Neil Crane, Author at The Fight CityThe Fight City

Neil Crane

Browsing All Posts By Neil Crane

Boxiana 0
Sept. 28, 1979: Holmes vs Shavers

We talk of fighters having a “puncher’s chance,” and that, more than anything else, was what Earnie Shavers brought into the ring at Caesars Palace on this fateful ...
On September 28, 2021 / By Neil Crane
Fight Reports 0
Fight Report: Usyk vs Joshua

Back in 1985, Michael Spinks, the undisputed champion of the 175 pound division, challenged long-time heavyweight king Larry Holmes. It was an intriguing match-up for sure, but at ...
On September 25, 2021 / By Neil Crane
Features 0
Joshua vs Usyk: The Fight City Picks

A long, long time ago, back before anyone had ever heard of something called “COVID-19,” we published a list of the fights we really wanted to see in ...
On September 23, 2021 / By Neil Crane
The Top Twelve 18
Top 12 All-Time Most Significant Fights

There are of course many high-profile clashes in boxing history which have brought out big crowds and made a serious splash, but then there are the truly monumental ...
On September 20, 2021 / By Neil Crane
Boxiana 3
Sept. 8, 1950: Pep vs Saddler III

Pep vs Saddler. For die-hard fans of fisticuffs, those four syllables conjure up all kinds of recollections and images and important facts from the rich history of pugilism. ...
On September 8, 2021 / By Neil Crane
The Top Twelve 4
Top 12 All-Time Greatest Bantamweights

A while back we published our list of the greatest middleweights of all time and when we did we promised to follow-up with additional rankings for all of ...
On July 14, 2021 / By Neil Crane
The Top Twelve 12
Top 12 Greatest Masters Of The Jab

With few exceptions, the jab is every fighter’s most fundamental weapon, the key punch that sets up all the others. Without it, a boxer cannot effectively establish rhythm, ...
On June 29, 2021 / By Neil Crane
Boxiana 4
June 25, 1981: Leonard vs Kalule

Here’s the thing some people don’t get about Sugar Ray Leonard: the man was more athlete than boxer, and, despite his “sweet” nickname, he was more bad-ass than ...
On June 25, 2021 / By Neil Crane
The Top Twelve 3
Top 12 All-Time Greatest Opening Rounds

In boxing, as in most things in life, it’s quality, not quantity. Excitement is the name of the game and the greatest fights are the ones offering the ...
On June 10, 2021 / By Neil Crane
Columns 0
It’s Time: The Dream vs The Takeover

Last night saw a big win both for the boxer they call “The Dream,” and for the increasingly precarious enterprise that is professional prizefighting. Undefeated lightweight titlist Devin ...
On May 30, 2021 / By Neil Crane
Fight Reports 0
Fight Report: Taylor vs Ramirez

Unification fights are, deservedly, a big deal in 21st century boxing as they are about as common as Bigfoot sightings and manna from heaven for hardcore fight fans ...
On May 23, 2021 / By Neil Crane
Boxiana 1
May 7, 2005: Castillo vs Corrales I

The point of this article is simple: to pay homage to a truly great fight. As simple as that. Nothing more. And nothing less. Let’s forget that Jose ...
On May 7, 2021 / By Neil Crane
Boxiana 0
May 4, 1980: Randolph vs Cardona

It was Leo Randolph’s turn. His compatriots from the 1976 Olympic Games who, like him, had won gold medals and received the plaudits of the American public, had ...
On May 4, 2021 / By Neil Crane
Boxiana 0
April 22, 1979: Johnson vs Franklin II

Their first meeting, in July of 1977, was a thrilling war, called one of the most sensational fights in the history of the Philadelphia Spectrum. As any knowledgeable ...
On April 22, 2021 / By Neil Crane
Boxiana 3
Fight City Legends: The Barbados Demon

Boxers failing to make weight before a fight is an ever-present concern, one that angers many fans and rightfully so. It’s a fundamental requirement and a true professional ...
On March 13, 2021 / By Neil Crane
Features 1
On Leon Spinks

In mourning the death of Leon Spinks one week ago, one is not lamenting the loss of “a great fighter,” as some, moved by sentiment, have called him, ...
On February 12, 2021 / By Neil Crane
The Top Twelve 5
The Top 12 All-Time Cockiest Boxers

There’s confident, and then there’s cocky, the former being expected of any prizefighter with the guts to step into the ring, but the latter taking confidence and turning ...
On February 4, 2021 / By Neil Crane
Boxiana 4
Jan. 21, 1978: Duran vs De Jesus III

The rivalry came as a surprise to everyone when it began in November of 1972. A surprise because, at the time, no one expected the fistic dynamo that ...
On January 21, 2021 / By Neil Crane
Features 1
2020 Upset Of The Year

Upset Of The Year Nominations: Alex Povetkin TKO5 Dillian Whyte Jeison Rosario TKO5 Julian Williams Teofimo Lopez W12 Vasiliy Lomachenko Robert Helenius TKO4 Adam Kownacki Maxi Hughes W10 ...
On January 7, 2021 / By Neil Crane
Features 0
2020: The Nominations

To say 2020 was kinda crazy is to state the obvious to the point of trivializing what was an unprecedented year of chaos, upheaval, crisis and death on ...
On January 6, 2021 / By Neil Crane
The Top Twelve 2
Pernell Whitaker: Best Of A Decade

Yesterday the late, great Pernell Whitaker would have turned 57, but he was taken from us in 2019, far too soon, but boxing will never forget his talent and ...
On January 3, 2021 / By Neil Crane
Boxiana 2
Nov. 24, 1990: Jackson vs Graham

All it takes is one punch. In baseball, you can overturn a three run deficit, win the game or even the World Series, with a single thunderous swing ...
On November 24, 2020 / By Neil Crane
Boxiana 0
Nov. 21, 1987: Chavez vs Rosario

No one questions the fact that Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. is an all-time great and, for me at least, the best Mexican pugilist ever, though my editor, Mr. ...
On November 21, 2020 / By Neil Crane
Boxiana 0
The Greatest Lightweight Of All-Time

Earlier this month fight fans from around the world were focused on what everyone agreed was a highly significant showdown for the lightweight division as Vasiliy Lomachenko and ...
On October 28, 2020 / By Neil Crane
Fight Reports 0
Fight Report: Zepeda vs Baranchyk

Another Saturday night, another quality Top Rank card, but nothing to get too excited about, right? Because let’s face it, the full line up was really just a ...
On October 4, 2020 / By Neil Crane
Fight Reports 0
Fight Report: Briedis vs Dorticos

Two years ago, as in long before the whole world looked to be going to hell thanks to a pandemic and riots in the streets and raging wildfires, ...
On September 26, 2020 / By Neil Crane
The Top Twelve 4
Top 12 All-Time Greatest Uncrowned Champions

For most of boxing history, world title belts didn’t grow on trees, as they say, and even title shots were a rare and much sought-after commodity. Competition was ...
On September 15, 2020 / By Neil Crane
Fight Reports 1
Fight Report: Ugas vs Ramos

With professional boxing rebounding following months of idleness, the number of intriguing and consequential match-ups is steadily rising. And while not exactly a marquee match (after all, if ...
On September 7, 2020 / By Neil Crane
Columns 2
Serious Boxers Need Serious Managers

In the movies, they’re almost always unlikable, if not downright treacherous and crooked. Sardonic and cranky, with an ever-present fedora or cigar, their loyalties are hopelessly divided between ...
On February 29, 2020 / By Neil Crane
Features 1
Wilder vs Fury II: The Fight City Picks

Their first battle in December of 2018 was an entertaining and surprisingly dramatic tilt with an unforgettable final round, but the draw verdict at the end left many ...
On February 17, 2020 / By Neil Crane

The Fight City

Montreal is The Fight City. Known in years past as "Sin City" and "Babylon on the St. Lawrence", it saw more than its share of ring legends over the decades. A metropolis where hundreds of young warriors train and battle each day in its many gyms, it is where Archie Moore, Sugar Ray Leonard, Roberto Duran and Bernard Hopkins all found greatness. It is a city of fights and fighters, of hockey and heroes, of broken dreams and immortal glory, a city unlike any other. Montreal is The Fight City.

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