Rafael García, Author at The Fight CityThe Fight City

Rafael García

Browsing All Posts By Rafael García

Boxiana 12
March 17, 1990: Chavez vs Taylor I

Few “super fights” fully live up to the expectations aroused when they are initially announced, and even rarer are the ones that surpass them. But only a handful completely ...
On March 18, 2019 / By Rafael García
Features 3
When Thunder and Lightning Struck

One of my earliest boxing-related memories happened when I was seven. On a warm Saturday night my parents took me to my favorite restaurant, the one that served ...
On March 17, 2019 / By Rafael García
Columns 0
Method To The Madness?

I’m moving up two weight divisions, and not just to fight any welterweight, but Errol Spence. At first glance, it seems nuts. –Mikey Garcia Four-division titlist and counter-puncher ...
On March 15, 2019 / By Rafael García
Fight City Reviews 1
Off The Ropes: The Ron Lyle Story

I loved it. I loved it. I loved luring a guy into throwing a punch, then landing my own right hand and hurting him and dropping him. I ...
On February 27, 2019 / By Rafael García
Boxiana 5
Feb. 24, 1989: Duran vs Barkley

Iran “The Blade” Barkley vs Roberto “Hands of Stone” Duran represents a very special page in the history book of boxing. This intense and historic battle is nothing ...
On February 24, 2019 / By Rafael García
Columns 0
Back To Vegas

This Saturday night, ring legend Manny Pacquiao will hear the opening bell as a pro for the 70th time in his career. He will do so at a ...
On January 16, 2019 / By Rafael García
Features 2
Who Is The Greatest Mexican Boxer?

Michael Carbert: A few years ago I wrote up a Top 12 Greatest All-Time Mexican Boxers list and to my delight, it inspired some consternation. I’ve wanted to ...
On December 28, 2018 / By Rafael García
Boxiana 3
Dec. 26, 1908: Burns vs Johnson

The late, great comedian Bill Hicks once quipped that the first Gulf War was not actually a “war.” Instead it was little more than a military exercise for the ...
On December 26, 2018 / By Rafael García
Fight City Reviews 2
The Sweet Science

One of the obvious realizations upon re-reading A.J. Liebling’s The Sweet Science is that while much has changed in the sport over the last 60 years, other things ...
On November 26, 2018 / By Rafael García
Boxiana 0
Oct. 16, 1970: Olivares vs Castillo II

The rivalry between Ruben Olivares and Jesus Castillo—one of the most revered in Mexican boxing lore—took place in an era when the bantamweight division was dominated by Mexicans, with “El Púas” ...
On October 15, 2018 / By Rafael García
Boxiana 1
Oct. 11, 1992: Lopez vs Lin

Ricardo Lopez’s nickname in Spanish was ‘El Finito,’ which translates as ‘The Fine One.’ Sometimes a boxer’s nickname does not aptly reflect the nature of its bearer, but ...
On October 11, 2018 / By Rafael García
Fight City Reviews 0
Shadow Box

Even if it had nothing else going for it—something very far from the truth— Shadow Box by George Plimpton will forever remain a bastion of boxing literature because of the ...
On September 18, 2018 / By Rafael García
Columns 2
#CaneloGGG2: This Time, It’s Personal!

It’s almost time, finally, for #CaneloGGG2, and so much has happened since the first encounter that it’s hard to believe it took place only a year ago. That ...
On September 5, 2018 / By Rafael García
Fight City Reviews 2
The Boxing Kings

It’s one of life’s most interesting ironies that prizefighting–a brutal, often exploitative, enterprise baptized as “the red light district of sports” by the late Jimmy Cannon–is the most ...
On August 12, 2018 / By Rafael García
Boxiana 1
Aug. 6, 1970: Ramos vs Ramos

What became known as “The Night of the Ramos” happened 48 years ago at the legendary Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles and for those who witnessed this action-filled ...
On August 6, 2018 / By Rafael García
Features 1
Plaster of Torrance (Part Two)

Plaster of Torrance: Unwrapping the Meaning of Antonio Margarito, Part Two. Excerpted from The Bittersweet Science. There are times when boxing matches resemble more a bullfight than they ...
On August 4, 2018 / By Rafael García
Features 2
Plaster Of Torrance (Part One)

Last week we marked the 10th anniversary of the legendary first battle between Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito. To pay further tribute to this remarkable fight, we would ...
On August 3, 2018 / By Rafael García
The Top Twelve 0
Top 12 All-Time Greatest Pacman “WTF!” Moments

At this point it’s anybody’s guess how much longer ring legend Manny Pacquiao will continue boxing, but what is known is that the Pacman will step inside the ...
On July 13, 2018 / By Rafael García
Features 0
The Best Is Yet To Come (Part 2)

We continue our in-depth look at some of the possible, if not probable, high-stakes matches which may happen before the end of 2018, a year which is already ...
On June 22, 2018 / By Rafael García
Features 0
The Best Is Yet To Come (Part 1)

As we approach the halfway point of the year, the World Cup has taken center stage, attracting the undivided attention of a large majority of sports fans around ...
On June 21, 2018 / By Rafael García
Features 0
Four To Watch

While last weekend offered slim pickings in terms of ring action, this weekend is something else. On tap, a number of relevant matches involving some of the sport’s biggest ...
On June 7, 2018 / By Rafael García
Fight City Reviews 0
The Good Son

The 1980s remain perhaps the most successful decade in boxing’s history, a rare time when the sport was highly popular and widely accepted as mainstream entertainment. Champions such ...
On May 24, 2018 / By Rafael García
Boxiana 0
May 11, 1900: Jeffries vs Corbett

The first Jeffries vs Corbett clash took place in Coney Island over a century ago but the storylines highlighted by that historic battle are ones we have seen ...
On May 11, 2018 / By Rafael García
Columns 2
The Fight Game Has Changed

Since inception, the relationship between television and boxing has been bittersweet. Back in the 1950s A. J. Liebling, journalistic star for The New Yorker and boxing writer extraordinaire, ...
On May 3, 2018 / By Rafael García
Boxiana 10
April 7, 2001: Hamed vs Barrera

“I’m here training the greatest featherweight of all time.” None other than Emanuel Steward spoke those words, three weeks before Prince Naseem Hamed faced Marco Antonio Barrera in ...
On April 7, 2018 / By Rafael García
Columns 4
Cinco De Mamadas

“I have not let you down. I respect the sport and I will always be a clean fighter.” By uttering these words—with a straight, if contrite, face—Saul ...
On April 5, 2018 / By Rafael García
Fight City Reviews 0
12 Rounds In Lo’s Gym

An amateur boxer prowling the stands in desperation, looking for a last-second opponent. Silver Gloves competitions filled with anxious fighting novices. “Tough Man” contests brimming with fighters long ...
On March 27, 2018 / By Rafael García
Fight Reports 2
Fight Report: Superfly 2

The Event Superfly 2 went down last night at the Forum in Inglewood, California, featuring some of the best talent to be found in the lower weight classes. ...
On February 25, 2018 / By Rafael García
Features 1
Canelo vs GGG II Is Officially Set: Are We Happy Now?

After months of procrastination, the long negotiated, eagerly awaited rematch between Canelo Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin has finally become official. The Mexican and the Kazakh will meet up ...
On January 31, 2018 / By Rafael García
Boxiana 0
Jan. 29, 2005: Gatti vs Leija

As 2005 started, Arturo Gatti‘s star was once again on the rise. He had previously earned the title of “Blood and Guts Warrior” after enduring 30 rounds of ...
On January 29, 2018 / By Rafael García