Cinco de Mayweather: Preview to the Previews
Ha llegado el Cinco de Mayo, an annual holiday that for me means a hard morning workout followed by diet-destroying gluttony at places like La Mexicana or Tacos el Asador. Days like this I treat the menu like Williams treated the escorts in Enter the Dragon. Waitress: Sir, would you like the pulled pork soft tacos … Read more
The Fallacy of Effective Aggression, and other thoughts on Rigondeaux-Donaire
Even those of us who thought Guillermo “El Chacal” Rigondeaux would defeat Nonito Donaire in Saturday’s hotly anticipated 122-pound title unification bout couldn’t have foreseen a whitewash. And lets not kid ourselves. If you gave Donaire more than two rounds on Saturday you either work for Top Rank, or you might as well. Yes, I … Read more
Floyd Mayweather vs. Andre Ward vs.The Real Son of God
Six weeks ahead of his return to the ring against Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero, boxing’s top biggest name and cash king, Floyd Mayweather, used an interview with fighthype.com to fire a series of verbal jabs… at 168-pound champ Andre Ward. Apparently Ward, the best boxer on the planet not named Mayweather, is a long-time friend … Read more
Glen Johnson and My Stringer & Avon Moment
Fans of The Wire will remember the scene toward the end of season three, when Avon Barksdale and Stringer Bell take a brief break from plotting each other’s downfall to meet on a rooftoop and talk about the old days while gazing out over Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. When Stringer laments the real estate deals he … Read more
Floyd Mayweather 2.0? A Motor City Postscript
Back in Canada and still recovering from 24 hours in Detroit, where the drinks are stiff (the young lady tending bar at Cutters promised her Jameson with a splash of Faygo ginger ale would put hair on my chest), and where rebirth has been a running theme for nearly four decades. On the banks of … Read more
Floyd Mayweather to Showtime: He’s Boxing’s Albert Pujols
Thinking of words to describe Tuesday’s announcement that boxing’s current pound-for-pound king, Floyd “Money” Mayweather, had dumped cable network and pay-per-view partner HBO in favour of rival broadcaster Showtime. “Seismic” works. Mayweather’s movement tilts the pay-per-view landscape, instantly transforming Showtime from a big-time suburb to the centre of attention and action, and maybe not just … Read more
Melissa Hernandez: One on One With a World Champ
Boxing isn’t dead. It’s shacking up with MMA and Krav Maga and living quite comfortably in south Florida, where pro fighters from around the world train for big fights in multipurpose gyms from Fort Lauderdale to Kendall. How do I know? Because, contrary to what I told you guys in my last post, I couldn’t … Read more
Rampage Jackson to Boxing? Bring Your Toolbox
I’m all for athletes plotting career moves beyond the field, so under most circumstances I couldn’t do anything but support 34 year-old Quinton “Rampage” Jackson’s decision to make Saturday night’s showdown with Glover Teixiera the final fight of his Ultimate Fighting Championship career. For all the UFC’s talk about the relative safety of their sport, … Read more
Friday Night Fighters and Writers
Another quick update for the folks who were waiting for my preview of the Manny Pacquiao-Juan Manuel Marquez showdown — you’ll have it Saturday morning, and that’s a promise. We’ll meet here to discuss the Pacquiao-Marquez and the fairness of steroid innuendo. Would have had it today, but fate called. In this case fate was … Read more
The P stands for: Publishing, Pugilism, Popular this week
A disappearing act? Nope. I haven’t vanished these last couple of weeks — you just had to know where to find me. And usually that’s Laptopistan, where I peck away at projects both short and long-term, putting in eight-hour work days even during my week of “vacation.” Not that I’m complaining. Doing what I do … Read more
