For those who don't know, ESPN finally decided to part ways with their main boxing guy Dan Rafael after 15 years-- and it's about damn time. Per ESPN media statement: "Dan Rafael has been an important part of our boxing coverage for almost two decades...We thank him for the many contributions he made to the coverage of the sport during that time. We wish him success in … [Read more...]
Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.: The Career Postmortem
"It may seem as though Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. was born a made man, but back in 2008, when fans in Hermosillo, Sonora pelted the ring with garbage and cups of beer in protest of his controversial split decision win over Minnesota’s Matt Vanda, he certainly didn’t seem to be living a charmed in-ring life. Jr. sat in his corner, dejected and deflated, protected from the debris … [Read more...]
The Truth About Premier Boxing Champions
In the mainstream boxing media, there have been a lot of statements made over the past few days regarding Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) and whether the series created by Al Haymon is on its last legs. In truth, a lot has been said about PBC in a negative context since its inception in early 2015, but here we will focus primarily on the last several days. On Wednesday, Dan … [Read more...]
What Can Save HBO Boxing Now?
We need to take a second here and just be totally honest with ourselves: HBO Boxing is no longer deserving of the distinction of being the “Network of Champions,” but more so “Relic of Yesteryear.” This isn’t coming as a delayed reaction to yet another underperforming pay-per-view, the second starring both Gennady Golovkin and Roman Gonzalez, nor is it because they are on … [Read more...]
Mayweather vs. McGregor and the snobbery of “real” boxing fans
Just the mere mention of a possible Floyd Mayweather-Conor McGregor bout is enough to send boxing “purists” into a downward emotional spiral. And with Floyd Mayweather’s recent announcement that he was coming out of retirement precisely for a big-money McGregor clash, the sound of mass hand-wringing and clucking of tongues is almost deafening. “Oh sweet spirit of Jack … [Read more...]