ESPN Thursday Night Fights: A Preview Of March 26

03/26/201503/26/2015 Bill Barner

Weigh-In Results: Kamil Laszczyk 128.6 vs. Jose Luis Araiza 129
Patryk Szymanski 165.6 vs. Yoryi Estrella 168.2
Rances Barthelemy 137.4 vs. Angino Pérez 137.6
Breidis Prescott 146.2 vs. Fredrick Lawson 146.2

ESPN will broadcast a special Thursday night edition of ESPN Friday Night Fights, appropriately billed “ESPN Thursday Night Fights,” on ESPN2 this Thursday, March 26, 2015, from Hialeah Park Casino in Hialeah, FL.

ABOUT THE FIGHTS – In the main event, Colombian Breidis Prescott (27-6, 20 KOs) is scheduled to fight Ghanaian Fredrick Lawson (23-0, 20 KOs) a 10-round Welterweight bout.

Canelo Eats Crow in the Wake of Mayweather v. Pacquiao

02/25/201502/22/2015 Bill Barner

Ric Flair once said, “To be the man, you gotta beat the man.” Apparently, Saul “Canelo” Alvarez never adopted this philosophy.

Alvarez, whose audacity burns as bright as his fiery red hair, challenged American Floyd Mayweather Jr. to a twelve-round, 154lbs bout in 2013. The bout broke records, becoming the highest grossing boxing PPV of all time. The match also obliterated Canelo’s then-undefeated professional record. Boxing media and fans alike widely held that Mayweather’s victory over Alvarez that evening was significantly more lopsided than its split decision outcome reflected.1

“I just couldn’t find him,” said an exhausted and frustrated Alvarez following the loss.

Hopkins v. Kovalev: Just How Old Is Bernard Hopkins?

11/03/201411/02/2014 Bill Barner

Approaching his 50th birthday, Bernard Hopkins is now a full eighteen years older than Rocky Marciano was when he [Marciano] retired from boxing. As B-Hop faces yet another World Champion in Sergey Kovalev on Saturday, November 8, 2014, here is a look at some historical events and landmarks that put Hopkins’ age as a prizefighter into perspective:

When Bernard Hopkins was born…

– Lyndon B. Johnson was President of the United States
– Winston Churchill was alive

This Day in Boxing History: Margaret McGregor vs. Loi Chow

10/09/2014 Bill Barner

In the late 1990s, boxing promoter Jim Rupp and manager Bob Jarvis had been working on a first-ever co-ed bout between Martin O’Malley and Christy Martin. O’Malley was an accomplished amateur boxer who had recently turned professional. Martin was one of the best female boxers worldwide.

However, the fighters and promoters never made the match happen. Nonetheless, an idea was born, and Rupp would ultimately see the idea through.

This Day in Boxing History: Ali vs. Spinks II – September 15, 1978

09/15/201409/15/2014 Bill Barner

Approximately 13 years before Muhammad Ali ever stepped into a boxing ring with Leon Spinks, then Cassius Clay had overcome great odds by defeating Sonny Liston to become World Heavyweight Champion.

Ali went on to successfully defend that title nine times against such legendary boxers as George Chuvalo, Cleveland Williams, and Floyd Patterson.

However, Ali was stripped of the belt because of his refusal to report for induction into the U.S. military for the Vietnam War.

Mayweather vs. Maidana II: Fight Preview and Analysis

09/04/201409/02/2014 Bill Barner

On May 3, 2014, Marcos Maidana lost a majority decision to Floyd Mayweather. Although falling short on the judges’ scorecards, the Argentine hit Floyd Mayweather more times than any Mayweather opponent in history (221 times according to CompuBox). On September 13, 2014, Maidana will get another bite at the apple as he becomes the second person ever to earn a rematch against Floyd Mayweather. What follows is a look at the key factors going into their second bout.

RING REAL ESTATE

Three words describe each fighters’ key to success: location, location, location. During their first bout, Marcos Maidana dominated the match when he pinned Mayweather to the ropes. Any time Maidana smothered Mayweather against the ropes, the Argentine would opened up with wild power punches at every angle. With no space between him and his opponent, Mayweather’s sharpshooter accuracy and unmatched quickness were not enough to land good punches effectively. During these moments Mayweather looked human, even beatable.

The Mayweather-Pacquiao Business Paradox

08/27/201408/26/2014 Bill Barner

In 1964 Walter Neale presented the Louis-Schmeling paradox. Named after two World War II-era heavyweight champions, the Louis-Schmeling paradox describes sports business as different from any other business when it comes to the potential benefit of a monopoly.

Generally speaking, monopoly is the ideal market position of any given business. Under a monopoly, competition is either comparatively weak or non-existent. This position allows the dominant business to absorb the lion’s share of potential customers. However, the same position is detrimental to a prize fighter. As the old adage “it takes two to tango” implies, Joe Louis could not sell out a big fight venue without formidable competition such as Max Schmeling.

Chris Algieri vs. Manny Pacquiao: About the Fighters

08/05/2014 Bill Barner

On November 22, 2014, WBO Jr. Welterweight Champion Chris Algieri will move up in both weight and opponent caliber as he challenges Manny Pacquiao for the WBO Welterweight Championship.

Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao is as accomplished as he is well-known. A world champion at a record-breaking eight weight classes, he has fought and beaten nearly every world-class fighter available. Moreover, like Joe Louis and Muhammad Ali before him, he has avenged nearly every loss.

In 2012 questions surfaced as to whether Pacquiao’s career was through. First, he lost an incredibly controversial decision to Timothy Bradley. The same year, he suffered his most definitive loss at the hands of Juan Manuel Marquez. However, the Philippine pugilist took a year off and returned to beat Brandon Rios by unanimous decision in 2013. In April of 2014, Pacman decisively beat Timothy Bradley, avenging his loss to the 147lb champion and proving his sustained greatness to the boxing community. At the time of the fight, Bradley was coming off a win against Ruslan Provodnikov and considered one of the best fighters – pound for pound – in the world.

Rankings, Belts, Weight Classes and Mandatory Challengers: A Guide for the Casual Boxing Fan

06/23/2014 Bill Barner

WBC, WBA, WBO and IBF leave casual fight fans referring to the sweet science as “Alphabet Soup.” Add to these the dozens more obscure sanctioning bodies and multiply that by the number of weight classes – 17 total – and the number of belts, champions and challengers can be dizzying. Fans are left confused as to who is really the champion, why so often the two best fighters are never mandatory challengers for one another, and how all the various weight classes come into play.

A basic understanding boxing’s framework with regards to champions, weight classes, and mandatory challengers will assure any fight fan a more fulfilling (and less frustrating) experience following the sport.

Cory Spinks Finds New Career in Retirement

06/22/201406/22/2014 Bill Barner

Sitting ringside at Strike Gym’s “Boxing at the Creek” amateur fights, Cory Spinks reflects on his illustrious boxing career and discusses his new career training amateur boxers.

As an amateur boxer, Cory Spinks won championships in both the Police Athletic League and Golden Gloves. After making the leap into professional fighting, he became a World Champion at both Welterweight and Junior Middleweight.

With a fight resume that includes battles against Ricardo Mayorga, Zab Judah and Jermaine Taylor, Spinks has an ocean of work to reflect on.