SAN ANTONIO – Fight fans looking for the next southpaw sensation to come out of the Philippines, someone to play heir to Manny Pacquiao, had best keep looking. Mark Melligan is not their man. … [Read more...]
Alternate endings to a fight boxing badly needs
June 26, 2011 By
We all knew Wladimir Klitschko was a chinny smart guy who took no unnecessary shots and worried openly about what might happen if the right man put a punch on his chin. We had our suspicions, expressed openly and often in the United States where he … [Read more...]
We demand more “Cinnamon”!
June 19, 2011 By
“Give us more of Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez!” we cry. There, was that enthusiastic enough? It’s part of a new scheme to explore. If we tell the networks and promoters what they want to hear as they launch new prospects, er, champions, perhaps … [Read more...]
Encounters with “Chicanito”
June 12, 2011 By
By now you’ve read reminiscences of Genaro Hernandez from men who knew him far better than I did. Some covered his matches, others worked with him in broadcasting, a few were his promoters. This, by contrast, is not an adequate eulogy but an … [Read more...]
Super Six, Carl Froch, and the joy of not knowing
June 6, 2011 By
The greatest joy of Showtime’s Super Six tournament has been one of discovery – a joy that makes anything worth playing audience to. It is a different joy from what the unexpected brings. The unexpected, husband of anticipation and father of … [Read more...]
Falling in love with Carl Froch
May 29, 2011 By
Prizefighting now draws near to completing its most innovative concept in ages. Showtime’s Super Six World Boxing Classic is days from matching its finalists. It is a tournament that has fully altered the professional paths of its every … [Read more...]
Hopkins, a legend, squashes the haters
May 22, 2011 By
Apropos of my own irreverence last week, 15rounds.com’s indispensible editor Marc Abrams addressed the consequences of Saturday’s fight thusly: “A man winning the lineal light heavyweight title at 46? Yeah, I think that’s pretty (frigging) … [Read more...]
“Wearing ‘West Point ‘03’ on my trunks”
May 15, 2011 By
It should surprise no one that boxing is a plebe-year requirement at the United States Military Academy. West Point’s ultimate purpose is to prepare students to lead men into combat, and striking and being struck in the face isn’t a bad … [Read more...]
Unfit for prime time
May 8, 2011 By
There is a time of the year in professional golf when the four tournaments collectively known as “the majors” are finished, the Ryder Cup, in even years, is through, and made-for-television and -sponsor events happen. Men pair with women. … [Read more...]
Sweetness that overcomes the sour
May 1, 2011 By
There are prizefights that begin with one participant looking so confident and establishing such a superiority of craft that you wonder if this mightn’t be a genuinely unique experience in the presence of a genuinely unique talent. But then, with … [Read more...]
Things to do while you’re in L.A.
April 24, 2011 By
LOS ANGELES – To live in this city one must be pathologically optimistic. It is a machine designed to do wondrous things but comprising 10 million self-interested parts. Every day two or more of these competing parts collide, and the machine … [Read more...]
No butts about it: Darchinyan dominates Perez
April 23, 2011 By
LOS ANGELES – An accidental collision of heads happened as Vic “Raging Bull” Darchinyan charged Yonnhy Perez in the fifth round of their consolation-cum-main-event bout. A cut opened over Perez’s eyes, and the match was stopped and sent to … [Read more...]
Darchinyan and Perez make weight; Agbeko and Mares are missed
April 22, 2011 By
LOS ANGELES – Friday afternoon on the second floor of the never-ending JW Marriott Hotel in the middle of downtown, last-minute main-event bantamweights Armenian Vic Darchinyan and Colombian Yonnhy Perez made weight for their Saturday consolation … [Read more...]
Agbeko-Mares and the pursuit of authenticity
April 17, 2011 By
SAN ANTONIO – Saturday night as the HBO fights were getting under way, an enormous event happened here in the downtown area. Fiesta Flambeau, the annual commencement of this city’s 11-day Battle of San Jacinto celebration and our country’s … [Read more...]
A Terrible difference
April 10, 2011 By
A suspicion was confirmed Saturday. No, it wasn’t the suspicion we all harbored about Erik “El Terrible” Morales’ shopworn frailty. Morales’ comportment in the main event of “Action Heroes” was first rate. Rather, the suspicion was … [Read more...]
Leaving a light on for “Lights Out”
April 3, 2011 By
There are some differences between writing for a boxing website like this one and writing for a sports website with a boxing page, like, say, CBSSports.com. The largest difference is the catering you do within the large chasm between an … [Read more...]
Solis remembers while Top Rank corners
March 27, 2011 By
It was almost four years ago this week that Mexican Jorge Solis sat in Pico de Gallo restaurant, sipping menudo. Pico de Gallo is a colorful cousin eatery to San Antonio’s famous Mexican restaurant Mi Tierra; Pico de Gallo is not quite in Market … [Read more...]
Resisting the reactionary after a showcase weekend of misses
March 20, 2011 By
If there was a theme from last weekend – and you’re right to shake your head; there probably wasn’t – that theme might be: Trust your first reaction. Boxing threw a showcase for itself and succeeded in few ways. Those ways included a proof … [Read more...]
A marvel while it lasts
March 13, 2011 By
This is one of the more authentically enjoyable rides we’ve been on, isn’t it? Sergio Martinez, a man humble outside the ring as he is confident within, continues to bring pleasant surprises every time we see him. He has a naturalness to him … [Read more...]
A future sprinkled with Cinnamon
March 7, 2011 By
Marco Antonio Barrera has warned us about cases like Mexican Saul “Canelo” Alvarez. No, not by name – the way Juan Manuel Marquez just did – or by specific timeframe, either. Barrera’s warnings come only by implication: boxing was off … [Read more...]
Passing a test and enjoying some class
February 27, 2011 By
SAN ANTONIO – So you think you love boxing, eh, just can’t get enough of all that action and drama leavened by brutality? Yeah, well you might not love boxing much as you think. But fear not. There is a test available to certify you one way or … [Read more...]
Few suspicions linger about Donaire, one suspects
February 20, 2011 By
Some boxing aficionados were suspicious of Nonito Donaire’s talents during the promotion of the young Filipino’s fight with Mexico’s WBC/WBO bantamweight champion Fernando Montiel. Most of these aficionados’ wrongheaded ways were righted by … [Read more...]
No cupidity on Valentine’s Day
February 13, 2011 By
This will be about Marco Antonio Barrera’s continuing journey through prizefighting, inspired by its form. If you’re no longer interested in Barrera, this column is not for you. That cleared the room? This column is for posterity, then. … [Read more...]
Los Angeles in April rather than Las Vegas in May
February 6, 2011 By
In March we journeyed to Arlington, Tex., to see Cowboys Stadium’s first prizefight, one featuring Manny Pacquiao. In November we returned to Arlington, Tex., to see Cowboys Stadium’s second prizefight, one featuring Manny Pacquiao. And in May … [Read more...]
Pontiac & Prizefighting: Listlessly seeking rebirth
January 30, 2011 By
DETROIT – At 7:00 AM on Sunday, Timothy Bradley walked gingerly through the Southwest terminal of Metro Airport. He was anonymous. I deposited my luggage and strolled over to congratulate him. He was affable but subdued. He thanked me. We … [Read more...]
Bradley strikes out Alexander to become unified champion
January 30, 2011 By
PONTIAC, Mich. – There’s a reason it’s hard to get in the major leagues with a hitch in your swing. St. Louis’ Devon Alexander may have made it to the majors, but Saturday night he ran into a first-rate pitcher in Timothy “Desert Storm” … [Read more...]
Bradley-Alexander is built, but will they come?
January 28, 2011 By
PONTIAC, Mich. – Junior welterweight champions Timothy Bradley and Devon Alexander shared a lot of similarities Friday at Silverdome. Both were dark, muscular and respectful to one another and those gathered round a makeshift stage in a … [Read more...]
A tough gig: Don Escobar plays “Ratsville”
January 24, 2011 By
TEMPLE, Tex. – Sometime after this town was created in 1881 by the Gulf, Colorado & Santa Fe Railway Company, folks riding the trains in and out of its depot gave it a few creative nicknames. Some called it “Mudville” for the nature of its … [Read more...]
Pontiac in January
January 16, 2011 By
Much has been made about poor ticket sales for Timothy “Desert Storm” Bradley versus Devon Alexander “The Great.” The venue, Silverdome – originally so named because of the glare off its white fiberglass roof – has been criticized. … [Read more...]
Integrity’s integral part in prizefighting
January 10, 2011 By
“I cannot find language of sufficient energy to convey my sense of the sacredness of private integrity. . . . With so much awe, with so much fear, let it be respected.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson, “Lecture on the Times,” Dec. 2, 1841 … [Read more...]
