Boxing

In my estimation, Larry Holmes is one of the most underrated champions of all time. The problem with his legacy is that he fought past his prime. With a 48-0 record and closing in on Rocky Marciano’s all-time undefeated mark of 50-0, Holmes took on light heavyweight champion Michael Spinks in 1985 thinking he would beat him but ended up losing a unanimous decision spoiling his ...

Mike Weaver had a stellar career winning several different championships despite losing 18 times against 41 victories. But at one point in his career he held the NBA heavyweight title belt, International Boxing Authority championship, the WBA Americas title, the WBA belt, USBA title, USBA title, and the Nevada heavyweight championship. But when he won the WBA heavyweight champi ...

Some referred to Gerry Cooney as the “Great White Hope” during the prime of his career. That’s because he expected to become world champion and unseat the defending champion, Larry Holmes. Cooney’s path to the championship was a brutal one for his opponents as he scored 24 knockouts in his 28 fights but the knock on his record is that he was beating fighters that were far past ...

While “Big John” Tate lost just three times in 37 fights, as stated above, he lost his heavyweight title to Mike Weaver after holding it for less than a year when he beat Gerrie Coetzee by decision to take the belt on October 20, 1979. After losing to Weaver, Tate lost again in his next fight to Trevor Berbick getting knocked out again this time in round nine. He would not lose ...

Perhaps one of South Africa’s greatest fighters ever, Gerrie Coetzee began his legacy with a South African heavyweight title that he won in 1976 by beating Mike Schutte although it was by disqualification when Coetzee’s opponent tried to kick him after the new champion was knocked down. He would later decision Schutte in a rematch. Coetzee got his first shot at a world title wh ...

For Duane Bobick, he had an outstanding amateur career that included a victory over future heavyweight champion Larry Holmes that propelled Bobick to the 1972 Olympic team where he would get knocked out by the Cuban great Teofilo Stevenson. This came after a defeat of Stevenson a year earlier at the Pan American Games. Bobick also fought Ron Lyle before turning pro but Lyle lef ...

Before George Foreman and then Mike Tyson came along terrifying the heavyweight division, in his prime, Sonny Liston was considered the scariest fighter ever in the heavyweight division. Leading up to his first championship bout with Muhammad Ali, Sonny Liston had knocked out 24 of his first 35 opponents and was coming off two successive first-round knockout victories over Floy ...

Of the 24 fighters listed above only half are still alive today. Those still with us are Joe Bugner (70), George Chuvalo (82), Alfredo Evangelista (65), George Foreman (71), Ernie Shavers (75), Leon Spinks (66), Chuck Wepner (82), Larry Holmes (70), Mike Weaver (69), Gerry Cooney (63), Gerrie Coetzee (65), and Duane Bobick (69). In my next article, I will cover one of my favori ...

With the growth of Mixed Martial Arts, specifically the UFC and Bellator, this sport's increasing popularity has diminished the interest in professional boxing in a profound way.

I can hardly believe that the “Hitman” Thomas Hearns will turn 61 in October. It just seems like yesterday that he and Sugar Ray Leonard put on a battle for the ages in one of the greatest fights in the history of boxing.