What If Bowe And Lewis Met As Professionals In The Ring? Twice!
The year was 1992. Evander Holyfield was ruling the heavyweight division and by the close of that year had defended his crown against George Foreman, Bert Cooper and Larry Holmes.
At the same time, two young heavyweights named Lennox Lewis and Riddick Bowe were making their way to the top of the divisional ranks and a four person heavyweight tournament was devised with the winners of each respective bout meeting each other for the Undisputed World Heavyweight Championship.
Of the four, Razor Ruddock was considered the best, having given Mike Tyson two tough bouts just a year earlier and he would meet Lennox Lewis in an official eliminator for the World Title in October.
Many thought this would be a step too far for Lewis, but in two amazing rounds he destroyed the dangerous Ruddock with chopping right hands.
The heavyweight landscape was changing and for many, Riddick Bowe was considered the most dangerous challenger that Holyfield had faced in his tenure as champion.
In November, 1992 in an all time classic bout, Bowe would defeat Holyfield over the 12 round distance to become the new champion. The stage was now clear for old Olympic rivals Bowe and Lewis to meet for undisputed honours.
The rivalry between Riddick Bowe and Lennox Lewis had been going on for the last four years. The two had met as amateurs in the 1988 Super Heavyweight Olympic final with Lewis stopping Bowe with a big right hand. More…
Let’s turn the clock back to 1985 in order to consider what could have been a legendary fight between Barry McGuigan and Azumah Nelson.
Both men were riding high in the featherweight division. McGuigan, on an emotional night in London, had defeated the great Panamanian Euesbio Pedroza and had cemented that win with a solid eight round victory over tough American Bernard Taylor.
As for Nelson, he became a World Champion at the second time of asking by defeating the great Wilfedo Gomez in 11 rounds in 1984. He ended the following year with a second successful defence against Briton Pat Cowdell with a swift one round knockout to close 1985.
After months of being called out by Nelson, “The Clones Cyclone” Barry McGuigan agreed to put his WBA version of the championship on the line against The Professor’s WBC honours.
The fight was signed to take place at the Caesars Palace Sports Pavillion on 25 February, 1986. It would be a fight that Ring Magazine would vote Fight of the Year.
Despite the goading by Nelson, it was obvious that the African had a high amount of respect for his Irish opponent.
This was highlighted in the opening few rounds when Nelson adopted a high guard to offset the constant pressure of his opponent who was three years younger. McGuigan, although setting the pace, was always wary of the African’s potent left hook. That fear was realised when McGuigan was caught high on the temple, taking a count in the fifth round. More…
A fight that has been years, not months, in the making finally takes places this Saturday at the Thomas and Mack Centre in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Its a fight at light heavyweight between two men with a combined 41 successful defences of their world titles.
Welshman Joe Calzaghe will be attempting to stop a disappointing run of results in Camp Calzaghe. After world title defeats for stablemates Gavin Rees and Enzo Maccarinelli, the undefeated World Super Middleweight Champion will be desperate not to make it third time unlucky.
Bernard Hopkins stands between Joe and a place in boxing history. A pro now for 20 years, Hopkins won the middleweight title at the third attempt, stopping Segundo Mercardo in seven back in 1995, having lost and drawn previous title attempts. More…
A week before the big Calzaghe vs. Hopkins light heavyweight showdown, Sheffield’s Clinton Woods defends his IBF title against Antonio Tarver in Tampa, Florida.
For Woods, this is his well deserved spot in the big league, topping an American bill as champion. A pro since 1994, Woods has won titles at domestic, Commonwealth and European level at super middleweight and light heavyweight.
In his first tilt at world honours, Woods had the misfortune to run into Undisputed World Light Heavyweight Champion Roy Jones Jr, then at the peak of his powers, losing in six rounds in September 2002. After a draw and a points loss verdict to veteran Glencoffe Johnson, Woods finally made it fourth time lucky, stopping American Rico Hoye in five in March 2005, wining the vacant IBF title. More…
Four years after their Fight of the Year in 2004, Juan Manuel Marquez and Manny Pacquiao renew their rivalry over 12 rounds in Las Vegas this Saturday night. At stake at the Mandalay Bay is Marquez’s WBC Super Featherweight World Championship.
Their first fight in May 2004 was an absolute classic. Marquez, the gritty smart champion at featherweight, survived three first round knockdowns against his buzzsaw opponent, battling his way to a drawn verdict and keeping his featherweight belts.
Their rematch is at four pounds heavier and to be honest, the rise in weight hasn’t affected either man so far.
Marquez the champion has defeated all-time great Marco Antonio Barrera and credible challenger Rocky Juarez over 12 rounds. Pacquiao has twice beaten Mexican legend Erik Morales and decisioned the aforementioned Barrera, scoring his second win over the “Baby Faced Assassin”. More…
One of Britain’s most eagerly anticipated fights takes place this Saturday when Welshman Enzo Maccarinelli faces English rival David Haye in a World Cruiserweight Championship unification match up.
At stake are the Welshman’s WBO and the Englishman’s WBA/WBC Titles. The venue is the magnificent 02 Arena in London.
Some are calling this matchup the biggest dustup Britain has seen in 20 years. I for one would agree. In terms of anticipation, this one is right up with the likes of Nigel Benn vs. Chris Eubank. Its also just as tough to call a winner!. More…
Saturday night sees a rare heavyweight unification matchup when the Ukraine’s IBF Champion Wladimir Klitschko, 49-3 (44), meets Russian WBO Champion Sultan Ibragimov, 22-0 (17), at New York’s Madison Square Garden.
Klitschko, a pro now for 12 years, is widely recognised as the best of the bunch at heavyweight and goes into Saturday’s bout as a healthy favourite. With only three defeats in 52 bouts, Klitschko seems to have recovered well from his crushing defeats against Corrie Sanders and Lamon Brewster. Certainly against big punching Samuel Peter in September, 2005, in an elimination bout, the giant Ukrainian showed grit, character and heart.
Saturday night sees the fourth defence of his portion of the heavyweight crown, having seen off Ray Austin, Calvin Brock and Lamon Brewster, the latter being a big revenge win.
An undefeated fighter is a tough man to beat and in Ibragimov we have an undefeated WBO Champion. With 22 wins, the Russian has had less than half the fights of his IBF counterpart but has the nightmare style. He’s a southpaw!
After drawing in an IBF title eliminator in July 2006 against Ray Austin, Ibragimov rebounded by taking the WBO title from the musclebound yet fragile champion Shannon Briggs in June last year on points. His one defence was also a points win over veteran Evander Holyfield in October.
In a division much criticised at the moment, this is a welcome step in the right direction on the way to hopefully finding a unified champion. This is in fact the first heavyweight unification fight this decade. More…
Two modern day boxing legends share a boxing ring tonight when Roy Jones Jr meets Felix Trinidad over 12 rounds at the legendary Madison Square Garden in New York.
For Jones Jr this is his third bout since losing a light heavyweight rubber match to local rival Antonio Tarver in October 2005. A former four weight world title holder and Olympian, Jones has won major world belts at middleweight, super middleweight, light heavyweight and heavyweight.
At 39, Jones is four years older than rival Trinidad. The Puerto Rican has won major world titles at welterweight, light middleweight and middleweight. Trinidad’s last bout was back in May 2005 when he lost a 12 round decision to Winky Wright.
One wonders why this fight is taking place now at a time when obviously, both men are past their peak? That being said, Jones Jr, in his two fights since the Tarver defeat, has showed he still has his fleet footed boxing skills.
The fight tonight will be at catchweight of 170 pounds. Who does this favour? For me ,this favours Jones Jr. Although he has won titles at middleweight, super middleweight and heavyweight, Jones has spent the majority of his professional boxing career at the 175 pound limit.
Don’t forget that he was a world champion at that weight from 1996 through to 2004. For Trinidad, the majority of his professional career was spent at the welterweight limit and after a short visit to 154 pounds, his last fights were at 160 pounds. More…
A big weekend of fight action kicks off this Saturday in Dusseldorf, Germany when Britain’s Matt Skelton challenges unbeaten Ruslan Chagaev of Uzbekistan for the WBA World Heavyweight Championship.
Skelton, a late starter in the professional ranks, has only one defeat in 22 fights, scoring 18 knockouts. A never say die brawler, Skelton was previously a kick boxer before joining the professional boxing ranks five years ago at age 35.
Realising time wasn’t on his side, Skelton would win the English Heavyweight title in only his eighth professional bout, scoring a sixth round win over Michael Holden in September 2003.
Five fights later in April 2004, he captured the British and Commonwealth title in a brutal fight with champion Michael Sprott, winning in the 12th and final round.
His only defeat occurred in February 2006 against Danny Williams when he lost a split decision over 12 rounds. However, Skelton would gain revenge five months later, winning a decision in an easily forgettable fight.
In Chagaev, he meets a champion unbeaten in 23 professional bouts. Most of Chagaev’s professional career has been spent in his adopted homeland of Germany. The champion will be conceding two inches in height to his challenger this Saturday night. That’s nothing however compared to the masive 11 inches he conceded when he annexed the title from Nikolay Vaulev back in April of last year. Other names on the champion’s record include John Ruiz, who he decisioned in November 2006. More…
Well after months of anticipation its finally here. The hype machine has taken in such places as Los Angeles, Grand Rapids, New York, London and Manchester. Many words have been said. The fighters have come face to face. Now, in the words of Michael Buffer, “Lets Get Ready to Rumble”.
In a great year for world boxing, where big matchups seem to be coming like buses, Floyd Mayweather Jr., defends his WBC Welterweight crown against Ricky Hatton.
Both men are undefeated with a combined record of 81-0 and 53 knockouts have been amassed between them. Hatton is a two weight world champion and Mayweather is a five weight world champion.
It all started for Hatton in September 1997 with a one round win in Widnes, England. In his second pro fight, Hatton would get his first taste of the big American fight scene on the undercard of the Naseem Hamed vs. Kevin Kelley featherweight thriller. On that night in December 1997, he would again have his hand raised, gaining a four rounds points decision win.
Over the next three years, “The Hitman” would continue his unbeaten record, even appearing on a Mike Tyson undercard in Manchester before fighting for his first professional title against the experienced Jon Thaxton in October 2000. More…
As well as the big welterweight fight between Floyd Mayweather and Ricky Hatton, the MGM Grand in Las Vegas sees other big fight action too this Saturday.
Two fighters who are no strangers to British fans, Jeff Lacy and Peter Manfredo, fight in an intriguing 10 round super middleweight bout.
Jeff Lacy, just two years ago, was being touted as the best super middleweight fighter in the world. An undefeated IBF champion with 21 wins and 17 KO’s, Lacy was backed by many to defeat Welshman Joe Calzaghe in an eagerly awaited unification bout in March 2006. 12 rounds later, Lacy was left battered and totally defeated and left the ring at the Manchester Arena an ex-champion.
Since that rude awakening, Lacy has fought just the once, 12 months ago, in a rematch against old foe Vitali Tsypko. Lacy that night didn’t look impressive, just managing to scrape a 10 round majority decision win. Now, he aims to get back into the title picture.
Opposing him this Saturday is another former Calzaghe foe, Peter Manfredo. With a useful record of 28-4, Manfredo is more famous to the casual fan as a competitor in the reality boxing show “The Contender”, reaching the final. His reward for this achievement was a high profile challenge for Joe Calzaghe’s title in April this year where he was stopped in three rounds. More…
A cracking night of action on both sides of the Atlantic gets underway in Bolton, England where local hero Amir Khan makes the second defence of his Commonwealth Lightweight Championship.
Graham Earl, from Luton, opposes Khan this Saturday. Earl himself has held British and Commonwealth titles and has even tread water into world level in his last outing, losing in five torrid rounds during a vacant WBO title bid against Aussie Michael Katsidis.
For Khan, this will be his 15th professional fight since turning pro two years ago. Frank Warren, his promoter, seems to be handling Khan well, asking certain questions of Amir as each bout progresses.
The former Olympic Silver Medallist’s biggest test came in July of this year when in a tough scrap against Scot Willie Limond, Khan survived a sixth round knockdown en route to a thrilling eighth round stoppage win to bag the Commonwealth crown.
After one defence, Khan steps into the ring for another potentially tough matchup.
Graham Earl is arguably the toughest opponent that Khan has faced in the pro ranks and has certainly faced the better opposition of the two. More…
The Staples Centre in Los Angeles plays host this Friday to a bout between two former champions in Fernando Vargas and Ricardo Mayorga.
The big question obviously, when you observe this matchup, is how much has either man got left?
Lets start with Vargas. It’s hard to believe that “Ferocious” is still only thirty years of age. A former two time light middleweight champion, he still has a respectable professional record of 26 wins with only 4 defeats.
He first won world honours in December 1998 when he stopped the rugged Yory Boy Campas in seven rounds. Things seemed to be going well for Vargas when he successfully negotiated title defences against respected names such as Ike Quartey and Winky Wright.
Then, he stepped into the ring against Felix Trinidad in December 2000. Despite showing great heart, rising from two first round knockdowns, he was finally pummelled to defeat in 12 brutal rounds. More…
In an potentially excellent bout, Puerto Rican icon Miguel Cotto makes the third defence of his WBA welterweight title against future hall of famer Sugar Shane Mosley at New York’s Madison Square Garden
The fight to be held on November 10 has the potential to be one of those bouts that are an intriguing clash of styles.
With the champion Cotto, 30-0 (25), you have the patient stalker with great power in both fists. In Mosley,44-4 (27), you have the master boxer with fast hands and power that should be respected.
Mosley, as we know, has been written off many times. Now in his 36th year, he has been a champion in three weight divisions. More…
This Saturday Evening, Britain’s David Haye finally gets his opportunity to become a world champion when he fights the experienced Frenchman Jean Marc Mormeck for the WBA/WBC Cruiserweight championship.
For the most part, Haye has looked “the part”. With 18 of his 19 wins coming by knockout, the challenger will certainly be bringing the big guns to the Palais De Sport in Paris.
The only blot on his record is a fifth round stoppage loss to the experienced former champion Carl Thompson in 2004. Lack of experience contributed more to the loss than anything else.
In Mormeck, Haye meets a man with much more experience in the pro ranks. However, Mormeck is also eight years older at 35. Without a doubt, the bigger names are on Mormeck’s record. In his 12 year pro career, the Frenchman has defeated the likes of Virgil Hill, Wayne Braithwaite and O’Neil Bell, all World Champions themselves.
It’s a fascinating bout. Haye has flirted with the possibility of moving permanently up to heavyweight, win or lose on Saturday, and has already dipped his toes into the heavyweight ranks, winning his last fight in the first round over Tomasz Bonin.
From a British perspective, however, I hope for two things; the first being that Haye wins on Saturday night and the second that he stays at cruiserweight. More…
It’s an old saying I know, but on November 3, someone’s 0 will go when Joe Calzaghe squares off againt Dane Mikkel Kessler in a 168 pound unification bout at the magnificent Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.
Both men have a combined record of a staggering 82 unbeaten fights between them. Both have also been emphatically victorious in previous unification bouts. Both are also arguably at the top of their game.
Lets start with the recognised number 1 in the division, Welshman Joe Calzaghe.
Born in 1972, the former ABA Champion has been a pro since October 1993 when he made his debut on the Lennox Lewis vs. Frank Bruno world title undercard.
Unbeaten over the next two years, Calzaghe would win his first professional honours when in October 1995 he defeated Stephen Wilson for the vacant British title in eight rounds.
The super middleweight division at this time was red hot. Internationally, we had Roy Jones Jr and domestically, we had the the likes of Steve Collins, Nigel Benn and Chris Eubank.
Calzaghe would continue his winning ways and found himself the number 1 contender for the WBO title against then champion Steve Collins. However, that fight was not to be when Collins retired and Joe would eventually fight for the vacant title against the still big box office Chris Eubank, who had stepped in at late notice to fight for the now vacant title. More…
This Saturday night on a Fight Academy Promotion at Hallam FM Arena in Sheffield, England, IBF Light Heavyweight Champion Clinton Woods attempts to improve his first victory over Julio Gonzalez when they meet in the ring.
In a career spanning 13 years, the 35 year old Woods, 40-3-1 (24), still clamours for the big money matchup.
A year on from his last fight in which he entered a career best performance to finally beat Glen Johnsonm many feel that he is going over old ground by fighting Gonzalez again.
Born in Mexico but now a resident of Huntington Beach, California, Gonzalez, 42-3 (25), has earned this chance on the back of an eliminator win over Woods old foe Jason DeLisle back in November of 2005. More…
While Britain’s Ricky Hatton makes big headlines on both sides of the Atlantic, Bradford’s Junior Witter moves on with a potentially tricky defence of his WBC Light Welter title against Vivian Harris on Friday, September 7.
Home advantage will be once again be in Witter’s favour as the Doncaster Dome plays host to the fight between Ring Magazine’s top two 140 pounders.
Witter, 33, has won every title available to him in the pro boxing game and has only one defeat in 38 fights. That one defeat came back in June 2000 when, as a late substitute, he took American Zab Judah the full 12 rounds distance in an IBF title bid. Who knows what would have happened had he the full time to prepare?
Witter would spend a further six years undefeated before he eventually gained an opportunity to fight for the WBC version of the 140 lb title, vacated by Floyd Mayweather Jr. September 15, 2006 would be the date when “The Hitter” finally got his hands on that elusive title.
Veteran Demarcus Corley was the opponent and was deemed to be a tricky one. However, Witter was on fire, producing an almost faultless performance and winning on points.
Now after one defence, he faces another potentially awkward night.
Opposing him on the 7th is Vivian Harris, a former WBA title holder. At age 29, Harris is a ten year veteran of the squared circle. After a two year reign as world champion, in which he was being touted as a future opponent for Ricky Hatton, Harris dropped the belt in a truly dismal performance against rugged Carlos Maussa in June 2005. Ironically for Harris, Maussa would go onto face Hatton in his next bout. More…
In a fight that I still find difficult to believe is taking place, Floyd Mayweather Jr and Ricky Hatton put their unbeaten records on the line in December.
Call me a skeptic or even a pessimist, but I still won’t believe it will happen until both men are in the ring.
This is a fight that we’ve been talking about for the last two years, ever since Mayweather ripped the WBC 140 pound title from an overmatched Arturo Gatti in June 2005.
Just three weeks earlier, Hatton himself became a title holder, defeating long serving champion Kostya Tszyu.
Much has happened since that night to both men. Hatton has changed promoters while Mayweather’s threatened retirement.
To be honest, I never really took Mayweather’s promise to retire after defeating De La Hoya in May, seriously. If anything, I thought he would be fighting the Golden Boy in a rematch.
Certainly, the fight in Las Vegas in which Mayweather won his fifth title was much more entertaining than I thought it would be. Surely, financial sense would had been to make a rematch. However, it wasn’t to be. More…
In another big Sports Network card, three title fights take place tonight at London’s O2 Arena.
Topping the bill will be Dagenham’s undefeated featherweight star Nicky Cook, who finally gets his shot at the WBO Featherweight title.
Undefeated in 27 fights, Cook has won all available titles at British, European and Commonwealth level. A pro since 1998, Cook has passed all tests given to him so far with impressive victories over the likes of Gary Thornhill and former world title challenger Jackie Gunguluza.
Cook was originally due to get his shot last December against Scotland’s Scott Harrison, who withdrew due to personal difficulties. Now he faces a different opponent for the vacated title.
American Steve Luevano will be in the opposite corner tonight, and like Cook, the Californian has an excellent professional record of 32 wins in 33 bouts. Although of Hispanic descent, Luevano is a slickster rather than a brawler. Of his 32 wins, only 14 have come inside the distance. He also has an extensive amateur background. More…
