827 stories on BoxingScene are published under the Lyle Fitzsimmons byline.
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By Lyle Fitzsimmons - Anyone who saw this coming five years ago, take a bow. Back then, in the late spring of 2014, Yordenis Ugas was coming off a second straight loss – and third in seven fights – and teetering on the brink of “good fighter, but not quite on the top level” status. To say he’s righted the ship since would b...
By Lyle Fitzsimmons - It was a pretty good run. For seven straight years until last spring, almost every Erislandy Lara ring walk had gravitas. The former Cuban amateur star rattled through 15 fights that included elites like Paul Williams and Canelo Alvarez, champions like Carlos Molina, Austin Trout and Ishe Smith, and re...
By Lyle Fitzsimmons - Every now and then, the tinkering mood just hits. I’m feeling bored, introspective, forward-thinking… whatever, and I begin pondering ways in which I can make the things I truly enjoy even better. It struck again over a holiday weekend away from the classroom. For a lot of guys, that’d proba...
By Lyle Fitzsimmons - If you’re a boxing fan of a certain age, it remains an indelible memory. And whether you watched the broadcast live or blearily scanned for results after a Saturday evening spent elsewhere, the moment a certain six-word phrase hit home was monumental. “Mike Tyson has been knocked out.” Iron...
By Lyle Fitzsimmons - When he’s in California, Mario Barrios can be a pretty typical 23-year-old. He spends time outdoors along the Bay Area coast. He binges on Netflix. He’s breaks out the PS4. But those are just diversions on a what he expects will be a career-enhancing business trip. The native Texan will be nearly 1,40...
By Lyle Fitzsimmons - Keith Thurman has wanted it for a while. Now 30, the thoughtful Floridian was still six months away from 26 when he made the rounds at the Mayweather-Pacquiao weigh-in, telling anyone who’d listen that a big fight was on his agenda. It made perfect sense at the time. He was the World Boxing...
By Lyle Fitzsimmons - As back stories go, few hang with Caleb Plant’s. So as the confident 26-year-old neared his professional dream – winning the IBF super middleweight title from Jose Uzcategui – he knew the moment of achievement would be pretty powerful. As it turned out, he really had no idea. “It was a sur...
By Lyle Fitzsimmons - It’s a tale as old as time. And in boxing terms, a song as old as rhyme. The insistence from a cadre of trainers and others surrounding Adrien Broner that their man is finally grounded and mature enough to win a career-defining fight. Needless to say, it’s not the first time the claim’s been made. Though he...
By Lyle Fitzsimmons - There are a few more wrinkles and grey hairs, perhaps, but some things don’t change. When Freddie Roach and Manny Pacquiao are preparing for a fight, the trainer rarely misses an opportunity to accentuate his longtime colleague’s many positives. Boxing’s prolific Batman and Robin will join forces aga...
If you’ve gotten to this point and aren’t happy, it’s your own fault. You should have seen it coming last year. As has become early January tradition in this Tuesday morning space, we proactively greet the New Year with a preview of stories other boxing scribes will be reacting to about 12 months from now.