Reflecting And Remembering "Big" George Foreman

There are points where those of us who cover the sport, who follow their passion and love for Boxing, often referred to as “The Fight Game," where one reflects on those who helped build that love for the sport. Unfortunately, such reflections often come upon sad news that as time goes on, one knows the time will come where it will be time to pay tribute to legends as they unfortunately leave us. Although this observer does not look forward to penning such pieces, if one is a true Boxing lifer, which I am proud to be one, and takes the vocation of covering the sport seriously, it unfortunately comes with the territory.

The Boxing world was hit with a massive blow on March 21, 2025 when news emerged that former Olympic Gold Medalist, two-time World Heavyweight champion, ordained minister, preacher, entrepreneur, pitchman, one-time actor, author, Boxing commentator, and Hall of Famer “Big" George Foreman passed away in his native Houston, TX at the age of 76. Frankly, even though I obviously knew that Foreman was in his 70’s, and had not fought in a Boxing ring in nearly 28 years, the news of his passing still hit me hard. 

Perhaps the reason for that is because Foreman along with several others all influenced me to not only follow the sport to the point where the term “Boxing Lifer” is more than appropriate, but to ultimately enter Boxing as well as other combat sports as a writer. Obviously, there will be scribes throughout the sport that will talk a great deal about Foreman winning the Gold medal in the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, and the reign of terror he inflicted upon the Heavyweight division upon turning professional and throughout the 1970’s highlighted by his destruction of Joe Frazier to win the World Heavyweight championship in 1973, his equally brutal knockout of Ken Norton in 1974 in a title defense, his losing the title to Muhammad Ali as the victim of Ali’s “Rope A Dope" strategy that saw Ali take a brutal beating at the hands of Foreman for seven rounds before turning the tables on an exhausted champion and knocking him out in the eighth round to take the title from him, to the time when he once fought five men in one night in a sideshow exhibition, to his legendary battle against Ron Lyle, to his loss to Jimmy Young, which led to his embarking on a path that saw him become an ordained minister. All of which are important to Foreman's story and deserve to be discussed as I am doing here, but yours truly has a bit of a different perspective on Foreman's career.

While I studied all of the above and all of Foreman's career, I did not enter the world until the 1980’s and as such, my exposure to George Foreman began during his comeback period, which started in 1987. A comeback that would go down as probably one of the greatest in all of sports was initially viewed by many as skeptical and treated by some as an outright joke. The reason for this is Foreman was not only returning to the ring ten years after retiring following his loss to Jimmy Young in 1977, at the age of 38, which was unheard of at the time, but also Foreman returned not as a scary, physically imposing monster he had been back in his prime, but as a pudgy pitchman, who was a master at drawing interest in his fights as well as being a much more outwardly publicly engaging, friendly individual than had been the case in his prime.

At the time as a young kid, one of my favorite things to do was watch Boxing with my father. In the late 1980’s, there were weekly series on cable television dedicated to Boxing here in the United States, which aired on both USA Network and ESPN. Along with Heavyweights like Ray Mercer and future Foreman opponent Tommy Morrison, who were just starting their professional careers, both networks served as platforms for Foreman's comeback in its early stages. While frankly most of Foreman's opposition from 1987 to 1990 were overmatched opponents designed to help Foreman work off what is often referred to as “Ring Rust," every time Foreman fought, my father and I were watching. It did not take long for me to become a fan and part of that was aided by my father telling me stories about Foreman in the 1970’s as well as helping me gain access to footage of classic fight films whenever he could. 

In 1990, however, Foreman's comeback was turned serious by those who initially scoffed at his attempt to return to the ring to reclaim the World Heavyweight championship. First in January of that year and in an attempt to test the waters of his marketability over age 40, Foreman headlined a pay-per-view card where he scored a brutal second round knockout of longtime Heavyweight contender and former world title challenger Gerry Cooney, sending him into retirement. Although some remained skeptical given that Cooney was attempting a comeback himself following a three year hiatus when he fought Foreman, the skepticism began to quiet down when in June of that year, Foreman took on South American Heavyweight champion Addilson Rodrigues, who had recently fought Evander Holyfield, who at the time was the number one Heavyweight contender, and, despite losing to Holyfield, still maintained a top ten ranking amongst the sport’s respective sanctioning organizations. 

As he had done to Cooney, Foreman made quick work of Rodrigues, knocking him out in the second round. Following a one round knockout of veteran Terry Anderson in September of that year, Foreman found himself in position to face the new Undisputed World Heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield in April 1991 in an attempt to regain the title. 

Known as “The Battle of the Ages," many did not give Foreman a chance outside of a possible quick knockout citing both his age 42 at the time, as well as a superbly conditioned Holyfield, who was just entering his athletic prime and had introduced methods into his training regime that had never been seen in the sport before. To the surprise of some, Foreman proved to be competitive, engaging in a twelve round toe to toe classic battle with Holyfield including somehow being able to withstand a brutal barrage of punches from Holyfield in the seventh round, where the champion fired off twenty-six unanswered punches, many of which landed flush, but could not knock Foreman down.

Despite his ability to stand up to that assault, which to this day, this observer still cannot figure out how he was able to, and putting up a great fight, Foreman did not succeed in taking the title from Holyfield in losing a twelve round unanimous decision. Although at this point, Foreman had proven to be just as legitimate a fighter as he had been in the 1970’s when he was champion and arguably the most feared fighter in the sport, as well as being a better fighter in terms of technique and ability to be both patient and relaxed in the midst of battle during his comeback rather than the physically imposing figure that frankly steamrolled most of his opponents, following the loss to Holyfield, almost instinctively, speculation started as to whether Foreman would continue fighting.

In some ways, it was understandable given his age, but again such speculation was largely rooted in the fact that Foreman was doing something that had not been seen before in Boxing in coming back after a long retirement and doing so at an advanced age. Even though the inspiration for such an attempt was likely at least in part due to the legendary former Light-Heavyweight world champion Archie Moore, who pioneered the concept of fighting to an advanced age retiring at age 49 in 1963 and who assisted in Foreman's training going as far back as the 1970’s, who was also still in his corner for many of his fights along the comeback trail, even Moore had not done what Foreman had in taking a lengthy absence from the sport to come back much further down the line.

The speculation of what Foreman would do after the Holyfield fight did not last long as he went back to the drawing board and began working his way back towards another opportunity at a world championship. While today it is unfortunately common to see fighters at times use their name recognition value as a means of trying to get opportunities to fight for world titles rather than fighting their way into that position, Foreman chose to fight three times between his return in December 1991 following his loss to Holyfield and 1993, going 3-0 with 2 Knockouts during that stretch.

This set him up for another title shot, this time the WBO World Heavyweight championship, which was vacant at the time. The shot would come against fellow “Knockout Artist" Tommy Morrison on June 7, 1993. Although the WBO was not viewed by some as a legitimate sanctioning organization at the time, it was still for a version of the World Heavyweight championship and thus, offered Foreman a chance to achieve his goal of regaining a world title.

Unlike in his previous title shot two years earlier, Foreman, 44 at the time, was considered the favorite over Morrison, who himself was making a second attempt at a world title after being on the receiving end of a brutal knockout at the hands of then unbeaten WBO world champion Ray Mercer in 1991. Perhaps because of what happened in that fight as well as Morrison's come forward style, which while exciting, also left him vulnerable to being caught and hurt by an opponent's offense, was the reason why many including yours truly felt Foreman's experience, his own punching power, and technique would be too much for the always “Game," but seemingly limited Morrison.

Despite every metric that one could use as a comparable breakdown with the exception of age seeming to tip in the favor of Foreman and the expectation of most of a short, but explosive fight for as long as it would last, Morrison went against his come forward, aggressive nature in producing what would turn out to be the performance of his career, a tactical Boxing strategy that resulted in a not so entertaining fight to defeat Foreman and win the title via twelve round unanimous decision.

As was the case following his loss to Holyfield, instinctively, many felt that this for Foreman, who had already begun to establish what would be an outstanding and respected career as a commentator working for HBO Sports two years before the Morrison fight, would be the end for him as a fighter. Although Foreman never made any official announcement, it appeared more or less confirmed when advertisements for various products including Meineke began populating both television and radio featuring “Big" George the pitchman. Foreman would also be featured in several video games as well. This would be followed by Foreman starring in his own sitcom “George" in which he played George Foster a retired boxer and former World Heavyweight champion who ran an after school program for troubled students, which ran on ABC television here in the United States from November 1993 to January 1994. While in many ways obviously inspired by Foreman’s own work as a minister in also running the George Foreman Youth and Community Center in his native Texas, which ultimately led to his returning to the ring in 1987 looking in part to keep that center open, the series, which this observer thoroughly enjoyed and looked forward to watching on Tuesday nights at the time, shortly before flipping to USA Network to watch the weekly Tuesday Night Fights series, did not last long.

Perhaps the reason for that was, despite having a successful career as a broadcaster, what would eventually become a very lucrative career as a pitchman and entrepreneur including the now world famous George Foreman Grill line of products, and seemingly venturing into the general entertainment space, Foreman still had unfinished business in the Boxing ring.

In November 1994, Foreman would return once more, this time opting to use his name recognition clout to secure an opportunity for another title shot, this time against unbeaten two-time Heavyweight world champion Michael Moorer, who held the IBF/WBA unified world championship at the time. Although Foreman was criticized heavily for receiving this opportunity given what had not been a good performance against Tommy Morrison a year earlier and attempts by the World Boxing Association to prevent the fight from happening, which saw Foreman successfully defeat the WBA legally, the fight would happen on November 5th at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

At this point in my life, I was about a year away from stumbling upon the journey that I am still on covering the sport. I was, however, very much looking forward to the fight as I do for mostly any fight that I cover or watch to this day with rare exceptions. My father was also looking forward to seeing Foreman getting one more chance to regain the title, but we both felt that after what happened against Morrison that if it were going to happen, Foreman would have to catch Moorer early.

There had been evidence in the years prior that the possibility of Foreman catching Moorer early existed, despite the champion being younger, unbeaten, and just entering his prime at the time of the bout. Both Bert Cooper, who Moorer defeated in 1992 for the vacant WBO world title and Alex Stewart, who Moorer had knocked out in one of the best fights of 1991, coincidentally two former Foreman opponents that he had defeated during his comeback period, had each come close to knocking Moorer out, and in Cooper’s case, had knocked Moorer down in their fight, before both ultimately were stopped by Moorer. Despite these facts, conventional wisdom of Moorer defeating Foreman, much like Holyfield had done three years earlier, seemed to be the opinion of most fans and experts.

For most of the fight, it appeared as though that would be the case as Moorer put forth a superb Boxing performance, using his movement and combination punching to keep Foreman off balance and unable to get his punches off consistently. As this fight was going on, my father casually told me that he felt Foreman was setting a trap and was setting Moorer up. What would follow is a memory I cherish and a memory for the Denison family that is still talked about by yours truly whenever I talk about this fight, which has also become emotional for me since losing my father any time I watch this fight back to this day.

For a significant period of my youth my family and I had a floor television that my father referred to as “The Old Girl" because it was a television encased in a large wooden cabinet that would take my father using a hand truck and someone who was physically able to spot him whenever the television had to be moved so he would not drop it or otherwise damage it. The reason I bring up that story, particularly for those who may not be old enough to remember floor televisions, is it was not uncommon to lay on the floor and watch TV during those days. Some of my favorite memories as a child were spent in front of that television with my father and my sisters. 

On the night of Moorer-Foreman, as the fight became increasingly one-sided in favor of Moorer, I began to nod off on our living room floor in front of the TV. Not because I lost interest, but likely because I got comfortable. In any event, as the fight progressed and I continued to nod off as Moorer was frankly dominating with each passing round, my father, who was sitting on the couch continued to say with conviction, “Beau, I'm telling you Foreman is setting him (Moorer) up." I did not disagree with him, but I told him that it looked like Foreman was having trouble getting his punches off. A sentiment that was echoed by the late great trainer and broadcaster Gil Clancy, who was serving as a commentator for HBO Sports in the role usually filled by Foreman. Clancy, who was empathic in the pre-fight discussions prior to the bout in saying he did not see a way Foreman could win. As the fight went on Clancy continued to drive his point home saying Foreman was a 45 year old man in a young man’s game and alluding to Foreman's inability to get his punches off consistently as attributable to slowed reflexes, which is a common issue for fighters as they age. 

As this was going on the legendary Teddy Atlas, who was Moorer’s trainer, told his charge that though he was proud of what he was seeing, to not stay in front of Foreman for too long because Atlas felt that Foreman was looking to set him up for one shot, appearing to see the same thing my father had seen from very early in the fight. By the ninth round, I was going in and out of consciousness, but I had no idea that history was looming and about to be made.

Towards that point in the fight, Moorer though still in control, had stopped using as much movement and seemed more comfortable to stand in front of Foreman, appearing to give the impression that whatever punching power Foreman had did not concern him. In round ten, Foreman gradually took control landing punches that moved Moorer into position for two one, two combinations, the second of which put Moorer flat on his back on the canvas.

When this sequence happened initially, I had nodded off and did not see it initially. My father, who was a big and imposing figure in his own right proceeded to jump over our coffee table and in a scene that likely resembled the late professional wrestler King Kong Bundy going for his finishing maneuver a big splash, my father came down onto me and roused me up screaming as loud as he could, “Beau It's Over, Foreman Won!" After having the living hell scared out of me, I turned and looked at the television and saw Moorer stretched out on the canvas and Referee Joe Cortez counting him out. Amidst the pandemonium both in the arena in Las Vegas echoed by Jim Lampley’s legendary and emotional call “It Happened, IT HAPPENED!" as well as what was occuring in the Denison household, my father grabbed and hugged me. It was one of the few times I ever saw my father cry. He was genuinely happy to see Foreman regain the title he had lost to Muhammad Ali twenty years and one month earlier in October 1974. While all the excitement was going on, Foreman did not celebrate his triumph, instead when Cortez officially waved his arms over the fallen champion, Foreman knelt in prayer. Clearly, his achievement had a much deeper meaning than simply regaining the Heavyweight championship of the world. 

The moment for my father and I would be something he would talk about for the rest of his life and called it one of his favorite nights with his son. Subsequently upon my beginning my writing journey in November 1995, I was able to cover Foreman's last three fights against Crawford Grimsley, Lou Savareese, and Shannon Briggs between 1996 and 1997 when I was a teenager, the latter a controversial decision loss to Briggs for the then 48 year old Foreman, a fight I will always believe he won, ultimately was a sour end to a great career that should serve as a testament to anyone to never give up.

As I reflect on this incredible man and what was a journey for me as well as I experienced this inspirational story unfold in real time as Foreman went on this comeback, which he also called a private quest, I think about not only the memories it provided me with my father, which I think of more now and appreciate than I can ever put into words, but also the lesson Foreman taught of never give up. For someone who was born with cerebral palsy and has gone through his own ups and downs along the way admittedly, it's a lesson that I have had to remind myself of from time to time, but it is a lesson everyone should learn.

One of the things I am proud to be noted for is as a Boxing historian, I spend just as much time in the present day watching fight films as I did in my youth and that includes continuing to watch many of Foreman's bouts both from his first chapter and from the comeback period, all of which I recommend watching. When I was informed of Foreman's passing, it did as I said hit me hard, but at the same time, it instantly brought back all those fond memories. Unfortunately, I never had the opportunity to meet George Foreman in person as I have continued covering the sport I love, which he is one of the people who inspired me. It is something that I will always regret for the simple reason that I will be unable to say thank you in person for both the inspiration and for providing me with memories with my father that I will forever cherish. Mr. Foreman, thank you for the inspiration you provided me, for giving my father and I so many memories, and for your endless contributions to the sport of Boxing, but to humanity as well. Your legacy will live forever.  God bless you. Rest well.

“And That's The Boxing Truth." 

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Opetaia Brutally KO's Nyika In 4 To Retain IBF World Cruiserweight Championship

Undefeated IBF World Cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia scored a brutal fourth round knockout of previously undefeated IBF number ten rated Cruiserweight contender David Nyika on Wednesday night at the Gold Coast Convention Centre in Queensland, Australia. Opetaia, who has quickly established himself as a “Knockout Artist" faced what should be considered a stern test in the form of a determined David Nyika, who showed no hesitation in being willing to engage with the champion.

What resulted was a give and take, toe to toe battle through most of the fight. When one fighter would land solidly with their punches, the other would respond almost immediately with punches of their own. Frankly, through much of the flight, there was not much to separate the two fighters. This began to change ever so slightly in round three when Opetaia began to vary his attack to the body and head of the challenger.

It would be in round four where the champion would find his opening. Opetaia started to slightly get some separation between himself and Nyika, was able to land a short left uppercut that popped the challenger’s head back and moments later in an exchange of punches in close range, Opetaia dropped Nyika hard to the canvas with another short uppercut to the head. Nyika, who entered the fight unbeaten in ten professional fights, showed his mettle by getting up from the knockdown on very unsteady legs. Opetaia, however, knew his opponent was in trouble and pressed forward looking for the finish. The champion would land a brutal follow-up barrage of punches to the head of Nyika sending him down hard a second time and appearing to knock him out cold as the fight was immediately stopped without a count. Official time of the stoppage was 2:17 of round four. Jai Opetaia advances to 27-0, with 21 Knockouts. David Nyila falls to 10-1, with 9 Knockouts.

The first world championship bout in the sport of Boxing in 2025 proved to be short, explosive, and devastating in how it ended. Jai Opetaia, who became a world champion in winning the IBF Cruiserweight world championship in July 2022 frankly has all the tools that one looks for in a rising star. Explosive power in either hand that can end a fight at any time, and a willingness to mix it up with his opponents. Such traits often mean that the fighter will draw significant attention whenever they compete because Boxing fans tend to favor action. Something that in his twenty-seven professional fights Opetaia has demonstrated in spades.

While there is a possibility that Opetaia might seek to unify the Cruiserweight division, something that only Evander Holyfield and Oleksandr Usyk have done in becoming the only fighters to fully unify the division before setting their sights on the Heavyweight division in two Hall of Fame careers, the issue for the Cruiserweight division, also known as the Jr. Heavyweight division in years gone by, is it has never been a career destination for most fighters.

In that it has never enjoyed the type of marquee value that is enjoyed by other divisions both below it and in the Heavyweight division. As such, it has been viewed by many as, for lack of a better term, “Stepping Stone" for fighters deemed too big for the 175lb. Light-Heavyweight division, to test the waters against bigger opposition before embarking on competing as a Heavyweight. Therefore, the Cruiserweights are often deemed as a bridge for fighters moving up to Heavyweight or for fighters who have had trouble competing effectively as a Heavyweight, but who cannot get down in weight to the 175lb. Light-Heavyweight division. A perception that was only increased by the fact that for many years, Evander Holyfield was viewed as the only marquee fighter to come out of the Cruiserweight division, even though his stay in it was a relatively short four year period from 1984-1988 where he became a world champion, went on to become undisputed champion, then went on to Heavyweight. Although there have been many great former Cruiserweights that have tried their luck as Heavyweights, not many were viewed as marquee stars and the fact is in addition to Holyfield and Usyk, only one other former Cruiserweight world champion, David Haye, went on to win a portion of the World Heavyweight championship.

Now, the division is faced with what could be the same scenario. A fighter who has the makings of a potential superstar, much like Holyfield, Haye, and Usyk that could elevate the Cruiserweight division by staying in it and potentially trying to become an undisputed world champion of it, but who also clearly has the potential of a future World Heavyweight champion as well. Promoters, managers, and yes, even fighters can boast about how they see the Cruiserweight division as a commodity, but with limited marquee value in the division, despite being populated by several world-class and talented fighters, a move to Heavyweight for most is seen as almost inevitable. For now, Jai Opetaia is firmly established as the top Cruiserweight in the world even without the status as an undisputed world champion. One should ask, however, if he will turn his attention to the Heavyweight division before the end of 2025. In this observer’s view, unless he has a path to become undisputed champion that is both straightforward and lucrative, the discussion of Opitaia as a potential future World Heavyweight champion as he enters the field of contenders should commence. 

“And That's The Boxing Truth." 

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Paul-Tyson: A Reality Check?

The event between social media influencer turned aspiring boxer Jake Paul and International Boxing Hall of Famer and two-time World Heavyweight champion Mike Tyson was one that stirred much opinion, criticism, and worry for Tyson’s health given that he would be getting back into the ring at fifty-eight years of age, more than twenty years removed from his last competitive fight in 2005 and four years removed from a charity exhibition, which had been the only time he had entered a Boxing ring since retirement. It was also a circumstance that as most events featuring those labeled as “Influencers” going against an athlete or a celebrity in a Boxing ring drew significant interest, particularly among those who are casual sports observers. For better or worse, that was the target demographic of the promotion and not those for whom Boxing is a regular passion.

Part of the draw was of course the appeal of Mike Tyson, a fighter whom in his prime was the primary drawing card of his time in the sport where no matter who he fought, drew significant interest. The interest, which was rooted in the fact that he would often destroy his opponents with a mix of hand speed and punching power that had not been seen before. It was and is this appeal where even many years removed from that athletic prime, there are those who still have the images implanted in their minds of the great fighter Tyson was as well as what he meant to the sport. Perhaps this is the reason why so many people were willing to overlook the logical aspects of what was going to take place when Tyson climbed back into the ring against Paul. Logical aspects such as advanced age and the things that naturally occur in all of us as we get older. In the context of combat sports athletes, this means eroded skills and slowed reflexes as well as more often than not, not being able to have as much flexibility or reaction time as they had in their younger days.

In Tyson’s case, his appeal was and will likely remain strong simply because of what he meant to the sport and the fact that thanks to the advent of streaming, access to his fights where he was in his prime and scoring devastating knockouts is more accessible than ever, which makes it easier for those who were not around during that time to see what he was all about. As one who grew up recording fights and still watches as much Boxing from decades prior to when I came along, and as someone who was around during Tyson’s prime and one who got to cover him from the mid-1990s when I began my career covering combat sports, through his retirement, I concede that technology has certainly evolved and access to fight films both from many years gone by as well as current bouts, has come a long way since the days when I recorded all I could on VHS tapes. Having said that, what access to those classic bouts can do for those who are casual fans is at times provide a false sense of belief that what they might be watching, which can be decades old, would be similar to what they would see if a fighter from that time got back into the ring in the present day, neglecting the passage of time and what happens to someone as they age.

Fighters too often fall into this belief as there is always the mentality among fighters that even years after retirement, they always have one more fight in them. While there will always be debates among Boxing lifers such as this observer as to what might have happened if a great fighter from one era faced a fighter from a more recent time where both were in their prime form, the belief that fighters tend to have about always having one more in them regardless of those logical factors is something that worries yours truly.

In this case, there was evidence that had me voicing concern as many others had for Tyson’s health. As some will recall in previewing this event, I brought up a similar circumstance that occurred three years ago when former Tyson opponent and fellow Hall of Famer Evander Holyfield got back into the ring at the same age Tyson did against Paul fifty-eight, to compete in a bout against former MMA world champion Vitor Belfort. Out of respect for the reader and the fact that discussing what occurred that night in September 2021 still stirs feelings of disgust for what was allowed to go occur that evening and keeping in mind that I already discussed it prior to this event, I will surmise it by saying though Holyfield visually looked to be in immaculate condition for someone approaching sixty years old prior to getting into the ring, the effects of age as well as the punishment he had suffered throughout his long career were impossible to ignore as Holyfield could not maintain his balance or protect himself in what ended up being one of the many black eyes in the Boxing history.

In the lead-up to this fight, frankly, I had feelings similar to those I had in the days before Holyfield-Belfort. A sincere concern and worry for Tyson’s well-being given his age, despite the visual evidence that he looked to be in great condition for a former fighter at an advanced age. Unlike the circumstances with Holyfield, however, I did not get any information prior to this event that suggested to me that Tyson would be compromised as Holyfield was. Nevertheless, as one who has seen an endless number of fighters getting back into the ring at advanced ages with that belief of having at least one more fight in them, often leading to scenes that are difficult to watch, my concern remained. It is, however, important to keep in mind that Tyson was getting into a ring with someone, who was thirty-one years younger, but one who does not have the level of experience of a seasoned boxer, having built his career on facing MMA fighters, with little to no Boxing experience, a former NBA basketball player, fellow influencers, and having a 2-1, with 2 Knockouts record against those with strictly Boxing backgrounds. Based on this, there was at least some question as to what might happen if Tyson were able to land punches effectively, despite the age difference and facing someone who is a good athlete though limited in terms of Boxing experience.

Although the encounter, which took place at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX on November 15th had slight modifications in the rules including two minute rounds and the use of sixteen ounce gloves and not the standard ten ounce gloves, which are used in standard Heavyweight fights, which seemed to at least on the surface benefit Tyson, it did not take long for reality to set in. Tyson appeared to show some flashes of what he once was early, applying pressure on Paul and landing a few hooks to the head. The obvious effects of advanced age appeared almost simultaneously as Tyson quickly found it difficult to use his legs to execute his lateral movement and had some trouble using his head movement to evade Paul’s longer reach and get on the inside where he could do damage. Paul was also able to clip Tyson with a few good punches throughout the scheduled eight round bout that seemed to stagger his legs. 

As the bout progressed, Tyson showed less and less movement, less and less ability to land punches, and the only question I had in my mind was whether he would be allowed to finish the contest. Although Jake Paul has been the subject of much criticism including from this observer for seemingly thinking that one can build a legitimate Boxing career and get into position to fight for world championships by facing the types of opposition he has, none of which has come against a serious contender in any division, he did show some class and humility in this encounter by clearly not pressing the issue where he likely would have stopped Tyson and allowing the legend to go the distance in what was an uneventful contest, which though classified as an official fight, which Paul won by margins of eight rounds to zero on one scorecard and seven rounds to one on the other two, should have been designated as an exhibition.

Despite the criticisms of many, including yours truly of Paul for the aforementioned reasons, there is no disputing he has established himself as one of the sport’s rising promoters and he has done good for the sport in giving a platform for young fighters through his Most Valuable Promotions promotional company as well as being a strong advocate for Women’s Boxing, which I do respect. It was his promotional savvy that likely inspired digital streaming subscription entertainment network Netflix to get involved in the sport as the Tyson-Paul event was the first Boxing event ever to be shown by the network. While that also led to significant issues throughout the live broadcast due to the network having issues with their servers, which caused significant outages and buffering issues throughout the world for many trying to access the event, the accomplishment of bringing Boxing to such a massive platform is something that cannot be denied even though it should prepare the network for future live programming in wanting to ensure that their subscribers have as seamless an experience streaming live content as possible. Although by all accounts the event also succeeded in terms of a live gate attraction in reportedly drawing 70,000 spectators to AT&T Stadium, something that also deserves credit where it is due, the question that needs to be asked coming out of this event is should Paul-Tyson be a reality check?

A reality check in the sense that even though it clearly drew a lot of interest, it was still a scenario where an aspiring boxer shared the ring with someone who was many years removed from active competition and one who probably should not have been in the ring at fifty-eight years old. Though such events for better or worse do draw interest, for one who insists he wants to be taken seriously as a professional boxer, who says he wants to be a world champion as Paul does, taking part in events like this does not help his argument. As far as the interest this particular event drew, while nothing can be taken away from it in terms of a successful promotion, the reality is, events like this will only succeed so far as it becomes more and more clear that it is not a competitive situation and while the aim of such events is strictly to draw the interest of the casual observer, such interest will only last so long where it will succeed and if Paul as well as others who have come into Boxing from outside realms, who all want to be taken seriously, do not start facing serious boxers, who are working towards fighting for a world championship, the “Curiosity” factor, which seems to be the aim to draw casual observers, will not be there. 

For now, this observer will congratulate Paul on another successful promotion. More importantly, yours truly is thankful that Mike Tyson did not get seriously hurt and that those of us who cover the sport are not talking about a tragedy or near tragedy occurring as was the case with Holyfield-Belfort. However, I believe that state athletic commissions need to implement common sense where such bouts are not green-lit and allowed to go on. Not only due to the significant age differences, but more importantly due to the obvious dangers that exist as well as what was, and will likely continue to be a significant difference in competition. At some point, those who regulate and sanction the sport need to step up to ensure the integrity of the sport is a priority. 

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

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Paul-Tyson: Good Or Bad For Boxing?

For a significant portion of 2024, the Boxing world has been buzzing over the announced bout between social media influencer, turned professional boxer Jake Paul and International Boxing Hall of Famer and former two-time World Heavyweight champion Mike Tyson. An encounter that just mentions of it has stirred a range of opinions and criticism. The primary reason for the criticism is obvious.

Tyson, who has not fought professionally in over twenty years will be stepping back into the ring at age fifty-eight to face the twenty-seven year old Paul. While it needs to be pointed out for the purposes of factual accuracy that Tyson did participate in a charity exhibition in November 2020 at age fifty-four with fellow Hall of Famer Roy Jones, who was fifty-one during the global COVID-19 epidemic. While some may view an exhibition as something that might have helped Tyson work off theoretical “Ring Rust," there is a significant difference between an endeavor, which is designed to be an exhibition in a charitable effort between two participants of similar age and fight designed to be an official competition where the age difference will be thirty-one years, where one of the combatants has not officially competed in over twenty years. To add further context to the criticism, when Tyson retired in 2005 after retiring on his stool in his fight against Kevin McBride, there were many who felt Tyson was what is often referred to as a “Shot Fighter." Another and perhaps more polite way to put it, his best days were behind him. 

The encounter between Paul and Tyson, originally scheduled for July 20th at AT&T Stadium was postponed when Tyson became ill with what was said to be an inflamed ulcer on a flight from Miami, FL to Los Angeles, CA, which forced him to pull out of the bout and thus cast doubt as to whether it would happen. As most know, Paul, chose to keep the July 20th date, but found himself competing in Tampa, FL in scoring a dominant sixth round knockout of Mike Perry, a fighter known for his time competing in the sport of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) and in Boxing matches fought under Bareknuckle rules and formats.

Paul, who has a professional record of 10-1, with 7 Knockouts, has faced his share of criticism as well for having fought against either fellow social media influencers, fighters who come from an MMA background with little or no Boxing experience, one former NBA player, and two traditional professional boxers, yet has said that he wants to be taken seriously as a boxer and stating his desire to be a world champion. Although the debate of whether someone can actually work themselves into position to fight for a world championship, fighting almost exclusively against non-boxers is still ongoing, what is not in dispute is Paul has dedicated himself to the sport and in the process has become a significant presence in Boxing as a promoter. If one factors the knockout of Mike Perry, who did compete in one traditional Boxing bout several years prior to facing Paul, into the equation, Paul does have a record of 2-1, with 2 Knockouts against opponents with Boxing backgrounds. Nevertheless, the question of whether one can work their way into world title contention with a limited resume such as Paul’s as well as now facing a long-retired legend of the sport is one that many are likely asking. 

Despite several voicing concerns for Tyson's health, the bout between Paul and Tyson will take place at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX. The event will also signal the entry into the sport of Netflix, long considered to be the pioneer of digital subscription-based streaming networks. It is also something that will be available as part of a Netflix subscription.

Frankly, this observer is hesitant to use the term “Fight" when discussing this encounter. Not out of any hostility towards either Paul or Tyson, but because not only do I not know what we will see, but I share some of the same concerns many have expressed for Tyson's health. It may be tempting for some to say such concern is a way to hype and be negative, but my concern comes from a place as someone who has covered many older fighters who probably should not have been allowed to get in a ring at advanced ages between their forties and fifties. In this case, I am one who grew up watching Mike Tyson compete and who covered him from 1995 until his last fight in 2005. I also took the time to cover the exhibition between Tyson and Jones in 2020 as I supported the effort to support the first responders of the horrible epidemic we all lived through. An effort that Tyson himself described as a humanitarian effort.

This is also a similar scenario to another fight I covered, which unfortunately turned into a black eye for Boxing, which I will be honest with the reader has stirred similar feelings for yours truly. I am referring to the September 2021 debacle that saw Hall of Famer and former Tyson opponent Evander Holyfield at fifty-eight years old, return to the ring to face former MMA world champion Vitor Belfort in Hollywood, FL. A situation where the event was moved from its original location in California to Florida due to the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) refusing to license Holyfield citing not only his age, but also the punishment he had sustained throughout his career as contributing reasons.

Despite still looking to be in immaculate shape at fifty-eight years old, it was clear that Holyfield was compromised as he couldn't not keep his balance and was unable to effectively defend himself, being knocked down by Belfort and rescued by Referee Sam Burgos who quickly stopped the sad scene in the first round. The encounter, which was pushed as an official professional fight, was changed to an exhibition by the Florida State Athletic Commission (FSAC) in response to the backlash that followed, which was justified, as was the CSAC’s refusal to license Holyfield. The similarities between that debacle and potentially this event may not end there. 

Much like Holyfield, Tyson looks to be in great shape for a retired fighter at an advanced age, but photographs and videos shared across social media often do not tell the full story. Tyson is now the same age as Holyfield was in 2021, but a difference that may not be in Tyson’s favor is twenty years between official fights compared to ten years for Holyfield, who last competed in 2011. Furthermore, Vitor Belfort was forty-four years old when he got in the ring with the then fifty-eight year old Holyfield. A fourteen year age difference and not the thirty-one year difference between Tyson and Paul.

Although it is important to keep in mind that one aging fighter's condition may not exactly be the same as another from the same era, these facts do not necessarily paint a good picture. What could work in Tyson’s favor, however, is Paul though a good athlete is limited in overall Boxing experience and has fought all his fights as a Cruiserweight and not a Heavyweight where this encounter will take place. 

There are two things that could come with that. One, Paul has never fought as a Heavyweight and if Tyson can land a punch solidly on the much younger man, it will be interesting to see how Paul takes a punch from a natural Heavyweight. Two, while it is unrealistic to expect anything resembling Tyson in his prime in the 1980’s and 1990’s, a fighter who often won fights before they even began through intimidating his opponents as one of Boxing’s feared “Knockout Artists," who also had significant hand speed to go with it, the last attribute a fighter has is punching power and if it turns out that Tyson neurologically has his reflexes and is not in a similar circumstance as Holyfield was, if he still has some of that punching power, it could be interesting. On the other hand, Paul's primary weapon throughout his career to this point has been a right hand that has proven to have knockout power in it, Tyson's punch resistance at this age will be a focal point to focus on here if Paul can land his right hand.

Regardless of whether or not this event turns out to be a start of a long-term investment in Boxing for Netflix, this observer still has the concerns he had in 2021 and the nerves probably won't subside until I see that everyone comes out of this with their health intact. As someone who over the last three decades has covered his share of fights that should not have been allowed to take place and unfortunately more deaths related to fights inside the ring, as someone who is a Boxing lifer and truly cares about the sport and wants to see it succeed in all areas, I hope the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, who will be overseeing this bout are paying attention and it won't be up to the referee in the ring to do the right thing because the commission overseeing things would not and Boxing will not be forced to suffer another black eye and debacle. Will Paul-Tyson be good or bad for Boxing? I wish I could give the reader an answer.

“And That's The Boxing Truth." 

Paul vs. Tyson takes place on Friday, November 15th at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX. The fight as well as it's main undercard can be seen worldwide on digital subscription entertainment network Netflix beginning at 8PM ET/5PM PT (*U.S. Times Only*) a portion of undercard bouts will be streamed for free on the Most Valuable Promotions YouTube channel beginning at 5:30PM ET/2:30PM PT before the main card begins. For more information about Netflix including local start times where you are in the world please visit: www.Netflix.com. 

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Fury-Usyk: The Wait Was Worth It, But Will Boxing Politics Ruin History?

As this observer reflects on his almost three decades covering Boxing and other combat sports, there are times where I will ponder if an event I covered over that span of time could have been approached from a different angle. It is after all understandable when one writes columns and other forms of content in various mediums day after day, week after week, and yes, year after year, that while one should always stand behind their works and views, much like a film or television director, when one has the benefit to look back years later there may be a feeling that maybe though the work is still good, little tweaks here and there may have made things even better. 

In previewing the encounter between undefeated Heavyweight champions Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk for the Undisputed Heavyweight championship of the world and one where for the first time in Boxing history, all five major sanctioning organizations would have their respective world championships on the line in a single bout, it was appropriate to go back to the 1990’s for a refresher on what led to the eventual unification of three of five world titles in the division for what was the last time a fighter in the division had the label of undisputed champion in November 1999. What was mentioned by yours truly, who covered the crowning of Lennox Lewis nearly twenty-five years ago, but not really delved into due to the length of that column were the various political aspects in the sport that whether right or wrong in terms of policy, almost immediately devalued what at that point took nearly eight years to accomplish from the last time a fighter had recognition in the division as an undisputed champion in 1992.

While the structure of the sport is something that needs to be respected, which includes world champions fulfilling their mandatory defense obligations on an annual basis, a subject that I became very vocal in criticizing Lewis after his victory over Evander Holyfield in the second of their two fights in 1999, and others throughout the sport for not fulfilling their obligations to defend their world titles against a sanctioning organization’s top contender on the aforementioned annual basis, another question that should be asked is are these organizations, who each have their own policies and procedures, not doing enough to ensure that whatever progress is made, like determining an undisputed champion in a given division by way of unification, is not sabotaged?

Some might recall several years ago in a period that predated the global COVID-19 epidemic, the heads of the World Boxing Council (WBC), World Boxing Association (WBA), International Boxing Federation (IBF), and the World Boxing Organization (WBO) established an ongoing dialogue, dubbed “Sanctioning Body Summits" to discuss ongoing issues in the sport with the stated intention of trying to make improvements for the betterment of the sport of Boxing. A step forward that was applauded by this observer who encouraged such dialogues to continue so long as progress continued to be made.

Obviously and in the interest of disclosure with the reader, I as a member of the media did not have access to those closed door meetings and the only information I received was the same information that was made public by the respective organizations whenever such meetings would occur. One subject that if I were in a position to moderate such a meeting however, would concern what should be done under circumstances where there is a unified or undisputed champion in the sport to try and ensure as best as possible that the championships stay unified and hopefully only change hands when a champion is defeated in the ring and not by a decision made by a committee in a boardroom.

The reason yours truly brings all of this up is the sport once again has an Undisputed Heavyweight champion of the world and unfortunately, it seems as though we as a sport are faced with a similar situation as we did in 1999 after Lewis defeated Holyfield. While it was Lewis, who chose to vacate the WBA championship rather than face it's number one contender John Ruiz, which had been agreed on when the WBC, WBA, and IBF established their respective top contenders, which would have to be fulfilled on a rotating basis by the champion, prior to the first bout between Lewis and Holyfield in March 1999, with Ruiz being first in line, before we go further into the subject of what could be done under those circumstances, we need to discuss what happened when the WBC champion Fury met the WBO/WBA/IBF/IBO champion Usyk on May 18th in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh.

With many Boxing legends and celebrities in attendance including Lewis, the Boxing world was treated to a truly memorable occasion, not only because of what was on the line, but because of what happened in the ring. Despite being at a natural size and reach disadvantage, it was the shorter Usyk who initiated the combat in this fight by coming forward, forcing the bigger Fury on the back foot and seemingly getting the better of him by beating him to the punch.

In many cases when there is a significant size and reach disparity between two fighters, it is not uncommon to see the fighter that is seemingly at the physical disadvantage try gradually work their way inside by using head movement, lateral movement, and counter punching to get under the longer reach of the naturally bigger fighter to get on the inside where the terms of combat, at least in theory, would seem more favorable. This was a case where Usyk was able to narrow the gap simply by coming forward and applying pressure on Fury.

Usyk was able to win the first four rounds in my mind with this approach in addition to landing the quicker and seemingly more effective punches. As has become customary in many of Fury’s fights, he spent a lot of time doing this period of the fight choosing to showboat, frequently dropping his hands and taunting Usyk, most notably when he was in a corner. 

While clearly this was an attempt to bait Usyk into making a mistake and though there are probably some that found Fury's antics entertaining, the reality is the only thing it did for Fury was waste time and seemingly create a deficit on the scorecards for him to overcome. It was also to put it politely, not a smart approach one should take in the biggest fight of their career. Fury is not the first fighter to make such a miscalculation, and despite the evidence of it being the wrong approach more often than not, will likely not be the last. 

It would be between rounds five and eight that Fury became serious and was able to keep Usyk at distance with his longer reach as well as by getting his punches off first. This not only seemed to narrow the gap on the scorecards, but also created a significant hurdle for Usyk to try to overcome. Despite the clear shift in momentum at this stage of the fight, one thing that impressed me about Usyk was even though he took his share of punches from Fury and showed he could take the bigger fighter’s punch, he also deflected a good portion of Fury's offense by keeping his guard high. While this made him more vulnerable to body shots, which some believe to be a potential weakness for Usyk after being hurt to the body in his previous bout against to contender Daniel Dubios in August of last year, it was an effective strategy. To Usyk's credit, though he appeared to be hurt by hooks to the body in this fight as well at points throughout the fight, he was able to withstand it and kept coming forward. 

Despite the success he seemed to have in the middle rounds, it was also during this period of the bout that Fury appeared to suffer a broken nose. Although yours truly cannot say with certainty what punch may have caused the damage, I believe it may have come in an exchange of punches where Usyk was able to get the better of it. What is indisputable is the blood that began to flow from Fury's nose was a clear indication that it may have indeed been broken, not only due to the flow of blood, but also the fact that almost immediately after it happened, Fury began pawing at his nose every couple of seconds, which not only usually indicates a broken nose in some way, but also the possibility that the blood flow might be making it difficult for the fighter on the receiving end to breathe. 

Upon seeing the frequency in which Fury was pawing at his nose as well as the flow of blood, I wondered aloud as I was watching the fight, whether it would be stopped due to my having covered numerous instances over the years where bouts had been stopped due to various types of nose breaks including those that were seemingly not as obvious due to lack of blood flow coming from the nose. Although the fight would not be stopped because of the obvious injury to Fury's nose, it did cause the ebb and flow to shift back in Usyk's favor. 

This would set the stage for what would be a dramatic ninth round. For it would be late in the round that Usyk would connect with a flush left hook to the head of Fury, which badly staggered him. What would follow would be an assault of unanswered punches that would have Fury badly hurt, almost defenseless, and barely staying on his feet. Finally, Referee Mark Nelson stepped in and ruled a knockdown against Fury as the ropes prevented him from going down under the barrage of punishment. Frankly, under most circumstances like this where a fighter is badly staggered and taking unanswered blows to the degree that Fury was at this stage, the fight is usually stopped.

While Fury benefited from an experienced referee in Nelson making a split second judgment call to step in and rule a knockdown rather than stepping in and stop the fight, a different referee under the same circumstances, who is more cautious of the dangers that come with combat sports in terms of the risk for potential long-term injury or God forbid worse, would have likely stopped the fight. Some may view Nelson's call as controversial, but what a fan should keep in mind is a referee’s primary responsibility is the safety of the fighters, but also the need to make split second decisions under circumstances like this, regardless of what might be on the line in a fight. Mark Nelson is a world-class referee that has officiated many bouts on every level of the sport. Though only he can say what his thought process was, one could assume that he relied on not only his own experience as a referee, but also the knowledge that when put under similar circumstances in his career, Fury has been able to get off the canvas and recover. Thus, and fortunately for Fury, he was given the benefit of the doubt.

The knockdown and judgment call by Nelson however, would nonetheless prove to be the crucial deciding factor in the fight. As he had done several times throughout his career, Fury was able to recover and in the final three rounds of the twelve round world championship bout, was able to make those rounds close and competitive. Unfortunately for Fury, he was unable to score a knockdown of his own, which would have narrowed the impact of the knockdown in the ninth round, resulting in Usyk winning the fight and becoming the Undisputed Heavyweight champion of the world via split decision at the conclusion of the bout, with the deciding scorecard being determined by a single point in Usyk’s favor. If Usyk did not score the knockdown in the ninth round, this fight would have ended the same way the first bout between Holyfield and Lewis did in March 1999, in a draw.

With the win, Olekdsndr Usyk puts his stamp on what will be a Hall of Fame career by not only becoming the first fully undisputed champion in Heavyweight history, but also because he also successfully fully unified the Cruiserweight division prior to moving up to Heavyweight, he is the only fighter in Boxing history to have successfully unified both divisions. Now comes the difficult question of what comes next. 

There was a preordained rematch clause for this fight, which would give Fury now an opportunity to try to become a three-time world champion if he wants to invoke it. The problem in terms of what is for the time being the undisputed championship is the IBF has mandated that its top contender, the undefeated Filip Hrgovic, is due for his shot at the title. Hrgovic is due to face former world title challenger Daniel Dubois on June 1st in Saudi Arabia.

Whether Usyk will ask for an extension, assuming that the rematch in Fury has already been confirmed and scheduled or, will agree to face the winner of the Hrgovic-Dubois bout next, assuming Fury wants more time to both recover and decide what he wants to do, is unknown as of this writing. The possibility of Hrgovic-Dubois being the the vacant IBF world championship is very real now if the IBF decides to strip Usyk of it's world title and thus would write a different type of chapter in Boxing history. 

It would mark the shortest period of time that a world championship in any division in the sport was fully unified before a title was stripped by a sanctioning organization from the champion and thus breaking the undisputed distinction. Two weeks…

While it is and should be viewed as a reflection of a sport that more often than not chooses to get in its own way that a possibility like that would even be on the table, it is also the definition of a conundrum and also a potential legal mess. On one hand, the standards of the sport need to and should be respected. World champions should fulfill their obligations. On the other hand, one might question and probably should, why an organization, in this case the IBF, would agree to sanction a fight for an undisputed championship if they were potentially planning to strip whomever the winner was without fourteen days of another bout where its top contender would be competing. Furthermore, why would they agree to sanction the bout knowing that there is a rematch clause of the bout that determined an undisputed champion, if it is indeed their intent to strip their world title from the champion?

Although I often refer to these types of situations and others involving the business side of the sport as “Just Another Day In Boxing Paradise," it is often situations like this which keeps Boxing as a constant subject of ridicule. At minimum, the parties involved here should have a mediation and if a compromise cannot be reached, which would allow Usyk to keep his undisputed championship and for the winner of Hrgovic-Dubois to get their opportunity, I personally cannot see a scenario that would not end up in litigation, which would be costly for all parties involved. A true mess.

While this may be all speculation and Fury might take more time, which would allow Usyk the time to fulfill his obligation and face the winner of Hrgovic-Dubois before the end of 2024 or perhaps early 2025, what could be done to prevent a situation like this in the future? If the dialogue between the sanctioning organizations is still ongoing, this should be priority number one at the next meeting. Though yours truly is not involved, I did come up with a possible idea that could be polished and refined by those who are involved.

Some may recall that prior to 1995 when the unified rules were adopted by the Association of Boxing Commissions (ABC), rules for a given bout were either left to individual state commissions/regulatory boards, and in the case of world title fights, a combination of rules from the various sanctioning organizations involved if it was a bout for a unified or undisputed championship. The adoption of a universal standard of rules, which has in the near three decades since it was introduced, also been implemented by various regulatory boards around the world, cleared up confusion  and has become the standard of how fights are regulated in terms of rules. Perhaps one of these “Summits" of the sanctioning organizations should be used to come up with some sort of consolidation of each respective organization’s procedures/policies as well as potentially a consolidation of rankings structure to be used only in a circumstance where there is an undisputed champion in a given division to try and ensure as best as possible that a championship stays unified as well as ensuring that fighters who earn opportunities to fight for a world title get their opportunity rather than fighting for a vacant title and then having their legitimacy as a world champion questioned and in some cases, not recognized by certain entities involved in the sport including various television networks and some in the media.

For now, this is only an idea from yours truly, but clearly something needs to be done. History should not be temporary and if these sanctioning organizations are truly interested in doing things for the betterment of the sport, it's time to prove it, rather than continuing to put the fighters involved and the sport as a whole in a “No-Win Situation." Boxing deserves better and so do the fighters.

“And That's The Boxing Truth." 

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Fury-Usyk: Will The Wait Be Worth It?

In March 1999, Heavyweight champions Evander Holyfield and Lennox Lewis met in Madison Square Garden to unify three portions of the World Heavyweight championship. While there was the absence of the World Boxing Organization’s (WBO) championship at the time, the bout was viewed as being for the Undisputed Heavyweight championship of the world as the crowns of the World Boxing Council (WBC), the World Boxing Association (WBA), and the International Boxing Federation (IBF) the three oldest sanctioning organizations in the sport, and who were the only organizations in existence the last time the World Heavyweight championship had been fully unified in 1987, were on the line. The magnitude of the event, which was also heavily promoted, being in Madison Square Garden before a massive crowd was something that also made the occasion seem special.

It did signal, or at least seemed to signal what had been a decade of political mess in the Heavyweight division. A decade, which began with Mike Tyson at the helm as the undisputed champion before losing his crown to James “Buster" Douglas in February 1990, before Douglas himself was dethroned by Evander Holyfield in October of that year, which signaled what seemed to be the beginning of a new era for the division. Two years after winning the undisputed title however, Holyfield was beaten by Riddick Bowe in November of 1992 in the first fight of what became one of the most memorable trilogies in Heavyweight history. 

Some may recall shortly after Bowe beat Holyfield in 1992, the politics of the sport reared its head when the champion, who was contractually obligated to defend his title against Lennox Lewis, who at the time was an unbeaten number one contender recognized by the WBC, refused to honor his commitment and disgracefully threw the WBC championship in a trash can in public. There may be no one in Boxing who has more frequently and objectively pointed out the flaws of the various sanctioning organizations and the politics that be in the sport more than this observer over the many years I have covered the sport. Nevertheless, Bowe’s actions, disgraceful as it was in disrespecting both the label of “Heavyweight Champion Of The World," as well as the sport by doing that set in motion several years of several fighters holding claim to world titles, partial unification bouts, and yes more fighters being stripped of their titles for among other things refusing to honor their obligations in defending their titles against mandatory challengers.

In that sense, I really wanted to believe that Holyfield-Lewis would signal a return to normalcy in the division that hopefully would follow in the sport’s other divisions as well. Unfortunately, that night, March 13, 1999 will forever be remembered for a controversial decision in a fight that most, including this observer, felt that Lewis dominated, was shockingly declared a draw at the conclusion of the twelve round bout. As most know, there would be a rematch in November of that year, and despite the second encounter between the two being more competitive, Lewis would emerge victorious in successfully unifying three of four world titles in the division and gaining with it, undisputed status. 

Though it would have appeared that there was conclusion to the mess, almost immediately after defeating Holyfield in the second fight, Lewis was stripped of the WBA version of the World Heavyweight championship for refusing to fulfill his mandatory defense obligation in fighting then WBA number one contender John Ruiz, and though there have been several unification bouts in the years since where several fighters have been able to hold unified portions of the championship amongst Boxing's five world sanctioning organizations, there has not been a recognized undisputed world champion in the division in nearly twenty-five years. 

On May 18th, the Boxing world will focus on Riyadh, Saudi Arabia where undefeated Heavyweight champions Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk will finally meet for the Undisputed Heavyweight championship of the world. A bout that will truly be “Undisputed” as it will be the first time in history that all five world organizations’ respective world championships will be on the line and can be seen on DAZN Pay-Per-View.  As there always seems to be in Boxing, the road to this encounter has not been straightforward. For there was what turned out to be an ill-advised non-title bout between the WBC champion Fury and former UFC Heavyweight world champion Francis Ngannou. A fight where despite the significant experience advantage of the boxer Fury over the MMA fighter Ngannou, Fury showed up to that fight, in the same location as this fight will take place, out of shape and treating the bout very lightly. The mentality nearly cost Fury his unbeaten record in a fight that proved to be more competitive where he was knocked down by Ngannou, Fury emerged with a ten round split decision victory in a fight that many observers, including this one, felt he lost. 

While it was tempting to say the decision in that fight may had been influenced by the fact that this fight had been signed for February of this year prior to Fury's bout with Ngannou, the two-time world champion Fury did a disservice both to himself and arguably the sport in the way he approached that fight. As for the scheduled February date for Fury-Usyk, obviously by virtue of the title of this column, it was postponed due to Fury suffering a deep gash over the right eye, which was a result of an accidental elbow during a sparring session in preparation for the bout. 

Although accidents like a fighter suffering a cut in sparring are not new in combat sports, one might question Fury's condition going into this fight now three months later from the original date. Furthermore, despite the significance of the bout and everything in the Heavyweight division being on the line, Fury did not leave the best impression coming out of a fight against a Boxing novice in Ngannou, which because of both his overall experience level and standing in the sport, he was expected to outclass Ngannou.

Fury will have a height advantage of nearly seven inches over the 6’3 Oleksandr Usyk and is the natural Heavyweight in facing the former Undisputed Cruiserweight world champion. It is logical to think that Fury, who tends to have weight fluctuations between fights and weighed-in at nearly 278lbs. for his fight with Ngannou, will try to come in with a significant weight advantage over the unified WBO/IBF/IBO/WBA world champion Usyk and look to put that weight on the shorter fighter as the fight progresses. 

The interesting aspect about this fight that I personally cannot distinguish an edge between the two having covered both throughout their careers, beyond the natural height and size advantage Fury has is who will have the edge at least on paper in terms of the approach. Both fighters are known for their ability to be elusive, both are highly skilled boxers, can at times be awkward, and both can get an opponent out of there if given the opportunity. 

If Usyk, who has not had the easiest time dealing with some opponents since he became a Heavyweight in October 2019, can deal with the size disadvantages that he will have in front of him, he might have a slight edge when it comes to hand speed. Though it is logical to think he will try to target the right eye of Fury to in theory gain a further advantage, the answer as to who might win this fight might be determined by whether Usyk will be able to avoid Fury's weight being put on him and whether he will be able to take Fury's punching power. Despite the fact that Tyson Fury has been knocked down several times throughout his career, conventional wisdom suggests that Usyk's best chance to win this fight will be to try and out box Fury to win a decision. Of course, this is under the assumption that the right eye of Fury will not become a factor over the course of the fight. 

As historic as this fight is, the various political elements that be in the sport may also play a role in determining just how long there is one fully undisputed world champion in the Heavyweight division, assuming a winner is determined between Fury and Usyk and the fight is not declared a draw. This is due to there being an immediate rematch clause for this fight being in place and the International Boxing Federation already announcing that the winner of this fight must face it's number one contender in the unbeaten Filip Hrgovic following this fight or they will be stripped of the IBF crown, which would obviously break up the Undisputed Heavyweight championship of the world if that were to happen. 

While there is also the possibility that a rematch clause will not be exercised by the losing party in this fight, there will likely be much more to say and follow coming out of this regardless of the outcome. As this observer prepares to cover his third fight that will hopefully unify the Heavyweight division and the fourth time an Undisputed Heavyweight champion of the world has been determined by way of unification in my lifetime, I sincerely hope it will not take another twenty-five years before there is one full undisputed champion in the division and the holder of that crown will be determined in the ring and not by contracts and/or failing to meet one's obligations to defend against mandatory challengers. At some point progress is only as good as long as it lasts long-term and Boxing is no exception to that principle. 

“And That's The Boxing Truth.”

Fury vs. Usyk for the Undisputed Heavyweight championship of the world takes place on Saturday, May 18th at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The fight as well as its full undercard can be seen on a pay-per-view basis globally on DAZN Pay-Per-View beginning at 10AM ET/ 7AM PT for $69.99. For more information on this pay-per-view event, including pricing in your country, local start times in your area, and to subscribe to DAZN please visit: www.DAZN.com. 

(*Price listed above United States and Canada Only.* *Card and Start Times Subject To Change.*)

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Can Joyce Or Zhang Make A Statement To Earn A Shot At A World Heavyweight Championship?

There is little doubt that one of the biggest stories occurring outside the ring in the world of Boxing in 2023 has been the on again, off again, back on again,  and finally stalled negotiations for a fight for what would be the Undisputed Heavyweight Championship of the world between undefeated world champions Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk. While that subject will certainly remain a topic of discussion, the longer both champions are idle also creates a ripple effect for others in the Heavyweight division that are all looking to get into position to challenge either champion. Such is the case with undefeated WBO number one contender Joe Joyce. 

Joyce,  a former Olympic Gold medalist, has boxed his way to an undefeated record of 15-0, with 14 Knockouts and has successfully moved into the mandatory position in the World Boxing Organization's (WBO) Heavyweight ratings, which in theory puts him next in line to face the unified IBF/WBA/IBO/WBO world champion Oleksandr Usyk. Despite this and an impressive knockout win of former WBO Heavyweight world champion Joseph Parker in his last fight in September of last year in becoming the first fighter to stop Parker, Joyce is unfortunately no closer as Mid-April 2023 now comes to facing Usyk. While unfortunately that is likely the result of the stalled negotiations between Usyk and Fury, which if that fight had happened, Joyce would theoretically be in line to face the winner, it now creates a scenario where Joyce needs to fight both as a means of staying active, but also to try and maintain his number one ranking.

Although it has to be frustrating for a fighter in Joyce's position in the politics that be in the sport more or less for the time being maneuvering him out of the equation for a shot at the title, there is a way that this could turn out to be a positive for him. A brief dive into Boxing history by this observer for the reader provides some precedent as to how. 

Many of us of a certain age who have followed the sport for most of, if not all of our lives likely remember the circumstances that the legendary Evander Holyfield found himself in during his initial rise as a Heavyweight contender in the 1980"s after an unbeaten run where he successfully unified the Cruiserweight division. As a Heavyweight contender,  Holyfield fought his way to a number one ranking in the WBC,WBA, and IBF during the period where those were the three recognized world sanctioning organizations in the days that predated the inception of both the WBO and the International Boxing Organization (IBO). The Undisputed Heavyweight champion in those days was a young and unbeaten Mike Tyson,  who in addition to getting into troubles outside of the ring, was facing other opposition in the ring and for circumstances that can be explained simply as the politics of the sport,  Holyfield was denied his opportunity to face Tyson. 

Holyfield responded to those circumstances by fighting more frequently than the champion, facing both top contenders and former world champions in the process. By doing so, it not only kept him active against the best available competition at the time, but it also kept Holyfield in the public eye. This served to his benefit as he built public support in the process and eventually used that to secure a fight with James "Buster" Douglas, who had defeated Tyson in February 1990, to fight for the undisputed championship in October of that year. Holyfield made quick work of Douglas knocking out the champion in three rounds to win the championship and in the process, ushered in a new era of the division, which was largely dominated by him as its central figure. 

While obviously Holyfield had to wait longer than he should have to get his shot, his patience and persistence paid off in the long run and today he is a Hall of Famer and regarded as one of the all-time great Heavyweights. The point of this brief background into a fighter that found himself in similar circumstances as Joyce is now in is simple. Though it has to be frustrating,  it can work for him by turning a negative into a positive.

The next step in the career of Joe Joyce will take place on April at the Copper Box Arena in London, England when the unbeaten "Knockout Artist" will face number thirteen ranked WBO Heavyweight contender Zhilei Zhang in a fight that can be seen here in the United States on digital subscription sports streaming network ESPN+. Zhang is the first Heavyweight that this observer can remember to hail from China and will enter this fight with a 24-1-1, with 19 Knockouts. 

Zhang will also come into this fight however,  coming off of his first loss in his career in dropping a twelve round unanimous decision to undefeated Heavyweight contender Filip Hrgovic in August of last year.  While Zang, much like Joyce, has punching power and has shown the ability to score quick knockouts in his career, an argument could be made that the two times he has stepped up his caliber of opposition up to this point, it resulted in a draw with veteran Jerry Forrest and the loss against Hrgovic.

With this in mind, Zhang might be looking to not only win this fight, but do so by making a statement against clearly another opponent that is a step up for him. What this could mean is potentially a short, but explosive fight where it may simply come down to which fighter is able to land flush on the other. In terms of each fighter's ability to take a punch, Joyce took the best of what Joseph Parker threw at him including several flush punches that would have likely dropped most Heavyweights and he kept coming forward. The question is how will Zhang respond to Joyce's power if the unbeaten contender lands flush.

Although much of the attention on the current state of the Heavyweight division has centered on the Usyk-Fury saga as well as the recent return of former two-time Heavyweight world champion Anthony Joshua, who scored a twelve round unanimous decision over Jermaine Franklin at the beginning of April, it is now time for Joe Joyce and Zhilei Zhang to take center stage to see if either can maneuver their way into a possible opportunity to fight for a world championship, which unfortunately due to the business and political elements of the sport,could prove to be an easier fight to make for either Oleksandr Usyk or Tyson Fury, than a fight between each other for the Undisputed Heavyweight championship of the world appears to be.

"And That's The Boxing Truth."

Joyce vs. Zhang takes place on Saturday, April 15th at Copper Box Arena in London, England. The fight can be seen here in the United States on digital subscription sports streaming network ESPN+  beginning at 2PM ET/11AM PT.

ESPN+ is available through the ESPN app on mobile, tablet, and connected streaming devices and Smart TVs. For more information about ESPN+ including schedules, list of compatible streaming devices, platforms, Smart TVs, and to subscribe please visit: www.ESPNPlus.com. 

*Card and start times subject to change.

"Check your local listings internationally.*

The Boxing Truth®️ is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved.

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Boxing Buddy The Next Innovation In Boxing Training

The task of training a boxer either for fitness or for competition is something that has evolved as time has gone on. Of course, many are familiar with the standard equipment such as jump rope, speed bag, head gear for the purposes of sparring, as well as several methods that are used to help train the fighter in the defense of moving his head, which obviously will vary depending on both the trainer and the fighter.

Credit: Boxing Buddy, Inc.

While some ot the examples this observer has pointed out have been the status quo for many decades and it continues to this day, there have been methods as technology has improved that have gone from never seen or thought of before in the training of a fighter to now widely regarded methods of training as both technology and access to it has improved with time. One of the earliest examples that this observer for the purposes of historical context can remember seeing came during Evander Holyfield's first reign as World Heavyweight champion in the early 1990's.

Some may recall prior to his first title defense against George Foreman in April 1991, the then undefeated champion provided a one of a kind look into his training regimen that one might call revolutionary. Among the innovations that Holyfield along with his longtime strength and conditioning coach Tim Hallmark used were devices that helped the champion utilize his movement including tactics such as jumping over placed blocks that varied in height, as well as one device that sticks out in my memory where the champion was hooked into position by cables while wearing a specially designed vest that was used for the purposes of monitoring his heart rate and punch intensity as he shadow boxed. I can also recall at the time that in some ways these innovations were compared in sort of a tongue and cheek manner to the methods that were used by the character Ivan Drago portrayed by Dolph Lundgren in the 1985 film Rocky IV.

One of the things that Hallmark and Holyfield used in their training sessions however, that sticks out in my mind more than any other even over thirty-two years later was at the time a new twist on the use of another piece of standard Boxing equipment used through generations, the heavy bag that I had not seen before and shockingly have not seen used by any fighter since. An innovation where Holyfield would bend down and throw punches while Hallmark positioned behind the device and slightly above the bag, would move a bar up and down as Holyfield would move in a side to side motion. The device that was used I cannot recall by name three decades later, but it's use went beyond one seen in a standard heavy bag as it clearly was used to simulate a fighter fighting in close on the inside not only offensively, but also due to the bar being pressed was to train the fighter in the habit of moving his head side to side while fighting in close.

While I feel that the training methods that were used by Holyfield and Hallmark three decades ago could have benefited many fighters had the technology been more universally available.  It was however, truly revolutionary for it's time and Holyfield was in many aspects a pioneer for being the first notable fighter to use such methods and innovations in his training in what became a Hall of Fame career. 

It was those innovations that I saw as a fan all those years ago in the years before I began writing about and covering Boxing and by extension combat sports, that immediately came to mind when I was approached about a new innovation on the heavy bag. Boxing Buddy. Boxing Buddy, a product marketed and developed by Boxing Buddy, Inc. is the first of its kind Smart training system and device specifically designed for Boxing. It features soft adjustable arms that can fit around any existing Heavy bag or other round objects that simulate a fighting experience, which allows trainees to work not only on their offense, but it has an emphasis on teaching and honing defensive skills as well.

The Boxing Buddy device offers three modes that work in conjunction with the Boxing Buddy companion app including three modes with four difficulty levels including modes that define the speed of punches thrown by the trainee, Random sparring mode, which simulates a sparring session as well as custom mode and coach mode offing the first of it's kind Boxing training experience without going to a Boxing gym and all of the device functions can be controlled and tracked with the Bluetooth-enabled Boxing Buddy companion app. 

Having seen clips of the device in action, this observer believes that much like what Tim Hallmark and Evander Holyfield were able to demonstrate in 1991 by incorporating then state of the art technology into Holyfield's training regimen, Boxing Buddy appears to be the next evolution in Boxing training that is portable and simple to use. 

The Boxing world has definitely come a long way in the past three decades and as Holyfield's longtime trainer, manager, advisor, former fighter, and Hall of Famer in his own right, the late great Lou Duva said when questioned about the training being implemented by his fighter prior to facing George Foreman that technology was in his words "Here To Stay" and, despite coming up through the old school of Boxing, that he was only interested in what would work best for his fighters. There is no doubt that Holyfield's training methods in the 1980's and 1990's, which along with God given talent saw him win five world championships in the Cruiserweight and Heavyweight divisions, was truly groundbreaking and ahead of its time. Now, with the further innovation that is being brought to Boxing by Boxing Buddy, it has taken Holyfield's pioneering approach to training and conditioning one step further.

"And That's The Boxing Truth."

Photo included in this column Courtesy of Boxing Buddy, Inc. Used with permission.

To learn more about Boxing Buddy and to watch a video presentation of Boxing Buddy in action please visit Boxing Buddy, Inc. on Indiegogo: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/boxing-buddy-your-punching-bag-now-strikes-back--3?utm_campaign=boxing+buddy&utm_medium=pr&utm_source=pr 

The Boxing Truth®️ is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved.

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Holyfield-Belfort: What's Wrong With Boxing?

It would not be appropriate for this observer not to begin this column without being honest with the reader when I say that I took several days to write this column. Not in the sense that I have been grinding away in the writing process, a process that all writers regardless of genre truly appreciate whether all of us will admit it or not, but in the sense that I needed time to compose myself mentally due to feeling something I have not felt in the two and a half decades that I have been writing about and covering Boxing in addition to other combat sports. The feeling of absolute utter disgust and embarrassment for the sport that I have loved since I was a little kid. A feeling that hit me when I watched the recent pay-per-view event promoted by Triller headlined by an eight round Heavyweight bout between two-division world champion and Boxing Hall of Famer Evander Holyfield and former UFC world champion Vitor Belfort. An event and bout that left not only the feelings I have described, but also made me sick to my stomach.

Why is that? Out of respect for the reader, I won’t rehash the circumstances that led to the Holyfield-Belfort bout as I already covered that in a preview that was released here on The Boxing Truth® leading up to the September 11^th event. In short, the event consisted of Holyfield, a man whose health and well-being have been of significant concern for yours truly over the years that had been cited frequently in my various writings through the years, now a month away from his fifty-ninth birthday, stepping into a fight on a little more than one week’s notice and having not competed professionally in well over a decade to face Belfort. A fight that was rejected by the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) both due to Holyfield’s age as well as the physical punishment that he had sustained over a long career.  This resulted in Triller moving the event headlined by this bout from Los Angeles, which was to be the original location to Hollywood, FL. While I will not do a full rehash, readers who read the preview for this bout saw me speculate in reference that the move to Florida was licensing motivated.

Although at the time I was merely making a suggestion, it turns out I was very close to being spot on. In the days leading up to the event, I deliberately made the decision to stay away from aspects of a promotion that is normally a fixture for any significant Boxing event during what is often referred to as “Fight Week.” While such things as fighter workouts, press conferences, and weigh-ins are aspects that have frankly become easier to observe for those of us who cover the sport, but cannot travel to events to cover Boxing cards in person, I really had no interest in observing much of this particular card’s “Fight Week” events. Perhaps it was a premonition, but I knew it would likely be better for me as someone who truly cares for the sport and the fighters that risk their lives every single time they get in the ring, to provide the coverage that I did as well as the normal weigh-in report that came the day before the event and to stay away from the aspects that I just did not have a good feeling about. I will not go into the various aspects of the event that surrounded politics as I avoided that as well, but the primary reason I avoided watching things like fighter workouts and press conferences was being I felt if I had watched them, it would have prevented me from doing my duty in covering the bout because those concerns for Holyfield’s well-being that I had written extensively on during the latter stages of his career would surface and I probably would not have been able to cover the bout with a clear mind.

Of course, I would be lying if I said that even with my decision to avoid “Fight Week” events that it removed all concern. Obviously, it was still in the back of my mind, but at least by making that decision, I was able to keep a somewhat “Wait and See” approach as I have made reference to in regard to other fights, I have covered that were subject to criticism and ridicule.  It was not surprising to me however, to see and hear the day before the fight as well as prior to the event on the day of, increased concern for Holyfield. While my concern never ceased, I did feel encouraged that at least I was not the only one who felt this way in hearing various people throughout the sport echo the same sentiment that I had. Perhaps the most telling among them came from various reports from various media outlets including noted Boxing journalist Dan Rafael that Jim Lampley, longtime former lead announcer for HBO’s Boxing broadcasts for decades prior to the network’s decision in 2018 to exit Boxing after forty-five years, who had recently signed with Triller to return to broadcasting Boxing, reportedly opted out of calling this event after seeing Holyfield participate in a workout. While only Lampley himself can say why he chose to opt out of what had been an anticipated debut for him on Triller’s platform, much like myself, I feel he likely did not want to see Holyfield get hurt and did not want to be a party to what might have been a tragedy.

Further adding to my concern prior to the event was learning that the Florida State Athletic Commission (FSAC) did not require a CT scan or any other neurological screening for fighters prior to granting licensing. Something that is normally standard in most states that regularly stage and regulate Boxing and other combat sports events. As much as I wanted to give this the benefit of doubt and have that “Wait and See” mentality, as the event neared, I became increasingly angry. More so, because of the appearance that this gave that this was something that was financially driven as opposed to ensuring the safety of not just Holyfield, but all fighters that compete. Despite the anger and uneasy feelings I had, I did what I normally do and prepared to cover the bout.

When the time finally came for Holyfield and Belfort to get in the ring at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, I will be honest in saying that at least visually before the fight started Holyfield appeared to be in great condition especially given his age and the toll a long career in the sport of Boxing takes on one’s body. Obviously, I know that the way a fighter’s body might appear rarely if ever means anything once punches are being thrown, but giving credit where it is due, Holyfield did look like he had been in training. As the bell rang to begin the fight however, my concerns quickly proved to be valid as Holyfield immediately showed an inability to maintain his balance and after being dropped with the first punch he was struck with in the first round, I immediately wanted to see the fight stopped. Evander Holyfield will always be remembered for being a true warrior in the sport. Someone who no matter what always gave it everything he had and never quit. Unfortunately, that mentality that boxers and other combat athletes have can lead to dangerous situations. I was not surprised to see Holyfield get up from the knockdown, but my concern was that I was about to see something tragic. Referee Sam Burgos allowed Holyfield to continue, but as Belfort unleashed a barrage of unanswered punches as Holyfield tried desperately to cover up and block the punches with no balance, Burgos stepped in and stopped the fight.

In the interest of honesty with the reader, I was relieved when the fight was stopped. What had all the appearance of an event that was strictly financially driven and subsequently greenlit by what by all accounts seems to be an inept state athletic commission that appeared to turn a blind eye to not only the preventive actions of the CSAC in refusing to sanction Holyfield, but also a deaf ear to those voicing their concerns throughout the sport, at least Referee Sam Burgos did what the Florida State Athletic Commission wouldn’t. Protect Holyfield against himself and make sure that at least Holyfield could leave the ring under his own power from a fight that should not have been allowed to begin with.

If this point of view appears harsh, I sincerely apologize to anyone who may feel that way including, but not limited to those who work for the Florida State Athletic Commission who may be reading this column. As I have said before, this observer has no agenda beyond giving the reader an honest and objective point of view. As much as Holyfield has meant to the sport, as much as I enjoyed covering his fights from the mid-1990’s through till his retirement in 2011, as much as I was a fan of his prior to my covering Boxing, the man had no business getting in a ring to compete at fifty-nine years of age and there is no bigger picture that one whether they be fans, Triller, or even the state athletic commission could use as a viable argument as justification for what happened here.

Some will make the argument that “Well, it was Holyfield’s choice and he knows the risks.” This may be true however, state regulation of combat sports exists for a reason and it is a state’s athletic commission’s responsibility to ensure not only that rules and regulations are followed, but also that the safety of those who compete is always the first priority even if staging an event might have some economic incentives for a given state. In this case, the state of Florida failed and if it were not for Sam Burgos, this event may have had a more tragic outcome.

As often happens when things like this are allowed to occur, there is always repercussions that occur either through the public, within the sport, or with state athletic commissions that do not want the bad publicity that comes with bad decisions that are made. While as of this writing the FSAC has not issued any statements regarding what frankly is an embarrassment both for the state and the sport of Boxing, I knew despite sharing my own thoughts in the immediate aftermath through my social media platforms that this was the first time in my career covering the sport that I felt utterly embarrassed for the sport I have loved my whole life, I also knew that there would be more that would come out of this in terms of fallout, which was one reason in addition to wanting to give myself time to digest things, I knew in the back of my mind that there would be some fallout from the event.

Earlier this week, an email was sent to yours truly from Denise White who is the CEO of EAG Sports Management, who during the week prior to the event had sent out promotional material on behalf of Triller related to the Holyfield-Belfort event. The subject of this email read simply “ EAG Sports Management is NO LONGER Working with Triller Fight Club or Triller EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY!” Upon seeing this in my inbox, I opened the email to read a one sentence statement Quote “ Feel free to print that!” After reading this email I reached out and asked for a statement further clarifying why EAG Sports Management was no longer involved with Triller. In response, Mrs. White responded to this observer’s request for a statement by answering simply Quote “We had a difference of professional opinion.”

Although this could be wider in scope as simply the fallout of an event that got people talking for all the wrong reasons, the timing of such communication does give the appearance that it does have something to do with the Holyfield-Belfort fallout. This was followed by news earlier this week that Peter Khan, a longtime Boxing manager and advisor among other roles he has had through the years, who was Triller’s Chief Boxing Officer was stepping down from his role. While this was reported by several Boxing media outlets outside of this one including Boxing Scene and NY Fights as citing the reason for Khan’s departure from Triller as wanting to focus on non-Boxing related projects, the timing of it does seem at minimum to be curious if not outright coincidence.

Perhaps not surprisingly, news has also circulated through various outlets including Fight Sports that the Holyfield-Belfort pay-per-view attraction did not perform well in terms of pay-per-view buys. While this observer does not have a solid figure to share with the reader, the reported figure could be anywhere from 100,000 to 150,000 total buys. It should be noted that this event like all Boxing events that are staged on the pay-per-view medium in the year 2021 comes at a time where the sport is in a period of transition from the pay-per-view/ pay-per-event model to the digital subscription based model where events are offered as part of a full slate of content through networks like ESPN+ and DAZN, this in addition to price points that unfortunately have become a standard of between $70-$80 in the United States for most pay-per-view Boxing cards has resulted in a consistent decline in overall buys for those events that are not offered as part of a subscription model.

Although Triller offers it’s pay-per-view Boxing cards at a $50 price point, the price is likely too much for some Boxing fans in addition to what has thus far been a general lack of competitive bouts offered by the promotional banner. In fairness, Triller’s involvement in the sport has only been under one year in existence and it does take time to build the type of quality Boxing cards that will draw eyes to your events. This is perhaps one reason why the promoter has relied on a mix of former fighters competing in either exhibitions or bouts that could be deemed semi-professional, celebrity bouts, and mixing musical performances into each card it has offered since it’s inception. The package however, does not appear to be resonating with Boxing fans who frankly may expect more competitive Boxing for the price they are asked to pay than what has been offered by Triller thus far.

It is also worth noting that Triller does offer subscription-based options for those that do not want to pay on a per-event basis TrillerPass, which is offered either as a $29.99 monthly subscription or $299 yearly subscription and Trillerverz, which is the recently launched monthly Boxing series from the promoter for $2.99 monthly or $29.99 per year. Both subscription options are offered through Triller’s website as well as their recently acquired FITE TV digital combat sports network and pay-per-view platform.  While this is solely the view of yours truly, I believe that if Triller wants to get more traction they should first focus on putting on competitive bouts, but also to focus on one subscription option that is for lack of a better term an all-in-one offering, but it needs to be reasonably priced in order to succeed and they need to be able to stage cards regularly.  Of course, the latter is easier said than done in present day due to the ongoing global COVID-19 epidemic, which has caused problems for many promoters through the entire sport and some of the struggles Triller has faced should not be viewed as exclusive to them under the circumstances of the ongoing crisis.

The truth unfortunately for Triller and other promoters that continue to insist on the overpriced and outdated pay-per-view model is that consumers will tend to want more for what they are paying and unfortunately for Triller, staging cards such as Holyfield-Belfort with the hope that it will attract curiosity is not a successful strategy, especially when it is painfully obvious to all that one fighter should have never been allowed to compete. Even though being a promoter in the sport of Boxing is far from an easy task, sometimes common sense is a better approach instead of staging an event that shows everything that is wrong with the sport from inept state athletic commission regulation, to what frankly is an unprofessional presentation in terms of commentary including the use of explicit language from those on the broadcast team, to non-competitive almost novelty bouts to finally the harsh reality that fighters sometimes are forced back into the ring long after their competitive primes if for nothing else, financial reasons, despite the serious risk to their health.

In the days following this event, and quite frankly since the Holyfield-Belfort fight was stopped. I began thinking of one fight in Boxing’s past that could describe what I was feeling in terms of the embarrassment for the sport I love and disgust over what I saw. I thought of the November 1982 WBC World Heavyweight championship bout between Larry Holmes and Randall “Tex” Cobb. Holmes, who was in the midst of a dominant reign as Heavyweight world champion was simply too skilled and overmatched the always “Game” brawler Cobb over fifteen one-sided rounds to retain his crown via unanimous decision. Although this fight was slightly before my time, as a Boxing historian, I have seen the fight more than once via tape and the technology that is available to all of us today. One thing about the utter mismatch that stood out to me was the legendary Howard Cosell, who broadcast this fight as well as many others for many years for ABC Sports here in the United States. Cosell at times rubbed some the wrong way due to his frankness, perceived arrogance, and among other things his vocabulary.

Cosell was however, a man of principle and if one takes the time to go back and listen to his broadcast of that fight, as it went on and as Cobb continued to take an increasingly horrible beating, Cosell became increasingly disgusted so much to the point that when the fight was over, he announced quote “There will be no interviews, not for this fight.” Cosell would never broadcast a professional bout again for the remainder of his career, despite still broadcasting the amateur side of Boxing from time to time.

 

Quite frankly, I felt and still feel as disgusted as Cosell was that night in 1982 after watching the Holyfield-Belfort bout. My disgust, however, will not result in me stepping away from covering Boxing because in one sense where I disagree with Cosell, who I am proud to cite as one of my many influences is you cannot really effect change in a sport if you step away. While I will always have the utmost respect for Cosell, his integrity, his willingness to stand up for what he believed in regardless of whether it was popular or not, including, but not limited to his frequent calls for Boxing reform in the remaining years of his life before he passed away in 1995, I will continue to bang the drum as loud as I can and much like Cosell, bring to public attention that of which I feel does not benefit the sport of Boxing, the fans that support it, and most importantly, the fighters that risk their lives every time they enter the ring to compete. While it remains to be seen what the future will hold for Triller as a promotional entity in the sport, I hope they are able to adapt and use this experience as a learning one that will help them in the long-term.

 

For The Good of Boxing, Something Needs To Change.

 

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

 

UPDATE: As this column was being prepared for release, it was reported that the Florida State Athletic Commission ruled on Thursday, September 16, 2021, that it has medically suspended Evander Holyfield for a period of 30-days. If further action from the commission surrounding this fight is taken, we will keep readers updated on any developments as they become available.

 

 

The Boxing Truth® is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved.

 

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