Six Rounds With Alfredo Evangelista: The former European heavyweight champ speaks on Ali, Holmes, Snipes, Spinks

06/24/201706/23/2017 James Slater

Spain’s Alfredo Evagelista is, along with Earnie Shavers, Larry Holmes and Leon Spinks, one of the last surviving former fighters to have gone toe-to-toe with an ageing, yet still hugely influential Muhammad Ali.

As with Shavers and Spinks, Evangelista is best known for his fight with Ali. It was back in May of 1977, some forty years ago, when a 22 year old Evangelista entered the ring against the 35 year old Ali. A huge underdog, the challenger who was born in Uruguay surprised quite a few people by pushing Ali all the way to the final bell, losing a 15-round unanimous decision in Landover, Maryland.

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2017 Florida Boxing Hall of Fame Induction Weekend

06/22/2017 Christopher Jason Young

It’s that time of year again, and we are extremely excited in the state of Florida. This 3-day weekend is packed full of activities, seminars, boxing, and entertainment. On June 23, 24 & 25, 2017 The Florida Boxing Hal of Fame will be held at the Westshore Grand Hotel in Tampa, Florida. Here are the 2017 Florida Boxing Hall of Fame new inductees:

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Happy Birthday Roberto Duran

06/16/2017 James Slater

Turning 66 years old day is the great, the hugely celebrated Roberto Duran. One of the finest “born fighters” in history, Duran lit up the sport in a major way for years. Arguably the finest living fighter today, Duran did everything his way.

Turning pro in February of 1968, Duran won a UD over four-rounds against a guy named Carlos Mendoza. Roberto would go on to score a number of brutal KO’s and he would also collect no less than four world titles in different weight classes – lightweight, welterweight, light-middleweight and middleweight being the divisions this legend conquered.

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Glenn McCrory on sparring Tyson and wanting to fight him for real

06/13/201706/12/2017 James Slater

Former IBF cruiserweight king Glenn McCrory had some career. Not only was he a world champion, but McCrory also, famously, sparred nearly a hundred rounds with a peak Mike Tyson.

Glenn, who retired with a fine and hard earned 30-8-1(12) pro record in 1993, became a pundit and commentator for Sky Sports, calling fights all over the world. Despite this, it is due to the time he spent with Tyson that many fans are most familiar with McCrory.

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All-time great Holyfield enshrined in Hall of Fame; recalls his toughest ever fight

06/12/2017 James Slater

Evander Holyfield was enshrined at The Hall of Fame in Canastota, New York yesterday, along with, amongst others, Marco Antonio Barrera and the late Johnny Tapia. Holyfield, the only four-time heavyweight champion in boxing history, was genuinely moved as he gave his acceptance speech; devoting his success to his mother – who, he told the gathering, told him “never to quit.”

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When Mike Tyson lost a fight it almost always caused one HUGE shock

06/12/201706/11/2017 James Slater

The great, the fascinating, the exciting and the controversial boxing career of Mike Tyson officially ended today – in Washington DC of all places. Tyson was an ageing, past his best former champ in June of 2005, fighting only for money, yet it was still one huge shocker when the somewhat clumsy, somewhat unheralded, somewhat slow and lumbering Kevin McBride forced the 39 year old to quit on his stool after six rounds.

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15 years ago today: Lennox Lewis destroys the remnants of the once great Mike Tyson

06/09/201706/08/2017 James Slater

15 years ago today in Memphis, a must-see heavyweight collision took place, and going in nobody really knew what to expect. What we did see when a still-in-his-prime Lennox Lewis met former champ Mike Tyson was the utter annihilation of a once great fighter; in many ways a spectacle that was equally as sad to see as Rocky Marciano’s retirement of the one great Joe Louis.

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Ali at his peak: Unbeatable?

06/03/201706/03/2017 James Slater

A half century ago, the world was being dazzled, baffled and entertained by a heavyweight champion who fought like no heavyweight before him. Muhammad Ali, aged 24 and approaching his absolute peak, had won the crown a couple of years earlier and he had made the title retentions he registered since shocking the greatly feared Sonny Liston look almost easy.

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New book counts the number of punches “The Greatest,” Muhammad Ali took

06/03/201706/03/2017 James Slater

Today, June 3rd, marks the first anniversary of the death of the one and only Muhammad Ali; without a single doubt the most famous boxer of all time. The tributes continue to come in thick and fast for the three time world heavyweight champion who would have been 75 today had he not lost his long and extremely brave battle with Parkinson’s.

The books continue to roll in, too – even though, as has been pointed out by more than a few boxing aficionados, there surely cannot be anything to write about Ali that hasn’t already been written. We’ve had “The Real Story,” with Ali’s autobiography, released way back in 1975, we’ve had another endorsed account of Ali’s life, with the 1991 effort by Thomas Hauser, and we’ve had hundreds, if not thousands of Ali books since.

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Vernon Forrest – would he have beaten Floyd?

05/26/2017 James Slater

A very fine, take no prisoners welterweight who never once looked to pick and choose his opposition, the late, great Vernon Forrest more than made his mark on the sport despite his shocking and untimely passing.

Forrest, a superb amateur, was so good that twice, with both men in their prime, he beat – and beat up – Sugar Shane Mosley. These two had met at amateur level, yet despite his Sugar, Mosley never was able to get to grips with Forrest’s poison. Fast, dangerously powerful and in possession of a great chin, Forrest could have been a superstar. He wasn’t, in large part due to how one man avoided him: Floyd Mayweather Junior.

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