This day in boxing. A look back.

[NoSavingByTheBell]

Can also put in refs, trainers, commentators, for "On this day in Boxing". Who played their part in our memory. On this day, that some hate, some love, Howard Cosell helped make Muhammad Ali who he is died, April 23, 1997. A little more about him.1995: Howard Cosell, U.S. sports broadcaster who was known for “Monday Night Football” and for announcing premier boxing matches, especially bouts featuring Muhammad Ali, dies at 77.

TV Guide named Cosell the all-time greatest sportscaster. Yet he notably never won the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award, the highest honor in sports broadcasting. The omission may be in part because as much as his fans loved his frank style, colleagues were sometimes put off by his unabashed arrogance. Cosell didn’t need TV Guide to tell him he was the best – he already knew it. Read more

[Master]

Wladimir Klitschko jokes that he 'let Anthony Joshua win' epic heavyweight title clash

Wladimir Klitschko has joked that he let Anthony Joshua win the duo's classic title unification clash in 2017.

It was on this day (April 29) three years ago that a titanic heavyweight tussle played out in thrilling fashion in front of a record 90,000 fans at Wembley Stadium.



Joshua emerged the victor from an epic bout in which momentum swung agonisingly back and fourth, recovering from a first career knockdown to stop the Ukrainian in a dramatic 11th round and add the WBA (Super) and IBO belts to his IBF title.

While it has perhaps now been surpassed by December's rematch defeat of Andy Ruiz Jr as his most important result in terms of future trajectory, such a famous victory remains the high point of 2012 Olympic gold medallist Joshua's 24-fight professional career.

For Klitschko, the bout ultimately proved to be his last, with a subsequent retirement announcement ending any chance of a rematch that would have been very keenly anticipated.

Social media was awash with memories of that contest on Wednesday, with Klitschko looking back at only his fifth-ever loss - one that came 17 months after a shock defeat to Tyson Fury - in light-hearted fashion.

3 years ago today, I let @anthonyfjoshua win. Felt sorry for the little guy, lol 😂. Joke. Great Champion, classic fight, we both grew tremendously since this match. Thanks fans for supporting both of us! #obsessed

"Thanks fans for supporting both of us! #obsessed."

In response, Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn said: "As a team we learnt so much from you during this experience! You two put on a fight we will never forget. You are all class Wlad!"

Since coming out on top against Klitschko, Joshua has recorded victories over Carlos Takam, Joseph Parker and Alexander Povetkin, before relinquishing his heavyweight titles in a shock defeat to Andy Ruiz Jr that occurred on his US debut at Madison Square Garden in June 2019.

The Briton successfully regained those belts with a comfortable points victory in the rematch in Saudi Arabia in December and was due to face the first defence of his second championship reign against Bulgaria's Kubrat Pulev on June 20 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, only for that fight to be delayed as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

https://uk.sports.yahoo.com/news/wla...142500845.html

[NoSavingByTheBell]

[Master]

Good things come to those who wait, right? Well, that is not always the case in boxing, as demonstrated when Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao finally met on May 2, 2015.

The bout was dubbed 'Fight Of The Century', a do-not-miss battle between two long-time rivals that had been brewing for years (and years).

Instead, the main event fell a little flat, failing to live up to the hype – hardly surprising, considering for how long it had been talked about – with Mayweather emerging victorious by unanimous decision after 12 rounds in Las Vegas.

Pacquiao left the ring that night at the MGM Grand with a sore shoulder and a bruised ego. The long-awaited opportunity had rather passed him by - at 36, and with a career in politics already lined up, his future as a fighter was unclear.

Yet while Mayweather only fought once more before initially retiring – 'Money' made a comeback to face Conor McGregor for a lucrative meeting that moved his career record to 50-0 – Pac-Man is still going strong, overcoming an unexpected setback to prove his doubters wrong.

Nearly a year after the Mayweather fight, Pacquiao returned to action to face a familiar foe in what he claimed beforehand would be his boxing swansong.

"I'm so happy to be hanging up the gloves after this fight because of what I have done," he told the media ahead of facing Timothy Bradley for a third time. “I'm sure I will be sad after that fight. That's life.”

Pac-Man had his eyes on becoming a senator in the Philippines, but did not look beyond Bradley, who had won their first meeting via a controversial split-decision verdict, back in 2012.

Pacquiao had prevailed in a 2014 rematch and also came out on top in the final episode of their trilogy, dropping his opponent twice on his way to a points triumph.

That was meant to be that, except before the end of 2016 he was back between the ropes again. Jessie Vargas was no match as Mayweather watched his former opponent from close quarters at ringside, adding fuel to talk of a rematch.

Victory secured the WBO welterweight title for Pacquiao, who demonstrated that despite being just shy of his 38th birthday, he still had plenty left to give. "He's not done fighting yet," said trainer Freddie Roach.

Jeff Horn was due to be nothing more than a stepping stone. The Australian nearly missed his big opportunity – Pacquiao at one point seemed set to face former gym-mate Amir Khan instead – but had home advantage on his side. It was one of the few things experts felt he had going in his favour.

However, Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane witnessed the mother of all upsets in July 2017, in part thanks to some questionable scoring.

Horn did more than just surpass pre-fight expectations just by making it to the final bell, though. He showed a willingness to stand and trade with a legendary name, as well as coming through a ninth-round storm that looked at one stage certain to sweep him away.

He finished strongly too, but it was still a surprise to most when the challenger was declared a unanimous winner on all three cards. The verdict raised serious questions over the judges' scoring, as well as Pacquiao's future in the sport.

The WBO conducted a review into the outcome at the behest of the Philippines government, but a secondary check only vindicated the original outcome.



If there were doubts over what Pacquiao had left in the tank after losing to Horn, he has emphatically quashed them since.

A year after the unexpected setback Down Under, and with Roach replaced by Restituto 'Buboy' Fernandez in his corner, a refreshed and focused fighter stopped the heavy-handed Lucas Matthysse in the seventh round in Kuala Lumpur.

Having claimed before the first bell to be the underdog, Pac-Man dissected an opponent admittedly there for the taking, knocking him down in the third and fifth rounds before a left uppercut finished the job. "I'm still here," he said afterwards, as if a first stoppage win in nearly a decade had not made that point.

After Adrien Broner managed to go the distance to lose on points in January 2019, Pacquiao gave a demonstration of his abilities when dealing with Keith Thurman just six months later.

The Filipino dropped Thurman in the first round on his way to a split-decision outcome that showed, despite this being the 71st outing as a professional, he remains at the top table in a packed welterweight division.

Mayweather may have nullified him astutely five years ago, but Pacquiao's late resurgence suggests Father Time cannot quite get the better of him just yet.

Even at 41, there are still a few chapters to be written before closing the book on a storied career.

https://uk.sports.yahoo.com/news/may...120020100.html

[Beanz]

[TitoFan]

A day late, but what the hell..........

Floyd Mayweather vs Miguel Cotto: May 5, 2012




I posted the whole fight because the highlights I saw don't do justice to Cotto in that fight.

[Spicoli]

Say what you want about King and everyone does but tremendous run of PPV cards. So deep p4p Finito Lopez was making 10th defense well under the card . Always felt Jackson would be blown out in do over but he left damage on Gerald first time around. Frankie Randall railroaded plane and simple.

[TitoFan]

May 12, 2001. THIS... is how you make a case for belonging in the middleweight division... not like when DLH went in against BHop. True, Trinidad lost his very next fight against BHop... but on this night beat a legitimate MW champion to set up the BHop fight.

[Master]

That was an exciting fight, forgot how Joppy was in that fight, when I thought Trinidad destroyed him with ease. The funny thing was Tito had success with his right hand, it seemed he could not miss Joppy when he threw it. Trinidad kept on missing with that huge left hook of his.

I thought Trinidad was going to be the undisputed champion after that performance. The champion elect but B Hop had other ideas.

[TitoFan]

That was an exciting fight, forgot how Joppy was in that fight, when I thought Trinidad destroyed him with ease. The funny thing was Tito had success with his right hand, it seemed he could not miss Joppy when he threw it. Trinidad kept on missing with that huge left hook of his.

I thought Trinidad was going to be the undisputed champion after that performance. The champion elect but B Hop had other ideas.

Yeah... unfortunately, my friend.

People here thought Trinidad was invincible after the Joppy fight. He just goes up to MW and destroys a legitimate MW champion. I remember people here were already calling out Roy Jones Jr. I wasn't among them, 'cause I knew THAT would be a disaster.

[Spicoli]

May 12, 2001. THIS... is how you make a case for belonging in the middleweight division... not like when DLH went in against BHop. True, Trinidad lost his very next fight against BHop... but on this night beat a legitimate MW champion to set up the BHop fight.

Trinidad put on a torture chamber that night. In a zone. Joppy was more than respectable at full 160 and he should have never had to go 3 fights with Julio C Green after the first 3rd round to finally 'arrive'. Says everything you need to know when you think Joppy would still go on to have his head pummeled into a pumpkin over 12 rounds with Hopkins some 2.5 years later.

[Master]

B Hop beat Joppy all night but could not stop him. Think he paid Joppy some money with the bet they had. Yet Trinidad wiped him out.

[Spicoli]

B Hop beat Joppy all night but could not stop him. Think he paid Joppy some money with the bet they had. Yet Trinidad wiped him out.

I've always saw Hopkins a guy who just plain liked to beat up opponents. Sometimes it backfired late..Taylor I comes to mind..he'd play with his food for lack of a better expression. He put a clinic on Joppy who was ragged durable that night but man he was literally unrecognizable at the final bell.

[Carlos Gracia]

lots of stuff here to read about boxing

[Spicoli]

lots of stuff here to read about boxing

Yes there is Carlos welcome to the forum.