The Boxing Truth®

  The final weekend of March 2026 in the Boxing world was highlighted by two events on March 28th taking place in Manchester, England and Las Vegas, NV respectively. First, it was fast-rising Heavyweight Moses Itauma , who looked for his fourteenth victory in as many fights in his professional career as he faced veteran contender Jermaine Franklin at the Co-op Arena in Manchester, England. Coming off of a destructive first round knockout of longtime Heavyweight contender and former world title challenger Dillian Whyte last August in Saudi Arabia, some thought this bout against a durable and always determined opponent in Jermaine Franklin, could have provided a test for the twenty-one year old “Knockout Artist" Itauma. Despite the test some were expecting, which was based on significant evidence in that Franklin had not been stopped in his career and had gone the distance with both Whyte and former two-time World Heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua , Itauma would provide another...

The story going into undefeated three-division world champion Terence Crawford's challenge of undefeated WBA Jr. Middleweight world champion Israil Madrimov on August 3rd at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, CA largely centered on the dominant career Crawford had up to the point of this encounter and his attempt to join a select list of fighters, many of whom are Hall of Famers to have won world titles in four separate divisions. While that storyline was simple, perhaps what should have been discussed more was whether or not Crawford, who came into the fight having stopped his last eleven opponents inside the distance, would finally come across an opponent that would produce something we have not seen before in a Terence Crawford fight. An element of doubt.  Despite coming into the fight as the defending WBA world champion in the 154lb. Jr. Middleweight division, and having an extensive amateur background in which he scored three hundred-fifty wins, Israil Madrimov was seen as a signific...

One of the traditions of St. Patrick's Day week in New York City, NY in many years have been Boxing cards held in Madison Square Garden’s Theater, which in this observer’s youth was known as the Felt Forum. While this has developed into a tradition over many years, there have been times where it has not been held every year, most notably during the global COVID-19 epidemic. Nevertheless, Boxing in New York City during St. Patrick's Day week has served as a springboard of sorts for fighters on the verge of fighting for world championships, from Featherweight contender Michael Conlan, to former Middleweight contender John Duddy, who participated in what turned out to be an all-time classic in The Theater at Madison Square Garden in 2006 when he went toe to toe for twelve brutal rounds against former Jr. Middleweight world champion Luis “Yory Boy” Campas, defeating him via unanimous decision and establishing himself back then as a contender in the Middleweight division. On March 1...

The start of 2024 in the world of Boxing on January 6th saw the return of undefeated former Welterweight contender Vergil Ortiz. Ortiz, who after scoring nineteen consecutive knockouts to start his career and seemed to be on the brink of challenging for a world championship, saw his career come to a halt due to a series of health problems including COVID-19 and dehydration, which stalled his return resulting in scheduled bouts being cancelled. After seventeen months out of action, Ortiz finally did return to the ring, this time as a Jr. Middleweight to face veteran Fredrick Lawson at the Virgin Hotel in Las Vegas, NV. The story going into this fight was a simple one. How would Ortiz look after dealing with those health issues, but also returning in a higher weight class. In Frederick Lawson, Ortiz faced a one time contender as a Welterweight, who came into the fight with a record of 30-3, with 22 Knockouts. Lawson also had an advantage over Ortiz in terms of activity and came into the ...

  The story going into the Jr. Middleweight bout between former two-division world champion  Danny Garcia and Jose Benavidez on July 30 th at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY centered on two aspects. First Damn Garcia’s return to competition after a near two year absence, and secondly Garcia’s first attempt competing in the normally talent-deep Jr. Middleweight division.   As simple as this might sound to the reader, there are times where the story leading into a fight does not require much explanation, even though in this case, it does involve a fighter in Garcia, who prior to his hiatus was regarded as one of the top fighters in the sport of Boxing. Despite the premise being simple to describe, what always interests this observer whenever a fight like this occurs is how a fighter in Garcia’s position would respond to fighting in a new weight class. Something clearly intended to give him a fresh start in his return to the ring.   What was also of interest to you...

  Although much of what has dominated the attention throughout the sport of Boxing recently has had to do with scheduled bouts falling through, being rescheduled for several reasons including, but not limited to the ongoing global COVID-19 epidemic, there has been several fights that have taken place inside the ring that some might say because of what has been circulating the Boxing news cycle has been under the radar. Among those bouts that perhaps would have received more attention under normal circumstances, was the July 17 th  World Jr. Middleweight unification bout between WBC/WBA/IBF world champion Jermell Charlo and undefeated WBO world champion Brian Castano, which took place at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, TX.   Normally when a unification bout such as this is signed, it is not uncommon to see elements of hype used as a promotional tool in an attempt to garner interest in the upcoming showdown. This was a rare case however, where such tactics and/or trying...

  The career of undefeated Jr. Middleweight contender Tim Tszyu has seen him quickly progress from a prospect following in the footsteps of his father the longtime former Jr. Welterweight world champion and Hall of Famer Kostya Tszyu, to a contender, who appears to be on the cusp of challenging for a world championship of his own.  In just eighteen professional bouts over nearly five years as a professional, the twenty-six year old Tszyu has developed a reputation as a “Knockout Artist.” Much like his father, the twenty-six year old Tszyu has the ability and punching power to end a fight at any time with either hand. Tszyu’s progression in his career thus far has largely been highlighted by victories over former WBO Welterweight world champion Jeff Horn and former world title challenger Dennis Hogan. Two fights, which Tszyu scored knockout wins.   Recently however, Tszyu had a question asked of him that in some ways is one that is asked of many fighters regardless of thei...