3,425 stories on BoxingScene are published under the Cliff Rold byline.
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It’s not the main event (Saturday, DAZN, 8 PM EST) but it might be the best fight of the weekend on paper. It’s certainly the most intriguing in the big picture of its weight class.The winner can, and should, be seen as one step from a four-belt unification clash with lineal Jr. middleweight king Jermell Charlo.
Pick It: TBRB #3 Joseph Diaz vs. #7 Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov (Saturday, DAZN, 8 PM EST) - Following a few slow weeks, boxing swings back to life this weekend and things will stay exciting for a lengthy spread. The COVID postponement of Joe Smith-Maxim Vlasov, slated for ESPN, made the show of this week a slam dunk.
By Cliff Rold - What’s the old saying about a bird in the hand? There are more than two in boxing’s bushes. Anyone who engages in boxing fandom beyond just regularly watching fights hears or reads about them all the time. What isn’t happening can often feel like the most important thing in the sport. It’s not. This Saturday (DAZN, 8 PM EST), boxing fans have a...
by Cliff Rold - The 2021 International Boxing Hall of Fame was setting up to be a particularly special year. Due to COVID, the 2020 induction was to be combined with 2021. For fans who could make it to Canastota, they were in for a treat. Floyd Mayweather and Bernard Hopkins would have headlined a field that also included Juan Manuel Marquez, Shane Mosley, Wladimir Klitschko...
Sometimes, showcases don’t go the way they’re intended to. Make no mistake. Saturday, the main event (Fox, 8 PM EST) is supposed to be the Caleb Plant show. He’s been well highlighted in the days leading up to the fight and competes in the same super middleweight division as Saul Alvarez. There are bigger hopes and dollars being played toward. Plant is being positioned to win and look strong doing so.
By Cliff Rold - It could be the DMV. It could be the barber shop. Everyone knows the deal when they arrive and the crowd has already formed for a first come, first serve service. You take your number and wait until you’re called. Sometimes that happens quickly. Sometimes, one leaves after breakfast and gets home in time for supper. This Saturday night, IBF super middleweight titli...
Given the way factions align, and subsequently behave, in the current environment there are realistic and sometimes unrealistic hopes for fans. The most realistic hope, the place where fans should hold factions most accountable, is in delivering the best of what they can. Where healthy matches are available under one umbrella, are they being made?
The path to boxing stardom is narrow. Dreams of big wins and belts are accompanied by dreams of financial rewards. The first two are easier to come by but the last gets tougher, especially as the fighters get smaller in the US market. Angelo Leo got his first belt the last time he got in the ring. A relatively deep and fresh crop of talent in their 20s is coming of age at Jr. featherweight.
By Cliff Rold - The enduring incarnation of the Jr. Featherweight division has only been around since the mid-1970s. Damn if it hasn’t made its mark in the years since. Great talent comes and goes through many weight classes and great fights come and go with them. It’s fair to ask though if any have had the consistent magic over the years of 122 lbs. Its original centerpiece s...
After a strong close to 2020, followed by a hot start to 2021, boxing basically took a couple weeks off. It’s back in the States with a solid card this weekend. For all the teeth gnashing right now about when the young guns will start facing off around lightweight, it’s starting to unfold rapidly at Jr. featherweight. 26-year old Angelo Leo (20-0, 9 KO) makes his first defense of the WBO strap facing a second straight undefeated aspirant in the class. This one is rescheduled and just as anticipated as it was the first time.