Manny Pacquiao might be the only bow arrow in the quiver for people that defend boxing today. The latest fighter to be adorned with the mythical “pound-for-pound” title disposed of Miguel Cotto in a fight so anticipated that it liberated certain corners of the world.
For about five rounds, this was a sensational action fight as both men gave as good as they took. It had the sold-out MGM Grand Garden Arena crowd of more than 16,200 surging with electricity. We already knew Pacquiao had great speed and power, but what he showed against Cotto was a tremendous chin. Make no mistake: Cotto got in a lot of heavy punches, but Pacquiao weathered the storm like a champ. After the fight was over, Pacquiao’s face was marked up, cut and bruised, and his right ear was a mess. –Dan Rafael, ESPN.com
ASYLUM POLL: Does Manny Pacquiao have to save boxing?
Could someone even consider making the claim that MMA was better than boxing if all of boxing’s fights were as exciting as Pacquiao’s? Maybe; you might see a good pay-per-view once or twice a year, whereas some MMA outfit seems to be airing a card once or twice a month, sometimes on free TV. MMA, whether it’s better or not, is immensely more accessible right now, which makes the argument a bit of an unfair fight. Read the rest of this entry »
When attention whores are begging to be slapped around, it rarely benefits anyone. But now the Kardashians are bucking that trend, at least for one night. Why? Because it’s getting them press, of course.
In what might be the charity auction items of the year, the Kardashians are auctioning off the chance to be their opponents in a charity boxing match.
According to the auction website: “TKO Boxing and PR Entertainment, Inc presents the ‘Kardashian Charity Knock Out’. This is your chance to step into the ring and duke it out with your favorite Keeping up With The Kardashians cast member, Kim for a good cause. Kim, Khloe, Bruce, Rob, and Scott are looking for you to raise money for their favorite charity, The Dream Foundation. Winners will box the Kardashians cast at the Commerce Casino on November 3rd for a televised taping of ‘Keeping Up with The Kardashians.” –In Game Now.
Apparently, there are rules about requiring the winner to be within five pounds of the person he or she is fighting. But really, I’m surprised that Bruce Jenner, with his three facelifts and all, is getting into this thing. That poor nose of his would probably snap off if it was breathed on the wrong way.
The former undisputed champ was on Oprah Winfrey’s TV show yesterday (she has a TV show now), where Tyson pretty much ran the table on everything he did since he jabbed his way out of the womb.
Tyson opened up about most of his headline-grabbing actions over the years, including his years in prison, his tempestuous eight-month marriage to Robin Givens, his long addiction to drugs, the $400 million fortune he squandered, the 1997 comeback match in which he bit Evander Holyfield’s ear, and — for the first time — the death of his 4-year-old daughter earlier this year.
On choosing not to know the details of his daughter’s accidental death: “I don’t know. I don’t want to know. If I know … [then] somebody’s to blame for it, and if somebody’s to blame for it, there are going to be problems.” via.
This is Part III of the interview, the entirety of which (I believe) is online. It has all the elements of one of those redemption stories that make the hairs on the backs of everyone’s necks stand on end and have all the women weeping. But sadly, there’s no mention of Zack Galifinakis stealing his tiger…
This clip is one of those gems that really sets up itself. Two guys get smashed and then decide to put on boxing gloves, and it couldn’t be any more magical even if Tinkerbell was the guest referee. Sometimes it’s great to get videos like this and reminisce about the time you knocked Brad unconscious while his parents were away at Sturgis. And by the way, that wood paneling looks terrific. via.
Some people just exude badass no matter where they are or what they do. Here’s Mr. T performing his duties as a body guard for Leon Spinks just before his big rematch with Muhammed Ali in 1978. Hell, you were probably just a twinkle in the UPS man’s eye in 1978, until he delivered that extra-special “package” to your mother. via.
I have to give it up to Fanhouse’s Ariel Helwani for getting time with boxing promotion legend Bob Arum. But then Arum tries to point out that boxing’s audience isn’t necessarily the same as the viewership for something like a UFC pay-per-view, and Helwani takes umbrage. Umbrage, I say! The fun starts around the 4 minute mark, and it’s a somehwhat heated discourse as Arum generalizes all MMA fans as skinheads, and then delivers the middle school coup de grace. He may as well have said “Your mom likes MMA.” Because Your Mom jokes never get old. Nor do they offend the gays. via.
