Harold Johnson died yesterday. In many ways, he was the first fighter who taught me that you didn't have to be flashy, you didn't have to be able to take someone out with one punch, that you could do things with really small gestures, and still be extraordinary. It was through Harold Johnson that I realized that I was actually starting to understand boxing; the fighter who … [Read more...]
Bernard Hopkins and Meta Boxing
I’m not sure that by using conventional boxing methods, Bernard Hopkins, at nearly 50 years of age, could beat any of the bigger, stronger, faster, harder punching opponents that his own demanding Old School self-image requires him to face. As the years have passed, Hopkins has systematically jettisoned one standardized boxing form after another, replacing each with … [Read more...]
Inflatable Dolls, Twin Chinless Wonders, and an Elderly Black Gentleman: Involuntary Visual Requirements for the Contemporary Boxing Fan
Today’s boxing rings are cluttered up. There are now three mandatory fixtures viewers are obliged to watch before the referee can give instructions and free us to move on to the fight itself. Occasionally there are a couple of additional mandatories, depending on who’s fighting. The most visually arresting of this group is the matched set (and occasionally trio or quartet) … [Read more...]