Days of Our Fights

2/19/12 5:01 AM

By Saúl Berríos-Thomas Great matchups returned this weekend thanks in large part to Showtime and the competitive fights they aired. There was also some drama which, the male soap opera that is, boxing always promises to deliver. The newest Episode of “On Freddie Roach” on HBO shows the highs and lows of being a boxer. It showed how good it is with a look at Manny Pacquiao, Amir Khan and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. who all train at the Wild Card Gym, which is Roach’s gym. The show also revealed the tough times by discussing the end of both Freddie and, his brother, Pepper Roach’s careers. It also gave an in depth glimpse into the glamour and the stress of the week leading up to the fight and how tough that can be on the fighter and everyone around...

No Opponent, No Problem

2/13/12 5:03 AM

By Saúl Berríos-Thomas With the amount of cancelations growing rapidly it becomes more difficult to be patient until the bigger fights get here. There still were some fights to watch this weekend, even though the great card scheduled for this weekend had to be canceled. The newest episode of the HBO series “On Freddie Roach” aired this weekend. His brother was released from the hospital. The show displayed the sacrifices people make to be in the sport and the role loneliness can play. It was also an in depth look into Manny Pacquiao’s training camps. ESPN2 aired “Friday Night Fights” which had some intriguing fighters taking on some less than average opponents. The first matchup featured junior welterweights. The challenger Kenny ...

The Father, The Son and The Sport of Boxing

2/6/12 5:27 AM

Saúl Berríos-Thomas In lieu of some cute introduction paragraph I’d like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to an influential man who transcends sports. Angelo Dundee passed away this week; my thoughts and prayers are with him and his family. He was an amazing trainer and corner man who worked with the likes of Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard and George Foreman. He was 90 when he passed away on Feb. 1 in Tampa, Florida. Goody Petronelli also passed away on Jan. 29 he most notably trained Marvin Hagler. Also referee Wayne Kelly, who most is most known for his work on the Riddick Bowe versus Andrew Golota bout, passed away on Feb. 1. There was no update last week as almost nothing happened in the fight world. This week was a stark contrast to that with...

Somebody's 0 Had to Go

1/22/12 4:25 PM

By Saúl Berríos-Thomas When two undefeated fighters meet in the squared circle something remarkable is bound to happen. That was the case this weekend as several young prospects with tons of talent met up to put their unblemished records to the test. The talent was on display from coast to coast. On Thursday Jan. 19 from Staten Island, New York there were several fights available only online. The main event featured Michael Faragon, 17-0, knocking out Andres Ledesma in the third round of a scheduled eight. Also featured on the card was Glen Tapia, 12-0, who knocked out Mike Ruiz, 15-6, in the second round. The action continued on Jan. 20 on Showtime from Las Vegas, Nevada with a triple-header of exhilarating action. The first fight was in the super flyweight...

What's Wrong with Boxing?

1/19/12 2:34 AM

By Saúl Berríos-Thomas If a boat has one hole you can patch it, but if the same boat has several holes varying in size what do you do? Do you try to fix the biggest holes and hope you can get it fixed before you run out of time? Sometimes the best thing to do is admit the vessel you have been saddled with is unsalvageable, and find a new one. When picking a new ship you must be sure that this one will protect you and not have the same issues. Boxing has so many problems fans wonder if it can be fixed. One of the biggest problems is that boxing lacks a unifying league. This lack of organization creates many coinciding problems. Not having a league means there is not an outside force to create the best matchups. Imagine for a moment that the football did not have the...