That’s Bob Arum next to Oscar De La Hoya. Here’s a fun game: See if you can count how many fights discussed below won’t happen because these two can’t get along. At the end, stab yourself in the stomach with a gardening trowel that exact number of times. If you live, you are cured of […]

“Where I come from, you can’t be laying on the floor saying you still want to fight.” Those are the words of John Scully, Chad Dawson’s trainer. Scully, for the second straight fight, will be training Dawson as he sets his sights on capturing the legitimate light heavyweight title this weekend on HBO. Bernard Hopkins […]

Referring to Cuba’s boxing history as “rich” would be a weak cliché that doesn’t quite do the concept justice. Cuba’s boxing history is wealthy. Even in outlawing professional boxing in 1961, men like Teofilo Stevenson and Felix Savon became absolute legends without ever stepping foot in a ring for money. And thanks to Stevenson and […]

(Credit: Showtime) There’s a certain kind of boxing card, one that’s hard for promoters to master, where the favorites are matched competitively enough to create some action and give the “house” fighters some trouble but never place them in serious danger of losing. That’s what we got from the doubleheader on Showtime Saturday, when Abner […]

(Adonis Stevenson; credit, Nina Michele le Floch) Albert Mensah vs. Mick Katsidis was an intravenous injection to keep us from slipping into some kind of hopelessly catatonic state last week on Friday Night Fights, and this week’s match up was like a booster shot to make sure last week’s treatment took. The aftermath of weeks […]

(credit: Craig Bennett, Showtime) Here are the two dramatic things that happened Friday night on ShoBox: 1. World-class junior middleweight Erislandy Lara demolished Ronald Hearns, a fighter who has also been demolished by trial horse Harry Joe Yorgey.2. Formerly world-class middleweight Jermain Taylor, who is making a comeback from a brain bleed, got dropped by […]

As a warm-up to build interest for a showdown toward matching the two best bantamweights in the world, Abner Mares and Anselmo Moreno, Showtime’s doubleheader Saturday isn’t completely irredeemable. Mares’ opponent, Eric Morel, fights a little like Eric Moreno, only worse; Moreno’s opponent, David De La Mora, fights a little like Mares, only worse. Mares-Moreno […]

Bernard Hopkins is being eerily quiet in the lead up to his rematch with Chad Dawson. There are a few things that could mean… Perhaps the future Hall of Famer and legendary controversy concoctor is focused to the point where he doesn’t feel he needs to hype himself up. There is a precedent for this […]

With Bernard Hopkins returning to arms next weekend, Andrew Harrison looks back at the Philadelphian’s middleweight championship reign — a fantastic run but a record breaking one? A great bumper sticker once noted that during a time of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act. And while Big Brother should not concern itself […]

It’s as though we can’t get a solid chunk of good fights lately, and the up and down fluctuation plays hell with a fan’s patience and emotions. A more consistent fight schedule would be nice. It’s part of loving this game, though, and sometimes a hiatus from constant action makes the heart grow fonder. Indeed, […]

Nothing amusing to head up this week’s schedule, just a weird pic of Rhianna beater Chris Brown and nobody-really beater Anthony Mundine. Well, my head exploded anyway. Nobody’s head should explode over this week’s boxing schedule, which is alright but not amazing. Abner Mares and Anselmo Moreno are fighting guys who aren’t each other and […]

“In the clinch fighting, again Ketchel discovered that Johnson knows more in one round than the average fighter learns in a career. Ketchel as a rule is always above the average at clinch fighting, but to-day he was powerless. There were other things about these clinches. They gave an idea of Johnson’s immense strength as […]

One of the only upsides to not watching a boxing card live in 2012 is that you can avoid this year’s familiar emotional pattern of, “Look, something amazing just happened!/Nevermind, something horrible just ruined it.” Knowing already what went down on Top Rank’s pay-per-view from the weekend, one could go straight to the good parts […]