Roberto Duran is recognized as perhaps one of the top 10 fighters to ever enter a boxing ring. He won world titles in four weight divisions, beating the best fighters of two decades, and establishing himself as one of the sport's larger-than-life legends in the mold of Jack Dempsey and Muhammad Ali. That legend grew larger on Duran's 32nd birthday, June 16, 1983 - the night he knocked out Davey Moore to win the WBA junior middleweight title at an unconscious Madison Square Garden in New York City - 30 years ago today. Left for dead by promoter Don King... Continue reading

Twenty-nine years ago today, Roberto Duran - one of the greatest boxers in history - suffered his most devastating and shocking defeat. Thomas Hearns, defending his WBC junior middleweight title, destroyed the Panamanian legend, knocking him out in two rounds at an outdoor stadium at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Hearns dropped him twice and cut him in the first round, before landing a helacious right hand to the jaw that knocked Duran out cold for the only time in his illustrious career. Coming in to the fight, Hearns had been experiencing a power outage. While still among the elite... Continue reading

It wasn’t that long ago that Alfredo Angulo was the talk of boxing. A Mexican powerpuncher with mayhem on his mind and enough power in both mitts to back it up, Angulo went to 15-0 before losing to veteran Kermit Cintron (and a case of the flu) in 2009. He quickly bounced back, reeling off five straight wins – all by knockout. A spectacular shootout with James Kirkland followed in 2011, and even though Angulo lost, it reaffirmed his place as one of boxing’s must-see performers. But then Angulo spent eight months in a jail cell due to a visa... Continue reading

By Matthew Aguilar Special to the Times The super middleweight division has always been something of an outcast in boxing circles. Created in 1984 by the newfound IBF to bridge a large gap between middleweight (160 pounds) and light heavyweight (175 pounds), it spent the first few years of its existence fighting for acceptance. It finally got it in the 1990s with the arrival of Englishmen Chris Eubank and Nigel Benn - a precursor to the all-around popularity that it enjoys today. The current 168-pound boom started in 2007, when Joe Calzaghe and Mikkel Kessler met in one of the... Continue reading

Bernard Hopkins, age 48, won yet another world championship Saturday, easily outpointing Tavoris Cloud for the IBF light heavyweight title. It is the "Executioner's" second championship at 175 pounds. But Hopkins is more closely associated with the middleweight division, where he made a record 20 title defenses between 1995 and 2005. He is considered one of the top three 160-pounders of all time, along with Carlos Monzon and Marvelous Marvin Hagler. Fittingly, it was 27 years ago today - March 10, 1986 - that Hagler won his last fight - an 11th round knockout of Ugandan knockout artist John "The... Continue reading

Antonio Escalante showed Saturday that he's still exciting, and he still has power. The El Paso junior lightweight scored a spectacular second-round knockout of Leonilo Miranda at Illusions Theater in San Antonio to keep his career title hopes intact. Escalante, 28-4 (19 knockouts), has now won four in a row. After an uneventful first round, Miranda, 32-5 (30 KO's), wobbled Escalante with a big right hand against the ropes. Escalante tried to dance out of trouble, but Miranda was in hot pursuit and seemed on the verge of a knockout win. Then, out of nowhere, Escalante clocked Miranda with a... Continue reading

Three weeks after Josesito Lopez shocked Victor Ortiz, another underdog hit the jackpot Saturday. Danny Garcia - who figured to be too small and too one-dimensional for Amir Khan - scored a shocking fourth-round knockout at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. "Swift" knocked Khan down twice in the third round and three times in the fourth before referee Kenny Bayless abruptly stopped the fight. With the win, the Philadelphian unifies the WBA and WBC junior welterweight title belts. Khan, whose chin has been exposed as soft in the past, slugged it out with Garcia despite advantages in height and... Continue reading

Well, even though it's just June, we have our "Upset of the Year" for 2012. And Victor Ortiz would be well-advised to find another line of work. Ortiz, a huge favorite to defeat challenger Josesito Lopez Saturday at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, quit on his stool after the 9th round because of a broken jaw. And though he was winning on all three judges' scorecards, it was not the same Ortiz who beat Andre Berto in April 2011. It didn't even seem like the same Ortiz who was knocked out by Floyd Mayweather Jr. in September. Ortiz seemed... Continue reading

You have to feel for Freddie Roach this morning. The trainer for Manny Pacquiao boarded a private jet last night from Las Vegas to Canastota, N.Y., where, today, he is being inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. It is an honor that is richly deserved. But, after Pacquiao lost his WBO welterweight title to Timothy Bradley last night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, the induction is likely the last thing on Roach's mind. It was, perhaps, the worst decision in boxing history. With a sport constantly under fire for its lack of integrity, a lot of... Continue reading

To appreciate what Johnny Tapia achieved in boxing, you must first consider his childhood. His mother was kidnapped, raped and murdered – by way of a screwdriver being plunged into her body over and over and over – when he was all of eight years old. He woke up in time to see her screaming, chained to the back of a pickup. He was ignored when he tried to tell others in the house. Tapia’s father? Pretty much nonexistent most of his life. The chances of Tapia turning into something meaningful in life were roughly equivalent to winning the Powerball... Continue reading

It was supposed to be sweet revenge for Julio Cesar Chavez. Instead, it was the continued downward spiral of the greatest Mexican fighter in boxing history 18 years ago today, May 7, 1994, at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. After his shocking first defeat to Frankie Randall on Jan. 29, 1994, Chavez vowed to right a wrong. "El Grand Campeon Mexicano" recruited the services of legendary trainer Emanuel Steward and hit the gym with the kind of gusto he hadn't displayed in several fights. He said he'd show off some of his underrated boxing skills and prove that the... Continue reading

The comeback. There’s no more compelling storyline in boxing. Whether it’s a supposedly finished Muhammad Ali rope-a-doping young bomber George Foreman or Sugar Ray Leonard returning from a three-year layoff to dazzle Marvin Hagler. It’s the narrative that never gets old. Erik Morales has already embarked on a couple that could be described as epic. James Kirkland engineered his own last year that was remarkable. But, to remain viable, the comebacks must continue. The legendary Mexican from Tijuana and the power-punching southpaw from Austin, Texas will try to keep their feel-good stories alive when Morales takes on unbeaten Danny Garcia... Continue reading

It was St. Patrick's Day 1990 - 22 years ago today - when Julio Cesar Chavez and Meldrick Taylor combined for the most dramatic finish in boxing history. IBF champion Taylor had built a commanding lead over Chavez in a much-anticipated junior welterweight unification battle at the Las Vegas Hilton. Through 11 rounds, "The Kid" from Philadelphia used his blazing hand and foot speed to befuddle the all-time great WBC champion, who was undefeated at 68-0 but who, on this night, was mostly punching at air and searching for answers. As the 11th round ended, it appeared all Taylor -... Continue reading

In a battle that should be a lock for "Fight of the Year," WBO featherweight champion Orlando Salido repeated his 2011 upset victory over Juan Manuel Lopez, scoring a sensational 10th-round knockout of the Puerto Rican star at Roberto Clemente Stadium in San Juan. Salido, 38-11-2 (26 knockouts), put Lopez down with a ferocious slew of punches, punctuating the volley with a right-left combination. The Puerto Rican landed hard on his back, but managed to get to his feet. After a long look, referee Roberto Ramirez thought better of it, and correctly stopped the fight - sending the Mexican and... Continue reading

A few weeks ago, El Paso Times read Lou Carrejo expressed skepticism at the prospect of the Miguel Cotto-Antonio Margarito rematch landing in El Paso if it were to be moved from New York. In an email titled, "There is no Santa Claus" Carrejo wrote: "Matthew, what are you doing exciting the masses here by suggesting (El Paso) may be the site for the Dec. 3 fight between Cotto and Margarito? You and I both know this ain't gonna happen!" Granted, the chances of that fight taking place in El Paso were slim. Still, Big Lou called it. It stayed... Continue reading

The fate of the Dec. 3 Miguel Cotto-Antonio Margarito rematch - and whether the anticipated fight moves to another city such as El Paso - should be known sometime late Tuesday. A New York State Athletic Commission hearing is scheduled for 3 p.m. ET Tuesday to determine whether Margarito's surgically-repaired right eye meets commission standards for obtaining a license to box in New York. Margarito was examined by a opthalmologist appointed by the commission on Monday, and those findings will be revealed to the commission on Tuesday. If the commission decides that Margarito's eye - injured in his Nov. 13,... Continue reading

With a few exceptions, many media at ringside had Juan Manuel Marquez a clear winner over Manny Pacquiao Saturday at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Some had "Dinamita" as much as four points better than Pacqiuao, who often seemed baffled by Marquez superb boxing skills. The crowd erupted in disgust after the majority decision for Pacqiuao was announced, hurling beer bottles onto press row and booing lustily. It was clear who they thought won, though they were in Marquez's corner from the get go. Afterward, promoter Bob Arum was talking Pacquiao-Marquez 4, and not necessarily Pacquiao-Mayweather. Regardless, Mayweather is... Continue reading

Manny Pacquiao won a very unpopular 12-round decision over Juan Manuel Marquez by scores of 115-113, 116-112 and 114-114. Continue reading

The prefight building for the Manny Pacquiao-Juan Manuel Marquez rubber match was thunderous, with the Mexican challenger drawing a clear home field advantage. The crowd continually chanted "Mexico!" and the Mexican National Anthem was sung by seemingly everyone in the house. When Pacquiao entered the ring, he was escored by the lead singer of the group Survivor, who sang "Eye of the Tiger." Among the celebrities attending the fight: Jeremy Piven, Julio Cesar Chavez Sr and Jr, Amir Khan, Erik Morales, Ron Artest, Roy Jones Jr., Reggie Miller, Charles Barkley, Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield and Magic Johnson. Continue reading

As it turned out, Joel Casamayor talked a better game than he produced. Casamayor, of Miami, offered little resistence to WBO junior welterweight champion Timothy Bradley of Palm Springs, Calif., quitting at the end of the eighth round. Bradley had dropped Casamayor earlier with a series of body shots and after a consultation with the challenger's cornermen, referee Vic Drakulich stopped the fight at the 2:59 mark. Bradley, who engaged in a heated verbal altercation with Casamayor on Thursday, waved his hand in disgust when Casamayor quit. It was Bradley's first fight since January, when he beat Devon Alexander in... Continue reading

Denver's Mike Alvarado got the crowd ready for the main event Saturday, coming from behind to stop Colombia's Breidis Prescott in the 12th and final round of a battle for the IBF Latino Junior Lightweight title at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Behind on all three scorecards and cut in the middle rounds, Alvarado turned up the heat in the 12th, dropping Prescott with a vicious right-left uppercut. Prescott got up, and wobbled around the ring as Alvarado pursued. Referee Jay Nady, known for early stoppages, seemingly did it again - intervening at the 1:53 mark. Nady's signature early... Continue reading

One former heavyweight champion will honor the memory of another former heavyweight champion Saturday in Las Vegas. Mike Tyson (champion from 1986-90) will ceremoniously toll the 10-count for Joe Frazier (champion from 1970-73) on the undercard of the Manny Pacquiao-Juan Manuel Marquez rubber match at the MGM Grand. Frazier died Nov. 7 in Philadelphia from liver cancer. Continue reading

Junior lightweight Juan Carlos Burgos of Tijuana upset previously undefeated Puerto Rican Luis Cruz Saturday on the undercard of the Manny Pacquiao-Juan Manuel Marquez fight at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, winnng a majority 10-round decision. Burgos, 28-1 (19 knockouts) owed much of his big victory to a fast start, hurting Cruz, 19-1 (15 KO's), with a left hook in the first round and pressing the action through the first three rounds. Cruz found a rhythm in the middle rounds, but Burgos continued to land the bigger blows down the stretch. Burgos won by scores of 97-93, 98-92 and... Continue reading

The Manny Pacquiao-Juan Manuel Marquez fight is the latest in a long line of boxing trilogies. Here are a few of the most notable in recent years. *Muhammad Ali-Joe Frazier: This one holds special meaning in the wake of Frazier's recent death from liver cancer. The pair engaged in what is considered the biggest fight of all time on March 8, 1971, a meeting known simply as "The Fight." Frazier knocked Ali down in the 15th round to solidify a unanimous decision win at Madison Square Garden in New York. The pair fought two more times, with Ali getting revenge... Continue reading

Joel Casamayor may be a little long in the tooth. But that hasn't affected his confidence. The brash former two-time world champion repeatedly told WBO junior welterweight champ Timothy Bradley to sit down during a press conference Thursday at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Later, he yelled at Bradley in the press room: "Once the bell rings, you aren't the champ anymore," Casamayor exclaimed. It will be Bradley's first fight since January, when he scored a big victory over Devon Alexander in a 140-pound unification showdown. He is considered one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in boxing, but his... Continue reading