(An emotional Nick Brinson responds to the announcement of his big win; credit: Tom Casino, Showtime) Nick Brinson, a late substitute who had to lose around 17 pounds in 10 days to get on ShoBox Friday night, fought anything like the prototypical late substitute in a revelatory performance against big punching junior middleweight prospect Jorge […]

What to do with Chad Dawson? The light heavyweight champion is among the most athletic boxers in the world,  a troublesome southpaw who isn't afraid to fight anyone and also happens to be adroit when it comes to the finer technical points of the sport. He also is a flake who sheds trainers like a chicken molting twice […]

(September 8, 2012; Oakland, CA, USA; Andre Ward [red gloves] fights Chad Dawson [blue gloves] during the super middleweight championship at ORACLE Arena. Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports) Underachievement is an emotive word in boxing, perhaps more so than in any other sport. After all, how exactly do you tell a guy he hasn’t tried […]

[UPDATE: CONTEST CLOSED. WE HAVE A WINNER, WHOSE NAME WE'LL ANNOUNCE ONCE WE RECEIVE PERMISSION TO DO SO. THANKS, ALL, FOR ENTERING!]   It's been a while since we've had a giveaway to our readers, and our friends over at Ringside have stepped up to the plate in a big way to help us correct […]

Like miniature chocolates laced with chili powder, Marcos Maidana and Josesito Lopez are recognizably one thing and don't need to be anything other than what they are — because who doesn't like chocolates and brawlers? — but they have added a touch of something else to make themselves all the zestier. In their purest brawling […]

The most talked about issue in elite sport right now is head trauma. There’s no question. Sports the world over are struggling to deal with research that shows the dramatic long term effects of even minor brain injuries. In the US, American football and ice hockey have implemented rule changes to try and minimise concussions. […]

The above picture is a lie. Because The Nothing was here, and it existed through the boxing schedule in the U.S. How can the boxing gods serve us weeks upon weeks of great fistic action, then abruptly starve us for a weekend, leaving us chasing The Nothing? Someone will answer for it. Returning this week, […]

Last week’s boxing schedule was like a thrift store painting: mediocre, boring, and unexceptional. This week is more like a thrift shop painting with monsters roaming in the background! So much more exciting — and you can buy your very own from artist Chris McMahon. The monsters this week are guys like junior welterweights Marcos […]

  Floyd Mayweather, Jr. and Saul “Canelo” Alvarez have signed to fight one another on September 14 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. It’s the biggest fight that can be made in the sport today. Both boxers immediately let their fans know about the deal

I'm still buzzing about the fact that Floyd Mayweather (right) and Canelo Alvarez (left) signed this week to fight in September. It's been more than a decade since Mayweather has done this: taken on his undisputed most threatening opponent, in Alvarez's case a bigger, stronger, full-fledged junior middleweight who is coming into his own and […]