0 comments by Tim Starks on 9/12/2019
Few things in boxing inspire as much bile by their mere existence — or each list’s ability to inspire derision because of how obviously stupid its author is — as the mythical pound-for-pound list. That’s part of what makes them so delicious. The lists do possess a certain value, though, even the most obviously awful […]
0 comments by Matthew Swain on 9/3/2019
Vasiliy Lomachenko is limited. He’s mortal. He’s short, and his punching power isn’t otherworldly. He doesn’t so much conquer as he assimilates. At 31 years old, and in his third weight class, he has to convince opponents that he’s the better man, rather than have it be a simple statement of fact. The question seems […]
0 comments by Matthew Swain on 8/26/2019
Kosei Tanaka defended his flyweight strap by an exciting stoppage again, defeating Jonathan Gonzalez. Tanaka went through several rough patches during the fight but rallied. Do you think it’s a matter of him fighting down to a level of his opponent, his own ceiling, or something else? And with talk of him moving up in […]
0 comments by Jason Langendorf
Biologists have a name for it: Thanatosis. In the animal realm, certain species will exhibit, as a means of self-protection or sexual predation, an adaptive behavior also described as tonic immobility, aka playing dead. A few predators have evolved to incorporate this assumed posture in order to lure their prey into a state of vulnerability. […]
0 comments by Brent Hedtke on 8/25/2019
In the end, Anthony Yarde got his moral victory while Sergey Kovalev took home the actual one. Ok, so what angle should we take here? There’s a lot to unpack so how should we approach this? Professionally? Anthony Yarde put forth a valiant effort but ultimately a lack of proper preparation saw him fall short […]
0 comments by Matthew Swain on 8/19/2019
Prizefighters are entertainers. And like all entertainers, their act has to be perfected. Normally that’s done at the gym. And normally we get crabby when we get practice instead of a show. Normally. Saturday night from the Banc of California Stadium in Los Angeles, televised on ESPN, junior featherweight Emanuel Navarrete (28-1, 24 KO) got […]
0 comments by Brent Hedtke on 8/11/2019
The following two statements are simultaneously true: Over 23% of Jason Sosa’s professional fights have ended in something other than a victory. *AND* Jason Sosa is an exceptionally talented fighter who is very much in the mix at the upper tier of the junior lightweight division. We talk a lot in these columns about how […]
0 comments by Tim Starks on 8/10/2019
Vergil Ortiz Jr. got his first real test Saturday night. And oh, did he pass. Fighting tough veteran and top 5 junior welterweight Antonio Orozco on DAZN proved anything but easy. They swapped rounds until the 6th — the first time Ortiz had even seen that round — when Ortiz shifted into a gear neither […]
0 comments by Tim Starks on 8/9/2019
This is an edited extract from former TQBR staffer Alex McClintock’s debut book, “On the Chin,” available now on the Kindle Store and other e-book retailers through Text Publishing. A compilation of the grim origin stories of famous boxers would span many leather-bound volumes and remain nowhere near complete, so I’ll content myself with an […]
0 comments by Jason Langendorf on 8/5/2019
I think a lot about retirement. I’m not yet of an age that anyone other than my teenagers would consider “old,” but it occurs to me now and then that I’m closer to the end than to the beginning. I get tired. Most days, I possess neither the optimal levels of energy nor give-a-shit. The […]
0 comments by Brent Hedtke on 7/28/2019
Yep, that kicked ass. Well, have a great week, everybody! *closes laptop, starts car, cranks up the Whitesnake* What’s that? There’s more to discuss? Do I have to do everything around here?! Fine. Whatever. In a deliciously thrilling junior welterweight bout, Jose Ramirez slithered into Maurice Hooker’s backyard and stole his title, his heart and, […]
0 comments by Tim Starks on 7/27/2019
All right, it’s time for Gervonta Davis to stop dicking around. Davis notched yet another stoppage within three rounds Saturday on Showtime, detonating Ricardo Nunez in the 2nd. He’s now done this kind of quick work four times in five fights. It has something to do with Davis’ explosive offense, his blend of speed and […]
0 comments by Matthew Swain on 7/24/2019
Maxim Dadashev died yesterday from injuries he sustained during his junior welterweight match with Subriel Matias last Friday night on a card televised on ESPN+. He is survived by his wife Elizabeth, and their 2 year old son, Daniel. Dadashev was 28 years old. After the 11th round, trainer Buddy McGirt pleaded with Dadashev to […]
0 comments by Jason Langendorf on 7/21/2019
Time and tide wait for no man, but for a select few, they’re willing to look the other way. Cezanne didn’t put on his first art exhibit until turning 56. Diana Nyad swam the Gulf, from Havana to Key West — 110 miles — at age 64. (Shark cages, by the way, are for candy-asses.) […]
0 comments by Brent Hedtke on 7/20/2019
Imagine you work at an insurance company collating and sorting accident claims. Also, for the sake of verisimilitude, your name is Ruth and you have what can only be described as “way too many” cats. Now, you’re a bit of a hotshot in the collating department. You’ve done some highlight reel alphabetizing and your stapling […]
