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Joe’s first bout of 1969 was on April 22, 1969 vs. Dave Zyglewicz at the Sam Houston Center in Houston, Texas. ‘Smokin’ Joe stopped him in one round on ABC TV, in what was his third defense of heavyweight title. His next opponent in two months would a whole different story. On June 23, 1969 […]

As I write this, it’s 40 years since the bout took place on September 21, 1985 at the Riviera Casino Hotel in Las Vegas. Don King promoted it as ‘History. A September to Remember’, since it marked the 30 year anniversary of Rocky Marciano’s last fight. Holmes would enter the ring 48-0, and a win

Joe Frazier fought nine times in 1966, with his managers gradually stepping up his competition. Name boxers like Charlie Polite, Chuck Leslie and Billy Daniels were now on his resume of victories, and in September he faced his toughest opponent in Oscar Bonavena. The fight on the 21st at Madison Square Garden saw Joe hit

Joseph William Frazier was born on January 12, 1944 in Beaufort, South Carolina. HIs family worked as sharecroppers, so he was introduced to hard work as a child. At 15, Joe was working for the Bellamy family, who owned a farm and were mentors to him. Following their urging, Joe and decided to move to

Growing up in south Jersey, boxing was not something that I watched or cared about much. Sure, I heard of big names like Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier, but at 10 years old, baseball, football and basketball were my favorites sports. My dad would talk once in a while about going to see Rocky Marciano

After the loss to Mayweather in May of 2007, Oscar didn’t return to the ring for a year. His return bout was with Steve Forbes at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California at a catchweight of 150 lbs. De La Hoya’s plan was to return to the welterweight division, and then back down to

 The fight between Oscar and Mayweather was set for May 5, 2007, at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. I decided to drive the the Borgata Hotel in Atlantic City, and watch in on the big screen in a theatre they called the ‘Music Box’. I paid $35 for my ticket, had it mailed to

After his loss to Bernard Hopkins in September of 2004, Oscar stayed out of the ring for 20 months. He announced in January of 2006, that he would return to the 154 lb. weight division for his next bout. The opponent of choice turned out to be Ricardo Mayorga, the Nicaraguan fighter with an insulting

De La Hoya returned to action after the huge knockout of Vargas on May 3, 2003 vs. veteran Yori Boy Campas. HBO broadcast the mismatch from the Mandalay Bay Hotel, and it went according to plan. Campas was done in seven, without ever really putting up a fight. The bout was to set up the

Oscar stayed out of the ring for more than nine months following his loss to Shane Mosley in June of 2000. He chose Arturo Gatti as his next opponent, on March 24, 2001 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, and I tuned into HBO to watch it. De La Hoya had admitted that once