The Boxing Truth®

In May of this year on the undercard of Saul “Canelo” Alvarez successfully becoming an Undisputed Super-Middleweight world champion for a second time with a convincing twelve round unanimous decision over previously unbeaten IBF world champion William Scull in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia , two-division world champion Badou Jack did battle with  WBC World Cruiserweight world champion Norair Mikaeljan with the WBC Cruiserweight crown at stake. A close and competitive fight throughout where the champion Mikaeljan was the busier of the two fighters, but Jack in the view of most observers landed the harder punches. Despite a wide advantage for the champion in terms of CompuBox statistics in out landing Jack in total landed punches 153 to 122 over the course of the twelve round world title bout, it would be Jack who would emerge victorious via a razor-thin majority decision, making him a two-time holder of the WBC World Cruiserweight championship after briefly holding it only to vacate it ...

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 thoug...

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 s...

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 ...

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 exhi...

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...

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 Ty...

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. De...