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For fight fans the world over, mere mention of the city of Manila in the Philippines will always conjure up memories of the legendary third and final clash between Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali. That epic war of
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They billed Foreman vs Cooney as “The Preacher and The Puncher,” but it quickly became known as “The Geezers at Caesars,” this unique crossroads battle between two aging heavyweights looking for respect. Gerry Cooney had lost his in
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Boxing is not an old man’s sport and over the decades there have been plenty of what we might call “passing-the-torch” fights, when age gives way to younger legs and faster fists. Rocky Marciano knocking Joe Louis out
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It’s a cold night in New York City but Benny Leonard and Richie Mitchell provide more than a little heat with one of the greatest opening rounds in boxing history. It’s a rematch after their first bout back
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No matter where you place Marvelous Marvin Hagler in a ranking of the best middleweights of all-time, no one can dispute the fact few boxers have dominated a division as comprehensively as Hagler did his in the 1970s and
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Back during that awful time when for five long years it seemed Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao would never, ever meet in the ring, pundits and historians mused as to whether “MayPac” might be the biggest potential fight
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It is 1942, a month after the attack on Pearl Harbor, and America is at war. As the country enters this new chapter in its history, one thing remains unchanged: the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world is Joe
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As Marvin Gaye sang back in the day, “Ain’t nothin’ like the real thing, baby,” and these days how boxing fans yearn for “the real thing,” for meaningful competition and genuine greatness. You’ll recall how several years back
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Modern day boxing cannot legitimately claim to be better than boxing in the past. In fact, in terms of the technical abilities and skill level we see today, it’s likely worse. But one thing has definitely improved: record
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Gene Tunney will forever be a truly great boxer, one of the very best to ever step into the ring. A clever strategist with excellent footwork, superb defense, tremendous courage and a dangerous right hand, he fought in
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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 U.S. with the outcome never in doubt. Jack London made a similar
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If James Braddock is “The Cinderella Man,” then what do we call Arnold Cream, aka Jersey Joe Walcott? Braddock’s story of perseverance in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds eventually inspired Hollywood attention, but no movie has been
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You should forget that Bob Dylan song for a minute. Don’t even think about Denzel Washington. Get beyond the courtrooms, the jail cells. Go back to Pittsburgh. Was a storm in that city in 1905. Hurricane Bronson, 800 miles wide,
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The outcome was a shock, and yet, as the referee stepped between the fighters to signal the end to the bloody and one-sided battle, there was also a sense of inevitability, the realization that the end to the
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The time had come for the arrogant, fast-talking pugilist they called “The Prince” to conquer the most famous arena in boxing history. The gifted power-puncher had already become a major attraction, a star in his native England, not
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As anyone who has contemplated the history of pugilism already knows, no sport offers more when it comes to heartbreak and tragedy. From the trusting, dedicated fighter who gets cheated out of his money; to the aging and
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This was the beginning, the dawn of the legend that was to become Arturo “Thunder” Gatti. It was on this day that the world discovered a boxer who would go on to epitomize the very concept of “warrior,”
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They called him “The Schoolboy,” because he had once attended university, a rare thing among professional prizefighters. But make no mistake, despite the nickname and the ever-present boyish smile, Bobby Chacon was as tough and as game as
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The story of Archie Moore is, above all else, one of perseverance. While generally not considered part of the famous “Murderers Row” gang — a group of skilled and highly avoided black boxers in the 1940s and 50s
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“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, far less was required of Floyd to inflict a first
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You can take issue with his politics, label him a braggart and a loudmouth, make an inventory of all the lucky breaks he got, and even insist the Sonny Liston fights were fixed and his wins over Norton,
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Bad decisions. Robberies. Ridiculous scorecards. Maybe nothing sickens a fight fan more than judges rendering a final verdict which makes a mockery of a hard-fought contest. Sadly, such incidents are legion in the history of our beloved sport
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On this date back in 1982, Wilfredo Gomez and Lupe Pintor helped write another thrilling chapter in the long saga of glorious violence that is the rivalry between Puerto Rico and Mexico. No list of the best fights
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Though it is almost impossible to overstate Sugar Ray Robinson’s greatness, so much has been written on the subject of that inarguable status that little can be said without sounding redundant. The fact remains that only Harry Greb
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Perhaps few people at the time realized it, but the title match between Wilfred “Radar” Benitez and Sugar Ray Leonard at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas constituted an extremely rare phenomena: a contest between truly gifted ring sophisticates. Prodigies
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In decades past, when undisputed heavyweight champions were the norm and not the exception, they inevitably created a great vacuum of power upon retiring. It was a mad scramble to fill the empty throne and present the world with
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The first two decades of the twentieth century were a time of rapid evolution for the sport of boxing. Legal restrictions were being lifted around the world, and pugilism was rapidly shifting from an underground and shambolic enterprise,
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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 of the bat. Who doesn’t love a homerun? And in
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Let’s raise a glass and give a heart-felt salute to Bert Cooper, may he rest in peace. He went on to that big ring in the sky in 2019, leaving us far too soon, at the age of
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