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Boxing Articles By Daxx Kahn
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By Daxx Kahn September 9th, 2009 All Boxing Articles
Over 35 years now I have either been a devout fan of boxing or involved with the sport one way or another. I have met boxing royalty, trained fighters, owned a gym and ignored every other sport there is because of my love of boxing.
It is almost unexplainable the grasp boxing can have over a person, be it a fighter, trainer, promoter and even the writers who sit down day after day in front of their computers typing out article after article pertaining to the sport.
You learn about what drives these warriors to put their bodies and health on the line, year after year, mostly for minimal reward considering the sacrifices they make and it brings you to a whole new level of admiration.
Growing up, my parents taught me that in life, no matter how passionate you are about something, there will be good and bad to go along with it. They taught me that if you have a true passion, you must accept the bad but in no way does that mean you have to condone it and if the day comes that you turn a blind eye to it, you're doing nothing more than an injustice to not only yourself but all those involved.
Even if you don’t have the power to change things, make sure you voice your opinion, even if it is for nothing more then self satisfaction.
I have defended the sport time and again during controversy, bogus rankings, second rate main events and everything in-between. I make great efforts not to express my dissatisfaction with this sport at times; I usually go out of my way to only write about the good side of boxing and its associates.
As a writer, for one reason or another, I feel it is my duty to only focus on the positive, but there comes a time when the negative needs to be addressed, though this is the first time I HAVE to address it. If for nothing more then my own personal piece of mind and strangely enough, its because of a wrong doing to a fighter that more often then not, I look forward to him getting a good punch in the mouth. More...
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By Daxx Kahn July 14th, 2009 All Boxing Articles
© Jim Everett / Saddo Boxing
As fans of boxing, we all gravitate towards certain fighters for different reasons. Some like a fighter because of their resume of talent faced, others like the knockout artist, while perhaps it's the fast pace a particular boxer keeps or maybe it's just because there is a fighter who is so technically gifted that every fight is like a clinic in motion.
The reason why you follow your favorite ring warrior really doesn't matter because, when it comes time for the bout to begin, there is nothing anyone can say to sway your emotions. You will cheer for them until the end and at the final bell, you will either celebrate their victory or wallow in their defeat.
Boxing unlike most sports, allows you to become emotionally involved in the fighter. There is only one man you are rooting for, one man who's actions draw you toward them and in time, if you follow that fighter close enough, they become part of you for that 36 minutes they are between the ropes. More...
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By Daxx Kahn July 9th, 2009 All Boxing Articles
18 months ago, Floyd Mayweather Jr announced his retirement, stating “I don’t have the desire I once did”. Now, from the sound of that statement, one is led to believe that the motivation that once existed is gone, the desire to train and compete is not what it was so there is no desire to continue.
Bravo! After all, Floyd sat upon the pound for pound list, claimed world titles in five weight classes, made a fortune of money and is leaving the sport with all his bearings intact.
Mayweather Jr accomplished what every fighter sets out to achieve perfectly and most rational people could agree with this decision. After all, why continue in a dangerous sport you have no wish to compete in anymore and take the chance of getting hurt?
Retire on top and wait for your day to be inducted into boxing’s Hall of Fame, something very few have managed to do.
But few outside of the Mayweather camp believed this retirement would last.
A vast majority of observers believed Floyd was using his retirement speech as a ploy, after all, he was the top ranked fighter in boxing and opportunity was wide open.
After a big payday like that of his bout with Oscar De La Hoya, perhaps he was waiting for the right moment to make a huge welterweight showdown with who ever was left after Miguel Cotto, Antonio Margarito, Paul Williams, Shane Mosley and Joshua Clottey had all faced each other and cleared up the chaos. More...
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By Daxx Kahn July 7th, 2009 All Boxing Articles
Growing up as children, one of the hardest things we learn to deal with is reality. It just baffles our little minds when we find out Santa Claus is not real, that Superman is just a cartoon and our favorite athletes put on their pants one leg at a time, just like everyone else.
The only thing that seems unreal when finding these things out is the fact that they are the truth. But, in time we learn to deal with it and though at the moment we feel our world has come to an end, we eventually accept these truths.
As adults, the truth, while we have learned to accept it at times, does not make it any easier. The news that broke on Wednesday, July 1st that Alexis Arguello was dead was one of those times.
As a kid growing up, Alexis, to me, was every hero one could ever imagine all rolled up into one small 135lb package.
Alexis' televised fights were events in my house. My parents, uncles, aunts and cousins all gathered around the TV to watch our our man Arguello conquer opponent after opponent in a fashion that only he could.
We would scream at every punch landed and celebrate in between rounds, even before the bout was finished, confident that the champion from Managua, Nicaragua would rise up victorious before the night was through. More...
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By Daxx Kahn June 11th, 2009 All Boxing Previews
With all of the big promotion companies in competition with each other to fill the airwaves with fight cards these days, often we miss out on some quality shows thrown by the promoters who happen to miss out on some national TV time.
This of course does not mean that they are not working just as hard to put on quality shows.
On Friday evening at the Civic Auditorium in Glendale, CA one such quality card is on the bill when Kahren Harutyunyan and his promotion company Art of War Boxing, along with Bash Boxing, present "Glendale Glory".
The main event features Russian prospect Andrey Fedosov, 19-1 (15), who takes on journeymen Galen “Bad Boy” Brown in a 10 round heavyweight attraction.
Fedosov, who has stopped his last seven opponents, is looking to make Brown number eight while Galen is hoping his experience will carry him through to victory.
Also in heavyweight action, power punching Lateef Kayode, 6-0 (5), looks to continue his undefeated streak when he faces Francisco Mireles in hopes of bringing his winning record to 7-0, while adding another KO victory to his resume.
Included in the quest to keep the 0 intact, Max Skayzer, 6-0, faces Jorge Barajas, 5-2, in a welterweight bout and Art Hovhannesyan, 7-0-1, faces Daniel Gonzalez in lightweight action. More...
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By Daxx Kahn May 27th, 2009 All Boxing Articles
On Monday, May 25, 2009, while the rest of the country celebrated Memorial Day, Mike Tyson was struck yet with another tragedy in his life.
Mike's four year old daughter Exodus Tyson was playing on a treadmill in the family workout room and somehow accidentally caught her neck in one of the straps that hang down off the console.
Unable to call for help, she had lost consciousness and was found by her 7 year old brother, who then ran to get their mother for help.
When responding emergency personnel arrived, they attempted to revive Exodus and rushed her to a local hospital where she was listed in "extremely critical condition" and put on life support. More...
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By Daxx Kahn April 27th, 2009 All Ringside Boxing
© Tom Casino / Showtime Boxing
On Saturday, April 25 at the MGM Grand Ballroom in Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, CT, WBC Super Middleweight titlist Carl "The Cobra" Froch made the first defense of his belt when he faced off against former undisputed Middleweight Champion Jermain "Bad Intentions" Taylor.
Froch, who had fought all but one of his previous 24 bouts in the United Kingdom, and his promoter Mick Hennessy were both hoping to use this bout as a way to showcase Froch to the United States fans, but "The Cobra" ended up being anything but impressive until the final two rounds.
When the bout began, Taylor was in control immediately, landing his jabs at will, following up with big right hands that at first unfazed the British Champion, at least until the third round when Froch went down for the first time in his career. More...
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By Daxx Kahn April 21st, 2009 All Boxing Previews
When Joe Calzaghe left the super middleweight division in April 2008 to face Bernard Hopkins for the light heavyweight title, most thought it was going to be a temporary move.
Until that point, Calzaghe held the super middleweight division under siege, making it undeniable as to just who the man in charge was.
After Calzaghe defeated Hopkins and opted to stay the light heavyweight champion, the 168 lb division was suddenly left wide open.
While the consensus was that Mikkel Kessler, widely considered the division’s second best, would immediately become “Heir to the Throne”, the Dane has been slow moving in claiming the crown.
Since Mikkel has done nothing to immediately define himself as the division’s new champion, a round-robin of possible bouts have evolved in an attempt to determine who is worthy of stepping in where Calzaghe left off.
One of those possible bouts came to surface when former middleweight champion Jermaine “Bad Intentions” Taylor , 28-2 (17), signed to fight current WBC Super Middleweight titlist, Carl “The Cobra” Froch, 24-0 (19).
Froch, who became champion in December, 2008 by defeating Jean Pascal, has fought all but one of his bouts in the United Kingdom and is looking to make himself an internationally known superstar. More...
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By Daxx Kahn March 18th, 2009 All Boxing Articles
Just under 27 years ago, two men stepped into the ring and created the most memorable 140lb bout to ever take place when former three division champion Alexis "El Flaco Explosivo" Arguello stepped up to challenge then reigning WBA light welterweight champion Aaron "The Hawk" Pryor in his quest for a fourth division championship.
Arguello, the crowd favorite by far, had not lost in five years and was widely considered one of boxing's pound for pound greats, while Pryor was undefeated and had developed an aura of invincibility, stopping 29 of his 31 previous opponents.
The bout did not disappoint onlookers in any way, shape or form as the two men went to war, giving it all they had until finally Arguello had enough and the bout was halted in the 14th round.
Until this day, no other 140lb bout has captured the heart of boxing fans the way Arguello vs. Pryor had, nor to this date has there been another light welterweight bout which produced the same amount of electricity that circulated through the air of Miami's Orange Bowl on November 11 1982. Not even when Julio Cesar Chavez faced off in the first of two meetings with Meldrick Taylor.
Some fans had even come to believe that we might not see another bout of that proportion in that division for another 50 years, if ever! This of course has little to do with the fact that talent has been scarce at that weight because the light welterweight division has been anything but lackluster in talent over these past 25 plus years. More...
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By Daxx Kahn February 6th, 2009 All Boxing Previews
© Tom Casino / Showtime Boxing
2009 has already been blessed with two electrifying bouts in boxing's most stacked division when Andre Berto successfully defended his WBC version of the welterweight crown against Louis Collazo, followed up by Shane Mosley's complete destruction of Antonio Margarito to claim the WBA title.
It is now just a little over two months into the New Year and we are about to be treated to another potential blockbuster when the hard hitting Vic Darchinyan, 31-1-1 (25), faces popular former WBC Light Flyweight Champion and WBA Interim Super Flyweight Champion Jorge Arce, 51-4-1 (39), this Saturday night.
Darchinyan, who is on a streak of 3-0-1 since his upset KO loss to boxing specialist and IBF/IBO Flyweight Champion Nonito Donaire, has been nothing less than impressive since that night. More...
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By Daxx Kahn January 21st, 2009 All Boxing Articles
Jose Torres was a man who went full circle in the boxing world, from amateur boxer, 1956 Olympic Light Middleweight Silver Medallist, Puerto Rican Middleweight Champion, WBA and WBC Light Heavyweight Champion, New York State Athletic Commission Chairman and WBO President.
He was also an author of two top selling biographies, "Sting Like a Bee: The Muhammad Ali Story" and "Fire and Fear: The inside Story of Mike Tyson” and a 1997 Hall of Fame inductee as well as an all around goodwill ambassador of the sport.
Torres accomplished so much in boxing that his accomplishments almost seem embellished.
It is not often we can actually look back at an athlete and say that during their duration in the sport they did nothing but continually improve its standards, representing the sport as a whole to the fullest and striving constantly to make sure it was viewed in the most positive of images.
Jose Torres was one of those athletes.
It was in 1964 when Jose’s pro career really began to soar as he scored a first round KO victory over former middleweight champion Bobo Olsen, earning a title shot with the great Willie Pastrano just four months later.
In that contest, Torres again shined when he knocked Pastrano down in the sixth round, continuing his onslaught until referee Johnny Bianco was forced to stop the bout at the end of the ninth, making Torres the new light heavyweight champion. More...
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By Daxx Kahn January 1st, 2009 All Boxing Articles
© SE
On December 20, 2008, Evander Holyfield made an attempt at becoming the only man to ever hold a portion of boxing’s most coveted prize for the fifth time, the heavyweight championship of the world.
So after all the critics blasted any chance he might have at success, Holyfield stepped into the ring against the 7 foot reigning WBA champion Nicolai Valuev and proceeded to prove his skeptics wrong by outboxing the champion.
But when the scores were read after the bout, only one reaction poured out from those in attendance; boos. Anyone and everyone that night in Hallenstadion, Zurich , Switzerland witnessing the bout all felt the same way: disgusted, everyone not in the camp of Valuev, that is.
This sport is used to controversial decisions, they take place all the time, but if not for these decisions, so many rematches may not take place. But there are limits to these things. More...
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By Daxx Kahn December 29th, 2008 All Boxing Interviews
© Haitian Sensation Promotions
Daniel Edouard, 21-2-2 (12), like every fighter, wants to be a world champion, middleweight champion of the world to be exact, and so far, he has had an impressive start towards his goal.
In just under six years as a professional, Edouard has captured a fair share of minor titles including the USBA Middleweight and currently holds the WBA Fedecaribe Light Middleweight, WBA Fedecentro Light Middleweight and WBA Fedelatin Middleweight titles.
While the majority of titles "The Haitian Sensation" holds are regional Caribbean and Latin belts, the fact that he holds them all simultaneously sends out a message of “There is a new fighter on the rise and he is serious!” More...
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By Daxx Kahn December 23rd, 2008 All Boxing Articles
At 32 years of age, Wladimir Klitschko has gone through almost every stage a fighter can as a professional. At one time, he was known in almost an Ivan Drago-like manner, a huge European with massive power but robotic movement.
After his loss to Corrie Sanders in 2003 and another at the hands of Lamon Brewster in 2004, both by KO, the label of of over-rated was attached, one that seemed like it could be there forever.
In 2005, Wlad yet again forced a reclassification of his status after beating undefeated Eliseo Castillo and Sam Peter and this time the label was the best heavyweight in the world.
In 2006, after winning another world title from Chris Byrd, knocking out highly regarded Calvin Brock, dismantling Ray Austin with one hand, winning the rematch with Brewster by KO then taking Sultan Ibragimov’s WBO strap in 2008, the doubts were certainly removed on exactly who ruled the roost of heavyweight boxing.
Why is it then after everything he's accomplished and overcome along with two title defenses in 2008 that Wladimir Klitschko is criticized? What more can the man do to leave his detractors behind? It is almost as if onlookers just beg for reasons to minimize his ability.
After establishing his status on top of the division he is now labeled “too cautious”. Of all things he is too cautious? Is there really nothing better to pick at? After all the questions have been asked about Wladimir, such as his ability and fortitude, I have to ask a question of my own. More...
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By Daxx Kahn November 20th, 2008 All Boxing Articles
Heavyweight boxing has always been the flagstone of our sport, with the exception of a few weak years here and there throughout the gloved era, yet even during those durations the heavyweight champion was always known as the single most dominant figure in all of sport.
In the 1990ʼs, heavyweight boxing may have been the strongest and talented it ever had been in its history, except for the glorious 1970ʼs.
During the 1990's, we had not only established contenders and former champions, but perhaps some of the most exciting prospects in recent memory. We were flooded with names like Hasim Rahman, Shannon Briggs, Henry Akinwande, Michael Grant, Frans Botha, Frank Bruno, Bruce Seldon, Andrew Golota, Riddick Bowe, Ray Mercer, Tommy Morrison, Oliver McCall, Razor Ruddock, David Tua, Fres Oquendo, Chris Byrd, Larry Donald, Lou Savarese and Michael Moorer.
Although not all turned out to be superstars in the end, during that time all were exceptional. The only thing we were missing was a single dominant champion.
Mike Tyson, the most famous man in boxing, was in serious decline. He had lost several big bouts and was not taking the sport seriously, and to make matters worse, he disgraced not only himself but boxing itself by biting Evander Holyfieldʼs ear in their 1997 rematch of a bout in which Tyson lost to Holyfield via TKO.
There had been even a bigger problem during the 1990ʼs as the heavyweight championship had been changing hands far too often. Tommy Morrison, Michael Moorer, Bruce Seldon, Mike Tyson, Oliver McCall, Riddick Bowe, Ray Mercer, Shannon Briggs and Frank Bruno had all held one version or another of the heavyweight crown for a short period, but with all of the talent in the most revered division in boxing, there was not one single dominant man to carry the reigns. More...
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By Daxx Kahn November 4th, 2008 All Boxing Articles
Are we putting our fighters on the chopping block?
I am all for rivalry. If you ask me, a good rivalry will push you to your limits in the quest to come out on top. The sport of boxing as a whole is in the biggest rivalry it has encountered since its creation. That rival comes in the form of Mixed Martial Art's.
Let's face it, MMA and the UFC in particular have been not only giving the sport of boxing a run for it's money in the viewer department, but it has often been coming out ahead. It's not really hard to see why in all honesty, MMA puts out more shows with top level names headlining, it is fast paced, gives more then enough violence to satisfy even the most blood thirsty viewer and most importantly, their roster of talent is constantly fresh.
Yet for all the plus factors, MMA still has not withstood the test of time. Kickboxing at one point gained popularity in mainstream media but after the same old routine, faded out into obscurity, Muai Thai garnered the same attraction at one point in time, it has even started to make a comeback recently by having a version of "The Contender" geared around its style but for all its fanfare, Muai Thai remains only a mainstream sport in Thailand and surrounding countries.
While none of the two reached the peak of popularity MMA has, they also did not rely on two promoters to keep the sport alive either. If the UFC or WEC go under, the sport will more than likely go with it. Yet for some reason, MMA has put boxing into a panic!
Lately boxing has created it's own internal rumor mill surrounding fighters. Every time a fighter on the rise or an established veteran has a big win, the same questions seem to hit our media circuit almost immediately. The articles start being printed and fans start to wonder if they witnessed "Boxing's Savior".
It has come to the point of almost seeming desperate, as if the need for a mega star must be found sooner than later. The departure of Floyd Mayweather Jr and fact that Oscar De La Hoya is soon on his way out have onlookers running around like chickens without heads. Marketing strategies are being abandoned, fighters are being over hyped. We are setting ourselves up for disaster!
Throughout history, elite fighters were created over time; it took more than one or two big wins to become a superstar. You had to win convincingly again and again to gain respect, one or two wins over top rated opposition meant only one thing, that the fighter had potential for greatness if they could continue with longevity. More...
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By Daxx Kahn October 21st, 2008 All Boxing Articles
© Jim Everett / Saddo Boxing
Winning a world title is every fighter's dream, winning world titles in six different weight classes, earning more in ring money then any other fighter in history, becoming the CEO of boxing's biggest promotion company and having your name as the sports most popular active participant world wide, is perhaps beyond even the most zealous of young fighter's dreams.
Oscar De La Hoya seemed destined for boxing success from the day he fought his first Olympic bout, we all knew that something special aired around the East Los Angeles native, although no one knew exactly how far he would go, in truth how could we?
Yet for every world title he has won and every PPV he has headlined, there is one thing that Oscar has that may define him more then any of the previous mentioned. A resume untouched by any other fighter in the game today, or possibly the gloved era.
On his card you will see names such as Jorge Paez, John John Molina, Rafael Ruelas, Jesse James Leija, Julio Cesar Chavez, Pernell Whitaker, Hector Camacho, Ike Quartey, Felix Trinidad, Shane Mosley, Fernando Vargas, Bernard Hopkins, Felix Sturm, Floyd Mayweather Jr, Ricardo Mayorga, Jimmy Bredahl, Stevie Forbes, Genaro Hernandez and Raul Perez. More...
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By Daxx Kahn August 26th, 2008 All Boxing Articles
Fighters are interesting people. Many fight because it is a means to an end or their only chance of becoming a professional athlete, without any college to play for, or any type of extensive amateur experience.
I always find it fascinating to see how a fighter progresses throughout his career, be it good or bad. Some become legends, others become buffoons, while some yet become part of folklore, making them larger then life.
It is also on rare occasion that careers get cut short due to no one's particular fault other then that of fate. Some are injured, some simply waste their given talents and others yet pass away unexpectedly before reaching their maximum potential.
On January 26, 1959, one of the sport's greats that bloomed into folklore status was born and his name was Salvador Sanchez.
Sanchez turned professional on May 4, 1975 at the age of 16 in Veracruz, Mexico, with the face of an innocent child and hands of dynamite. It was obvious from that first bout that we were going to witness something special on the boxing scene.
Sanchez won 18 straight before a split decision loss against Antonio Becerra for the Mexican Bantamweight Championship and three fights later, he received a draw in a bout against Juan Escobar. More...
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By Daxx Kahn July 22nd, 2008 All Boxing Articles
Is "Pantera" the John Mugabi of our era?
There is nothing more appealing than a knockout if you are a fight fan. In fact, 99.9% of the time, that's what the average fan tuning in is hoping to see. I am a firm believer that only the dedicated fan appreciates a good tactician in the ring and can enjoy the finer parts of the "Sweet Science", such as head movement, footwork, defense and ring generalship.
In boxing, a man who posses one punch knockout power is a man destined for fame and a great deal of devotion from fans. That devotion and also fame usually arrives quickly, turning the one punch monster into a boxing demi-god, but just like the demi-gods, such the devotion and adulation is abandoned shortly after some disappointments.
In certain ways, punching power deters phenoms with it to ever improve themselves, because the short term admiration leaves them with no desire to improve.
That lack of improvement does not bring the moment of truth known as "Tommorow" and it not only cheats the fighter of eternal boxing glory, but the sport of another great fighter.
The power punching warrior past the top of his game is only remembered in quick passing conversations held with fellow enthusiasts that happen to bring up one moment of the past, leaving the ex-fighter a man of what had been 15 minutes of fame but now only 15 seconds of it.
This train of thought came to me about three weeks ago after watching the rematch between Arthur Abraham and Edison Miranda just before catching a replay of Marvin Hagler vs. John Mugabi on an episode of ESPN Sports Classic Boxing.
It also reminded me that I cannot remember the last time I heard John Mugabi's name spoken by a fan or commentator, yet when I watched the Hagler vs. Mugabi replay, they kept referring to Mugabi's brutal power, how he is feared by opponents and Hagler needs to be wary of the strength that Mugabi posseses. More...
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By Daxx Kahn June 15th, 2008 All Boxing Articles
Canastota plays host to boxingʼs retired royalty for 2008
Induction into the International Boxing Hall of Fame, located in Canastota, New York, has become what many refer to as "Boxingʼs Ultimate Prize". Ultimately, enshrinement there is more important than titles, more important than headlining pay per views and more important than going undefeated.
It is the one last walk onto the big stage where the alumni of boxing will be the center of attention, yet to get there, they need no training camp, no six mile runs alone in the cold at 5am, no slipping jabs and no eating straight rights to the head.
All they need do is show up with a smile, accept the thanks of their peers and enjoy the boxing version of immortality there after.
It's no secret that boxing is a brutal sport, brutal not just in a physical aspect, but in a mental one as well. The long and difficult training camps away from loved ones, the abstaining from the kind of temptations in life that can keep a fighter from reaching goals, the abusive process of making weight and the depression in the dressing room after a loss.
It takes a special breed to be able to endure such hardships and prosper just as, in contrast, it takes a certain kind of person to handle the success gained through hard work.
A fighter has to have a certain charisma in the ring to attract people that want to see them perform again and again and it's even more unusual to have what it takes to make people remember their name 10, 20 or even 50 years after retirement.
It takes true greatness to be the type of person all others are measured against. More...
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