George Foreman Gave Jimmy Young Too Much Time
George Foreman gave Jimmy Young too much time during their March 17, 1977, heavyweight fight in San Juan. Instead of attacking with the urgency that destroyed Joe Frazier and Ken … continue
Tom Reynolds
Muhammad Ali’s Forgotten Rematch With Joe Bugner
Muhammad Ali’s rematch with Joe Bugner on July 1, 1975, receives little attention compared with his fights against Sonny Liston, Joe Frazier and Ken Norton. The Kuala Lumpur defense lacked … continue
Evander Holyfield Broke Mike Tyson’s Bully Formula
Mike Tyson expected another frightened opponent when he defended his WBA heavyweight title against Evander Holyfield on November 9, 1996. Instead, he met a challenger who refused to retreat. Holyfield … continue
Joe Louis Becomes Heavyweight King Without the Crown
Joe Louis arrived at Yankee Stadium on September 24, 1935, facing a single major test: Was he merely destroying handpicked opposition, or was the 21-year-old already the best heavyweight in … continue
Sugar Ray Leonard’s Five-Division Myth: The Lalonde Asterisk
Sugar Ray Leonard became a five-division world champion by stopping Donny Lalonde in the ninth round on November 7, 1988, but the light heavyweight portion of that accomplishment deserves an … continue
Chuck Wepner’s Rabbit Punches Bring Out Angry Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali’s first defense of his reclaimed heavyweight championship became far rougher than anticipated against Chuck Wepner on March 24, 1975, at the Richfield Coliseum near Cleveland. Ali dominated most … continue
Rocky Marciano Escapes Roland La Starza With Controversial Decision
Rocky Marciano’s perfect record nearly vanished against Roland La Starza on March 24, 1950, at Madison Square Garden. Ten tough rounds left Marciano with a thin split decision win that … continue
Riddick Bowe’s Costly Punch Against Buster Mathis Jr.
Riddick Bowe was supposed to begin rebuilding his career against Buster Mathis Jr. on August 13, 1994. Instead, his return ended with one of the strangest rulings of his career … continue
Salvador Sánchez Died With His Biggest Fights Ahead
Salvador Sánchez was only 23 when his life ended in a car crash on August 12, 1982, leaving behind a championship reign that already included victories over several of the … continue
Jack Dempsey’s Harry Wills Problem Never Went Away
Jack Dempsey remains one of the most celebrated heavyweight champions in boxing history, but one question has followed his reign from 1919 to 1926. Harry Wills spent much of that … continue