by Fox Doucette Erislandy Lara (15-1-1, 10 KOs), who has depending on your perspective either not won a fight since last January or is still undefeated, takes on Ronald Hearns (26-2, 20 KOs) this Friday in Biloxi, Mississippi. In a year that seems to be polluted by more bad decisions than usual, it is perhaps instructive to note Lara's role in proving the validity of the … [Read more...]
4-Round Boxing News Brief (Chavez jr. cancels; The latest on Gonzalez, Pryor, Groves)
-- Amidst rumors of weight issues and concerns about the competing Saul Alvarez-Alfonso Gomez card, it was reported today that a cut suffered on Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.'s hand will likely force him to pull out of his scheduled September 17 bout with Ronald Hearns. According to Chavez's manager, Billy Keane, the WBC middleweight titlist cut his hand on a ceiling fan a few weeks … [Read more...]
Sergio Martinez: In Search of the Holy Frail
by Paul Magno Sergio Martinez may be fighting undefeated UK contender, Darren Barker next, but the one he really wants is Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.-- and he's willing to wait. The problem with propping up a fake champion is that, sooner or later, a line will form to call the bluff. In recent months, the WBC has defiled both the middleweight and jr. middleweight divisions … [Read more...]
Donaire-Montiel and The Karma of Good Matchmaking; Magno’s Monday Rant
(Photo: Chris Farina/Top Rank) Howdy and welcome to another edition of Magno's Monday Rant, the only boxing column guaranteed to not be littered with fawning, drooling puff bios and re-written press releases. I believe in Karma. In my personal life, business, and everything in between. I've found that my conduct certainly, sooner or later, always comes back to me. Hence, my … [Read more...]
Donaire Crushes Montiel in Two; The Rest of Saturday’s Action
(photo: Chris Farina/Top Rank) Las Vegas, Nevada-- It didn't take long for Nonito Donaire (26-1, 18 KOs) to establish his place at the top of the stacked bantamweight division. It took one feeling-out round and about two minutes of the second before "The Filipino Flash" countered a Fernando Montiel (44-3-2, 34 KOs) hook with a left of his own that nearly decapitated the … [Read more...]