Oh, here's a couple of more I highly, highly recommend: Bill Ross is a helluva writer Ha, ha. He needs to expand his short body of work. He's been in moth balls as of late.
AJ LIEBLING, BUDD SCHULBERG, HUGH MCILVANNEY, NORMAN MAILER (not really a boxing writer but great book with "The Fight").
Contemporary mention goes to FRANK LOTIERZO.
Don't forget, Sugar Ray Leonard KO'd Floyd's dad when they fought early in Leonard's pro career. Maybe sour grapes towards the guy that beat up his daddy.
There's some excellent pre-title Leonard footage on www.youtube.com of Leonard stopping Price, Chaivarini, and Ranzany. No one can deny he was a great fighter and was properly recognized recently by IBRO as an all time P4P great.
To put it politely, Floyd Jr. needs a few more wins at welterweight and some actual quality names his ledger before he can be compared with Leonard.
Beleive it or not, beating tua and klitchko at heavyweight is better than beating archie and moore. Let me guess u think archie would actually beat vitali, right?I trained out of a boxing club that used to compete against the club that Lennox fought out of. Lennox is a year older than me and I spoke casually to him a few times back then which was the early 1980's.
I followed Lennox his whole career since amateur and never thought too much of him. When I would watch Lennox fight Holyfield, Tyson etc...I couldn't get over the image of him as the quiet skinny teenager with a box cut and Kitchener Boxing Club track suit. I lowballed the guy his whole career I guess because I saw him as a mortal.
Now that his career is complete and I look back on his body of work I have to say he was a great heavyweight champion. His height, reach, size, strength, punching power would make him a difficult opponent for any other heavyweight champion.
I'll also add the Emanuel Steward saved the career of Lewis who became a much better fighter with Manny training him.
Duran needs to stop trying to re-write history. His body of work speaks for itself. Historians don't judge him on this one act of stupidity over the long successful length of his career.
No mas, no more, go away, I'm sad, I don't wanna play....whatever the hell Duran said still equates to him surrendering his title by walking away and refusing to engage, evan after Meyran pulled Leonard back and gave Duran the chance to fight on. I'm sure Duran regretted it moments after just as he regrets it now.
As for the stomach cramps excuse that's pure bullshit. Duran's act of surrender disgusted his veteran cornermen Ray Arcel and Freddie Brown. Arcel continued in boxing but Brown quit the business over this fight and prior to his death gave an interview explaining what happened in the dressing room afterwards. Brown said they had to make a better excuse as to why Duran quit and the stomach cramp theory was born. Damage control nothing else.