Boxing | Larry Brown Sports

So That’s Why Evander Keeps Fighting

June 6, 2008 By Larry Brown 6 Comments

I often wondered why Evander Holyfield, clearly way past his boxing prime, decided to keep fighting in the ring, even to the point of endangering himself. Not only was the old man ruining his record with every fight past the age of 40, but he was also getting beat up pretty bad. I was critical of Old Field for getting his ass kicked in October and was hoping he’d quit (even though I have campaigned for Tyson/Holyfield III). From the sounds of things, retirement plans probably aren’t imminent for Old Field; he’s dealing with some serious financial woes:

[Evander's] $10 million estate in suburban Atlanta is under foreclosure, the mother of one of his children is suing for unpaid child support, and a Utah consulting company has gone to court claiming the boxer failed to pay back more than a half million dollars for landscaping.

A legal notice that ran Wednesday in a small local newspaper said Holyfield’s estate will be auctioned off “at public outcry to the highest bidder for cash” at the Fayette County courthouse on July 1. The 54,000-square-foot home — located on Evander Holyfield Highway — has 109 rooms, including 17 bathrooms, three kitchens and a bowling alley.

Honestly, who needs a home with 109 rooms? He deserves to have it foreclosed just for being that ostentatious. Of course, he could be using the rooms to house all his kids. The best quote came from the dude representing one of the Baby Mamas that wants some money from Old Field. As he said, child support of $6,000? That’s probably the light bill at Old Field’s place. No doubt. So yeah, once again, we have an athlete in a serious financial mess. Don’t be fooled however, some do have success in the afterlife.

Filed Under: Boxing Tagged With: athlete mansions, Evander Holyfield

Bernard Hopkins Beaten by ‘White Boy’

April 20, 2008 By Larry Brown 14 Comments

It really didn’t get much attention when Hopkins made his initial comment, and it certainly slipped by our pages here. But in case you missed it, light heavyweight boxer Bernard Hopkins said prior to his fight with super middleweight Joe Calzaghe from Wales, “I would never let a white boy beat me. I couldn’t go back to the projects if I let a white boy beat me.” Well fight night has come and gone, and low and behold, Bernard Hopkins finds himself on the losing end of a decision. Despite knocking Calzaghe down in the 1st round, Hopkins wound up losing on two judges’ cards (116-111 and 115-112) but winning on the third (114-113). As Dan Rafael already wrote, Hopkins must now eat his words. Thing is Bernard feels wronged by the decision:

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Filed Under: Boxing Tagged With: Bernard Hopkins, Joe Calzaghe

Zab Judah Wants Mosley Drug Tested

March 25, 2008 By Larry Brown Leave a Comment

Zab Judah and Shane Mosley agreed to fight at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas on May 31st a few weeks ago. It’s an intriguing fight because both men still are big names in the sport and were amongst the most talented fighters in the world not long ago. One problem however, Zab thinks Shane might be a little too talented, or shall I say, Zab is worried Shane might still be aided by illegal substances. And to ensure Sugar Shane isn’t still using steroids “unknowingly,” he wants Mosley to take a private drug test to prove it:

In a March 13 e-mail obtained by The Times, [Judah's promoter Michael] Shinefield formally requested to Mosley’s Golden Boy Promotions that Mosley submit a blood test through a World Anti-Doping Agency-accredited laboratory.

“We would be willing to absorb all cost associated with this test for both fighters,” Shinefield wrote in the e-mail. “Please understand that this ends any and all speculation of doping by either fighter. With the fight being touted as ‘High Stakes,’ it’s only just that every step is taken to ensure a fair fight. We hope Shane agrees!”

Mosley continues to say what he did was totally innocent and believes this is a ploy by Zab to get under his skin. Probably is. What’s wrong with attracting a little extra attention to the fight, especially if you’re Zab and just returning from a one-year suspension by Nevada? Zab’s looking for any edge he can get. And I do know one thing: Zab is making Rick Reilly proud.

Filed Under: Boxing Tagged With: Shane Mosley, Zab Judah

Floyd Mayweather Thrown Out of the Ring by Big Show

March 11, 2008 By Larry Brown 2 Comments

I told you recently about Floyd Mayweather Jr. agreeing to wrestle the gargantuan Big Show for $20 million. As a boxing fan, I conceded that Mayweather can do whatever he wants because he’s earned it by beating his competition (with the exception of Cotto). Now I’m actually starting to get worried for the guy. Perhaps his safety can be jeopardized by the fight. First it was Floyd and Big Show getting into it a few weeks ago with Mayweather even landing a clean shot on Big Show. Then on Monday night in Milwaukee, this happened:

If the WWE signed Pretty Boy up in order to get mainstream media coverage, it’s worked. Those geniuses. They have me hooked on Floyd, even if I won’t be watching the match. I think it’s just Pretty Boy’s personality — you know, the fact that he enjoys counting out $1 million in cash on camera! Check out the video in case you’ve never seen a million dollars in cash before …

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Filed Under: Boxing Tagged With: Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Judges Used Open Scoring for Peter vs. Maskaev Fight

March 10, 2008 By Larry Brown 1 Comment

Heavyweights Samuel Peter and Oleg Maskaev fought Saturday night in Cancun, for all those who missed it. The fight wasn’t as much exciting as it was progressive in procedure. Michael David Smith points out at FanHouse that the judges used open scoring, meaning their scores were announced after each round. If you recall, I had an interview with renowned boxing judge, Chuck Giampa, and I asked him that very question. Giampa was against the practice, as were Jim Lampley and Max Kellerman (both were commentating for the fight). MDS points out that the fight went just fine with the procedure, and that the fighters paused to hear the score before each round. He says Peter was even the aggressor after knowing he was already winning.

Though Lampley and Kellerman didn’t give reasons why they were against the open scoring system according to MDS, I can come up with a few. For one thing, though it might not have in this case, a fighter can purposely avoid contact if he knows he’s already winning. Secondly, maybe the judges could be influenced by the scores of the other judges, perhaps beginning to second guess themselves. Remember, judges see the fights from different angles, logically resulting in varying scores. Still, I believe the open scoring would help to keep the judges in check, and it would allow a fighter the conscious opportunity to win a fight he’s losing on the cards. Say the fighter knows he’s losing on the cards though he believes he’s winning, he then can resort to head-hunting for a K.O. I really think the benefits of this system would outweigh the negatives.

Filed Under: Boxing Tagged With: Oleg Maskaev, Samuel Peter

Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield to Fight for a Third Time?

March 2, 2008 By Larry Brown 2 Comments

Evander Holyfield recently revealed that Mike Tyson’s people have approached him about fighting Iron Mike once again. Call me crazy, call me strange, call me in a Mike Tyson frame of mind, but my ears perk up to the news that Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield are considering a third fight. The details as told by Holyfield:

“Mike had Jeff Fenech, who’s been training him, call me a few months ago. Jeff says Mike wants to fight me again – but he needs to know if I would agree to it. I said, ‘It all depends on what they gonna give us – because I’m gonna catch a lot of flak if I say I’m fighting Mike Tyson again. I’ve already said I don’t want to fight Mike no more’. Jeff says, ‘What if Mike gets in proper shape?’ I told him that’s OK but I can’t be part of it if Mike’s going to pull out. Jeff said, ‘The main thing Mike wants to know is if you would be willing to fight him again?’ I said, ‘Yeah, if the price is right, I probably would’.”

That’s all I need to hear — if the price is right, Oldfield would do it. There’s a shock. A dude who returns to the ring multiple times to fight nobodies when he’s over the hill telling us he’d fight for money. Mike Tyson is a trainwreck in our society whose erratic behavior is nearly unparalleled. Who wouldn’t want to watch the dude climb back in the ring again against The Real Deal. I’m totally down. Besides, not like Oldfield doesn’t have a second ear, right?

Filed Under: Boxing Tagged With: Evander Holyfield, Mike Tyson

Floyd Mayweather Jr. Getting $20 Million to Make Wrestling Debut

February 26, 2008 By Larry Brown 5 Comments

There were rumors that Pretty Boy was contemplating a future in MMA. That’s no surprise considering the relationship he struck up with Mark Cuban who owns HDNet (and a little something called the Dallas Mavericks). Anyway, the offers from MMA must not have been enticing enough for PBF who’s looking to score another big payday after raking in the dough from his fight with Oscar De La Hoya. And apparently Pretty Boy has spun the wheel of fortune and landed on wrestling.

Floyd is making his wrestling debut and will be paid $20 million for his fight against some dude named Big Show. Since I’ve never seen WWE, I had no idea who Show was. Now I understand the nickname — he’s 7′ tall and weighs 430 lbs. That’s a lotta man. While Pretty Boy is making his name as a shrewd businessman, this can’t please boxing fans. Unfortunately when promising challengers like Paul Williams lose fights in Temecula, it doesn’t really help the cause. About the only other claim boxing purists can make is that Mayweather should fight Miguel Cotto. Aside from that, there’s really no gripe boxing fans can make. Pretty Boy can pretty much do anything he wants and we can’t say anything about it. Though I do have to say, I’d much rather see the man in the boxing ring. He just doesn’t have a whole lot to gain from it.

Filed Under: Boxing Tagged With: Floyd Mayweather Jr.