George Foreman on what would have happened had he fought Mike Tyson

08/05/2016 James Slater

“What f*****g excitement!” a well known boxing promoter speaking in 1990 on the possibility of a Mike Tyson-George Foreman super-fight

It remains one of the most talked about “dream fights,” or super-fights that never took place. It is the biggest of all heavyweight collisions: George Foreman Vs. Mike Tyson. The fight came close to happening in the early 1990s, but, as living legend Foreman recently explained when speaking on the CBS Sports radio show Brown and Scoop, for some reason the fight didn’t happen: “I couldn’t get him, I just don’t know why,” Foreman said. “I tried.”

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Roy Harris, The Pride Of Cut And Shoot, Texas

08/01/201607/25/2016 Mike Dunn

It is unfortunate that some fighters are remembered more for the fight or fights they lost than for any of the positive accomplishments they had in the ring.

Randall “Tex” Cobb won 43 fights out of 52 and had 36 knockouts to his credit. Not a bad record. But what is he remembered for? His lopsided decision defeat at the hands of heavyweight champion Larry Holmes in November of 1982. He knocked out Earnie Shavers and lost split decisions to Ken Norton and Michael Dokes. But those performances don’t enter into the equation most of the time when people think of Cobb.

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20 Years Ago Today: Muhammad Ali’s finest Olympic victory

07/20/201607/19/2016 James Slater

Being too young (unfortunately) to have seen the great – The Greatest – Muhammad Ali fight live, even on TV, the first indelible memory I have of the immortal legend occurred twenty years ago today. Ali, by this time ravaged by Parkinson’s, quite simply made around half the world’s population shed a tear as he bravely forced his almost uncontrollable arms to assist him in accepting one of the finest honours that can be bestowed upon any athlete: that of lighting the Olympic Torch in the opening ceremony of the planet’s most-watched sporting celebration.

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Hail Cesar! Chavez, the greatest Mexican fighter ever born on this day in 1962

07/12/201607/12/2016 James Slater

Who is the greatest ever Mexican fighter: Ruben Olivares? Salvador Sanchez? Carlos Zarate? Miguel Canto? Juan Manuel Marquez? Erik Morales? Marco Antonio Barrera? Ricardo Lopez?

No, top of the list, above all this incredible talent, is the man who was born today in 1962 and went on to record an astonishing 107-6-2(86) pro record – the mighty, the incomparable Julio Cesar Chavez. Simply unbeatable in his prime years – 1984 to 1993 – Chavez tore through the super-featherweight, lightweight and super-lightweight divisions, capturing world titles in each weight class and retaining them for a substantial amount of time. Among the fine fighters Chavez defeated: Mario Martinez, Ruben Castillo, Roger Mayweather, Rocky Lockridge, Edwin Rosario, Jose Luis Ramirez, Meldrick Taylor and Hector Camacho.

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The greatest living former heavyweight kings

07/05/201607/05/2016 James Slater

With the recent sad passing of the great Joe Frazier, and the even more recent – in fact still numbing – passing of The Greatest, Muhammad Ali, the world was robbed of two of the finest heavyweight world champions in history. Indeed, Ali and Frazier, who of course gave us THE most fierce and most celebrated rivalry in all of sports, were the king of kings. Ali and Frazier may no longer be with us on this physical plane, but they will live forever.

This distinction, or honour, is one only truly special fighters receive – Rocky Marciano, Sugar Ray Robinson and Joe Louis included. But who are the finest, the greatest, the most special former world heavyweight kings who are still with us? In short, who are the greatest living former heavyweight rulers?

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Happy Birthday, Mike Tyson – The youngest heavyweight champ in history turns 50 today

06/30/201606/30/2016 James Slater

By his own admission, Mike Tyson, who today celebrates reaching his half century, never thought he’d live to the age of thirty, let alone 50. The former street hoodlum who was saved by boxing and then went off the rails as he made too much money, was manipulated by the wrong people he became involved with and eventually fell into pretty much all the traps his mentor and father figure Cus D’Amato so wanted him to avoid, was convinced he’d be dead not too long after his 21st birthday.

But Tyson endured, went through many changes and, by the age of 30, had done it all – he had: made history as the youngest heavyweight champion ever at age 20, become the undisputed king by the age of 21, lost the crown at age 23, served time in jail more than once, taken all manner of drugs and had sex with too many women to possibly count, bitten off a substantial chunk of an opponent’s ear, come close to total bankruptcy, fought on when way past his best, and finally retired from the ring at the age of 39.

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Miami Actor Aygemang Clay Invokes Jack Johnson on Stage

06/26/201606/26/2016 Bill Barner

Veiled as the story of fictional boxing champion Jay Jackson, “The Royale” portrays the hurdlesreal-life Jack Johnson had to clear to become the first African-American heavyweight champion of the world.

“The Royale” has been presented in New York and Chicago, and is now in Miami, FL with local actor Aygemang Clay commandeering the lead role. Jack Johnson was born and raised in Galveston, TX. Ironically, the man who years later would become emblematic of segregation in sports actually grew up in a poor Texas neighborhood largely unexposed to segregation. Although he grew up with a lot of white friends, they were all similarly poor and he was rarely reminded of his skin color.

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Roberto Duran turns 65, and he has a new movie to celebrate!

06/17/201606/16/2016 James Slater

The great Roberto Duran turns 65 today, June 16th. Arguably the finest living fighter, the finest lightweight in history and one of the greatest Hispanic boxers of all time, Duran, Hands of Stone, is a hero to millions and a huge influence on many thousands of fighters, both past and present. Duran turned pro way, way back in February of 1968 (LBJ was president, Muhammad Ali was in exile, George Foreman had not yet won his Olympic gold medal) and he won his first world title, the WBA lightweight crown, in June of 1972 (“Tricky Dicky” was now president, Ali had returned, lost to Joe Frazier and was on the comeback trail anew, Foreman was an unbeaten 35-0 contender).

This is how long the cherished Duran had been a part of fight fans’ lives. Duran would beat everything in his path at 135-pounds, then beat the new US superstar Sugar Ray Leonard at welterweight, then win world titles up at 154 and 160 and fight to earn a quite astonishing, 103-16-(70) pro record! Imagine that today? No, I can’t, either.

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Ali to Foreman: Please come back and beat Ken Norton for me

06/17/201606/16/2016 James Slater

Big George Foreman, with the passing of the great (or greatest) Muhammad Ali, has become the oldest living former world heavyweight champion, and the 67-year-old legend sure has a number of tales to tell. Foreman has literally seen it all, done it all, and lived to tell the story of it all. George has had some quite amazing life, no doubt. But despite all he has witnessed, the incomparable Ali still leaves George somewhat mystified and in awe.

These past two weeks have seen Foreman share with us all his memories of Ali, and George has paid great tributes to the former three-time king. One of the more interesting things Foreman had to say about his one-time archenemy came on the latest episode of Jim Lampley’s The Fight Game. Foreman spoke of an unexpected phone-call from Ali, “in the late ’70’s.”

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Manila: where Ali should have fought his last; and how his later years might have been if he had

06/11/2016 James Slater

It might seem an odd choice as it is certainly no Ali book that either celebrates or holds up The Greatest’s legend as a God-like figure who is deservedly idolised the world over, but Mark Kram’s superb book, Ghosts of Manila has been paid another visit during this, the time of Ali”s passing. The sad news has upset millions, and by way of tribute a far less scrutinising book would make far more a palatable read for the Ali worshippers (including me).

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