A Tribute To Ken Norton – 1943-2013

09/19/201309/19/2013 James Slater

norton gang As fans have no doubt read by now, heavyweight legend and former world champion Ken Norton passed away earlier today. The magnificently conditioned former U.S Marine, most famous for his three epic fights with Muhammad Ali, suffered a stroke last year and had been in poor health since. Today, fans and former champions everywhere are sending out messages of condolence to Norton’s family.

I had the opportunity to meet Kenny last year, in Las Vegas.

By way of a tribute to the Hall of Famer who met such heavyweight titans as: Ali, Larry Holmes, George Foreman, Gerry Cooney, Earnie Shavers and many, many more – I recall the short amount of time I spent with Norton during the Floyd Mayweather-Miguel Cotto fight week of May 2012.

Bad decisions in boxing: what can be done?

09/16/201309/15/2013 James Slater

Leading up to last night’s Floyd Mayweather-Saul Alvarez fight, ESB had an article asking whether or not “The One” could end up being scored as a draw. It didn’t happen, but one individual masquerading as a judge – really a person who deserves no further publicity, even bad publicity – DID manage to score the bout a draw. This after 10, 11 or maybe even 12 master class rounds by the incomparable 36-year-old all-time great known as Money.

The draw was never really close to happening, but the fact that one judge had the fight so badly, so poorly, so disgustingly and so erroneously scored is bad enough. Surely something must be done about last night’s unfathomable 114-114 scorecard and the person who handed it in. There must at least be an investigation, and after such a thing has happened, no way will any conclusion be reached than one that says last night’s judge is woefully incompetent.

Overall, because the right man won, no real harm has been done – some people may say this anyway. But is that really the point? What if three “incompetent” officials are put together at the same time for the same fight one day?

Mayweather-Alvarez: Could “The One” End In A Draw?

09/13/2013 James Slater

Most experts are agreed: tomorrow night’s Floyd Mayweather-Saul Alvarez fight will go the distance and Mayweather will win. But could “The One” wind up being a draw? Of course it COULD, but will it?

Gabriel Montoya started the ball rolling with suggestions that the hugely hyped fight could end in a draw (adding that a draw could well be worth a bet) and quite recently, there has indeed been talk of big money being placed on the draw, this action sending the odds tumbling down to something like 10/1. Golden Boy legend Bernard Hopkins has also gone on record as stating how a draw would not surprise him.

Maybe.

Mayweather-Canelo, Garcia-Matthysse predictions for Saturday’s massive night of boxing!

09/12/201309/11/2013 James Slater

01 (2) (Photo credit: Naoki Fakuda) It could be said that the form book will very much be obeyed on Saturday night in Las Vegas, that the expected fighters will emerge victorious and that all fight fans who pointed out the obvious before it went down will be made to look like know-it-alls as a result. Indeed, most people think Floyd Mayweather will out-point Canelo Alvarez, that Lucas Matthysse will have too much power for Danny Garcia and that there will, by and large, be no shocks inside a buzzing MGM Grand.

Still, as great a night as September 14th promises to be, it would be amiss not to write a pre-fight predictions piece – and there is the intriguing undercard action to look at (arguably the two toughest bouts to call being Ishe Smith-Carlos Molina and Ashley Theophane-Pablo Cano).

Mayweather’s First Battle With Castillo – The Only Real Blueprint On How To Defeat “Money?”

09/10/201309/09/2013 James Slater

Maybe Oscar De La Hoya has got it wrong, and his close (in the opinion of some, not in the opinion of many others) but losing fight with superstar Floyd Mayweather is not the real example of a blueprint on how to defeat the 44-0 master. Maybe – and it’s testament to Floyd’s greatness that we have to clutch at straws in such a way – we have to go back to the night of April of 2002, and Mayweather’s tough, close and gruelling encounter with Mexican warrior Jose Luis Castillo to find anything approaching a genuine blueprint on how to beat him.

It’s certainly interesting that Mexican fighters have given Mayweather his toughest tests (Castillo and Mexican/American De La Hoya being right at the top of the short list) and maybe Saul Canelo Alvarez will have studied both fights in his preparations for “The One,” which is now just days away.

Arreola Destroys A Game Mitchell – Wilder Or Stiverne II Next?

09/08/201309/08/2013 James Slater

(Photo credit: Esther Lin/Showtime) Chris Arreola came into last night’s fight with Seth Mitchell wearing a robe that had written on it “you don’t play boxing.” A clear dig at Mitchell’s attempts to transfer his physical skills from the football pitch to the boxing ring, Arreola’s statement was borne out – in quite devastating style.

Looking as focused as can be, Arreola wasted no time testing Mitchell’s chin and pretty soon the writing was on the wall. Mitchell ate plenty of leather in a short period of time and he was all over the place, hurt bad and clumsily trying to hold on. Arreola, though, would not be denied.

Oscar De La Hoya making a lot of pre-fight predictions ahead of “The One!”

09/04/2013 James Slater

It’s always both very interesting and a great honour being a call in participant whenever a big fight is preceded by a teleconference; especially an international one ahead of a massive, massive fight such as the fast approaching Floyd Mayweather-Saul Canelo Alvarez clash. Yesterday, with big name scribes such as Dan Rafael and Lem Satterfield asking Canelo and Oscar De La Hoya questions regarding “The One,” it was hugely exciting being on the line.

I listened to the ESPN.com scribe ask his questions, along with writers for USA Today, Ring Magazine and other instantly recognisable publications, and the thing that struck me most, well actually there were two things – they were: Canelo’s amazing maturity and quiet self confidence, and Oscar De La Hoya’s bold pre-fight predictions.

Unbeaten heavyweight Erkan Teper stops Michael Sprott in 1st-round – Teper may be one to watch

09/03/201309/01/2013 James Slater

It was a slow, slow weekend for boxing as fans know, yet over in the somewhat unlikely setting of Switzerland, an unbeaten heavyweight scored a win that just might suggest he is worth keeping an eye on. In a fight that flew very much under the radar outside of Switzerland, unbeaten German heavyweight Erkan Teper scored the biggest win of his three-year pro career last night in Basel, as he scored a 1st-round TKO over the seasoned and well travelled Michael Sprott.

31-year-old, 6’5” Teper scored with a right hand and Sprott was unable to recover. Improving to 11-0(7), Teper might have moved himself into position for some bigger fights. 38-year-old Sprott is now 37-21(17) and loser of six of his last seven outings. This could well be the end for the former British and Commonwealth champion.