Tyson did a lot of crazy things, this would not have been too wacky if it had ever happened.
It's got to be said, that when Tyson was around, there was never a dull moment and I always had the most fun interviewing him. With me and quite a few other writers, he was always genial and up for a laugh but when he flipped, he really flipped.
Great stuff Ice!
What a time that was, brings back so many memories. I was still very much writing about boxing at the time and everyone seemed a bit down post Ali retirement, even though Leonard and co were magical. Little did we know we were all about to be enthralled by The Dynamite Kid!
Good piece, and nice to see Lomachenko receive the dues, after so long. He is a highly skilled fighter, who is just a couple of top wins away from being a big name in the sport.
It was a good year overall for the sport, with the aforementioned Lomachenko, and Crawford coming into their own, the heavyweight division having a classic and the smaller divisions, which I had not followed for years, being relevant again. Possibly the best boxing year in a decade or so, or certainly since I stopped writing.
Well done young man.
I was lucky enough to write about and at times score many fights throughout my time working in sport and controversial (read unfair) decisions are as old as time. However, I must agree, the situation seems to have worsened in the US over the last several years. TV networks have more say in the decision making mow more than ever, logically they will have a star they want to back, as do promoters, so judges can be bought and sold more openly now. I saw it happen in Vegas back in the 80s, now it just happens on a larger scale.
The worst part is that the young man Canelo, who should have been applauded for his bravery and skill against a great master, is now mired in this controversy, yet again.
As great as Mayweather was, he can not surpass Duran. This is not some old man's views but the basics of the sport. Duran was a killer at lightweight who dominated his division for a better part of a decade. Poeple tend to forgot or are too young to understand just how difficult it was to dominate divisions back then, to do it for so long was special. He was made even more special by fighting arguably the greatest welterweight of all time and winning. Yes there was the second fight and all that controversy but he returned and won a title at light middle and middle. He went toe to toe with Hagler and had enough skill to win a few rounds. If you saw him, you would see just how special Duran was.
What are some punches that a fighter took and you went "damn I cant believe that guy is still standing."
For me, as a young man, watching an almost shot Ali take on the brutal, vicious punching Shavers was a treat, I actually thought my hero would be downed and there was a huge right hand that landed about half way through the fight that almost lifted Ali off his feet...yet he kept on fighting, didn't go down and actually won. That was unbelievable.
Floyd Mayweather will beat Canelo Alvarez by unanimous decision he won't even get touched or hurt in that fight easy work.
Danny Garcia will knockout Lucas Mattysse or win a Decision, its a toss up but Danny will win (I am a Lucas fan by the way)
Wladimir Klitschko will TKO Alexander Povetkin in the later rounds.
Tim Bradley will outbox Juan Manuel Marquez look for Bradley to force JMM to come at him, UD Bradley.
Bernard Hopkins will beat Karo Murat by easy decision
Brandon Rios will KO Manny Pacquiao within 3 rounds, Rios will take every single punch and drop and wobble Pacman early and than finish him with a devastating Jab
If you guys want me to give you predictions for upcoming fights just drop them. I am pretty good and accurate with my predictions.
Very good predictions, I too had them like that, only difference being the Rios v Pacman fight. Manny takes it, either late stoppage or a good looking decision victory.
Isn't Bob Dylan a hermit? dude is a Music Legend but rarely is seen in public. I bet you Bob could knock pacman out even at his age.
http://philboxing.com/news/pix/pac.with.bob.dylan.140313.330w.jpg
Dylan, what an absolute legend, standing alongside the best fighter of this century. However, Dylan is looking a lot like Phil Spektor
I completely disagree with same day weigh ins, I was reporting and watching this sport when same day weigh-ins were the norm and fighters were terribly drained. It lead to far too many injuries, more than I care to mention here.
Yes there is a probably with "superstar" fighters not coming in at the contracted weight but that means promoters, opponents and commissions need to be stronger. Ultimately, it all comes down to monetary gains and far too many fighters are happy to feed off of the rich, even if that star is willing to pay you hundreds of thousands. Make him weigh in, lose that weight, what ever but do not bring back same day weigh ins. That is an atrocious idea.
The point is that if you drain yourself and you get injured or hurt because of it then there's no one to blame but you. Whereas if you are in the correct weight class,and your opponent puts on 2/3 divisions weight, then your health/life is in danger because of what your opponent has done.
If that makes any sense... it does in my head :thinking:
I completely understand what you are saying, that it is the athlete's responsibility to function at his bets possible weight but often times it is not just the boxer's decision. In many cases, everyone from the trainer to the manager to the promoter have a say in who should fight where and how often. Even if it was down to the boxer, sometimes, he or she may feel more comfortable at 150 lb...which is between both welter and light middle, for that particular person, it is far easier to lose weight, than to gain it. Having done that, he leaves himself drained and in danger of serious physical damage, simply because he is/was trying to earn a living where he originally felt more comfortable.
In response to the poster speaking about amateur weigh ins, fair enough but the amateur side of things just isn't as taxing, the boxers have head gear and larger gloves and only box for 3 rounds or so. This decreases the chances of long term damage, having said that, I believe amateur boxers should have the same weigh in regulations as the pros.
I half-way took this seriously until I read the highlighted parts.
Lets start with Wladimir.
He's been stopped 3 times in his losses. Two of those times was due to fatigue and not really because he got his 'chin smashed into a million pieces'. LOL!
It should be noted that in his Sanders loss, it was a TKO and he was on his feet when the fight was stopped.
Next, saying Vitali is slow and plodding is an insult to Foreman bro and Vitali has never been outworked or out skilled in a boxing match which includes a 14-2 title fight record.
I can see the whole point of the thread is another attempt to crap on the Klitschko era once again seeing as how you have a full century of fighters listed in one column and just over a decade in the other.
This crap is transparent. Why just not come right out and say, "I don't like or respect the Klitschko era", and save everyone the worthless read.
(waiting on the reply saying how this has nothing to do with personal dislike for the Klitschko's or this era which doesn't include A) a black/african decended champ or B) an American champ, which will surely be complete lying BS)
Well if you think I am crapping on the Klitschkos, then you obviously haven't read many of my previous posts. I've always respected the two and hold them in high regard. Am I crapping on the post 2000 era? Most definitely, outside of the brothers, there hasn't been a single heavyweight worthy of the title "champion", not one. Maybe you can refresh my memory.
I agree, Vitali hasn't been outboxed in his era but if you read what you. yourself have highlighted, you will see I'm saying the likes of Ali can outbox him. So your whole point is mute.
This thread was in response to the many threads that have popped up about how current heavyweights would be too much for heavyweights of the past but when you break it down and look at the top 10s alone, there is noway you can say anyone below the top 2 post-2000 can even hold a candle to the likes of Ali, Holmes etc.
In terms of Wladimir, it is fair to say exhaustion had a huge roll to play in his stoppages but he was also dropped in those fights and badly hurt. Samuel Peter, who even you must admit probably hits a tenth as hard as the likes of Shavers, Tyson and Dempsey, had Wlad on the floor 3 times.
100+ years of boxing talent vs. 14?
Seems fair
As I've quite clearly stated, I know it seems lopsided but this is in response to those who claim modern heavyweights would beat many of the greats of the past, one of their main reasons is advancement in sports nutrition and size. The fact that you have found this comparison ridiculous reflects just how asinine those comments are.
Dempsey top 10? Nah.
Why not?
Before Ali, he was quite often ranked amongst the to 5, something like Louis, Johnson, Marciano, Dempsey and any of Tunney/Liston/Charles/Sullivan.
Since Ali, the only true ATG heavyweights have been Foreman, Frazier, Holmes, Tyson, Holyfield and Lewis.
Arguments can be made for Patterson, possibly Spinks, maybe Bowe. Dempsey has a great argument for a top 10, as do Tyson and Liston but I edged some of the other names.
Hopkins is just so good, he makes subtle adjustments and almost all his losses post Jones Jr are debatable. The Taylor fights were close but I had Taylor winning both. Losses to Dawson and Calzaghe were just horrendous fights.
What has impressed me most, something only Pacquiao and Oscar have done in recent times, is how often Hopkins has managed to bounce back in championship fights. It's one thing to bounce back against mediocre opponents but to do it at the very top is a whole different ball game.
1) Witnessing, live, Whitaker's out pointing of Chavez Sr (one of my favourite ever pugilists) and the deafening silence of the crowd. I could hear my colleagues stomachs rumbling, it was THAT quiet, in a stadium which was packed to the rafters and extremely loud at the start.
2) Holyfield stopping Tyson, yet another fight I covered was terrific. Holyfield had spent so much of his career at heavyweight as the underdog and was continuously denied iconic moment after iconic moment. But here he was, facing the most feared fighter of his time, quite possibly the most feared fighter in the history of the sport. Holyfield won because he was smarter and refused to be bullied. Unlike Spinks, Holmes and several others before him, Holyfield knew he could win and was not scared to fight fire with fire.
3) Barrera v Morales 1, two of my favourite fighters going at it. It was a tense build up, with both men showing their dislike for one another. When the bell rang, the pre-fight hate built up into a terrific, all action bout at the highest possible level. This ranks alongside the likes of Ali/Frazier 3, Norton/Holmes, Hearns/Leonard and Oscar/Mosley as one of the finest bouts in history.
I LOL'd at mute point reference and then when I got to the part where you said Peter hits 1/10th as hard as 180 lb Dempsey I remembered how utterly ignorant you are and how this is a waste of my time.
You believe Samuel Peter hits harder than Dempsey? That is quite honestly a terrible point of view, how is that justified?
When someone has naturally punching ability, weight is almost a non-issue, for example, Golovkin currently probably hits harder than most light-heavyweights, a prime Naseem Hamed probably hit harder than most lightweights and he didn't exactly have the physique of a puncher.
Namely Hopkins, Mayweather, Marquez, Martinez and Pacquaio.
They never bloat up. When you are dehydrated, there is a lack of protective fluid around the brain that is impossible to replenish between the weigh-in and fight time. This affects your ability to take a punch in the fight and has serious long-term effects on brain health.
No surprise at all, fighters are always best closest to their "natural" weight. Plus, every name you mentioned is also exceptionally fit and never blows up between fights. Men like Hatton would have had a longer and healthier career if they looked after their bodies better.
Other fine examples of fitness are the Klitschkos, yes I know they're heavyweights and they don't need to cut weight but I have never, in 20 years, seen them out of shape. Not once.
I'm surprised, no, shocked that some of you believe Manny Pacquiao, quite possibly the greatest fighter of his generation, probably the best offensive boxer since a young Mike Tyson and prime Chavez Sr is easy to hit. Pacquiao's head movement and reflexes ranks with the best of them and his chin is the best, P4P, outside of Ali, Marciano, Chavez Sr, Whitaker, Mayweather, Froch and so on. Yes he was stopped by Marquez but we all know of the controversy that surrounded that decision, plus it took 40+ rounds for Marquez to even severely wobble the great champion, let alone stop him.
Pacquiao, even at this stage in his career (unless he is shot, which we'll find out post-Bradley, but I doubt it) would make easy work of Canelo. It would be like the Rios fight, only more competitive but that basically means I believe Canelo may win a round or two.
I believe Canelo is immensely talented, has a great chin, his heart is unquestionable and he has taken steps to improve his competition but he can't compete with Pacquiao. Not yet anyway. That is no slight to the young man, who I believe can go on to rule the division for years to come, if he stays motivated and in shape and does not move up to 160.
Just because a fighter has a marked up face, it does not mean he was the most damaged. Pacquiao has always been one to get marked up or cut. Pacquiao damaged Clottey more to the body then anything Clottey could conjure up. It was a comprehensive win.
Tyson looked "shot" against Lewis but before that fight there was no indication he was shot but we all knew he was done at the highest level. I for one expected a tougher fight but Tyson looked ready to go and just wanted to absorb as much punishment as possible, maybe looking for redemption.
might jump to numero uno on mine based on fighting stiffer opposition than his competitors.
bear in mind Ring have bradley number 3 at the moment.
If he looks good doing it, out classing Pacquiao along the way then how can he not be P4P number 1???
you make some excellent points but way more people know of thrilla in manilla than his wins against ellis, mathis and bob foster.
Are we talking about popularity of win/loses or what they actually mean to that man's career?
the Thrilla is without a doubt one of the most famous fights ever but anyone looking at Frazier, as a boxing fan will know that his wins over Ali, Mathis, Foster and co are more important to his legacy, Manilla just makes it shine that little bit brighter.
The best super middleweight of all time and one of the most skilled fighters I have seen live. He was quick, had a great chin, exceptional stamina and pin point punch accuracy. I can't see too many fighters in the last 50 years beating him in and around that division.
Ortiz lacks that fighter's instinct, or maybe he has lost it. If the latter is true and he can find it again then he can stop Khan. If not then Khan can wear him down and stop him late.
ofcourse its possible. Have to be very special and no when to hang them up though. I dont think anyone wouldve beaten Roy Jones
That is the problem, you don't "think" anyone would have beaten Roy Jones, he left way more questions than answers. I remember speaking to him on a number of occasions and he would often get frustrated when I asked him about why he didn't fight so and so.
We may never know the reasons but the gaps in his career are there and can never be filled.
In terms of what Carl Froch said, I 100% agree...unless you have a weak or weakened division. Take Rocky Marciano for example, he came a long when the heavyweight division consisted of, and the best way to put this is, old men. I take nothing away from him as he is one of the best heavyweights ever but would he have stayed undefeated is he had come a long a few years later with Patterson, Terrel, Liston, Williams and of course Ali at the top of the division?
Rocky fought who he had to but it was a weakened division, in transition from the highs of the late 30s-40s and the 60s.
thankyou for understanding my point, that exactly what i say. boxing is still my number 1 entertaiment. and i dont think MMA is better, but MMA is still young sport just like boxing in the 30s or 40s there're still more developing in MMA. and trust me the talent pool in MMA is more deep cause it's involve so many martial arts branches.
I've been covering MMA for about a decade now and I do agree, this is an evolving sport which is still trying to find it's feet. There are some exceptionally skilled athletes who are versatile "strikers", basically meaning they can punch/box but they also have tremendous grappling abilities. Guys like GSP come to mind (he'll be back).
The heavyweight division is thriving, Jon Jones is star...it's all so far removed from the early days of red necks punching each other or unknown Asian martial artists being pitted against 200lb line backers.
Boxing is still more beautiful and in my opinion, aesthetically pleasing but MMA is just as, if not more scientific and with the UFC, they have company that can put together the big events without promoter squabbling or financial wranglings which so often derail boxing's biggest fights.