Prizefighters, like soldiers go to war so we do not have to. We can live vicariously through their efforts. All of the excitement with none of the consequences. As we watch our servicemen liberate people in foreign lands, we may cheer patriotically from the "front line" of our local bar. We watch our fighters perform in the most brutal and dangerous sporting arenas of all from the safety of our fireside or ringside seats. As in ancient Rome, the only honest participants in the whole spectacle are the gladiators. When reviewing any fight involving those two most noble of modern day gladiators, Marco Antonio Barrera and Erik Morales, we constantly harp back to their epic first encounter in 2000. On that night at the Mandalay Bay Casino in Las Vegas, they gave so much more than we were ever entitled to ask of them. These two Mexican warriors went to places that we would never consider visiting. What we witnessed that night was a fight that would have been a contender for fight of the year in any year. To quote the Irish poet W.B. Yeats, referring to the onset of an Irish independence movement: "A terrible beauty was born." For all the enjoyment we gained from watching the war unfold, there was something both compelling and uncomfortable in equal parts. More...
By Joseph de Beauchamp December 20th, 2004 All Boxing Articles
Born in November 1949, Larry Holmes keeps poking at George Foreman to draw him out. After his first fight, he went home with only sixty-three dollars, and now hopes to make twenty-million with Foreman. With eleven kids at home and his mother on welfare, Larry learned how to fight his way to the top. He dropped out in the seventh grade, but got a PhD in common sense. Recently, his brother Jake’s wife received funds to help on her health care needs. He raised himself out of welfare, and bought his mother a new home when his fight career started to pay off. Larry keeps quiet about helping out his large family. Larry never needed charisma to earn respect in the world. After a certain age, ring rust sets in regardless of opponents. He wants to rouse George Foreman or Gerry Cooney out of retirement. If not with George, Larry wishes to take a rematch with Evander Holyfield, or attempt to get younger fighters back in the ring like Hasim Rahman or Lennox Lewis. Larry and “Big George” were scheduled to fight on January 22 1999 - Foreman's fiftieth birthday; the fight was cancelled when time ran out on a contractual stipulation related to financing. Now, Larry wants to challenge George Foreman. Gerry Cooney recently expressed willingness to take on Holmes in a boxing exhibition, though he commented, "Larry might take it too seriously." More...
What has been a year of ups and downs and highs and lows, boxing nonetheless, has remained unstable, inconsistent, and yet exhilarating. For fighters and fans, so much has transpired this year: from stunning one-punch knockouts to major upsets from the most unexpected prospects. The complete demise of Roy Jones, Jr., shocked everyone. Not once, but twice being knocked out in consecutive fights, reducing the once invincible superman of boxing to a mere common mortal. For years, Jones could not be stopped, at least, that's what a lot of us thought, until a man name Antonio Tarver exposed superman's deadly foe, a counter punch! Who would have thought? More...
The Regional Court (Landgericht) of Hamburg ruled in a decision announced today that Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko are no longer under contract with Universum Box Promotion. Universum Box Promotion had argued that their contract with Wladimir Klitschko was valid until Feb. 22, 2005, and that their contract with Vitali Klitschko was good until May 20, 2005. But the presiding judge, Dr. Mückenheim, overruled their claim, saying that the contracts had ended much earlier – Wladimir’s on June 22, 2004, Vitali’s on Oct. 22, 2004. The ruling means that the Klitschko brothers and their contracting partners acted lawfully with regard to the boxing matches of Wladimir last Oct. 2 and of Vitali this past Dec. 11 since the contracts with Universum had already terminated by then. The Klitschko brothers should no longer have to fear being held liable for damages by Universum either, the court declared. More...
In the aftermath of Glencoffe Johnson's coronation as the king of the light heavyweights, the chairmen of the IBF and WBC will not be joining in the celebrations. The success of the promotion and the universal recognition of the bout as "the people’s championship" will not sit well with any of the four major governing bodies. The events of
Saturday night at the Staples Center in Los Angeles should sound out a warning to all the alphabet soup organizations. If the public wants to see certain match ups badly enough and both camps are in agreement, having a recognizable title at stake is preferable but by no means essential. The sanctioning bodies have always followed the credo that if you can manage to fool enough of the people enough of the time, you can still turn a profit. But with this fight a dangerous precedent may have been set. No sanctioning fees were paid, no title was at stake, yet the participants were still universally recognized as the two best fighters in the division. More...
Glencoffe Johnson took a hard fought split decision win over Antonio Tarver on Saturday night at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The win solidifies Johnson as the universally recognized light heavyweight champion of the world even in the absence of any of the
top-three sanctioning organization titles. Both fighters were exhausted by the end of the contest and both certainly had their moments as many of the rounds swayed back and forth in terms of momentum. Tarver felt he had done enough to win the fight but Johnson took the verdict and by the sound that emanated from the L.A. crowd, Johnson was a popular winner indeed. Click "full story" for the saddoboxing.com round by round report. More...
Former IBF light heavyweight champion of the world Glencoffe "Road Warrior" Johnson returned from his knockout of Roy Jones Jr. with a split decision win over former WBC light heavyweight champion and fellow Jones conqueror Antonio Tarver. In a back and forth fight
that saw both men have their moments of considerable success, Johnson was adjudged to have done the better work and secured a two-pint margin on two scorecards while another judge felt that Tarver had won by a four-point deficit. It's a wonderful story and achievement for Johnson who was always the underdog but now, he knows he is the best light heavyweight in the world.
Stay tuned for the round by round report of the fight coming soon.
Early results from the undercard of the Tarver-Johnson fight in the Staples Centre, Los Angeles, USA saw Olympic gold medalist Andre Ward begin his professional light heavyweight campaign with a second round stoppage win over Christopher Molina. Molina hit the deck twice before the fight was stopped.
Middleweight Tarvis Simms took a split decision over Carlos Bojorquez but not before hitting the canvas. Simms got up and secured the win by a two-point margin on two of the scorecards while the other saw the action for Bojorquez by four points.
In a heavyweight attraction, Vinny Maddalone won every round against Ronnie Smith in a six-round fight.
Two time WBC super middleweight champion Markus Beyer successfully marked his second reign as the champion with a win over Yoshinori Nishizawa. The fight took place in the Oberfrankenhalle in Bayreuth in Beyer's native
Germany. Beyer had to survive a knockdown in the early rounds but came back to post an impressive enough result on at least two of the scorecards, the third scorecard saw the fight as a draw. Beyer is set to fight Australia's interim WBC super middleweight champion Danny Green in a rematch of a fight that ended controversially between the two. The fight will happen early in 2005.
Each being thirty-five years of age and both having sensationally knocked out former light heavyweight king Roy Jones Jr., Antonio Tarver and Glencoffe Johnson share honors even going into the fight that is rightfully recognized as the universally recognized fight for light heavyweight supremacy. Credit must be afforded to both fighters for alleviating themselves of their respective championships that would have bound them from committing to this crucial fight. However, only one man can reign supreme as the light heavyweight champion of the world. Johnson is used to acting out the supporting role, humbly appearing to do his job in great condition and ready for a real battle. That may have been quality enough to derail the floundering and disinterested challenge offered to him by Jones, but it will likely take much more to dissuade Tarver. “Magic man’ Tarver fought long and hard to be rid of Jones’ shadow only to be upstaged by perennial underdog Johnson and he will surely bring the best of his southpaw skills, flashy combinations and deadly power to end Johnson’s pretensions to the throne. Read on to find out who the saddoboxing.com writers feel will emerge victorious. More...
Glen Johnson is a soft-spoken man without the typical boxing bravado of, say, Antonio Tarver. So Johnson smiled when asked about the man he's about to fight. "Talk is talk. Anyone with a mouth can talk,'' Johnson said. "Not just Antonio Tarver, but any guy who talks too much - they're not just trying to convince the people who are listening. You're trying to convince yourself. It's what you do in the ring that wins the fight.'' Johnson spoke following a news conference where Tarver and his entourage loudly proclaimed Tarver's superiority entering Saturday night's twelve-round light heavyweight bout at Staples Center. "Every man I've faced, I've defeated,'' Tarver said. "It will be the same Saturday night.'' More...
With the recent announcement that former world champion “Sugar” Shane Mosley will return to the welterweight division, on the heels of Oscar De La Hoya saying he’s coming back to the 147-pound class, World Boxing Association welterweight champion “El Gallo” Jose Antonio Rivera (37-3-1, 24 KOs) believes that in 2005 the welterweight division will be the strongest and most competitive in boxing. “I’m happy and excited to learn Shane Mosley will be fighting again in the welterweight division,” Rivera said. “With Mosley and De La Hoya dropping back down in weight, the welterweight division will be the most prominent in boxing. Someday I hope great fighters like them want a shot at my title. More...
Ebo “The Extreme Machine” Elder fought courageously, with both eyes nearly closed due to swelling, to knockout Courtney “Killer” Burton to retain his North American Boxing Association Lightweight belt Friday on “ShoBox: The New Generation.” In the junior welterweight co-feature from Chumash Casino Resort in Santa Ynez, Calif., “Mighty” Mike Arnaoutis registered a third-round knockout over Jauquin Gallardo. SHOWTIME televised the Gary Shaw Productions doubleheader at 11 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast). The telecast represented the 54th in the popular “ShoBox” series, which debuted on SHOWTIME in July 2001. More...
They say that to those whom much is given, much is expected. Heavyweight contender Jameel McCline certainly has his share of gifts. Immense physical size, strength, boxing skill and stern self-evaluation are some of the traits that have helped Jameel rise through the ranks of the heavyweight division and
become recognized not only as one of its best fighters, but perhaps the man who might separate himself from the pack and become the definitive champion of his generation. Being as honest and unpretentious as he is, Jameel would be the first to admit that his career has not taken the path that he would have liked. However, in speaking to him, it is obvious that he still has the desire, the heartfelt need to become a world champion and one that will reign over the heavyweight division for years to come. While regrouping from a desperately close decision loss to Chris Byrd for the IBF title on Don King’s heavyweight extravaganza in Madison Square Garden last month, Jameel spoke openly with me about the future of his career, consensus heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko, the potential return of Lennox Lewis and much, much more. More...
Newly crowned IBF flyweight champion Vic Darchinyan of Australia won his title by stopping previously unbeaten champion Irene Pacheco of Colombia. It was a back-and-forth battle that saw both men achieve dramatic successes. It could be said that the ten minute delay that stopped the action after the mid-way point of the fight was crucial in the eventual outcome. Darchinyan had been fading badly up until that point only to burst out of his corner almost fully reinvigorated to put Pacheco in all kinds of trouble. Click "full story" to get the round by round account of the fight. Also included is coverage of the undercard attraction between light welterweight contenders Juan Urango and Ubaldo Hernandez. More...
In the battle for the WBO NABO lightweight championship tonight at the Chumash Casino, Santa Ynez, California, USA, Ebo "X-treme Machine" Elder stopped Courtney Burton in the twelfth and final round. Elder, from Atlanta, Georgia was docked a point early in the fight but went on to put Burton down twice in the final round before the fight was stopped. Burton's last fight before this one was one of the most controversial in recent memory as he appeared to clearly lose a decision to Emanuel Augustus only to be handed what seemed to be a hometown decision in front of his Detroit fans. Elder moves his record to twenty-two wins with one loss and fourteen of his wins have come by way of knockout.
Greek light welterweight prospect "Mighty" Mike Arnaoutis grabbed another eye-catching win tonight at the Chumash Casino, Santa Ynez, California, USA by stopping Jauquin Gallardo in three rounds. Gallardo hit the canvas twice before referee Raul Caiz was forced to halt the action merely seconds before the end of the round. Arnaoutis made waves the last time he fought two months ago by stopping Jesse Feliciano in the first round. Feliciano hit the deck no less than three times in that encounter. So Arnaoutis keeps the boxing world talking about him as one of the latest in a long line of light welterweight standouts. He moves his record to twelve wins, no losses, two draws and six knockout wins.
Quebec middleweight contender Joachim Alcine took another step forward in his career tonight at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Canada by disposing of former Canadian champion Stephane Ouellet impressively before the end of the first round. Alcine needed less than a minute to stop Ouellet who appeared to be in tears as the final punches came thundering over him and the referee came between him and Alcine. A perrenial figure on the Quebec fight scene, it would appear that the ride is over for Ouellet who suffered his second consecutive stoppage defeat; Ouellet was savagely beaten in two rounds three years ago by recent title challenger Omar Sheika. Alcine moves his professional record to twenty-one wins, no losses with fourteen knockouts.
Irish super flyweight Damaen Kelly of Belfast dominated England's Jason Booth on Friday night at the Huddersfield Leisure Centre in England. Kelly, once the IBO flyweight champion now becomes the IBO super flyweight champion with the twelve round decision. One of Booth's two losses came in an IBF title bid against then champion Irene Pacheco, Pacheco lost his IBF title in America the night before to Australia's Vic Darchinyan. Booth suffered his fourth loss in his third defense of the championship. Booth moves his record to a total of twenty-one wins and two losses with ten wins coming by way of knockout.
Last weekend's Ricky Hatton-Ray Oliveira bout at London's ExCel Centre confirmed that the WBU champion's steamrolling of Mike Stewart this past October was no fluke. Again the Manchester man showed a return to form that has created such a phenomenal following of dedicated fans. The unparalleled energy and pure strain of bad intent that were there for Hatton's 2003 wins over Vince Phillips and Ben Tackie but largely missing in 2004 against Dennis Pedersen and Carlos Vilches, had returned. In some ways, this bout was similar to Hatton-Stewart in that the taller opponents both tried to keep the furious "Hitman" at the end of the jab, where they could use their height and reach advantages to best use. But boxing is all about imposing your vision and will, making your opponent deal with your version of reality and keeping him from “fighting his fight.” There are few in the sport today who can impose themselves on their opponents quite like Ricky Hatton. Bernard Hopkins, James Toney and Kostya Tszyu can all force opponents in the direction that strategically they want them to go but none of them do it with such sustained ferocity as Hatton. Hopkins, Toney and Tszyu are all measured, patient types who break down opposition and strike with real venom later in fights, with obvious exceptions such as Tszyu's high profile early bomb-outs of Sharmba Mitchell and Zab Judah. More...
On the eve of their light heavyweight fight to be held atthe Staples Center in Los Angeles tomorrow night, Antonio Tarver and Glencoffe Johnson weighed in along with Olympic gold medalist Andre Ward who is making his debut on the card against Christopher Molina. David Telesco will fight former WBO light heavyweight champion Julio Gonzalez in an intresting match-up and in a good middleweight match, Carlos Bojorquez will fight undefeated Tarvis Simms.
Antonio Tarver weighed 175-pounds while Glencoffe Johnson weighed 174-pounds.
David Telesco weighed 173 and a half pounds and Julio Gonzalez weighed 176-pounds.
Andre Ward weighed 165-pounds while Christopher Molina weighed 165 and a half pounds.
Carlos Bojorquez weighed 157 and a half pounds and Tarvis Simms weighed 156-pounds.
