The much anticipated pro debut of 2004 U.S. Olympian Jason “Big Six†Estrada two weeks ago (Dec. 10) at Foxwoods Resort Casino was the first step on his mission to prove to the boxing world that he’ll be an even better pro than amateur. In his first fight as a pro against a game Joseph…
2004 has been quite an extraordinary year for boxing. As well as witnessing the demise of mainstays such as Roy Jones Jr. and Mike Tyson, we have also witnessed the rise of the next crop of boxing superstars. Jeff Lacy, Miguel Cotto and Kassim Ouma won their first world titles this year. Whether these fighters…
Floyd Mayweather Jr., a boxer with tremendous skills in the areas of speed and effective punching. Add that to his skyscraper height of self-confidence and agile defense and you have a high-toned fighter who can take over the light welterweight/welterweight divisions with an iron fist. From the super featherweight title fight on December 19, 1998,…
I am focusing my thoughts on the current arrangement of the heavyweight division that has emerged into a boxing fan’s worst nightmare. It seems as if we have entered into the everlasting obsession that bigger is better and it seems as if we lost translation of what it takes to be a legitimate boxer in…
Desert Diamond Casino and Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions have put together another blockbuster fight card to ring in the New Year. On Thursday, January 6, 2005 “Boxeo de Oro†on HBO Latino presents its first show of the year live from the Diamond Center. Tickets range from $25-$100 and are available now…
Former IBF lightweight champion Paul Spadafora pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and a weapons charge Monday for shooting his girlfriend last year. Prosecutors dropped charges of attempted homicide and reckless endangerment. Spadafora was charged with shooting Nadine Russo in the abdomen on Oct. 26, 2003, because he was upset she had flattened two tires on…
Responding to barrage of e-mails, phone calls and media coverage, SHOWTIME will replay the “Shobox: The New Generation†card of Arnaoutis vs. Gallardo and the dramatic Elder vs. Burton. The excellent news for boxing fans is that the “ShoBox’’ doubleheader can be seen three times in the next three days. The first replay will air…
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…
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…
As Boxing Turns Another Page Into the New Year. 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…
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,…
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…