Boxing

Ali: The Right Person at a Bad Time --  The progressive jump in athletics for African Americans that went from the Negro Baseball League to Jackie Robinson (who provided hope and heroism) to Lary Doby to Jim Brown culminated with a new breed of active and responsible African American athletes who began to pave the way more quickly for others. People like Wilma Rudolph, Arthur Ashe, Curt Flood, quarterback Doug Williams, golfers Charlie Sifford and Lee Elder, Mohammed Ali, Tiger Woods and, of course, the 41st Super Bowl in which both head coaches are African Americans. The evolution has been spectacular, but far too long in coming. Mohammed Ali's considerable contributions to this time line will remain part of his legacy. But other things will also be a part of that legacy.

Is Floyd Mayweather Jr. Too Good For His Own Good? --  When boxers demonstrates uncommon courage, vicious determination, and focused tenacity inside the ring..guys like Castillo, Pacquiao, Gatti and Ward..they are often labeled a "throwback" to the golden days of boxing, but those who do the labeling seldom bother to define what they mean by old school. There have been countless arguments about whether old school fighters could handle modern ones, and I am not about to take up that argument here. After all, as Einstein says, everything is relative, but it is tempting.

Durelle vs. Moore: Maybe the Greatest Fight in History --  Sadly, I have just learned that former British empire boxing champion Yvon "The Fighting Fisherman" Durelle has died at age 77. Family members said he suffered a stroke on Christmas day and also had Parkinson disease. He died in a hospital in Moncton on Saturday. His 1958 ebb and flow classic with Archie "Old Mongoose" Moore made him a Canadian legend and is one of the most memorable fights of all time.

Ted The Bull's Ten Favorite Fights --  Over the years, I have seen literally thousands of fights and to name my top ten will do injustice to many others and I apologize for that up front. Still, I'll give it a go and list them in order of preference. Rightly or wrongly, I used the following criteria: I had to see them live or when they were first televised (no tapes, YOUTUBES, and/or videos), ebb and flow, sudden change in flow, controlled violence, courage, imposition of will, superiority of technical skills, pure savagery and personal satisfaction. Here they are.

Ted The Bull's Five Favorite Rounds --  1. Round 10 of the Diego Corrales- Jose Luis Castillo battle in 2005: With his left eye almost totally closed and already down twice in the 10th, Corrales miraculously climbed off the deck and battered Jose Luis Castillo into submission along the ropes to score one of the most dramatic TKO's in boxing history. Ring Magazine Fight of the Year and Round of the Year. "All the nobility, all the savagery, and all the brutality of boxing was captured in one three-minute round Saturday night." - Ron Borges/Boston Globe

Lennox Lewis' Legacy -- The recent history of boxing's heavyweight division has not shown the public eagerly embracing every significant champion, but rather, every other one. The people loved Muhammad Ali, particularly in the latter stage of his career when his religious & political views didn't stir up so much controversy. Even when it was clear that he was well beyond his prime and shouldn't be in the ring anymore, he still had the full support of fight fans and beyond.

TOP TEN Pound 4 Pound Best Boxer Ever --  Before we start our list, I wanted to take some time to comment on 2 fighters that may have strong support in certain communities for being among the best ever, but truly do not have a place on the list.

The Golden Boy Robbed? --  I typically have little appreciation for sporting events that are subjectively decided upon. One of the elements I respect in a competitive athletic match-up is that the outcome is conclusively determined. I don't watch sports to better appreciate the ambiguity of life. I watch them to see which combatant will be able to defeat the other.

Burns Tries to KO Boxing Conspiracy -- Johnson held the heavyweight title from 1908 until 1915 after beating a bloodied Tommy Burns (1881-1955) on Christmas Day to become the first black heavyweight champion. Burns had avoided Johnson throughout his career that covered 43 wins (34 KO's) 6 losses, 8 draws for fear of boycotts and racial threats. Fans demanded Burns defend the title against Johnson.

The Different Styles of Boxing Gloves --  If you're into boxing then you need to find the right boxing gloves. Today there are a variety of boxing gloves to suit every need.

You Have to Try this Workout --  I've tried many forms of exercise: weightlifting, martial arts, swimming, running and so on. But there's one form of exercise I started doing about 3 months ago that's proved to be an unbelievable workout...boxing!

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