The Boxing Truth®

A storyline that has quietly been gaining momentum is unified IBF/WBA/WBO/IBO Heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko’s steady march towards Boxing history.   Klitschko, the two-time Heavyweight world champion has in his second reign as champion compiled sixteen successful title defenses since regaining a portion of the Heavyweight crown by scoring a knockout in his second win over then IBF world champion Chris Byrd in 2006.     Normally a fighter who has been as dominating as Wladimir Klitschko has been for much of the last decade, the idea of that fighter making a run to attempt to match or even surpass the all-time record for successful title defenses, not just of the Heavyweight division, but rather the entire sport would certainly garner significant attention. For Klitschko however, much of his career has been defined not only by his own individual dominance, but also as one half of what this observer has often called “The Two-Headed Heavyweight Champions...

Bernard Hopkins has built his Hall of Fame career on his ability to defy odds and accomplish goals that few have attempted. The only man in Boxing history to completely unify a weight class by unifying the world championships of the IBF, WBC, WBA, and WBO while setting the all-time record for most successful title defenses in the history of the Middleweight division compiling twenty successful title defenses from 1995-2005. Hopkins’ historic reign atop the Middleweight division alone secured his status as a future Hall of Famer. In an era where world championships are won, lost, stripped, or relinquished for various reasons Hopkins showed, despite the various political elements that surround the sport that a fighter can not only win a world championship, but become the one and only champion. Hopkins is a true throwback to an era where fighters took on all comers and there was one recognized champion per weight class. Although his place in the Hall of Fame was cemented...

There is little doubt that the Light-Heavyweight unification bout between IBF/WBA Light-Heavyweight champion Bernard Hopkins and undefeated WBO champion Sergey Kovalev has become one of the most anticipated fights in recent years. Of course one might be tempted to say that the term “one of the most anticipated fights” is one that can at times be overused when it comes to the sport of Boxing and combat sports overall. This fight however, the “Anticipation” is certainly warranted. A fight that is not only the next chapter in the Hall of Fame career of Bernard Hopkins, but also the continuation of Hopkins’ quest to duplicate history. Many will remember that as a Middleweight Hopkins not only dominated the division, but would become the first fighter in Boxing history to completely unify the world championships of the WBC, WBA, IBF, and WBO. An impressive feat that was part of what became a historical reign for Hopkins, who set the all-time record for most successful world titl...

The road back to a shot at a world title for Light-Heavyweight contender Andrzej Fonfara began against Doudou Ngumbu on November 1st at the UIC Pavilion in Chicago, Illinois. Fonfara entered this fight looking to rebound after dropping a hard fought twelve round unanimous decision to current WBC Light-Heavyweight world champion Adonis Stevenson in May of this year. In facing Doudou Ngumbu Fonfara faced a fighter who was somewhat an enigma and was not well known in the United States, despite having fought thirty-eight professional fights prior to his encounter with Fonfara. Although he was not well known prior to the fight Ngumbu, who was fighting for the first time in the United States showed that he came to fight. Ngumbu’s awkwardness in using his lateral movement and ability to throw and land punches at odd angles seemed to give Fonfara difficulty periodically throughout this fight. The first four rounds in particular were an example of “Swing Rounds” where there was lik...