commentary. Sadly, HBO missed the boat this past weekend, and didn’t invite Foreman back.

It’s no coincidence that the quality of HBO’s broadcasts has been in steady decline since the departure of Foreman. The official story is that Foreman retired in order spend more time with his wife and family.

This came in the immediate aftermath of two controversial decisions that occurred in back-to-back weeks back in September of 2003. On September 13, 2003, Shane Mosley defeated Oscar De La Hoya in a narrow points decision; on September 20, 2003, Chris Byrd escaped with a controversial win against Fres Oquendo.

Is the official story true? Did Foreman really want to spend more time with his wife and family? Or is it possible that perhaps Foreman was a convenient scapegoat?

Foreman took a lot of heat from the boxing world over what many considered to be "biased commentating" on his part, but this is not a fair assesment of what happened. First of all, this wasn’t biased commentating on the part of Foreman. The entire HBO broadcast team called those fights as if De La Hoya and Oquendo should have been declared the winners. After all, it was pretty obvious to everyone who watched that Oquendo should have been given the nod over Byrd, and it appears that a majority of fans seem to believe that De La Hoy beat Mosley (I actually had Mosley beating De La Hoya in their rematch, but that’s neither here nor there). So why was Foreman singled out? Especially in light of the fact that the entire HBO team seemed to believe that Byrd and Mosley did not deserve their respective victories?

Frankly, I have no idea why Foreman was singled out by the boxing world for supposedly being "biased", but any such accusations were complete and total bullshit! By comparison to the other members of the HBO team, Foreman clearly has more to offer than any of them, as can be evidenced by last weekend’s broadcast in the Klitschko-Peter fight.

I was reminded of how much I miss "Big" George while listening to Jim Lampley, as he stumbled and bumbled his way through calculating simple mathematics. Perhaps a course in remedial math can help remedy Lampley’s troubles? In any case, when Lampley isn’t being challenged by grammar school math problems, he usually comes across as one of the most biased commentators on the team, in my opinion. In fact, it seems to me that Lampley often acts like a cheerleader for the HBO house fighter. Yet people accused Foreman of being "biased"? Ridiculous!

Then we have Manny Steward, who’s actually quite good. Steward usually brings forth a unique perspective to fans and is usually able to breakdown fights into technical terms. He excels at analyzing style match-ups, and usually provides great insight into how different fights unfold. Steward’s problem is that he has zero entertainment value. Listening to Steward analyze a boxing match is almost as boring as listening to Congressmen discuss the annual budget. Steward usually has something interesting to say, but his delivery stinks.

Next we have the man who just lost a lop-sided decision this past weekend, Roy Jones Junior. Jones is actually a pretty good commentator, and much like Foreman, his experience as a boxer helps him in this regard. His fighting experience helps him bring forth a unique perspective to fans much in the same way Steward’s training experience helps him bring forth a unique perspective. Sadly, Jones shares something else in common with Steward – lack of entertainment value. Perhaps Jones doesn’t sound as boring as a Congressman discussing the annual budget, but surely he’s no more entertaining than an actuary explaining complicated statistical probabilities.

Finally, we have the best member of the current HBO commentating team, Larry Merchant. Merchant is the best in the business right now, by far. The main reason for this is that Merchant is extremely entertaining. His clever play with words and his brilliant analogies are always a joy to hear. Perhaps at times, it sounds as if Merchant might be inebriated, but that just adds to his overall charm. He is an outstanding commentator, and always has been. The only thing missing from his repertoire is his former counterpart, “Big” George Foreman.

Foreman & Merchant were like a dynamic duo in the commentating booth. Together, they produced the most important aspect a commentating team is supposed to provide – pure entertainment! They were the Oscar & Felix of the boxing world – that is, the Oscar Madison and Felix Unger of the boxing world, not to be confused with Oscar De La Hoya and Felix Trinidad.

The bottom line is, HBO ought to do the right thing and bring back George Foreman. He was “The Heart & Soul of HBO Boxing”, and their broadcasts have suffered considerably in his absence. None of the current members of HBO’s commentating team posses anything close to Foreman’s unique combination of experience, insight, humor, charm, straight-forwardness, and entertainment value. Simply put, he is the complete package, as far as commentators go.

HBO – please bring back, “Big” George! You don’t want to lose him to Showtime, do you?


Posted by: TJ Cline

Diego Corrales - Jose Castillo: Tempting Fate


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07.10.05 - By Wray Edwards: There are several very good reasons why this re-match between Chico and Jose is not a good idea. In a previous article the author compared Corrales-Castillo One to a work of art which might be very hard to follow. “Leave well-enough alone” comes to mind every time thoughts of this re-match come to the surface. Rematch agreements aside, because of the brutal nature of the first meeting, it might have been the better part of valor for this encore to have been scheduled after each fighter had taken one or two interim bouts with other opponents.


Posted by: TJ Cline

The sport of Boxing is, sometimes, a monster which devours its children. Courageous, young men tempted by fortune, fame and hubris are quite vulnerable to the momentum of their “success” and the adulation of their “friends” and fans.

The fight game ranks right near the top when it comes to the question “What have you done lately?” Movie directors, footballers, round-ballers and baseballers all ply their trades within the collective comfort of team efforts, and despite free agency, they bask in the security of team support.


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Though boxers are often accompanied by corner people and management types with the word “team” on their shirts, it is only he or she alone who enters the ring to risk life and limb. Single combatants who enter the lists of golf, tennis or track and field competition do not regularly face death in their confrontations with others. One-on-one, full-contact encounters such as occur in the squared circle, are subject to consequences which make trivial all other forms of combat save full-blown,
military war.


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Recent hype presentations surrounding this contest have featured familiar boxing commentators and pundits extolling the virtues of this fight. Gone are the brief caveats mentioned in post-fight commentary. Statements like, “I don’t know Larry, sometimes a fight like this can take so much out of a guy that it might shorten his career”…or, “Wow, I wonder if they will ever be the same after that bloodbath?”


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The sport is replete with cautionary examples of death, brain damage, speech impediments, tremors and ocular dysfunction. In ancient Rome death in the arena was par for the course…or should one say, “Par for the coarse”? During the recent bout between Jones and Tarver this writer abandoned ringside (due to the endless posing of Antonio and Roy) and retreated to the highest point of vantage to observe the boxing organism from the edge of the spectacle.


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Due to reluctance on the part of both fighters to truly engage except for a few thrashers in two or three rounds, there was a lot of very loud fan outrage from lack of action. As the crowd, once divided into partisan camps, began to discover their mutual frustration with the fight’s obvious failure to live up to its “no excuses” hype, they joined forces to whistle, boo and make cat-calls for more action. It was almost humorous to watch their emotions whipsawed from excited screaming, when their guy got in a few pokes, to disappointed carping as the “fight” once again degenerated into a tentative posing contest.


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This series of contrasting atmospherics surrounding the ring demonstrated how fans can become a mob in just a few seconds. They had little patience with the boxers, and averaged about thirty seconds to mutate from respectful expectation to ranting about the paucity of action whenthings got slow. How appropriate that this avarice for mayhem should echo in a place called the Forum as the reluctant gladiators did feign combat. Buddy shook his finger at Tarver seeming to side with the crowd. Roy’s corner was more subdued and content, it seemed, to get the big check with a minimum of risk.


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It is instructive to note that Joe Goosen got pretty severe himself with Chico after the second KD. Ever since he left Joel Casamayor to shepherd Diego’s career, his fatherly support has served to provide Chico with just enough encouragement to win the day. Joe, and his counterpart in the Castillo camp, share responsibility with the referee in keeping an eye on the fine line which Boxing treads between civilization and anarchy. Civilization mediates for the highest degree of action and excitement without causing any permanent harm. Anarchy partners with the blood-lust of the mob which cries for annihilation.


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As the human emotions in the arena swing between surrogated violence and appreciative compassion, everybody knows that lives are at stake and sometimes are lost. The saga of Baby Joe’s (Mesi) to obtain credentials to fight from some commission (any commission) demonstrates the tension which exists between common sense and the possibly clouded judgment of Joe and his Dad. Cheering fans who identify with this or that fighter may, perchance, join a “family of guilt” which mourns a dead hero.
Everything in life is timing. Evander has been on the cusp of tragedy for quite some time now. As more and more people and authorities come to the conclusion that his boxer’s heart is stronger than his common sense.


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This realization can come relative to a career, a single fight or even a round in a fight where the ring doctor, the trainer or the ref finally decides that they do not want to let this continue. Watching a trainer pick up the towel and bite his lip, only to put it down as his guy rallies briefly, then pick it up again as his fighter fades yet again is really hard to watch sometimes. Castillo-Corrales, Elder Burton, Barrera-Morales, Elder-Sim, Morales-Barrera, Morales-Hernandez and many other fights which have had us on the edges of our seats, and have also had the boxers on the edge of survival.


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What the second fight between Castillo and Corrales portends in the minds of Bernstein and Farhood, if one takes their excited prognostications at face value, might be far from a brutal reality. The first fight was called the Fight of the Year, the fight of the decade the greatest fight they had ever seen. The Hollywood ending after the back-and-forth brutality of inside combat was impressive by any scale. The announcement of the re-match caused this writer to take great pause.


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Both Chico and Jose have darn good outside boxing skills. It was probably a surprise to Castillo that Corrales decided to step in and fight for the phone booth instead of the ring. Can anyone truly say that they would rather see a Winky-style jab-match this time, instead of the all-out war of the first contest? Truth be told, this writer would rather that they not fight again. What are the odds that they will be able to emulate LaMotta-Robinson, Gatti-Ward or any other violent series of
re-matches?


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The level of action in Castillo-Corrales Two depends on many factors. This time Castillo is the challenger. Does this make him more dangerous…hungry? How much courage or reckless heart does Chico draw from his belts? If it should somehow be possible for these two warriors to equal or even exceed the astronomical Compubox numbers of their first duet, it stretches credulity that such a result can obtain without testing unusually dangerous waters. “A man’s got to know his limitations” (Dirty Harry) seems good advice, but by what benchmark do we survey this necessity in the uncharted waters these two are likely to navigate? How might even they come to know in the heat of battle?


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By the post-fight reactions of Corrales-Castillo One, it was and is obvious that their fight was at the pinnacle of the sport’s mountain. Where they went that day, few can follow. Their contest was the Everest of Boxing. Very few ever climb that high and the danger increases exponentially with every agonizing step. At these athletic altitudes the air of excitement thins judgment and tests the fighters, the officials, the corners and the fans to the limit.


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Humor is a vital aspect of human existence. This fight is no laughing matter despite the happy-face pundits, smiling boxers, and the much expanded venue of the Thomas and Mack Center. The lead-in to most fights imbue the author with pleasant excitement and expectation. This contest has prompted rather, a note of morbid caution. After the brutality of the first meeting, in which the outcome was fun and exciting, upon reflection, the level of heavy contact and physical damage has tempered expectations for this one.


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This is the first boxing match I would rather had not been made, because number one was so great and satisfying. To risk the fond memory of it by going to the well once again seems chancy. Like a great work of art, the mould should, perhaps, be broken. Otherwise attempting to duplicate, or mass-produce that ecstasy, might dilute or sully the pristine memory of that special visit to boxing paradise.


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Whom the Gods would destroy, they first make man.” All boxing matches tempt fate, but this one surely does, especially in the light of its predecessor. And that, alas, is the morbid truth which draws us to look upon our determined heroes with cautious excitement in some fights more than others. These two guys are a perfect match of differences. I will watch this one with a cautious heart. See you at the fights.


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Don King’s Recycling Act is Getting Old

07.10.05 - By Michael Montero: Boxing “experts” and fans alike all argue over various topics when it comes to the heavyweight division: who’s the best fighter? Who’s the next rising star? Who has the best chin? Who has the most power? Etc. But one thing is almost universally agreed upon – it’s almost as if there’s an unwritten rule that everybody understands subconsciously - Don King owns the heavies. Another opinion that will get little resistance, even from King Supporters, is that Don and his fighters haven’t brought us fans much to get excited about lately. Contrary to what many boxing writers will tell you, there are good fighters in the heavyweight division. The problem is that they almost never fight one another and it’s not all their fault – much of the blame goes to the promoters.

There are others at fault (sanctioning bodies, networks, etc), but I want to focus on the promoters right now - mainly the one who has the most control over the heavyweight division. In my opinion, King has given us a recycling act in recent years by putting his champs and contenders up against the same guys over and over on boring cards – without any unification.

What’s even more frustrating is that he seemingly won’t match his top fighters against other promoter’s top fighters without asking for options - perhaps in order to avoid losing control?

Among his current stable of heavyweight fighters, I’d have to say that Lamon Brewster is at the top of the heap. His other two “champs” are quickly running out of fans - and out of time as they’re getting older and fading. In my opinion, the only reason people even watch John Ruiz fight is the hope that he will lose so we can finally be rid of him – and Chris Byrd just treated us to possibly the most boring heavyweight title fight in history last weekend against (can you guess?) yet another King contender.

Speaking of contenders – who does Don have right now that is a serious threat to any other the top guys? Monte Barrett, Larry Donald and Jameel McCline have turned into nothing more than gate keepers used as stepping stones for up and comers – a win against one of these guys and you’ve moved up into the top ten of the rankings. DaVarryl Williamson, Owen Beck & Ray Austin aren’t exactly striking fear into anybody right now. There’s always the guy who keeps getting title shots – a while back it was Fres Oquendo, more recently Andrew Golota. Oh, and let’s not forget Evander Holyfield - whom I think we’d all agree, should have called it quits years ago - somehow King has felt the need to keep putting him out there and for what reason? There are others that I’m forgetting right now, I’m sure – but that’s because they’re not really worth remembering. The best “contender” King has right now is Hassim Rahman, and he’s going up against the heavyweight division’s best fighter, Vitali Klitschko, on November 12th. Let’s see how that one goes…

Back to the recycling act – the heavyweight scene has turned into the “Don King Division,” in my opinion, as we are treated to watching the same guys shuffled around on boring cards over and over. One promoter, his fighters, his cards – NO unification!!! Need some examples? Both John Ruiz and Chris Byrd have fought Andrew Golota, Fres Oquendo and Evander Holyfield (if Ruiz manages to hang onto his WBA strap, expect to see him in there against either Jameel McCline or Davarryl Williamson in 2006 – both of whom have already lost decisions to Byrd). Larry Donald also had his shot at a shot Holyfield back in November, 2004 - only to draw with Ray Austin in his next fight. Speaking of Austin, he just beat Owen Beck in a horrendously sloppy bout last month. Beck lost his other fight this year (back in February) to Monte Barrett – who just lost another terribly boring fight to Hasim Rahman in August – who lost to John Ruiz in 2003 (oh yeah, don’t forget – “The Rock” also fought Holyfield back in ’02). Hopefully, I didn’t lose you there. For those of you who are still with me – are you seeing a pattern here?

Look, I’m sorry, I’m not trying to be a complainer, but this crap has to stop. We’ve had four belt holders for a while now, and we’ve been promised a tournament by the man who holds control over the division, but somehow it hasn’t materialized. He can blame Vitali Klitschko for not wanting to participate all he wants – but you can have a tournament without him, Mr. King! Seriously, if King put his guys in a tournament and ended up with a unified WBA/IBF/WBO champ – he would have MORE control over the division, as he would promote the unified, undisputed champion of the world. Klitschko would be forced to come to the table make a deal with King at that point to get a meaningful fight and prove that he is the man amongst the heavies.

I see King a lot on TV, hear him on the radio and read him in magazines – but I can’t remember the last time I caught one of his heavyweight fighters in any mainstream media outlet. His most technically sound fighter, Chris Byrd, has been misused, underused and underpaid, in my opinion - and has lost almost all marketability. He tries to market John Ruiz, but there’s one problem – Not many people appear to take “The Quiet Man” seriously as a quality fighter or considers him to be the legit champ! I can't speak for everyone in that regard, but if a poll were taken, that would be my best guess of how people would see Ruiz. From the way I see it, not one of King’s heavyweight champs or contenders have had a memorable fight in some time, except Lamon Brewster – and he’s not exactly being thrust into the American public’s eye. Don’s best heavyweight fight this year (featuring Brewster against Luan Krasniqi) wasn’t even held (or televised) in the states.

Fact is, there’s several quality fighters out there right now, not promoted by King, and one thing’s for sure – this is their time to shine! There are up and coming European fighters, contenders like Samuel Peter and Calvin Brock, and of course, the Klitschko brothers. Hopefully, we'll see these “non-King” guys get a chance to mix it up with King’s guys over the next couple of years, and breathe some life into boxing’s glamour division.

We’ll see King’s top contender (Rahman) in the ring with Vitali Klitschko next month, and we’ll hopefully see his hottest champ (Lamon Brewster) fight Vitali Klitschko's little brother, Wladimir, in April or May of next year. A fight between Ruiz and the 7’ Russian, Nicolay Valuev, is planned for this December – and there are rumors once again of a match between Byrd and James Toney on the horizon, as well. Those fights (if they all ever materialize) are a step in the right direction - but there’s more work to be done. In King’s defense, I must admit that it’s not all on him - the other promoters need to step up and work with him to bring the fans the best possible match-ups. But the fact remains – King has the most pull and if he puts his best foot forward, he can make the big fights happen. Please, Don - keep your word and give us a tourney – the recycling act is getting old.


Posted by: TJ Cline

Castillo Victory Must End The Day Before Weigh-in!

09.10.05 - Photo:Tom Casino/SHOWTIME - By Ronan Keenan: Jose Luis Castillo has finally finished the debate on the day before/same day weigh-in saga. His four round knockout of Diego Corrales will be remembered as the fight that ended the credibility for the day-before weigh-in. In a move that reeked of cheating, the Mexican abused the weigh-in protocol in an effort to gain an advantage over his former conqueror Corrales.

Over two years ago, after he was defeated by Floyd Mayweather in December 2002, Castillo stated that he would not fight at 135lbs again ,as the struggle to make the weight was overly weakening his body. However, the lure of big money fights and a world title opportunity persuaded Castillo to remain a lightweight- until yesterday.

The former champion obviously realized some time ago in his preparation for the Corrales rematch that he would be unable to squeeze his frame into the 135lb limit. Therefore the Castillo camp decided that they would abuse the weigh-in system, thus gaining a huge gain over their opponent.

It is clear that Castillo never even seriously attempted to make the lightweight limit on the Friday weigh-in. Initially he weighed in at 137lbs, which is an extraordinarily high level above the limit for a lightweight. Then 70 minutes later when he came back he was 138.5lbs! It is unheard of for such a highly regarded fighter to come in so high above the limit
in a world title bout.

Subsequently when Castillo’s corner-man was caught trying to manipulate the scales with his foot during the weight-in it was obvious that the Mexican’s team were trying to cheat their way to victory. Castillo was almost certainly never 137lbs, because the corner-man was more than likely influencing the scales during the initial weigh-in too.

Some observers initially believed that Corrales would gain an advantage from Castillo’s weigh-in drama. They thought that the challenger was genuinely struggling to boil down to the 135lb limit. However, in reality Castillo probably never even bothered to strain his body anywhere near the lightweight mark.

Instead, Castillo’s team knew that if their man came in at this high weight it would not jeopardize the fight taking place, due to the fact that it was such a big event and there was so much money at stake for everyone.

Castillo was fined $120,000, but this isn’t much considering that he was reportedly earning a purse of $1,200,000. And the real evidence that Castillo did not attempt to struggle towards the weight limit was when he bet $100,000 that he would knock his opponent out with Corrales’s promoter Gary Shaw yesterday afternoon. This indicated how confident he was that he
would be stronger than Corrales, thanks wholly to his mistreatment of the rules.

While Castillo was comfortably walking around miles above the weight limit, Corrales was sticking to the rules and straining his 6’ frame down to 135lbs. When the contracts were signed months ago, Corrales believed that Castillo would be in a similar position to himself in terms of weight-making, but he did not consider that his opponent would be brazen enough to blatantly ignore the weight limit.

After Castillo’s weight-making difficulties on Friday the respective promoters agreed that Castillo must not weigh more than 147lbs on the day of the fight. This move still did Corrales no favors, because Castillo would not have had to inconvenience himself too much to come in at this limit a full 5 hours before the fight. On the other hand, Corrales would still be recuperating from making 135lbs the day before.

On fight night it was evident that Castillo had a significant advantage by the shape of his body. His neck, torso and waist looked so much thicker than in the initial fight in May. Overall, the challenger appeared to be altogether more muscular than he was for the previous contest.

This was indicative of how the fight itself would turn out. From the onset Castillo was much stronger than Corrales and his punches seemed to be so much more powerful and damaging than his opponents. This was surprising, considering that both fighters had traded blows for ten rounds last May, when neither seemed to have a clear advantage in punching power.

The fresher Castillo was able to use his newfound (and immorally found) advantage in strength to stagger Corrales in the third and then unleash a thunderous left hook in the fourth to send the champion to the canvas for the ten count.

On paper Castillo’s triumph will look impressive, but overall it must go down as being one of the most tainted victories in years. It will never be known how much the weight-making influenced the fight, but this situation would never have arisen if there was just one official weigh-in on the day of the contest.


Posted by: TJ Cline

Jose Castillo - Diego Corrales: Shaw Threatens No Rubbermatch

09.10.05 - Photo:Tom Casino/SHOWTIME - By Wray Edwards: Jeff Lacy was not the only “Left Hook” in the Thomas and Mack Arena last night. Jose Castillo brought one with him also, and shared it in liberal fashion with Diego Corrales. In a highly touted re-match Jose and Chico went on to round eleven, picking up right where they left off last May. Good for Jose…bad for Chico. FATE WAS TEMPTED AND DID STRIKE. The match, which was drastically marred by Castillo’s highly unprofessional missing of weigh-in requirements, mutated from a championship clash into a “Twelve Round Special Event”. Showtime personalities scrambled to put a new face on the contest, alluding to the driving force of Chico’s pride, Jose’s quest for revenge, and the seething momentum of an emerging trilogy.

Gary Shaw vented - post-fight - on that subject as evidenced below. There were some very entertaining statements made by several on-stage after the fight.

Suggestions were made that Castillo may have deliberately failed to train, or purge himself, to the agreed weight, as a way to get the upper hand against Chico, who made whatever debilitating sacrifices were necessary to comply.

In a pre-fight interview Jim Gray spoke with the executive director (Marc Ratner) of the Nevada Athletic Commission (NAC) and attempted to get his views on the pathetic state of Boxing’s weigh-in practices and divisional limits. For the past nine months this and other writers, as well as posters on these pages, have struggled to bring these absurdities to official attention. This writer had extensive discussions with Tony Lato, Jr. (Chief Inspector of the NAC) regarding these weight-shifting issues.

Jim asked the very same, common sense questions, previously found on this site, about how ridiculous is the current state of affairs, and what can be done to get rid of the mess. Mr. Ratner agreed that there is an immediate need to make changes. Tighter limits on weigh-in to fight weight differentials were mentioned, as well as moving weigh-ins to fight day. Objections based on statements that more injuries will occur due to the effects of fasting and dehydration to make weight, are specious at best. Simple weight monitoring during a fighter’s career would forestall much of this. Besides, if you are a “professional” you just stay in shape…period!

Requiring everyone to fight closer to their “natural” or “walking around” weight would reduce the use of crash dieting, diuretics, sweatboxing and other extreme measures, which only serve to skew and disfigure the whole concept of weight divisions. The Anchondo – Barrios debacle is another example of how these practices injure the sport as well as its
participants.

No matter how exciting the fight might be, if it is conducted under a cloud of confusion, disappointment, suspicion and second-guessing, everyone is cheated. Assessing fines is a paltry gesture which does little to address the emotional let-down of the fans and opponents. It is the author’s opinion that one cannot rule out the possibility that Diego Corrales had the motivational rug pulled out from under him when the bout degenerated into a “Special Event”. Stripped of the urgency to defend his championships, he might have experienced a loss of focus which, combined with the stress of making weight, might have been crucial to the outcome.

Castillo was obviously the stronger boxer during the first three rounds. Of the two fighters, Castillo appears to have the greater one-punch KO potential. Chico tends to drop his opponents with withering combinations (Frietas, Castillo) rather than one, big strike…which brings us to the fight.

Round One was truly round eleven from last time. Round Two served to inform us that Castillo’s rep as a slow starter was not going to apply this time. He started right off at a pace not reached until round five of the first bout. He appeared to have faster hands, harder, more accurate punches, and his usual adamantine chin. Diego rallied often but was countered well.

In Round Three, Castillo began to take real advantage of Chico’s growing tendency to cock his right outside and down a bit for a right cross. At 1:07 Corrales did this and before he could deliver, Jose threw a short, quick left hook to Diego’s left ear and neck. Chico was still constructing and delivering that right cross, which was wide of the mark, as Castillo’s left took the arc of Chico’s cross away to Diego’s left. Chico went off balance to his left and as he turned back to face Jose he was gifted with a quick Castillo right which sent him reeling back toward the ropes. Corrales’ punch formation did not seem to be as tight as it had previously been against Freitas and Castillo.

The first three rounds gave immediate evidence that Corrales was again going to fight Jose’s fight (inside) electing to eschew the advantage-option of his long-range potentials. His proclivity to assemble sweeping rights telegraphed his intentions, left his jaw unprotected, and invited disaster. Castillo repeatedly took advantage with very quick punches which can only be described as “pre-counter-punches” as he often struck like a cobra right in the middle if Chico’s strike preps.

Round Four was not very old before the roof fell in on Chico. He again dropped his right down and out for a right cross, and Castillo timed him perfectly with a textbook left hook. By this time in the fight Jose’s left hook was practically an automatic reflex whenever he saw that Corrales right winding up. So, with 2:28 to go in the Fourth Round, Castillo’s south paw impacted Chico’s right cheek, and Diego collapsed like a house of cards. Referee Joe Cortez started the count, and as
Corrales (glassy-eyed) rolled to his right (4-5-6) got to his hands and knees (7-8) and staggered to his feet (9-10) he was counted out.

The place went nuts. A majority Castillo crowd roared their approval. As the TV director frantically switched cameras, Corrales was heard to say to Joe, “What happened?” He really won’t know until he watches the tape and then it will become painfully clear what happened and why. Results…Gary Shaw’s 100 grand went down the Castillo drain…Jose evens the score, but fritters away a chance to reclaim the belts…and Chico got a lesson in the advisability of fighting with the other guy’s style. Diego was spared a prolonged beating by Castillo’s merciful, fourth-round coup de grace.

Castillo was pleased during the post-fight interview as he repeatedly avoided Gray’s attempts to inquire whether Jose thought he might have come in stronger than Diego because he had not endured the rigors of making weight. He was also probably pleased because Bob Arum had grabbed him and yelled, “I’ll give you a hundred thousand”. When Jim turned to
Chico to get his take on the fight, Gary Shaw tried to get in on the act by forcefully proclaiming that, “We are revoking our right for a rematch. We have a right to revoke it!” Jim Gray brushed him aside to speak with Diego who was magnanimous in congratulating Castillo, and though Gray pressed his interest in Castillo’s weight issues, Chico refused to participate.

Gray missed a golden opportunity to get what appeared to be a breaking story. If Gary Shaw was dismissing the possibility of a rubber match, that would have been really big news, in the making, right there on live TV. Why he did that is a mystery, as Promoters are often given an opportunity to join in the post-fight interviews, and often announce important, future plans as a result of the fight’s outcome. Whether Mr. Shaw actually intends to exercise the no rematch right he seemed to be claiming, remains to be seen, but Jim Gray missed a chance to find out right then and there.

Rather than yet another consecutive fight with Castillo, it might be interesting to see Chico in unification action with Juan Diaz, providing Diaz does not sustain another “cut” just before their meeting. Zahir Raheem might be real fun coming off his recent stalwart victory over Erik Morales. Jesus Chavez is another interesting unification possibility. After this rather shabby encounter, it seems only fair that other boxers, who are very well qualified, should be given a shot at Diego’s belts, if they can make weight.

Truth be told, the author is a bit tired of the endless Showtime happy-talk and hype over the largely manufactured Corrales-Castillo rivalry. Jose’s recent peccadillo on the scales has raised too many questions about his professionalism, and even suspicions about his fairness. Maybe it might be better for him to go to 140, or higher, and freshen things up a bit.

His excuse that he had a sore rib which disabled him from being able to do what was necessary to make weight seems a bit thin. Don’t get this wrong…he is a great fighter, but he needs to take a chill pill and fight a few other guys himself. How much better it would be for him to go get the belts of Diaz and Chavez to set up a four sanction, full unification, rubber match with Diego. It would take something like that for me to even consider paying for another Castillo-Corrales show. See you at the fights.


Posted by: TJ Cline

Corrales Uses Wrong Tactic and Loses The Fight

09.10.05 - Photo:Tom Casino/SHOWTIME - By Goran Dragosavac: I am one of those who beleives that right strategy and in-fight tactics is a key in wining the fight. Some figters, for whatever reason, are unable to execute right strategy, either because of the lack of conditioning, or simply, lack of natural ability. Well, if strategy is wrong, then all natural talent and physical coditioning will be superceded. Top fighters have natural ability of changing their strategy as they see it fit, others very much depend of input they get in their corner. Last night's fight between Castillo and Diego Corrales is the showcase of the fight where Corrales' strategy cost him a fight. Before the rematch, I had read the quote from Corrales's trainer, Joe Goosen, saying that in their first fight, he wasn't happy with Diego's performance from the outside. In other words, according to Joe Goosen - Corraless was doing much better from inside than outside. I could not disagree more.

Whenever Corrales opted to use the range, it was his excellent jab and movement that allowed him to set up his power shots - he was beating Castillo to the punch. However, that was only on rare occasions and for most of the their first fight, we witnessed brutal toe to toe, inside battle.

In their rematch last night, I didn't see Corrales atempting to fight from outside at all. There was no jabs, there was none of his trade-mark "down the pipe" direct shots, and there was no uppercats.

All I have saw was Chico's atempt to trade with Castillo, using hook after hook, and staying on inside. Well, his hooks were wider and slowlier than Castillos - due to his height and reach advantage - attributes which turn to disadvantages when fighting in close quarters.

As a result, Corrales was losing most of the exchanges, and ended up getting knocked out in first third of the match.

Well, if that was Goosen strategy to win this fight, then I am simply speechless. Goosen was credited to turn Corrales in a boxer - well, he wasn't boxing last night. He was trading with the best "trader" in a business.

In their matches with Castillo, both Lascano and Casamayor were outboxing Castillo in beginning, while they were using full range of boxing skills in their arsenal - movement, angles, jabs, and the rest. Once they started trading and fighting in close quarters, when pinned down - they had no chance.

All credit goes to Castillo. He might not be ever best pound for pound boxer, whatever that means - but as inside fighter, he is the one of the best. Also, credit goes to him for making making important adjustment in second fight - by bringing more uppercuts, which brought another dimension to his somewhat predictable and yet effective fight plan.

For Corrales - back to the drawing board. In last night's match, he made big step backward.

There's no shame in losing, but when you fall short every second of every round - then you know - you're not just doing one thing wrong in a fight - you're doing everything wrong, which speaks about a wrong fight strategy.

Corrales has proven in his previous fights that he can box. Well, last night he didn't. I've never seen him so one-dimensional. How much blame Goosen carries in Chico's lost, is debatable - but if he really thought that the tall and rangy Chico has more chance on inside than outside, then Goosen should carry all the blame.


Posted by: TJ Cline

Castillo Destroys Corrales!

08.10.05 - Photo:Tom Casino/SHOWTIME - By Jim Amato: Jose Luis Castillo gained a measure of revenge as dominated and demolished Diego Corrales to reverse an earlier KO defeat. This time around it was basically no contest. Castillo got off quickly and never relinquished his advantage. He hurt Corrales on several occasions during the first three rounds. Rarely did Diego land a big punch but he was giving it his all against, on this night a superior fighter.

The end came in the fourth round as Castillo blasted Corrales to the canvas and it was over. Although their first fight was a true classic, this one was just one way traffic. A rubber match? It's doubtful, Castillo made quite a statement tonight.


Posted by: TJ Cline

The People Have Spoken: The All-Time List

10.10.05 - By Aaron King: About a week ago, readers were asked to e-mail their lists of top ten fighters of all-time. After sorting through around 80 lists, consisting of 68 different names, a popular list has finally been calculated.

To make the final poll, a point system was used to assess each fighter: 10 points for a 1st place vote, nine points for 2nd, 8 points for 3rd and so on. All in all, 18 boxers were given 1st place votes (1st place votes were used to break ties in the top ten). The entire poll, 1 to 64, is listed below, with the point totals in parentheses next to the top ten. Once again, the following is not the opinion of any one person, yet a cumulative survey. Without further ado…


Posted by: TJ Cline

Top Ten


Posted by: TJ Cline

1. Muhammad Ali (466)


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2. Sugar Ray Robinson (463)


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3. Roberto Duran (291)


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4. Joe Louis (222)


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5. Sugar Ray Leonard (200)


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6. Marvin Hagler (165)


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7. Julio Cesar Chavez (162)


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8. Mike Tyson (154 - 7 1st place votes)


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9. Roy Jones Jr. (154 - 5 1st place votes)


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10. Henry Armstrong (130)


Posted by: TJ Cline

Have to say this list shows that the general public dosent know shit about boxing.......really shitty list


Posted by: TJ Cline

The Best of the Rest


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11. Willie Pep


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12. Salvador Sanchez


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13. Jack Johnson


this guy is top 5....!!!!


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14. Rocky Marciano


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15. Archie Moore


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16. Floyd Mayweather



Floyd is top 10.........might be top 5 in time


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17. Carlos Monzon


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18. Larry Holmes


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19. Ricardo Lopez


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20. Eder Jofre


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21. George Foreman


another bullshit score.......top 10 for sure!!!!!


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22. Thomas Hearns


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23. Felix Trinidad


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24. Joe Frazier


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25. Evander Holyfield


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T25. Pernell Whitaker


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T25. Bernard Hopkins



top 10 aslo!!!


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T28. Sam Langford


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T28. Jack Dempsey


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30. James Toney



how Tyson is top 10 and Toney is 30........give me a break


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31. Aaron Pryor


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32. Oscar De La Hoya


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T33. Harry Greb

T33. Lennox Lewis...............top 20 at least


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35. Joe Gans


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36. Jimmy Wilde


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37. Hector Camacho


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38. Ezzard Charles


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T39. Alexis Arguello

T39. Benny Leonard

T39. Charley Burley


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T42. Jake LaMotta

T42. Marco Antonio Barrera


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43....they skipped it???


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44. Terry Norris


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45. Chris Eubank


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T46. Gene Tunney

T46. Jersey Joe Walcott


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T48. Sandy Saddler

T48. Nigel Benn

T48. Naseem Hamed

T48. Iran Barkley


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T52. Barry McGuigan

T52. Wilfred Benitez

T52. Floyd Patterson


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T55. Erik Morales

T55. Wilfredo Gomez

T55. Khaosai Galaxy

T55. Ted “Kid” Lewis


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T59. Winky Wright......top 20...could be top 10 in time

T59. Mark Johnson

T59. Pipino Cuevas

T59. Jack “Kid” Berg

T59. John L. Sullivan


Posted by: TJ Cline

T64. Carmen Basilio

T64. Stanley Ketchel

T64. Sonny Liston

T64. Mike McCallum

T64. Michael Spinks


Posted by: TJ Cline

Cyber Boxing Champion -- George Foreman
Born January 10, 1949, Marshall, Texas

Amateur Record: 22-4
Pro Record: 76-5-0/68 kayos

* First amateur fight: Jan. 26, 1967
* Feb. 1967 San Francisco Golden Glove Champion, Junior Div.
* 1968 National AAU Heavyweight Champion
* 1968 Olympic Heavyweight Gold Medalist

.
Amateur Highlights

1968
Aug -- Heinz Deiter Hanover, Ger L DQ 3
Sep 21 Otis Evans W 3
Oct Lucjan Trela Mexico City W 3 (4-1)
Oct Ione Alexe Mexico City KO 3
Oct Giorgio Bambini Mexico City KO 2
Oct 27 Ionas Chepulis Mexico City KO 2
(Wins Olympic Heavyweight Gold Medal)

Professional Record

Sched.
Date Opponent Rds. Result Time


June 23, 1969 Don Waldheim 6 KO 3 1:54 July 1, 1969 Fred Askew 6 KO 1 2:30 July 14, 1969 Sylvester Dullaire 6 KO 1 2:59 Aug. 18, 1969 Chuck Wepner 8 TKO 3 0:54 Sept. 18, 1969 John Carroll 8 KO 1 2:19 Sept. 23, 1969 Cookie Wallace 6 KO 2 0:19 Oct. 7, 1969 Vernon Clay 6 TKO 2 0:32 Oct. 31, 1969 Roberto Davila 8 W unan -- Nov. 5, 1969 Leo Peterson 8 KO 4 1:00 Nov. 18, 1969 Max Martinez 10 KO 2 2:35 Dec. 6, 1969 Bob Hazelton 6 KO 1 1:22 Dec. 16, 1969 Levi Forte 10 W unan -- Dec. 18, 1969 Gary Wiler 10 TKO 1 Jan. 6, 1970 Charley Polite 10 KO 4 0:34 Jan. 26, 1970 Jack O'Halloran 10 KO 5 1:10 Feb. 16, 1970 Gregorio Peralta 10 W unan -- March 31, 1970 Rufus Brassell 10 KO 1 2:42 April 17, 1970 James J. Woody 10 TKO 3 0:37 April 29, 1970 Aaron Eastling 10 TKO 4 2:24 May 16, 1970 George Johnson 10 TKO 7 1:41 July 20, 1970 Roger Russell 10 TKO 1 1:50 Aug. 4, 1970 George Chuvalo 10 TKO 3 1:41 Nov. 3, 1970 Lou Bailey 10 KO 3 1:50 Nov. 18, 1970 Boone Kirkman 10 TKO 2 0:41 Dec. 18, 1970 Mel Turnbow 10 TKO 1 2:58 Feb. 8, 1971 Charlie Boston 10 KO 1 2:01 April 3, 1971 Stamford Harris 10 KO 2 2:38 May 10, 1971 Gregorio Peralta 15 TKO 10 2:52 (PAN AM TITLE) Sept. 14, 1971 Vic Scot 10 KO 1 1:35 Sept. 21, 1971 Leroy Caldwell 10 KO 2 1:54 Oct. 7, 1971 Ollie Wilson 10 TKO 2 2:35 Oct. 29, 1971 Luis F. Pires 10 TKO 5 * Feb. 29, 1972 Murphy Goodwin 10 KO 2 1:02 March 7, 1972 Clarence Boone 10 TKO 2 2:56 April 10, 1972 Ted Gullick 10 KO 2 2:28 May 11, 1972 Miguel A. Paez 15 KO 2 2:29 (PAN AM TITLE) Oct. 10, 1972 Terry Sorrels 10 KO 2 1:05 Jan. 22, 1973 Joe Frazier 15 TKO 2 1:35 (WORLD TITLE) Apr 28 Lonnie Bennett Las Vegas Exh 2 Apr 28 Victor Scott Las Vegas Exh 2 Apr 28 Terry Hinsky Las Vegas Exh Apr 28 Eddie "Bossman" Jones Las Vegas Exh Sept. 1, 1973 Jose "King" Roman 15 KO 1 2:00 (WORLD TITLE) March 26, 1974 Ken Norton 15 TKO 2 2:00 (WORLD TITLE) Oct. 30, 1974 Muhammad Ali 15 KO by 8 2:58 (WORLD TITLE) 1975 Apr 26 Charley Polite Toronto Exh 3 Apr 26 Boone Kirkman Toronto Exh 3 Apr 26 Terry Daniels Toronto Exh 2 Apr 26 Jerry Judge Toronto Exh 2 Apr 26 Alonzo Johnson Toronto Exh 2 Nov 26 Jody Ballard Kimasha Lake Exh 2 Dec 17 Eddie Brooks San Francisco Exh 4 Jan. 24, 1976 Ron Lyle 10 KO 5 2:28 June 15, 1976 Joe Frazier 10 TKO 5 2:26 Aug. 14, 1976 Scott LeDoux 10 KO 3 2:58 Oct. 15, 1976 Dino Denis 10 TKO 4 2:25 Jan. 22, 1977 Pedro Agosto 10 TKO 4 2:34 March 17, 1977 Jimmy Young 12 L unan --


Ali never gives Big George a rematch.........and we know why

1978: Ordained at the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ in Houston,
and later built his own church.



The comeback!!!!

March 9, 1987 Steve Zouski 10 TKO 4 2:47 July 9, 1987 Charles Hostetter 10 KO 3 2:01 Sept. 15, 1987 Bobby Crabtree 10 TKO 6 2:40 Nov. 21, 1987 Tim Anderson 10 TKO 4 2:23 Dec. 18, 1987 Rocky Sekorski 10 TKO 3 2:48 Jan. 23, 1988 Tom Trimm 10 KO 1 0:47 Feb. 5, 1988 Guido Trane 10 TKO 5 2:39 March 19, 1988 Dwight Qawi 10 TKO 7 1:51 May 21, 1988 Frank Williams 10 TKO 3 2:07 June 26, 1988 Carlos Hernandez 10 TKO 4 1:36 Aug. 25, 1988 Ladislao Mijangos 10 TKO 2 2:42 Sept. 10, 1988 Bobby Hitzenberger 10 KO 1 2:59 Oct. 27, 1988 Tony Fulilangi 10 TKO 2 2:26 Dec. 28, 1988 Dave Jaco 10 TKO 1 2:03 Jan. 26, 1989 Mark Young 10 TKO 7 1:47 Feb. 16, 1989 Miguel de Almeida 10 TKO 3 2:14 April 30, 1989 J.B. Williamson 10 TKO 5 1:57 June 1, 1989 Bert Cooper 10 TKO 3 * July 20, 1989 Everett Martin 10 W unan -- Jan. 15, 1990 Gerry Cooney 10 KO 2 1:57 April 17, 1990 Mike Jameson 10 TKO 4 2:16 June 16, 1990 Adilson Rodrigues 10 KO 2 2:39 July 31, 1990 Ken Lakusta 10 KO 3 1:24 Sept. 25, 1990 Terry Anderson 10 KO 1 2:59 April 19, 1991 Evander Holyfield 12 L unan --
(For World Heavyweight title) Dec. 7, 1991 Jimmy Ellis 10 TKO 3 1:36 April 11, 1992 Alex Stewart 10 W maj -- Jan. 16, 1993 Pierre Coetzer 10 TKO 8 1:48 June 7, 1993 Tommy Morrison 12 L unan --
(For WBO World Heavyweight title)
Nov. 5, 1994 Michael Moorer 12 KO 10 2:03 (Wins World Heavyweight title)....George is 45 Moore is 25.....George is the oldest heavyweight champ ever......by 6 years


April 22, 1995 Axel Schulz 12 W maj --
(Retains World Heavyweight title)
Nov 2, 1996 Crawford Grimsley 12 W 12
(Retains World Heavyweight title)
1997 Lou Savarese 12 W 12
(Retains World Heavyweight title)
Nov 22, 1997 Shannon Briggs 12 L 12 maj (Loses World heavyweight title)


Posted by: TJ Cline

George Foreman

Career Snapshot
Born January 10, 1949
Died
Total Fights 81
Won 76
Lost 5
Drew 0
Knockouts 68
Titles Won Heavyweight (WBC,WBA,

IBF,WBU,IBA)


Posted by: TJ Cline

Background

Foreman, son of JB and Nancy Foreman, was born in Marshall, Texas and raised in Houston, Texas's Fifth Ward. During his youth, he was often in trouble with the law. He joined the Job Corps and there discovered he had talent for boxing.

Foreman had a stellar amateur boxing career, culminating in winning the heavyweight class gold medal at the 1968 Mexico City Olympic Games. When he held an American flag in his hand as he stood on the victor's stand, a few members of the black community chastised him for being an Uncle Tom.


Posted by: TJ Cline

Boxing career

Foreman turned professional in 1969 with a three round knockout of Donald Walheim in New York. He had a total of 13 fights that year, winning all, 11 by knockout. Among the fighters he defeated were Chuck Wepner, by knockout in three, and Cookie Wallace, who lasted only two.

In 1970, Foreman continued rolling on, winning all 12 bouts, 11 by knockout. Among the opponents he beat were Gregorio Peralta, who lasted the ten round distance with Foreman at the Madison Square Garden, George Chuvalo, beaten in three, Charlie Polite, who lasted four, and Boone Kirkman, knocked out in three.

In 1971, Foreman won seven more fights, including a rematch with Peralta, whom he defeated by knockout in the tenth and last round in Oakland, California and a win over Leroy Caldwell, who went in the second. After amassing a record of 32-0, Foreman was ranked as the number one challenger by the WBA and WBC.

In 1972, his string of wins continued, winning five bouts in a row, all within three rounds.

With that, Foreman was set to challenge for the world's Heavyweight championship, and so, in January 22, 1973, Foreman faced world Heavyweight champion Joe Frazier in Kingston, Jamaica, knocking him out in the second round to become the world's champion. In what was HBO Boxing's first transmission ever, the call made by Howard Cosell, the broadcaster that night (Down goes Frazier!!, Down goes Frazier!!, Down goes Frazier!) became one of the most memorable sports calls of all time.

Foreman was sometimes characterized by the media as an aloof and anti-social champion. According to them, he always seemed to wear a sneer in his face during this time, and was at times not available to the press.

Nevertheless, Foreman went on to defend his title successfully twice during this reign, his first defense, in Tokyo against Puerto Rican Heavyweight champion Jose Roman lasted only 50 seconds, the fastest ever for a world Heavyweight championship bout. In his next defense, in 1974 in Caracas, Venezuela, he beat Ken Norton, who had just beaten Muhammad Ali, in 12th rounds.

His next defense, however, spelled doom: During the late summer of '74, he moved to Congo (then Zaire), where he would defend against Ali, in what became known as The Rumble in the Jungle. During training there, he suffered a cut, having to suspend the fight for one more month. Ali dedicated this month to endear himself to the public of Zaire, and taunt Foreman at every possible stop, making Foreman very angry and frustrated. When they finally squared off, Foreman suffered his first defeat, being knocked out in the eighth round.

He spent 1975 inactive, but in 1976, he returned to boxing, in Las Vegas. He boxed Ron Lyle, in a fight hailed by Ring Magazine as The Fight Of The Year. In a brutal fourth round, Lyle knocked down Foreman, only to have Foreman get up from the canvas to knock down Lyle moments later. In the closing seconds of the round, Lyle knocked Foreman down again, with Foreman making it up before the ten count. With both men in a weakened state, but with one having to muster up the fortitude to put the other away, Foreman knocked out Lyle in the fifth round. Then, he knocked out Frazier in a rematch in five, Scott Ledoux in three, and Dino Dennis in four to finish the year.


Posted by: TJ Cline

Retirement

1977 would prove to be a life changing year for Foreman. After knocking out Pedro Agosto in four rounds at Pensacola, Florida, Foreman flew to Puerto Rico, where he lost a 12-round decision to Jimmy Young. Foreman became very ill in his dressing room after the fight. He was suffering from exhaustion and heatstroke and believed he had had a near death experience. He claimed he found himself in a hellish, frightning place of nothingness and despair. He began to plead with God to help him. He sensed God was asking him to change his life and ways. After that experience, Foreman became a born-again Christian, dedicating his life for the next decade to Christianity. Foreman retired from boxing, and became an ordained minister of a church in Texas. He devoted himself to his family and his parishioners. He also opened a youth center which bears his name.


Posted by: TJ Cline

Comeback

In 1987, he surprised the boxing world by announcing a comeback. For his first fight back, he went to Sacramento, California, where he beat Steve Zouski by a knockout in four rounds. Foreman claimed he returned to the ring to prove that even after the age of 40 people could still achieve their goals. He won four more bouts in '87, and in 1988, he won nine, including a seven round knockout against former world Light Heavyweight and Cruiserweight champion Dwight Muhammad Qawi.

By that time, Foreman had become a successful business entrepreneur, selling everything from hamburgers to grills to mufflers on TV (a drastic change from the prior Foreman, known for being unfriendly). He and Ali had become very good friends, and he followed in his former rival and friend's footsteps by making himself a celebrity outside the boundaries of boxing.

In 1989, Foreman continued his winning ways, winning five fights, including a 5-round knockout of former world Light Heavyweight champion JB Williamson, and a 3-round win over future Heavyweight title challenger Bert Cooper.

In 1990, Foreman became once again a ranked contender, and he beat former title challenger Gerry Cooney by a knockout in two. He won four more fights that year.

He started 1991 by realizing one of his dreams and challenging world heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield for the world title in a Pay Per View boxing event. Foreman went twelve rounds with Holyfield before losing the decision. Round 7 was Ring Magazine's Round Of The Year. Once the fight was finished Foreman made the reporters feel half of his dream had been completed by saying that he showed the world people can go the full 12 rounds after reaching their forties.

Foreman boxed only twice more before receiving his next world title shot, for the vacant WBO championship against Tommy Morrison. Morrison beat Foreman in twelve rounds by decision, but Foreman refused to give up on his dream.

In 1994, Foreman once again went for the world championship, after Michael Moorer had beaten Holyfield for the IBF and WBA titles. Foreman was trailing badly on all scorecards when he knocked out Moorer in the 10th round on November 5 in Las Vegas, Nevada. With this, Foreman broke two records: He became, at the age of 45, the oldest fighter ever to win the world Heavyweight crown, and, 20 years after losing his world title for the first time, he broke the record for the fighter with the most time in between one world championship run and the next.

In 1995, Foreman beat Axel Schulz of Germany to retain his title, by a 12-round decision. But this fight became the catalyst of a big controversy: The IBF ordered an immediate rematch, to be held in Germany. But Foreman refused to travel to Germany to defend his titles, and gave both the WBA and IBF belts away.

In 1996, Foreman returned to Tokyo, where he beat Crawford Grimsley by a 12-round decision, and in 1997, he also beat Lou Savarese by decision. After the WBC decided to give the winner of his fight with Shannon Briggs a title shot against world champion Lennox Lewis, Foreman and Briggs fought, Briggs winning a 12-round split decision. After this bout, Foreman announced his retirement......George was 47 years old in this fight


Posted by: TJ Cline

Second retirement

Foreman planned to box a return bout against Larry Holmes in 1999, but after the cancellation of the bout, he said he had no plans to resume his career as a boxer. However, he announced in February 2004 he was training for one comeback fight, but his plans were stopped by his wife.

He has a record of 76 wins, 5 losses and 68 wins by knockout. He is now an avid autograph signer. Apart from his ads for Meineke mufflers, Foreman also tours the world promoting his George Foreman Lean Mean Grilling Machine. Ironically, Foreman has made more money from his grilling machine contracts than he made during his entire boxing career. He has 10 children (5 daughters and 5 sons) with his wife, Joan; all 5 sons are named George. His daughter, Freeda Foreman, is a former competitor in the sport of Women's boxing.

In January of 2003, Foreman was elected to the International Boxing Hall Of Fame, where he was inducted in June. That same year, he was named boxing's ninth greatest puncher of all time by Ring Magazine (see Ring Magazine's list of 100 greatest punchers of all time).


Posted by: TJ Cline

Trivia

* During his 1991 match against Holyfield, Foreman remained standing in his corner between all 12 rounds.
* All of his Lean Mean Fat Reducing products bear his signature and the tag line "Knock Out the Fat" (a reference to his boxing career).


Posted by: TJ Cline

Lamon Brewster vs. Wladimir Klitschko II: Should Wladimir Take On Brewster Next?

11.10.05 - By Vincent Ringheden: Coming off of his recent come from behind knockout victory over Luan Krasniqi on September 28, the new heavyweight star of the division, WBO heavyweight champion, Lamon Brewster, has recently expressed interest in fighting Vitali Klitschko for a unification match for the WBO and WBC heavyweight titles. However, Wladimir Klitschko may have something to say about that, since he is the mandatory challenger for both the WBO and IBF heavyweight titles, after his 12 round decision over Samuel Peter on September 24. Whether or not Wladimir chooses to fight Brewster or Chris Byrd, the current IBF heavyweight champion, still remains to be seen. For one, the WBO is considered by many people to be the lesser of the two belts, however, I don’t particularly fall in line with that belief. To me, it doesn’t matter what belt it is, it’s who holds the belt, which gives it the true worth and I consider Lamon Brewster to be the better fighter between him and Chris Byrd.

To be honest, I don’t think Wladimir will be doing himself one bit of good by challenging Chris Byrd for the IBF heavyweight title, no matter what people may think abut the WBO. Wladimir has already soundly defeated Chris Byrd on October 14th, 2000, in a fight that was completely one-sided. For Wladimir, there’s no point in wasting time by destroying, I mean, fighting Byrd once more.

No, the real fight out there for Wladimir is against Lamon Brewser, a fighter that stopped Wladimir in 5 rounds on April 10, 2004. In that fight, the much taller and faster Klitschko punished Brewster for 4 brutal rounds, with Brewster tasting the canvas near the end of the 4th. The fight was so one-sided, that it only appeared to be a matter of time before the referee stepped in to stop the slaughter. However, in the 5th round, Wladimir suddenly tired out, and Brewster finally got close enough to land one of his powerful left hooks to the head near the end of the round. The fight was soon stopped shortly after, with Wladimir completely out of it.

Since then, Brewster has defended his WBO title three times, winning a close 12 round decision over Kali Meehan in September 2004, stopping Andrew Golota in the 1st round in May 2005, and Luan Krasniqi on September 28, 2005. The fight against Golota was a total blitz, which saw Brewster rush out and land huge left hooks to the head of Golota, sending him to the canvas three times before the fight was stopped 53 seconds into the 1st round.

For Wladimir, he is coming off a 12 round decision over the knockout artist Samuel Peter, in a fight where Wladimir was knocked down three times, yet was still able to pull out the decision with the use of his new “Cluth and grab” style that he has adopted from his trainer, Emanuel Steward. Upon review of the fight, Wladimir is extremely tough to beat with this style, even with his weak chin. For short fighters, such as Samuel Peter and Lamon Brewser, it’s difficult for them to get close to Wladimir, due to his long reach, his excellent jab, and constant foot movement. However, even when highly touted Peter was able to get close enough to throw punches, Wladimir would quickly wrap him up tight in a clinch.

As soon as they were separated by the referee, Wladimir would immediately start popping Peter in the fast with his stinging jab, followed by an occasional huge right hand and short left power hook. Wladimir proved that he could get off the canvas, and overcome adversity, something that he had been lacking in before the fight, in losing efforts to Brewster, Corrie Sanders and Ross Purity. Regardless whether or not Wladimir has a weak chin or not, he has awesome power that makes it difficult for anyone to deal with, no matter who it is.

So, how would a likely rematch with Brewster turn out? For starters, I don’t see Wladimir making the same mistake he did in their previous fight, where he threw close to 80 punches per rounds, perhaps trying to impress his new trainer, Emanuel Steward, It was pretty to watch, but it seemed like a foolish fight plan at the time, as Wladimir was betting that he could take out the iron-chinned Brewster, before, quickly tiring out. This next time around, I see Wladimir opting to box Brewster from the outside, and using his superior jab and grab style. Of course, it won’t be easy, as Brewster will put an incredible amount of pressure on Wladimir, and attempt to tire him out and get inside, where he can land his big left hook. If Wladimir gets careless, or becomes exhausted, I can see the same outcome as the first fight. Either way, this fight is still very much a toss up, as Brewster has an awesome chin and a powerful equalizer with his left hook.


Posted by: TJ Cline

Whats Up With All the Different Weight Classes?

14.10.05 - By Joseph Carlo Russo: Amidst the recent Castillo/Corrales scandal, we have all come to question the state of boxing's weight classes. Some of the older, nostalgic fight fans might remember a time where weight classes were defined by ten pound intervals. During this time, making weight was not as much an issue or a task as retaining a consistent weight was. After all, these men would fight within their respective weight classes, not having to lose or gain much weight except that which was purely excess. A three-four pound weight difference among fighters was not considered an advantage or a handicap, and rightfully so. Unless, of course, the fighter weighing more had comprised a method for concentrating his three pound weight advantage in the core of his knuckles. But, that is highly unlikely, so this issue was never pertinent.

So, why we all ask. Why double the amount of champions who have already been quadrupled by the amount of belts? From straweight to jr. lightweight the weight classes are separated by three-four pound jumps.

These lighter weight divisions get minimal coverage as it is, so why perform a further disservice to these fighters who receive little to no exposure, except for what they earn in their respective nations. How sensible is it that an undisputed lightweight champion must be relinquished of his crown in order to compete in the jr. welterweight division that spans five pounds heavier when in fact the lightweight fighter walks into the ring at 150lbs anyway? Will the jr. welterweight possess that significant an advantage in such a match? The answer is no. From 135lbs to 140lbs, the fighters are virtually of the same caliber. Diego Corrales is taller and packs a bigger punch than most, if not all, of the top ten jr. welterweights. Jose Luis Castillo probably throws the meanest hook from lightweight all the way up to about super middleweight where Jeff Lacy dabbles.

So, why has Corrales and his camp made such a crime out of Jose Luis Castillo's measly two pound weight advantage, which eventually turned into that of a three and a half pound? What would the story have been if Corrales had knocked Castillo out in the fourth round instead? Would Castillo have complained? After all, the day of the fight, Corrales weighed 150 pounds to Castillo's 147. If Corrales and his camp claim that Diego did such an astronomical amount of extra work than Castillo had, causing Corrales to be a more drained, lesser fighter on October 8, then maybe Corrales should think about moving to a more suitable weight class instead of condemning Castillo. Let's imagine Castillo had made weight at 135 and was therefore weakened by it. Now, what we have here is two fighters who aren't 100% and are about to compete in one of the most intense activities known to man in a highly anticipated event that people are paying to see. There is clearly a larger issue at hand in this situation than that of Castillo not making weight.

Increasing the amount of weight classes may increase pay for fighters and generate more money due to the sheer volume of fights alone. But, in the long term, when observing boxing from a more farsided standpoint, this system only hurts the sport. And, in hurting boxing, one is tampering with a wounded animal.

Adjustments must be made to boxing's weight class system. It is a dying sport and the abundance of divisions is a substantial part of the problem. A more compacted system of weight classes would do much for benefiting boxing. The unfit, mediocrity in divisions and sub-divisions would surely be filtered out leaving nothing but the best of the best and cream of the crop. In addition, potentially new spectators may find the sport more easy to comprehend, making it more enjoyable to watch while augmenting its fanbase.

As the beautifully glorious sweet science that we have all grown to love as boxing progresses, I am afraid that it is constantly on its bicycle. It is not fighting to win, but rather to make it to the end and hope to score a close decision. And as true lovers of the sport, we can only hope that it doesn't get caught with a clean shot. For, the next time it does, it may indeed stay down for the count.


Posted by: TJ Cline

Ouma Destroys Cuevas!
14.10.05 - By Chet Mills: Last night, Kassim Ouma (22-2-1, 14 KO's) returned to the ring, stopping a hopelessly overmatched Freddie Cuevas (25-1-1 17 KO’s) in the fourth round at the Borgota Casino in Atlantic City. Ouma, perhaps still smarting from his lopsided loss to the Russian, Roman Karmazin, on July 14, 2005, in a bout that saw him lose his IBF Junior Middleweight title, had his way with Cuevas from start to the ugly finish. This time around, Ouma wisely chose a safer opponent in Cuevas, who had none of Karmazin’s speed, power or technical skill, in my opinion. Therefore, Ouma, once again, looked like a champion, landing straight left hands and right hooks that largely went unanswered by Cuevas. Ouma knocked Cuevas down at the end of the 1st round, when he connected with a big left hand to the chin of Cuevas. From the 2nd round until the 4th, Cuevas looked like a human punching bag, as Ouma used him for deadly target practice, connecting with a wide assortment of punches. Finally, after knocking Cuevas down once again in the beginning of the 4th round, his corner stepped in late in the round to stop the beating


Posted by: TJ Cline

"Iron" Mike Tyson Versus the Greats

14.06.05 - By Kevin Kincade: So, this is how it ends: that’s what I was thinking Saturday night when Mike Tyson’s long and winding road finally came to its ultimate conclusion. Oh sure, he might come back and fight again; but after losing to a fighter the quality of Kevin McBride, for all intents and purposes, it’s over. McBride was a second chance, of sorts. Mike had the knee-excuse to fall back upon for his loss to Williams; but against the Irishman, he had no such luxury. There it was, the end, staring Mike dead in the eye, scorching itself into his eye sockets; and you could almost hear him sigh in relief that it had finally arrived.

Now, here we are, awestruck observers, in the wake of a mighty storm that took our breath away and pierced the very depths of our souls; thrilled us, teased us, exhilarated us, exasperated us, enraged us, and, just as suddenly, it was gone. Those of us who love him wish him well and the inner peace he never seemed to have during his career, while those of us who hate him are laughing in cynical self-righteousness.

We, as boxing fans and members of the human race, could debate unendingly on the personal Mike Tyson; but seeing as how none of us are without sin, let’s cast no stones and stick to what we, collectively, can debate with no personal judgment; the significance of his career and how he measures up to those that came before him.

Obviously, this is purely subjective, since none of these matches can take place; but it is fun to imagine how Mike would have done against the greatest Heavyweight Champions of All Time. To be fair, I’ve picked what I feel are the top five heavyweight champs in their prime and have come up with hypothetical outcomes for each match-up. The Mike Tyson I’ll be using is the one who fought Michael Spinks in 1988. To refresh your memory, Mike was three days shy of his 22nd birthday, 34-0 (30), and weighed in at 218 ¼ Lbs.

The first thing people think about when the name, Mike Tyson, comes up is his punching power; but I submit that it wasn’t only his natural punching ability that made Mike as good as he was, it was a combination of talents. Mike was freakishly fast for a heavyweight, able to unload up to five punches in less than two seconds. In addition to his hand-speed and punching power, Mike had phenomenal head movement, making him extraordinarily difficult to hit while he bobbed and weaved looking for the opportunity to unload not just one; but a whole volley of power shots on his opponent.

Now, here’s the trick; obviously there were things about Mike we hadn’t learned at the time of the Spinks fight that we know now. For example, with Muhammad Ali, his peak was arguably against Cleveland Williams, since we’ll never know how good he could have been during the three years he was banned from fighting. At the time of the Williams fight, nobody knew how good Ali could take a punch because no one had really been able to hit him solid, with the obvious exceptions of Henry Cooper and Sonny Banks. It was only after we saw Ali fight in the second half of his career, that we knew he had a granite jaw. Since granite does not grow overnight and a fighter’s chin does not get better with time, we have to presume Ali could take a punch just as well at 25 as he could at 35, if not better. Cliché, though it is, hindsight is 20/20, so we might as well use it.

Ready? Here we go!
"Iron" Mike Tyson Versus the Greats

14.06.05 - By Kevin Kincade: So, this is how it ends: that’s what I was thinking Saturday night when Mike Tyson’s long and winding road finally came to its ultimate conclusion. Oh sure, he might come back and fight again; but after losing to a fighter the quality of Kevin McBride, for all intents and purposes, it’s over. McBride was a second chance, of sorts. Mike had the knee-excuse to fall back upon for his loss to Williams; but against the Irishman, he had no such luxury. There it was, the end, staring Mike dead in the eye, scorching itself into his eye sockets; and you could almost hear him sigh in relief that it had finally arrived.

Now, here we are, awestruck observers, in the wake of a mighty storm that took our breath away and pierced the very depths of our souls; thrilled us, teased us, exhilarated us, exasperated us, enraged us, and, just as suddenly, it was gone. Those of us who love him wish him well and the inner peace he never seemed to have during his career, while those of us who hate him are laughing in cynical self-righteousness.

We, as boxing fans and members of the human race, could debate unendingly on the personal Mike Tyson; but seeing as how none of us are without sin, let’s cast no stones and stick to what we, collectively, can debate with no personal judgment; the significance of his career and how he measures up to those that came before him.

Obviously, this is purely subjective, since none of these matches can take place; but it is fun to imagine how Mike would have done against the greatest Heavyweight Champions of All Time. To be fair, I’ve picked what I feel are the top five heavyweight champs in their prime and have come up with hypothetical outcomes for each match-up. The Mike Tyson I’ll be using is the one who fought Michael Spinks in 1988. To refresh your memory, Mike was three days shy of his 22nd birthday, 34-0 (30), and weighed in at 218 ¼ Lbs.

The first thing people think about when the name, Mike Tyson, comes up is his punching power; but I submit that it wasn’t only his natural punching ability that made Mike as good as he was, it was a combination of talents. Mike was freakishly fast for a heavyweight, able to unload up to five punches in less than two seconds. In addition to his hand-speed and punching power, Mike had phenomenal head movement, making him extraordinarily difficult to hit while he bobbed and weaved looking for the opportunity to unload not just one; but a whole volley of power shots on his opponent.

Now, here’s the trick; obviously there were things about Mike we hadn’t learned at the time of the Spinks fight that we know now. For example, with Muhammad Ali, his peak was arguably against Cleveland Williams, since we’ll never know how good he could have been during the three years he was banned from fighting. At the time of the Williams fight, nobody knew how good Ali could take a punch because no one had really been able to hit him solid, with the obvious exceptions of Henry Cooper and Sonny Banks. It was only after we saw Ali fight in the second half of his career, that we knew he had a granite jaw. Since granite does not grow overnight and a fighter’s chin does not get better with time, we have to presume Ali could take a punch just as well at 25 as he could at 35, if not better. Cliché, though it is, hindsight is 20/20, so we might as well use it.

Ready? Here we go!







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