Great Rivalries: Ezzard...

By Jimmy Krug. After the final retirement of Muhammad Ali, the top-ten fighters moved in to fill the void. When the smoke had cleared, Larry Holmes stood atop the mountain, being recognized by most as the true Heavyweight Champion of the World. Following in the footsteps of someone...

Battling Levinsky and T...

By Jimmy Krug. The year was 1915.  The No-Decision Era would last another 5 years until the Walker Law went into effect in the State of New York. The era was a perfect fit for Philadelphian Light Heavyweight – Battling Levinsky.  Levinsky was a slick, safety-first, boxer who‘s...

Dramatic Fights of the ...

By Joe Torcello. 1990 – 1999 Mike Tyson vs. Buster Douglas February 11, 1990 The “Baddest Man on the Planet” was undefeated with 37 professional fights, 33 coming by way of knockout.  Tyson had cleaned out the division on his way to the top and had already made 9 successful...

Dramatic Fights of the ...

By Joe Torcello. 1960 – 1969 Floyd Patterson vs. Sonny Liston September 25, 1962 Although he was the defending champion, Floyd Patterson was expected to lose to the imposing #1 ranked contender – Charles “Sonny” Liston.  Past champions including Jack Dempsey, Joe Louis and...

Robert Duran – Under ...

By Jimmy Krug. Roberto Duran began his boxing career in 1968.  Twelve years later (before his 2nd fight with Sugar Ray Leonard), Duran’s record stood at 72-1 (55 KO’s).  The year was 1980.  The price of a first-class stamp was .15 cents.  Regular gasoline was about $1.25 a...

Questions and Answers w...

By John Christenson. The following was taken from a 1962 interview with 7th ranked Heavyweight contender, Cassius Clay.  The Olympic Gold Medalist was 13-0.  At 6’ 3”, the young Clay weighed under 200 pounds, a Cuiserweight by today’s standards.  Although not all of the questions...

Jack Johnson – The Or...

By Jimmy Krug. The life story of Jack Johnson has been discussed in dozens upon dozens of books, magazines, articles and debates over the last 100 years.  It’s hard to do justice in a single column to a man whose popularity transcended the sport as was the case with Jack Johnson. ...

Dramatic Fights of the ...

By Joe Torcello.  (Part 2 of 4) 1930 – 1939 Joe Louis vs. Max Schmeling June 22, 1938 Max Schmeling had been the first fighter to defeat Joe Louis in 1936. Schmeling broke down an overconfident Louis and eventually knocked him out in the 12th.  Although Louis had gone on to win...

Dramatic Fights of the ...

By Joe Torcello.  (Part 1 of 4) Decade of: 1900 – 1909 Tommy Burns vs. Jack Johnson December 26, 1908 It has been said that Tommy Burns was chased by Jack Johnson across the world in an effort to secure a title fight.  Years later, however, it was revealed that Burns intentionally...

Gene Tunney – Odd...

By Jim Galiano. In a time when America’s Boxing hero’s were hard drinking, hard living, warriors of the ring, Gene Tunney was definitely cut from a different mold.  He suffered the same misfortune as Larry Holmes would suffer many years later.  He followed in the footsteps of...