Former Heavyweight Champ Mike Weaver: The Man They Called Hercules!

08/07/201208/05/2012 ESB

By James Slater – Today, long since retired, former WBA heavyweight champ Weaver says Larry Holmes was the best fighter he ever met. Weaver and Holmes had a great action fight in 1979 (as well as a rematch many years later, when both were coming towards the end) and it was during this losing battle that Weaver, a former Marine, made his name. Later on, in a real career turnaround, the man Ken Norton called Hercules stunned John Tate and the boxing world to become champ.

But as great as Holmes was and as special as the win over Tate was, the name Bernardo Mercado sticks uppermost in 61-year-old Weaver’s mind – as I discovered when speaking with the Texan recently

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Wilder stops Manswell in 1st round!

09/12/201508/04/2012 ESB

By Rob Smith: Heavyweight Deontay Wilder (24-0, 24 KO’s) stayed unbeaten tonight with a 1st round knockout win over a badly overmatched Kertson Manswell (22-6, 17 KO’s) at the Exposition Hall in Mobile, Alabama. The 26-year-old Wilder had Manswell on the canvas exactly three separate times before the bout was finally halted at 2:10 of the 1st round.

The 6’7″ Wilder caught Manswell with a long chopping right hand followed by a left hook to score the 1st knockdown. The 35-year-old Manswell got back to his feet groggily, shaking his head as if trying to clear the cobwebs from it. When the action resumed, Wilder connected with another big left hand that put Mansell on the canvas. Manswell got back to his feet and Wilder jumped on him hitting with a right hand followed by a left hook to put Manswell down for the third and final time. Manswell looked like he could have continued fighting but given how easily Wilder kept knocking him down, the referee opted to halt the fight at that point.

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A muscular Mayweather will be impossible for Pacquiao to beat

08/04/2012 ESB

By Michael Collins: If you’ve had the chance to see the muscle that Floyd Mayweather Jr. has put on during his jail term at the Clark County Detention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, it’s hard to look at him and imagine Manny Pacquiao being able to compete with him now. Mayweather Jr. looks a lot more muscular in the shoulders and arms, and I’m now wondering whether he can even make 147 in the future without having to drain himself in the process.

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Adamek vs. Walker: A good test for Tomasz or another one of his mismatches?

09/14/201608/04/2012 ESB

Adamek vs. Walker: A good test for Tomasz or another one of his mismatches? By Rob Smith: Former two division world champion Tomasz Adamek (46-2, 28 KO’s) faces 6’4 1/2″ Travis Walker (39-7-1, 32 KO’s) next month on September 8th at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The reaction to this fight is mixed with many Adamek supporters seeing the 33-year-old Walker as being a good test for the 35-year-old Adamek, whereas others see it just another one of Adamek’s many recent fights against 2nd tier opposition.

It’s difficult to look at Walker’s poor record of success in the last two years against decent opposition and think it’s a good test for Adamek. Walker has lost pretty much every time he’s stepped it up against better opposition and in some cases, he’s even getting beaten by 2nd tier quality opponents. In the past two years, Walker has lost to Johnathan Banks, Alex Leapai, Ruslan Chagaev and Kubrat Pulev.

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