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Boxing History

John Raspanti

09/25/2026

The first time I saw old-time heavyweight contender Buddy Baer was not while watching a fight film. I saw Buddy Baer, the actor, in an episode of The Adventures of Superman starring George Reeves. For one of the few times in the series, the 6-foot-1 Reeves had to look up at a co-star. Baer was five inches taller and likely 60 pounds heavier. He played one of the bad-guy circus ...

Steeped in boxing history – The Sacramento Memorial Auditorium

John Raspanti

09/20/2026

Seven minutes – When James J. Corbett came this close to becoming the first former heavyweight champion to rega...

John Raspanti

09/12/2026

Barnstorming Muhammad Ail fights light heavyweight champion Bob Foster

John Raspanti

09/04/2026

Power and Heart – The unforgettable Danny “Little Red” Lopez

John Raspanti

08/13/2026

The Phenom meets his Idol – Sugar Ray Robinson fights Henry Armstrong

John Raspanti

08/07/2026

Top 20 Welterweights in Boxing History: Where does Terence Crawford Rank?

Mike Goodpaster

07/17/2026

John Raspanti

07/03/2026

When Mr. Ali went to Munich to fight Richard “The Lionhearted”

It was a different time in boxing, for sure. No DAZN - where every fight is ...

John Raspanti

06/23/2026

Not such a bum – Al Davis – always a fighter

Al Davis fought all his life. He boxed in the ring and brawled in the streets, ...

John Raspanti

06/16/2026

Bogart, Steiger, The Harder They Fall

Hollywood made some very worthy boxing films ...

John Raspanti

06/09/2026

Classic Fighter, Classic Movie – Joe Louis and On The Waterfront

Joe Louis is one of the greatest ...

Mike Goodpaster

06/08/2026

Tom McNeeley: A Fighter in His Father’s Shadow and His Own Spotlight

Born in Arlington, Massachusetts, Thomas William McNeeley ...

Mike Goodpaster

06/07/2026

The Mythical Boxing Showdown: George Foreman vs. Lennox Lewis

In the world of mythical boxing matchups, ...

Mike Goodpaster

06/06/2026

Why Tony Ayala Jr. Was Overrated: A Closer Look at the Myth and the Reality

Tony Ayala Jr. is often remembered as ...

Mike Goodpaster

06/05/2026

Oscar De La Hoya: The Golden Boy’s Greatness and the Underrated Legacy

When you hear Oscar De La Hoya, ...

Mike Goodpaster

06/03/2026

Top10 Worst Heavyweight Title Challengers from 1970-1990

I am not going to lie here, my original plan was to do the top-10 from ...

Mike Goodpaster

06/01/2026

Top 10 Dirtiest Boxers of All Time

Dirty boxing was more prevalent in the ...

Mike Goodpaster

05/27/2026

Top 14 Greatest Knockouts in Boxing History

Boxing is an art that requires immense ...

Mike Goodpaster

05/26/2026

Top 12 Most Controversial Fights in Boxing History

Has any sport ever had more controversial ...

Mike Goodpaster

05/22/2026

Joe Frazier vs Jerry Quarry I: They Don’t make Fighters like this anymore!

On June 23, 1969 - more than ...

Mike Goodpaster

05/21/2026

The Nine Most underrated Heavyweight Boxers of All-Time

I love making these lists. I grew ...

Mike Goodpaster

05/19/2026

Remembering the Tragic Death of Willie Classen

In some ways, Willie Classen was typical ...

Buddy Gibbs

05/18/2026

The Undeserved Pardon of Jack Johnson

On May 24th of, 2018, President Trump ...

Mike Goodpaster

05/16/2026

The 16 Greatest Upsets in Heavyweight Boxing History

Today I want to compare and rate ...

Serhan Dayi

05/15/2026

Remembering Terry Norris-Meldrick Taylor

Boxing has always had its share of ...

Mike Goodpaster

05/15/2026

Top 10 Pound for Pound Boxers of all time

At Lightweight, he was an all time ...

Christopher Shelton

05/12/2026

Esteban de Jesus, Roberto Duran y AIDS (1972-89)

Many of us dream of celebrity sports ...

Mike Goodpaster

05/11/2026

Top 19 Heavyweights of all time

Everybody has differing opinions on almost everything ...

Mike Goodpaster

05/10/2026

The Truth About Rocky Marciano

A lot has been said on social ...

John Raspanti

05/09/2026

Back from the dead – Ron Lyle fights Muhammad Ali May 1975

Stabbed by a fellow inmate, Ron Lyle, ...

Jeremiah Preisser

05/08/2026

Part One: The Greatest Defensive Fighters Ever–Willie Pep

Willie Pep once stated, "The best advice ...

Mike Goodpaster

04/19/2026

Top 9 Fight Cards in Boxing history

I keep hearing how this past Saturday ...

Chris Benedict

04/10/2026

Nothing is Stronger Than a Triangle: The Unbreakable Bond Between Marvelous Marvin Hagler and the Petronelli Brothers

His personal motto was “Destruct and Destroy.” ...

Buddy Gibbs

04/02/2026

Fritzie Zivic vs. Jake LaMotta: Trouble in Forbes Field

Some fights are simply impossible to make ...

Chris Benedict

04/01/2026

From the Madhouse to Muldoon’s House: Nellie Bly’s visit with John L. Sullivan

Nellie Bly arrived in New York City ...

Buddy Gibbs

03/30/2026

Leonard Morrow–The California Kid: Part II

An eye for an eye After pulling ...

Jeremiah Preisser

03/29/2026

Yuri Arbachakov: The post-Soviet Flyweight Champion

On October 22nd, 1966, in a place ...

Buddy Gibbs

03/28/2026

Leonard Morrow–The California Kid: Part I

While most students at McClymonds High School ...

Buddy Gibbs

03/27/2026

Wars Behind Closed Doors

If a boxer wants to have any ...

Jeremiah Preisser

03/26/2026

Ezzard Charles and Harry Greb: A light-heavyweight perspective

It’s not often that the well-rounded “Cincinnati ...

Buddy Gibbs

03/08/2026

The Story of “Tampa” Tommy Gomez

“My daddy was a one-generation immigrant. Most ...

John Raspanti

03/06/2026

Who was Joe Calzaghe’s most difficult opponent? The answer might surprise you

Joe Calzaghe engaged in 46 professional fights. ...

Mike Goodpaster

03/04/2026

Top 10 All-Time Greatest Mexico vs Puerto Rico Fights

Today's list is a combination of how ...

Mike Goodpaster

03/02/2026

Boxing Myth or Fact: Jack Johnson/Stanley Ketchel was a fixed fight?

Most boxing fans who look into the ...

John Raspanti

02/26/2026

Armando Muniz Remembers the Worst Robbery in Boxing History

It was a little over forty-three years ...

Mike Goodpaster

02/22/2026

Top 12 Greatest Punchers in Heavyweight History

This list includes all heavyweights, including active ...

Mike Goodpaster

02/21/2026

Top 10 Come from Behind wins in Boxing history!

The men on this list snatched victory ...

Mike Goodpaster

02/18/2026

Top 10 Greatest Welterweight Boxers of All Time

The welterweight division has long been one ...

Mike Goodpaster

02/11/2026

Top 10 First Round Knockouts in Boxing History

First-round knockouts can lead to disappointment for ...

John Raspanti

02/09/2026

Buckled and floored, Joe Louis butchers Tony Galento

Tony "Two Ton" Galento was short, fat, ...

Mike Goodpaster

02/08/2026

Comparing Muhammad Ali to Mike Tyson: Why the comparison is stupid

I keep seeing all of these younger ...

Mike Goodpaster

02/04/2026

Top 10 Mexican Boxers of All Time: Who is the Greatest of them All?

Mexican boxers are often defined by toughness, ...

Mike Goodpaster

01/24/2026

Top-11 Lightweights in Boxing History, Is Roberto Duran really number one?

The lightweight division (135 pounds) has long ...

John Raspanti

01/23/2026

Embarrassed Joe Louis fights for redemption against Jersey Joe Walcott

Heavyweight champion Joe Louis felt ashamed. On ...

John Raspanti

01/12/2026

Henry Armstrong – Indisputable Greatness

What Henry Armstrong achieved in the late ...

Mike Goodpaster

01/11/2026

Frazier vs Daniels: Terry Daniels in the Lion’s Den

As it takes only moments to name ...

John Raspanti

01/03/2026

Round 14 – Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier throw hands for the last time

Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier fought for ...

John Raspanti

12/15/2025

Unforgettable: The fourth fight between Bobby Chacon and Rafael Limon

Strolling around downtown Sacramento recently, I spotted ...

John Raspanti

12/07/2025

Dec. 7,1970 when “The Greatest” fought “Ringo” at Madison Square Garden

Barely a month after stopping top-ranking contender ...

John Raspanti

11/28/2025

Joe Louis fights light heavyweight champion John Henry Lewis

In 1939, undisputed heavyweight champion Joe Louis ...

Mike Goodpaster

11/19/2025

The Real Story Behind Cinderella Man: James Braddock, Joe Gould, Max Baer, and the Shadows of the Fight Game

Ron Howard’s 2005 film Cinderella Man presents ...

John Raspanti

11/16/2025

November 21, 1972 – Muhammad Ali and Bob Foster throw hands

Muhammad Ali returned to boxing in 1970. ...

Mike Goodpaster

11/13/2025

Iron Will, Iron Chin: The Legend of Bennie Briscoe

Few fighters in boxing history embodied pure ...

John Raspanti

11/07/2025

“Rocky Balboa” like Billy Backus upsets future Hall of Famer

It took Jose Napoles 64 fights to ...

Mike Goodpaster

11/07/2025

George Chuvalo: A Heavyweight’s Triumphs and Tragedies

George Chuvalo’s life story reads like a ...

Mike Goodpaster

11/05/2025

Boxing: The Slow Death of a Once-Majestic Mainstream Sport

For nearly a century, boxing stood shoulder ...

Mike Goodpaster

10/31/2025

What If: Sugar Ray Leonard vs. Marvelous Marvin Hagler had met in 1982

Boxing fans have long debated one of ...

Mike Goodpaster

10/30/2025

So Close to Greatness: The Life and Career of Hedgemon Lewis

Born February 25, 1946, in Greensboro, Alabama, ...

John Raspanti

10/27/2025

Underrated former light heavyweight champion John Conteh – skill and style

John Conteh was one heckuva a fighter. ...

John Raspanti

10/15/2025

Sensing the ghosts of history at the old Los Angeles Sports Arena

As you age, you reminisce. I was ...

Mike Goodpaster

10/10/2025

Tommy Morrison and AIDS: The Truth about what happened, and how he Died.

Tommy Morrison burst onto the professional boxing ...

Mike Goodpaster

10/09/2025

Michael Dokes: The Rise and Fall of a Forgotten Heavyweight Champion

Michael Dokes was born in Akron, Ohio—a ...

Mike Goodpaster

10/08/2025

Kiko Bejines: A Promising Bantamweight’s Journey to a Fatal Title Fight

Boxing has always carried with it both ...

Mike Goodpaster

10/07/2025

Oscar Bonavena: The Colorful Life, Storied Career, and Tragic End of Argentina’s Wildest Heavyweight

Oscar “Ringo” Bonavena wasn’t just a boxer—he ...

Mike Goodpaster

10/06/2025

Gerald McClellan: “He got what he gave” – A Divisive Legacy

Boxing has always celebrated its knockout artists—fighters ...

Mike Goodpaster

10/05/2025

Top 17 Latino Boxers of All Time

Boxing’s history cannot be told without the ...

Mike Goodpaster

10/04/2025

Top 10 Boxers of the 1940s

The 1940s were a golden decade for ...

Mike Goodpaster

10/03/2025

Mike Rossman: The Jewish Bomber’s Journey To Boxing Glory

The 1970s produced a golden age of ...

Mike Goodpaster

10/02/2025

The Army Boxer Who Knocked-Down Muhammad Ali (1960)

In the vast folklore of American boxing, ...

Mike Goodpaster

09/30/2025

Beyond the Gloves: The Journey of Kallie Knoetze

In the 1970s, South African boxing enjoyed ...

Mike Goodpaster

09/29/2025

Tony Sibson: The Leicester Lionheart

In the rich tapestry of British boxing, ...

Mike Goodpaster

09/27/2025

Clearing the Smoke: Why Sugar Ray Leonard Never Ducked Aaron Pryor

Boxing history is filled with debates about ...

John Raspanti

09/26/2025

Angry Rocky Graziano goes after Charley Fusari

Though gentle and, as his wife said, "sweet" ...

Mike Goodpaster

09/25/2025

Top 11 Cruiserweights in Boxing History: Usyk or Holyfield at No.1?

The cruiserweight division has long been one ...

Mike Goodpaster

09/23/2025

Marcel Cerdan: The Moroccan Bomber

Marcel Cerdan was born on July 22, ...

Mike Goodpaster

09/22/2025

The Super Fight: Sugar Ray Leonard vs. Thomas Hearns I (1981)

By 1981, boxing’s welterweight division was the ...

Mike Goodpaster

09/18/2025

Tony Tubbs: A Career of Skill, Struggles, and Short-Lived Glory

Anthony “Tony” Tubbs was born on February ...

Mike Goodpaster

09/16/2025

Nick Wells: The Man Who Knocked Out Larry Holmes Twice

Boxing history is full of fighters whose ...

Mike Goodpaster

09/14/2025

There Truly Was Only One Ricky Hatton

Ricky Hatton was born on October 6, ...

Mike Goodpaster

09/09/2025

Razor Ruddock: The Smash That Shook the Heavyweight Era

In an era when the heavyweight division ...

John Raspanti

09/08/2025

When 90,000 boxing fans showed up to watch Jack Dempsey and Georges Carpentier fight

1921. Novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald, fresh off ...

Mike Goodpaster

09/03/2025

José “Mantequilla” Nápoles: a complete life and career retrospective

José Ángel Nápoles—“Mantequilla,” Spanish for “Butter”—was the ...

Mike Goodpaster

09/02/2025

Joe Bugner: The Enigmatic Heavyweight Who Battled Legends

Joe Bugner was born József Kreul Bugner ...

John Raspanti

08/29/2025

Tury “The Fury” Pineda: A rising star who burned out quickly

Young fighters who can punch, tickle the ...

Mike Goodpaster

08/27/2025

The 1981 Battle of the Little Giants: Salvador Sánchez vs. Wilfredo Gómez

By the summer of 1981, boxing was ...

Mike Goodpaster

08/26/2025

James “Quick” Tillis: the fighting cowboy who tested a generation

James Theodore Tillis was born July 5, ...

Mike Goodpaster

08/19/2025

Jimmy Young: The Victim of Controversial Decisions

In the turbulent heavyweight era of the ...

Mike Goodpaster

08/12/2025

The Night Benítez Outboxed Durán: A Masterclass in Las Vegas

On January 30, 1982, under the bright ...

Mike Goodpaster

08/11/2025

Mythical Matchup Breakdown: Tommy Morrison vs. Deontay Wilder

When fight fans imagine dream matchups across ...

Mike Goodpaster

08/08/2025

Ken Norton: The Relentless Warrior Who Pushed Ali to the Brink

Ken Norton was born on August 9, ...