A Movie Legend, A Boxing Legend; An Icon Speaks: Jack O’Halloran on his boxing and movie careers

“Robert Mitchum was a father figure to me.” “[Marlon] Brando was great.” “Christopher Reeve was a jerk and I was just about to kick the s**t out of him!” “Cleveland Williams hit me harder than any other human being.” “Muhammad Ali asked me to get his brother out of boxing.”

Most famous for his role as mute villain, ‘Non’ in the blockbuster ‘Superman’ films, 73-year-old Jack O’Halloran was also an accomplished pro boxer who met a number of big names in the 1960s and ’70s. In compiling a 34-21-2(17) ledger, the strapping 6’6” Philadelphia-born giant – who fought out of Boston – rumbled with, amongst others, George Foreman, Cleveland Williams, Joe Bugner and Ron Lyle.

continue

Keith Thurman – Fancies He’d Beat Pacquiao

Dan Birmingham trained welterweight star Keith Thurman(25-0, 21ko) has spoken to fighthype.com about the future of the welterweight division in the wake of the Mayweather/Pacquiao saga to say that while Floyd is undoubtedly P4P #1 in the world, Manny Pacquiao has certainly dropped in his estimations.

The undefeated Florida star, who is never short of confidence said of the Filipino legend;

“Floyd is definitely the top dog. But Manny Pacquiao….what was that loss for Manny? Number 6? Number 7 in his career?” (6)

continue

Floyd Mayweather Says He’d Beat Manny Pacquiao “100 out of 100 Times” | Full Interview

Sports Emmy® Award winning reporter Jim Gray of SHOWTIME Sports® sat down with pound-for-pound champion Floyd “Money” Mayweather for an exclusive and candid interview late Tuesday night, just days after Mayweather dominated Manny “PacMan” Pacquiao en route to a 12-round unanimous decision victory last Saturday night in Las Vegas. The interview will premiere this Saturday, May 9, on SHOWTIME immediately following the network’s premiere of Mayweather vs. Pacquiao (9 p.m. ET/PT).

continue

Johnson Says He Will Knock Joshua Out/AJ Unfazed

Anybody who tuned in to see British future heavyweight star Anthony Joshua’s (12-0,12ko) routine, one sided knockout of South American Raphael Zumbano Love on Saturday night will have witnessed durable American veteran Kevin Johnson (29-6-1, 14ko) step into the ring post-fight to hype and sell their upcoming May 30th bout from London’s O2.

The veteran American, who has never been stopped in his 36 professional fight career – looked calm and composed as he met Joshua’s stare and said;

continue

The Future Is Bright (And Cotto?) For Canelo After Slaughtering Kirkland

Well – I wrote yesterday that a couple of rounds of toe-to-toe action filled with drama would be better than 36 minutes of May-Pac and unless you are a total purist – I was proven correct. It was what we hoped for, albeit it for slightly longer maybe?

Though from the hurtful, venomous punches the Mexican star threw repeatedly how was Kirkland ever going to last? It looked like he was being used as a heavy bag by Alvarez whose mother, as always, cheered enthusiastically on from the sidelines.

continue

Floyd Mayweather: Nineteen Years, One Excuse

Manny Pacquiao, outpointed by Mayweather on May 2nd, recently underwent surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff, the shoulder injury which he blamed for his defeat, infuriating Mayweather to say, “I’ve lost all respect for him”, and brand him a “coward”. “I’m not going to buy into the bulls***, and I don’t want the public to buy into the bulls***”.

“Nineteen years in the fight game and I’ve had one excuse: don’t have an excuse. Winners win and losers have excuses”, Mayweather recently stated on Instagram.

continue

You Have To Feel For Ricky Burns – But Boy Is He Back!

After last night’s contest in Texas- as part of Al Haymon’s Premier Boxing Champions brand – the history books will always say Ricky Burns (37-5, 11ko) lost 3 of his last 4 fights. Yet in my humble opinion, the former 2 weight world champion was extremely unlucky as the traveling fighter against Omar Figueroa (25-0-1, 18ko) – dropping the decision in a fight where he wasn’t just fighting his opponent but also the referee and the odds in general.

Some might say, in a different ring, with a different ref, had the action all been the same – Burns may well have walked out the victor. Or at least battled to a hard earned draw.

continue

Canelo smashes Kirkland in highlight reel KO

In front of more than 31,000 raucous fans Minute Maid Park in Houston, super welterweight sensation Mexico’s … continue

Canelo Alvarez obliterates Kirkland!

Red-headed Mexican star Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (45-1-1, 32 KOs) got one of his better victories of his career tonight in defeating a guy that was totally made for him in 31-year-old James Kirkland (32-2, 28 KOs) by a 3rd round stoppage on HBO World Championship Boxing at the Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas.

Kirkland, who was fighting for the first time in two years after dropping a lot of fat in training camp, was really no match for Canelo. Kirkland attempted to use his wide open fighting style by plodding straight at the 24-year-old Canelo in the brief three rounds of action and the results were predictable. Canelo dropped Kirkland three times in the fight.

continue

“War” From Buglioni & Markham – “Striking Distance” Card Review Feat. Skeete/Smith

Frank Warren tonight brought his “Striking Distance” show to the Wembley Arena in London (in a televised clash with Sky’s Matchroom “Resurrection” show from Birmingham) – which after pull-outs by middleweight stars Billy Joe Saunders and Chris Eubank Jr, ended up being (ably) carried by stable starlets Frank Buglioni, Bradley Skeete and Mitchell Smith – whose loyal A-Team were out in droves and vocal in their support of the top young 126/130lb prospect.

In the end it was Enfield’s Buglioni and his fight with old amateur rival Lee Markham that stole the show in a hard fought, blood and guts domestic battle that going in was tipped to be the Fight Of The Night.

continue