Don King, on Mike Tyson


"Why would anyone expect him to come out smarter?
He went to prison, not to Princeton."



"To me, boxing is like a ballet, except there's no music
and the dancers hit each other."

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Cotto vs. Margarito 2: Boxing Must Hope for More Controversy | Bleacher Report

Cotto vs. Margarito 2: Boxing Must Hope for More Controversy | Bleacher Report:

"Eric Bischoff, "controversy creates cash." It's more than a book title. The bottom line is that if you're in the business of relying on people to buy your biggest events, controversy is a must.

As ESPN reported, Antonio Margarito has plenty of controversy around his name. He was caught plastering his hand wraps in a fight against Shane Mosley, for example. Ironically, he still lost that fight. "



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For Delvin Rodriguez, toil finally pays off - Boxing Blog - ESPN

For Delvin Rodriguez, toil finally pays off - Boxing Blog - ESPN:

NEW YORK -- Delvin Rodriguez has been a "Friday Night Fights" staple for the past few years. And that's no small potatoes, nothing to scoff at. That means a boxer has arrived ... to an extent.

The purses you get to fight for on FNF can't compare to the those on HBO, or on pay-per-view, as Delvin Rodriguez of Danbury, Conn., will be doing for the first time on Saturday night.

HBO and pay-per-view can mean a house, savings for the kids' college fund. It can be a most-sweet payoff in this tough trade, and can make those 5 a.m. wakeup calls to do the roadwork and those omnipresent bumps, bruises and muscle and tendon tears more palatable.

If Rodriguez (25-5-3 with 14 KOs) can get the better of New Jersey's Pawel Wolak (age 30, 29-1-1 with 19 KOs) at Madison Square Garden, and do a bit more than he did on July 15 when the two men thrilled the FNF audience and battled to a draw, he will get that much closer to those meatier payouts.

Rodriguez, 31, is a solid boxer-puncher, a versatile pugilist who is comfortable outside or inside. He moves his feet to get angles and moves his head to avoid getting hit. He probably has the skills edge going in to the sequel. "The first fight, I was out of the ring for a year," he said. "It did take me a couple rounds to get into a rhythm. This time there's going to be no four rounds warming up."




Boxing: Tua wants rematch as Barrett fails drug test - Sport - NZ Herald News

Boxing: Tua wants rematch as Barrett fails drug test - Sport - NZ Herald News:

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The Glass is Half-full is a good working philosophy


 
Concentrating on a positive outcome rather than avoiding a negative one leads to greater persistence, flexibility, creativity, motivation, and satisfaction. In short, expecting success makes us more likely to succeed.



to be Edited --- There's no exact science to scoring the sweet science - latimes.com



There's no exact science to scoring the sweet science - latimes.com: " 

No exact science to scoring the sweet science

Many factors come into play in scoring a boxing match, most recently evidenced by the Pacquiao-Marquez fight. Watching a bout in person as opposed to on television is one of the biggest reasons for disputes.

Juan Manuel Marquez
The boos started at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas right after the ring announcer read the scorecards and revealed that Manny Pacquiao had won a close majority decision over Juan Manuel Marquez.

The booing was understandable.
Most of the boxing world wanted Pacquiao to defeat Marquez convincingly Nov. 12 to set up the long-awaited super-fight between Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. But what I saw from my second-row seat at ringside was something different — from the HBO broadcast team, from my colleagues watching on television, even from the ringside judges.


I scored the bout 115-113 — seven rounds to five — for Mexico's Marquez
Honestly, I felt a bit guilty giving two other rounds to Pacquiao and tweeted right after the bout that Marquez was robbed by the official judges' scores of 116-112 and 115-113 for Pacquiao. The third judge had the fight a 114-114 draw.

Marquez wisely stayed back and landed the more powerful punches. Meanwhile, Pacquiao appeared to be desperately chasing scoring blows while Marquez merely waited and expertly found his target.

Of course, controversial decisions are part of boxing's tradition, especially when it involves a big fight.


Nevertheless, a few of my boxing-savvy colleagues were surprised by my round-by-round scoring. Watching the fight on television, they believed Pacquiao had won. Pacquiao landed 176 punches to Marquez's 138, according to ComuBox's statistics. Pacquiao also beat Marquez, 117-100, on power shots.

From my view, however, Marquez won most of the close rounds by landing the more substantial blows.

Now, something else was at play. The difference between watching a close fight on TV and in person.

"The two main variables in a heated boxing match are that on television, the 'tell' part of show and tell has an influence," said veteran HBO analyst Larry Merchant, who didn't work the Pacquiao-Marquez fight but was aware his longtime colleague Jim Lampley was effusive in praise for Pacquiao during the fight telecast. "In the arena, the number of fans for each fighter, and which side is more passionate, carries the weight.

"Pacquiao's fans were suppressed by the expectations that Manny's always powerful and dominant. Just winning no longer draws an emotional response from them and, meanwhile, Marquez was doing better than anyone expected. Those expectations influence how you see something happening."

Indeed, Pacquiao was booed fiercely as he tried to explain his 15th consecutive triumph.

Veteran Showtime boxing analyst Al Bernstein said he watched Pacquiao-Marquez from the Las Vegas media center and scored it 7-5 in rounds for Marquez.

"Television clearly gives you the better view of the fight unless you're on the apron, where the judges are," Bernstein said.

In a sampling of Twitter followers watching on television, @66jay66 said he believed Marquez "gave away the last two rounds" to allow a draw. Another, @dsmith3633, said Pacquiao's "lack of skill [was] exposed … just being an athlete only gets you so far" and he scored the fight for Marquez.

Lampley said he and HBO analysts Max Kellerman and Emanuel Steward were "categorical these were hard rounds to score" on the broadcast.

"After 25 years of doing this, I have a pretty good sense of what the judges respond to and who's doing the things the judges will recognize," Lampley said.

Lampley, Kellerman and Steward will also call the Miguel Cotto-Antonio Margarito rematch Saturday at New York's Madison Square Garden.

Boxing judges are schooled to take pre-fight expectations out of the equation. Boxers who force the action typically score better than fighters who are overly calculating.

"You want to win? Throw more punches," Lampley said. "Scoring for the aggressor helps the sport. Those are the types of fights we want to see."

Another reason it was a hard fight to score is there was little action at the start of most rounds. CompuBox numbers revealed Pacquiao and Marquez threw many more punches in the final minute of each round. And because Pacquaio landed more in those segments, he won the fight.

That didn't matter to Marquez's trainer, "Nacho" Beristain, who said his fighter's defeat was "robbery of the utmost."

Merchant recalled telling friends he watched the fight with, "There might be a surprise here." But he agreed that if someone scored the bout "seven rounds to five either way [it was] a reasonable view."


"Fans come to boxing with an emotional investment in one of these guys, and that's a big part of the experience that I love. The great writer Red Smith once said, 'If you want to know who won a fight, watch it with a 12-year-old. He'll tell you,' " Merchant said.



Bob Arum: Boxing Promoter

Jason Gay: Taking a Ride With Boxing's Big Cheese - WSJ.com:

Boxing promoter Bob Arum was in NYC to pump Saturday's Miguel Cotto-Antonio Margarito rematch at Madison Square Garden and the writer rides downtown with Arum.

Saturday's fight offers the backdrop of bad blood (Cotto lost in 11 rounds in 2008) and a lingering controversy—the revocation of Margarito's boxing license...

Casual fight fans are more curious to know about the next move by Pacquiao.  Arum confirmed that negotiations are underway again for a dream bout between Pacquaio and Floyd Mayweather Jr.

"If we're going to do that fight, we're going to do it on the best economic terms," he said, sounding far more confident than in the past. "We've had groups approach us—how real they are, I don't know—offering a lot of money to be involved in the promotion…it's not fast-talking guys with no money."

"Realistically, they're talking about doing the fight in Las Vegas, Dallas or New Orleans," Arum added.

The car arrives at the Trinity Boxing Club, where Cotto would be training that afternoon and Arum exited to a scrum of photographers waiting for Cotto.  Arum posed for a few pictures and did a couple of interviews touting the big weekend fight. He discussed Cotto's "anger." He called the treatment of Margarito "unfair." ...goosing the main event with volleys of enthusiasm and provocation. 

Both of these fighters have been through some epic battles and taken plenty of punishment since thier last meeting.  Are they shot fighters or do they both have a good fight left in them.  This sizes up to be a brutal fight and will probably be worth the price of a ticket to watch it.  




Boxer Matt Remillard sentenced to 5 years

Boxer Matt Remillard sentenced to 5 years for beating Connecticut man with baseball bat - The Washington Post:

Before losing in March, Matt Remillard had held the featherweight titles of the North American Boxing Federation...

The victim, 22-year-old Jordan Evans, said Remillard pummeled him with a bat asRemillard went berserk. 

After the attack, doctors had to reconstruct the top front of Evans’ head using plates, screws and 150 stitches.

The assault happened at the home of Danielle Napolitano, Evans’ then-girlfriend and Remillard’s ex-girlfriend.

Danielle Napolitano was charged with conspiracy to commit assault in connection with the beating. Her brother and her cousin were charged with assault, conspiracy and criminal mischief.  The charges against all three were dropped because of their cooperation in the prosecution of their friend, Matt.

Another promising career interrupted by violence and jail time.

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Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Joe Kapp and Angelo Mosca Fist Fight

Many people wanted to discuss happened at the Canadian Football League alumni luncheon. Joe Kapp, 73, fought an old C.F.L. adversary, Angelo Mosca, also 73, on the stage.

Drew Edwards of The Scratching Post blog, which covers the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, gave the background:

"The animosity between the two dates back to the 1963 Grey Cup game, when Mosca hit running back Willie Fleming with a shot that many – including Kapp – felt was dirty. It knocked Fleming from the game, which the Ticats won 21-10. Kapp refused to shake Mosca’s hand afterward."

Mosca said Kapp started things on Friday by swearing at him after he tried to say hello. Mosca was also quoted by Edwards as saying:

“They showed the Willie Fleming incident on the screen – it was like it was a setup. He comes up to me with a flower in his hand taken from the table, one of the centrepieces, and he sticks the flower in my nose.Then he shoves it in my nose. I reacted with my cane and then he punched me and I went down. Then he kicked me.”

Kapp, the only person to play quarterback in the Super Bowl, the Rose Bowl and the Grey Cup, was later a head coach at Cal, most memorably when the Bears beat rival Stanford on a madcap series of laterals that culminated with a touchdown amid celebrating Stanford band members. Kapp said, “The Bear will not quit, the Bear will not die.” Apparently, the Bear does not forget either.

See video on Youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrkEROiQsa8

Former Hamilton Tiger-Cats defensive lineman Angelo Mosca and B.C. Lions storied quarterback Joe Kapp at an annual Grey Cup alumni luncheon held on November 25, 2011.
Joe Kapp and Angelo Mosca get into a fight on stage at the 2011 CFL Alumni Legends Luncheon in Vancouver. It appears there is still some Bad blood between these two after a controversial hit on the field nearly 48 years ago....

I put this on a blog about Boxing because it reminds me of the hatred Joe Frazier seemed to harbor against Muhammad Ali and because it shows the hot-headed behavior old men are capable of displaying.  It is just lucky neither of them was packing a firearm....

Emotions run high in sports and fire-in-the-belly must be a character trait that stays long after you leave the game.  They were not Greats in their sport because they lacked the kind of emotion to drive them forward.  To go to the gym religiously and to take horrendous punishment in football games.  Remember they competed 50 years ago when safety was not a first and foremost consideration.  These guys really hurt each other..


Topics for posting

My connections within the Boxing community are limited so reporting about the ins and outs of modern fighters and boxing matches leaves me without much original material to report.  My knowledge is based on reading other boxing writers on the web and in newspapers which would allow me to be a news agglomerater but that is not an ambition of mine.

Boxing involves many aspects that I can report on like motivation, training techniques, footwork, diet and mental preparation.  These aspects are individual and somewhat different with every fighter.  Training and trainers are the behind the scenes aspects of the sport but the preparation needed by every fighter who hopes to succeed in the ring.

Safety and injury prevention are other areas that get taken care of behind the scenes people like promoters, trainers, ambulance crew and so on.

The purpose of the blog is to shine a light on things I find interesting, disturbing or outrageous about the sport to the best of my ability given my total lack of resources.



MOTIVATION - "Be Great, Powerful Beyond Measure" - Best Inspirational Video Ever [Original] - YouTube

MOTIVATION - "Be Great, Powerful Beyond Measure" - Best Inspirational Video Ever [Original] - YouTube:


Floyd Mayweather: Success. How Bad Do You Want It? - YouTube

Floyd Mayweather: Success. How Bad Do You Want It? - YouTube: ""

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Tell this to Roberto Duran

Sunday, November 13, 2011

Ali stands over Sonny Liston

"This is your Life" - Muhammad Ali - YouTube

"This is your Life" - Muhammad Ali - YouTube: ""

Nice Episode of the "This is your Life" Series with Muhammad Ali. Ali's parents and Joe Frazier are also involved, just like singer Tom Jones and Joe Louis !Tags: this is your life series episode muhammad ali howard cosell cossell boxing documentary larry holmes leon spinks trevor berbick joe frazier louis mike tyson ken norton george foreman freddie roach Joseph Campanella ralph edwards nbc frazier mike tyson ali muhammed muhamad Belinda



George Foreman Talks About Joe Frazier on "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" - 1990 - YouTube

George Foreman Talks About Joe Frazier on "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" - 1990 - YouTube: ""

George Foreman Talks About Joe Frazier on "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" in 1990.


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George Forman @ The David Letterman Show - YouTube

George Forman @ The David Letterman Show - YouTube: ""

As always, your comments and ratings are greatly appreciated.

Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favour of fair use.

Category:





George Foreman vs. Gerry Cooney Jan 1990



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Muhammad Ali vs George Foreman Knockout - YouTube

Muhammad Ali vs George Foreman Knockout - YouTube: ""

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Muhammad Ali - The Greatest

File:StangoAli.jpg


Description
Painting of Ali by pop artist John Stango
Source - Mimi Elberfeld

Author  - John Stango



George Foreman: Bernard Hopkins might 'box till he's 60'

This is a good chance to say something about the indomitable George Foreman.  George fooled the World in his comeback by accomplishing his goal or regaining the heavyweight title of the World.  He looked pretty bad in his first few fights of the comeback but worked himself into good shape and added more KO's to his impressive record.  Watching him hit the heavy bag in the movie about his epic fight with Ali was eye popping.  I remember wondering how Muhammad Ali could possibly stand up to such a heavy hitter.  Rope-a-dope was the trick but Ali took some hellacious shots before Big George got tired and ko'd falling forward like a big tree chopped down.  Poetry in motioned as Ali held back with a last right hand and simply admired his handiwork as George fell to the canvas.








George Foreman: Bernard Hopkins might 'box till he's 60' - latimes.com:

Foreman said the difference between him and Hopkins is that Hopkins has never stopped.

"He's just gone on with the training, the sparring. He's stayed in condition," Foreman said. "The thing that drives a boxer is that basic fear. It wakes you up in the middle of the night, just thinking that there is somebody out there who can beat you. Boxers never sleep well. You stay desperate. You see that Cadillac in the window and you want it.

"Then you quit, and in two or three years, you find that normal sleep. When I went back to boxing, my wife was afraid to sleep with me. I was edgy and up in the middle of the night and growling."

Foreman said that you can't get the edge back right away and that, before he made his comeback, he studied all those who had tried one before him.

"I read all the books," he said. "Joe Louis, Frazier, Ali. The only reservation I had was guys who tried to come back where they had stopped. They wanted to fight all the big fights right away. But time doesn't stop. The timing of the jab isn't quite there. The reach is different, the defense. And all the old trainers who used to help you are gone."

Foreman started back slowly. He didn't take a title shot until 24 fights, and four years, into his comeback. He lost that one by decision to Evander Holyfield in 1991 and didn't get another world title chance until 1994, when he beat Moorer. That made it 21 years between winning titles. When he beat Moorer, he defended his title successfully three times before Shannon Briggs finally put a stop to the nonsense in 1997.

Hopkins is defending his title just five months after winning it, and Foreman likes that.
"I think he can box till he's 60," Foreman said.

Foreman lives in Houston now, is an ordained minister with his own church, and pays the bills quite easily with the couple hundred million dollars he made as spokesman for the George Foreman Grill.

Hopkins remains the pride of Philadelphia, has an equity stake in Oscar De La Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions, and pays the bills quite easily by enticing younger men into the ring with him and then punching their lights out.

Foreman and Hopkins are quite a pair. Think of them as the fine wine of a sport that has always been mostly a shot and a beer.

BILL DWYRE
bill.dwyre@latimes.com
Copyright © 2011, Los Angeles Times

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Charlie Zelenoff Gets Ass Whooping From 61-Year-Old Floyd Mayweather, Sr. (Video) | Total Pro Sports

Charlie Zelenoff Gets Ass Whooping From 61-Year-Old Floyd Mayweather, Sr. (Video) | Total Pro Sports:

This is interesting watching Mayweather, Sr., at 61 years old controlling the young guy during sparring.  Tempers get lost and the things got out of hand with another guy getting involved in the fighting.




Marquez beats Manny and again is robbed of the decision!

Marquez only man to beat Pacman twice yet shows up as losing both matches.  Could he get less luck against Mr. Moneybags.

Boxing-'Pacman' answers nervous Filipino prayers - Yahoo! Eurosport:

Even Manny's countrymen and his stablemate Amir Khan were thinking "bad decision"


Filipinos prayed and nervously waited until eight division boxing champion Manny Pacquiao was declared winner over Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez in Las Vegas on Sunday, retaining his WBO welterweight title.

Filipinos in cinemas, hotels, public parks and even army bases across the Philippines erupted after the majority decision but many were unconvinced of Pacquiao's latest ring victory.

Pacquiao, a congressman and widely regarded as the world's best pound-for-pound fighter, won by majority decision over Marquez.


Filippino Fan: The best an ardent fan and countryman could hope for:
"I really prayed hard before the decision was announced," Gertrudes Posadas, 50, said. "I was saying the rosary and was asking for a draw."

Juan Manuel Marquez, left, landed good hard flurries throughout Saturday's fight with Manny Pacquiao.


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Friday, November 11, 2011

Remembering Joe Frazier - The Week

Remembering Joe Frazier - The Week: "
"

He was so much more than Ali's foil: Yes, Frazier was best known for his rivalry with Ali, and their "famous trilogy" of fights, says Dan Rafael at ESPN.com. But Frazier "was a great fighter in his own right, a former heavyweight champion of the world, a 1964 Olympic gold medalist, and a worthy member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame." While Ali was the fighter who emerged victorious in their "storied rivalry," it was Frazier who won the first match with a decisive left hook in the 15th round. And remember, Frazier lost to only two men in his entire career: Ali and George Foreman.
"Frazier was far more than just Ali foil"

Frazier was actually better than Ali: "For all the deserved accolades for Muhammad Ali," the truth is, Frazier "was the better fighter," says Dave Anderson at The New York Times. Yes, Ali won the decisivie "Thrilla in Manila," but only because Frazier, his eye swollen shut, was prevented by his trainer from going in for the 15th round. And out of the ring, Frazier was "the better man." He was always a class act, whether he was buying land for his mother or making peace with Ali. The same cannot be said for Ali, who routinely insulted Frazier over the years, calling him a "gorilla" and "stupid."

Joe Frazier is directed to the ropes by referee Arthur Marcante after knocking down Muhammad Ali
Joe Frazier is directed to the ropes by referee Arthur Marcante after knocking down Muhammad Ali in the 15th round at Madison Square Garden in 1971. Photograph: AP



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Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Joe Frazier




Joe in 1973

Did you see the film Facing Ali showing all Ali's old opponents. They all praised Ali and hoped they didn't do any of the damage to Ali. Frazier's speech was must different. He was happy to say he did Ali all kinds of damage and still feels he beat Ali twice. In the movie he looked small, like he was not well and had been losing weight for a long time. Remember Joe got into Boxing to lose weight because he had drifted up to 300 pounds. He worked in a slaughterhouse carrying around sides of beef. He would have been a terror to fight. Fearless and with a wicked punch. He said when he was training he couold punch and apple tree and all the apples would fall...


 

About Us | ADDitude: Information on Attention Deficit Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatment, Parenting and More

About Us | ADDitude: Information on Attention Deficit Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatment, Parenting and More:

Welcome to ADDitude, the leading destination for families and adults living with ADHD and learning disabilities.

Founded in 1998 by Ellen Kingsley, an award-winning journalist with a unique ability to convey credible information with empathy and inspiration, ADDitude magazine has provided clear, accurate, user-friendly information and advice from the leading experts and practitioners in mental health and learning for almost 10 years.



Joe Frazier's life - in pictures | Sport | guardian.co.uk

Joe Frazier's life - in pictures | Sport | guardian.co.uk:

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Boxing Oddities do happen occasionally.



Shot of the Day


Photo: Jose Perez/PR Best
A rare double knockdown occurred during Saturday’s match between flyweights Israel Vázquez and Jesús Pagán in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico. Both were felled by simultaneous right hands in the first round of their 50 second contest. Pagán was down four times in the bout won by Vazquez, who is the son of Puerto Rican ring legend Wilfredo Vazquez and brother of former WBO super bantamweight king Wilfredo Vazquez Jr.
October 30th, 2011


Source: