I went to see the doubleheader card on February 9, 1996 at Caesar’s Palace Sports Pavilion with Julio Cesar Chavez and Oscar De La Hoya fighting separate opponents. It was to set up the June 7 Super-Fight between both guys back at Caesar’s Palace. Many saw the fight as a passing of the guard from […]

I graduated from high school in June of 1978 with absolutely no idea what I was going to do for a living. During the same month, I tuned into ABC to watch Larry Holmes challenge WBC heavyweight champ Ken Norton for his title on Friday, June 9th. Boxing was something I would watch occasionally on

In the summer of 1981, the only fight on my mind was the September 16th ‘Showdown’ between Sugar Ray Leonard and Thomas Hearns. Ray was the WBC welterweight champ and Hearns the WBA champ, so the bout would unify the titles and let the world know who the best boxer on the planet was. I

When George Foreman destroyed Joe Frazier on January 22, 1973 to win the heavyweight championship, he appeared invincible to anyone who saw it. His image only grew when he followed that up a year later with another two round knockout of Ken Norton in Caracas, Venezuela. Muhammad Ali was ringside to witness the slaughter, knowing

Riddick Bowe and Jorge Luis Gonzalez were two fighters who did not like each other when they signed to meet on June 17, 1995 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The bout was named ‘Mortal Enemies’ and their dislike for each other began at the 1987 Pan American Games where Gonzalez knocked

On March 26, 1974, George Foreman defended his heavyweight title against Ken Norton in Caracas, Venezuela. The reason promoter Don King held the bout there was that all taxes would be waived on the fighter’s money, of which Foreman was guaranteed $700,000 and Norton $200,000. I was just a kid at the time and didn’t

Ray ‘Boom Boom’ Mancini won the WBA Lightweight title on May 8,1982 with a first round knockout of Art Frias in Las Vegas. He had already become of one boxing’s favorites because of his aggressive style and his heart warming story of wanting to win the championship for his father Lenny. He defended his title

Mike Tyson was a phenom from the moment he turned professional in March of 1995 and quickly blazed his way through the rankings to become the number won contender in just 18 months. When he signed to fight WBC champion Trevor Berbick on November 22, 1986, I was living in Las Vegas, only about a

After winning defending his light heavyweight title successfully for 5 years, Roy Jones signed to fight WBA heavyweight champ John Ruiz on March 1, 2003 at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas. Jones used trainer Mackie Shilstone to help him bulk up to 200 pounds for the bout, a challenge he needed to

The fight between Marvin Hagler and John ‘The Beast’ Mugabi was originally set for November 14, 1985, but Marvin suffered a broken nose which delayed the bout 5 months. On March 10, 1986, the fight took place at the Outdoor Arena at Caesar’s Palace on a cold, rainy night. Thomas Hearns knocked out James Shuler