0 comments by Matthew Swain on 9/28/2018
Yesterday afternoon HBO announced that after 45 years, they are getting out of boxing at the end of October. It seemed an ignominious death rattle for the sport’s marquee platform, but in many ways is a relief for those of us who grew into our fandom watching the network. There will doubtless be glowing eulogies […]
0 comments by Tim Starks on 3/31/2018
They can’t all be great, it turns out. The heavyweight mini-hot streak of excellent bouts among top contenders ended Saturday on Showtime, as Anthony Joshua took a lukewarm decision over Joseph Parker. This had the makings of another crackjack fight, like we got with Joshua vs Wladimir Klitschko and Deontay Wilder vs Luis Ortiz. It […]
0 comments by Tim Starks on 3/24/2018
It’s time to start talking about whether the heavyweight division is back. Dillian Whyte vs Lucas Browne Saturday on HBO is just one piece of evidence. Last year the best fight was Anthony Joshua vs Wladimir Klitschko. The best fight this year is probably Deontay Wilder over Luis Ortiz. Next weekend is Joshua vs Joseph […]
0 comments by Tim Starks on 3/4/2018
Deontay Wilder is not a boxer. Luis Ortiz is. Both men have power. But Deontay Wilder stopped Luis Ortiz thanks to said power Saturday night on Showtime Saturday in a roller coaster of a heavyweight fight. The superior boxer won almost every round Saturday through 10, that being Ortiz, the Cuban amateur great. Even a […]
0 comments by Tim Starks on 12/31/2017
By every visible measure, Anthony Joshua is the Prince Who Was Promised. And wielding a flaming sword, on April 29, Azor Ahai was reborn “amid smoke and salt.” The metaphor is inexact, sure. Because the foe Joshua vanquished was Wladimir Klitschko, an all-around good guy who earned new admiration that evening, there’s not a perfect […]
0 comments by Tim Starks on 12/24/2017
It’s been a long time since we’ve done this, so, wow, have things changed a bunch. Beyond just a thinking and debating exercise, pound-for-pound lists have some value for a number of reasons. For one, a lot of fighters aspire to the greatness a consensus pound-for-pound king-dom symbolizes. For another, it’s a good snapshot at […]
LAS VEGAS, NV – AUGUST 26: Referee Robert Byrd (R) directs Floyd Mayweather Jr. to go back to his corner at the end of the fifth round of his super welterweight boxing match aginst Conor McGregor at T-Mobile Arena on August 26, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Mayweather won by 10th-round TKO. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
0 comments by Tim Starks on 8/29/2017
In the course of one month, four boxers with Hall of Fame credentials that range from “unimpeachable” to “strong” have retired. Boxing being what boxing is, retirements don’t always stick. But these four — Floyd Mayweather, Wladimir Klitschko, Juan Manuel Marquez and Timothy Bradley — have a pretty solid chance of staying away from the […]
0 comments by Matthew Swain on 5/18/2017
On April 4, Andre Ward posted this to Instagram, with the caption, “I’m going to keep it short and sweet, you got what you asked for, now you have to see me JUNE 17TH. This time leave the excuses at home.” We, the adoring public have been blessed to buy a pay-per-view rematch of a good […]
LONDON, ENGLAND – APRIL 29: Anthony Joshua reacts after knocking down Wladimir Klitschko during the IBF, WBA and IBO Heavyweight World Title bout at Wembley Stadium on April 29, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)
0 comments by Tim Starks on 4/29/2017
The transition of power was far from peaceful. Anthony Joshua and Wladimir Klitschko traded knockdowns and momentum Saturday as the new beat the old in the best heavyweight match of consequence in ages. Joshua, the future, is now. But Klitschko, the past, made him prove he deserved it. And they delivered thrills you just don’t […]
0 comments by Tim Starks on 12/29/2016
Welcome to The Queensberry Rules’ annual year-end boxing awards, continuing throughout this week. Here’s how we do it around these parts: The major categories are Knockout of the Year, Round of the Year, Fight of the Year and Fighter of the Year. The final leg, which will finish after, is a pu-pu platter of awards ranging […]
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 10: Anthony Joshua (L) of London in action against Eric Molina of the United States during their IBF World Heavyweight Championship fight at Manchester Arena on December 10, 2016 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)
0 comments by Tim Starks on 12/10/2016
Eric Molina came into Saturday’s underdog match-up with talented young heavyweight Anthony Joshua touting that he’d had a full training camp for the first time. The moment the opening bell rang, he looked more like a guy who didn’t want to be there. He lasted three rounds before Joshua smashed him to pieces. The bout, […]
0 comments by Alex McClintock
In a wide-open heavyweight division, Joseph Parker positioned himself at the front of the pack on Saturday with a tense, hard-fought majority decision win over Andy Ruiz, Jr. Saturday in Auckland, New Zealand. The unflappable Parker, the hometown favorite, used his jab to pick off rounds against the Mexican-American challenger, who never managed to turn […]
0 comments by Tim Starks on 12/8/2016
It’s a packed fight weekend, but one tables-ladders-chairs match already got started in advance, as heavyweight Dereck Chisora threw a whole damn table at Dillian Whyte. And that’s one of the least interesting bouts on the ledger. Terence Crawford vs John Molina, Saturday, HBO, Omaha Neb. Junior welterweight champion Terence Crawford returns to his hometown for […]
0 comments by Matthew Swain on 10/7/2016
For all but the most devoted fans (i.e. people who need a life like me), only the top matters. If a fight isn’t for a belt or between contenders, they largely can’t be bothered to watch it. In some ways, this explains the proliferation of various nonsense alphabet straps over the last three decades. Convince […]
LAS VEGAS, NV – NOVEMBER 07: WBO featherweight champion Vasyl Lomachenko prepares for his fight against Romulo Koasicha at the Thomas & Mack Center on November 7, 2015 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Steve Marcus/Getty Images)
0 comments by Calum Ennis on 7/15/2016
Olympic gold has traditionally been seen as a route to professional stardom. But for every Michael Spinks there’s been a Odlanier Solis, for every Cassius Clay a Rakhim Chakhiev. With an eye on the stars to come out of the upcoming Rio games, this list looks to rank those men who picked up gold in […]
