The Boxing Truth®

There is no doubt that the sport of Boxing can be and often is a subject of much debate. Whether it be a subject of two top fighters in the same weight class potentially facing off or various subjects concerning the “Business” of the sport, there is always something to talk about. From time to time one subject that comes up with regard to Professional Boxing is the concept of tournaments. Many Boxing fans are probably familiar with various tournament concepts that have taken place in the sport over the years. Tournament concepts such as the Heavyweight unification series in the 1980s, which determined an undisputed champion in the Heavyweight division at the time, or the similarly structured Middleweight unification series in 2001, which saw Bernard Hopkins emerge as the unified champion. A unique concept that took place a couple years ago was known as the Super-Six World Boxing Classic, which showcased some of the elite fighters of the 168lb. Super-Middleweight divis...

The November 2013 fight between three-time Super-Middleweight world champion Carl Froch and top contender George Groves is remembered by many for the somewhat controversial way that the fight ended.   Groves, who was undefeated in nineteen professional fights heading into the encounter, was making his first attempt at a world championship against a fighter who has been a cornerstone of the Super-Middleweight division for several years in Froch. The quick handed Groves made his presence known almost immediately dropping the champion with a solid right hand in the closing stages of the first round. Groves’ timing, hand speed, and lateral movement were the story for much of this fight. Although Froch was able to rally in the second half of the fight, the opinion of most, this observer included was that the challenger was ahead in the fight as it entered the ninth round. Froch was able to land a right hand that staggered Groves. The follow-up barrage by the champion ca...

Whether you are a casual Boxing fan or enthusiast there has probably been a time where you have questioned certain things related to “The Business of Boxing” whether it be why a fight between two marquee fighters cannot seem to be made, the cost of media coverage, or the cost of a pay-per-view event, or what is the process of putting together a Boxing card.   Recently I had an opportunity to read “The Official Fight Promoter Playbook” written by Tony Shultz. This book, which is part of a five book series focusing on the business of fight promotion, offers a resource on how to run a successful Boxing or Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) event.   Shultz, a fight promotions expert offers great insight of the intricate necessities that a promoter needs in order to promote an event.    Covering a variety of topics including venue contracts, marketing strategies, sponsorship agreements, budgeting, and TV broadcast agreements, just to name a few, the book offers a ...

One of the more interesting weight classes in the sport of Boxing in the last couple of years has been the Light-Heavyweight division. In recent times much of the discussion with regard to the division has centered around three men. Adonis Stevenson, Sergey Kovalev, and Bernard Hopkins. A scenario of two emerging stars in Stevenson and Kovalev sharing the top of the division with a future first ballot Hall of Famer in Bernard Hopkins is certainly an intriguing storyline. Stevenson, who became the WBC world champion in the Light-Heavyweight division in 2013, is regarded by many as the top fighter in the division. Following four knockout victories last year, Stevenson entered the ring for the first time in 2014 on May 24th to make the third defense of his world title against top contender Andrzej Fonfara at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Canada. Although Fonfara was rated number three in the world by the World Boxing Council (WBC) and number one in the world by the World B...