Brooklyn vs. the Bronx. Erratic vs. steady. Flashy vs. basic. On the way out vs. on the way in. That’s Zab Judah vs. Joshua Clottey Saturday night on HBO, in a nutshell. It’s also the last potentially exciting fight until September, so savor it, unless you plan to shell out $35 to gamble that talented […]

I haven’t updated my list of best fighters in the world since April, and with an uneventful stretch ahead before September, now’s a pretty good time to do some revising. My criteria for evaluating the best of the best, regardless of weight, is a combination of career achievement, recent activity and all-around ability. Imagine it […]

Not sure if I am more surprised by the fact that Jose Luis Castillo actually made weight for his welterweight fight last night against Sebastian Lujan, or that in dropping a wide decision to the Argentinian, Castillo has just entered into “opponent” status.¬† It’s a hard pill to swallow for a fighter who gave so […]

I admit that I am unsure¬†what the ramifications will be regarding junior welterweight king Ricky Hatton’s split with longtime trainer Billy Graham.¬† It seemed to me that the two wise-cracking Brits were two peas in a pod and both have shown deep compassion and friendship toward each other so the news of the split came […]

Plenty to discuss, so I’ll discuss it all in this edition of “Quick Jabs.” I’ll size up 2008, review the aftermath of the big welterweight (147 lbs.) fight last weekend between Antonio Margarito and Miguel Cotto and take a look at the machinations behind Oscar De La Hoya’s possible welterweight clash with Manny Pacquiao in-depth […]

According to multiple sources the California State Athletic Commission overturned the result of the July 16 James Toney-Hasim Rahman fight from a third round TKO victory for Toney to a no-decision.¬† For those who missed it an accidental clash of heads opened up a gash above the left eyebrow of Rahman.¬† After the round Rahman […]

Sean did a great write-up yesterday of what turned out to be a great fight, and I refer you to it. Here’s my take, in 10 neatly-ordered, digestible nuggets:

While it may not have been a candidate for Fight of the Year honors the fact remains that Antonio Margarito and Miguel Cotto engaged in a brutal battle for the ages.¬† After eleven brutal punishing rounds it was Margarito that dug deep within his internal reserves to gut out and stop the undefeated Cotto.¬† It […]

On Thursday, the Wall Street Journal called the welterweight (147 lbs.) battle Saturday between Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito “a fight for the ages.” So, finally, the coverage of Cotto-Margarito has escaped beyond the bounds of the fervent boxing-oriented media. Below is your guide to the best writing and sources of info on this here […]

It has become a rarity of sorts in this modern era of large on sizzle little on sustenance boxing events.¬† A fight that has so much buzz surrounding it and not simply due to the name of the participants but squarely based on the quality of the fight we the fans will be treated to.¬† […]

Maybe this is a more pure way to do it anyhow, post-barroom. 1. Jose Armando Santa Cruz looked pretty nice batting around somebody or the other on the way to a knockout win. Considering that he was on the bad end of one of the worst decisions I’ve ever seen and possibly of all time […]

Lost among the hoopla surrounding Saturday night‚Äôs epic encounter between Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito is Jeff Lacy‚Äôs return to the ring tonight.¬† Not that long ago Lacy was being touted as the next great American fighter.¬† The chiseled Adonis had the looks, the personality, and the in ring tenacity that is indicative of a […]

It wasn’t so long ago that I firmly believed Antonio Margarito was Miguel Cotto’s kryptonite. It didn’t make the idea of them fighting any less appealing; anyone with eyeballs could see that no matter who came out on top, the act of getting there was going to be some kind of hellacious war. But if […]

The qualities welterweights (147 lbs.) Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito share — destructive punching, commitment to offense over defense, refusal to back down and all the other things I outlined here — are among the reasons their fight Saturday is the kind of potential battle that has connoisseurs of the sport dizzy with anticipation and […]

For casual boxing fans, events are usually name-driven; if Oscar De La Hoya’s fighting, they might watch. But there comes a time when casual boxing fans ought to watch based on the recommendation of more informed sources — and those informed sources are, to quote Radiohead, “twitching and a-salivating like with myxomatosis” about how anyone […]