Hopkins is amazing. Folks getting worked up over comparing careers that can't really be compared isn't.
However we break down our own individual lists (based on opinions, preferences, biases, and how we define concepts such as "great"), it makes sense to me that Hopkins is going to be high up there.
I hate to say this is lining up to be like a "perfect" fight, but yeah it kinda is. Very young, strong talent coming up against an older, experienced and brilliant fighter. Lopez is young enough and Loma is old enough that it doesn't feel lopsided in either direction. It feels . . . uncertain . . . in an exciting kind of way?
if both guys win out in 2020 i think 2021 is perfect acceptable for loma/tank
This makes sense to me. Especially from Loma's POV - as much I would LOVE to see him face Lopez in the spring and then Davis in the fall of 2020, I can understand that's a big ask. Even for someone of Loma's skill level.
In my book about Tyson's fights, I refer to what I call “perhaps the most beautiful twelve seconds of Mike Tyson’s boxing career.” They're in his 1986 fight against Reggie Gross. Tyson slips about a dozen or so punches from Gross, pivots, then pops a hook that floors Gross. I wrote a little more about it here.
Considering a fighter's "prime," I think about the word itself. Every fighter has their "prime," even if they were just mediocre, or they squandered that prime, or got outclassed or whatever. It's hard to look back and judge what someone's best year/s were. Arguably, Tyson's best fighting was done when he was training the hardest. Unfortunately, that period was ending just as he was facing his stronger challengers. This makes it so difficult to judge, and leaves me at least always considering "what-coulda-beens".
I think what is most captivating about Mike Tyson is how fully he stepped into a mythos, and how quickly his audience was willing to accept this mytho-poetic character as the "real" thing. People were - and still are - watching the legend and not the real human being. It's like confusing an actor for his character.
So yeah, "Iron Mike Tyson" as a persona, as a legend, as an archetypal character is truly something great. And not really something we've seen since in boxing. That persona felt so 100% authentic, it didn't feel like a mask to be put on and taken off. And people really responded to that - the brutality that underscores even the most technical boxing was brought to the forefront whole-clothe.
I tend to think when people pick Tyson as their favorite fighter they are responding to that gladiator spirit that Tyson so fully embodied. "The Baddest Man on the Planet." It isn't necessarily about head movement or accurate punching or anything technical - its an emotional response to an emotional need. Tyson become for many a release valve - our most dangerous and destructive self let loose in the ring, our collective id on display.
I've often read that he had a legendary style for training camps, but haven't really seen any documentation of this. Can anyone corroborate this? Or did I just imagine it?
This seems sensible to me. There have been a lot of good fights this year, but as far as fighters who've had a great year, the list is pretty thin.
I could see an argument for Spence - beating Garcia and Porter is impressive. Joshua with taking his first loss and coming back for redemption, that's a good story even if it wasn't the best boxing in the world, and was more anticipated than the Wilder/Ortiz rematch.
I'm curious who else people would have liked to have seen as FotY?
I figured they will split the difference. Name Canelo Fighter of the Year, but name Pac-Thurman Fight of the Year.
Pacman entered 2019 already basically a legend - his fights bolstered that. Canelo is still building his legacy, drawing people in (and signing huge contracts), and 2019 has been be integral in all of that for him.
It will make for a great fight. Porter is a former champ, has a difficult style, and would be the biggest name on Bud's resume - all points people here have already made. Also, if it gets promoted properly, it can be a good opportunity to get some new eyes on Crawford. If he can beat Porter convincingly, with a lot of PBC viewers watching, that can only help the eventual Crawford/Spence ppv numbers.
Plus, it will be a hell of a fight to watch - boxer vs brawler. Great stuff!
This was a fun watch, though I had to chuckle at how desperate Stallone sounded to get some Rocky comparisons in there. But hey, he was producing it, so I suppose he's allowed.
Agreed that Ruiz should get a solid win or three under his belt if he wants another run at the title. Gotta prove he can hang at that level.
As for Pulev, I don't hate the fight. Can't fault Joshua for handling mandatories, and Pulev won't be his won't be his worst opposition. Waiting on the Wilder/Fury winner without any fights in between would put him out of the ring for a long time, and right now he wants to be building some momentum.
can it be bought on kindle?
No, there are no Kindle or e-book options available. Good old-fashioned, hold-it-in-your-hands paper copies only.
It can be ordered through the press, Amazon, or dm me directly and I can send one your way.
PBC commentators think welterweight is the best division because they have a lot of welterweights.
Fair.
Also, I really need to learn to start putting some emojis in when I'm trying to be funny.
There's a theater of the absurd quality to boxing that I find engrossing. Joyce Carol Oates wrote in "On Boxing" that the sport creates greatness, but also consumes its own greatness. And that is something I find fascinating - two fighters who have just spent grueling months getting into their physical peaks, and then in the course of an hour, are so decimated they can barely stand. That is raw, so deeply emotional to me. I can't take my eyes off it.
That's an interesting pick. I appreciate the article, and the argument he makes for Ward. If one thing seems certain, maybe it is that the 2010s didn't have one clear-cut fighter of the decade. More like there are 4 or 5 who everyone agrees should be in the running, but not one that can clearly tip the scales with anything like unanimity. The 2010s are a split decision.
It is a shame that the alphabet-soup organizations don't have more structured ways for bringing athletes into the sport, and supporting them. Plus, of course, splintering the championships into so many pieces can't help, either.
I wonder, too, if the history-obsessed disposition of boxing (fans) plays a part. It's a lot easier to get my 6 year old nephew excited about Fortnight than about Jack Dempsey. I guess I'm wondering about what makes the sport relevant and attractive, insead of obsolete and anachronistic.
I didn't think Porter won it, but I do think Porter did an admirable job. I think it at least partially comes down to do this: if people believe Porter forced Spence into fighting his fight, or if Spence chose to fight Porter's fight. If you believe the former, then Porter set the pace and tone, which makes him appear more dominant. If you believe the latter, then Porter's skills - not to mention his heart and his jaw - are all the more impressive.
I think there are multiple ways to get to the same page, but here's how I do it.
Near the top of the page on the right, you will see "Welcome . Click your username. On that new page, there will be a link for "Customize Profile" kind of new the center. Click that. On that new page, you will have loads of options all along the left handside, including bio and signature.
I hope that makes sense!
I mean, I get it - the paychecks - but man, McGregor is going to get whupped here, though I think it would be more interesting of a watch than when he fought Floyd. Pac will mix it up with him, they can tussle a bit more, and Pac will put the hurt on him,
This is very cool-
Was it difficult knowing how much biography stuff is already out on Tyson?
Thanks!
It wasn't difficult per se, but it was definitely something I did have to consider. Since my book is not straight biography, I didn't have to worry about overlap or competition with those types of books. Mine is a more poetic take on his career, sort of re-interpreting them and taking the fights into a very new and different direction.
I did read a few biographies before I started. Offhand, I recall:
"The Last Great Fight" by Joe Layden
"Tyson: Nurture of the Beast" by Ellis Cashmore
"Blood Season" by Phil Berger
I also watched his "Undisputed" one man show on DVD, but did not read the book (or his Iron Ambition) while writing.
I tried to dig into contemporaneous documents as much as I could - newspaper and magazine articles, news reports, that sort of thing. I was trying to balance having a solid grounding in the history, without letting that history dictate to voice or the direction of the book too much.
That said, for 58 poems of just 100 words each, there are like 15 pages of notes to explain each quote, reference or source in the poems. So even though they are poems, there is a lot of non-fiction happening there, too.
To accompany the book, I created a playlist of songs. From Tupac to The Misfits to Audioslave and more. Some are actually referenced in the book, some songs reference Mike Tyson. There's even a video that explains the history of the theme music from the video game Punch-Out.
Take a look and have a listen: “Ten Songs, the Sound of Ambient Noise, and the Clanking of Chains”: A Playlist for Andrew Rihn’s REVELATION: AN APOCALYPSE IN FIFTY-EIGHT FIGHTS
A little shameless self-promotion while we're all social distancing and fights are cancelled indefinitely.
Boxing Insider had some nice things to say about my book of prose poems about Mike Tyson, Revelation.
In a sea of ghost-written fight memoirs and tweets with poor grammar, truly beautiful boxing writing is a treat. Andrew Rihn’s Revelation: An Apocalypse in Fifty-Eight Fights is one such treat that’s engaging and readable, but to tell the story of one of boxing’s greatest, Rihn uses an unexpected tool: poetry.
Outstanding! Enjoyed reading your column. Congratulations on getting published.
Thanks so much!
I forgot to mention, my column this month is consonant to the book. It answers the question people often ask when I say I've written about Mike Tyson: what is my favorite Tyson fight?