Tyson Fury Didn’t Lose – He Just Returned to Underperforming Again

11/06/2023 Jason Peck

Want to see boxing brilliance? Watch Tyson Fury flatten long-time champ Deontay Wilder in their acclaimed trilogy. Watch him tear through his WBC challengers and … continue

Vasyl Lomachenko vs. The Super Featherweight’s Golden Era – Because Why Not?

12/18/201712/17/2017 Jason Peck

I might be a little slow on this one, but it’s taken me two weeks of Youtube and instant replays to fully grasp the totality of Vasyl Lomachenko victory over a man formerly considered a pound-for-pound entrant.

Sure, Guillermo Rigondeaux came in with a size disadvantage. That became painfully obvious at the weigh-in. And sure, Rigondeaux was old for his profession and suffered long period of inactivity to boot – the late 30s are perilous for fighters other than Bernard Hopkins or a Klitschko brother.

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Sorry, Bob Arum – Mayweather’s Wins Counts for 50-0

08/28/201708/27/2017 Jason Peck

I don’t blame Mayweather for taking this fight. Put yourself in his shoes – some obnoxious ponce incessantly trash-talks you, AND you get to beat the shit out of him? Like legally? For hundreds of millions?

“No, he doesn’t deserve (the 50-0) record, because he’s not fighting a fighter. He’s not fighting a real boxer. McGregor is a good MMA guy, but it’s a different sport.” – Bob Arum.

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Remembering Salvador Sanchez – The Classic Bouts That Fate Denied Him

08/12/2017 Jason Peck

He suffered only one loss, won the pride of his native Mexico and dazzled opponents with superior skill like poetry in motion. But his life was short like haiku – exactly 35 years ago today Sanchez died in a vehicle accident at only 24 years of age.

Sanchez’s early death undoubtedly raised his legend in a very James Dean-ish way; his detractors will argue that his legend stems more from his aura than his considerable potential. When you consider the intangibles of boxing, it’s admittedly ridiculous to speculate. My own ridiculous view follows, for whatever it’s worth. On such an anniversary, I might not be the only one airing them.

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Mayweather-McGregor: Can We Just Not Do This Again?

06/15/201706/14/2017 Jason Peck

Welp, looks like we’re off to another iteration of the “Fight of the Century,” and to no surprise, it looks much like the Mayweather-Pacquiao “Fight of the Century” we endured back in 2015.

Both bouts have Floyd Mayweather – the supreme talent of his generation; both feature tireless back-and-forth “will they, won’t they?” speculation and conjecture designed to keep the masses on edge. Both of them seemingly dominate the news in boxing. And both seem less focused on the fight potential itself, and far more heavily focused on the cash-grab potential. Not a good sign.

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Wladimir Klitschko Holds a Dubious “Record” – But at Least He’s in Good Company

06/26/2016 Jason Peck

On one hand, you can’t “win” this record unless you’re a great fighter, your odds of winning virtually ironclad.

On the other hand, I don’t think any fighter really wants to hold the record for Most Times On The Wrong End of Ring Magazine’s Upset of the Year.

In 2003, Wladimir Klitschko lost his WBO heavyweight title by way of 2^nd round knockout, delivered courtesy of the late, great Corrie Sanders’ infamous left hand.

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Mayweather-Pacquiao: Do Superfights Help Boxing? Now Comes the Moment of Truth

05/04/201505/03/2015 Jason Peck

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In 2014, I wrote an article for this website called “Get Real – Mayweather-Pacquiao Would Not ‘Save’ Boxing.” In it, I challenged the notion that Mayweather –Pacquiao – or any other superfight for that matter – really benefit the sport beyond the fight itself.

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Mayweather vs Pacquaio: #ScrewTheFans

04/26/201504/26/2015 Jason Peck

“Sorry but the contest is over and nobody has #MayPac tickets as of today with less than two weeks to go. #FansFirst#wheresmyticket” – Oscar De La Hoya Twitter feed, April 21, 2015

Odd choice of a hashtag there, Oscar.

How can you call this a “Fans First” issue when only 1,000 out of 16,800 tickets were actually available to the public? The more pertinent questions – why were so few tickets available? And has this superfight ever put the fans first?

Mayweather-Pacquiao should be a love letter to fans. It’s the once-in-a-generation event every generation deserves. They’ve hoped and prayed for Mayweather-Pacquiao since 2009. Now the fight’s finally here, the invitations have been issued, but it doesn’t seem like those fans are welcome. Instead, this enterprise merely exemplifies the asinine business model that’s slowly killed boxing for the last two decades.

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Before You Complain About Klitschko-Leapai…

04/27/201404/26/2014 Jason Peck

Wladimir Klitschko has triumphed again in commanding fashion, an action which typically raises complaints that the long-time champ fights “bums” rather than “real” challenges.

Of course, this raises an interesting question. Who are the bums and who are the real challenges? If Klitschko avoids a challenge, then name the challenge. And be careful with your answer.

I remember little more than a two years ago when Klitcshko easily KO’d Tony Thompson in six. Critics immediately excoriated him for fighting a geriatric, rather than an unstoppable machine like David Price. Yet Thompson’s name is now mysteriously removed from the retrospective list of “bums” that Klitschko fought and – just as mysteriously – David Price is no longer a “real” challenge.

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Get Real – Mayweather-Pacquiao Would Not “Save” Boxing

02/12/201402/09/2014 Jason Peck

Imagine the day that would come after the long-promised Mayweather-Pacquiao fight. Everyone thinks this hypothetical bout would “save boxing” and make it relevant again. What would that mean, exactly?

Would boxing gyms reopen? Would viewership permanently skyrocket? Would boxing appear on network TV rather than premium channels? Would a bankrupted Dana White start living in a cardboard box?

I’m tired of hearing about the salvation promised by a single match. One fight cannot save boxing, no matter how big. I cannot stress this enough –DOZENS of great fights WILL save boxing.

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