The sport of boxing has plenty of excitement. However, when a match has a great commentator giving details about the fighters and pointing out interesting aspects of the fight, it brings an added dimension to the enjoyment of a match. Some commentators stand above others in the field.

One of the most famous boxing commentators was Howard Cosell. Cosell was well-known for his verbal sparring matches with Muhammad Ali. Some of their pre-fight antics were more entertaining than the actual

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There’s simply no way to make boxing a safe sport. The very reason why people enjoy watching and participating in boxing is because it’s not safe. The fighters love to inflict damage to one another, and the fans like to watch it. Anyone with boxing experience can tell you that the headgear doesn’t make it that much safer. Headgear only reduces the risk for cuts, but many young amateur fighters still report concussions, broken bones, and other injuries related to the

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Boxing is a sport that has been dominated by legendary quotes from big names. Just a few of the many that have gone down in history follow.

“We gon’ float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.” Words spoken by Bundini, Muhammad Ali’s trainer, express the style of the famous boxer – avoid punches and hit hard.

“To see a man beaten not by a better opponent but by himself is a tragedy.” Cus D’Amato spoke of his sadness at watching Mike

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The role of a boxing promoter is a multi-faceted one. The boxing promoter is responsible for getting opposing boxers together to fight as well as putting together an entire evening of events. They are responsible for putting together what is referred to as a ‘bill’, which typically consists of multiple fights, and sometimes other entertainment for an evening.

Promoters are also responsible for the actual promotion of the boxing match. They are the ‘hype’ men who push the event to media outlets such as television

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When some people hear that Mickey Rourke spent time as a professional boxer, they may think of that it was some type of “actor” vanity project. You know, the kind that actor’s do just because they can. The thing is, though, before he started acting in movies, Rourke, who was nominated for an Oscar in 2009 for his role in “The Wrestler”, Rourke was actually an up and coming boxer in Miami who won a majority of his fights between 1964-1974. After becoming one of the

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Jack Johnson, a black fighter who was reigning heavyweight champion, defeated white fighter James L. Jeffries, a former champion, in Reno, Nevada on July 4th, 1910. The result set off riots nationwide, and launched Johnson’s wildly successful, yet controversial career.

Known ever-after as “The Battle of the Long Count”, 1927′s rematch between heavyweights Jack Dempsey and Gene Tunney is credited with putting boxing on the “front pages” of the nation’s sporting consciousness. The controversy over the referee’s delay in beginning the “count” continues to this day.

Cassius Clay, soon to adopt the name Muhammad Ali, shocked the boxing world in 1964 when

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If you’re a boxing fan, then Showtime and HBO are probably already part of your Direct tv package. If not, what are you waiting for? HBO has been airing HBO World Championship Boxing since January 1973, while Showtime premiered Showtime Championship Boxing in 1986. Both have been the home for some of the most important fights in boxing history.For HBO, that includes: the famous “Rumble in the Jungle,” where Muhammad Ali defeated George Foreman in Kinshasa, Zaire; the “Thrilla in Manila,” the 1975 third and final match between Ali and Joe Frazier for the Heavyweight Boxing Championship of the World; and 2007′s “The World Awaits,” where Floyd Mayweather Jr. defeated Oscar De La Hoya by split decision. Current commentators include Harold Lederman, Jim Lampley, and Larry Merchant.

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American boxer Shannon Briggs is doing his best to keep the art of trash talking alive, but is he going over the top? Recently, Briggs referred to his Saturday opponent, Ukrainian Vitali Klitschko, as a kung-fu octopus, and claimed that Klitschko’s only options were to withdraw or get knocked out.The boxers are similar in age, but Klitschko at 39 is a year older. Will this work in his favor, or against? Turning to their respective records isn’t much help, as the two are pretty evenly matched there as well. Klitschko has been the victor in 38 out of 40 fights (95), while Briggs has 45 knock-outs out of 51 (88). Overall, it looks like we can expect a passionate match tomorrow when they face off in Hamburg. The match will be refereed by British ref Ian John-Lewis, marking only the fifth time in history that a UK referee has managed a heavyweight title match. Audience support may be divided, but we, along with John-Lewis, expect the majority to cheer Klitschko. He was a big hit when he fought there 11 years ago, and elsewhere in Germany two months ago. Similarly, his brother Wladimir drew in 10 million viewers earlier in the year when he KO’d Samuel Peter.

James Toney claims to have a great deal of respect for mixed martial arts, but he sure isn’t showing any to upcoming opponent Randy Couture. The match is scheduled for “UFC 118: Edgar vs. Penn II” at Boston’s TD Garden on August 28. It will either be a grand vindication or the biggest comeuppance in recent memory for Toney, who has promised to hit Couture “so hard his grandparents will feel it.”The odds calculators don’t seem to have the same confidence, judging Toney a 3.5-to-1 underdog. It’s his first time in the MMA ring, and despite four months of grappling training, it’s not likely that Toney will be able to defeat the three-time heavyweight and two-time light-heavyweight champion. Couture’s style involves not only boxing, but also Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, among others.

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The boxing community’s interest in a Floyd Mayweather/Manny Pacquaio match-up has come and gone as the proposed match devolved into a media mess. First Mayweather asked Pacquaio to agree to Olympic-style drug testing for them both before the fight, which Pacquaio refused. In July, Mayweather let a deadline for accepting the fight pass without comment, though some suggested his uncle and trainer’s upcoming trial could be to blame.However, the idea of testing all fighters before fights could help shake the stigma that has fallen on the sport. That was the idea behind the German public television channel ARD’s January contract renewal with Sauerland Boxing. The channel stated that all boxers must undergo testing before the fight is broadcast. They cite their reason as the large number of young viewers that watch the network, as well as the role they play in the community. While ARD’s example is a good one, it seems unlikely that American channels will follow suit.

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