If you've ever tried speed bag training and were unsuccessful, then you already know how difficult it can be. As far as boxing training techniques go, this one might be the hardest to get used to. But by consistently providing yourself a speed bag workout and learning how to approach your training in the right way, you'll be able to make substantial progress very quickly.
The first step in the process is accepting that you have to begin slowly. You can't walk up to a one of these bags, start wailing away at it and expect to see results. As far as boxing training drills goes, this one has an extended learning curve and you must start all the way at the beginning.
In a somewhat relaxed boxing stance standing under the bag, hit it once with the outside edge of your fist. Now watch how the speed bag moves after being hit, a key component so successful speed bag training is learning the rhythm and motion of the bag itself.
After you hit it, the bag should hit off the back wall, bounce forward and hit off the front wall and bounce back again. That three bounce period is where you're going to begin your speed bag workout. It amounts to how much time you have to line up your next strike and get down your own rhythm that matches the bag's.
Your boxing training techniques for this speed bag workout are therefore to hit the bag once with one of your hands, to let it bounce three times, and then to hit it again with your other hand, repeating the process continually.
Once again, it's important to stress that you have to start slowly- slower than even feels natural. But humor me in this process, and build up to a faster pace or else you won't learn. As you gradually progress up in pace and can maintain a consistent cadence, you're ready to move to the next step.
As with all boxing training drills you have to pick up the pace and intensity. The three-bounce cadence is nothing but a learning tool. Now your objective is to hit the speed bag after just one bounce. That means you strike the bag with one hand, the bag bounces off the back wall and you strike the bag with your other hand.
Of course you can hit the bag with the same hand two, three or more times in a row, but the point is you're hitting the bag after only one bounce. Once you can maintain a fast pace with the one-bounce rhythm you've been successful at speed bag training, and you can begin working in more difficult techniques.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jake_Emen
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Most Important Equipment For Boxing Training at Home
When you're ready to start boxing training at home then you of course need to know what boxing equipment you have to purchase. However, when you're on a budget, or when you're short on space, you can't buy every single piece of boxing equipment.
To solve the problem, here's a piece by piece list of the most crucial equipment for successful and effective workouts. Basically, if I was strapped for cash but wanted to start training with boxing workouts at home, I'd start buying equipment at the top of the list and work my way down.
1. Heavy Bag: The heavy bag is the quintessential piece of boxing equipment that we are all familiar with. You can get ones that hang from the ceiling or you can get free standing versions as well. Typically, hanging bags are of a higher quality and are more versatile but it isn't always possible for everyone's situation.
2. Boxing Gloves: It shouldn't come as a surprise that a pair of boxing gloves is essential for boxing training at home. Unless you plan on sparring, you can purchase a relatively cheap pair gloves specifically trained for bag training.
3. Hand Wraps: Your hands are your tools for your boxing workouts. You need to take the utmost care in protecting them, or else your workouts are going to painful and short lived.
4. Round Timer: So many people overlook the basic round timer and it's such a shame, because it's an absolutely great tool for your boxing workouts. You can set up rounds of different lengths and be alerted with warning buzzers, and also receive rest intervals just as if you were in a fight or sparring session.
5. Full Length Mirror: I can't stress enough how great a floor mirror is for boxing training at home. You can get your shadow boxing done, and you can really watch and correct your technique.
6. Speed Bag: The speed bag is a fantastic tool for you to train your hand speed, coordination, timing, reflexes and arm stamina. You'll build up strength in your shoulders, wrists and arms as you fine tune your hand eye coordination and overall boxing skill.
7. Pull Up Bar: The pull up bar is an all purpose tool that can help you pack on strength and lean muscle mass without bulking up too much. You can use pull up bars to pack on strength in your back, core and arms all at once.
8. Medicine Ball: A medicine ball is a very versatile piece of equipment. You can do a huge variety of abdominal exercises, and you can also build up your toughness. Additionally, you can get creative and do a wide range of exercises with a medicine ball to work your shoulders, chest, legs and core.
When you're ready to start boxing training at home, the above is what you need to consider. Start at the top of this list and work your way down, and you'll get a full range of essential boxing equipment to complete your at home boxing workouts.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jake_Emen
To solve the problem, here's a piece by piece list of the most crucial equipment for successful and effective workouts. Basically, if I was strapped for cash but wanted to start training with boxing workouts at home, I'd start buying equipment at the top of the list and work my way down.
1. Heavy Bag: The heavy bag is the quintessential piece of boxing equipment that we are all familiar with. You can get ones that hang from the ceiling or you can get free standing versions as well. Typically, hanging bags are of a higher quality and are more versatile but it isn't always possible for everyone's situation.
2. Boxing Gloves: It shouldn't come as a surprise that a pair of boxing gloves is essential for boxing training at home. Unless you plan on sparring, you can purchase a relatively cheap pair gloves specifically trained for bag training.
3. Hand Wraps: Your hands are your tools for your boxing workouts. You need to take the utmost care in protecting them, or else your workouts are going to painful and short lived.
4. Round Timer: So many people overlook the basic round timer and it's such a shame, because it's an absolutely great tool for your boxing workouts. You can set up rounds of different lengths and be alerted with warning buzzers, and also receive rest intervals just as if you were in a fight or sparring session.
5. Full Length Mirror: I can't stress enough how great a floor mirror is for boxing training at home. You can get your shadow boxing done, and you can really watch and correct your technique.
6. Speed Bag: The speed bag is a fantastic tool for you to train your hand speed, coordination, timing, reflexes and arm stamina. You'll build up strength in your shoulders, wrists and arms as you fine tune your hand eye coordination and overall boxing skill.
7. Pull Up Bar: The pull up bar is an all purpose tool that can help you pack on strength and lean muscle mass without bulking up too much. You can use pull up bars to pack on strength in your back, core and arms all at once.
8. Medicine Ball: A medicine ball is a very versatile piece of equipment. You can do a huge variety of abdominal exercises, and you can also build up your toughness. Additionally, you can get creative and do a wide range of exercises with a medicine ball to work your shoulders, chest, legs and core.
When you're ready to start boxing training at home, the above is what you need to consider. Start at the top of this list and work your way down, and you'll get a full range of essential boxing equipment to complete your at home boxing workouts.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jake_Emen
Cotto Vs Pacquiao - And the Winner Is!
Who would expect that a smaller guy, who was once a skinny fighter at flyweight, would fight a much bigger man in the welterweight division? Inconceivable, unimaginable isn't it? Especially if the bigger man is not an ordinary fighter but a true champion who has been bullying opponents in the ring. This happens only in the movies and in the bible too.
But not now, the once believed to be an inconceivable, unimaginable, and almost impossible fight will happen on November 14, 2009 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The smaller man, who happens to be the King (Pound for Pound) of boxing, His Majesty Manny Pacquiao, who is comfortable fighting at the weight of 140 pounds, will fight the bigger man, who happens to be the Ruler of the Welterweight Division, His Highness Miguel Cotto who is comfortable fighting at 147 pounds.
How to level the playing field?: Since the weight discrepancy is too much, experts figure out a way of making the fight even by adjusting the weight limit. They just let the bigger man go down his weight a little and the smaller man go up a little. From 147, His Highness Miguel Cotto will move down by two (2) pounds and His Majesty Manny Pacquiao will move up by five (5) pounds. They will meet at 145 pounds. Perfect match according to the experts.
What are at stake?: Aside from a big payday, both fighters are aiming for "the throne and the crown". The Throne of Manny Pacquiao as the Pound for Pound King and the Crown of Miguel Cotto as the Welterweight Division Champion of the World. Wow, what a fight. Anybody who wins the fight will be regarded as the Pond for Pound King of Boxing and the Ruler of Welterweight Division. For both fighters, this is a chance of a lifetime to prove their worth to the world. Who will not be enticed by these rewards. Even if this fight will be classified as non-title bout, for all intents and purposes, anybody who wins (especially if by total domination) will be regarded as the Pound for Pound King and the Welterweight Division Champ.
How will the fighters prepare? : Well, both fighters will make sure that they are physically, mentally and spiritually in top shape during this occasion. How to do this would depend on how their coaches and trainers would use their wits and creativity in analyzing previous fights, present condition of both fighters and possible scenarios during the fight to formulate their own game plans. Who outwits who will have an advantage in this fight.
Who do you think will win in this fight? Is it Pacquiao or Cotto? and why? : I am going to toss this question to the following:
* To the fans of both fighters, the question is "Why do you think your idol, either Cotto or Pacquiao, will win in this fight?
* To those who are not fans of both fighters, the question is "Who do you think will win in this fight and Why?"
Please post your answers to above questions, as comments, on this site http://www.darves-potpourri.blogspot.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Raul_Estrelloso
But not now, the once believed to be an inconceivable, unimaginable, and almost impossible fight will happen on November 14, 2009 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The smaller man, who happens to be the King (Pound for Pound) of boxing, His Majesty Manny Pacquiao, who is comfortable fighting at the weight of 140 pounds, will fight the bigger man, who happens to be the Ruler of the Welterweight Division, His Highness Miguel Cotto who is comfortable fighting at 147 pounds.
How to level the playing field?: Since the weight discrepancy is too much, experts figure out a way of making the fight even by adjusting the weight limit. They just let the bigger man go down his weight a little and the smaller man go up a little. From 147, His Highness Miguel Cotto will move down by two (2) pounds and His Majesty Manny Pacquiao will move up by five (5) pounds. They will meet at 145 pounds. Perfect match according to the experts.
What are at stake?: Aside from a big payday, both fighters are aiming for "the throne and the crown". The Throne of Manny Pacquiao as the Pound for Pound King and the Crown of Miguel Cotto as the Welterweight Division Champion of the World. Wow, what a fight. Anybody who wins the fight will be regarded as the Pond for Pound King of Boxing and the Ruler of Welterweight Division. For both fighters, this is a chance of a lifetime to prove their worth to the world. Who will not be enticed by these rewards. Even if this fight will be classified as non-title bout, for all intents and purposes, anybody who wins (especially if by total domination) will be regarded as the Pound for Pound King and the Welterweight Division Champ.
How will the fighters prepare? : Well, both fighters will make sure that they are physically, mentally and spiritually in top shape during this occasion. How to do this would depend on how their coaches and trainers would use their wits and creativity in analyzing previous fights, present condition of both fighters and possible scenarios during the fight to formulate their own game plans. Who outwits who will have an advantage in this fight.
Who do you think will win in this fight? Is it Pacquiao or Cotto? and why? : I am going to toss this question to the following:
* To the fans of both fighters, the question is "Why do you think your idol, either Cotto or Pacquiao, will win in this fight?
* To those who are not fans of both fighters, the question is "Who do you think will win in this fight and Why?"
Please post your answers to above questions, as comments, on this site http://www.darves-potpourri.blogspot.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Raul_Estrelloso
The Secret to Getting a Boxer Body
If you're training to be a pro boxer, amateur boxer, or even a fight, one thing you'll definitely want is a "boxer's body." What do I mean by a boxer's body? It's quite simple. Look at the greats of the boxing world like Muhammad Ali. Broad shoulders, built back, chest, and triceps.
And what do all boxers have in common? They train hard on the punch bags. A boxing bag is the boxer's number one tool. So how does this contribute to getting a boxer body? Well, let us define a boxer body.
On an overall basis, I would define a boxer's body as being very firm. This is key to having a boxer's body and all pro boxers have this. Just go up to a boxer in the gym next time and give him a punch on the arm or chest! Whether he is muscularly built or not, you'll feel as though you just punched a wall or a 250 lb heavy bag. If you look at fighters in the boxing world, you'll notice a couple of things.
1) They are not all huge in terms of muscle mass
2) Muscles of many boxers aren't overly defined
It is a common misconception that boxers are supposed to, or do, have bodies like weightlifters. This is not the case. Remember that muscle mass does not equate to strength. Proof of this lies in the MMA/UFC cages.
We've all seen very muscular fighters get completely owned by fighters who have very little muscular mass. A great example of this was the Lyoto Machida vs. Evans fight in UFC 98.
So a boxer body therefore equates to a body with much inner strength. An exercise that helps gain inner strength, that is, strength of the tissues, organs and ligaments, is hindu pushups. Another exercise is grappling and throwing a punching bag dummy. These help to built inner strength and not necessarily huge muscles.
So the secret to developing a real boxer's body is to train like them. Do exercises that contribute to your inner strength. Meditate, train hard on the punch bags and don't give up. If you want to firm up, use the boxing bag to train in rounds. Move around so you develop both endurance as well. To really firm up your muscles, you're going to have to do a lot of cardio and inner strength training.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jermaine_Ricketts
And what do all boxers have in common? They train hard on the punch bags. A boxing bag is the boxer's number one tool. So how does this contribute to getting a boxer body? Well, let us define a boxer body.
On an overall basis, I would define a boxer's body as being very firm. This is key to having a boxer's body and all pro boxers have this. Just go up to a boxer in the gym next time and give him a punch on the arm or chest! Whether he is muscularly built or not, you'll feel as though you just punched a wall or a 250 lb heavy bag. If you look at fighters in the boxing world, you'll notice a couple of things.
1) They are not all huge in terms of muscle mass
2) Muscles of many boxers aren't overly defined
It is a common misconception that boxers are supposed to, or do, have bodies like weightlifters. This is not the case. Remember that muscle mass does not equate to strength. Proof of this lies in the MMA/UFC cages.
We've all seen very muscular fighters get completely owned by fighters who have very little muscular mass. A great example of this was the Lyoto Machida vs. Evans fight in UFC 98.
So a boxer body therefore equates to a body with much inner strength. An exercise that helps gain inner strength, that is, strength of the tissues, organs and ligaments, is hindu pushups. Another exercise is grappling and throwing a punching bag dummy. These help to built inner strength and not necessarily huge muscles.
So the secret to developing a real boxer's body is to train like them. Do exercises that contribute to your inner strength. Meditate, train hard on the punch bags and don't give up. If you want to firm up, use the boxing bag to train in rounds. Move around so you develop both endurance as well. To really firm up your muscles, you're going to have to do a lot of cardio and inner strength training.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jermaine_Ricketts
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Secrets to Hitting the Punch Bags
As a boxing and fitness trainer, I've seen too many young, strong & healthy athletes injure their hands while hitting the punch bags. This is often devastating for boxers as breaking or fracturing your wrist will set you back. If you're training for a fight, you must know how to hit a boxing bag properly else you could have to cancel that match due to an unnecessary injury.
I've hit the punching bag for years, and today I'm revealing all my secrets... no holds bar. The first secret is to prepare. Failure to prepare is the main reason why athletes get injured. The same holds for training and hitting the punch bags. Prepare your hands by stretching your wrists. Twist your wrists in multiple directions. Then stretch out your forearms and biceps. Putting your hands on the ground and extending your arms so your elbows are locked will help you achieve this.
Preparing will allow your muscles to relax. Relaxation is important in preventing injuries in sports. The jump rope is a great way to get your entire body ready for training.
To protect your hands, you may want to wear boxing gloves. Especially if you're training for a fight, why not use the boxing gloves? After all, you'll be fighting with them on! If the heavy bag you're hitting is very stiff, you should consider wearing gloves to prevent injury. Our hands are delicate and hitting a stiff bag over time will weaken your bones and tissues.
If you're using the boxing bag to strengthen up your hands, wraps or gloves are a good idea. I recommend wraps as they provide you with wrist support. Most injuries via use of the punching bag will come from a twisting of the wrist, or a fracture of the wrist. Therefore, when you wrap, make sure the wrists are and not only your fingers are wrapped up.
When hitting the punch bags, you should watch how boxers hit each other. Guard up, front shoulder forward, body at an angle. If you're left-handed, put your right foot forward... you get the drill.
Watch your punch - don't hit the bag with your knuckles! This is a common mistake. To get the most power, you hit with the flat part of your fist. Another main common reason for injuries is that people twist when they hit the boxing bag. Don't twist. Keep your wrist, elbow and shoulder in proper alignment.
Step into it. Too often, I've seen students making combos, rapid fire hits and constant jabs too early on in their workout... even professionals. When you're training on the punch bags, step into it. Start hitting simple jabs, then move to uppercuts, then speed up your workout. Like any sport, or fitness training, you want to gradually intensify your workout.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jermaine_Ricketts
I've hit the punching bag for years, and today I'm revealing all my secrets... no holds bar. The first secret is to prepare. Failure to prepare is the main reason why athletes get injured. The same holds for training and hitting the punch bags. Prepare your hands by stretching your wrists. Twist your wrists in multiple directions. Then stretch out your forearms and biceps. Putting your hands on the ground and extending your arms so your elbows are locked will help you achieve this.
Preparing will allow your muscles to relax. Relaxation is important in preventing injuries in sports. The jump rope is a great way to get your entire body ready for training.
To protect your hands, you may want to wear boxing gloves. Especially if you're training for a fight, why not use the boxing gloves? After all, you'll be fighting with them on! If the heavy bag you're hitting is very stiff, you should consider wearing gloves to prevent injury. Our hands are delicate and hitting a stiff bag over time will weaken your bones and tissues.
If you're using the boxing bag to strengthen up your hands, wraps or gloves are a good idea. I recommend wraps as they provide you with wrist support. Most injuries via use of the punching bag will come from a twisting of the wrist, or a fracture of the wrist. Therefore, when you wrap, make sure the wrists are and not only your fingers are wrapped up.
When hitting the punch bags, you should watch how boxers hit each other. Guard up, front shoulder forward, body at an angle. If you're left-handed, put your right foot forward... you get the drill.
Watch your punch - don't hit the bag with your knuckles! This is a common mistake. To get the most power, you hit with the flat part of your fist. Another main common reason for injuries is that people twist when they hit the boxing bag. Don't twist. Keep your wrist, elbow and shoulder in proper alignment.
Step into it. Too often, I've seen students making combos, rapid fire hits and constant jabs too early on in their workout... even professionals. When you're training on the punch bags, step into it. Start hitting simple jabs, then move to uppercuts, then speed up your workout. Like any sport, or fitness training, you want to gradually intensify your workout.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jermaine_Ricketts
Realizations on Pacquiao's Victory Over Hatton
I am a huge fan of Manny Pacquiao. I have made it a point to watch every single match since the day he got big. I have been looking forward to the match between Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao and Ricky "The Hitman" Hatton for months. To my delight, I found myself at the heart of all the action ---Las Vegas. I went there, proudly sporting a "P hairdo" at the back of my head, and my Philippine flag. It was such a beautiful sight ---people proudly waving their Philippine flag, enthusiastically chanting "Manny!, Manny!, Manny!", and fist bumping, hugging, high-fiving each other and showing sportsmanship by shaking hands with everyone.
This Vegas trip will always be memorable as I went with my college buddies. I had a great time over there with the usual Vegas bruhaha but what made it extra special was Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao's big 2nd round knockout over Ricky "The Hitman" Hatton. Manny has made history again by winning his 6th world title in as many divisions. He truly solidified his reign as the best pound for pound fighter in the world today and THERE'S NO DOUBT ABOUT IT!
This experience led me to a few realizations:
Realizations
1.Talking too much isn't good at all
What was Floyd Sr. (Hatton's trainer) thinking? In anything, don't just talk the talk, walk the walk too. Throwing insults by trash- talking at somebody does not do any good. Karma always has its way to bite you in the a**.
2.Extra hard work pays off
Pacquiao didn't talk much and worked extra hard in the gym. You know what, I am truly inspired by that. We hear it all the time, hard work pays off. But do we actually practice it?
3.There is always room for improvement
Pacquiao is the best fighter in the world, hands down. But what makes him extra special is the fact that he is always a willing student learning new things. Against Hatton, he learned how to work on his right hook. Lethal as ever, that was the punch that dropped him on the first round. A left hook finished him off for good in the second. Have you ever thought of things you can possibly improve on today?
4.One man has the ability to move millions
Whenever Pacquiao goes into the ring, he takes into consideration that many Filipinos are counting on him to win--- praying for him. Going into the fight, I was sure that Manny won't let us down! The strength of the Filipino people is manifested in Pacquiao's every punch. How strong could that be? WE BEAT Ricky Hatton in that ring last Saturday! It's all about making a difference to people around you. Do you realize that your actions affect others?
5.Pray
Manny Pacquiao is also human-- needing some guidance and protection. He acknowledges his limitations and weaknesses no matter how successful he is in the ring. You got to have faith, nuff said.
I spent one of the best weekends of my life last weekend. More than that, I went back to Michigan with a great sense of pride and fulfillment. Pacquiao made me realize that I can do anything that I put my mind and heart into, just like him. As long as I apply my above realizations to my career, personal relationships and other endeavors, I know I am no the right track.
Do you want more information and tips? Request your copy of the exclusive Train Like a Boxer Strategy Report (a $299 value, yours for FREE): How to Achieve a Leaner and Stronger Body with Limited Time, Space and Equipment at lawrence@trainlikeaboxer.com TODAY!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lawrence_Ragos
This Vegas trip will always be memorable as I went with my college buddies. I had a great time over there with the usual Vegas bruhaha but what made it extra special was Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao's big 2nd round knockout over Ricky "The Hitman" Hatton. Manny has made history again by winning his 6th world title in as many divisions. He truly solidified his reign as the best pound for pound fighter in the world today and THERE'S NO DOUBT ABOUT IT!
This experience led me to a few realizations:
Realizations
1.Talking too much isn't good at all
What was Floyd Sr. (Hatton's trainer) thinking? In anything, don't just talk the talk, walk the walk too. Throwing insults by trash- talking at somebody does not do any good. Karma always has its way to bite you in the a**.
2.Extra hard work pays off
Pacquiao didn't talk much and worked extra hard in the gym. You know what, I am truly inspired by that. We hear it all the time, hard work pays off. But do we actually practice it?
3.There is always room for improvement
Pacquiao is the best fighter in the world, hands down. But what makes him extra special is the fact that he is always a willing student learning new things. Against Hatton, he learned how to work on his right hook. Lethal as ever, that was the punch that dropped him on the first round. A left hook finished him off for good in the second. Have you ever thought of things you can possibly improve on today?
4.One man has the ability to move millions
Whenever Pacquiao goes into the ring, he takes into consideration that many Filipinos are counting on him to win--- praying for him. Going into the fight, I was sure that Manny won't let us down! The strength of the Filipino people is manifested in Pacquiao's every punch. How strong could that be? WE BEAT Ricky Hatton in that ring last Saturday! It's all about making a difference to people around you. Do you realize that your actions affect others?
5.Pray
Manny Pacquiao is also human-- needing some guidance and protection. He acknowledges his limitations and weaknesses no matter how successful he is in the ring. You got to have faith, nuff said.
I spent one of the best weekends of my life last weekend. More than that, I went back to Michigan with a great sense of pride and fulfillment. Pacquiao made me realize that I can do anything that I put my mind and heart into, just like him. As long as I apply my above realizations to my career, personal relationships and other endeavors, I know I am no the right track.
Do you want more information and tips? Request your copy of the exclusive Train Like a Boxer Strategy Report (a $299 value, yours for FREE): How to Achieve a Leaner and Stronger Body with Limited Time, Space and Equipment at lawrence@trainlikeaboxer.com TODAY!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lawrence_Ragos
Manny Pacquaio Demolishes Ricky Hatton
Well, all I can say, that was one fight that was witnessed over the world on May 2, 2009. Even though it ended than sooner than expected, it proved to all of the doubters that Manny is definitely a force to be reckon with. He literally destroyed Ricky Hatton. From the moment that the bell rang, he was all over Hatton. And I am sure that Ricky wil definitely respect Manny in any future endeavors.
It just was so unbelievable watching this artist at work. Ricky came into the ring and tried to establish himself by brawling which turned out to be his biggest mistake. He basically received a dose of his own medicine. Manny is no joke and his power attests to that. I mean Ricky looked so helpless in that ring and from the first time that he was hit, he was unable to recover. And then, in the first round when he was hit again, it was all downhill for Hatton. Manny was just to fast and furious for Ricky. Yes, Ricky had an impressive record but he never has fought anyone of the caliber of a Manny Pacquaio. Again, Manny was on Ricky like bees on honey and unfortunately, Ricky could not make that adjustment that he sorely needed to do. If you ask me, I would say that he is a one dimensional fighter and fighting someone like Pacquaio, one needed an arsenal of weapons to counteract the power and speed of Manny. Maybe Ricky should have trained longer and really look over Manny's fight clips because as far as I am concerned, Manny made Ricky look like an amateur fighter which we all know he is not. Pacquaio was just to much for him.
And especially in round 2, when Ricky was hit for the third and final time. That punch thrown by Manny will probably be the punch of the year. I mean, Manny really let it go and if one were to review the fight again, one will see that Ricky was already out once he hit the canvas and when he did hit the canvas if one remembers, Ricky's head hit the canvas twice or it appeared to do a double bounce so to speak. At that point, he was really hurt and when I looked into his eyes as I was watching the fight on pay per view, Ricky did not know where he was . His eyes were in a daze and he was just glaring out into space and if one remembers, his corner turned his head to one side and that indicated to me, he was really hurt. He probably laid in that position for at least five minutes, maybe more. At that point, Manny had established himself as the best pound for pound fighter in his division.
Floyd Merriweather Sr. should have at least said something in the post fight interview instead of quickly leaving the area. As much talk as he had done leading up to the fight, I am sure everyone at ringside and around the world was expecting some type of response from his camp.
Well, Floyd Merriweather Jr., are you ready for a Rumble In The Jungle? I am sure all die hearted fight fans can hardly wait for the next engagement between Pacquaio and Merriweather. It definitely will be rated as the "Fight of the Year". At that time, everyone will be able to decide who is truly the best "pound for pound" fighter in the division.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Grover_Watts
It just was so unbelievable watching this artist at work. Ricky came into the ring and tried to establish himself by brawling which turned out to be his biggest mistake. He basically received a dose of his own medicine. Manny is no joke and his power attests to that. I mean Ricky looked so helpless in that ring and from the first time that he was hit, he was unable to recover. And then, in the first round when he was hit again, it was all downhill for Hatton. Manny was just to fast and furious for Ricky. Yes, Ricky had an impressive record but he never has fought anyone of the caliber of a Manny Pacquaio. Again, Manny was on Ricky like bees on honey and unfortunately, Ricky could not make that adjustment that he sorely needed to do. If you ask me, I would say that he is a one dimensional fighter and fighting someone like Pacquaio, one needed an arsenal of weapons to counteract the power and speed of Manny. Maybe Ricky should have trained longer and really look over Manny's fight clips because as far as I am concerned, Manny made Ricky look like an amateur fighter which we all know he is not. Pacquaio was just to much for him.
And especially in round 2, when Ricky was hit for the third and final time. That punch thrown by Manny will probably be the punch of the year. I mean, Manny really let it go and if one were to review the fight again, one will see that Ricky was already out once he hit the canvas and when he did hit the canvas if one remembers, Ricky's head hit the canvas twice or it appeared to do a double bounce so to speak. At that point, he was really hurt and when I looked into his eyes as I was watching the fight on pay per view, Ricky did not know where he was . His eyes were in a daze and he was just glaring out into space and if one remembers, his corner turned his head to one side and that indicated to me, he was really hurt. He probably laid in that position for at least five minutes, maybe more. At that point, Manny had established himself as the best pound for pound fighter in his division.
Floyd Merriweather Sr. should have at least said something in the post fight interview instead of quickly leaving the area. As much talk as he had done leading up to the fight, I am sure everyone at ringside and around the world was expecting some type of response from his camp.
Well, Floyd Merriweather Jr., are you ready for a Rumble In The Jungle? I am sure all die hearted fight fans can hardly wait for the next engagement between Pacquaio and Merriweather. It definitely will be rated as the "Fight of the Year". At that time, everyone will be able to decide who is truly the best "pound for pound" fighter in the division.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Grover_Watts
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Thai Boxing Matches and Tourists
Thailand is known as the land of smiles, but it also has a rougher side. The country is well known for its own form of combat called Thai boxing.
If you vacation in the country, you will inevitably run across a Thai boxing match. It is a fierce form of fighting where the elbows and knees can be used to do some serious damage to the opponent. It is vicious and incredibly exciting to watch as well. The Thais love it and it definitely qualifies as the national sport.
On your vacation, you'll find Thai boxing going on in the strangest of places. Right in the middle of a bunch of bars and restaurants, there will often be an open area with a ring set up. You can just plop down at a table, order an adult beverage or two and watch the matches.
Sadly, you are not watching Thai boxing. You are watching entertainment. The fights are put on to get you to buy beers. This doesn't make them any less exciting, but keep in mind they are fake. If you want to bet your buddies on the outcome, I can suggest an easy way to win a few free beers. The rule of each match is simple. One competitor will nearly get knocked out. He will then make a stunning comeback and wipe the other guy out. You can set your watch by it.
To find real Thai boxing matches, you need to ask around. They are occurring in just about every town. That being said, they are not in tourist areas. Instead, they are usually buried down some side road, so grab a local taxi and get a ride to one. You'll be expected to pay at the door and the fight will not be tourist friendly. By this, I mean nobody will announce anything in English. As a result, taking a friend a Thai who speaks your language along can be a good move.
Sporting events are often a good location to see the real personality of a country. Thailand is known as the land of smiles, but there is a definite dark side. If you think everyone lives a peaceful Buddhist existence, you are going to be in for a shock at one of these matches. The Thais are no different than anyone else. They'll be up and screaming the entire match!
Thailand has a smooth running tourist industry. If you want to see a bit more of the real Thailand, make sure to check out a real Thai boxing match. You'll love it.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Richard_Chapo
If you vacation in the country, you will inevitably run across a Thai boxing match. It is a fierce form of fighting where the elbows and knees can be used to do some serious damage to the opponent. It is vicious and incredibly exciting to watch as well. The Thais love it and it definitely qualifies as the national sport.
On your vacation, you'll find Thai boxing going on in the strangest of places. Right in the middle of a bunch of bars and restaurants, there will often be an open area with a ring set up. You can just plop down at a table, order an adult beverage or two and watch the matches.
Sadly, you are not watching Thai boxing. You are watching entertainment. The fights are put on to get you to buy beers. This doesn't make them any less exciting, but keep in mind they are fake. If you want to bet your buddies on the outcome, I can suggest an easy way to win a few free beers. The rule of each match is simple. One competitor will nearly get knocked out. He will then make a stunning comeback and wipe the other guy out. You can set your watch by it.
To find real Thai boxing matches, you need to ask around. They are occurring in just about every town. That being said, they are not in tourist areas. Instead, they are usually buried down some side road, so grab a local taxi and get a ride to one. You'll be expected to pay at the door and the fight will not be tourist friendly. By this, I mean nobody will announce anything in English. As a result, taking a friend a Thai who speaks your language along can be a good move.
Sporting events are often a good location to see the real personality of a country. Thailand is known as the land of smiles, but there is a definite dark side. If you think everyone lives a peaceful Buddhist existence, you are going to be in for a shock at one of these matches. The Thais are no different than anyone else. They'll be up and screaming the entire match!
Thailand has a smooth running tourist industry. If you want to see a bit more of the real Thailand, make sure to check out a real Thai boxing match. You'll love it.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Richard_Chapo
The Huge Upset - Manny Pacquiao Did It!
Last December 6, 2008 was one of the happiest nights of my life. It was the day when somebody proved that this saying is true: "It is not the size of the dog in a fight, but rather the size of the fight in the dog".
Number 1 pound for pound champion Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao proved to the whole boxing world that size does not matter. He showed the heart of a champion - moving from 135 lbs to the 147 lb limit. He demonstrated a beatdown of the legend Oscar De La Hoya who had fought at a high of 160lbs. Unbelievable!
This little guy was simply amazing. When nobody believed he could beat the much bigger, much experienced Golden Boy, he did it. Perhaps it is the responsibility he feels he has to uplift the spirits of his countrymen. This man has inspired millions in the Philippines. The honor of each and every Filipino is represented by his courage. Undeniably, Manny is a hero!
What does this mean to you? Let me ask you a couple of questions to ponder about:
What would trigger you to achieve higher goals?
Who or what is your inspiration to make a difference in yourself?
What challenge are you looking for?
What is your purpose?
The answers are deep inside your heart. Everyday is a time to unleash the "fight in the dog". Nothing is easy. If life was easy, there will be no excitement.
Consider looking at an old picture when you looked fitter. Make that an inspiration. Why don't you stare at your children, and think of being healthy to be a role model. The key is to make a difference - to achieve new things. There is always an opportunity to surpass yourself in every difficulty. Manny Pacquiao worked very hard to be at his level right now - the best pound for pound fighter in the world. From selling stolen cigarettes in the streets of Manila, to becoming a rag tag fighter fighting on a TV show to now being the idol of 84 million people. It takes hard work and perseverance. His stature surpasses everything - it is unexplainable. It's crazy to think that a boxer can inspire a lot of people - simply beyond comparison!
I was inspired by Manny to write this article. I would like to share with everybody that same inspiration. We all prayed for victory and we got it. However the best has yet to come. There are more challenges to face.
December 6th, 2008 was that day - the day when the little guy stood tall. It was the same day when I cheered, waved my flag and threw punches in the air together with millions. On that same Saturday, I stood tall too.
Do you want more information and tips? Request your copy of the exclusive Train Like a Boxer Strategy Report (a $299 value, yours for FREE): How to Achieve a Leaner and Stronger Body with Limited Time, Space and Equipment at lawrence@trainlikeaboxer.com TODAY!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lawrence_Ragos
Number 1 pound for pound champion Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao proved to the whole boxing world that size does not matter. He showed the heart of a champion - moving from 135 lbs to the 147 lb limit. He demonstrated a beatdown of the legend Oscar De La Hoya who had fought at a high of 160lbs. Unbelievable!
This little guy was simply amazing. When nobody believed he could beat the much bigger, much experienced Golden Boy, he did it. Perhaps it is the responsibility he feels he has to uplift the spirits of his countrymen. This man has inspired millions in the Philippines. The honor of each and every Filipino is represented by his courage. Undeniably, Manny is a hero!
What does this mean to you? Let me ask you a couple of questions to ponder about:
What would trigger you to achieve higher goals?
Who or what is your inspiration to make a difference in yourself?
What challenge are you looking for?
What is your purpose?
The answers are deep inside your heart. Everyday is a time to unleash the "fight in the dog". Nothing is easy. If life was easy, there will be no excitement.
Consider looking at an old picture when you looked fitter. Make that an inspiration. Why don't you stare at your children, and think of being healthy to be a role model. The key is to make a difference - to achieve new things. There is always an opportunity to surpass yourself in every difficulty. Manny Pacquiao worked very hard to be at his level right now - the best pound for pound fighter in the world. From selling stolen cigarettes in the streets of Manila, to becoming a rag tag fighter fighting on a TV show to now being the idol of 84 million people. It takes hard work and perseverance. His stature surpasses everything - it is unexplainable. It's crazy to think that a boxer can inspire a lot of people - simply beyond comparison!
I was inspired by Manny to write this article. I would like to share with everybody that same inspiration. We all prayed for victory and we got it. However the best has yet to come. There are more challenges to face.
December 6th, 2008 was that day - the day when the little guy stood tall. It was the same day when I cheered, waved my flag and threw punches in the air together with millions. On that same Saturday, I stood tall too.
Do you want more information and tips? Request your copy of the exclusive Train Like a Boxer Strategy Report (a $299 value, yours for FREE): How to Achieve a Leaner and Stronger Body with Limited Time, Space and Equipment at lawrence@trainlikeaboxer.com TODAY!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lawrence_Ragos
Audley Harrison - The Biggest Waste of Talent in Boxing History?
Is Audley 'A Force' Harrison the biggest waste of talent in the history of boxing? If he's not the biggest waste then he is certainly one of them.
Here we have a superb heavyweight specimen - weighing over 17 stone and standing 6 feet 4 inches tall, Audley has a frame that is able to cope with the giant heavyweights of the current era, such as the Klitschko brothers and 'Beast from the East' Nikolai Valuev.
Returning from the 2000 Sydney Olympics with a Gold Medal (Britain's first in 32 long years) Harrison was hailed a hero. Not only had he won the gold but he had won 'THE' gold - in the super heavyweight division, Boxing's marquee division. It seemed that Britain had a heavyweight ready to move into Lennox Lewis' mantle of Heavyweight king.
Soon after, the downfall began. Signing a GBP 1million contract with the BBC, Harrison was able to pick his own opponents. Prudently he took some easy fights (why earn a million pounds the hard way if you can make it easier for yourself?) but because he still insisted on headlining the cards he featured on, the public quickly grew frustrated and vented their frustrations, often booing this Olympic Champion.
So in the space of 12 short months Audley had gone from a national hero to a pantomime villain. Although maybe pantomime is an inaccurate description because pantomime is harmless and fun - some insiders in the boxing game really did begin to detest Audley and his approach to his career.
Though that hate may have subsided marginally over time, there were huge cheers when Danny Williams handed Harrison his first defeat in another woeful fight. Finally, Audley had got his comeuppance and the British public loved every minute of it.
Unlike most of the British public I hated this result. Here we had a potential superstar who had been totally wasted. Remember, Harrison was not just an average heavyweight who happened to strike Gold in Sydney; this man had immense talent. Although lacking one punch knockout power, he made up for that with a ramrod of a jab, fantastic fighting on the inside for a big man, good body shots and a classy left uppercut. How had it all gone wrong? Only Audley can answer that.
Fast forward three years to last Saturday night and yet again I found myself watching Audley with monumental frustration. His opponent, Prizefighter Champion Martin Rogan, is a strong handful but Harrison had the ability to beat this man clearly over ten rounds.
At times, when Harrison upped his work rate such as in round 2, he took the round clearly. But for most of the fight he fought lazily, barely throwing any punches and letting Rogan lead off. I found myself watching this and wanting to run into the ring and take the position of Audley's coach myself! I was so incredibly frustrated.
If I had been allowed to do go in Audley's corner (and I don't know why security or Audley didn't want me to!) I would have slapped Audley round the face and started screaming at him. 'Start throwing the Jab! Just keep popping that jab out and Rogan can't set himself. Then as he gets frustrated and lunges in you can land a left uppercut-right hook and get out of there'! It's really was that simple. A decent work rate with constant, solid jabbing would have seen Audley win this fight by 8 or 9 rounds.
Instead, he lost agonisingly by a single point. He lost to a 10 bout novice. A man who didn't take up boxing until he was 29 (Rogan) had beaten an Olympic Champion. Yes, you did read that sentence right. What a waste.
But what annoys me more than watching that? Seeing Audley in the post fight interview appear almost satisfied with him performance. 'I know I didn't win but it was close'....'I hurt him a couple of times in there'...
No, no, no, no, no! That is not good enough. In truth and in the cold light of day, Harrison should have been disappointed to lose a round to Rogan, who whilst determined, is limited ability wise.
So Audley, please hire me as you're coach. I am possibly one of the only people in the boxing world who still believes you have what it takes to succeed at World Title level.
It's nothing short of a crime that Audley has failed to prosper; remember that he is competing against the poorest crop of heavyweight's in boxing history. As said before, Audley does not lack talent, so it can only be mental/confidence issues that are his problem - if so get this man to a sports psychologist, get him there quickly and don't let him leave until he believes in himself!
So many will be glad to see the back of Audley if this is the end but I for one will not be. Audley can beat Rogan, Williams and all at British Title level with consummate ease - if he applies himself. Audley can force his way into World Title reckoning if he applies himself. The problem in all of this is Audley's unpredictability....there's always an IF!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Luke_W_Calvert
Here we have a superb heavyweight specimen - weighing over 17 stone and standing 6 feet 4 inches tall, Audley has a frame that is able to cope with the giant heavyweights of the current era, such as the Klitschko brothers and 'Beast from the East' Nikolai Valuev.
Returning from the 2000 Sydney Olympics with a Gold Medal (Britain's first in 32 long years) Harrison was hailed a hero. Not only had he won the gold but he had won 'THE' gold - in the super heavyweight division, Boxing's marquee division. It seemed that Britain had a heavyweight ready to move into Lennox Lewis' mantle of Heavyweight king.
Soon after, the downfall began. Signing a GBP 1million contract with the BBC, Harrison was able to pick his own opponents. Prudently he took some easy fights (why earn a million pounds the hard way if you can make it easier for yourself?) but because he still insisted on headlining the cards he featured on, the public quickly grew frustrated and vented their frustrations, often booing this Olympic Champion.
So in the space of 12 short months Audley had gone from a national hero to a pantomime villain. Although maybe pantomime is an inaccurate description because pantomime is harmless and fun - some insiders in the boxing game really did begin to detest Audley and his approach to his career.
Though that hate may have subsided marginally over time, there were huge cheers when Danny Williams handed Harrison his first defeat in another woeful fight. Finally, Audley had got his comeuppance and the British public loved every minute of it.
Unlike most of the British public I hated this result. Here we had a potential superstar who had been totally wasted. Remember, Harrison was not just an average heavyweight who happened to strike Gold in Sydney; this man had immense talent. Although lacking one punch knockout power, he made up for that with a ramrod of a jab, fantastic fighting on the inside for a big man, good body shots and a classy left uppercut. How had it all gone wrong? Only Audley can answer that.
Fast forward three years to last Saturday night and yet again I found myself watching Audley with monumental frustration. His opponent, Prizefighter Champion Martin Rogan, is a strong handful but Harrison had the ability to beat this man clearly over ten rounds.
At times, when Harrison upped his work rate such as in round 2, he took the round clearly. But for most of the fight he fought lazily, barely throwing any punches and letting Rogan lead off. I found myself watching this and wanting to run into the ring and take the position of Audley's coach myself! I was so incredibly frustrated.
If I had been allowed to do go in Audley's corner (and I don't know why security or Audley didn't want me to!) I would have slapped Audley round the face and started screaming at him. 'Start throwing the Jab! Just keep popping that jab out and Rogan can't set himself. Then as he gets frustrated and lunges in you can land a left uppercut-right hook and get out of there'! It's really was that simple. A decent work rate with constant, solid jabbing would have seen Audley win this fight by 8 or 9 rounds.
Instead, he lost agonisingly by a single point. He lost to a 10 bout novice. A man who didn't take up boxing until he was 29 (Rogan) had beaten an Olympic Champion. Yes, you did read that sentence right. What a waste.
But what annoys me more than watching that? Seeing Audley in the post fight interview appear almost satisfied with him performance. 'I know I didn't win but it was close'....'I hurt him a couple of times in there'...
No, no, no, no, no! That is not good enough. In truth and in the cold light of day, Harrison should have been disappointed to lose a round to Rogan, who whilst determined, is limited ability wise.
So Audley, please hire me as you're coach. I am possibly one of the only people in the boxing world who still believes you have what it takes to succeed at World Title level.
It's nothing short of a crime that Audley has failed to prosper; remember that he is competing against the poorest crop of heavyweight's in boxing history. As said before, Audley does not lack talent, so it can only be mental/confidence issues that are his problem - if so get this man to a sports psychologist, get him there quickly and don't let him leave until he believes in himself!
So many will be glad to see the back of Audley if this is the end but I for one will not be. Audley can beat Rogan, Williams and all at British Title level with consummate ease - if he applies himself. Audley can force his way into World Title reckoning if he applies himself. The problem in all of this is Audley's unpredictability....there's always an IF!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Luke_W_Calvert
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Roy Jones Legacy
He dominated his sport like few others before him. For a decade he reigned as the best pound for pound fighter in boxing. And for the first fifteen years of his career, he rarely lost a round. But since turning 35 years old in 2004, life just hasn't been the same for old Roy. He didn't simply begin to slip down the other side of the hill. He fell into a precipice.
The reason for his sudden demise was the very reason that he had been so great for so long - speed. He had lost it. No, he hadn't suddenly gotten slow. He was still one of the fastest fighters around. But he had drifted back into the range of normal human reflexes, albeit still at the high end. His foot speed had diminished to the point that he had lost the ability to jump in with lead right hands and hooks and then move out of his opponents' range, sometimes literally before they knew what had hit them. (I had begun to wonder at the time whether HBO would need to upgrade its video equipment from 24 to 32 frames per second in order for fans to actually see him fight.) He had mutated back into normal human form.
He was never a well schooled boxer because he never had to be. His style was centered around his athleticism. Boxing historians are still searching for clues as to whether the words "Roy Jones" and "jab" have ever been used in the same sentence. So when his inhuman speed had forsaken him, he was left as a fighter with excellent hand speed and mediocre boxing skills. Hence the demise.
Of course prior to this he did manage to accomplish a few things inside the square. Save for a DQ loss to Montell Griffin, he was unbeaten in 49 fights across 5 weight classes through age 35. He became the first middleweight in history to have won a heavyweight title after beating John "Is This Guy Ever Gonna Retire?" Ruiz. He beat Bernard Hopkins and James Toney while both were in their prime. And he did pull off a gutsy win in his first fight against the "legend in his own mouth" Antonio Tarver.
The knock on him is that he was a safety-first fighter. Not only did he not like to take chances inside the ring but he was also a business minded prizefighter who seemed to prefer to maximize his risk/reward ratio by fighting opponents who really didn't pose much of a threat. Do the names Richard Frasier, Richard Hall, David Telesco, and Glen Kelly ring a bell? Roy fought all of them while in his prime. Not a one of them won even a single round. But should this disqualify him from debates by the crusty old, cigar chomping aficionados of the ring as to whom were the greatest fighters of all time? I think not.
Sugar Ray Robinson is thought by many to have been the best middleweight in history. But he spent his entire time at middleweight as a thirty-plus year old who was not what he had been in his younger, lighter days. Others believe that Bernard Hopkins is the best. Roy beat him pretty handily. Marvin Hagler and Carlos Monzon tend to get a healthy amount of press as possibly the best ever as well.
At light heavyweight, names like Archie Moore, Billy Conn and Ezzard Charles are the most frequently mentioned as the greatest ever.
Super middleweight, as a relatively new weight class is not often the subject of debate as to whom its greatest fighter was, although besides Jones, it would be very difficult to make an argument for anyone other than Joe Calzaghe.
In my opinion, you can pick any fighter in history from middleweight through light heavy and I will say that at Roy's best I would be hard pressed to bet money against him. Why? Because more than toughness, fundamental skills or possessing a crowd pleasing style, boxing is about hitting and not getting hit. And at his best Roy did that as well or better than anyone. Ever.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Alan_C._Thomson
The reason for his sudden demise was the very reason that he had been so great for so long - speed. He had lost it. No, he hadn't suddenly gotten slow. He was still one of the fastest fighters around. But he had drifted back into the range of normal human reflexes, albeit still at the high end. His foot speed had diminished to the point that he had lost the ability to jump in with lead right hands and hooks and then move out of his opponents' range, sometimes literally before they knew what had hit them. (I had begun to wonder at the time whether HBO would need to upgrade its video equipment from 24 to 32 frames per second in order for fans to actually see him fight.) He had mutated back into normal human form.
He was never a well schooled boxer because he never had to be. His style was centered around his athleticism. Boxing historians are still searching for clues as to whether the words "Roy Jones" and "jab" have ever been used in the same sentence. So when his inhuman speed had forsaken him, he was left as a fighter with excellent hand speed and mediocre boxing skills. Hence the demise.
Of course prior to this he did manage to accomplish a few things inside the square. Save for a DQ loss to Montell Griffin, he was unbeaten in 49 fights across 5 weight classes through age 35. He became the first middleweight in history to have won a heavyweight title after beating John "Is This Guy Ever Gonna Retire?" Ruiz. He beat Bernard Hopkins and James Toney while both were in their prime. And he did pull off a gutsy win in his first fight against the "legend in his own mouth" Antonio Tarver.
The knock on him is that he was a safety-first fighter. Not only did he not like to take chances inside the ring but he was also a business minded prizefighter who seemed to prefer to maximize his risk/reward ratio by fighting opponents who really didn't pose much of a threat. Do the names Richard Frasier, Richard Hall, David Telesco, and Glen Kelly ring a bell? Roy fought all of them while in his prime. Not a one of them won even a single round. But should this disqualify him from debates by the crusty old, cigar chomping aficionados of the ring as to whom were the greatest fighters of all time? I think not.
Sugar Ray Robinson is thought by many to have been the best middleweight in history. But he spent his entire time at middleweight as a thirty-plus year old who was not what he had been in his younger, lighter days. Others believe that Bernard Hopkins is the best. Roy beat him pretty handily. Marvin Hagler and Carlos Monzon tend to get a healthy amount of press as possibly the best ever as well.
At light heavyweight, names like Archie Moore, Billy Conn and Ezzard Charles are the most frequently mentioned as the greatest ever.
Super middleweight, as a relatively new weight class is not often the subject of debate as to whom its greatest fighter was, although besides Jones, it would be very difficult to make an argument for anyone other than Joe Calzaghe.
In my opinion, you can pick any fighter in history from middleweight through light heavy and I will say that at Roy's best I would be hard pressed to bet money against him. Why? Because more than toughness, fundamental skills or possessing a crowd pleasing style, boxing is about hitting and not getting hit. And at his best Roy did that as well or better than anyone. Ever.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Alan_C._Thomson
Hatton Back to Form
Ricky Hatton signalled his return to his best form after crushing American opponent, Paul Malignaggi. The young New Yorker was stopped in the 11th round for severe bruising around his left eye. Fighting for the first time since ending an 11 year training partnership with Billy Graham, Hatton showed that a 30 year old dog can still be taught new tricks.
Hatton who silenced his critics' claims that he was just an out and out slugger, put his seven weeks in training camp with Floyd Mayweather Sr to effective use by dominating his boxing match.
Paul Malignaggi's trainer Buddy McGirt stepped into the ring only 28 seconds into the 11th round indicating to the referee Kenny Bayless that the fight should be stopped on a technical knockout. The reaction from Malignaggi was less than composed as he expressed his confusion and anger to the decision from his corner.
Regardless, the victory which takes Hatton's record to 45-1 (32 KOs), silenced the doubters who believed that Hatton was over the moon following his last defeat to Floyd Mayweather Jr and then an un-inspiring victory over Juan Lazcano in May 2008.
Malignaggi was particularly annoyed considering that he had lasted 12 rounds against Miguel Cotton in 2006 having suffered a fractured jaw and a broken hand in Midway through the fight, his corner had jumped in to stop him when he felt he was in far less trouble.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tanya_Grovenors
Hatton who silenced his critics' claims that he was just an out and out slugger, put his seven weeks in training camp with Floyd Mayweather Sr to effective use by dominating his boxing match.
Paul Malignaggi's trainer Buddy McGirt stepped into the ring only 28 seconds into the 11th round indicating to the referee Kenny Bayless that the fight should be stopped on a technical knockout. The reaction from Malignaggi was less than composed as he expressed his confusion and anger to the decision from his corner.
Regardless, the victory which takes Hatton's record to 45-1 (32 KOs), silenced the doubters who believed that Hatton was over the moon following his last defeat to Floyd Mayweather Jr and then an un-inspiring victory over Juan Lazcano in May 2008.
Malignaggi was particularly annoyed considering that he had lasted 12 rounds against Miguel Cotton in 2006 having suffered a fractured jaw and a broken hand in Midway through the fight, his corner had jumped in to stop him when he felt he was in far less trouble.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tanya_Grovenors
Antonio Margarito Drops Moseley Bout
It has been reported that the bout between "Sugar" Shane Moseley will not be facing Antonio Margarito in January. There have been reports of Margarito missing when they almost had a done deal with the bout, but Margarito's manager stated that they will not be facing Moseley, because they think that Moseley will beat him, and then Tony lost his rematch date with Miguel Cotto.
If people have been waiting for this bout, and are ticked off at Margarito, then don't be. I personally do not think that Moseley deserves a match with Margarito. Tony says that he did what Oscar De la Hoya did. De la Hoya said that he will face the winner of the Margarito/Cotto match, and when Margarito won, Oscar didn't take the match up. Instead, he faces a puny, light-weight champion, Manny Paquaio. Also, Moseley ducked a match with Margarito a couple of years ago. Margarito wanted to face the best and e turned it down. Now that Margarito is the best, Moseley wants to come in the picture and fight him. Do you think that is fair? I don't think so. So Moseley deserves what he got. It's not the end of the world that he hasn't faced Margarito. Moseley is talking about that Margarito lost his title as the most feared boxer in the division. I don't think so. It just shows how much of a glory hog Moseley is.
Any who, Tony stated that he will be fighting in his hometown before he has his rematch with Miguel Cotto. We do not know who the opponent might be. Top rank will hopefully find an opponent before the end of this month. Once Margarito gets passed his opponent, he'll be ready for his rematch against Miguel Cotto.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Angel_G._Gonzalez
If people have been waiting for this bout, and are ticked off at Margarito, then don't be. I personally do not think that Moseley deserves a match with Margarito. Tony says that he did what Oscar De la Hoya did. De la Hoya said that he will face the winner of the Margarito/Cotto match, and when Margarito won, Oscar didn't take the match up. Instead, he faces a puny, light-weight champion, Manny Paquaio. Also, Moseley ducked a match with Margarito a couple of years ago. Margarito wanted to face the best and e turned it down. Now that Margarito is the best, Moseley wants to come in the picture and fight him. Do you think that is fair? I don't think so. So Moseley deserves what he got. It's not the end of the world that he hasn't faced Margarito. Moseley is talking about that Margarito lost his title as the most feared boxer in the division. I don't think so. It just shows how much of a glory hog Moseley is.
Any who, Tony stated that he will be fighting in his hometown before he has his rematch with Miguel Cotto. We do not know who the opponent might be. Top rank will hopefully find an opponent before the end of this month. Once Margarito gets passed his opponent, he'll be ready for his rematch against Miguel Cotto.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Angel_G._Gonzalez
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Joe Calzaghe Defeats Another Old Fighter
The fight between Joe Calzaghe versus Roy Jones Jr. started out with a bang and ended up as a lopsided affair.
The pride of Wales was dropped by a short right hand in the very first round, providing some hope to fight fans who expected a good outing from the 39 year old Jones Jr. Unfortunately that would be the best moment for Roy versus Joe in this fight. The remaining 11 rounds were truly disappointing as Jones appeared slow and unwilling to fight in the trenches or for that matter at all.
What made Roy Jones Jr. one of the best fighters in the 90's was his unbelievable speed and athletic ability which usually surprised his opponents and would overwhelm them leading to easy victories. As Jones aged and lost the speed and athleticism, he became more hittable and consequently was knocked out two times. The fight yesterday in Madison Square Garden featured an old worn out fighter who really has no business in the ring. I had hoped to see at least some glimpses of the great fighter who once knocked an opponent out as he back stepped towards the ropes. Instead we saw an old fighter who not only has lost his skills but his pride and heart!
Roy Jones did not even try to win this fight. Joe Calzaghe is not a knock out puncher and even though I am a fan of his, Joe really has not beaten top U.S. fighters in their prime. I am not sure what Jr. was waiting for to throw punches and try to win this fight. Even when he was being mocked in the ring, Jones would just smile and stand there instead of throwing punches. This was just a pay day for Roy, it seemed all he wanted to do was end the fight on his feet no matter how bad he looked.
After the fight Calzaghe mentioned he had defeated two hall of fame fighters in Jones and Hopkins and was thinking about retiring because he has beaten the best. He has in fact defeated two great fighters who will go into the hall of fame but they were way passed their prime. He beat up two old men (in boxing terms), one who is 43 years old and another who is a worn out 39 year old. He has 45 wins and you can count on one hand notable name fighters within those 45 wins. Throughout his career Joe has hand picked his fighters and taken minimal risk, always fighting in Wales and only coming to the United States to fight two veterans passed their prime. When asked if he would think about fighting Chad Dawson he smiled and did not provide an answer. That fight would be considered risky and not the type of fight which he would be interested in as that would jeopardized his unblemished 45-0 record.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Carlos_Caicedo
The pride of Wales was dropped by a short right hand in the very first round, providing some hope to fight fans who expected a good outing from the 39 year old Jones Jr. Unfortunately that would be the best moment for Roy versus Joe in this fight. The remaining 11 rounds were truly disappointing as Jones appeared slow and unwilling to fight in the trenches or for that matter at all.
What made Roy Jones Jr. one of the best fighters in the 90's was his unbelievable speed and athletic ability which usually surprised his opponents and would overwhelm them leading to easy victories. As Jones aged and lost the speed and athleticism, he became more hittable and consequently was knocked out two times. The fight yesterday in Madison Square Garden featured an old worn out fighter who really has no business in the ring. I had hoped to see at least some glimpses of the great fighter who once knocked an opponent out as he back stepped towards the ropes. Instead we saw an old fighter who not only has lost his skills but his pride and heart!
Roy Jones did not even try to win this fight. Joe Calzaghe is not a knock out puncher and even though I am a fan of his, Joe really has not beaten top U.S. fighters in their prime. I am not sure what Jr. was waiting for to throw punches and try to win this fight. Even when he was being mocked in the ring, Jones would just smile and stand there instead of throwing punches. This was just a pay day for Roy, it seemed all he wanted to do was end the fight on his feet no matter how bad he looked.
After the fight Calzaghe mentioned he had defeated two hall of fame fighters in Jones and Hopkins and was thinking about retiring because he has beaten the best. He has in fact defeated two great fighters who will go into the hall of fame but they were way passed their prime. He beat up two old men (in boxing terms), one who is 43 years old and another who is a worn out 39 year old. He has 45 wins and you can count on one hand notable name fighters within those 45 wins. Throughout his career Joe has hand picked his fighters and taken minimal risk, always fighting in Wales and only coming to the United States to fight two veterans passed their prime. When asked if he would think about fighting Chad Dawson he smiled and did not provide an answer. That fight would be considered risky and not the type of fight which he would be interested in as that would jeopardized his unblemished 45-0 record.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Carlos_Caicedo
Charles "Sonny" Liston, An Undeserved Tragic Ending
The idea to write an article about Charles "Sonny" Liston came to me late last night as I was watching a program about him on ESPN Classic, which concentrated on the life and career of the man who at one time was the world heavy weight champion of boxing. I for my part must confess before I go further in this article that I am not nor have I ever been what could be considered a real boxing fan, though at one period in my life I did follow the sport more closely. This interest of mine starting back in the 70's when I followed the career of Mohamed Ali (nee Cassius Clay), who on one particular Christmas my mother even bought me an action figure of, as such was the popularity of this now legendary boxer.
As a matter of fact, it was back in the 70's when it was difficult not to hear about boxing even for someone like me who was in his preteen years and frankly speaking found the sport quite boring, even if my father watched bouts with me from time to time. I naturally with a father who followed the sport learnt about several boxers besides Ali, like Frazier, Foreman and Norton. Eventually the 80's and 90's came and as I grew older I learnt about other fighters in other weight divisions, such as "Sugar Ray" Leonard, Roberto "Manos de Piedra" Duran, Thomas "hit man" Hearns, Marvin "Marvelous" Haggler along with Mike Tyson, Larry Holmes, Michael Spinks and many others though I never did became a great enthusiast of the sport even if I did watch the "big fights" when ever I could. This being at least what I did till the 90's came to an end as so did not only my interest in boxing but my curiosity as well to even want to know who the champion was at any given time or weight category.
As for the boxer Charles "Sonny" Liston, I must say that before last night's program; I barely knew who he was. I naturally was aware that he had been a boxer in the heavy weight division who was noted and still is for being one of the hardest hitting fighters of all time along with Foreman, Tyson, Marciano, Dempsey and Joe Louis. Needless to say apart from these facts my knowledge also included that he at one point had become World Champion by rather easily defeating "Floyd Patterson", who incidentally was the first man to loose and regain the heavy weight title. I however in all that concerns Sonny Liston, must also claim that what I mostly knew him for was being the man, who would go on to be defeated twice by Mohamed Ali back in the 60's. First in a fight which Ali won despite Liston being the heavy favor, 8 to 1 to be precise and then in a second fight which ended in a first round knock out, that as far as I knew or even considered the matter had been the end of his career. I before last night had not even read or been informed that he had been dead for many a year as I did not imagine him to be of an age, that would have made him so old that it would be impossible that he might still be alive.
I found out many things about "Sonny" Liston, last night apart from his real name being Charles and not "Sonny" as this was a nick name which Ali once joked on before their first fight in the form of "there will be a total eclipse of the Sunny". This being a spot of humor which even brought a chuckle to Liston, himself. In all the things I found out about this man, whom I had known so little about was that in a way I felt sorry for him, getting the impression that he perhaps though this is of little consequence deserved better then what he got not only from life but the fans of the sport which he contributed so much to.
The facts on this program were stated that Liston was born in Arkansas, as the son of a share crapper, though not only is the precise day of his birth unknown so is the year making it that nobody really knows how old he was for instance when he fought Ali for the first time. Naturally his not having known his exact date of birth is hardly cause to claim his was a difficult life, however the poverty that he must have known growing up is something I can barely begin to imagine.
Liston however may have been born in to a family of 13 children or 25 this I know to versions, one from ESPN and another from Wilkipedia. Regardless of which number is true or which is false, it is not hard to see that Liston's life must have been full pain in his childhood, as it was said that his father beat him everyday until he finally ran away from home at a very early age. Thirteen perhaps though this again given what we know or rather don't know about his date of birth is another question mark. Sonny Liston however ran away from his father at this age but in a sense did not really run away from home as he left Arkansas to join his mother and cousin who were living in St. Louis. Sonny Liston, had escaped the torments of his father but his life had not really improved all that much as he still did not know how to read or write and with opportunities being what I read they were at the time for African-Americans took to crime out of dire need.
It was actually thanks to this life of crime that he ended up in prison. Looking back it might have been a blessing in disguise that he was caught and sent to prison after participating in the armed robbery of a gas station, as it was there were Roman Catholic priest discovered that he had a talent for boxing which even got him released early.
After prison, a brief amateur career would follow in which he would win many tournaments, most notable the golden gloves. During his one year amateur career he would also defeat Ed Sanders, who later would go on to win the gold medal in the Olympics in the heavy weight division. Seeing his potential, the mafia that had gotten him started in professional boxing knew they had a fighter who like Primo Carnera many years earlier could become a champion capable of bringing big earnings, which is exactly what happened.
Sonny Liston, would go on to win the world heavy weight crown by defeating Floyd Patterson and in the process accumulate an impressive record that only included one loss out 40 fights with the remaining 39 being all victories. His lose coming at the hands of Marty Marshall, a fighter whom he would go on to defeat on two occasions; to prove that he could beat just about anybody. It was after having beaten Floyd Patterson that he was the champion of the world and perhaps should have gotten the respect he had earned, for what more of an American success story (as if stories of the sort could be limited to America) could their be then a man, over coming so much to become what he had.
At this point in the story that is the life of "Sonny" Liston it is easy to see with logic how "Sonny" himself might have felt that he had put his past behind, he had after all paid his debt to society for the crime of participation in an armed robbery by serving time in prison. Of course we should try to keep things in perspective that his was neither murder nor drug dealing nor pedophilia nor rape, not that I claim that armed robbery is not series but then again it is not any of the above mentioned. Sonny had won the world heavy weight championship in convincing fashion; as no one could have any doubts that he deserved to be after knocking out the then champion Floyd Patterson. First in a title bout and then in a rematch which like the first bout also ended in a first round knock out, with the only difference being that the second bout lasted a full two seconds longer.
This however was not to be as "Sonny" Liston's past was not behind him, a fact which was clearly evidenced when he after having won the title flew back home to his adopted city of Philadelphia, to find absolutely nobody waiting for him at the airport. Sonny naturally having just been crowned world champion expected to find people from the press for whom he had even prepared a statement for, perhaps even the mayor but contrary to what should have been he was ignored completely by everybody, including those from the city he was living in at the time. It was clear that people did not respect him or even what he had accomplished believing that he; the evil man had beaten Patterson, who was the good man.
It was true he fought for the mafia but then again so did many other fighters at the time as they were the ones whose money basically promoted the sport but for some reason this was seen as evil in the case of "Liston" though it had not been in the case of Carnera. One could even look at the casinos in Las Vegas which were also controlled by the mafia and furthermore it was these casinos which invited many of Hollywood's stars to perform. Stars such as Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and others who by virtue of headlining in places controlled by the mafia in a sense were also working for them but yet those stars who did so were not looked down upon as was "Sonny" Liston.
"Sonny" Liston tried to intimidate his opponents with his stare and brawn before fights but this was nothing which had not been done by other fighter before or since such as Dempsey many years before or Tyson; after all boxing is what could be called a blood sport where the point is to physically beat one's opponent. Yet, this was another reason why Liston was not liked by the boxing public.
"Sonny" Liston's reign however did not last long, despite him being a boxer who many considered to be invincible, after all he had won all but one of his nearly forty fights. As it turned out in his second title defense, "Sonny Liston" would loose to a young boxer, at that time going by the name of Cassius Clay. This a boxer who after becoming champion would change his name to Mohamed Ali.
Much has been said about Liston's fights vs. Ali, ranging from that the fights were fixed because the mafia bet against Liston and even that Liston himself bet on Ali to cover his gambling debts however I for my part fail to understand something. Liston was an 8 to 1 favorite to defeat Ali, yet why is something I have never heard anybody ask. Looking at the facts; Ali was 21 at the time, which with us not knowing Liston's exact date of birth would have made Ali at least 10 years younger then Liston or perhaps as much as 15. As it is possible; based on what Liston's mother claimed, who would have had no reason to lie that Liston might have been born in 1928, which would have made him 35 at the time of his first fight with then Cassius Clay. Liston apart from being considerably older then Clay was also a boxer who was less technically sound, slower and 3 inches shorter. Clay at that time for his part had a record of 21 and 0 and was an Olympic champion, which made him more then the unknown many were calling him at the time. Of course Liston did have certain advantages over Clay. One of them being the ability to hit harder then Clay and with both hands. Another being an equally long or if not longer reach then Clay, as he was known for having a very long reach even for his height, which was slightly over the six foot mark. Liston also had fists measuring fifteen inches which till very recently were considered the biggest in boxing history. All of this making me believe that perhaps the odds should have been even or perhaps slightly in either man's favorite but not 8 to 1 in Liston's, unless somebody was thinking of making a lot of money by betting on Clay.
Liston went on to loose to Clay twice, after which he naturally lost his belt though he did not quit boxing afterwards. Liston in what could be considered his post Ali bouts fought 16 times out of which he lost one fight while winning the remaining fifteen against opponents such as Henry Clark, ranked 5th at the time. Actually "Liston" might have even won back the heavy weight title when Ali was striped of it, in a tournament which was organized among the top contenders with Liston being chosen among them. Liston however would not be champion again as it was in this tournament that he was knocked out by Leotis Martin in the 9th round, after Liston had dominated the previous 8 rounds.
As an interesting note, Liston won his last bout by TKO against a fighter by the name of Chuck Wepner. The man who in 1975 would go on to battle Mohamed Ali for 15 rounds in a fight that would serve as inspiration to a then struggling actor by the name of Sylvester Stallone to write the film "Rocky". This a film whose plot is loosely based on Chuck Wepner's bout against Ali with its main characters being taken from those of Wepner and Ali. Regarding the film Rocky however I would say that Rocky's personality is not as close to Wepner's as his opponent's (Apollo) is to Ali's.
"Sonny" Liston's image, in what could even be considered a slightly ironic twist would go on to appear on the cover of The Beatles album "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band", this despite Liston's refusing to meet with them when they came to America while he was the champ. Liston actually claiming The Beatles were "punks" which was in contrast to Cassius Clay (later Mohamed Ali), who not only meet The Beatles but had photos taken with them. This happening despite neither the Beatles fully knowing who Ali was nor Ali knowing who the Beatles were. Ali in fact would go on to ask someone after the photo session "Who were those little fagots?", which might have lead to his not being included on the cover of the "Sgt. Pepper" album. As perhaps the Beatles don't mind so much being called "punks" even if their music was miles from that sort of music but take more exception to being called by a name that refers to them as not being heterosexuals or one which the British use for cigarettes.
Liston died in 1971 but like with his date of birth the exact date of his death is also not known as his body was found after he had been dead for at least a few days. The victim of a so called "heroin overdose" though in my opinion I think it is easier to find someone who would believe the world is flat then somebody who could believe Liston overdosed on drugs given the following facts.
1) Liston though courageous in the ring was terrified of needless being stuck in him to the point of refusing to go on a tour of Europe which could have made him a lot of money, simply because he had to be given shots. Injections which he was too afraid to get even from a doctor which makes one think were he would have found the courage to inject himself.
2) Bags of heroin were found near Liston's body however drug paraphernalia was not apart from a syringe, which would not have been enough for anybody to inject him or herself with. This because other devices are required such as an appendage to wrap the arm and a spoon to cook the heroin in.
3) Liston, did however have needle marks which were from an injection but these were confirmed by medical records to have been given to him by a recent hospital stay due to having been in an car crash a few days before he supposedly took the heroin that killed him.
4) An autopsy of Liston's body found no traces of heroin, what so ever! It is this factor that should convince anybody that Liston could not have possibly died of a heroin overdose. This reminding me of a woman who tried to sue McDonald's, on the grounds that she almost chocked on a bone, only to find out that the Fish Mac does not contain any fish what so ever. This due to its being made of products that do not include fish but more or less taste like fish. Liston however had traces of morphine and codeine in his body but not in an amount that would have made them deadly.
One might say with all this evidence how could any person, with some degree of intelligence claim that Liston died of a heroin overdose? Yet, despite all the above mentioned factors the police listed Liston's cause of death as a heroin overdose which as we can plainly see was probably a cover up for a murder.
It is with the aim of proving a point which I have already made in another article (Not Always Finding The Truth Or Facts In American History) that I wrote this one and that being that it is not always wise to believe the truth we are told for it might turn out that what is presented to us as such is in fact something else. With regards to "Sonny" Liston I must say when I heard him speak on the ESPN program on his life, he did not give the impression of being stupid or anything of the sort or even inarticulate. On the contrary he seemed friendly and even modest despite being world champion at the time when the interview took place. Liston's perhaps were simple words but what he said made sense and his sentences were by no means incoherent but rather of a man of ideas.
Liston, however is remembered for many things such as being a quitter, after his first fight with Ali though he once fought with a broken jaw. He is also remembered for being a bully though this he only was in the ring, unlike other boxers like Tyson who once hit another boxer in the eye in barroom brawl and later raped a woman or was convicted of it or Monson (Argentina) who threw his wife out a ten floor window. Liston, when looking back was an aggressive boxer but not a dirty one like GoBota from Poland who would stoop to hitting below the belt. Of course Liston is also remembered for dying of a heroin overdose which given the now known facts is impossible that such could have been the case. I however in spite of not being a boxing or Liston fan for that matter, feel Liston deserves better then to be remembered for the above mentioned. This because Liston to a certain extent like Obama, (Current President elect of the USA) was somebody who overcame many obstacles to become a world champion in boxing in a time when life in America was truly difficult for blacks or African-Americans.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gianni_Truvianni
As a matter of fact, it was back in the 70's when it was difficult not to hear about boxing even for someone like me who was in his preteen years and frankly speaking found the sport quite boring, even if my father watched bouts with me from time to time. I naturally with a father who followed the sport learnt about several boxers besides Ali, like Frazier, Foreman and Norton. Eventually the 80's and 90's came and as I grew older I learnt about other fighters in other weight divisions, such as "Sugar Ray" Leonard, Roberto "Manos de Piedra" Duran, Thomas "hit man" Hearns, Marvin "Marvelous" Haggler along with Mike Tyson, Larry Holmes, Michael Spinks and many others though I never did became a great enthusiast of the sport even if I did watch the "big fights" when ever I could. This being at least what I did till the 90's came to an end as so did not only my interest in boxing but my curiosity as well to even want to know who the champion was at any given time or weight category.
As for the boxer Charles "Sonny" Liston, I must say that before last night's program; I barely knew who he was. I naturally was aware that he had been a boxer in the heavy weight division who was noted and still is for being one of the hardest hitting fighters of all time along with Foreman, Tyson, Marciano, Dempsey and Joe Louis. Needless to say apart from these facts my knowledge also included that he at one point had become World Champion by rather easily defeating "Floyd Patterson", who incidentally was the first man to loose and regain the heavy weight title. I however in all that concerns Sonny Liston, must also claim that what I mostly knew him for was being the man, who would go on to be defeated twice by Mohamed Ali back in the 60's. First in a fight which Ali won despite Liston being the heavy favor, 8 to 1 to be precise and then in a second fight which ended in a first round knock out, that as far as I knew or even considered the matter had been the end of his career. I before last night had not even read or been informed that he had been dead for many a year as I did not imagine him to be of an age, that would have made him so old that it would be impossible that he might still be alive.
I found out many things about "Sonny" Liston, last night apart from his real name being Charles and not "Sonny" as this was a nick name which Ali once joked on before their first fight in the form of "there will be a total eclipse of the Sunny". This being a spot of humor which even brought a chuckle to Liston, himself. In all the things I found out about this man, whom I had known so little about was that in a way I felt sorry for him, getting the impression that he perhaps though this is of little consequence deserved better then what he got not only from life but the fans of the sport which he contributed so much to.
The facts on this program were stated that Liston was born in Arkansas, as the son of a share crapper, though not only is the precise day of his birth unknown so is the year making it that nobody really knows how old he was for instance when he fought Ali for the first time. Naturally his not having known his exact date of birth is hardly cause to claim his was a difficult life, however the poverty that he must have known growing up is something I can barely begin to imagine.
Liston however may have been born in to a family of 13 children or 25 this I know to versions, one from ESPN and another from Wilkipedia. Regardless of which number is true or which is false, it is not hard to see that Liston's life must have been full pain in his childhood, as it was said that his father beat him everyday until he finally ran away from home at a very early age. Thirteen perhaps though this again given what we know or rather don't know about his date of birth is another question mark. Sonny Liston however ran away from his father at this age but in a sense did not really run away from home as he left Arkansas to join his mother and cousin who were living in St. Louis. Sonny Liston, had escaped the torments of his father but his life had not really improved all that much as he still did not know how to read or write and with opportunities being what I read they were at the time for African-Americans took to crime out of dire need.
It was actually thanks to this life of crime that he ended up in prison. Looking back it might have been a blessing in disguise that he was caught and sent to prison after participating in the armed robbery of a gas station, as it was there were Roman Catholic priest discovered that he had a talent for boxing which even got him released early.
After prison, a brief amateur career would follow in which he would win many tournaments, most notable the golden gloves. During his one year amateur career he would also defeat Ed Sanders, who later would go on to win the gold medal in the Olympics in the heavy weight division. Seeing his potential, the mafia that had gotten him started in professional boxing knew they had a fighter who like Primo Carnera many years earlier could become a champion capable of bringing big earnings, which is exactly what happened.
Sonny Liston, would go on to win the world heavy weight crown by defeating Floyd Patterson and in the process accumulate an impressive record that only included one loss out 40 fights with the remaining 39 being all victories. His lose coming at the hands of Marty Marshall, a fighter whom he would go on to defeat on two occasions; to prove that he could beat just about anybody. It was after having beaten Floyd Patterson that he was the champion of the world and perhaps should have gotten the respect he had earned, for what more of an American success story (as if stories of the sort could be limited to America) could their be then a man, over coming so much to become what he had.
At this point in the story that is the life of "Sonny" Liston it is easy to see with logic how "Sonny" himself might have felt that he had put his past behind, he had after all paid his debt to society for the crime of participation in an armed robbery by serving time in prison. Of course we should try to keep things in perspective that his was neither murder nor drug dealing nor pedophilia nor rape, not that I claim that armed robbery is not series but then again it is not any of the above mentioned. Sonny had won the world heavy weight championship in convincing fashion; as no one could have any doubts that he deserved to be after knocking out the then champion Floyd Patterson. First in a title bout and then in a rematch which like the first bout also ended in a first round knock out, with the only difference being that the second bout lasted a full two seconds longer.
This however was not to be as "Sonny" Liston's past was not behind him, a fact which was clearly evidenced when he after having won the title flew back home to his adopted city of Philadelphia, to find absolutely nobody waiting for him at the airport. Sonny naturally having just been crowned world champion expected to find people from the press for whom he had even prepared a statement for, perhaps even the mayor but contrary to what should have been he was ignored completely by everybody, including those from the city he was living in at the time. It was clear that people did not respect him or even what he had accomplished believing that he; the evil man had beaten Patterson, who was the good man.
It was true he fought for the mafia but then again so did many other fighters at the time as they were the ones whose money basically promoted the sport but for some reason this was seen as evil in the case of "Liston" though it had not been in the case of Carnera. One could even look at the casinos in Las Vegas which were also controlled by the mafia and furthermore it was these casinos which invited many of Hollywood's stars to perform. Stars such as Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and others who by virtue of headlining in places controlled by the mafia in a sense were also working for them but yet those stars who did so were not looked down upon as was "Sonny" Liston.
"Sonny" Liston tried to intimidate his opponents with his stare and brawn before fights but this was nothing which had not been done by other fighter before or since such as Dempsey many years before or Tyson; after all boxing is what could be called a blood sport where the point is to physically beat one's opponent. Yet, this was another reason why Liston was not liked by the boxing public.
"Sonny" Liston's reign however did not last long, despite him being a boxer who many considered to be invincible, after all he had won all but one of his nearly forty fights. As it turned out in his second title defense, "Sonny Liston" would loose to a young boxer, at that time going by the name of Cassius Clay. This a boxer who after becoming champion would change his name to Mohamed Ali.
Much has been said about Liston's fights vs. Ali, ranging from that the fights were fixed because the mafia bet against Liston and even that Liston himself bet on Ali to cover his gambling debts however I for my part fail to understand something. Liston was an 8 to 1 favorite to defeat Ali, yet why is something I have never heard anybody ask. Looking at the facts; Ali was 21 at the time, which with us not knowing Liston's exact date of birth would have made Ali at least 10 years younger then Liston or perhaps as much as 15. As it is possible; based on what Liston's mother claimed, who would have had no reason to lie that Liston might have been born in 1928, which would have made him 35 at the time of his first fight with then Cassius Clay. Liston apart from being considerably older then Clay was also a boxer who was less technically sound, slower and 3 inches shorter. Clay at that time for his part had a record of 21 and 0 and was an Olympic champion, which made him more then the unknown many were calling him at the time. Of course Liston did have certain advantages over Clay. One of them being the ability to hit harder then Clay and with both hands. Another being an equally long or if not longer reach then Clay, as he was known for having a very long reach even for his height, which was slightly over the six foot mark. Liston also had fists measuring fifteen inches which till very recently were considered the biggest in boxing history. All of this making me believe that perhaps the odds should have been even or perhaps slightly in either man's favorite but not 8 to 1 in Liston's, unless somebody was thinking of making a lot of money by betting on Clay.
Liston went on to loose to Clay twice, after which he naturally lost his belt though he did not quit boxing afterwards. Liston in what could be considered his post Ali bouts fought 16 times out of which he lost one fight while winning the remaining fifteen against opponents such as Henry Clark, ranked 5th at the time. Actually "Liston" might have even won back the heavy weight title when Ali was striped of it, in a tournament which was organized among the top contenders with Liston being chosen among them. Liston however would not be champion again as it was in this tournament that he was knocked out by Leotis Martin in the 9th round, after Liston had dominated the previous 8 rounds.
As an interesting note, Liston won his last bout by TKO against a fighter by the name of Chuck Wepner. The man who in 1975 would go on to battle Mohamed Ali for 15 rounds in a fight that would serve as inspiration to a then struggling actor by the name of Sylvester Stallone to write the film "Rocky". This a film whose plot is loosely based on Chuck Wepner's bout against Ali with its main characters being taken from those of Wepner and Ali. Regarding the film Rocky however I would say that Rocky's personality is not as close to Wepner's as his opponent's (Apollo) is to Ali's.
"Sonny" Liston's image, in what could even be considered a slightly ironic twist would go on to appear on the cover of The Beatles album "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band", this despite Liston's refusing to meet with them when they came to America while he was the champ. Liston actually claiming The Beatles were "punks" which was in contrast to Cassius Clay (later Mohamed Ali), who not only meet The Beatles but had photos taken with them. This happening despite neither the Beatles fully knowing who Ali was nor Ali knowing who the Beatles were. Ali in fact would go on to ask someone after the photo session "Who were those little fagots?", which might have lead to his not being included on the cover of the "Sgt. Pepper" album. As perhaps the Beatles don't mind so much being called "punks" even if their music was miles from that sort of music but take more exception to being called by a name that refers to them as not being heterosexuals or one which the British use for cigarettes.
Liston died in 1971 but like with his date of birth the exact date of his death is also not known as his body was found after he had been dead for at least a few days. The victim of a so called "heroin overdose" though in my opinion I think it is easier to find someone who would believe the world is flat then somebody who could believe Liston overdosed on drugs given the following facts.
1) Liston though courageous in the ring was terrified of needless being stuck in him to the point of refusing to go on a tour of Europe which could have made him a lot of money, simply because he had to be given shots. Injections which he was too afraid to get even from a doctor which makes one think were he would have found the courage to inject himself.
2) Bags of heroin were found near Liston's body however drug paraphernalia was not apart from a syringe, which would not have been enough for anybody to inject him or herself with. This because other devices are required such as an appendage to wrap the arm and a spoon to cook the heroin in.
3) Liston, did however have needle marks which were from an injection but these were confirmed by medical records to have been given to him by a recent hospital stay due to having been in an car crash a few days before he supposedly took the heroin that killed him.
4) An autopsy of Liston's body found no traces of heroin, what so ever! It is this factor that should convince anybody that Liston could not have possibly died of a heroin overdose. This reminding me of a woman who tried to sue McDonald's, on the grounds that she almost chocked on a bone, only to find out that the Fish Mac does not contain any fish what so ever. This due to its being made of products that do not include fish but more or less taste like fish. Liston however had traces of morphine and codeine in his body but not in an amount that would have made them deadly.
One might say with all this evidence how could any person, with some degree of intelligence claim that Liston died of a heroin overdose? Yet, despite all the above mentioned factors the police listed Liston's cause of death as a heroin overdose which as we can plainly see was probably a cover up for a murder.
It is with the aim of proving a point which I have already made in another article (Not Always Finding The Truth Or Facts In American History) that I wrote this one and that being that it is not always wise to believe the truth we are told for it might turn out that what is presented to us as such is in fact something else. With regards to "Sonny" Liston I must say when I heard him speak on the ESPN program on his life, he did not give the impression of being stupid or anything of the sort or even inarticulate. On the contrary he seemed friendly and even modest despite being world champion at the time when the interview took place. Liston's perhaps were simple words but what he said made sense and his sentences were by no means incoherent but rather of a man of ideas.
Liston, however is remembered for many things such as being a quitter, after his first fight with Ali though he once fought with a broken jaw. He is also remembered for being a bully though this he only was in the ring, unlike other boxers like Tyson who once hit another boxer in the eye in barroom brawl and later raped a woman or was convicted of it or Monson (Argentina) who threw his wife out a ten floor window. Liston, when looking back was an aggressive boxer but not a dirty one like GoBota from Poland who would stoop to hitting below the belt. Of course Liston is also remembered for dying of a heroin overdose which given the now known facts is impossible that such could have been the case. I however in spite of not being a boxing or Liston fan for that matter, feel Liston deserves better then to be remembered for the above mentioned. This because Liston to a certain extent like Obama, (Current President elect of the USA) was somebody who overcame many obstacles to become a world champion in boxing in a time when life in America was truly difficult for blacks or African-Americans.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gianni_Truvianni
Achieving Success in Elections and Boxing
Barack Obama and John McCain are the two most talked about figures in the United States today. These gentlemen are running for the most coveted position of their lives, the presidency. Both have mapped out plans to win the hearts of voters. They are going through a rough process, a character- building experience through the campaign. Both Obama and McCain want success and they know it's not going to be a walk in the park.
In order for these two distinguished gentlemen to grab the post (I am writing this article 5 days before the elections), they are going to go through 2 major phases: (1) The Process and (2) The Result. The same goes with your boxing skill and fitness levels.
The Process is the "bloody" phase. Getting people to vote for you is not easy. It takes a lot of hardwork and patience in the face of countless criticisms left and right. This is where they need to bring their A- game. Both Senators know what's at stake so they can't flinch. They have one GOAL!
Similarly, you come in a boxing training program (or any program for that matter) trying to learn new skills and getting in better shape. Your program makes you realize your weaknesses and makes you work on them. You do have goals in mind that you want to accomplish and it would take hard work and patience to achieve them. This is the "bloody" phase but for sure learning new skills and getting in your best shape ever is the most fun that you will ever have working out!
The Result is the "feel good" phase. And no, it does not end there. Just like in life, you take on new challenges once you have achieved something higher. Whoever wins the elections will have a tough task with the recession and all that. It's definitely going to be a challenge. This is when your hard work and dedication matters! But there is no denying that winning the elections is success in itself.
Just like when you achieve your fitness goals, it does not end there. You need to work hard to achieve new things. Your level of goal- setting goes higher. There are " more mountains you want to climb" and there is no stopping you. That's just human nature. When you achieve your goals, you are a step happier and a step better! Boxing is a difficult sport to do that is why all the little things you accomplish would make you happy. Every time your trainer changes it up, your hunger remains and makes you achieve some more.
If you are old, you are voting for your children and their children's future. If you are young (young at heart), you are voting for your future. This is the same thing with working out in the best methods possible. You do it for your future. So think about this. When you choose to get into a path of healthy living you actually:
1. add years to your life, therefore gives you the chance to find quality in it;
2. get rid of the pains, stings and aches that most people acquire in the future;
3. can at least tell people that you gave it all you've got and you made the right decisions.
Only a few people in this world are given the chance to be presidents of their respective nations. I don't intend to be one. I find success in knowing that I give my best in everything that I do especially in my chosen field of boxing training. You have to be willing to go through the process in order to achieve your desired results! I approve this message!
Do you want more information and tips? Request your copy of the exclusive Train Like a Boxer Strategy Report (a $299 value, yours for FREE): How to Achieve a Leaner and Stronger Body with Limited Time, Space and Equipment at lawrence@trainlikeaboxer.com TODAY!!!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lawrence_Ragos
In order for these two distinguished gentlemen to grab the post (I am writing this article 5 days before the elections), they are going to go through 2 major phases: (1) The Process and (2) The Result. The same goes with your boxing skill and fitness levels.
The Process is the "bloody" phase. Getting people to vote for you is not easy. It takes a lot of hardwork and patience in the face of countless criticisms left and right. This is where they need to bring their A- game. Both Senators know what's at stake so they can't flinch. They have one GOAL!
Similarly, you come in a boxing training program (or any program for that matter) trying to learn new skills and getting in better shape. Your program makes you realize your weaknesses and makes you work on them. You do have goals in mind that you want to accomplish and it would take hard work and patience to achieve them. This is the "bloody" phase but for sure learning new skills and getting in your best shape ever is the most fun that you will ever have working out!
The Result is the "feel good" phase. And no, it does not end there. Just like in life, you take on new challenges once you have achieved something higher. Whoever wins the elections will have a tough task with the recession and all that. It's definitely going to be a challenge. This is when your hard work and dedication matters! But there is no denying that winning the elections is success in itself.
Just like when you achieve your fitness goals, it does not end there. You need to work hard to achieve new things. Your level of goal- setting goes higher. There are " more mountains you want to climb" and there is no stopping you. That's just human nature. When you achieve your goals, you are a step happier and a step better! Boxing is a difficult sport to do that is why all the little things you accomplish would make you happy. Every time your trainer changes it up, your hunger remains and makes you achieve some more.
If you are old, you are voting for your children and their children's future. If you are young (young at heart), you are voting for your future. This is the same thing with working out in the best methods possible. You do it for your future. So think about this. When you choose to get into a path of healthy living you actually:
1. add years to your life, therefore gives you the chance to find quality in it;
2. get rid of the pains, stings and aches that most people acquire in the future;
3. can at least tell people that you gave it all you've got and you made the right decisions.
Only a few people in this world are given the chance to be presidents of their respective nations. I don't intend to be one. I find success in knowing that I give my best in everything that I do especially in my chosen field of boxing training. You have to be willing to go through the process in order to achieve your desired results! I approve this message!
Do you want more information and tips? Request your copy of the exclusive Train Like a Boxer Strategy Report (a $299 value, yours for FREE): How to Achieve a Leaner and Stronger Body with Limited Time, Space and Equipment at lawrence@trainlikeaboxer.com TODAY!!!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lawrence_Ragos
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Why is Boxing Slowly Dying? And Can it Be Saved?
In the first half of the 20th Century there were 3 "Major" sports: baseball, horse racing, and boxing. Horse racing and boxing are slowing dying, and boxing, more than horse racing, has done it to itself. Last century, the most prestigious individual sports title -- as well as the most famous athlete -- was usually the heavyweight boxing champion. Quick -- name the current heavyweight champion. OK, as most of you know, there has not been only one heavyweight champion on a consistent basis for 30 years, but that is the point. Do the names Ruslan Chagaev (from Uzbekistan, WBA), Samuel Peter (Nigerian, WBC), and Wladimir Klitschko (Ukrainian, IBF & WBO) ring a bell (no pun intended)?
There used to be 8 World Champions -- ya know, 8 weight classes -- 8 World Champions. Makes sense. Everyone knew the heavyweight champion, sports fans could also name the middleweight champion, and serious boxing fans could name all 8 World Champions. Now there are 17 weight classes and 4 organizations for a possible 68 World Champions. There is close to that number of World Champions at any given time and most of the "Champions" in the same weight class have never fought each other. Sounds like a brilliant way to run a sport. Now, admittedly, you do not have to be smart to be a boxer, but do the people running the sport have to be that dumb?
There are numerous stars in each of the other sports who are well known, especially in American Football, MLB, basketball, and soccer/football (either worldwide or in the country where that athlete plays). The difference is that these athletes compete on a regular basis AND do it in front of large crowds AND huge non-paying television audiences. The fans have lots of opportunities to become familiar with them -- through the sporting events and the constant media coverage of these events. Boxers do not compete often enough to develop 68 stars. There are a lot of reasons that boxing is dying, however, having numerous "fake champions" that no one ever has heard of -- is the number one reason. It is clear as day (even Mike Tyson -- perhaps with Leon Spinks's help -- could figure it out) and for the last 30 years no one has done anything about it.
For sake of completeness, here are some other theories (not all mine) as to why boxing it dying:
1. Gambling and corruption (admittedly, this always existed, of course; however, Don King made it more prevalent, gave it more publicity, and made it even more annoying).
2. Too much time between fights.
3. The fights that the public really want to see either never happen or we get them several years too late.
4. All the big fights have to be paid for on pay per view (did you pay $60 to watch the Super Bowl?).
5. Current boxing champions lack charismatic personalities.
6. The promoter rips off the boxer after the boxer has done most of the hard work and received the life- threatening physical punishment ("pimp-ho relationship").
7. The best athletes no longer go into boxing because of the physical toll it takes on them (with Ali's physical condition a constant sad reminder). As a result, today's boxers are not as exciting to watch.
8. Today's society's objection to boxing's violence and occasional deaths (although given the popularity of MMA/UFC this is probably not a very good argument).
That gives us 10 reasons (too many weight classes and sanctioning bodies being the other 2) -- that is a lot of reasons -- with several of them being significant problems. So, how can boxing clean up this mess and save itself from its slow death? Well, it will not be easy and it might never happen. However, not surprisingly, I have a few suggestions.
First, get one worldwide sanctioning body to run the sport. I do not have a solution on how to force this to happen, however, I do know that boxing will never be popular again until this is done. Second, whittle the number of weight classes down to 10 (12 at the most). The new champion is forced to fight the number 1 ranked contender FIRST and within 6 months of winning the title. If he wins, then he has to fight the fight the number 2 contender next and within 6 months of the last fight. Meanwhile the disposed-of World Champion has to fight the number 3 contender (if he does not retire) within 6 months, with the winner becoming the new number 2 contender (since there will be a loser from the first fight I mentioned). (OK, so this is not perfect, but something has to be done so that the best fighters quit ducking each other and boxing fans get to see the best fighters fight each other.) In addition, the champion will never be allowed to fight someone NOT ranked in the top 5 unless he has beaten all the top 5 contenders, then that fighter has to ranked in top 10. You get the idea.
All boxer-manager contracts have to be approved by the sanctioning body, and the contract must adhere to the guidelines and rules (with limits on the percentage of money a manager can receive) which were previously set by the sanctioning body.
All Championship Bouts will have a 10 round maximum -- this will increase the amount of action per round. All bouts will have at least 5 judges and the Championship Bouts will have 9 judges. Replace the ten point must system with a 3 (or 5) point must system and encourage the referees to give more 2 point differentials when they score the bout (some 3-1 scores as opposed to all 3-2 scores). Appeals of decisions of bouts will be allowed within reason and 9 new judges will re-score the fight. (OK, so this is not perfect either, but something has to be done to get rid of, or at least limit, all the corruption in boxing.)
Only Championships Bouts will be on pay-per-view, all other bouts will be on cable and network television (with the exception of the opening acts on the pay-per-view events, all of which must be bouts that determine who will next fight for the Championship in a particular weight class). This might not be ideal either, but at least boxing fans will get their money's worth (especially since there will be only 10 World Champions instead of 60).
I am sure there are more reasons as to why boxing is dying and more possible solutions to boxing's problems. And these suggestions might not solve all of boxing's problems and prevent it from dying a slow death, but at least they will take boxing off life support that it is currently on.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mark_Hauser
There used to be 8 World Champions -- ya know, 8 weight classes -- 8 World Champions. Makes sense. Everyone knew the heavyweight champion, sports fans could also name the middleweight champion, and serious boxing fans could name all 8 World Champions. Now there are 17 weight classes and 4 organizations for a possible 68 World Champions. There is close to that number of World Champions at any given time and most of the "Champions" in the same weight class have never fought each other. Sounds like a brilliant way to run a sport. Now, admittedly, you do not have to be smart to be a boxer, but do the people running the sport have to be that dumb?
There are numerous stars in each of the other sports who are well known, especially in American Football, MLB, basketball, and soccer/football (either worldwide or in the country where that athlete plays). The difference is that these athletes compete on a regular basis AND do it in front of large crowds AND huge non-paying television audiences. The fans have lots of opportunities to become familiar with them -- through the sporting events and the constant media coverage of these events. Boxers do not compete often enough to develop 68 stars. There are a lot of reasons that boxing is dying, however, having numerous "fake champions" that no one ever has heard of -- is the number one reason. It is clear as day (even Mike Tyson -- perhaps with Leon Spinks's help -- could figure it out) and for the last 30 years no one has done anything about it.
For sake of completeness, here are some other theories (not all mine) as to why boxing it dying:
1. Gambling and corruption (admittedly, this always existed, of course; however, Don King made it more prevalent, gave it more publicity, and made it even more annoying).
2. Too much time between fights.
3. The fights that the public really want to see either never happen or we get them several years too late.
4. All the big fights have to be paid for on pay per view (did you pay $60 to watch the Super Bowl?).
5. Current boxing champions lack charismatic personalities.
6. The promoter rips off the boxer after the boxer has done most of the hard work and received the life- threatening physical punishment ("pimp-ho relationship").
7. The best athletes no longer go into boxing because of the physical toll it takes on them (with Ali's physical condition a constant sad reminder). As a result, today's boxers are not as exciting to watch.
8. Today's society's objection to boxing's violence and occasional deaths (although given the popularity of MMA/UFC this is probably not a very good argument).
That gives us 10 reasons (too many weight classes and sanctioning bodies being the other 2) -- that is a lot of reasons -- with several of them being significant problems. So, how can boxing clean up this mess and save itself from its slow death? Well, it will not be easy and it might never happen. However, not surprisingly, I have a few suggestions.
First, get one worldwide sanctioning body to run the sport. I do not have a solution on how to force this to happen, however, I do know that boxing will never be popular again until this is done. Second, whittle the number of weight classes down to 10 (12 at the most). The new champion is forced to fight the number 1 ranked contender FIRST and within 6 months of winning the title. If he wins, then he has to fight the fight the number 2 contender next and within 6 months of the last fight. Meanwhile the disposed-of World Champion has to fight the number 3 contender (if he does not retire) within 6 months, with the winner becoming the new number 2 contender (since there will be a loser from the first fight I mentioned). (OK, so this is not perfect, but something has to be done so that the best fighters quit ducking each other and boxing fans get to see the best fighters fight each other.) In addition, the champion will never be allowed to fight someone NOT ranked in the top 5 unless he has beaten all the top 5 contenders, then that fighter has to ranked in top 10. You get the idea.
All boxer-manager contracts have to be approved by the sanctioning body, and the contract must adhere to the guidelines and rules (with limits on the percentage of money a manager can receive) which were previously set by the sanctioning body.
All Championship Bouts will have a 10 round maximum -- this will increase the amount of action per round. All bouts will have at least 5 judges and the Championship Bouts will have 9 judges. Replace the ten point must system with a 3 (or 5) point must system and encourage the referees to give more 2 point differentials when they score the bout (some 3-1 scores as opposed to all 3-2 scores). Appeals of decisions of bouts will be allowed within reason and 9 new judges will re-score the fight. (OK, so this is not perfect either, but something has to be done to get rid of, or at least limit, all the corruption in boxing.)
Only Championships Bouts will be on pay-per-view, all other bouts will be on cable and network television (with the exception of the opening acts on the pay-per-view events, all of which must be bouts that determine who will next fight for the Championship in a particular weight class). This might not be ideal either, but at least boxing fans will get their money's worth (especially since there will be only 10 World Champions instead of 60).
I am sure there are more reasons as to why boxing is dying and more possible solutions to boxing's problems. And these suggestions might not solve all of boxing's problems and prevent it from dying a slow death, but at least they will take boxing off life support that it is currently on.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mark_Hauser
Ballogou - "The African Assassin" - Getting it Done in Church
Hidden down several flights of steps in Downtown New York City you will find Church Street Boxing Gym and with its true old school feel Church Street is unlike the traditional gyms that you find in New York City. From the moment you enter Church Street you sense ones dedication and love of boxing with its thousands of boxing photos and posters stuck to the walls many yellowed from age. From the pounding of the heavy bags, the lightning quick claps from the speed bags and the grunts from the boxers sparring in the ring you know you have reached boxing heaven. Every day sweating in the over 100 degree heat down in the basement of Church Street you will find what may be the one person who at the age of 40 years old still believes he has a championship run left in him. Jaffa Ballogou who has been out of boxing for over two years now, he last fought on June 16, 2006 beating Lawrence Chapman by unanimous decision. In that bout Ballogou floored Chapman 5 times. Ballogou has achieved a 45 - 6 record winning 39 by knockout in his 20 year professional career.
Upon entering the gym you will notice Ballogou right away he is one of the hardest working boxers down there focusing on getting ready for his comeback which is planned for September 23rd. He will face Manu Ntoh in a scheduled 8 round bout at the Hammerstein Ballroom on 34th Street in NYC. The bout will be part of Knock out Poverty which is a landmark event to help fight poverty in Africa that is planned for that evening. With fierce determination and concentration the lean six foot Ballogou blocks out his past struggles and applies all his energy to his workout with trainer Rafael Correa by his side. Correa, a former boxer himself says Ballogou is in terrific shape and is training very hard.
Back in 1997 Ballogou fought Frankie Liles for the WBA Super Middleweight title, Ballogou who lost that bout by unanimous decision to this day still believes he won. Ballogou describes the bout with Liles as the toughest of his career. Fast forward eleven years and you will still find Ballogou training like his next fight will be for the championship. He is feared by many in the light heavyweight division for his knockout abilities and his southpaw style. This along with promotional problems has caused Ballogou difficulty in finding fights keeping him out of the ring for two years. Ballogou is inspired by the success of the aging light heavyweights Antonio Tarver, Glen Johnson and Roy Jones Jr. all who are 39 years old to help fuel his comeback. Ballogou is predicting a 3rd round knockout of Ntoh on September 23rd. With Ballogou's 75 percent knockout rate one can not argue the point.
Actually, The African Assassin fears no one in the ring and says bring them on he will face anyone anywhere. Ballogou has had his share of opportunity fighting in the Mecca of boxing Madison Square Garden and under the big lights in Las Vegas. He has faced some tough opponents including the likes of Ike Quartey early in his career and Syd Vanderpool a former champion from Canada. That is all past history for Ballogou who now is just concentrating on getting ready for September 23rd. Ballogou says he does not know much about his opponent Manu Ntoh (17-14,10KOs) who is also 40 years old and is a multiple World Muay Thai Champion. Jaffa Ballogou "The African Assassin" is ready to get into the ring and start his new drive towards the big stage.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Robert_Epstein
Upon entering the gym you will notice Ballogou right away he is one of the hardest working boxers down there focusing on getting ready for his comeback which is planned for September 23rd. He will face Manu Ntoh in a scheduled 8 round bout at the Hammerstein Ballroom on 34th Street in NYC. The bout will be part of Knock out Poverty which is a landmark event to help fight poverty in Africa that is planned for that evening. With fierce determination and concentration the lean six foot Ballogou blocks out his past struggles and applies all his energy to his workout with trainer Rafael Correa by his side. Correa, a former boxer himself says Ballogou is in terrific shape and is training very hard.
Back in 1997 Ballogou fought Frankie Liles for the WBA Super Middleweight title, Ballogou who lost that bout by unanimous decision to this day still believes he won. Ballogou describes the bout with Liles as the toughest of his career. Fast forward eleven years and you will still find Ballogou training like his next fight will be for the championship. He is feared by many in the light heavyweight division for his knockout abilities and his southpaw style. This along with promotional problems has caused Ballogou difficulty in finding fights keeping him out of the ring for two years. Ballogou is inspired by the success of the aging light heavyweights Antonio Tarver, Glen Johnson and Roy Jones Jr. all who are 39 years old to help fuel his comeback. Ballogou is predicting a 3rd round knockout of Ntoh on September 23rd. With Ballogou's 75 percent knockout rate one can not argue the point.
Actually, The African Assassin fears no one in the ring and says bring them on he will face anyone anywhere. Ballogou has had his share of opportunity fighting in the Mecca of boxing Madison Square Garden and under the big lights in Las Vegas. He has faced some tough opponents including the likes of Ike Quartey early in his career and Syd Vanderpool a former champion from Canada. That is all past history for Ballogou who now is just concentrating on getting ready for September 23rd. Ballogou says he does not know much about his opponent Manu Ntoh (17-14,10KOs) who is also 40 years old and is a multiple World Muay Thai Champion. Jaffa Ballogou "The African Assassin" is ready to get into the ring and start his new drive towards the big stage.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Robert_Epstein
The Magic Man Makes Promises to Tear Up the Hitman
Paulie "The Magician" or "Magic Man" Malignaggi has a pretty face as well as skills. His punches pack about as much voltage as an alcopop but all that rapid-fire jabbing manipulates his opponents into positions where he can kill them on points.
Paulie has strong legs that maneuver him away from his opponents so that he rarely gets hit, protecting his pretty boy face. That is, until the title fight against Miguel Cotto who is in the possession of fists that are probably registered as lethal weapons in some states. Cotto fractured the Magic Man's orbital and left spectators wondering in shock and horror if Malignaggi would be able to keep his eye.
This incident did nothing to stop the Magic Man's mouth.
"If Manny Pacquiao wants to get that ass whooping, once I'm done with Ricky, I will gladly tear that a** up all over the place," Malignaggi said. "Tell Manny to stop disrespecting the Magic Man, stop saying you want to fight Ricky because Ricky is not getting by the Magic Man. If he wants to fight a junior-welterweight, once I beat Ricky's a** I will gladly tear his ass up all over the place." If nothing else can be said it is clear that Malignaggi has a fixation with "tearing up a**".
I am deviously planning ways to get to Las Vegas for the super-fight at the MGM on November 22nd where Paulie Malignaggi will defend the IBF junior welterweight title against Ricky "Hitman" Hatton.
Hatton fights are never boring. Hatton's crushing KO loss to Floyd Mayweather is not the end. Maybe Ricky needs to spend less time on the stage doing stand-up at benefit dinners and work himself in the ring until he has a major epiphany and starts doing things that no one has done before. Hatton has it in him.
I'm not alone. Emanuel Steward, former trainer of Lennox Lewis and Thomas Hearns, defended Hatton in the Mayweather fight: "I've seen that happen to a boxer before. They get too excited and over-anxious and that moves on down the line to their performance. Ricky Hatton is a very brave fighter who went in there and got careless. Why did he get careless? I think he was too wired up. He wanted to fight for the crowd and a crowd can work against you just as they can work for you. This crowd worked against him. A boxer has to have controlled aggression and I didn't see enough of that from Hatton's corner. I saw naked, crude aggression."
In an interview with boxingtalk.com Malignaggi had more lip:
"I wouldn't be surprised if I knocked Ricky Hatton out. It's something that people are going to read and think I'm ridiculous, but if you look beyond what you see with naked eye, every time he gets hit clean he's hurt. He cannot take a punch. To the head, to the body, I've been saying this for years.
He cannot take a punch and that's why he fights the way he does. He's always looking to hold because he's trying to prevent his opponents from extending their punches so they can get maximum power on them."
Maybe Malignaggi has true heart and maybe his ego is bruised by the unimpressive UK fight against Lovermore N'Dou. In the eighth round of the fight against N'Dou the Magic Man broke his hand in the sixth and then had to make his hair extensions do a disappearing act which failed to impress the British public.
Malignaggi explained: "I have a broken middle metacarpal, basically the bone behind the right knuckle is broken. I have a cast on at the moment, and I have to go through the healing process but November is plenty of time away and I'll be ready for the fight with Hatton."
The Hitman appears to be keeping quiet, laying in wait, stockpiling ammunition for the big MGM fight in Las Vegas. Hatton is not giving anything away. He is keeping the Magician in his sights while Malignaggi tires himself out with a smoke and mirrors display coupled with excessive bursts of hot air. Be there in Las Vegas when the Hitman puts Malignaggi's mouth where it belongs.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Axel_Johansson
Paulie has strong legs that maneuver him away from his opponents so that he rarely gets hit, protecting his pretty boy face. That is, until the title fight against Miguel Cotto who is in the possession of fists that are probably registered as lethal weapons in some states. Cotto fractured the Magic Man's orbital and left spectators wondering in shock and horror if Malignaggi would be able to keep his eye.
This incident did nothing to stop the Magic Man's mouth.
"If Manny Pacquiao wants to get that ass whooping, once I'm done with Ricky, I will gladly tear that a** up all over the place," Malignaggi said. "Tell Manny to stop disrespecting the Magic Man, stop saying you want to fight Ricky because Ricky is not getting by the Magic Man. If he wants to fight a junior-welterweight, once I beat Ricky's a** I will gladly tear his ass up all over the place." If nothing else can be said it is clear that Malignaggi has a fixation with "tearing up a**".
I am deviously planning ways to get to Las Vegas for the super-fight at the MGM on November 22nd where Paulie Malignaggi will defend the IBF junior welterweight title against Ricky "Hitman" Hatton.
Hatton fights are never boring. Hatton's crushing KO loss to Floyd Mayweather is not the end. Maybe Ricky needs to spend less time on the stage doing stand-up at benefit dinners and work himself in the ring until he has a major epiphany and starts doing things that no one has done before. Hatton has it in him.
I'm not alone. Emanuel Steward, former trainer of Lennox Lewis and Thomas Hearns, defended Hatton in the Mayweather fight: "I've seen that happen to a boxer before. They get too excited and over-anxious and that moves on down the line to their performance. Ricky Hatton is a very brave fighter who went in there and got careless. Why did he get careless? I think he was too wired up. He wanted to fight for the crowd and a crowd can work against you just as they can work for you. This crowd worked against him. A boxer has to have controlled aggression and I didn't see enough of that from Hatton's corner. I saw naked, crude aggression."
In an interview with boxingtalk.com Malignaggi had more lip:
"I wouldn't be surprised if I knocked Ricky Hatton out. It's something that people are going to read and think I'm ridiculous, but if you look beyond what you see with naked eye, every time he gets hit clean he's hurt. He cannot take a punch. To the head, to the body, I've been saying this for years.
He cannot take a punch and that's why he fights the way he does. He's always looking to hold because he's trying to prevent his opponents from extending their punches so they can get maximum power on them."
Maybe Malignaggi has true heart and maybe his ego is bruised by the unimpressive UK fight against Lovermore N'Dou. In the eighth round of the fight against N'Dou the Magic Man broke his hand in the sixth and then had to make his hair extensions do a disappearing act which failed to impress the British public.
Malignaggi explained: "I have a broken middle metacarpal, basically the bone behind the right knuckle is broken. I have a cast on at the moment, and I have to go through the healing process but November is plenty of time away and I'll be ready for the fight with Hatton."
The Hitman appears to be keeping quiet, laying in wait, stockpiling ammunition for the big MGM fight in Las Vegas. Hatton is not giving anything away. He is keeping the Magician in his sights while Malignaggi tires himself out with a smoke and mirrors display coupled with excessive bursts of hot air. Be there in Las Vegas when the Hitman puts Malignaggi's mouth where it belongs.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Axel_Johansson
Friday, January 30, 2009
Boxing a Boxer - When The Boxer Is Trained
When The Boxer is Skilled
What do you do if there is a boxer in your school who is better than you are? This guy boxes better... faster, harder, with no openings. He beats everyone who crosses his path. There are even videos posted on the Internet of him boxing the others in the area. What do you do against a skilled boxer?
A lot of times when one boxer stands out in "the neighborhood,"it's because he (or she) is trained, and his opponents are not.
So, the question becomes, can you beat someone who is all around better than you are?
Note: For real self defense and not a boxing competition, my answer is to avoid fighting a fight that you can't win.
Even if you learn a trick or two, or discover one boxing weakness, I am not sure that overall, it would guarantee a win. I do think that examining a particular boxer's fighting sequences can give us some important clues. Keys that help in future training.
Common Novice Boxing Mistake
One common mistake that beginners make is how they react to a punch. Notice who is leaning back the most.
Seasoned boxers do occasional little leans... to judge timing. Once the boxer has a feel for the particular rhythm, he comes in... usually low. No more leaning. His opponents, the beginners, lean like crazy. They are afraid of a more aggressive boxer's fists, and don't know how to duck, dodge, or step at tight angles.
So, they lean out of the way.
While beginners are leaning, they are off balance. And they aren't punching. Which is another important point ... a seasoned boxer is punching a lot more than the opponents. He gets in more hits.
Seasoned Boxers Hit More
He is in shape ... and he takes advantage of any turning away by his opponents or pausing to catch one's breath. That's just about the time that he'd kick it up a notch.
Let's talk about all of those punches for just a minute. Boxers practice combinations. And those combinations find openings.
Sometimes you can find a weakness in a seasoned boxer -- some seasoned boxers concentrate on one or two openings above all others. Not only that, but often one of the openings is an opening to a target that he creates. He does something... hint, hint... to cause the opponent's arm to raise... BAM... opening.
Note: Pardon the synesthesia, but my 'fingers' are just 'screaming' to type the recommendation that following The Punch eCourse, by yours truly, will give you the skills needed to take on boxers better.
If you are looking for ways to take on a more seasoned boxer, research Bruce Lee's 5 Ways of Attack. If you can excel in a couple of the ways, over and above the boxer, you may just have your in.
Which of the 5 Ways will be your edge? Single Direct Attack, Attack By Combination, Attack By Trapping, Progressive Indirect Attack, and Attack By Drawing.
Are you getting any ideas?
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Keith_Pascal
What do you do if there is a boxer in your school who is better than you are? This guy boxes better... faster, harder, with no openings. He beats everyone who crosses his path. There are even videos posted on the Internet of him boxing the others in the area. What do you do against a skilled boxer?
A lot of times when one boxer stands out in "the neighborhood,"it's because he (or she) is trained, and his opponents are not.
So, the question becomes, can you beat someone who is all around better than you are?
Note: For real self defense and not a boxing competition, my answer is to avoid fighting a fight that you can't win.
Even if you learn a trick or two, or discover one boxing weakness, I am not sure that overall, it would guarantee a win. I do think that examining a particular boxer's fighting sequences can give us some important clues. Keys that help in future training.
Common Novice Boxing Mistake
One common mistake that beginners make is how they react to a punch. Notice who is leaning back the most.
Seasoned boxers do occasional little leans... to judge timing. Once the boxer has a feel for the particular rhythm, he comes in... usually low. No more leaning. His opponents, the beginners, lean like crazy. They are afraid of a more aggressive boxer's fists, and don't know how to duck, dodge, or step at tight angles.
So, they lean out of the way.
While beginners are leaning, they are off balance. And they aren't punching. Which is another important point ... a seasoned boxer is punching a lot more than the opponents. He gets in more hits.
Seasoned Boxers Hit More
He is in shape ... and he takes advantage of any turning away by his opponents or pausing to catch one's breath. That's just about the time that he'd kick it up a notch.
Let's talk about all of those punches for just a minute. Boxers practice combinations. And those combinations find openings.
Sometimes you can find a weakness in a seasoned boxer -- some seasoned boxers concentrate on one or two openings above all others. Not only that, but often one of the openings is an opening to a target that he creates. He does something... hint, hint... to cause the opponent's arm to raise... BAM... opening.
Note: Pardon the synesthesia, but my 'fingers' are just 'screaming' to type the recommendation that following The Punch eCourse, by yours truly, will give you the skills needed to take on boxers better.
If you are looking for ways to take on a more seasoned boxer, research Bruce Lee's 5 Ways of Attack. If you can excel in a couple of the ways, over and above the boxer, you may just have your in.
Which of the 5 Ways will be your edge? Single Direct Attack, Attack By Combination, Attack By Trapping, Progressive Indirect Attack, and Attack By Drawing.
Are you getting any ideas?
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Keith_Pascal
Learning Boxing The Hard Way
To struggle because of pain while training to gain stamina for boxing, is the hardest way to achieve boxing.
To first establish the mindset allowing time for understanding of methods for boxing. The enthusiast needs only then to state the level wishing to reach in boxing before starting to achieve, that goal required now to reach.
Why? To give incentive to the cause of action! The action being the many hours of training that shall have then to follow, in order to achieve the set goal. Mindset is in fact the source of origin to accomplishing to persist pursuing the now preset goal. Without the goal setting, so much harder is it to achieve states of fitness needed, to accomplish competent boxing abilities.
Through the hardest part of training for fitness to be a boxer is in fact the very beginning or if having been away from boxing for a time so beginning training again. When first starting out a body complaining of pains can quite easily overcome tolerances.
Worsening to that fact there is often a delay up to two days after training, a pain peak all over the body can usually appear resulting, from the extent of training. The more training exertion in the session previous, greater the pain two days later. Enough to easily sickened from getting into or continuing the sport of boxing completely.
How to avoid these predicaments is done simply by not over doing it. While in training or by the amount of times training is in fact carried out say, on a weekly basis. Use body pain and strains as a level of guidance for training. If in pain then forget training! Seriously there is no point at all going to training till the pain has gone.
Think about it for a minute, if training having just gone for the first time to do some physical exercise or since a long time passing.
How do you think you shall feel when stamina runs out during this event?
Answer: sickly, dizzy, ill, faint, hating where you are, why you are, what you have been doing with a desperately growing sense of needing to leave immediately. Only to peak in even more trauma felt through the two day pain delay.
So now you know, why go? Well if this describes boxing training for you then you have unfortunately being over doing it. If you have herd the phrase No Pain No Gain, you may not off herd of the disastrous never spoken term, Over Burn.
No I thought not, it is the hell of boxing that cannot be seen, till having been shown to be suffering from such a condition. By being on the night totally out classed and beaten. Often occurs in a bout, (a boxing match) especially with more experienced boxers having already accomplished a number of fights, where the need forever more fitness takes over completely.
Without ample recovery time to balance the exertion under gone, there is really no point doing that amount of training at all. Complete fitness will not be achieved for the body always in semi trauma, not being able to recover fully effectively as a result of over training. Basically injuring and re-injuring the body again and again through over demanding training.
Which is not necessarily just confined to boxing, any sport with very high stamina demands, shall run this risk to its members.
Caught liken to being semi fit while having trained like a madman, does to the mind set of a boxer something of devastating consequences. Ultimately leaving the sport completes and stops the potential to any possibilities, highly talented at the sport or not, no one will ever know.
Each person boxing will have a different body structure to another working a training schedule on certain days of the week, organised to proceed with training at that time. Basically working training schedules whether at the beginning learning boxing say, once or twice a week or advanced and are everyday training to box.
Using a calendar style training schedule, a must attend regardless style of order, which is good for discipline and tolerance. However not always as good for the body, especially when still in repair from the last training session. Quite the contrary, to strain while still in repair is with a very seriously over driven enthusiasm. Where it is very commonplace at the beginning of a boxing career, due to individuals often missing experience of boxing.
The common idea is to box with differences in style to achieve the dream, is it not? As I recall being a boxer myself, to make the style difference must be at the source considering over and over in thought. Outside the box thinking would be then to say. At the very style of training to make change, would mean calendar training was a thing of the past.
Strain and pain charting so achieving a stronger build, by simply not reaching the rip zone of muscle training. Avoiding two day pains only having then tightness and tenderness in muscles and tendons, rather than being almost unable to move. Able to train more often while using lighter punching impact actions, accomplishing greater speeds in motion and durable punching abilities.
While training longer to become stamina fit, instead doubling the length of time normally thought needed for the next up coming fight. Achieving greater stamina fitness's improving overall boxing abilities, by having less time spent in pain with body repair.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lawrence_Crampshee
To first establish the mindset allowing time for understanding of methods for boxing. The enthusiast needs only then to state the level wishing to reach in boxing before starting to achieve, that goal required now to reach.
Why? To give incentive to the cause of action! The action being the many hours of training that shall have then to follow, in order to achieve the set goal. Mindset is in fact the source of origin to accomplishing to persist pursuing the now preset goal. Without the goal setting, so much harder is it to achieve states of fitness needed, to accomplish competent boxing abilities.
Through the hardest part of training for fitness to be a boxer is in fact the very beginning or if having been away from boxing for a time so beginning training again. When first starting out a body complaining of pains can quite easily overcome tolerances.
Worsening to that fact there is often a delay up to two days after training, a pain peak all over the body can usually appear resulting, from the extent of training. The more training exertion in the session previous, greater the pain two days later. Enough to easily sickened from getting into or continuing the sport of boxing completely.
How to avoid these predicaments is done simply by not over doing it. While in training or by the amount of times training is in fact carried out say, on a weekly basis. Use body pain and strains as a level of guidance for training. If in pain then forget training! Seriously there is no point at all going to training till the pain has gone.
Think about it for a minute, if training having just gone for the first time to do some physical exercise or since a long time passing.
How do you think you shall feel when stamina runs out during this event?
Answer: sickly, dizzy, ill, faint, hating where you are, why you are, what you have been doing with a desperately growing sense of needing to leave immediately. Only to peak in even more trauma felt through the two day pain delay.
So now you know, why go? Well if this describes boxing training for you then you have unfortunately being over doing it. If you have herd the phrase No Pain No Gain, you may not off herd of the disastrous never spoken term, Over Burn.
No I thought not, it is the hell of boxing that cannot be seen, till having been shown to be suffering from such a condition. By being on the night totally out classed and beaten. Often occurs in a bout, (a boxing match) especially with more experienced boxers having already accomplished a number of fights, where the need forever more fitness takes over completely.
Without ample recovery time to balance the exertion under gone, there is really no point doing that amount of training at all. Complete fitness will not be achieved for the body always in semi trauma, not being able to recover fully effectively as a result of over training. Basically injuring and re-injuring the body again and again through over demanding training.
Which is not necessarily just confined to boxing, any sport with very high stamina demands, shall run this risk to its members.
Caught liken to being semi fit while having trained like a madman, does to the mind set of a boxer something of devastating consequences. Ultimately leaving the sport completes and stops the potential to any possibilities, highly talented at the sport or not, no one will ever know.
Each person boxing will have a different body structure to another working a training schedule on certain days of the week, organised to proceed with training at that time. Basically working training schedules whether at the beginning learning boxing say, once or twice a week or advanced and are everyday training to box.
Using a calendar style training schedule, a must attend regardless style of order, which is good for discipline and tolerance. However not always as good for the body, especially when still in repair from the last training session. Quite the contrary, to strain while still in repair is with a very seriously over driven enthusiasm. Where it is very commonplace at the beginning of a boxing career, due to individuals often missing experience of boxing.
The common idea is to box with differences in style to achieve the dream, is it not? As I recall being a boxer myself, to make the style difference must be at the source considering over and over in thought. Outside the box thinking would be then to say. At the very style of training to make change, would mean calendar training was a thing of the past.
Strain and pain charting so achieving a stronger build, by simply not reaching the rip zone of muscle training. Avoiding two day pains only having then tightness and tenderness in muscles and tendons, rather than being almost unable to move. Able to train more often while using lighter punching impact actions, accomplishing greater speeds in motion and durable punching abilities.
While training longer to become stamina fit, instead doubling the length of time normally thought needed for the next up coming fight. Achieving greater stamina fitness's improving overall boxing abilities, by having less time spent in pain with body repair.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lawrence_Crampshee
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Watch Juan Diaz Vs Nate Campbell Match Live Online
This March 8, two great names in the lightweight division will battle it out in Mexico. Lightweight champion Juan Diaz (33-0, 17 KOs) of Houston puts his belt on the line against Nate Campbell (31-5-1, 25 KOs) of Tampa, Florida, in the 12-round opening bout. Diaz looked terrific in defeating Julio Diaz and Acelino Freitas, and hopes to keep the momentum going against this crafty challenger.
Juan Diaz became the second-youngest fighter in the history of the sport to win a world title in 2004. He won the WBA lightweight championship title at just the age of 20. Diaz has become one of the most exciting boxers in the sport. He is a punishing and a relentless boxer that burrows forward throwing punches in bunches at all times. He is also a senior at the University of Houston-Downtown who would like to go on to law school someday.
For Nate Campbell, he did not have his first professional fight until he was almost 28 years old. Campbell learned the tricks of the trade inside the ring and he is a gifted athlete, which resulted in him being named IBF mandatory challenger to Diaz.
Campbell, with his unusually long arms, will be interesting to see if his reach advantage can help him find a way to do what nobody has been able to do before him, and that is, to slow down and defeat the always charging Baby Bull.
Campbell has unusually long arms, and it will be interesting to see if his reach advantage can help him find a way to do what nobody has been able to do before him: slow down and defeat the ever-charging Baby Bull.
Now you might not be able to watch Juan Diaz vs Nate Campbell live online on your cable or television. Don't let this stop you, since you can have the right software to stream the fight. This software is a tv for pc software, which is easy to use, and had undergone rigid development, testing, and maintenance.
We have tried and tested a number of these services, and we can say that tv for pc software is the top service to watch Diaz vs Campbell live online on your computer. But this service has a one-small time fee since having rigid development does not come cheap. The resulting tv for pc software is a top quality product, and you need it if you are serious in watching boxing fights live online.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Art_Malasigan
Juan Diaz became the second-youngest fighter in the history of the sport to win a world title in 2004. He won the WBA lightweight championship title at just the age of 20. Diaz has become one of the most exciting boxers in the sport. He is a punishing and a relentless boxer that burrows forward throwing punches in bunches at all times. He is also a senior at the University of Houston-Downtown who would like to go on to law school someday.
For Nate Campbell, he did not have his first professional fight until he was almost 28 years old. Campbell learned the tricks of the trade inside the ring and he is a gifted athlete, which resulted in him being named IBF mandatory challenger to Diaz.
Campbell, with his unusually long arms, will be interesting to see if his reach advantage can help him find a way to do what nobody has been able to do before him, and that is, to slow down and defeat the always charging Baby Bull.
Campbell has unusually long arms, and it will be interesting to see if his reach advantage can help him find a way to do what nobody has been able to do before him: slow down and defeat the ever-charging Baby Bull.
Now you might not be able to watch Juan Diaz vs Nate Campbell live online on your cable or television. Don't let this stop you, since you can have the right software to stream the fight. This software is a tv for pc software, which is easy to use, and had undergone rigid development, testing, and maintenance.
We have tried and tested a number of these services, and we can say that tv for pc software is the top service to watch Diaz vs Campbell live online on your computer. But this service has a one-small time fee since having rigid development does not come cheap. The resulting tv for pc software is a top quality product, and you need it if you are serious in watching boxing fights live online.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Art_Malasigan
Watch Oleg Maskaev Vs Samuel Peter Live Online
This March 8, Saturday night, in Mexico, two title-holders put their belts on the line, Oleg Maskaev vs Samuel Peter, and Juan Diag vs Nate Campbell. This will be in Plaza de Toros in Cancun, Mexico.
Oleg Maskaev will make his the 2nd defense of his title against WBC interim heavyweight champion Samuel "The Nigerian Nightmare" Peter to determine the WBC heavyweight champion. They have been scheduled to meet on October in New York's Madison Square Garden, but Maskaev got a back injury and was forced to pull out of the fight on September 21.
Maskaev who is from Kazakhstan and a U.S. citizen since 2004, has a record of 34-5, 26 KOs, with homes in Staten Island, N.Y., and West Sacramento, Calif., is riding a 12-fight winning streak that includes a 12th-round technical knockout over Hasim "The Rock" Rahman to win the WBC heavyweight crown on August 12, 2006 in Las Vegas.
He connected with a devastating left hook that sent Rahman down midway through the final stanza and shortly thereafter finished him off with an unanswered barrage that caused the referee to stop the fight during the last minute of the contest.
Maskaev will face on Samuel Peter, who has a record of 29-1, with 22 KOs that has caused him so much trouble in the past. Peter is from Nigeria, but now living in Las Vegas, is achieving the success many boxing experts and fans have predicted would come for this heavy-handed knockout artist. The Nigerian's 75% knockout percentage backs his claim. His only loss came by decision in 2005 against Wladimir Klitschko, but only after Peter had knocked him down three times. We watched that fight, and we will also watch Oleg Maskaev vs Samuel Peter live online.
Also in the same under card, lightweight champ Juan Diaz (33-0, 17 KOs) of Houston puts his crown on the line against contender Nate Campbell (31-5-1, 25 KOs) of Tampa, Florida. Diaz looked terrific in defeating Freitas and Julio Diaz, and hopes to keep the momentum going against this crafty challenger.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Art_Guzman
Oleg Maskaev will make his the 2nd defense of his title against WBC interim heavyweight champion Samuel "The Nigerian Nightmare" Peter to determine the WBC heavyweight champion. They have been scheduled to meet on October in New York's Madison Square Garden, but Maskaev got a back injury and was forced to pull out of the fight on September 21.
Maskaev who is from Kazakhstan and a U.S. citizen since 2004, has a record of 34-5, 26 KOs, with homes in Staten Island, N.Y., and West Sacramento, Calif., is riding a 12-fight winning streak that includes a 12th-round technical knockout over Hasim "The Rock" Rahman to win the WBC heavyweight crown on August 12, 2006 in Las Vegas.
He connected with a devastating left hook that sent Rahman down midway through the final stanza and shortly thereafter finished him off with an unanswered barrage that caused the referee to stop the fight during the last minute of the contest.
Maskaev will face on Samuel Peter, who has a record of 29-1, with 22 KOs that has caused him so much trouble in the past. Peter is from Nigeria, but now living in Las Vegas, is achieving the success many boxing experts and fans have predicted would come for this heavy-handed knockout artist. The Nigerian's 75% knockout percentage backs his claim. His only loss came by decision in 2005 against Wladimir Klitschko, but only after Peter had knocked him down three times. We watched that fight, and we will also watch Oleg Maskaev vs Samuel Peter live online.
Also in the same under card, lightweight champ Juan Diaz (33-0, 17 KOs) of Houston puts his crown on the line against contender Nate Campbell (31-5-1, 25 KOs) of Tampa, Florida. Diaz looked terrific in defeating Freitas and Julio Diaz, and hopes to keep the momentum going against this crafty challenger.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Art_Guzman
Watching Khoder Nasser Destroy Anthony Mundines Boxing Career is Sad to Watch
Anthony Mundine has so much potential and skill it is sad to watch his career go bad at the hands of his manager Khoder Nasser. Khoder Nasser is probably the worst manager in boxing at the moment and is a contender for the worst in the entire history of the sport. Mundine is now in a position to excel in the sport, to take his trade overseas. Yet on the advice of his manager he is going to give rematches to Sam Soliman and Danny Green, two fighters who were soundly beaten and will be beaten again all for some extra money in Khoders wallet. Khoder Nasser is sacrificing Australian boxing for greed to get extra money for both him and Mundine, breaking the hearts of boxing supporters across the country.
Examples of Khoder Nassers Poor Management:
1. After the win over Green and Soliman, Mundine is then put in to fight Nievas.
2. Mundine then fights Clavero
3. Mundine then fights Hamden
4. Mundine then fights a rematch with Soliman. There is no rematch needed since he beat him convincingly, knocking him down four times in a one sided fight.
5. Mundine then fights a rematch with Danny Green, another fighter who he soundly beat last year. This fight i would not mind watching again as there is a world title on the line.
Conclusion: Khoder Nasser is taking no risks with Mundine to make some extra money from the Australian boxing public. Money that is not deserved through these mismatches which are a disgrace to the sport of boxing. Also Mundines best years are being wasted by fighting bad opposition. Expect both Khoder Nasser and Mundine to sell no pay per views or tickets for the rematch with Soliman, also expect the international boxing organisations to give them some form of ban for these bad fights.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Steven_Francesco_Simpson
Examples of Khoder Nassers Poor Management:
1. After the win over Green and Soliman, Mundine is then put in to fight Nievas.
2. Mundine then fights Clavero
3. Mundine then fights Hamden
4. Mundine then fights a rematch with Soliman. There is no rematch needed since he beat him convincingly, knocking him down four times in a one sided fight.
5. Mundine then fights a rematch with Danny Green, another fighter who he soundly beat last year. This fight i would not mind watching again as there is a world title on the line.
Conclusion: Khoder Nasser is taking no risks with Mundine to make some extra money from the Australian boxing public. Money that is not deserved through these mismatches which are a disgrace to the sport of boxing. Also Mundines best years are being wasted by fighting bad opposition. Expect both Khoder Nasser and Mundine to sell no pay per views or tickets for the rematch with Soliman, also expect the international boxing organisations to give them some form of ban for these bad fights.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Steven_Francesco_Simpson
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