This is the kind of powerful human being who is out to crush their opposition on the football field so is it little wonder that brain injuries are being sustained?
Jesse Williams, an Australia native, is a defensive lineman for Alabama, but earlier this week he proved he could easily participate in the Strongest Man competition.
(AP)According to tweets from himself and teammates, Williams benched 600 pounds Thursday. Yes, that's six plates — on either side of the bar.
"Jesse Williams dominated 600 lbs on the bench this morning... Incredible" tweeted Alabama long snapper Cade Foster, who benched a stunning 455 pounds.
To put Williams feat in perspective, former Memphis defensive tackle Dontari Poe maxed out at 500 pounds during this year's NFL scouting combine.
Williams started every game for the Crimson Tide last season. He had 24 tackles, four tackles for loss, three quarterback hurries and a pass breakup.
I'm sure the opposing offensive linemen who have seen this picture just can't wait to face Williams this fall. - - -
This video is very damning talking about a cover-up of an earlier study being falsified 25 years ago that showed head injury risk was known that far back and yet the NFL continued to encourage the big hits implicated in brain injuries.
Few human beings have been so deified in their own time. Then again, few humans have spent so much of their own time deifying themselves. “I am the greatest!” Muhammad Ali often declared — and eventually, most people came around to share his view. Born Cassius Clay in Louisville, Ky., he was a prankster from childhood, and merriment always seemed to be bubbling just below his surface, sweetening his braggadocio with just the right amount of sugar. After earning fame by winning the gold medal in light-heavyweight boxing at the Rome Olympics in 1960, he rose quickly to the top of the pro ranks, prancing and dancing in the ring as no boxer ever had before, yet able to throw and take punches of terrific force.
By 1964, the “Louisville Lip” was the world champ. A modern-day P.T. Barnum, Clay had reached into boxing’s then tawdry backroom and dragged his sport back into the limelight, laughing all the way. But there was more to Clay than the amusing rhymes and the silly pranks, as Americans soon discovered: that year he declared himself a member of the Nation of Islam, a controversial movement that sought to empower African Americans, christening himself Muhammad Ali.
Many Americans now denounced the brash boxer as a radical, and he was even more widely vilified when he refused to join the Army as the Vietnam War escalated. “I ain’t got no quarrel with them Viet Cong” he memorably declared. He was found guilty of refusing induction into the service in 1967, and the boxing commission quickly revoked his license to fight; the U.S. Supreme Court reversed that decision in 1971.
Ali was idle for more than three years when he was at the height of his powers. Yet when he returned, he expressed no bitterness, and he still had the old magic. He won back the title in 1974 by knocking out George Foreman in their fight in Zaïre — the “Rumble in the Jungle.” Another international bout, the 1975 “Thrilla in Manila,” in which he beat Joe Frazier, helped Ali become the best-known person on the planet — and, it seemed, the most beloved. In later years, his uncomplaining battle with Parkinson’s Disease further cemented his status as a global icon of courage, grace and good will.
This entry is excerpted from the new TIME book The 100 Most Influential People of All Time, which profiles spiritual icons, leaders, explorers, visionaries and cultural titans throughout human history. Available wherever books are sold and at time.com/100peoplebook
Specially developed for the Great Britain Boxing squad, iBoxer is the most integrated performance-analysis system of its kind, according to its developers. The state of the art gym that GB Boxing use in Sheffield is rigged with cameras and video consoles, because it was designed with the software system in mind. Performance analyst Robert Gibson explains how he, and his colleague Kathryn Stuart, use the software to help GB Boxing punch above its weight. Video Journalist: Dougal Shaw
Whatever you say about David Haye's self-promotion, he is still one of the most exciting Heavyweight boxers out there. He may be a small guy for this division, he absolutely dominated the Cruiser-weights and is looking for another big payday against one of the brothers grim...
Vitali is aging and maybe bored with the routine KO'ing of everybody he faces without much of a challenge. Maybe you could sell the fight on the intrigue of Vitali's age and lack of enthusiam he seems to be showing.
KA - Ching!$$$!!!
There are other exciting fights for Haye in the Top 10 but don't expect him to sell himself short. His focus is on the BIG MONEY he can earn challenging for the title and giving him another shot makes the most economic sense for Vitali compared to the other dance card holders.
The new top-10 looks like this:
Champ: Wladimir Klitschko
1: Vitali Klitschko
2: Alexander Povetkin
3: Tomasz Adamek 4: David Haye
5: Kubrat Pulev
6: Robert Helenius
7: Denis Boytsov
8: Ruslan Chagaev
9: Chris Arreola
10: Tyson Fury
Unusually harsh advice from Froch... What is his point? Does he want Khan to avoid getting hurt or used as a stepping stone for other fighters on the rise? Or is Froch just wanting to keep his name in the news and commenting for purely selfish reasons?
LONDON
Agence France-Presse
Published Sunday, Jul. 15 2012, 8:04 PM EDT
Britain’s Amir Khan should think about retirement following his defeat by Danny Garcia, according to his world champion compatriot Carl Froch.
Khan was stopped in just the fourth round by Garcia in Las Vegas on Saturday, and suffered three knockdowns in total, as the American added the World Boxing Association (WBA) light-welterweight title to the World Boxing Council (WBC) belt he already held in a dramatic unification bout.
It was Khan’s second straight defeat following his controversial loss to Lamont Peterson, with the American failing a subsequent drug test, and third of his career following an earlier reverse at the hands of Breidis Prescott.
Froch, the current International Boxing Federation (IBF) super-middleweight champion, said Sunday he would quit if he was in the same position as fellow Englishman Khan.
“I would retire if that happened to me,” Froch told BBC Radio 5 Live’s Sportsweek programme.
“Why? Because I am not in this sport to get beaten, knocked out, or outclassed.
”I’ve lost twice, I lost a very, very close points decision to one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world in Andre Ward and I’ve come back and beaten an unbeaten fighter, Lucian Bute, the very next time so I’m world champion.“
He added: ”If I had lost to Lucian Bute I would probably have retired, because I am in this game to be at the very top and stay at the top. I’m not in this game to make up the numbers.
“It’s a personal decision whether or not you retire, but to get stopped in the fourth round and to be previously knocked out, it’s just very, very damaging,” Froch insisted.
The 24-year-old from Philadelphia is now the unified light welterweight champion, disposing of the 25-year-old Pakistani from Bolton, England, who was considered the best in the division coming into the fight.Garcia also took TheRing magazine belt, signifying the division's best boxer, the lineal champion.
With one counter left hook that caught Amir Khan behind the right ear late in the third round of their 140-pound title unification fight, Danny "Swift" Garcia lived up to his nickname by swiftly becoming the hottest commodity in boxing
Khan went to the hospital to get checked out and missed the post-fight news conference, but trainer Freddie Roach said his fighter would like to have a rematch against Garcia, this time in England instead of at Las Vegas' Mandalay Bay, where they fought Saturday night.
Angel Garcia, Garcia's father and trainer, all but laughed that off.
"Why give him a rematch?" the father said. "He disrespected Danny. He treated him like a pushover. We're not giving him a rematch.
"Why are we going to fight somebody we just beat? That's the past. We're going to look at the future. (Khan is) done. He's over. He's the ex-champion. A three-time ex-champion."
It took another round after Garcia's devastating hook left Khan seemingly disoriented and on wobbly legs. Khan never regained his composure, though he fought on. Two knockdowns in the fourth round were enough for referee Kenny Bayless, who stopped the fight at 2:28 to put Garcia's record to 24-0 with 15 KOs.
After disposing of two champions in a row, Mexican legend Erik Morales and Khan (26-3, 18 KOs), Garcia, who came into the fight as much as an 8-1 underdog, likely will have his pick of opponents down the road and the promise of bigger paydays to come.
Will Seeing what Garcia did to Khan suggest that maybe Eric Morales that he lost to one of the recent Top fighters and maybe one more fight isn't a bad Idea?
"I always knew I had it in me. I just needed a great fighter in front of me," a jubilant Garcia said. "I feel the great fighters bring out the best in me. Amir Khan is a great fighter, and I knew if I fought him it would bring the best out of me."
Khan said afterward that he got complacent and went in with his hands too low. "I paid the price," Khan said. "Lots of respect to Danny Garcia for the way he came back and the way he countered against the mistakes I was making. He caught me with a blind shot, but that's boxing. One punch can change the fight, and the way he came back was brilliant."
David Haye shows up in great condition for every fight it seems...
David Haye, right, floored Dereck Chisora twice in the fifth round to earn a stoppage Saturday in London, then wasted no time in calling out heavyweight titlist Vitali Klitschko.
Nev. AG: Nothing criminal in Pacquiao-Bradley bout
The Associated Press
Tuesday, July 3, 2012 | 2:30 p.m.
The state attorney general in Nevada says she found no illegalities and no criminal wrongdoing in boxer Manny Pacquiao's controversial split-decision loss to Timothy Bradley in a welterweight title fight last month in Las Vegas.
An aide to Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto on Tuesday called the matter closed.
Top Rank chief executive Bob Arum manages both fighters. He didn't immediately respond to a message.
Bradley won 115-113 on two scorecards, while losing by the same margin on the third.
The decision was booed by the June 9 crowd at the MGM Grand arena, and drew a review by the World Boxing Organization.
Arum said in a June 11 letter calling for an inquiry by Masto that he hoped it would "show the world that there were no improprieties."
Klitschklo brother's win with such workman like regularity that is hard to get interested in following their fights. If it wasn't for an alert by the NYT's it would have gone unnoticed that Vladimir wo0n another...
Sports Briefing | Boxing
Wladimir Klitschko Retains World Heavyweight Belts
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: July 7, 2012
Wladimir Klitschko stopped Tony Thompson in the sixth round in Bern, Switzerland, to retain his World Boxing Association, International Boxing Federation and World Boxing Organization heavyweight title belts. The 36-year-old Klitschko, 58-3 with 51 knockouts, floored Thompson with a big right hand near the end of the fifth round, and Thompson, a 40-year-old American, never recovered. Klitschko dropped Thompson again in the sixth, and the referee, Sam Williams, gave the challenger a standing count before stopping the fight.
Muay Thai's child gladiators: Fighters as young as 8 practice martial art as they compete at boxing tournament
Muay Thai was developed into a sport when the Thai government applied formalized rules to Muay Boran because fighters too often sustained fatal injuries.
Stunning images show fighters as young as 8 practicing the martial art of Muay Thai as they compete at a fierce boxing tournament in the Buriram province of Thailand.
Fighters of the technique, which stems from the ancient martial art of Muay Boran, start training when they are as young as 6 or 7.
Thai warriors developed the technique over 500 years ago out of necessity, relying on hand-to-hand combat when they lost their weapons while fighting with invaders from neighboring countries, according to the Malaysia Star.
The combat sport is also known as the “Art of Eight Limbs” or the
“Science of Eight Limbs” as fighters are instructed to use punches,
kicks, elbows and knee strikes to fight their opponent.
Vegan Boxer Timothy Bradley Takes On Manny Pacquiao Timothy Bradley Jr. follows strict vegan diet during training
02/28/2012 | 01:09 PM Undefeated Timothy Bradley Jr. and his Vegan diet hope to take down champion Manny Pacquiao to capture the welterweight boxing championship this summer.
It may come as surprise to some but the 28-0, Timothy Bradley, follows a strict vegan diet while he is training.
In the video interview below Timothy Bradley Jr. says "I love meat sushi, fish but when I am training it (vegan) is the cleanest way to eat, the cleanest way to be, I feel good, I have lots of energy, I lose weight, rapid, I love going on that type of diet" When asked what his favorite Vegan protein source is, Timothy Bradley responded, "tempeh"
The Wall Street Journal reports that Palm Springs based, Bradley begins his vegan diet 3 months before a fight.
"Tydel Wilson, a manager at the Palm Greens Cafe, said the fighter will visit the restaurant twice a day during his peak training periods. Palm Greens went so far as to create a smoothie called the "Bradley's Ultra Green" which includes spinach, kale, mint, ginger, probiotic, bananas, aloe vera, apple juice and Spirulina. "He's such a great patron," Wilson said. "He knows most of the people here."
Date of Timohty Bradley Jr. vs Manny Pacquiao Boxing Match: June 9, 2012 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas
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"Dude, I swear, it's the most unbelievable feeling ever," Bradley said. It was Thursday morning in New York City, and Bradley, 28, was riding to a news conference in a slick SUV, praising the diet he believes gives him a pronounced advantage in the ring.
Reuters
Timothy Bradley (left) beat Joel Casamayor by TKO in the eighth round on Nov. 12.
"The reason I love it so much is that I feel connected to the world," Bradley said. He was wearing a charcoal gray suit jacket, a purple dress shirt, and jeans. "My thoughts are clearer, crisp. I am sharp. Everything is working perfectly—I feel clean. It's a weird feeling, man. It's just a weird feeling."
Bradley, who lives and trains in Palm Springs, Calif., first experimented with a vegan diet in 2008, when he was readying for a title fight in London, England. An adviser suggested that a vegan regimen would give him more energy and endurance. Bradley was given a list of foods to consider.
By his own description a "meat and potatoes guy," Bradley was staggered to feel an almost-immediate surge in preparation and competition. "I was able to outwork a lot of my opponents," he said.
"He really liked it," said Bradley's trainer, Joel Diaz. "His body felt different."
Since then, Bradley—nicknamed "Desert Storm"—has stuck by the vegan diet as he became junior welterweight champion and built an unblemished record of 28-0. For three months leading up to a bout, he will eat vegan, with no exceptions. This is what he intends for his MGM Grand showdown with Pacquiao on the second Saturday in June.
"I'll still be a vegan even after the weigh-in," Bradley said.
Bradley's taste is well-known in vegan circles in Palm Springs, the city where he first began to box at age 10. Tydel Wilson, a manager at the Palm Greens Cafe, said the fighter will visit the restaurant twice a day during his peak training periods. Palm Greens went so far as to create a smoothie called the "Bradley's Ultra Green" which includes spinach, kale, mint, ginger, probiotic, bananas, aloe vera, apple juice and Spirulina.
"He's such a great patron," Wilson said. "He knows most of the people here."
Bradley is hardly the first athlete to find success with vegan training. Over the years the diet has found a place in the conditioning routines of top-tier players like NFL tight end Tony Gonzalez. Cyclist David Zabriskie raced the Tour de France as a near-vegan, supplementing with small amounts of fish. Not long ago the ex-boxing champion Mike Tyson credited a vegan diet with shedding weight and improving his well-being.
But Bradley is not a retired boxer making "Hangover" movies, like Tyson. He's an elite up-and-comer who will become the latest to try and dethrone Pacquiao, the wildly popular champion and Congressman from the Philippines.
Boxing fans had hoped this spring would finally deliver a fight between Pacquiao and his dream rival Floyd Mayweather Jr. But when that pairing unravelled again, Bradley got his shot.
Bradley said. "I don't think I can go [vegan] year round. But for fights, I have to do it."
Tim Bradley used a vegan diet to power his victory in a welterweight championship fight at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas June 9.
Bradley’s opponent, Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines, had been
undefeated since 2005. The powerful 33-year-old, who defeated Oscar de
la Hoya in 2008, was a 5-to-1 favorite over Bradley. But Pacquiao, whose
nickname is “Pac-Man,” the video game character who eats anything in
his path—was no match for the vegan.
Tim “Desert Storm” Bradley, the American underdog, used a vegan diet
to turbo-charge his training regimen, following in the footsteps of many
other athletes who use a vegan diet for better energy and quicker
recovery between training sessions.
Ultramarathon champion Scott Jurek crushes the competition with his
vegan diet, as do long-distance running marvels Brendan Brazier and Rich
Roll. Former Mixed Martial Arts champion Mac Danzig made the regimen
popular among fighters as he rapidly dispatched the competition.
Many athletes have drawn inspiration from the most powerful
animals—bulls, stallions, and elephants—all of whom eat entirely vegan
diets—while a pussycat is a heavy meat-eater. For elite athletes, an
animal-based diet is similar to smoking, constricting blood flow and
reducing endurance.
The victory gives Bradley the welterweight championship and a jaw-dropping 29-0 record.
PCRM recently launched the VegRun program to help both amateur and professional athletes to power up their training regimens.
The reason for his serenity is not difficult to figure out. De La Hoya, who took his first drink at the age of 9, checked himself into a Malibu, Calif., treatment center in May 2011. He has not had a drop of alcohol since, he said. He also came clean on using cocaine and cheating on his wife, Millie.
Of his many prized possessions, two seem to carry extra meaning. One is the gold medal. The other is a round chip marking the day he began the program.
“I almost lost everything,” De La Hoya said shortly after he notched his third straight bogey, at No. 4. “I’m sure glad she stuck around because any other woman would have easily just walked out on me and taken everything. And I wouldn’t have minded if she would have taken everything because I deserved it.”
There have been moments in his recovery when he thought about going back to the bottle. He went to an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting instead.
“Everything was O.K. again,” he said.
At No. 5, a challenging, 444-yard par 4, De La Hoya hit his drive a long way and ended up with a par. He followed with another solid par at No. 6, a 409-yard par 4. On the back nine, he parred five holes, including three of the last four.
De La Hoya did not play golf growing up in East Los Angeles. “I didn’t know what a golf course was,” he said.
It was not until he reached his early 20s that his brother persuaded him to go to a driving range. He was awful, spraying the ball all over the place. Then came the last ball in his bucket. He killed it. He was hooked, hitting balls nearly every day.
Three months later, he teed it up for the first time, firing a 97 at Montebello Country Club. It wasn’t too long before he was shooting in the 80s. Even his profession was not going to get in the way. “I would sometimes take days off from training to go play,” he said.
In the late ’90s, during a round at Friendly Hills Country Club in Whittier, Calif., he was on the phone with a representative of Titleist, the equipment company that had shipped him a set of clubs.
“Give me a second; I’m going to hit my shot,” he said.
The next sound the Titleist rep heard was an ecstatic De La Hoya, who aced a 185-yard par 3, the first of two he has recorded.
His Achilles’ heel, as is the case with many golfers, is the putter, which let him down on a few occasions during the day. In the last three months, he has experimented with five different versions, though he has avoided the belly putter. Nonetheless, De La Hoya, who tees it up about twice a week, said he planned to try out for the Champions Tour when he turns 50 in 2023.
“Got the green light from the wife,” he said. “She understands that golf fulfills me.”
De La Hoya, who has taken only one formal lesson, knows that making it as a professional will require great dedication. He is ready. “If it takes me to practice every day, a minimum four or five hours, I’ll do it,” he said.
De La Hoya, who in 2002 started Golden Boy Promotions, a Los Angeles-based boxing promotions company, has done quite well in the business world. As for his own boxing days, he said they were definitely over. De La Hoya, whose last fight was a loss to Manny Pacquiao in December 2008, is satisfied with what he has accomplished in the ring. He finished with 39 victories and 6 defeats.
Golf is another matter. He was certainly not satisfied with his performance at Trump National.
“I have not practiced much,” said De La Hoya, who was frustrated with his inconsistency off the tee. “If my driver is not on, then I can’t get into the groove.”
He did not stay frustrated for long. His life could not be better. At last.
