Featured Articles
Inside Straight: The Body Punchers
Inside Straight – I collapsed helplessly into the fetal position. I’m sure I would have yelled in pain, but my lungs were completely devoid of air, and I was too busy writhing in agony to do anything else. For what seemed like three hours (it was 20 seconds), I laid on the mat squirming. I had just been introduced to the liver shot.—Matthew Swain, theguardian.
Abner Mares takes a great deal of heat for his inability to tell the difference between the liver and the testicles.—Swain
“When Sam [Langford] hit me to the body, I looked behind me to see if his fist had come out the other side—Harry Wills
Whether a withering left hook from Culiacan, an “inside straight” from Buenos Aires or a rib-breaking right hand from Roy Jones Jr., body punching remains an essential part of an offensive attack. One that is strategic and committed can break an iron will.
Early on, Bob Fitzsimmons was a tremendous body puncher and is credited with inventing the solar plexus punch. He gave Gus Ruhlin such a beating that Gus suffered from stomach problems until the day he died. Had anyone but Wyatt Earp been the referee, Fitzsimmons would have defeated Tom Sharkey with a body shot in 1896. (Earp inexplicably disqualified Fitz – but nobody else at ringside or anywhere else saw a foul.)
Later, Henry Armstrong, Tony Zale, Jake LaMotta, and Jose Torres demonstrated the art of going downstairs. The Cus D’Amato-trained Torres’s knockdown of Willie Pastrano in 1965 at Madison Square Garden was a classic as Torres conducted a clinic on body punching.
More recently, Joe Frazier (known for his double left hook to the head and body), Alexis Arguello (who used it in multi-punch combinations), Mike “The Bodysnatcher” McCallum (they were his signature), Vasily Jirov, Pernell Whitaker, Marco Antonio Barrera, Julio Cesar Chavez (the very definition of the inside straight who invested so many shots downstairs that his opponents often were gassed by the late rounds), Ricky Hatton (using great angles), and the subtle Roberto Duran showed the way.
Pinoy Gerry Penalosa’s KO of heavy-handed Jhonny Gonzalez in 2007 still has aficionados buzzing for its delayed action effect. Thomas Hearns’s body work on James Shuler was one of the most savage ever witnessed and set up the undefeated Philadelphian for a clean right-hand knockout. Hearns was a vicious puncher to the body, and the punches he drilled Iran Barkley with in their first fight were incredibly hard. However, the fact Barkley could withstand them was equally incredible. And at his best, Sugar Shane Mosley threw body shots with the baddest of intentions. Early in his career Jose Louis Castillo worked with his legendary countryman Julio Cesar Chavez Sr., learning how important it is to work hard downstairs, and nobody worked harder than the Lion of Culiacan.
Today, Leo Santa Cruz, Gennady Golovkin, Miguel Cotto, Guillermo Rigondeaux, Juan Manuel Marquez, and Lucien Bute go downstairs with lethal regularity. Lucas Matthysse still uses “a rocket propelled grenade” as one of his tools for setting up blows to the head.
Canelo Alvarez and Chocolatito Gonzalez are fearsome gut-crunchers with Alvarez using wider hooks, one at a time, to break down smaller opponents while Gonzalez pinpoints close-in shots in combinations to break down all opponents.
Irish Micky Ward
“They [the HBO Announcing Team] ripped me apart [before taking out Sanchez]…And all due respect, they had reason because of the way I was fighting. But some of the things they said, I was like, ‘You get in there and try it.'”—Ward
For a laser-like shot that could end a fight at any time including the last second of the last round, Irish Micky Ward was somewhat in the minority (along with Jirov and MaCallum). Unlike most “in-close” combatants, he did not methodically wear down opponents with a two-fisted body attack ala Chavez as much as he often put them away with one clean shot that he launched at the most opportune time. Louis Veader, Emanuel Augustus, Steve Quinonez, Shea Neary, Reggie Green, Alfonso Sanchez and even Arturo Gatti all felt the impact of that fake hook upstairs-and-quick-slice-to-the-liver. My personal favorite is the one Ward used to take out the heavily favored Sanchez. It came out of nowhere and it shut up the HBO crew as fast as you can say “Foot in Mouth.” Here is the 7th round and it, along with the commentary, is something to behold: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yzxKAqA6uw
Reversing the norm, Mike Tyson was effective throwing a hook to the body and then letting loose with a hook upstairs with the other hand.
Eugene “Silent” Hairston (1947-1952)
Eugene “Silent” Hairston (45-13-5) was an extremely active and talented boxer who did his best work inside. A big fan favorite in the 50s, some said he had the style to give Sugar Ray a run for his money. He fought 18 times alone in 1951 providing many opportunities on television to see him employ his magic where he always committed to body punching, exposing him to the attendant risk of counters as he strategically broke his opponents down.
Hairston’s opposition reads like a Hall of Fame induction list. Among his many accomplishments, he drew with Jake LaMotta and Robert Villemain, beat Kid Gavilan, Laurent Dauthuille, Paul Pender, Lee Sala (61-1 coming in), stopped Paddy Young and sent Charley Zivic into retirement.
The thing was, “Silent” was deaf, though he never asked for special accommodations. Ironically and sadly, an eye injury forced him to give up boxing at age twenty-two and he never got an opportunity to win a world title or at least to fight the great Sugar Ray.
But no one could quite fight in the trenches like “Silent.”
This splendid YouTube provides a variety of entertaining shots to the body.
Ted Sares is one of the world’s oldest active power lifters and holds several records. He enjoys writing about boxing.
LAS VEGAS, NV – In an inelegant but wildly entertaining rumble, Richard Torrez Jr, bullied his way past Guido Vianello. The 10-round heavyweight contest, an appealing match-up between former Olympians, was the featured attraction on a Top Card at the Pearl Theater at the Palms Casino in Las Vegas.
Torrez, the pride of Tulare, California and a 5/2 favorite, promised to show more dimensions to his game, but was the same old frenetic bull-rusher. Torrez likes to dig inside and smother the punches of his opponent who is invariably taller. His chief asset is an engine that never quits.
The early rounds were marred by a lot of wrestling. Referee Tom Taylor, who had a difficult assignment, took a point away from Vianello for holding in round two, a controversial call although it proved to be a moot point.
Vianello, who was coming off an eighth-round stoppage of Russian-Canadian behemoth Arslanbek Makhmudov, wasn’t able to build on that victory and declined to 13-3-1 (11). Torrez, competing in his first scheduled 10-rounder, improved to 13-0 (11).
Co-Feature
In a tactical fight (translation: no fireworks) Lindolfo Delgado remained undefeated with a 10-round majority decision over Elvis Rodriguez. The scores were 95-95 and 96-94 twice.
Delgado, a 2016 Olympian for Mexico, won over the judges by keeping Rodriguez on his back foot for most of the fight. However, Rodriguez won the most lopsided round of the bout, the ninth, when he hurt the Mexican with a punch that sent him staggering into the ropes.
Delgado, a 3/2 favorite, improved to 23-0 (17). It was the second pro loss for Rodriguez (17-2-1), a 29-year-old Dominican who trains in Los Angeles under Freddie Roach.
Abdullah Mason
Cleveland southpaw Abdullah Mason celebrated his 21st birthday by winning his first scheduled 10-rounder. Mason (18-0, 16 KOs) scored three knockdowns before the fight was waived off after the sixth frame.
Mason’s opponent, Mexican southpaw Carlos Ornelas (28-5), fought a curious fight. He wasn’t knocked down three times, not exactly; he merely thought it prudent to take a knee and after each occasion he did his best work, if only for a few brief moments.
Ornelas, a late sub for Giovanni Cabrera who had to pull out with an eye injury, was clearly buzzed after the third “knockdown.” The doctor examined him after the sixth round and when Ornelas left his corner with an unsteady gait, referee Raul Caiz Jr had seen enough.
Other Bouts
Featherweight Albert “Chop Chop” Gonzalez, a protégé of Robert Garcia, improved to 14-0 (7) with an 8-round unanimous decision over Australia’s durable but limited Dana Coolwell. The judges had it 80-72, 78-74, and 77-75.
The granite-chinned Coolwell (13-4) was making his second start in a U.S. ring after taking Shu Shu Carrington the distance in an 8-rounder underneath the Jake Paul-Mike Tyson exhibition at the stadium of the Dallas Cowboys.
SoCal bantamweight Steven Navarro, the TSS 2024 Prospect of the Year, stepped up in class and scored a fourth-round stoppage of Mexicali’s Juan Esteban Garcia who was winning the fourth round when Navarro (6-0, 5 KOs) reversed the momentum with a flourish, forcing the stoppage at the 2:46 mark.
Junior middleweight Art Barrera Jr (8-0, 6 KOs) polished off Daijon Gonzalez in the second round. Barrera decked Gonzalez with a hard left hook and when Gonzales got to his feet, he was immediately greeted with another devastating punch which forced the referee to intervene. The official time was 2:56 of round two. A 32-year-old campaigner from Davenport, Iowa, Gonzalez brought a 12-5 record but had scored only one win vs. an opponent with a winning record.
Jahi Tucker, a 22-year-old middleweight from Deer Park, Long Island, scores his best win to date, winning a lopsided decision over former British junior middleweight champion Troy Williamson. The scores were 99-89 across the board.
Tucker (14-1-1) scored two knockdowns. The first in the second round was called a slip but overruled on replay. The second, in round eight, was the result of a left hook. Williamson stayed on his feet but the ropes held him up and it was properly scored a knockdown. The Englishman, 34, fell to 20-4-1 in what was his U.S. debut.
In a junior lightweight bour slated for eight rounds, 21-year-old Las Vegas southpaw DJ Zamora, advanced to 16-0 (11 KOs) with a fourth-round stoppage of Tex-Mex campaigner Hugo Alberto Castaneda (15-2-1). The official time was 1:24 of round four.
Photo credit: Mikey Williams / Top Rank
To comment on this story in the Fight Forum CLICK HERE
In a battle to retain heavyweight contender status, Filip Hrgovic out-fought Joe “The Juggernaut” Joyce to win by unanimous decision on Saturday on Queensberry Promotions’ first card on DAZN.
It was a heavyweight brawl.
Croatia’s Hrgovic (18-1, 14 KOs) was the more accurate puncher over England’s Joyce (16-4, 15 KOs) in their heavyweight title fight at Manchester, England. Both were coming off losses.
Hrgovic, 32, entered the boxing ring as a replacement for Joyce’s original foe Dillian Whyte. Though short on notice, he worked with Abel Sanchez who formerly trained Joyce. It proved to be a wise move.
From the opening round Hrgovic opened-up with a battering attack, especially with the one-two combination that rocked Joyce repeatedly in the first two rounds. The British fighter known for his rock-hard chin, withstood the challenge.
“He is a beast,” said Hrgovic. “This guy is like steel.”
For the first half of the 10-round heavyweight clash, Hrgovic was the aggressor and the much more accurate puncher. Joyce seemed unsteady on his legs but every round he seemed to gain more stability and confidence.
By midway, Joyce resorted to his juggernaut ways and began to stalk the Croatian fighter whom he defeated in the amateurs a dozen years ago.
Though Joyce had lost by knockout to Zhilei Zhang and was knocked down by Derek Chisora, he was able to remain upright throughout the match with Hrgovic despite some wicked shots.
Just when it seemed Joyce might take over the fight, Hrgovic opened-up with an eight-punch volley in the eighth round that had the British heavyweight reeling. The fight turned around.
Hrgovic seemed to get a second wind and began connecting with left hooks and pinpoint accurate combinations. Joyce tried to fight back but his accuracy was off. The Croatian fighter regained the momentum and never allowed Joyce back in the fight.
After 10 rounds all three judges scored for Hrgovic 97-93, 96-95, 98-92.
“I came to fight on short notice. Thanks to God he gave me strength,” said Hrgovic. “Thanks to Joe for the opportunity.”
The Croatian fighter said he seeks a fight with IBF heavyweight titlist Daniel Dubois.
“This guy beat Dubois and I beat him,” said Hrgovic who lost to Dubois a year ago but defeated Joyce who knocked out Dubois when they fought.
Other Bouts
Heavyweight David Adeleye (14-1, 13 KOs) knocked out Jeamie Tshikeva (8-2, 5 KOs) during a clinch and interference by the referee. It remained a knockout win for Adeleye at 55 seconds of the sixth round. Adeleye becomes the British heavyweight champion.
Super lightweight Jack Rafferty (26-0, 17 KOs) knocked out Cory O’Regan (14-1, 3 KOs) in a punch seemingly delivered during a clinch in the fifth round. The match was stopped at 2:26 of the sixth round.
British Olympian Delicious Orie (1-0) made his pro debut and won by decision over Milos Veletic (3-8) in a heavyweight contest.
Avila Perspective, Chap. 320: Women’s Boxing Hall of Fame, Heavyweights and More
Many of the best female fighters of all time including Christy Martin, Laila Ali and others are gathering in the glitzy lights of Las Vegas this week.
Several hundred fans including current and former world champions are attending the International Women’s Boxing Hall of Fame ceremony on Friday, April 4 and 5th at the Orleans Casino in Las Vegas.
It’s one of my favorite events.
Where else can you talk to the female pioneers and stars of the 1980s and 1990s?
The last time I attended two years ago, Germany’s super star Regina Halmich spoke to the packed house about her career in boxing. She and Daisy Lang were two female world champions who sold out arenas wherever they fought. The pair of blonde fighters proved that female prizefighting could succeed.
Many times, I debated with promoters who believed women’s boxing could not succeed in the USA. Though it was popular in Germany and Mexico, various organizers felt female boxing was not appealing to the American masses.
Now promoters and media networks know women’s boxing and women’s sports have crowd appeal.
Expected to attend the IWBHOF event at Orleans will be Mexico’s Jessica Chavez and Jackie Nava who will be inducted into the women’s hall of fame along with Vaia Zaganas of Canada among many others.
It’s also a gathering place for many of the top proponents of women’s boxing including the organizers of this event such as Sue Fox whose idea spawned the IWBHOF.
Each event is unique and special.
Many of my favorite people in boxing attend this celebration of women’s boxing. Stop by the Orleans Casino on the second floor. You won’t be disappointed.
Heavyweight prospects
Heavyweights take the forefront this weekend in two pivotal battles in different continents.
In England, a pair of contenders looking to maintain their footing in the heavyweight mountain will clash as Joe Joyce (16-3, 15 KOs) meets Croatia’s Filip Hrgovic (17-1, 14 KOs) at the Co-op Live Arena in Manchester. DAZN will stream the event.
Both lost their last match and need a win to remain relevant. Joyce has lost his three of his last four, most recently coming up short in a riveting slugfest with Derek Chisora.
Meanwhile, in Las Vegas, Nevada, two young heavyweights looking to crack contender status clash as undefeated Richard Torrez (12-0,11 KOs) fights Italy’s Guido Vianello (13-2-1,11 KOs) at the Palms Casino.
Both are Olympians who can crack and each can take a blow.
The winner moves up into contention and the other will need to scrape and claw back into relevance.
Coming up
April 12 in Atlantic City: Jarron Ennis (33-0, 29 KOs) vs Eimantis Stanionis (15-0, 9 KOs) IBF welterweight title.
April 12 Albuquerque: Fernando Vargas Jr. (16-0) vs Gonzalo Gaston (23-7); Shane Mosley Jr. (22-4) vs DeAundre Pettus (12-4).
April 19 Oceanside, Calif: Gabriela Fundora (15-0, 7 KOs) vs Marilyn Badillo (19-0-1, 3 KOs). Also, Charles Conwell (21-0, 16 KOs) vs Jorge Garcia (32-4, 26 KOs).
April 26 Tottenham Stadium, London, England; Conor Benn (23-0) vs Chris Eubank Jr. (34-3); Aaron McKenna (19-0, 10 KOs) vs Liam Smith (33-4, 20 Kos).
Fights to Watch
Sat. DAZN 11 a.m. Joe Joyce (16-3) vs Filip Hrgovic (17-1).
Sat. ESPN+ 2:30 p.m. Richard Torrez (12-0) vs Guido Vianello (13-2-1).
Sat. AMAZON PRIME VIDEO 8:00 8 p.m. Tim Tszyu (24-2) vs. Joey Spencer (19-1)
To comment on this story in the Fight Forum CLICK HERE
A Fresh Face on the Boxing Scene, Bryce Mills Faces His Toughest Test on Friday
Bernard Fernandez Reflects on His Special Bond with George Foreman
A Paean to George Foreman (1949-2025), Architect of an Amazing Second Act
Notes and Nuggets from Thomas Hauser: Callum Walsh Returns to Madison Square Garden
Spared Prison by a Lenient Judge, Chordale Booker Pursues a World Boxing Title
Friday Boxing Recaps: Observations on Conlan, Eubank, Bahdi, and David Jimenez
Sebastian Fundora TKOs Chordale Booker in Las Vegas
Ever-Improving Callum Walsh KOs Dean Sutherland at Madison Square Garden
Keith Thurman Returns with a Bang; KOs Brock Jarvis in Sydney
Avila Perspective, Chap. 318: Aussie Action, Vegas and More
Boxing Odds and Ends: The Wacky and Sad World of Livingstone Bramble and More
Avila Perspective, Chap. 319: Rematches in Las Vegas, Cancun and More
Nick Ball Wears Down and Stops TJ Doheny Before the Home Folks in Liverpool
Results and Recaps from Sydney where George Kambosos Upended Late Sub Jake Wyllie
Avila Perspective, Chap. 317: Callum Walsh, Dana White and More
Ringside at the Fontainebleau where Mikaela Mayer Won her Rematch with Sandy Ryan
High Drama in Japan as ‘Amazing Boy’ Kenshiro Teraji Overcomes Seigo Yuri Akui
William Zepeda Edges Past Tevin Farmer in Cancun; Improves to 34-0
History has Shortchanged Freddie Dawson, One of the Best Boxers of his Era
Avila Perspective, Chap. 320: Women’s Boxing Hall of Fame, Heavyweights and More
-
Featured Articles3 weeks agoA Fresh Face on the Boxing Scene, Bryce Mills Faces His Toughest Test on Friday
-
Featured Articles2 weeks agoBernard Fernandez Reflects on His Special Bond with George Foreman
-
Featured Articles2 weeks agoA Paean to George Foreman (1949-2025), Architect of an Amazing Second Act
-
Featured Articles3 weeks agoNotes and Nuggets from Thomas Hauser: Callum Walsh Returns to Madison Square Garden
-
Featured Articles2 weeks agoSpared Prison by a Lenient Judge, Chordale Booker Pursues a World Boxing Title
-
Featured Articles4 weeks agoFriday Boxing Recaps: Observations on Conlan, Eubank, Bahdi, and David Jimenez
-
Featured Articles2 weeks agoSebastian Fundora TKOs Chordale Booker in Las Vegas
-
Featured Articles3 weeks agoEver-Improving Callum Walsh KOs Dean Sutherland at Madison Square Garden