The Boxing Truth®

  As the month of July begins to wind down much of the attention has begun to center on what is ahead in the month of August as well as what might be to follow for the remainder of 2022. A fight that is perhaps being overlooked by some before July concludes will take place in Hinckley, MN on Saturday, July 23 rd that features two fighters that may be at the crossroads of their careers. This observer is referring to the Featherweight bout between former WBO Jr. Featherweight world champion Isaac Dogboe and former world title challenger Joet Gonzalez in a fight that will headline a card streamed in the United States by digital subscription sports steaming network ESPN+ from Hinckley’s Grand Casino.     This is a fight that has two fighters that are at a similar point in their careers. While yours truly referenced the term “Crossroads,” the similarities do not end there. Both Dogboe and Gonzalez have similar records, and each have suffered two defeats. If that similarity...

  As the month of January 2022 has been a spotty one in terms of the Boxing schedule due in part to the ongoing global COVID-19 epidemic, there obviously has not been the usual activity in terms of action inside of the ring that we saw in 2021 and before the epidemic began in late 2019. The first notable world championship fight in 2022 however, did take place on January 22nd at the Borgata Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, NJ. This observer is referring to the battle for the WBC Featherweight world championship between champion Gary Russell and undefeated WBC number three rated contender Mark Magsayo.   Perhaps it is simply the point of view of yours truly as a veteran Boxing historian and writer, but this encounter did not seem to have much in the way of an abundance of hype in the weeks and days prior to it taking place. This could be due to the circumstances of the ongoing epidemic and possible uncertainty as to whether or not the fight would take place as scheduled. Whil...

  Over the last few weeks, the sport of Boxing at least in regard to the professional side of the sport has seen a focus of sorts on the 126lb. Featherweight division. Of course, readers here on The Boxing Truth®️ have seen the coverage that this observer has provided over the last two weeks of Matchroom Boxing’s second season of its Fight Camp series at the estate of promoter Eddie Hearn and the Hearn family known in Boxing circles as Matchroom Headquarters. Coincidentally, the first two weeks of the season have been headlined by two Featherweight bouts that may have an impact on the upper echelon of the division going forward.    First, it was Leigh Wood, who scored a dominant twelfth round stoppage of top contender Xu Can on July 31 st  that earned him an interim/regular championship designation in the World Boxing Association’s (WBA) Featherweight ratings. This was followed by longtime contender Kid Galahad, who scored an eleventh round stoppage this past weekend...

  In all of combat sports and in particular in the sport of Boxing, there is somewhat of an accepted practice that unless one competes in the Heavyweight division, fighters generally will move up through multiple weight classes during the course of their careers. While of course there are those who manage to stay in one weight division for the majority of their careers, there are usually two reasons why a fighter would move up in weight. One is for financial reasons in that there are likely more lucrative opportunities for a fighter at a heavier weight than where they are currently. Perhaps the most obvious reason however, is when a fighter physically outgrows their current weight class.   For two-division world champion Emanuel Navarrete, he has reached the top in both the 122lb. Jr. Featherweight and 126lb. Featherweight divisions. Standing at 5’7, Navarrete is blessed to be in a position where he has natural height and reach advantages over many of his opponents. Navarrete’...

  One of the more anticipated fights that sat idle for some time due largely to the ongoing global COVID-19 epidemic was the battle between WBO Jr. Lightweight world champion Jamel Herring and former two-division world champion Carl Frampton. An intriguing clash of styles between the taller, longer fighter in the champion Harring and the shorter fighter in Frampton, who has made a career out of defeating opponents that had natural height and reach advantages over him.    Two fighters that are boxer/punchers with some similarities is enough to draw interest on it’s own. When you throw into the equation that Frampton was attempting to become the first Irish boxer to win world championships in three weight divisions after previously holding world championships in the 122lb. Jr. Featherweight and 126lb. Featherweight divisions, it added the element of potential history being made. This all culminated in the two fighters meeting on April 3 rd  at Cesars Palace i...