0 comments by Jason Langendorf on 3/28/2022
The line that separates a sanctioned prizefight from a carnival freak show is an embarrassingly thin one, and the only presence keeping those of us on both sides of it from being marks are the in-ring officials. These are men with names like Russell Mora, Laurence Cole and Ian John-Lewis, and it’s up to them […]
0 comments by Tim Starks on 4/26/2021
It’s fair to assume that there’s ample overlap between boxing and people who have dark senses of humor. So one could be forgiven for laughing when hearing Christopher Diaz’s trainer tell him just before the final round of his Saturday war with Emanuel Navarrete: “There is no pain.” Buddy. Navarrete is nothing BUT pain! Easy […]
0 comments by Matthew Swain on 8/26/2020
In the very best of times, we here at TQBR come together to discuss the biggest fights and argue about the current state of the sport. This year, unfortunately, has been a protracted rectal bleed of Old Testament severity. With that in mind, we stocked up on Neosporin, strapped on our Depends flex fits, and […]
0 comments by Jason Langendorf on 8/17/2020
Even in the age of social distancing, you can scarcely swing a dead cat without hitting a boxer who doesn’t have a little resentment coming to him. Fighters are hard men with pocked histories. Boxing is known for its boozers, gamblers, junkies, abusers and general dirtbaggery. Self-promotion too often falls somewhere on the spectrum between […]
0 comments by Tim Starks on 6/21/2020
It’s hard not to sound like complaining, when there’s anything negative to say about “any boxing happening at all,” versus the months-long “none.” There’s nothing that can be done about it. You just have to mix in the small pleasures you unearth. Saturday’s 11 p.m. (!) ESPN card was headlined by Emanuel Navarrete. That’s a […]
0 comments by Jason Langendorf on 12/9/2019
Emanuel Navarrete is in a hurry. Fast hands, CompuBox-busting punch volume, on to the next thing — quickly. He leaps into jabs, straight right hands and even sweeping hooks, the sooner to unspool his go-go gadget arms and put hands on his intended target. Let’s go. Glove up. Ring the bell. Patience? That’s for 12-rounders […]
0 comments by Matthew Swain on 9/15/2019
Boxing is a cruel sport. We love to tell ourselves that it’s poetic and has the power to uplift its participants, but at its core, boxing is about hurting another human being with your fists. Obviously, there are rules, and we expect them to be enforced, but it’s always enjoyable to see a serial rule-breaker […]
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 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 Matthew Swain on 5/13/2019
It’s Monday, boys and girls. So you know what that means: TQBR group therapy. This is a safe space in which Jason and Tim help Brent and I fulfill our court-mandated counseling sessions. We reveal our deepest insecurities, talk about our feelings, and bat opinions back and forth about the previous weekend’s boxing matches. Some […]
0 comments by Matthew Swain
Faith, we’re often assured, is one of the greatest gifts to mankind. It provides comfort in dark moments and gives its bearers a sense that there is some plan. Without it, the chaos of the universe would be too much to endure, and that deep chasm of meaninglessness would overcome even the strongest soul. Most […]
