JUNE & JULY
Is There Too Much Pound for Pound?
THU August 30, CLIFF ROLD - Watching newly crowned World jr. flyweight champion Ivan Calderon celebrate
after his earned, grueling victory Saturday night over Hugo Cazares, a question popped into my mind:
Where does Calderon rate pound-for-pound?
I've already pondered where he could land when I do my annual end of year offering. In my post-fight wrap, I even went so far as to declare that Calderon 'forced his way into any credible debate about the best fighters in the game, pound for pound." [Links Take You To BoxingScene.com]
Calderon Proves He is Among the Game's Best
TUE August 28, CLIFF ROLD - On paper, it was the best fight at 108 lbs. since the mid-90s heyday of Michael Carbajal and Humberto Gonzalez. To the delight of boxing fans lucky enough to see it on a hard to find Dish Network pay-per-view offering, it turned out to be every bit that good in the ring.
Before a packed house of approximately 13,000 rabid fight fans at the Coliseo Ruben Rodriguez in Bayamon, Puerto Rico, 31-year old Ivan Calderon (29-0, 6 KO, 107.7 lbs., Ring Magazine #1 at 105 lbs.) of Guaynabo, Puerto Rico captured the Ring Magazine World junior flyweight championship by split decision... [Links Take You To BoxingScene.com]
Boxers Who Have Worn Out Their Welcome
FRI August 24, JIMMY BRYGHT - Have you ever been sitting on your couch, easy chair or, if you're a batchelor, milk carton with a six-month old Sunday paper on it so you don't get honeycomb butt, and watched a favorite TV show and witness the same commercial ten damn times during the viewing?
Sure, the advertisement may have been entertaining at first but after seeing it so many times don't you wish it would just go away? I feel the same way about certain boxers.
Cazares-Calderon: Giants But For Their Domain
THU August 23, CLIFF ROLD - I almost titled this piece 'short end of the stick because they're short' but decided that wouldn't be fair. It would point out things that are no fault of two fighters who this weekend may combine for a classic. Looking around the last few weeks at the fights getting all the bulk of the attention, one might have assumed boxing was on hiatus until September. I assure you it is not.
Not if you have access to Dish Network anyways. [Links Take You To BoxingScene.com]
Jones-Trinidad in 2008: Punchline or Prizefight?
FRI August 17, CLIFF ROLD - If they had fought in 2001 when both were still peak, I would have picked
former 4-division titlist Roy Jones (51-4, 38 KO) to destroy former 3-division titlist and World welterweight champion Felix Trinidad (45-2, 35
KO) inside of three rounds.
The passage of time has not made this then rumored, and now almost signed, bout any more competitive. It's rare that a fight between two living legends, in this case two of my favorite fighters ever to watch, would inspire less than excitement in me. This one got a belly laugh when I heard about it on Monday. [Links Take You To BoxingScene.com]
I Want to be an Alphabet Bandit, too!
WED August 15, JIMMY BRYGHT - Money. How much is enough? In an interview several years ago with billionaire real estate mogul Donald Trump, an MSNBC analyst asked Donald the same question. Trump answered, "Just a little more." For those of us who have to add loose change to a Planter's Peanuts jar so that we can afford a few packs of cigarettes at the end of the month, 'enough' would mean that we'd be able to get out of debt and keep the bills paid up.
Ponce De Leon: Happy To Be Throwing Punches
TUE August 14, BUSTER PARIS - Why is De Leon rushing straight at Bautista? No jabs. His left arm is a bazooka with Cleto Reyes as the ammo of choice. 'BOOM' - it hits. Bautista backs off, and De Leon is, of course, shooting forward. No jabs. He's lunging in and thrusting that left into Bautista's life.
August 11th at the Arco Arena in Sacramento, California...
30 Years: Me and The Sport of Boxing
THU August 9, CLIFF ROLD - I guess I'm not a kid anymore.
I say I guess because I still feel like one sometimes and want to be one the rest of the time. I'm getting married this year, talking about buying a house, talking about Tre (my already chosen nickname for whenever Clifford Lee Rold III rolls around). It's a lot of fun when it's not intimidating.
Watching Erik Morales overcome all objections, including my own (and boy how wrong I was), to give David Diaz hell on earth last weekend, I remember that at least boxing will always bring out the awe in me... [Links Take You To BoxingScene.com]
A Classic Rivalry At Super Bantam: Vazquez Stops Marquez in Rematch
SUN August 5, FRANK GONZALEZ - Wow! That's the best word to describe the rematch battle between WBC Super Bantam
Champion, Rafael Marquez (37-4, 33KO's) and Israel Vasquez (42-4, 31 KO's).
This is what its all about, the two best fighters in the division facing
each other.
There was no 'bad blood' at the press conference, no over hype job on how much they don't like each other, no overdone ring entrances; just plain old fashioned fisticuffs...
Erik Morales-David Diaz: It Ain't Worth It
THU August 2, CLIFF ROLD - To paraphrase George Orwell, all fights are dangerous but some are more dangerous than others. This weekends bout between 30-year old Mexican great Erik Morales (48-5, 34 KO, Ring Magazine #5 at 130 lbs.) and 31-year old
Miami-based lightweight contender and 1996 U.S. Olympian David Diaz (32-1,
17 KO, #3 at 135, WBC titlist) is one of the latter. This fight makes me
think about how to justify watching boxing on its bad days.
This fight makes me think about Leavander Johnson. [Links Take You To BoxingScene.com]
Boxing's Lineal Mathematics: Champion Versus Champion
WED August 1, CLIFF ROLD - Over the course of this series, I will examine the battles between the sports elite, the who fought who and how many times. By limiting the scope to only those men who have held true lineal world championships in the now seventeen weight divisions that dot the landscape, I don't expect to find a definitive answer to who the greatest of all time were. I do think light can be shed in a way that has not been done before.
PART TWO: LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT
In the first part of this series, printed in the September issue of Wail!, I reviewed the battles that had taken place between men who once held the heavyweight championship of the world. Below heavyweight, things get more interesting. That's because, below heavyweight, some of the battles we find among the lower weight champions might not have taken place at the weight class in question. For instance, Sugar Ray Robinson fought Carmen Basilio at middleweight but they both are counted as champions at middleweight AND welterweight... [Links Take You To CyberBoxingZone.com]
Hopkins-Wright: Their Fight, Words and Legacies
THU July 19, CLIFF ROLD - Perception is not always reality.
In an excellent match-up, current Ring Magazine light heavyweight titlist and former middleweight emperor Bernard Hopkins (47-4-1, 32 KO) of Philadelphia knows it. So too does his opponent this Saturday night at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, former World jr. middleweight king Ronald 'Winky' Wright (51-3-1, 25 KO, #1 contender at middleweight) of St. Petersburg, Florida.
They know because, heading into this pay-per-view showdown, they are confronted by a sizable base of fans and pundits who don't think much of their pending contest [Links Take You To BoxingScene.com]
Hopkins vs. Wright - A Swollen Eye And A Whoopin'
TUE July 17, BUSTER PARIS - Right now forget the historical significance of this fight. Forget the fact that this bout will dramatically change the landscape of today's boxing as we know it.
July 21st at the Mandalay Bay in good ol' Las Vegas, Nevada, Bernard 'The Executioner' Hopkins (W 47 - 32 ko's, L 4 & D 1) and Ronald 'Winky' Wright (W 51 - 25 ko's, L 3 & D 1) are meeting at a catch weight of 170 lbs and giving boxing fans a gift.
HBO's Triple Header: Gomez, Cintron, Williams All Victorious
MON July 16, FRANK GONZALEZ - Saturday night in Atlantic City, fan favorite and ripened legendary warrior,
Arturo Gatti (40-9-0, 31 KO's) came to the end point of his exciting career.
His opponent, 26 year-old Alphonso Gomez (17-3, 8 KO's), systematically
picked him apart with aggression, jabbing and combination punching that proved more than Gatti (at 35 years old) could handle. With Mickey Ward in his corner as a trainer, it was a feel good situation that concluded in disaster.
Some Thoughts on Roy Jones Jr's Win
MON July 16, FRANK GONZALEZ - It's not that surprising that nobody cared much about the return of Roy Jones
Jr. (51-4-0, 38 KO's) and his fight against Anthony Hanshaw (21-1-1, 14
KO's) that aired on PPV Saturday night, the same night HBO delighted fans
with a -triple header of exciting and defining match ups.
I read a few articles about Jones vs. Hanshaw on the only real place for boxing news'the Internet.
The Antonio Margarito Question
FRI July 13, CLIFF ROLD - Mexican welterweight Antonio Margarito (34-4, 24 KO, #2 Ring Magazine, WBO titlist) is the most underappreciated, underrated, avoided
welterweight of his generation.
Or he's not.
Margarito then is the most overrated, overhyped welterweight of the last two generations.
Or he's not. Seriously not. [Links Take You To BoxingScene.com]
Super-Middleweight Clash: Calzaghe versus Kessler set for November 3rd
WED July 11 - In arguably the biggest world title unification fight between non-heavyweight world champions since the Sugar Ray Leonard-Tommy Hearns rumble of 1981, undefeated super middleweight champions JOE CALZAGHE, from Newbridge, Wales, and MIKKEL KESSLER, from Copenhagen, Denmark, will finally step into the same ring to determine the undisputed world champion!
>> Punches Fly at Vargas-Mayorga Announcement
Klitschko v Brewster ' In Like A Lion, Out Like Lamon
MON July 9, BUSTER PARIS - The bell rang for round 5, and 20,000 fans passionately chanted his name ' 'Klitschko, Klitschko, Klitschko ''
Wladimir's jabbed popped into Lamon's face and the chants got even louder, and then the entire arena of K'lnarena, K'ln, Germany was all one, united and booming overpowering voice, singing his name - 'Kliiiitschko, Kliiiiitschko, Kliiiiiitschko ''
Nonito Donaire KO's Darchinyan In Five
MON July 9, FRANK GONZALEZ - 7-7-7 didn't turn out to be lucky numbers for Vic Darchinyan (28-1, 22 KO's)
Saturday night in Connecticut, where he defended his Title against Nonito
Donaire, the brother of a former beaten Darchinyan opponent, Glenn Donaire.
(Almost) The King, Wladimir Klitschko
THU July 5, CLIFF ROLD - Fans in most of the world probably haven't seen it yet, but boxing may have fielded its best candidate so far for 2007 Fight of the Year last Sunday night. I'll get back to that a few paragraphs from now. After all, boxing fans have much to anticipate in the next couple of days and the future should take precedent.
Heavyweight contender and IBF titlist Wladimir Klitschko (48-3, 43 KO,Ring Magazine #1) should have his anticipations deliberately spread over a couple of fights... [Links Take You To BoxingScene.com]
Malignaggi is Quietly Budding into a People's Champion
THU July 5, CHRIS ROCHE - IBF light-welterweight world champion Paulie "Magic Man" Malignaggi is rarely described as "quiet". Malignaggi normally sports a penchant for castigating his opponents with an avalanche of pre-fight banter. The silver-tongued Brooklyn, NY native is also well known for his multi-colored hair, elaborate ring attire and animated gestures, including an introductory throat slash, which he performs before the opening bell of his bouts.
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