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 12/24/2017
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 […]
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 […]
BIRMINGHAM, AL – FEBRUARY 25: Izu Ugonoh (L) and Dominic Breazeale (R) fight in a heavyweight bout at Legacy Arena. (Photo by David A. Smith/Getty Images)
0 comments by Matthew Swain on 2/26/2017
I started this write-up by looking for a synonym for “clumsy.” I didn’t find one that fit, unfortunately. Tonight at the Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Ala. on Premier Boxing Champions on Fox, Deontay Wilder (38-0, 37 KO) notched another victory to the thrill of his local crowd (everything is local in Alabama, trust me). Wilder scored […]
0 comments by Matthew Swain on 2/9/2017
There’s an apocryphal story about the first meeting when Bernie Ecclestone took over Formula 1. As it goes, Enzo Ferrari dragged the dwarvish Brit into his office to let him know what was what. Enzo slammed his hand on the desk and said, “THIS is the sport!” then tapped his finger under the desk and […]
0 comments by Tim Starks on 12/26/2016
Welcome to The Queensberry Rules’ annual year-end boxing awards, beginning 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 from […]
0 comments by Tim Starks on 12/14/2016
A 51-year-old man headlines the boxing schedule this weekend. Do a search for “51-year-old man” on Google Images and you’ll turn up something like the picture above, although you’ll also get — really? — Keanu Reeves. Anyway. Bernard Hopkins’ fight is noteworthy mainly because Bernard Hopkins is in it, but there are some interesting fights […]
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 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 […]
0 comments by Matthew Swain on 7/20/2016
Unlike most major sports, boxing exists in an anarcho-capitalist wasteland. It’s the kind of environment that would give Ayn Rand a dusty orgasm and produce a raging semi in Ted Cruz that’s normally reserved for when he imagines Jesus power bombing a refugee child. Because of this, most fighters get paid based on how many […]
BIRMINGHAM, AL – JULY 16: WBC World Heavyweight Champion Deontay Wilder (L) fights Chris Arreola (R) in a title defense at Legacy Arena at the BJCC on July 16, 2016 in Birmingham, Alabama. (Photo by David A. Smith/Getty Images)
0 comments by Jonathan Moreland on 7/17/2016
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Chris Arreola openly acknowledged that he didn’t deserve to face Deontay Wilder Saturday night. He did, however, promise to leave everything in the ring in his attempt. He was right on both accounts. Wilder (37-0, 36 KO) defeated Arreola (36-5-1, 31 KOs) via an 8th round stoppage to retain his title, battering — […]
LAS VEGAS, NV -Deontay Wilder wears a mask during his ring entrance for a title fight against WBC heavyweight champion Bermane Stiverne at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on January 17, 2015. Wilder took the title by unanimous decision. (Photo by Steve Marcus/Getty Images)
0 comments by Alex McClintock on 7/13/2016
If there’s one thing I can predict with certainty about the week ahead in boxing, it’s that Deontay Wilder’s weird “Eyes Wide Shut” mask will make an appearance. But there’s quite a bit on even apart from the American heavyweight contender’s fight with Chris Arreola (which TQBR’s Jonathan Moreland will be covering live from Alabama), […]
0 comments by Tim Starks on 4/9/2016
Anthony Joshua really could be the future of boxing at heavyweight, and as of Saturday, he creeped into the present of the division. “Creeped” probably isn’t the right word considering the demolition job he did on Charles Martin, but there’s still cause for caution. Analysts and fans were rightly worried after Joshua’s showing against Dillian […]
0 comments by Jonathan Moreland on 3/13/2016
We all can agree that the organizational side of boxing is a mess. Politics stymie matchmaking. The term “titleholder” has been watered down by an endless supply of spin-off belts churned out by suspect sanctioning bodies. For every meaningful unification bout, there are dozens of mandatories against no-name challengers, forfeitures on the scale, or big […]
