0 comments by Patrick Connor on 4/20/2015
There was literally a huge variety of photos and moments that could have been used to represent all that happened last weekend in boxing: aesthetically pleasing and gratifying, moving and even regrettable. But the photo above — of Lucas Matthysse’s fist after punching Ruslan Provodnikov for over a half-hour — serves as a reminder of […]
0 comments by Patrick Connor on 4/18/2015
Upon Lucas Matthysse vs. Ruslan Provodnikov being so much as suggested, particularly sadistic corners of the pugilistic realm rubbed their hands together, greedily anticipating the carnage. When the fight was officially announced, the boxing world collectively stated, “Count me in.” Both Matthysse and Provodnikov are feeling the effect of that welcome, presently. The strength and […]
0 comments by Patrick Connor
Just when it seemed as though those writing off Terence Crawford as a boring lump of clay with no personality — inside the ring or out — had been vindicated, the Omaha, Neb. native stepped in with a series of right hands that robbed them of doubt in the 6th round against Thomas Dulorme. Crawford, […]
0 comments by Patrick Connor on 4/16/2015
Is boxing merely reflection of what we are? Or does combat create that which we aspire to be? Heroes, villains, martyrs and murderers are created at the bend of a knee to boxing’s stubborn rule, and the 1920s busted at the seams with tropes, devices and pugilistic deus ex machinae. A man named Mike McTigue […]
0 comments by Patrick Connor on 4/14/2015
Word on the (absence of) street is that hole in the space-time continuum up there used to be the building where Lucas Matthysse and Ruslan Provodnikov signed their contracts to fight one another. It cannot be confirmed, however, as the Hounds of Hell now guard the area, per the instructions of Momma Provodnikov. More seriously, […]
0 comments by Patrick Connor on 4/10/2015
“As the heavyweights go, so goes boxing.” It would be convenient to look at the state of today’s heavyweight division and allow the whole sloppy lot of those fighters to shoulder the blame for boxing’s inability to compete for television time with more mainstream, or more marketable sports in the U.S. Whether or not it […]
0 comments by Patrick Connor on 4/8/2015
If airing promos where Danny Garcia looks into the camera and declares himself a ladies’ man several times an hour was Premier Boxing Champions’ push to have people dislike him even more than they already do, it was an award-winning triumph. Lamont Peterson likely gained a supporter or two as a result of Garcia’s appeal […]
0 comments by Patrick Connor on 3/30/2015
Adonis Stevenson wanted to fly, so a small boxing podcast has chosen to give him wings. We didn’t know that he’d jump the shark and fight Sakio Bika, though. No matter your view of rankings organizations, lineal title adherence or the fairness of boxing’s every day structure, the idea that champions should fight the best […]
0 comments by Patrick Connor on 3/24/2015
Nearly two years after Jhonny Gonzalez shocked Abner Mares with a huge left hook, it’s clear their careers have certainly gone in different directions. For instance, 28 million people in Mexico watched Gonzalez toy with a faded Jorge Arce, while Mares has struggled to impress against nondescript opposition on undercards. The question is whether or […]
0 comments by Patrick Connor on 3/19/2015
A constant thorn in boxing’s side since its inception has been the dissection of its health. Through centuries of prizefighting — and more than 100 years of gloved pugilism — boxing has died and has been resurrected numerous times already. But by the early 1900s, boxing had cut through the hyperbole and hammered tent stakes […]
0 comments by Patrick Connor on 3/17/2015
If ever there were a need to tranquilize a beast before it got out of hand, now might be that moment — before Sergey Kovalev becomes self-aware and develops wings or something. Hyperbole aside, after bashing Jean Pascal on the latter’s side of the playground, one fighter stands between Kovalev and supremacy at light heavyweight: […]
0 comments by Patrick Connor on 3/9/2015
[UPDATED] Boxing returned to network television this past weekend, and everyone lived. There were no international incidents, no epiphanic guarantees of boxing’s survival, Casey Ryback didn’t need to be called… It was just boxing. Sure, there were things people didn’t seem to like (Hint:
0 comments by Patrick Connor on 3/8/2015
It was boxing’s big moment, and the first fight card cementing the deal between Al Haymon’s Premier Boxing Champions and major television network NBC. And while neither Keith Thurman’s decision win over Robert Guerrero nor Adrien Broner’s decision win over John Molina, Jr. Saturday will be mistaken for actual “Fight of the Year” contenders, and […]
0 comments by Patrick Connor on 3/2/2015
We knew a while ago that Al Haymon would be entering the boxing fray with a pocket full of cash and television dates. Ever since, the debate has been about whether or not that’s a good thing, and how good the product would even be once it got here. And now it’s here. Some may […]
0 comments by Patrick Connor on 2/26/2015
Back when a color line separated the sport of boxing into what amounted to a couple of pigment-defined leagues, there were still fighters on both sides who seemed able to ferry themselves back and forth across the barrier without issue. They were more exception than rule, but they existed. One such fighter happened to also […]
