It's In The Name
02/22/2023
Some fighters are immediately identified by one name, like Ali, Tyson or Foreman. For others, they’re best known by their nickname. Whether catchy, clever or common, a fighter’s ring name can easily set the tone of what he or she is about. It makes up part of their ring persona and boxing “character.”
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Boxing Superstitions & Pre-Fight Rituals
02/22/2023
Blood… sweat… and superstitions? It’s hard to imagine fighters with their rough exteriors and toughness being prone to superstition, but many have carried either a superstition or ritual with them for most of their careers. Here are some of our favorites...
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The Attributes Of A Champion
02/22/2023
Champions are adaptable. They find a way to win, oftentimes in circumstances or against opponents they shouldn’t. A perfect example is in a 1980 bout featuring Sugar Ray Leonard versus Thomas Hearns. Sugar Ray should not have won that fight. Hearns was knocking everyone out. He was bigger, stronger and was rising to the occasion of his life, in a fight that would define his career. Sugar Ray withstood his power punches, adapted to his style and in spite of a left eye that was virtually swollen shut, he beat Hearns in the final seconds of the 14th round, in a fight in which he was behind on all scorecards. That intangible ability to “come through” to “pull it out” was rooted in Ray’s ability to adapt. He changed his style and found a way to get to the bigger, stronger man. He adapted to the circumstances and altered his game plan to win. It may not have been a conscious decision, but he did what it takes to overcome and champions have that ability. They survive, they change, they adapt and they perservere. Against all odds and what is obvious to everyone else around them they turn the tables. Inexplicably they win.
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