Featured Articles
Nigel Benn’s Ill-Advised Comeback is Yet Another Bad Look for Boxing

On November 23 in Birmingham, England, 55-year-old Nigel Benn (42-5-1, 35 KOs), will face 40-year-old Sakio Bika (34-7-3, 22 KOs), the former WBC super-middleweight champion from Australia by way of Cameroon. Nigel (pictured with his son Conor Benn, a 15-0 welterweight) is in good shape both physically and mentally and is a Born Again, but none of that matters when fighting a much younger roughhousing guy like Bika. This fight, licensed by the British and Irish Boxing Authority (BIBA), should never have been sanctioned.
Ill-advised comebacks are just that, ill advised. Sugar Ray Leonard, Alexis Arguello, “Little Red” Lopez, Razor Ruddock, Fitz Vanderpool, Ricky Hatton, David Tua, Gerry Cooney, Bert Cooper, Greg Page, Corrie Sanders, Ali, and Earnie Shavers found this out the hard way. But suddenly ill-advised comebacks seem to be metastasizing.
“At 35, I was good as ever; same with 45. But after 49-55, no injuries healed. Slaps on the head Caused confusion. So I said no more boxing……” -George Foreman
“A fighter never knows when it’s the last bell. He doesn’t want to face that.”-Sugar Ray Leonard
The Rain Man
Ray Austin, 48, is still fighting and still losing. After a promising start way back in 1996, he came a cropper against Wlad Klitschko in 2007 and it has been all downhill after that. He has lost six of his last seven albeit against stiff opposition. It’s time for Ray to get out of the rain.
The Atomic Bull
Oliver McCall unwisely decided to get back in the ring at the ripe old age of 53 and has shockingly won two bouts—one in 2018 against Larry Knight (3-20-1) and one this past June against Hugo Lomeli (21-14-1). While his record is 59-14, given his past issues outside of the ring, McCall, now 54, should not be anywhere near a boxing match. There are some who see him as unstable and in possible need of an interdiction.
McCall says, “I know I will stop Tyson [Fury] with body shots which will make his liver quiver and his whole body shiver…The major motivation for me is that I just love the sport of boxing…I want to make history.”
The Southern Disaster
Dominick Guinn, like McCall, has an iron jaw and remains very active but he now loses more than he wins. He also fights just about everywhere in the world. At 44, however, he is flirting with his own “disaster” and he needs to reconsider this line of work, especially given the very high level of his opposition.
Tank
Sherman Williams (42-15-2), another road warrior, has won five straight against fair to middling opposition. He too has the granite chin that seems to be at least part of the reason why these elders last so long (Saoul Mamby being a prime example of this). But that can have a nasty flip side. At any rate, if The Tank quits now, he could nicely bookend his career.
Brixton Bomber
Danny Williams once knocked out Mike Tyson. Now the 46-year-old is fighting wherever he can get a license and going up against men like Martin Stansky (3-42) for something called the Global Boxing Federation World Heavyweight Title. He also beat 42-year-old Pavel Siska who has lost 33 in a row, the great majority by stoppage. When Danny beat Iron Mike, his record was 31-3; now it’s 53-28. The once rock-solid fighter from the UK is now an accident waiting to happen.
The Man
Anthony Mundine is 44; he is scheduled to fight 43-year-old John Wayne Parr in November. All well and good, but Parr’s last fight was against Sakio Bika in 2003. This one has a side-show attraction.
The King
Likable good-guy Sam Soliman is 45 and still fighting. He beat Mark Lucas in April 2019 for a fringe middleweight title, but he needs to get out. He’s too nice of a bloke to stay in the game and risk a humiliation; that is, unless he can find someone even older to fight.
The White Wolf
Meanwhile, shopworn 43-year-old Siarhei Liakhovich is howling like a wolf and saying he wants to come back. “I am very serious about my comeback,” he said. “I’m looking forward to get what I got before: A title.” This comes six years after being KO’d by Deontay Wilder, a knockout that resembled someone being tasered as the White Wolf’s body twitched disturbingly. (Liakhovich defeated Dominick Guinn in 2004. Perhaps they can rematch and then both retire.)
Alexander The Great
Russia’s Alexander Ustinov, closing in on 43, appears useful as a gatekeeper for up and coming heavyweights, as had been true of Maurice Harris, 43, who hasn’t fought since July of last year and may have finally retired. Harris was stopped in the opening round in each of his last three fights and hopefully has seen the light.
The Real Deal
Even 56-year-old Evander Holyfield, emboldened by some sparring, plans returning to the ring next year for a charity event in Japan. The details are still developing.
While boxing is not going anywhere soon, it doesn’t need side show attractions or money grabbing exhibitions in Japan.
There are many others who need to get out and/or not come back.
The Vacillating Nature of Boxing Fans.
Fans are becoming hyper-fickle of late, or so it seems, and this has added to the current cynicism. For example:
GGG in tough and “drama”tic fight –now he’s a loser.
Fury gets sliced up –now he’s a loser.
Spence wins close one –now he’s a loser
Joshua is upset –now he’s a loser
The Shields Affair
Finally, the Claressa Shields vs. Ivana Habazin WBO and WBC 154-pound world title fight was cancelled following a bloody altercation prior to the official weigh-in that resulted in an injury to Habazin’s trainer James Ali Bashir (not to be confused with former boxer Bash Ali), a troubling incident that continues to play out in the news.
Recently, there have been a number of things that have come off that have hurt the image of boxing; the assault of James Ali Bashir was merely the latest. Boxing goes through these stages from time to time and maybe it’s an inherent part of the business, but when incidents and proposed events play with the health of the participants, the tolerance threshold needs to come down. Let’s hope things start to move in a more positive direction.
Ted Sares is a lifetime member of Ring 10, a member of Ring 8, and a member of Ring 4 and its Boxing Hall of Fame. He also is an Auxiliary Member of the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA). In 2019, he received Ring 10’s Harold Lederman Award for Historian. He still competes as a power lifter in the Master Class.
Check out more boxing news on video at The Boxing Channel
To comment on this story in The Fight Forum CLICK HERE
Featured Articles
Mercito Gesta Victorious Over Jojo Diaz at the Long Beach Pyramid

LONG BEACH, CA.-Those in the know knew Mercito Gesta and Jojo Diaz would be a fight to watch and they delivered.
Gesta emerged the winner in a super lightweight clash between southpaws that saw the judges favor his busier style over Diaz’s body attack and bigger shots and win by split decision on Saturday.
Despite losing the main event because the star was overweight, Gesta (34-3-3, 17 KOs) used an outside method of tactic to edge past former world champion Diaz (32-4-1, 15 KOs) in front of more than 5,000 fans at the Pyramid.
The speedy Gesta opened up the fight with combination punching up and down against the peek-a-boo style of Diaz. For the first two rounds the San Diego fighter overwhelmed Diaz though none of the blows were impactful.
In the third round Diaz finally began unloading his own combinations and displaying the fast hands that helped him win world titles in two divisions. Gesta seemed stunned by the blows, but his chin held up. The counter right hook was Diaz’s best weapon and snapped Gesta’s head back several times.
Gesta regained control in the fifth round after absorbing big blows from Diaz. He seemed to get angry that he was hurt and opened up with even more blows to send Diaz backpedaling.
Diaz targeted his attack to Gesta’s body and that seemed to slow down Gesta. But only for a round.
From the seventh until the 10th each fighter tried to impose their style with Gesta opening up with fast flurries and Diaz using right hooks to connect with solid shots. They continued their method of attack until the final bell. All that mattered was what the judges preferred.
After 10 rounds one judge saw Diaz the winner 97-93 but two others saw Gesta the winner 99-91, 98-92. It was a close and interesting fight.
“I was expecting nothing. I was the victor in this fight and we gave a good fight,” said Gesta. “It’s not an easy fight and Jojo gave his best.”
Diaz was surprised by the outcome but accepted the verdict.
Everything was going good. I thought I was landing good body shots,” said Diaz. “I was pretty comfortable.”
Other Bouts
Mexico’s Oscar Duarte (25-1-1, 20 KOs) knocked out Chicago’s Alex Martin (18-5, 6 KOs) with a counter right hand after dropping him earlier in the fourth round. The super lightweight fight was stopped at 1:14 of the round.
A battle between undefeated super welterweights saw Florida’s Eric Tudor (8-0, 6 KOs) emerge the winner by unanimous decision after eight rounds versus Oakland’s Damoni Cato-Cain.
The taller Tudor showed polished skill and was not bothered by a large cut on his forehead caused by an accidental clash of heads. He used his jab and lead rights to defuse the attacks of the quick-fisted southpaw Cato-Cain. The judges scored the fight 80-72 and 78-74 twice for Tudor.
San Diego’s Jorge Chavez (5-0, 4 KOs) needed less than one round to figure out Nicaragua’s Bryan Perez (12-17-1, 11 KOs) and send him into dreamland with a three-punch combination. No need to count as referee Ray Corona waved the fight over. Perez shot a vicious right followed by another right and then a see-you-later left hook at 3.00 of the first round of the super featherweight match.
Photo credit: Al Applerose
Featured Articles
Jojo Diaz’s Slump Continues; Mercito Gesta Prevails on a Split Decision

At age 30, Jojo Diaz’s career is on the skids. The 2012 U.S. Olympian, a former world title holder at 126 and 130 pounds and an interim title holder at 135, Diaz suffered his third straight loss tonight, upset by Mercito Gesta who won a split decision at the Walter Pyramid in Long Beach, CA.. The scoring was strange with Gesta winning nine of the 10 rounds on one of the cards and only three rounds on another. The tie-breaker, as it were, was a 98-92 tally for Gesta and even that didn’t capture the flavor of what was a closely-contested fight.
Originally listed as a 12-rounder, the match was reduced to 10 and that, it turned out, did Diaz no favors. However, it’s hard to feel sorry for the former Olympian as he came in overweight once again, having lost his 130-pound title on the scales in February of 2021.
Diaz also has issues outside the ropes. Best elucidated by prominent boxing writer Jake Donovan, they include a cluster of legal problems stemming from an arrest for drunk driving on Feb. 27 in the LA suburb of Claremont.
With the defeat, Diaz’s ledger declined to 32-4-1. His prior losses came at the hands of Gary Russell Jr, Devin Haney, and William Zepeda, boxers who are collectively 83-2. Mercito Gesta, a 35-year-old San Diego-based Filipino, improved to 34-3-3.
Co-Feature
Chihuahua, Mexico super lightweight Oscar Duarte has now won nine straight inside the distance after stopping 33-year-old Chicago southpaw Alex Martin in the eighth frame. Duarte, the busier fighter, had Martin on the deck twice in round eight before the fight was waived off.
Duarte improved to 25-1-1 (20). Martin, who reportedly won six national titles as an amateur and was once looked upon as a promising prospect, declined to 18-5.
Other Bouts of Note
New Golden Boy signee Eric Tudor, a 21-year-old super welterweight from Fort Lauderdale, overcame a bad laceration over his right eye, the result of an accidental clash of heads in round four, to stay unbeaten, advancing to 8-0 (6) with a hard-fought unanimous 8-round decision over Oakland’s Damoni Cato-Cain. The judges had it 80-72 and 78-74 twice. It was the first pro loss for Cato-Cain (7-1-1) who had his first five fights in Tijuana.
In the DAZN opener, lanky Hawaian lightweight Dalis Kaleiopu went the distance for the first time in his young career, improving to 4-0 (3) with a unanimous decision over 36-year-old Colombian trial horse Jonathan Perez (40-35). The scores were 60-52 across the board. There were no knockdowns, but Perez, who gave up almost six inches in height, had a point deducted for a rabbit punch and another point for deducted for holding.
To comment on this story in the Fight Forum CLICK HERE
Featured Articles
‘Big Baby’ Wins the Battle of Behemoths; TKOs ‘Big Daddy’ in 6

Lucas “Big Daddy” Browne weighed in at a career-high 277 pounds for today’s battle in Dubai with Jarrell “Big Baby” Miller, but he was the lighter man by 56 pounds. It figured that one or both would gas out if the bout lasted more than a few stanzas.
It was a war of attrition with both men looking exhausted at times, and when the end came it was Miller, at age 34 the younger man by nine years, who had his hand raised.
Browne was the busier man, but Miller, whose physique invites comparison with a rhinoceros, hardly blinked as he was tattooed with an assortment of punches. He hurt ‘Bid Daddy’ in round four, but the Aussie held his own in the next frame, perhaps even forging ahead on the cards, but only postponing the inevitable.
In round six, a succession of right hands knocked Browne on the seat of his pants. He beat the count, but another barrage from Miller impelled the referee to intervene. The official time was 2:33. It was the 21st straight win for Miller (26-0-1, 22 KOs). Browne declined to 31-4 and, for his own sake, ought not fight again. All four of his losses have come inside the distance, some brutally.
The consensus of those that caught the livestream was that Floyd Mayweather Jr’s commentary was an annoying distraction that marred what was otherwise an entertaining show.
As for what’s next for “Big Baby” Miller, that’s hard to decipher as he has burned his bridges with the sport’s most powerful promoters. One possibility is Mahmoud Charr who, like Miller, has a big gap in his boxing timeline. Now 38 years old, Charr – who has a tenuous claim on a WBA world title (don’t we all?) — has reportedly taken up residence in Dubai.
Other Bouts of Note
In a 10-round cruiserweight affair, Suslan Asbarov, a 30-year-old Russian, advanced to 4-0 (1) with a hard-fought majority decision over Brandon Glanton. The judges had it 98-92, 97-93, and a more reasonable 95-95.
Asbarov was 12-9 in documented amateur fights and 1-0 in a sanctioned bare-knuckle fight, all in Moscow, entering this match. He bears watching, however, as Glanton (18-2) would be a tough out for almost anyone in his weight class. In his previous fight, at Plant City, Florida, Glanton lost a controversial decision to David Light, an undefeated Australian who challenges WBO world title-holder Lawrence Okolie at Manchester, England next week.
A 10-round super featherweight match between former world title challengers Jono Carroll and Miguel Marriaga preceded the semi-windup. Carroll, a 30-year-old Dublin southpaw, overcame a cut over his left eye suffered in the second round to win a wide unanimous decision in a fairly entertaining fight.
It was the sixth straight win for Carroll (24-2-1, 7 KOs) who elevated his game after serving as a sparring partner for Devin Haney. Marriaga, a 36-year-old Colombian, lost for the fourth time in his last five outings, declining to 30-7.
To comment on this story in the Fight Forum CLICK HERE
-
Featured Articles4 weeks ago
A Shocker in the Philippines as Suganob Topples Vicelles
-
Featured Articles6 days ago
Canelo vs Ryder: A Stroll in the Park for the Red-Headed Mexican?
-
Featured Articles2 weeks ago
Angel Beltran Wins Main Event at Ken Thompson Tribute Show
-
Featured Articles4 weeks ago
The Hauser Report: A Club Fight Promoter Faces a Choice
-
Featured Articles4 weeks ago
Josh Taylor Assures Us His Fight With Teófimo López Will End in a Knockout
-
Featured Articles2 weeks ago
Beverly Hills Bluster as ‘Tank’ Davis and ‘King Ry’ Garcia Cap Their Mini-Tour
-
Featured Articles2 weeks ago
‘Big Baby’ Miller vs ‘Big Daddy’ Browne: A Morbidly Tantalizing Match
-
Featured Articles2 weeks ago
A Cursed Paradigm: The Fights That Boxing Cannot Deliver