Boxing has many interesting characters in its orbit.
#BBTV regular the one and only Tommy Dix coming straight from the old school! Gives his experienced breakdown and prediction on the highly anticipated heavyweight world title fight between current champion Deontay Wilder and former champion Tyson Fury in a battle of unbeaten forces. Who will prevail? Tommy Dix has the answer. https://www.britishboxers.co.uk
The Emancipation Statue in Washington, which features Archer Alexander and Abraham Lincoln. Shutterstock
Boxing great Muhammad Ali, who fought white oppression as
forcefully as he did his heavyweight opponents, was related to a heroic
slave who escaped from bondage and warned Union troops of a Confederate
trap, according to a new report.
The fleet-footed fighter was the great-great-great-grandson of Archer
Alexander, who became the model for the slave depicted in the
Emancipation Memorial statue in Lincoln Park near the US Capitol, the Washington Post reported.
“The beautiful thing about Ali is that he acted all along as if he
were royalty, that he had a claim to greatness,” said Jonathan Eig,
author of “Ali: A Life,” who investigated the family’s recent discovery and included it in the upcoming paperback edition of the biography.
“Ali spent much of his life attacking racist ideas,” Eig told the
newspaper. “If he had known that his great-great-great-grandfather was
such a brave and intelligent man, it surely would have strengthened his
argument.”
“The Greatest,” who died in 2016 at age 74 after a long battle with
Parkinson’s disease, would have likely broken into his Ali shuffle at
the news. Modal TriggerMuhammad AliGetty Images
“He would have loved knowing he was connected to someone like that,”
said his daughter Maryum. “He was ahead of people in understanding that
there was a connection that went back through slavery to the kings and
queens in Africa.”
Ali’s third cousin, Keith Winstead, 67, an amateur genealogist who
retired from a career in computers, made the stunning discovery while
conducting research on http://www.23andMe.com, a California-based personal genomics and biotechnology company, the paper reported.
The finding was backed by DNA evidence that Maryum Ali said was
collected when Ali and his wife, Lonnie, took part in a study with
23andMe to raise awareness for Parkinson’s.
According to Winstead, Ali’s father, Cassius Clay Sr., was the son of Edith Greathouse, who was Alexander’s great-granddaughter.
Ali, who was born Cassius Clay, changed his name after converting to Islam and joining the Nation of Islam in the early 1960s.
“I didn’t know who Archer Alexander was when I traced the family tree,” Winstead said. “I Googled him, and I just said, ‘Wow!’”
Descendants of slaves can have a tough time tracing their ancestry after their forebears’ identities were wiped out.
“Had Ali been a white man with a courageous and a celebrated
ancestor, his family might have enjoyed wealth, fame and political
power. Instead, his ancestors struggled to survive,” Eig said.
Alexander, who was born into slavery in Virginia in 1813, was sold
and taken to Missouri, where he was owned by a Confederate sympathizer
during the Civil War.
In 1863, Alexander learned that Confederate soldiers had destroyed a
train bridge that Union troops were planning to cross. He heroically
trudged five miles to warn the Union Army, possibly saving hundreds of
lives, and also relayed information about hidden weapons.
Facing danger for feeding information to the enemy, Alexander fled to
St. Louis and later also helped his wife and children escape.
“Go for your freedom ef [sic] you dies for it,” he once said.
Alexander eventually became a gardener for William Greenleaf Eliot,
Washington University’s co-founder and grandfather of the poet T.S.
Eliot, who obtained an order of protection for his worker.
The famed literary giant published a biography of Alexander, whose
photograph he sent to Italy, where it was used in the construction of
the Emancipation Memorial.
The statue — which was dedicated in 1876 in front of Ulysses S. Grant
and abolitionist Frederick Douglass — features an emancipated slave
with Alexander’s likeness kneeling at the feet of Abraham Lincoln.
“When I’m gone I want my grandchildren and great-grandchildren to
give me credit for what I did — and in the same way, I’m happy to know
about my ancestors so I can give them credit,” Ali said in a 1980 New
York Times article that traced his heritage on his mother’s side.
“Someday I’d like to dig up everything that can be found about all the people I’m descended from,” he added.
Canelo Alvarez inks $365M deal with streaming service DAZN
By Brian MahoneyThe Associated Press
Wed., Oct. 17, 2018
NEW
YORK—Canelo Alvarez has signed an 11-fight deal worth $365 million
(U.S.) to have his fights shown on the sports-streaming service DAZN,
beginning with his next bout.
Alvarez will move up in weight to
challenge WBA super middleweight champion Rocky Fielding on Dec. 15 at
New York’s Madison Square Garden.
World
middleweight champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez has signed a lucrative
long-term deal with sports streaming service DAZN that will see him earn
at least $365 million (U.S.) over five years. Mexican star Alvarez, who
dethroned Gennady Golovkin in their gruelling rematch in Las Vegas last
month, will fight 11 times as part of the deal, starting with
December’s supermiddleweight bout in New York against Rocky Fielding. (JOHN GURZINSKI / AFP/GETTY IMAGES)
Golden Boy Promotions said Wednesday that Alvarez’s deal will be the richest athlete contract in sports history.
Alvarez
(50-1-2, 34 KOs) is coming off a victory over Gennady Golovkin in a
middleweight showdown in September. That fight, like most of boxing’s
biggest, was shown on pay-per-view. It cost $84.95 to be seen in high
definition.
Now fans can pay significantly less — $9.99
subscription cost per month in the U.S. — to see his fights on DAZN
(pronounced Da-Zone). Under the five-year partnership, Golden Boy also
will put on up to 10 fight nights per year that will stream live on DAZN
beginning in early 2019.
Frank Grillo explores the spiritual side of fight culture in the gripping new docu-series Fightworld. Now streaming on Netflix, the absorbing reality series follows actor and long-time fight enthusiast Frank Grillo
as he immerses himself in a variety of different fight cultures in an
effort to better understand their traditions and motivations. Season 1
consists of five 40-minute-plus episodes.
Grillo’s genuine reverence and enthusiasm for the sport is apparent
as the series introduces us to a number of individuals whose lives have
been saved by eschewing the temptations of drugs, alcohol, and gang life
for the discipline and dignity of the boxing ring. The best
documentaries travel beyond the surface level to investigate the often
ignored aspects of the subject. Fightworld does this and does it well.
Our Take:
Grillo captures the essence of the series during the first minute of Fightworld: “This isn’t a show about fighting. This is a show about the people who fight.” The show’s exploration of the history and customs of the Mexican boxing scene is fascinating, but Fightworld
is at its best when it sets its gaze on small stories that illustrate
the importance of the sport. The most interesting part of Episode 1 is
the inspirational story of a young mother who left behind a troubled
life filled with drugs and alcohol to pursue a boxing career.
“I used drugs. I was bad. Everything was bad in my life,” she explains. “Everything was very negative. When I went into boxing, my life changed.”
Boxing brought this courageous fighter back from the edge of death. Her love for the sport is pure. It’s not about money, it’s about honor and family.
Photo: Netflix
Memorable Quote:
“The Mexican style with its origins humble, its heart courageous, and only one simple rule: Keep moving forward.”
Our Call: Stream it.
Fightworld is an
absolute must-stream for anyone who follows combat sports, but the
stirring personal stories and Grillo’s infectious enthusiasm combine to
make this emotional docu-series an entertaining series everyone will
enjoy.
Jose Jr overcame many physical obstacles to make a challenge for Bud's crown.
Undefeated welterweight contender Jose Benavidez Jr. has faced his share
of adversity outside of the ring, but now in good health and at a new
weight, "Merciless" is set to take the 147 lb. division by storm.
Igor is dangerously tall - 8 foot - and getting bigger by the day. While
the first thing you notice about Igor is undoubtedly his height, spend
some time with him and you realise he's also charming, funny, complex
and heartbreakingly lonely. He also has the biggest smile you'll ever
see - you just have to find a way to coax it out of him.
Murphy celebrates the 1990 Stanley Cup win with his then wife Julie. POSTMEDIA Former NHL star Joe Murphy homeless and battling mental illness
Murphy may be suffering from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) that has become a bitter reality for modern athletes. CTE
is caused by repeated blows to the head and symptoms include
depression, memory loss, emotional instability, substance abuse and
suicidal thoughts.
/https://www.thestar.com/content/dam/thestar/sports/2018/10/17/canelo-alvarez-inks-365m-deal-with-streaming-service-dazn/dazz.jpg)
