Wilder vs. Ortiz & Boxing’s PED Problem
An edited version of this article was published on TheFightCity.com website on October 5th, 2017: https://www.thefightcity.com/wilder-vs-ortiz-drugs-boxing/
Last month boxing fans were treated to the news that WBC heavyweight champion, “The Bronze Bomber” Deontay Wilder (38-0, 37 KOs), would defend his title against one of the most feared contenders in the division, Luis “King Kong” Ortiz (27-0, 23 KOs). In what has already been a stellar year for the sport of boxing, this promised to be yet another excellent contest, with sharply contrasting perceptions of champion and challenger providing the backdrop for an intriguing clash of styles. Read more
Super Flyweight Super Card #2
This was a preview of the Superfly 2 card, published by Boxinginsider.com on September 8th 2017: https://www.boxinginsider.com/columns/super-flyweight-super-card-2017-just-keeps-giving/
“I think 2016 should go down as one of the worst years in boxing history, maybe the worst.” – Oscar De La Hoya, October 2016.
The Golden Boy’s sad assessment of the state of boxing almost a year ago may have been somewhat of an exaggeration, but it’s fair to say 2016 was not exactly a banner year for the sport. Still recovering from the stench of the Mayweather-Pacquiao mega-letdown in 2015 and facing the prospect of being usurped as the world’s No.1 combat sport by a surging UFC, boxing was certainly in need of a serious shot in the arm. Read more
Mayweather-McGregor: A Reflection of the Times
post-truth adjective
relating to a situation in which people are more likely to accept an argument based on their emotions and beliefs, rather than one based on facts
Conor McGregor is an interesting character. If you listen to him in an interview, he can be witty, polite and genuine. When he forwards an outlandish prediction, he does so with calm and conviction. Speaking in front of a large audience, McGregor is often animated, fiery and profane, yet manages to maintain a sense of humour. He has charisma. He knows how to captivate the public’s attention. Regardless of setting, he always emanates a cast-iron certainty in his own ability to bend reality to his will – a quality shared by some of the most successful people in history, most notably the greatest boxer ever, Muhammad Ali.
UFC boss Dana White was recently quoted on Twitter as saying: “If you sit in a room with @TheNotoriousMMA for two minutes, you’ll believe him too.”
Many people don’t even require that long. Read more
The Battle of the Planet: Hopkins vs. Calzaghe
Author’s Note: This article was written on 17th April, 2008, and was my first ever attempt at a full-length boxing article. I’d like to extend a huge thanks to Thomas Hauser and T.K. Stewart, who kindly took the time to read it and offer feedback and words of encouragement.
After a combined total of 44 world title fight victories including two of the longest title reigns in the history of boxing, culminating in both fighters becoming undisputed champions in their respective divisions and one of them a two division champion, finally Bernard ‘The Executioner’ Hopkins and Joe ‘The Pride of Wales’ Calzaghe will meet in the squared circle. The fight will determine not only who can call himself the best light-heavyweight in the world, but which man can claim supremacy over an entire era. Most likely niether fighter will remain in the sport of boxing long after Saturday’s contest, regardless of the outcome. So as another of boxings era’s draws itself to a close – with the likes of De La Hoya, Roy Jones, Mosley, Trinidad, Barrera and more all likely closing out their hall of fame careers in the near future – so two more legends of the modern era duke it out to decide just who can ride off into the sunset with his pride in tact; his will executed. Read more
David Haye vs. Tony Bellew: Beneath the Bluster
This article was published by BoxingInsider.com on March 3rd, 2017: http://www.boxinginsider.com/columns/haye-vs-bellew-beneath-bluster/
“Of course, to try to learn from boxers was a quintessentially comic quest. Boxers were liars. Champions were great liars. They had to be. Once you knew what they thought, you could hit them. So their personalities became masterpieces of concealment.” – Norman Mailer, The Fight.
David Haye is a self-confessed play boy from south London who enjoys partying it up in Miami and posing on yachts in his spare time; Tony Bellew is a straight-talking, proud Liverpudlian and consummate family man. It would be an understatement to say they are different characters. What they share is a competitive zeal that has taken them both to professional world title honours and helped set up a meeting inside a 20ft ring on Saturday night at London’s O2 Arena in front of thousands of baying spectators. Read more
Matt O'Brien
Boxing Philosophy 