Boxing Outsider

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. (more…)

Boxing fanatics have grown tired of the endless unfounded rumors surrounding Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather’s fabled match-up. Meanwhile, newbies looking to get interested in the sport haven’t had much to latch onto this summer. But both groups got a reckoning with the upcoming Marquez-Diaz bout on Saturday, July 31. The competitorsJuan “Baby Bull” Diaz and Juan “Dinamita” Marquezalready had one legendary battle under their belts. Marquez took the victory in the ninth round then, but both fighters were recognized by Ring magazine for the fight of the year.Marquez’s victory last time was no indication of a sure thing this time, although he did end up taking the victory. He has enjoyed a steady career, including earning a world title along with his brother Rafael. When he fought Manny Pacquiao in 2004, he managed a draw after a knock-down in the first roundhowever, many fans decried the judges’ decision, feeling that Marquez actually overpowered Manny in the following rounds. (more…)