Britain & Ireland’s Super Six
An edited version of this article was published on TheFightCity.com on February 13th, 2017: http://www.thefightcity.com/super-middleweight-super-six-boxing/
Since being established by the major sanctioning bodies in the mid-1980s, the super middleweight division has produced some classic contests. I was fortunate enough to be growing into an avid boxing fan in the midst of the division’s heyday for British & Irish boxing, during a wonderful era in the 1990s. James DeGale didn’t quite manage to emerge victorious in his recent IBF/WBC unification fight against Badou Jack, but he nevertheless earned a rightful place in the discussion alongside Britain and Ireland’s best 168lb fighters. Looking at each man’s achievements in the sport, as well as why they earned a special place in my heart as a boxing fan, here’s my personal Super Six: Read more
Ronda Rousey Returns After “Biggest Upset in Combat Sports History”? Not By a Long Way
This article was published by BoxingInsider.com on December 30th, 2016: http://www.boxinginsider.com/columns/ronda-rousey-returns-biggest-upset-combat-sports-history-not-long-way/
Friday night sees the long-awaited comeback of “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey following her shocking defeat to Holly Holm last November, in a result infamously described by UFC commentator Joe Rogan as, “the biggest upset in combat sports history”. Prior to her defeat, Rousey had demolished a string of 12 opponents with only one of them making it out of the first round – a devastating record by any standard, and there’s no doubt that Holm’s knockout was a truly enormous upset, with the challenger overcoming odds of up to 12-1 against her.
That being said, it takes two people to make a fight, and the bookies’ published odds are not the only ingredient that goes into a big upset – the wider context of the underdog’s role is also vital. Ronda’s record was indeed formidable, but keen observers had noted that it could be a far more difficult task than anything she had faced before, with Holm being a former world-boxing champion and arguably the first bona fide world-class striker “Rowdy” had faced off against.
So while Rogan’s assertion that it was the “biggest upset of all time” might be right as far as UFC or even MMA history goes, once we include the sweet science the scale of Ronda’s defeat falls a few rungs down the list of “greatest ever upsets”. Here are five of my favourite shocks in boxing history that eclipse Holly Holm’s upset victory over Ronda Rousey: Read more
Five Myths About Judging Fights
An edited version of this article was published on TheFightCity.com on December 22nd, 2016: http://www.thefightcity.com/five-myths-about-judging-fights-kovalev-vs-ward/
In the aftermath of the unanimous decision for Andre Ward over Sergey Kovalev, a lot of attention has been focused on the scorecards turned in by the 3 ringside judges, with the usual barbs being tossed around on social media about “corrupt officials” and a so-called “robbery”. While the decision was certainly a controversial one and everyone is entitled to their opinion, there’s several scoring clichés that could do with a healthy dose of reality. Here are five of the most common to be aware of: Read more
Who Should we Believe in the Ward-GGG Saga?
An edited version of this article was published on thefightcity.com on November 17th, 2016: http://www.thefightcity.com/golovkin-vs-ward-gennady-golovkin-andre-ward-kovalev-boxing/
As former super middleweight ruler Andre Ward prepares for his upcoming challenge against WBA/WBO/IBF light-heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev, a phoney war between his camp and that of another Eastern bloc pound-for-pound star, Gennady Golovkin, continues to rumble on. The latest round of the back and forth battle-by-media occurred when Triple G’s trainer, Abel Sanchez, recently stated that his star pupil has the beating not only of Ward, but 175lb champions Kovalev and Adonis Stevenson, too. Read more
Time for the Pacman to Call it a Day
This article was published by BoxingInsider.com on 11th November, 2016: http://www.boxinginsider.com/columns/time-pacman-call-day/
Following a short-lived “retirement” from boxing, Manny Pacquiao returned to action on Saturday night and reclaimed a portion of the welterweight title for the third time. Once again the Pacman demonstrated that he is levels above the vast majority of 147lb boxers in the world, dominating and widely outpointing a respectable, ambitious world champion 10 years his junior. Read more
Matt O'Brien
Boxing Philosophy 