Former undisputed heavyweight champion Riddick “Big Daddy” Bowe has unwisely decided to return to the ring and he would like to fight Juan Carlos Gomez sometime in the near future.

Bowe (43-1-0-1, 33 KOs), the winner of a silver medal at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, resumed his career as a professional prizefighter after almost four years out of the ring when he earned a unanimous decision victory over Gene Pukall in December 2008.

“I want to get back in the ring as soon as I can and Gomez would be a good fight for me,” said Bowe, 42, a four-time New York Golden Gloves titlist who is a native of the notoriously violent Brownsville section of Brooklyn.

“He already fought Vitali Klitschko and now it’s his last chance to prove he belongs with real world class. I’m even ready to come to Germany for him if that’s what he wants. My legal advisor in Germany, Roma Kolaczek, is ready to set it up for me.”

Continue reading "Riddick Bowe Pathetically considers himself a "real world class" fighter"

Current WBO world welterweight champion and Ring Magazine light welterweight titlist Manny “Pac-Man” Pacquiao was honored as the fighter of the decade by the Boxing Writers Association of America on Monday. 

Pacquiao, the first boxer in history to capture seven crowns in seven different weight divisions, joined Muhammad Ali and Evander Holyfield as the only legendary pugilists to win the coveted award three times.  

Pacquiao (50-3-2, 38 KOs) indicated to the media that he plans to personally accept his accolade at the 85th boxing writers awards dinner on June 11 in New York City. 

“Pac-Man” has long been considered an extremely skilled and accomplished fighter. 

However, Pacquiao’s dominating recent performances versus Miguel Cotto (34-2, 27 KOs), Ricky Hatton (45-2, 32 KOs) and Oscar De La Hoya (39-6, 30 KOs) clearly elevated the Filipino superstar to an iconic status.  

Continue reading "Manny Pacquiao deservedly wins the fighter of the decade"

Evander “The Real Deal” Holyfield canceled his February 20 match in Uganda against WBF world heavyweight champion Francois “White Buffalo” Botha because Holyfield said the promoter failed to pay him. 

Nevertheless, Holyfield (47-10-2, 27 KOs) told www.espn.com that his fight versus Botha (47-4-3, 28 KOs) will be rescheduled for March 6 at a site yet to be determined inside of the United States. 

“I’m not going over,” said Holyfield, 47, the only boxer to ever win the heavyweight title four times. “We’re moving the fight to the United States, but they haven’t got a site yet. But I’m still supposed to fight Botha.” 

Holyfield’s delusional and selfish manager, Ken Sanders, is also attempting to pit “The Real Deal” in a prizefight against New York’s Derric Rossy (22-2, 12 KOs) less than two months after his proposed contest with Botha on April 24 in Las Vegas. 

Continue reading "Evander Holyfield will be boxing's next tragedy"

Legendary St. Louis Rams and Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner retired last week after 12 improbable seasons in the NFL.

Warner, a two-time AP NFL MVP and five-time Pro Bowl selection, walked away from the gridiron, and $11.5 million, while he was still playing at an elite level.

“I’m excited about what’s next,” said Warner, 38, a two-time First-Team All-Pro and the MVP of Super Bowl XXXIV. “Before I was always excited about next season.”

With a genuine Cinderella tale like Warner, there really is no way to even guesstimate “what’s next” for him.

Despite the fact that he wasn’t even afforded the opportunity to make his first professional start until he was 28 years of age, Kurt Warner is absolutely one of the greatest quarterbacks in the history of the NFL.

Continue reading "Nobody played the QB position better than Kurt Warner"

Dedham’s Freddie “The Choir Boy” Roach was honored with a record-setting fourth Eddie Futch Award for trainer of the year by the Boxing Writers Association of America on Monday. 

Among other fighters, Roach currently trains seven-division world champion Manny Pacquiao (50-3-2, 38 KOs), WBA light-welterweight titlist Amir Khan (22-1, 16 KOs) and WBA middleweight champ Felix Sturm (33-2-1, 14 KOs). 

Roach was also deservedly awarded with the prestigious accolade in 2003, 2006 and 2008. 

The late Futch trained Roach (39-13, 15 KOs) until the former Massachusetts lightweight decided to retire from the sport to become Futch’s assistant. 

Not only is Roach a tremendous trainer, he is also widely reported to be a truly nice and engaging individual away from the brutal world of prizefighting. Sadly, Roach was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease a few years ago. 

Continue reading "Dedham's Fredie Roach is again voted trainer of the year"

Twenty years ago next Thursday, James “Buster” Douglas defeated “Iron” Mike Tyson by a 10th round TKO to become the undisputed heavyweight champion in one of the biggest upsets in the history of sports.

Tyson, a 42-1 favorite to successfully defend his crowns, entered his February 11, 1990 matchup against Douglas in Tokyo with an unblemished record of 37-0.

“Iron Mike,” who remains at 20 the youngest man to ever capture the WBC, WBA and IBF heavyweight titles, was one of the most talented fighters ever during his heyday.

Tyson was a physical marvel who possessed an amazing combination of quickness, speed and unrivaled power.

Beyond his incredible abilities in the ring, Tyson was a menacing man who often trumped his opponents out of fright before the opening bell was even rung.

Continue reading "20 Years After Mike Tyson Lost To "Buster" Douglas"

The New Orleans Saints will play the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLIV Sunday at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.

The Colts (16-2) are currently favored by nearly six points to defeat the underdog Saints (15-3) this weekend.

No matter what the ultimate outcome is, fans can expect to witness a thrilling game between the offensively explosive Saints and Colts.

In tribute to this weekend’s championship matchup, I have decided to rank the five best Super Bowl winners of the past quarter-century.

1)      The 1989-1990 San Francisco 49ers- The dominant 49ers (17-2) absolutely destroyed the overmatched Denver Broncos (13-6) by a score of 55-10 in Super Bowl XXIV to repeat as champions at the Superdome in New Orleans.

Continue reading "The Five Best Super Bowl Winners Since 1985"

WBC Lightweight champion Edwin “El Terminator” Valero will fight Antonio DeMarco tonight in Monterrey, Mexico. 

Valero (26-0, 26KOs), who once established a world record by winning his first 18 professional fights by first round knockout, is an absolute machine and fight fans are urged to watch his ring prowess at 9 p.m. EST on Showtime. 

“I’m very excited about this fight and thrilled to be fighting on Showtime,” said Valero, 28, a Venezuelan national who has become an Internet sensation because of the work he does with his savage fists.  

“DeMarco is a good, young fighter who has great aspirations, like most young fighters, and I respect him a lot. But I believe my experience will be an important key. He hasn’t fought the kind of fighters I have and he hasn’t fought in world title fights. I’m very confident that once I connect with one of my power punches, he will feel it.” 

Continue reading "The most powerful puncher since a prime Mike Tyson fights tonight on Showtime"

WBC lightweight champion Edwin “El Terminator” Valero utterly dominated Mexico’s Antonio DeMarco to successfully defend his crown Saturday night in Monterrey. 

Valero (27-0, 27 KOs), who once established a world record by winning his first 18 professional fights by opening round knockout, ultimately emerged victorious when DeMarco (23-2-1, 17 KOs) refused to come out of his corner to begin the 10th round. 

“My physical strength started to show,” said Valero, 28, who has become an Internet sensation due to the vicious power that he possesses in his fists.  “Little by little, I started gaining ground. The first three or four rounds I couldn’t hit him with my jab, but then I started to connect.” 

DeMarco, 24, only the sixth pugilist to survive in excess of five rounds with Valero, is a decent fighter who had entered Saturday’s bout with an impressive 16 consecutive victories to his name. 

Continue reading "Edwin "El Terminator" Valero could beat Manny Pacquiao"

IBF super middleweight titlist Lucian “Mister KO” Bute is scheduled to fight Edison Miranda on April 17 at the Bell Centre in the champ’s adopted hometown of Montreal.

“It will certainly be a pleasure for me to box again at the Bell Centre and to defend my title for the fifth time in front of my fans,” said Bute, 29, a native of Romania who has long resided in Canada’s second-largest city. “I am taking Miranda very seriously. He demolished many good fighters and is a notorious puncher. I will have to keep my concentration level on high to stay champion.”

Bute (25-0, 20 KOs) is a very skillful boxer who has posed many opponents problems in the ring with his southpaw stance.

On the contrary, Miranda (33-4, 29 KOs), a Colombian pugilist whose four losses have come at the hands of three elite fighters, is an absolutely ferocious brawler.

Continue reading "Skilled Canuck Bute will outclass Colombian brawler Miranda"

Superstar quarterback Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts were defeated by the New Orleans Saints 31-17 in Super Bowl XLIV Sunday at Sun Life Stadium in Miami, Florida.

The game was ultimately decided by a crucial Manning miscue when his pass was intercepted and returned 74 yards for a touchdown by Saints cornerback Tracy Porter with only three minutes remaining in the decisive fourth quarter.

Manning, 33, a four-time AP NFL MVP and ten-time Pro Bowl selection, is rightfully considered one of the greatest signal-callers of all-time.

However, as this past weekend yet again proved, Manning is simply not a better player than New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.

Manning, who is now a mediocre 9-9 in the postseason, went 31 for 45 for 333 yards and a touchdown.

Continue reading "Sunday Proved That Tom Brady Is Better Than Peyton Manning"

Abrasive Trojans Head Coach Lane Kiffin received a verbal commitment last week from a 13-year-old middle school quarterback named David Sills to attend the University of Southern California (USC).

Sills, a seventh-grader at Red Lion Christian Academy in Bear, Delaware, was featured in a 2007 issue of Sports Illustrated and Bloomberg News once described him as the “best arm money can buy.”

Since he was nine, Sills has worked with renowned quarterback trainer Steve Clarkson to hone his prodigious skills.

“His skill set is off the chart,” said Clarkson, who has also mentored quarterbacks Jimmy Clausen, Terrell Pryor, Matt Barkley, Ben Roethlisberger, Matt Leinart and Matt Cassell among others.

“I’ve never seen anyone at his age do what he’s been able to do. He’s already six feet as a 13-year-old and he’s breaking down NFL footage.”

Continue reading "David Sills Should Eat McDonald's & Go Out On "Mischief Night""

“Ireland’s” John Duddy will fight “Murder Man” Michael Medina on the March 13 undercard of the welterweight title fight between Manny Pacquiao and Joshua Clottey at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington. 

Duddy (27-1, 17 KOs), a former IBA World middleweight champion who was born in the city of Derry in Northern Ireland, suffered his first loss as a professional to Billy Lyell (21-8, 4 KOs) by split decision in April 2009. 

Duddy successfully rebounded from his lone defeat and trumped Michi Munoz (20-1-2, 13 KOs) in his comeback bout by unanimous decision this past October.  

Duddy, 30, has long been a very popular boxer in “The Hub,” particularly in South Boston, due to its large working class population of Irish-Americans.  

Continue reading "Popular South Boston fighter "Ireland's" John Duddy to fight on Pacquiao undercard"

WBC, WBO and The Ring Magazine middleweight champion Kelly “The Ghost” Pavlik is tentatively scheduled to fight WBC super welterweight titlist Sergio Martinez April 17 at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J. 

“We’re waiting for Lou (DiBella, Martinez’s promoter) to send back the contract, which he said there are no problems with,” said Top Rank’s Bob Arum, Pavlik’s promoter. “Kelly is on board and we’re planning a press conference in New York, but HBO wanted us to hold off until after the Olympics. But the fight is agreed to. We’re good on our side and Lou tells me it’s good to go on his side. We’re putting off the press conference strictly because of the Olympics.” 

Pavlik (36-1, 32 KOs), whose only loss as a professional came at the hands of legendary pugilist Bernard Hopkins (50-5-1, 32 KOs), successfully returned to the ring last December, after two major surgeries on his left hand, with a dominating fifth round TKO victory over Miguel Espino (16-3-1, 8 KOs). 

Continue reading "Kelly Pavlik Will Knockout Sergio Martinez"

WBA interim world super flyweight champion “The Filipino Flash” Nonito Donaire defeated last-minute challenger Manuel “Chango” Vargas by third round knockout Saturday night at the Las Vegas Hilton. 

Donaire (23-1, 15 KOs), rated by The Ring as the number six pound-for-pound boxer in the world, was initially scheduled to fight Gerson Guerrero (34-8, 26 KOs). 

Unfortunately, Guerrero, 28, was forced to withdraw from the championship matchup after he failed his pre-fight eye exam on Wednesday. 

“It was a crazy week, “ said Donaire, 27, a native of the Philippines who is also the former IBF and IBO flyweight titlist. “It didn’t matter who I fought, I simply tried to figure him out.” 

It certainly didn’t take long for Donaire to “figure out” Vargas (25-3-1, 11 KOs). “The Filipino Flash” dominated Vargas through the first two rounds before he floored “Chango” with a violent uppercut at 1:33 in the third. 

Continue reading "Nonito Donaire proves again that he's one of the best boxer's in the world"

Unfortunately, very little news of interest has emerged so far this week in the world of boxing.

Considering the relative dearth of recent activity in The Sweet Science, I decided to rank the five most skilled boxers to enter the ring over the course of the past quarter-century.

It is imperative that I emphasize the word “skilled.”

The forthcoming list is not comprised of the most accomplished or decorated pugilists since 1985.

Rather, I ultimately nominated the five fighters below based strictly on their physical gifts and their overall pugilistic capabilities.

1)      “Sugar” Ray Leonard- Leonard (36-3-1, 25 KOs), named Fighter of the Decade for the 1980s by

Continue reading "The five most skilled fighters since 1985"

Provided that a bar mitzvah doesn’t prohibit it from occurring, WBA super welterweight champion Yuri Foreman is expected to defend his crown against former WBO welterweight titlist Miguel Cotto on June 5 at Yankee Stadium. 

“The Yankees want to make a deal, we know we can make a deal, they’re just working through a problem at Yankee Stadium,” promoter Bob Arum told the Associated Press on Tuesday.  

“But you wouldn’t believe it if I told you. They’ve leased out some lounges for this bar mitzvah and part of the deal was for a half hour or so, they could use the big screen in center field to show pictures and all that sort of stuff. Obviously you can’t do that if there’s a fight going on.”

Cotto (34-2, 27 KOs) last fought on Nov. 14 when he relinquished his belt to Manny Pacquiao (50-3-2, 38 KOs) by a brutal 12th round TKO.

Continue reading "Jewish Champ Will Lose To Puerto Rican Icon at Yankee Stadium"

February is widely recognized as the dimmest and most lackluster of all the months on the sports calendar. 

Considering the relative dearth of interesting storylines (sorry, Winter Olympics), I decided to rank the seven most entertaining quotes uttered by athletes over the course of the past decade. 

I chose to incorporate seven quotes because we are a mere seven weeks into the new year.  

1)      “Iron” Mike Tyson (50-6, 44 KOs) demolished Lou Savarese (46-7, 38 KOs) by TKO just 38 seconds into their fight in Glasgow, Scotland. 

In a ringside interview with Showtime’s Jim Gray shortly after the massacre, Tyson went on a inane tirade against Lennox Lewis (41-2-1, 32 KOs). 

“I’m the best ever. I’m the most brutal, vicious and most ruthless champion there’s ever been. There’s no one can stop me,” said Tyson, who remains the youngest boxer to ever capture the WBC, WBA and IBF world heavyweight titles. 

Continue reading "The best quotes by athletes in the 2000s"

The Cleveland Cavaliers acquired two-time All-Star Antawn Jamison in a three-team trade Wednesday night. 

Cleveland, who has won 11 consecutive games and owns the best record in the league at 43-11, only squandered Zydrunas Ilgauskas and their first round pick to obtain Jamison. 

Jamison, 33, the fourth overall selection in the 1998 NBA Draft out of the University of North Carolina, is a skilled and rugged power forward who was averaging an impressive 20.5 points for the Washington Wizards prior to last night’s transaction. 

At this juncture, barring an injury to superstar Lebron James, the Cavaliers seem destined to easily waltz through the Eastern Conference and into the NBA Finals in June. 

James, 25, a three-time All-NBA First Team selection and the 2009 MVP, is indisputably the best player in the world today. 

Continue reading "Cleveland and Lebron will win its first championship since 1964"

WBC world heavyweight champion Vitali “Dr. Iron Fist” Klitschko announced this past weekend that he will retire from the sport of boxing before 2010 is completed. 

Klitschko (39-2, 37 KOs), the owner of the highest knockout percentage (94.9%) of any heavyweight boxing titlist ever, also stated that he would like to fight both WBA world heavyweight champion David “The Hayemaker” Haye (23-1, 21 KOs) and Nikolai Valuev (50-2-0-1, 34 KOs) before he hangs-up his gloves.  

“Dr. Iron Fist,” a Ukrainian who has incredibly never been knocked down or received a standing eight-count as a professional, is not exactly a youthful pugilist at the age of 38. 

Nevertheless, Klitschko has emphatically won seven consecutive bouts and he hasn’t been defeated since he lost to Lennox Lewis (41-2-1, 32 KOs) by a controversial sixth round TKO in June 2003. 

Continue reading "Vitali Klitschko to retire and join International Boxing Hall of Fame"

The 2010 NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Tournament will commence in three weeks and the Final Four is scheduled to begin on April 3 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. 

Below are the five best teams to win a national championship over the course of the past quarter century.  

1)      The 1991-1992 Duke University Blue Devils- Duke trounced the University of Michigan Wolverines 71-51 in Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis to capture their second consecutive national championship. 

Duke (34-2, 12-2 ACC), who became the first squad to win successive crowns since UCLA in 1973, was led by All-American’s Christian Laettner, Bobby Hurley and Grant Hill.  

Hurley, the NCAA all-time leader in assists with 1076, was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player. 

Continue reading "The 1992 Duke Blue Devils Were the Best College Basketball Team Ever"

An eight-foot bronze statue of “The Brown Bomber” Joe Louis will be unveiled Saturday in the International Boxing Hall of Famer’s hometown of LaFayette, Alabama.  

Residents of the town of approximately 3,000 people managed to raise nearly $60,000 over a span of three years to pay for the sculpture to be built. 

The statue of Louis, which has a base of Alabama red granite, will be situated outside of the Chambers County Courthouse in LaFayette. 

Louis (65-3-0-1, 51 KOs), who in 2005 was named the greatest heavyweight ever by the International Boxing Research Organization, was born six miles northwest of LaFayette in 1914. 

“The Brown Bomber” transcended boxing and he is widely considered to be the first black man that the American public openly supported. 

Continue reading "Statue Erected In Alabama For Boxing Great & Enemy of Hitler"

If they had fought at the peaks of their respective careers, “Sugar” Ray Leonard would have soundly defeated current WBO world welterweight champion Manny “Pac-Man” Pacquiao.

Pacquiao (50-3-2, 38 KOs), the first fighter to capture seven world titles in seven different divisions, is currently rated by Ring Magazine as the preeminent pound-for-pound boxer in the world.

“Pac-Man” has long been regarded as one of the elite boxers in the sport.However, Pacquiao’s recent demolitions of solid scrappers Miguel Cotto (34-2, 27 KOs), Ricky Hatton (45-2, 32 KOs), and Oscar De La Hoya (39-6, 30 KOs) have elevated his status to a newfound superiority.

Pacquiao has been blessed with every necessary tool to become an outstanding prizefighter, and he has aptly used those abilities.

Continue reading ""Sugar" Ray Leonard Would Have Dominated Manny Pacquiao"

The 2010 NFL Draft will commence on Thursday, April 22, at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. 

In tribute to the upcoming draft, below are the five best  number one overall selections made by franchises over the course of the past quarter-century.  

1)      Peyton Manning (Quarterback)- The Indianapolis Colts chose Manning out of the University of Tennessee with the top selection in the 1998 draft. 

Manning, a four-time AP NFL MVP and five-time First-Team All-Pro selection, led the Colts to a 29-17 victory over the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XLI. 

Manning, who was voted onto the NFL 2000s All-Decade team, was named the game’s Most Valuable Player after he completed 25 of 38 passes for 247 yards and a touchdown. 

Continue reading "The Five Best NFL First Overall NFL Draft Picks"

WBO world welterweight champion Manny “Pac-Man” Pacquiao’s adviser said Wednesday that his fighter does not have an injured leg and he is prepared to battle Joshua “The Hitter” Clottey March 13 at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington. 

“It’s nothing serious, just cramps,” said Michael Knocz. “Relax, don’t worry. He’ll (Pacquiao) be ready for the fight.” 

Pacquiao (50-3-2, 38 KOs), Ring Magazine’s number one pound-for-pound boxer in the world, has long been regarded as one of the elite prizefighter’s in the sport. 

However, Pacquiao’s recent demolitions of solid scrappers Miguel Cotto (34-2, 27 KOs), Ricky Hatton (45-2, 32 KOs), and Oscar De La Hoya (39-6, 30 KOs) have elevated his status to a newfound level of superiority. 

Continue reading "Manny Pacquiao's injured leg is "nothing serious" and "he'll be ready" to fight Joshua Clottey"