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…
At the end of this month, Ricky Hatton will take ‘centre stage’ at his beloved Manchester City Football Ground when he faces the Mexican, but now residing in California, Juan Lazcano.
I’ve openly admitted to knowing very little about the ‘Hispanic causing Panic’ and so I have decided to ‘educate’ myself by firstly watching his fight against Vivian Harris.
The WBC Light Welterweight Title Eliminator between Juan Lazcano and Vivian Harris took place on February 10, 2007 at the Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas, and was promoted by Golden Boy Promotions.
With a record of 37 wins (27 by way of KO) and 3 losses - Lazcano has faced some ’notable’ boxers which include: Steve Johnston and Jose Luis Castillo.
The younger (by three years), taller, ‘Vicious Vivian Harris’ - formerly from Guyana and now living in New York, had changed trainers and now seemed settled with Lennox Blackmore. With a fight record of 27 wins (18 by KO) and 2 losses - Harris too has fought some tough boxers which include: Stevie Johnston, Carlos Maussa and Oktay Urkal.
Rounds one and two were surprisingly ’quiet’ on the part of Lazcano, in fact, I think he threw three punches in the opening minute of round one. Straight away, it’s clear that Harris is keeping distance between the two men and Lazcano teeters around the perimeter of the ring. More…
With just four weeks until Ricky Hatton’s ‘Homecoming’ in Manchester, ‘The Hitman’ is already looking in great shape at 10 stone and 12lbs [152 lb] and is looking forward to the fight against California based Mexican-American Juan Lazcano.
Talking to Sky Sports, Hatton said that Lazcano is a ‘come forward’ boxer - who fights toe-to-toe…that’s something I like!,’ he smiled. More…
Her last match was held at Forlì, in the Emilia Romagna region of Italy, on 29 March, 2008. Simona Galassi, an Italian queen of women’s boxing is trained by Valerio Nati, and in the match against reigning WBC Female Flyweight Champion, Stefania Bianchini, she showed her natural strength and her good physical condition.
At the end of the ten rounds, Simona was ahead by points, and defeated Bianchini to win the WBC crown. Both of the boxers were past champions of Thai Boxing.
Women’s boxing is actually a growing standard in Italy and all over Europe. The ‘boxe in pink’, as it is called in Italy, is a growing phenomena that has a great number of fans. Women’s amateur boxing appeared in the international scene in 1997 in Athens, when the Acropolis Cup was held.
Unfortunately, women’s boxing is not yet a Olympic specialty, so we will not see it included at the coming Olympic Games in Beijing.
Simona Galassi came from martial arts and kickboxing, and she won the European and the World championship in those disciplines before stepping into the boxing ring.
Simona started boxing at the World Championship at Scranton in 2001, and was named top boxer of the tournament and given the Outstanding Boxer Award. Moreover, she had an impressive win over Tammy De Laforest of Canada and she become the world champion.
Galassi went on to dominate the amateur scene with three world titles conquered by the 35 years old athlete of the team Edera Boxe. She then signed on to the stable of professional promoter OPI 2000 and now she is a good professional with a 7-0-1 (3) record and the world champ of the flyweights at 50.8 Kgs.
After a break of 14 months, Audley Harrison of London, made his return on Saturday night as he faced Jason Barnett of Florida at the Thomas and Mack Centre, Las Vegas, on the undercard of the Joe Calzaghe vs Bernard Hopkins main event.
Under promoter Frank Warren again, Harrison has something to prove, because this is really his last chance. If he fails at this one - I doubt he’ll be taken seriously by the boxing notables - or fans again.
For me, Harrison won the Olympic Gold in 2000 and, in his mind I feel, he believed that he didn’t need to prove anything else, that the British public would give him respect and honour and he no longer needed to ’earn it’. More…
Someone once said “What’s in a name?” Exactly who it was that coined the phrase is beyond me, although I probably should know since I quoted them, but hey! I’ll be the first to admit that I am a boxing writer, not a journalist major, and the only person I can quote accurately is Shakespeare. That is only because my wife forced me to watch “Shakespeare In Love” some years back…anyhow, enough of that and on to the topic at hand.
In sports, to become remembered throughout history, one must accomplish something big. In basketball, Michael Jordan became famous for his tremendous skill and scoring ability. In football, Joe Montana became famous for being great in the clutch and being able to win the big game under pressure.
Baseball had home run hitters Hank Aaron and Willie Mays, Hockey had Wayne Gretzky…etc. Each man became legendary for their skills. Boxing is no different of course; the most famous men have been those who have won world titles.
Just winning a world title in boxing just isn’t enough though, especially with so many variations of the belt floating around today. One must be not only a world champion, a feat in and of itself, but they must be a dominant champion to leave an impression. If a champion is not dominant, their name, more often than not, ends up lost in the shuffle of the dozens of other current or former title holders, only to be remembered when the title lineage is examined.
It seems almost unfair, doesn’t it?
Well, boxing has always had one other way for a fighter to be remembered, even a fighter who barely made it past journeyman status. The “Nickname”! More…
On 7 November, 2002, Clinton Woods was to have his first taste of the water from across the other side of the pond. It wasnʼt good. Dismantled in six rounds by the great Roy Jones Jr, it took the Sheffield man almost six years to go back again. The water was no nicer.
After 12 rounds of uninspiring boxing last weekend from Woods, a unanimous decision loss to Antonio Tarver crushed any hope of a British super fight with Joe Calzaghe this autumn. Woods will be left with a feeling of missed opportunity and wondering if father time has finally got his number at 35 years old.
I had previously said that ʽTarver is a slick southpaw who has more natural talent and should comfortably outbox woods on the night to a 12 round decision.ʼ This was the opinion of many, however with Tarver’s lacklustre recent bouts, the bookies and many people couldnʼt split the pair.
Despite Tarver visibly gasping for breath in between the later rounds, it was Woods who found age the defeating factor as he was unable to get into any sort of rhythm and had very little work rate. Some things just donʼt do what they used to do anymore; it appeared that way last weekend for Woods, and to some extent, Tarver.
Where to go after such a defeat?
No chance of a rematch with Tarver, who will use his remaining two or three fights to make as much money as possible. No chance of the super fight with Calzaghe, even if Joe loses to Bernard Hopkins, unless Calzaghe’s performance mirrors that of Wood’s last night. More…
On Saturday night, Sheffield Boxer Clinton Woods, put his IBF Light Heavyweight title at risk against ‘Magic Man’ Antonio Tarver in Tampa, Florida. Unfortunately for Woods, Tarver was indeed ‘Magic’ and Woods - having struggled to settle in to the fight from the first bell - lost his title after 12 rounds of passion-less boxing.
The slow start to the contest continued throughout. Woods realised that Tarver did not like the body-shots, so he tries to concentrate on them but the action was lacking. In the closing seconds of round three, the travelling British fans cheered as Woods strikes a straight left to the face of Tarver, who tilts off balance.
A couple of left jabs rock back the head of Woods mid-way through round four and, finding it difficult to settle in, he switches from southpaw to orthodox.
Throughout the fight, Tarver used a variety of shots but his most notable was the uppercut. More…
Some fighters like to tell the world of their ring prowess and professional achievements, while others prefer to stay quiet and carefully build their reputation with solid performances. This weekendʼs IBF/IBO Light Heavyweight unification clash in Tampa, Florida features two boxers who perfectly epitomise those two very different moulds of men.
Sheffieldʼs IBF champion Clinton Woods is the quiet, unassuming type who would rather holiday in his caravan in Skegness than lavish himself with the finer things in life. He is the type of champion that is respectful and only shows his more frightful side in the ring.
Antonio “Iʼm prettier than a girl” Tarver is Woodʼs exact antithesis. Bold, brass and mouthy, listening to Tarver speak, you could easily be fooled into thinking that this man was the greatest to ever don trunks and gloves.
“If anyone has any doubt whoʼs the best light heavyweight, I will show them once again on Saturday nigh,” Tarver said at this week’s press conference. “I am delighted that Woods is here and sounds ready to fight, but like so many that fought me before him, his dreams and hopes will be dashed. There is only one true light heavyweight champion and thatʼs me.” More…
For some considerable time I have wanted to write a technical appraisal of the magnificent and timeless Jack Johnson. I have refrained from doing so because Jack, the great Lil’ Arthur as he was known, comes with so much historically vital yet distracting baggage. His story – and ye gods, it is some story even now – is so crammed with political intrigue and controversy that his immense boxing skills are nearly always shoved onto the back burner and mentioned in passing.
Johnson was a giant of a man in every way, but the prime objective here is to demonstrate his wonderful knowledge and mastery of something we used to call the Noble Art. Quite simply, it was the art of hitting without being hit. It was about utter dedication and devotion to an astonishingly difficult and slippery discipline. If you have ever stepped into a boxing ring, even for nothing more than a light-hearted session with a pal, you will know how infernally hard it is to avoid being struck.
I have talked to many young and eager amateurs who have nurtured dreams of stepping up in class. Armed with the firm conviction that their defence is as sound as the good old dollar used to be, they have reeled from sparring sessions with modest professionals in a state of shock and disarray after being clobbered hither and yon. More…
Ricky Hatton told press last week that after suffering his first defeat to Floyd Mayweather,”I’ll come back stronger - that’s how great boxers are made”. At the official Frank Maloney promoted press conference last Thursday to announce the Hitman’s next fight against Mexican-American Juan Lazcano, Hatton spoke of the difficult few weeks following the fight on December 8.
“I genuinely thought I was going to win,“ said Hatton. “Afterward, I went on holiday for a few weeks, then watched the tapes again and started to pick out the positives”. More…
Saturday, March 29. For the first time in his career Paul McCloskey was taking charge of a ship, one which belonged to a fleet of Brian Peters’ promoted boxing events taking place in recent weeks.
McCloskey was calm in the build up. One assumed that with his first big occasion looming ahead of him, the Derry man would have displayed some nerves or apprehension. Instead, the week preceding the fight presented a Paul McCloskey who smiled politely at the fights mention and mingled easily with the press.
Opposing him, Cesar Bazan, a fighter who had been a world title holder at lightweight, fighting with passion in each bout and in the Mexican spirit, was not going to surrender, even at a time when his greatest achievements are memories now overshadowed by his losses to greater, more notable opposition.
Indeed, his opposition had been well documented in the fightʼs promotion. With over half a century of fights on his record, Bazan had never ran from or alluded any opponent. His record contains a couplet of losses to two truly great fighters in fellow Mexican Jose Luis Castillo and the Puerto-Rican Welterweight sensation, Miguel Cotto.
For Paul McCloskey, this elevation in the level of competition would serve as his certification. With a successful result, McCloskeyʼs professional apprenticeship would be complete and he could begin to advance into the fistic world.
The fight itself was a joy for any journalist. Every round was incredibly similar and if one were to pen a detailed report of the first round, the author could easily pass it off as a report of any of the nine rounds that followed. More…
As Professional Boxing enjoys a long overdue resurgence and our current champions finally receive the exposure they deserve, there are other men who anonymously prepare to become champions themselves. These men are the less famed and less credited amateur boxers who toil at their trade without payment or recognition.
As the final qualifiers draw to a close, the men fortunate enough to have qualified, begin to undergo intense training in anticipation of their opportunity in the Beijing Olympic Games this year.
With boxing enjoying a huge influx of new fans and much of the attention being bestowed upon the glorious profession welterweights, middleweights and bantamweights, it is not surprising that the amateur game has been lost from the radar slightly and there is a lack of knowledge on Olympic Boxing.
However, in the hearts of many, these games mean as much as a world titles in the paid ranks and the rules, requirements and demands of the competition have been studied in acute detail. This after all, is the pinnacle of amateur boxing.
First introduced to the games in the St. Louis Olympics back in 1904, boxing had a turbulent honeymoon phase, being disallowed in the 1912 Stockholm Olympics. It was 1920 before the event became a permanent fixture in the games, but since that time, the event has produced volumes of itʼs own heroes, idols and legends.
Qualification for the tournament is a hotly contested privilege, to be earned rather than won. Regional tournament in Europe, Asia, the Americas, Africa and Oceania all serve as obstacle-laden routes toward their dream destination; the Olympic Games. More…
Some time back, when the secretive lair was finally penetrated and the crown jewels sparkled in the sudden sunlight, I realised with a sense of wonder that every great thing ever said about Nicolino Locche was true.
There he was, moving casually and almost contemptuously around the ring, an imperious master of his trade, taunting his hapless opponent with gifts of body and mind that only come from the gods. The hapless opponent was Antonio Cervantes, who was only one of the greatest junior welterweights that ever lived.
What does that tell us about Locche? It tells us volumes. He pitched a 15-0 shutout on the cards of all three judges in that unforgettable exhibition of pure boxing. Yes, the fight was in his native Argentina. No, it wasn’t hometown favouritism gone mad.
What was it about Argentina and other exotic lands when I was growing up in the sixties? They seemed to be cloaked in as much secrecy as the Soviet Union and China. Nothing seemed to get smuggled out. A glimpse of Locche or Eder Jofre on moving film was a rare treat.
The truth, I suspect, was plain old-fashioned laziness on the part of the staid and parochial American boxing media of that time. Who ever profiled Nicolino Locche in any great depth? How many writers from the established titles of the day knew he was even there?
A genuine fistic genius was our midst, plying his trade with all the finesse of a master painter, but the poor fellow came from Argentina and how the hell did you pronounce that surname? The old men of the Ring magazine were far too busy lambasting Muhammad Ali and Sonny Liston and telling us that only a few fighters who came along after Jack Johnson were worth a damn. More…
2007 was a year that many of us will always consider one of boxingʼs best. We had Joe Calzaghe vs. Mikkel Kessler to decide the best super middleweight in the world once and for all, Israel Vazquez versus Rafael Marquez in the second bout of their trilogy, Floyd Mayweather Jr faced not only Oscar De La Hoya in the spring of 2007 for the WBC 154 lb title but Ricky Hatton in December in a pound for pound face off.
Kelly Pavlik officially arrived by defeating Edison Miranda then lifted Jermain Taylorʼs Middleweight Crown just four months later to claim foot hold as 160 lb kingpin, Manny Pacquiao continued his dominance knocking out undefeated Jorge Solis then winning a rematch with Marco Antonio Barrera, Miguel Cotto defended his WBA Welterweight title against both Zab Judah and Shane Mosley, plus Nonito Doniare stunned the world by knocking out IBF Flyweight title holder Vic Darchinyan relieving him of his championship duties.
As good as all that sounds, it was just a preview of the many fights that took place in 2007.
2008 has kept the momentum going thus far with Pavlik vs. Taylor 2, Vazquez vs, Marquez 3, Pacquiao vs. Juan Manuel Marquez 2, Nate Campbell dethroned Juan Diaz to become the lightweight world champion and Paul Williams was relieved of his WBO Welterweight title by Carlos Quintana in his first defense after a year long layoff since winning the belt from Antonio Margarito.
If you ask me, that is a pretty good first three months.
In case there are any doubts on whether things will be letting up anytime soon, let me ease your mind because a few fights to look forward to in the next couple of months are, Ruslan Chagaev vs. Nicolay Valuev in a rematch for the WBA Heavyweight title, Miguel Cotto vs. Ricardo Mayorga in August for the WBA Welterweight title, Chad Dawson puts his WBC Light Heavyweight title on the line against former champion Glen Johnson. More…
Where, Oh Where, Has Our “Blood And Guts Warrior” Gone?
Our illustrious hero, our never say die champion, our hard hitting combatant has ridden off rightfully and honorably into the sunset. He went out just as we knew he would, on his shield. There would be no sadness or sorrow because we saw it coming; a warrior cannot bleed forever.
His last drop was shed by a seemingly lesser opponent in Alfonso Gomez, a man, that years ago, would have tasted the canvas within five rounds against our boxer/puncher, Arturo Gatti.
It was clear at that moment there would be no rally, no puncher’s chance, and no superman-like comeback that would be heralded for years to come as had happened so many times. He was defeated. Gattiʼs career was over.
It really hit me when I received my issue of “The Ring” that month that it was finally over. I saw the picture that I had seared into my brain from that night on paper. It was of our warrior slumped near the ropes, bleeding from the ghastly wound on his mouth. I asked myself whether there would ever he another quite like Arturo Gatti.
He was the type of fighter, which if you are lucky, comes around once in a lifetime. He was a fighter that you knew, for a fact, would rip out his heart and throw it on the canvas, if need be, to win a fight. More…
In 2004, Peter Manfredo Jr. was one of the best up and coming prospects in the junior middleweight division. Hailing from the boxing rich city of Pawtucket, Rhode Island, he had amassed a record of 21-0 (10), winning the EBA, IBU and WBO NABO titles along the way. It seemed the New England boxing scene had spawned its next star. The torch had finally passed from former five time world champion Vinny Pazienza to a new era.
Manfredoʼs style was nothing like that of “The Pazmanian Devil”. Peter was a boxer while Vinny was more of a brawler, beating men with skill rather than all out aggression. He had decent speed, a little pop and what seemed like all the potential in the world. He was starting to make some noise in the division.
On Tuesday, July 18, 2004, The Contender reality show aired on NBC for the first time. Manfredo had gotten his break for mainstream exposure. He and 15 other fighters would face each other in an elimination style contest for fame and fortune. Manfredo was a clear favorite being seen as one of the most experienced and skilled fighters on the show.
Peter Manfredoʼs undefeated record fell on August 18, 2004 during a taping of the show to a virtually unknown fighter by the name of Alfonso Gomez, who at the time, sported a lack luster record of 10-2-1 (4). In a hard fought five round bout, Peter was defeated via unanimous decision, leaving the show dejected and without his 0.
As luck would have it, Jeff Fraza, another contestant on the Contender Series, fell ill with chickenpox and could no longer continue. This left the series short one fighter to complete the tournament, so it was left up to the fighters on which fallen comrade would they vote back on the show; their choice was Manfredo.
Peterʼs return to the show was a successful one, wining all his bouts enroute to the finale. His wins included decisions over Miguel Espino, Joey Gilbert and a rematch with Alfonso Gomez. More…
After a crushing win over his nearest rival in the cruiserweight division, Enzo Maccarinelli, David “The Hayemaker” Haye has two options. He can either stay at cruiserweight, weight drained and in the shadow of boxing’s ultimate division, or he can move up to the prestigious heavyweight division and take on the champions in a similar fashion to what Evander Holyfield did.
Haye now has three of the four main cruiserweight belts after having beaten recognized divisional champion Jean Marc Mormeck and Enzo Maccarinelli, the most dangerous and powerful opponents the weight class has to offer. And he’s beaten both by knockout. So what should Haye do?
If he were to continue to fight at cruiser, quality opponents would be few, such as former world champ OʼNeil Bell, current IBF titlist Steve Cunningham and Maccarinelli making a very short list.
Haye would likely demolish the aging Bell and Cunningham, having only 11 knockouts in a 22 fight career, would be too green and not powerful enough to offer Haye a real challenge. More…
Following the announcement of Ricky Hatton’s next fight just a few days ago, it’s clear that “The Hitman” is as popular as ever. Hatton’s “Homecoming” fight at City of Manchester Stadium in Manchester, England on May 24 has sparked a ticket-buying-frenzy amongst fans.
Talking to Sky Sports on Friday night, The Hitman confirmed that despite only going on sale at 10.00 am Friday morning - an incredible 45,000 tickets had already been sold that day. More…
Whew! Thank you, Sam Peter. Okay, he’s not American born, but one of the titles has been wrested away from those dreaded Russians. March 8 is the new Fourth of July. Saturday night in Cancun is the beginning of a new era. The page has turned.
Well, maybe.
Sam Peter being the next coming in the heavyweight division is as over-inflated a pronunciation as his weight. As exaggerated as HBO’s Tale of the Tape calling him 6’2″. As premature as, well, something really premature.
The “Nigerian Nightmare” was supposed to defeat Oleg Maskaev. Any thinking otherwise was misguided out of contempt for Peter or pining for days long past from Maskaev. Sure, Peter looked very relaxed throughout the fight to the point of barely sweating.
And the sudden chin issues that popped up after the McCline fight have been sorta-kinda answered (I was never convinced from that bout that there was an issue). Peter took a big straight right to the side of the head and immediately countered, showed more of the defensive ability displayed in the second Toney fight and made an effort to throw straighter punches down the middle.
But the old Sam Peter is still around, the one who throws the looping punches that have a tendency to hit an opponent in the back of the head. He clipped the back of Maskaev’s head in the third round and the Cinderella man began putting a glove up and complaining to the referee whenever Peter punched anything above his neck. If stirred, Peter will revert to the fighter he really is and tee off on whatever’s in front of him. More…
