The Heavyweight Championship: Dawn of a New Era
An edited version of this article was published on TheFightCity.com on February 5th, 2016. Thanks to Michael Carbert, Editor-in-Chief, for his help and patience in producing and publishing the edited version: http://www.thefightcity.com/dawn-of-a-new-era-joe-louis-rocky-marciano-muhammad-ali-mike-tyson-larry-holmes-tyson-fury-heavyweights/
Boxing is a cyclical sport. No matter how dominant, fearsome or skilled a reigning champion may seem at the height of his powers, sooner or later the old guard is forced to make way for the new. Once great kings are swept aside by the challenge of bold young pretenders; years later the new ruler will inevitably be usurped by a similarly brash, younger upstart. As we make our way into a new year, the transition into a new heavyweight era is upon us. Read more
Who is the best ever 168lb fighter from the UK: Joe Calzaghe or Carl Froch?
This is an extended version of an article published on thesweetscience.com, on July 27th 2015: http://www.thesweetscience.com/news/articles-frontpage/21225-better-uk-168er-froch-or-calzaghe
With the recent retirement of British super middleweight Carl Froch, one topic that has received much attention is his standing among former British greats in a division that has produced some of the finest ever champions from these shores. Below I analyse the respective careers of arguably the top two British 168lb legends and give my take on who stands higher in the all-time pantheon. Read more 
Mayweather-Pacquiao: Big Fight Preview & Prediction
Part I: The Case for Pacquiao
“We thought Manny Pacquiao was great”, exclaimed Larry Merchant, as referee Kenny Bayless crossed his arms to signal the end of the Filipino phenom’s twelve round hammering of Miguel Cotto in December 2009, in what was arguably his greatest victory to date. “He’s better than we thought”. Perhaps no one has managed to encapsulate so incisively Manny Pacquiao’s unprecedented and at times terrifying rise through boxing’s elite ranks. Read more
Mayweather-Pacquiao: the Biggest Fight Since…? Part 2
In this two part article, I look at ten of the biggest boxing events from the last twenty-five years and consider their “super-fight” credentials against Mayweather-Pacquiao.
Part Two: The 90’s
Oscar De La Hoya vs. Felix Trinidad, 18th September 1999, WBC/IBF Welterweight Championship
In terms of a high quality, evenly matched, perfectly timed contest between two great rivals, this one was, hands down, easily the best in my years following the sport. A boxing purist’s dream and a fan’s delight between two undefeated icons at the absolute peak of their powers, it was a match made in heaven. A reported 1.4 million PPV buys made the event the biggest selling non-heavyweight fight ever – a record that stood until De La Hoya-Mayweather eight years later. Read more
Mayweather-Pacquiao: the Biggest Fight Since…? Part 1
Depending on the news source and the size of the hyperbole employed, the super-fight between Floyd Mayweather Jnr. and Manny Pacquiao is variously described as “the biggest fight in history” or else “the biggest fight since [insert 80’s super-fight]”. In one sense, of course, such statements are undeniably true: barring a catastrophe the May 2nd event will smash every box-office record in the book. In another sense though, basing our assessment of the bout’s “super-fight” status purely on its ability to generate dollar signs may be misguided, for a number of reasons. Read more
Matt O'Brien
Boxing Philosophy 