Over the years, I have seen literally thousands of fights and to name my top ten will do injustice to many others and I apologize for that up front. Still, I'll give it a go and list them in order of preference. Rightly or wrongly, I used the following criteria: I had to see them live or when they were first televised (no tapes, YOUTUBES, and/or videos), ebb and flow, sudden … [Read more...]
My Five Favorite Rounds
1. Diego Corrales vs. Jose Luis Castillo I (2005): Round 10. With his left eye almost totally closed and already down twice in the 10th, the late Chico Corrales miraculously climbed off the deck and battered Jose Luis Castillo into submission along the ropes to score one of the most dramatic come-from-behind TKOs in boxing history. As Castillo was moving in for the … [Read more...]
The Boxing Tribune Year-End Awards: 2014 (Part One)
If 2013 was considered a fan's year in terms of matchmaking and entertainment, 2014 has to be seen as a frustrating disappointment in those same areas. Although we did get served a nice portion of quality action over the course of the year, 2014 will go down as the year many of boxing's top stars decided to forego large chunks of career in exchange for more favorable business … [Read more...]
What’s Next for Ruslan Provodnikov?
The result to Friday's Moscow bout between Ruslan Provodnikov (24-3, 17 KOs) and Jose Luis Castillo (66-13-1, 57 KOs) was never really in doubt from the moment the fight was signed. The only question seemed to be-- when, exactly, the shopworn 40-year-old Mexican would fall under the heavy pressure of "The Siberian Rocky." The answer to that question turned out to be "five … [Read more...]
Provodnikov Faces Shopworn Castillo Friday in Moscow
This Friday at Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, Russia, former WBO light welterweight champion Ruslan Provodnikov (23-3, 16 KO’s) returns to the ring to face Mexican great Jose Luis Castillo (66-12-1, 57 KO’s) in a scheduled 12 round bout. In his first post-Top Rank contest, the "Siberian Rocky" comes in on the comeback trail, but he really shouldn’t be. This past June, he … [Read more...]