22 stories on BoxingScene are published under the Mark Workman byline.
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On October 1st, Antonio “Magic Man” Tarver will enter the ring to meet Roy Jones, Jr. for the 3rd time to not only prove supremacy in the light heavyweight division but to gain Tarver the respect he’s been seeking his entire career.
On Saturday night, Wladimir Klitschko not only steps into the ring against undefeated Nigerian knockout artist Samuel Peter, but also comes face-to-face with his boxing destiny.
When “Pretty Boy” Floyd Mayweather trounced Arturo Gatti in June, the boxing world laid witness to one of the most remarkable talents boxing has to offer. He proved with a lightning-quick fist and pure innate boxing talent that he truly is one of the sport’s pound-for-pound best. Yet, why is a gifted fighter like Mayweather (34-0, 23 KOs) unable to commit himself to unifying the light welterweight title, thereby curing this poison of too many champions that flow through the deteriorating veins of boxing? Does he not have what it takes to be the poison’s antidote?
In November of 1967, the face of #2 ranked heavyweight contender Thad Spencer graced the front cover of Ring Magazine. Widely touted as a potential heir to Muhammad Ali’s throne, Thad Spencer would disappear from Ring Magazine’s rankings in less than 1 year and begin a rapid descent into obscurity and a life of drug-induced madness. Thaddeus Spencer, Jr. was born in Tuscaloosa, Alabama on March 28, 1943. His family moved to Portland, Oregon when he was 3 month old; and his father was promptly shipped off to Africa to fight in World War II. Thad came from a large family of 5 brothers and 6 sisters. After coming home from the war, his father ran a hotel in downtown Portland and Thad lived a normal life growing up.
Now that David “Tuaman” Tua (43-3-1, 38 KOs) has officially pulled out from Friday’s Heavyweight Heat pay-per-view card, many are wondering if this once-promising heavyweight contender will ever rise again. Has “The Terminator” finally been terminated once and for all? I’ve always believed that money and success for some fighters can be a curse. Many great boxers have begun their descent once fame and fortune came their way, having lost that aching hunger that once propelled them to success. Has David Tua lost the burning desire deep inside to become heavyweight champion of the world, satisfied with just being a wealthy celebrity?
Now that boxing fans around the world have shelled out their money for the boring Hasim Rahman/Monte Barrett fight, we stand ready and waiting for the real superfight looming in the distance: Don King vs Vitali Klitschko. In his never-ending quest to completely control the heavyweight division again and all four of its champions, promoter Don King could be one step away from accomplishing that goal again should the WBC mandated fight between the new “Interim” heavyweight champion Hasim Rahman (41-5, 33 KOs) and the real WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko (35-2, 34 KOs) actually become a reality and Rahman wins, a possibility that is doubtful although certainly possible, giving Rahman the puncher’s chance that has panned out for him before.
Before the jubilant eyes of a 15,000 plus hometown crowd at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa, Florida, IBF Super Middleweight champion Jeff “Left Hook” Lacy (20-0, 16 KOs) persistently mauled Britain’s Robin Reid (38-5-1, 27 KOs) Saturday night, proving that this Tampa Bay banger is most surely left hook lethal. After knocking former WBC Super Middleweight champ Robin “The Grim Reaper” Reid to the canvas 4 times, a first in his career, Reid’s corner wisely stopped the fight at the end of the 7th round. Despite Reid’s objections and contention in the post-fight interview that he could’ve continued, Jeff Lacy was clearly on his way to knocking Reid out and hurting him badly.
On January 16, 1920, the Eighteenth Amendment caused into effect the Volstead Act—named for its author Minnesota Senator Andrew Volstead—which prohibited the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors within the United States and all territories subject to its jurisdiction. For 13 years alcoholic beverages were prohibited in the United States, leaving countless numbers of Americans jobless; turning once law-abiding saloonkeepers into criminals, forced to operate underground in illegal speakeasies; and essentially creating bootlegging, the newest and biggest money-making venture for the mob. Could boxing one day become the next Prohibition?
HBO will soon begin running the latest edition of Realsports with Bryant Gumbel. This new episode will feature a segment concerning the controversy over whether or not the legendary 4-time heavyweight champion Evander "The Real Deal" Holyfield (38-8-2, 25 KO’s) should be allowed to continue fighting.
Staying in roadside economy hotels each night along the way, he wore a black knit cap, a black hoodie with the top pulled down over the cap, and dark wraparound sunglasses to hide his identity each time he checked in and out of the hotels. Paranoid about being recognized by passing motorists, he’d even worn the disguise during the long cross-country drive; although he doubted anyone would really believe it was actually him driving that thing.