Matt O'Brien

Browsing All Posts By Matt O'Brien

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  The End Of An Aura

  It’s surprising how far and how fast a fighter’s star can fall when a once-fearsome aura is finally burst. It’s just a few short years ago that Sergey ...

  On January 30, 2019 / By Matt O'Brien
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  The Super Middleweight Super Six

  Since being established by the major sanctioning bodies in the mid-80s, the super middleweight division has produced some classic contests. I was fortunate to grow into an avid ...

  On December 21, 2018 / By Matt O'Brien
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  Boxiana 4

  Dec. 8, 2007: Mayweather vs Hatton

  “My heart will explode before I leave him alone for one second,” Ricky Hatton had promised prior to his showdown with Floyd Mayweather Jr. As it turned out, ...

  On December 8, 2018 / By Matt O'Brien
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  Five Myths About Judging

  In the aftermath of the controversial draw verdict for Saturday’s huge heavyweight showdown, attention has once again turned to the ancient question of how boxing matches are scored ...

  On December 6, 2018 / By Matt O'Brien
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  Five Reasons Why “The Gypsy King” Will Win

  Almost three years to the day since he defeated Wladimir Klitschko for the WBA, WBO, IBF and lineal heavyweight titles, Tyson Fury steps through the ropes tonight to ...

  On December 1, 2018 / By Matt O'Brien
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  How Many Title Defenses Does GGG Have? It’s Complicated

  In the wake of Gennady Golovkin’s return to knockout form last May, there was much fanfare regarding his purported achievement of matching Bernard Hopkins’ record of 20 consecutive ...

  On September 11, 2018 / By Matt O'Brien
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  Fight Reports 0

  Fight Report: Inoue vs McDonnell

  The Event It was always going to be a tall order for Britain’s Jamie McDonnell. Defending away from home and competing against one of the world’s best boxers, ...

  On May 25, 2018 / By Matt O'Brien
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  Wilder vs Ortiz: Not A Moment Too Soon

  Saturday night will see two of the top four heavyweights in the world, Deontay Wilder and Luis Ortiz, do battle for the WBC’s green and gold belt. No ...

  On March 2, 2018 / By Matt O'Brien
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  2017 Round Of The Year

  Nominees: Gennady Golovkin vs Canelo Alvarez: Round 12. Dominic Breazeale vs Izuagbe Ugonoh: Round 3. James DeGale vs Badou Jack: Round 12. Anthony Joshua vs Wladimir Klitschko: Round ...

  On January 5, 2018 / By Matt O'Brien
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  Columns 1

  The Wilder vs Ortiz Debacle

  Last month boxing fans were treated to the welcome news that WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder, aka “The Bronze Bomber,” would defend his title against one of the ...

  On October 5, 2017 / By Matt O'Brien
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  Features 3

  Undisputed Chaos

  The other week saw one of the most compelling match-ups boxing has to offer finally happen: “Supremacy” — Gennady Golovkin vs Saul “Canelo” Alvarez. The significance of this ...

  On September 25, 2017 / By Matt O'Brien
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  Fight Report: Brook vs Spence

  The Event: The welterweight division is one of the most intriguing in the sport at the present time and Kell Brook vs Errol Spence Jr. is one of ...

  On May 28, 2017 / By Matt O'Brien
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  Ward Skips HBO’s Face Off: Prima Donna Or Gamesmanship?

  It’s fair to say that Andre Ward is not every fight fan’s cup of tea. In fact, it would be more accurate to say the reaction his name ...

  On May 11, 2017 / By Matt O'Brien
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  Features 5

  Sor Rungvisai Upsets Chocolatito: Great Fight, Wrong Result

  Srisaket Sor Rungvisai may well have the most deceptive record of any current world champion in boxing. The story of where he came from in order to become ...

  On March 24, 2017 / By Matt O'Brien
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  Columns 23

  Golovkin & Ward: Who Is Ducking Who?

  As former super middleweight ruler Andre Ward gets ready for Saturday’s challenge against WBA/WBO/IBF light-heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev, a phoney war between his camp and that of another ...

  On November 17, 2016 / By Matt O'Brien
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  The Curious Case Of Kell Brook

  Ezekiel Brook of Sheffield, England is something of an enigma. He became one of the very few British boxers to win a world title from an American champion ...

  On September 9, 2016 / By Matt O'Brien
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  The Jackal Is A Live Dog

  Following two less-than-scintillating performances in his most recent bouts, Carl Frampton goes into his featherweight title fight against defending champion Leo Santa Cruz on Saturday night as a ...

  On July 29, 2016 / By Matt O'Brien
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  Features 3

  Fight Report: Kovalev vs Chilemba

  In a tougher-than-expected defence of his WBA, IBF and WBO light-heavyweight titles, Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev unanimously out-pointed Malawi-born challenger Isaac Chilemba on his home-turf in Ekaterinburg, Russia. Although ...

  On July 12, 2016 / By Matt O'Brien
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  Canelo vs Khan: Not A Superfight

  When Amir Khan’s bout with  Saul “Canelo” Alvarez was announced, the reaction among the world’s fight media was, almost universally, one of welcome surprise. Few had anticipated a ...

  On May 5, 2016 / By Matt O'Brien
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  Features 1

  PacBradley I: Heist or Hyperbole?

  The MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas will host the third and final chapter of Manny Pacquiao and Timothy Bradley’s welterweight trilogy tomorrow night, in what may well ...

  On April 8, 2016 / By Matt O'Brien
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  Eubank vs Blackwell: Brave, Brutal, Blameless

  “Boxing is the magic of men in combat, the magic of will, and skill, and pain, and the risking of everything so you can respect yourself for the ...

  On April 1, 2016 / By Matt O'Brien
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  Dawn Of A New Era

  Boxing is a cyclical sport. No matter how dominant, fearsome or skilled a reigning champion may seem at the height of his powers, sooner or later, the old ...

  On February 5, 2016 / By Matt O'Brien