Browsing Category Columns

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  The Only Decision To Make

  It remains unforgettable: Roberto Duran, arguably the greatest boxer, pound-for-pound, on the planet, stops fighting, turns his back on his opponent, and tells the referee: “No mas.” Sugar ...

  On December 16, 2020 / By Gary Elbert
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  No More Bullshit

  Back in 1969, Norman Mailer, writer, gadfly, fight fan, and best-selling author, put himself forward as a candidate for mayor of New York City. It was a mad, ...

  On December 6, 2020 / By Ralph M. Semien
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  “My Brain Is Okay!”

  A few weeks ago I saw Errol Spence in a video from his training camp for Saturday’s showdown with Danny Garcia, Spence’s first fight in over fourteen months. ...

  On December 3, 2020 / By Ralph M. Semien
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  More Than Just One Punch

  It was on this day in 1994 that the “impossible dream” was fulfilled. At age 45, former heavyweight champion George Foreman became the oldest man to win the ...

  On November 5, 2020 / By Alden Chodash
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  Davis vs Santa Cruz: The Tall Order

  I really like Leo Santa Cruz, not just as a boxer, a four-division champion at that, but as a man. Nicknamed “El Terremoto,” Santa Cruz is a very ...

  On October 30, 2020 / By Ralph M. Semien
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  Right Fight, Wrong Time: Hagler vs Leonard In 1983

  Back in 1987, Sugar Ray Leonard and Marvelous Marvin Hagler threw down in a highly-advertised middleweight championship fight in Las Vegas, a glorious spectacle which captured the attention ...

  On October 9, 2020 / By James Simpson
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  Ali vs Shavers: The Greatest’s Finest Hour

  No matter how dismal the fight scene may be at a given time, fans can always cherish and take comfort from the sport’s glorious history. The past is ...

  On September 30, 2020 / By Michael Ezra
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  Yes, Roy Really Was That Good

  By the mid-90’s, the question was being asked by more than a few: was he the best ever? Certainly there had been no one quite like him in ...

  On September 25, 2020 / By Sean Crose
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  Happy Birthday To “The Rock”

  Today is the birthday of legendary heavyweight champion Rocky Marciano and we’re always going to pay tribute to the one and only “Brockton Blockbuster,” regardless of the fact his famous ...

  On September 1, 2020 / By Michael Carbert
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  Adrien Broner In Perspective: Respect Is Due

  He may have proven himself to be a one-man morality tale: the guy who had it all, but then made one too many bad choices and slipped into ...

  On June 13, 2020 / By Sean Crose
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  Can Wilder Win?

  While the whole world, and of course that includes the sports world, is “on pause” due to the deadly pandemic we are all struggling with, the fact remains ...

  On April 9, 2020 / By Sean Crose
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  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
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  Never Bet Against The Gypsy King

  There’s an old saying that you should never switch horses midstream. So I should know better. I’m a big Tyson Fury fan, have been for a long time. ...

  On February 23, 2020 / By Ralph M. Semien
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  Fury vs Wilder II: The Breakdown

  It seems strange to know so much about two fighters – their strengths and weaknesses and how their styles mesh –and yet the outcome of a match between ...

  On February 21, 2020 / By Matt O'Brien
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  The Contrasting Legacies Of Roy & Floyd

  When James J. Jeffries, heavyweight champion of the world, retired undefeated in 1905, few were in any doubt that they had just seen the greatest heavyweight fighter of ...

  On February 13, 2020 / By Laurence Thompson
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  The Legacy of Douglas vs Tyson

  What is the legacy of James “Buster” Douglas’ astonishing knockout of Mike Tyson? Perhaps an impossible question to answer, though we’ve had almost three decades to digest its ...

  On February 10, 2020 / By Eliott McCormick
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  Overfed Turkey Or Sleek Bird Of Prey?

  What a difference two years can make. Back in 2017, the WBC belt-holder Deontay Wilder had just fought Gerald Washington, the latest in his long line of scrubs, ...

  On December 27, 2019 / By Laurence Thompson
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  The Crawford Question

  When a fighter who many consider to be, pound-for-pound, the best in the world defends his title at Madison Square Garden, it should be a big deal. But ...

  On December 11, 2019 / By Rob Lownie
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  Andy Ruiz Jr: Another One-Hit Wonder?

  For those who appreciate what we might call boxing fairy tales, February 11th, 1990 holds a special place in the calendar of pugilistic memories. It was on that ...

  On December 5, 2019 / By Alden Chodash
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  “The Bronze Bomber” Will Need To Be Better Come February

  Wilder vs Ortiz II is done and dusted and now I for one cannot wait for February. Because, barring something unforeseen, that’s when we’ll witness probably the best ...

  On November 29, 2019 / By Ralph M. Semien
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  The Canelo Situation

  For a while now I’ve been wondering what’s going on with Saul “Canelo” Alvarez. First, for many months he’s been insisting a third match with his arch-rival, Gennadiy ...

  On October 20, 2019 / By Ralph M. Semien
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  The Courage Of Patrick Day

  Patrick Day died yesterday. He was only 27-years-old and, according to all accounts, was an exceptional young man. He died because he loved to compete in the ring, ...

  On October 17, 2019 / By Michael Carbert
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  Golovkin’s Big Gamble

  There are boxers who, when the gloves have been hung up and the ring left behind, are considered indisputably great. Nobody’s going to argue with the appearance of ...

  On October 3, 2019 / By Rob Lownie
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  A Lowdown Dirty Shame

  It appears increasingly likely that there will never be a clash between the two best welterweights in the world, Errol Spence Jr. and Terence “Bud” Crawford, and that’s ...

  On October 3, 2019 / By Ralph M. Semien
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  Spence vs Porter: Lost Opportunity

  It is a hard truth of boxing in the 21st century that fight fans are so starved for meaningful competition that matches which once upon a time would ...

  On October 1, 2019 / By Neil Crane
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  Let ‘Em Fight!

  I will no doubt be revealing that I’m out of the loop, and likely over the hill, when I tell you I really have no idea who KSI ...

  On September 13, 2019 / By Sean Crose
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  Kovalev vs Yarde: Double Vindication

  Kovalev vs Yarde. A veteran champion defending in his home nation of Russia against an undefeated British upstart. An intriguing match-up on paper and one that brought out ...

  On August 27, 2019 / By Matt O'Brien
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  Eddie Hearn Has No Morals

  I’m out on my patio enjoying a late summer’s afternoon on the chaise, catching up on my sports news, and I’ve just read, with disgust, the announcement in ...

  On August 12, 2019 / By Ralph M. Semien
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  On Eddie Futch

  Perhaps it’s just me but I get the feeling Eddie Futch , who was born 108 years ago tomorrow, wouldn’t be too comfortable in today’s boxing world. I ...

  On August 8, 2019 / By Sean Crose
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  The Baleful Look In The PacMan’s Eyes

  During all the weeks of pre-fight hoopla and the long promotional tour, Manny Pacquiao, a nice man with a lot of class, quietly took a whole lot of ...

  On July 22, 2019 / By Ralph M. Semien