The Boxing Truth®

When long reigning IBF/WBO/WBA/IBO Heavyweight world champion Wladimir Klitschko entered the ring to make the sixteenth defense of his world title against WBO number one contender Alex Leapai on April 26th in Germany there was not a feeling of suspense. Leapai, the relatively unknown challenger had emerged on the scene after scoring a convincing ten round unanimous decision upset win over previously undefeated number one contender Denis Boytsov in November of last year. There is no doubt as this fight approached however, that most considered Leapai to be a considerable underdog against a fighter who in addition to being a two-time Heavyweight world champion had also not lost a fight in over a decade. In the lead up to this fight I stated that Leapai needed to bring the fight to Klitschko from the outset and not allow him to establish distance. I went on to say that there was no way that the 6’0 Leapai could win this fight from the outside against the 6’6 Klitschko, who in ad...

For over a decade one name has dominated the Heavyweight division. Klitschko. A name shared by the most dominant brothers in Boxing history. Both Vitali and Wladimir have ruled over the division with two iron fists and have become what this observer has called “The Two-Headed Heavyweight Championship Monster.” There have been few challengers that have been able to go the distance with the brothers, much less been able to compete effectively. It’s no secret to those who have read my work over the years that I have been of the opinion that the Klitschko brothers are not likely to get the respect that either of them are due for their dominance until both are long retired from the sport. After a decade at the top of the division, and having taken possession of the World Heavyweight Championship between them, I wondered if there would come a time when the Heavyweight championship of the world would become universally vacated. This scenario did seem as though it were a poss...

The Light-Heavyweight championship unification clash between IBF champion Bernard Hopkins and WBA champion Beibut Shumenov had in it’s lead up what has become a familiar storyline to all Boxing fans. Could the future Hall of Famer Bernard Hopkins continue to defy father time and in the process continue to rewrite the book of Boxing history? After only fifteen fights as a professional, despite holding the WBA championship for over four years, and defending his title five times, Shumenov entered this fight as an underdog. In addition to the storyline that accompanies practically all of Hopkins’ fights at this stage of his career, this fight also had the question of whether or not Shumenov could defeat a fighter with the skill level and experience of Bernard Hopkins. All questions would be answered when the two world champions entered the ring Saturday night at the D.C. Armory in Washington, D.C. In the lead up to this fight I stated that some may have said going into the...

There is no doubt that Bernard Hopkins has had a legendary career. Hopkins cemented his status as a future Hall of Famer by setting the all-time record for successful Middleweight championship defenses, successfully defending his title an incredible twenty times in a title reign that spanned ten years from 1995-2005.  In addition to his many accomplishments Hopkins was not only able to retain the IBF Middleweight championship he won versus Segundo Mercado in 1995, but unified all four major division titles. The journey to “Undisputed Champion” spanned nine years with Hopkins completing the unification process with his knockout win over Oscar De La Hoya in 2004.    Hopkins became the first man to unify all four major championships and thus far no other fighter has been able to accomplish this feat. Hopkins has written his name and legacy in stone as one of the greatest fighters in Boxing history.  Hopkins would continue to write Boxing histor...