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Words In, Words Out: This Fight Scribe’s Reading Guide

Words In, Words Out: This Fight Scribe’s Reading Guide
Happy New Year 2020 to the TSS community!
It’s hard to believe we’ve arrived at this point in the future. So many of yesterday’s top boxing writers and boxing media outlets are gone but not forgotten.
Wordsmiths like Pat Putnam and Joe Rein are no longer with us. The glory days of Max Boxing and other internet start-ups have passed. Newspaper writers like Boston’s own Ron Borges are harder and harder to access as print media recedes from view. It’s a new decade and my sights are set on the best of today.
As evidenced by their yearly haul of BWAA Bernie Awards, your choice to read and frequent The Sweet Science is smartly based on both quality AND quantity. This is a space where professional boxing journalism is still being done by real pros.
Thank you for being here.
My sincere thanks also to fellow writers Arne Lang, David Avila, Ted Sares, Kelsey McCarson—and the two Matts. You fellas have set a good example and you’ve set a standard for others like myself to follow.
Special congratulations to TSS colleagues Bernard Fernandez and Thomas Hauser for their recent, well-earned election to the International Boxing Hall of Fame in Canastota. To any true fistic journalist, BFern and Hauser (as they’re called) are the best examples of what to do and how to do it.
“There are two elements required to produce a quality boxing story,” explains Fernandez. “One is the writing. The other is the depth and accuracy of the reporting, the detail stuff. Thomas Hauser not only writes elegantly, demonstrating a mastery of the language, but he digs as deep as anyone to ensure that his copy includes every pertinent and verifiable bit of information.”
A very well-spoken boxer recently thanked me for the diligence I put into telling his story on TSS. I didn’t watch him train in the gym or spend any time with him in his dressing room before a big fight. But I did do my homework. I owe every fighter that much. It is the high bar set by new Hall of Famers Hauser and Fernandez that challenges me to write and report at their level.
There is a well-read soft-cover copy of Mr. Hauser’s famous book Muhammad Ali: His Life and Times in my bathroom in Maine. My favorite scene in Rocky Balboa is when Fernandez (playing himself) tells the panel on ESPN, including Bert Randolph Sugar, that Mason Dixon “never had to dig down to rally back” and that he doesn’t have a big enough shovel anyway.
Apparently, Fernandez wrote his own line of dialogue about that shovel and ad-libbed it into the 2006 film. The director liked it. “I facetiously asked if that would get me a screenwriting credit.”
THE WRITE STUFF
In 2018, only Boxing News and ESPN (led by investigative reporter Mark Kreigel) outdid The Sweet Science in the annual BWAA writing contest participated in by its members. The popular Boxing Scene tied TSS for third place.
No lightweight in the industry, Boxing Scene publishes respected writers such as Cliff Rold and Lyle Fitzsimmons but the hyper-busy website actively flips the notion of quality over quantity. Other news outlets finishing in the top ten included The Sporting News, RingTV (the online face of The Ring magazine), The Los Angeles Times, The Associated Press, and Sports Illustrated.
If I’m not writing about boxing, I am reading about it. Or watching it. For every single word I write, a hundred or more must be read. Words in, words out, see? But where exactly do I find fighting words worth reading in 2020? Here are a few of my sources, laid bare for your examination.
The list is by no means exhaustive but it is an honest accounting of who I read where. These are the sites and writers I turn to when there’s nothing fresh to consume and digest on TSS.
Springs Toledo: This North End Bostonian is the best boxing writer in the world, word-for-word. I read Toledo wherever I can find him. His old-fashioned books are meticulously researched and flow like poetry. His columns and features are recognized with Bernie Awards year after year. An exceptional contributor at TSS and elsewhere, Toledo’s real baby is his boxing ratings program, the Transnational Boxing Ranking Board. I enjoy the site’s feedback page more than its top tens. It is here that Toledo answers his critics and tries to make sense of his decisions.
The Fight City: Appropriately based out of Montreal, Quebec, Canada, The Fight City online offers its readers a “literary edge that embraces this brutal, cruel, glorious, heartbreaking sport in all its facets.” Featuring bylines from Lee Wylie and Ralph E. Semein, the site updates frequently enough to keep me coming back looking for another insightful column or new quality feature. While I wait, I gladly take in their many Top Twelve lists and fleshed out historical flashbacks.
Ringside Seat: Boasting a murderers’ row of “old guard” fight writers including Nigel Collins, Steve Farhood, Ivan Goldman, Carlo Rotella, Don Stradley and Eric Raskin, Ringside Seat is an e-mag designed to “provide boxing fans with a product unlike any other currently available.” For six bucks you can download the latest issue or any one of their exquisitely designed eight back issues; all of which feature thoughtful cover art and the typical trappings of a magazine.
Hannibal Boxing: Joseph Santoliquito (current BWAA President) recently joined a packed staff of contributors that’s already loaded with heavy hitters like Carlos Acevedo, Tris Dixon, and Frank Lotierzo. Hannibal Boxing regulars Sean Nam and Jimmy Tobin are also excellent writers. Boston based Hamilcar Publications, the book publishing division of Hannibal Boxing, offers a line of boxing titles in print (a few of them were reviewed here) with several more forthcoming in 2020.
NYFights: This relatively new website of former TSS editor-in-chief Michael Woods placed fourth in the latest BWAA writing contest. I go there for the TalkBox podcasts with Woodsy & Guests but end up staying for the Commissioner’s Corner columns by New York State boxing icon Randy Gordon. Stick around a bit longer and you might develop a taste for their man on the streets John Gatling.
Honorable Mentions: The RingTV website ain’t what it used to be but I still enjoy the Travelin’ Man reports penned by one of the friendliest people in boxing, Lee Groves (pictured above). If friendly fun is all you’re really looking for, check out the reimagined Ring Magazine under creative editor-in-chief Douglas Fischer the next time you’re stuck at an airport or sitting in a Barnes & Noble. The retro covers and the cool content reflect his true love of the fight game. And with HBO Boxing gone but not forgotten, I don’t read as much Kieren Mulvaney as in years past, but what a writer.
Photo: 2020 IBHOF inductees Thomas Hauser and Bernard Fernandez flank BWAA president Joseph Santoliquito. Photo compliments of Joseph Santoliquito.
Boxing Writer Jeffrey Freeman grew up in the City of Champions, Brockton, Massachusetts from 1973 to 1987, during the Marvelous career of Marvin Hagler. JFree then lived in Lowell, Mass during the best years of Irish Micky Ward’s illustrious career. A new member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and a Bernie Award Winner in the Category of Feature Under 1500 Words, Freeman covers boxing for The Sweet Science in New England.
Check out more boxing news on video at The Boxing Channel
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Ringside at the Fontainebleau where Mikaela Mayer Won her Rematch with Sandy Ryan

LAS VEGAS, NV — The first meeting between Mikaela Mayer and Sandy Ryan last September at Madison Square Garden was punctuated with drama before the first punch was thrown. When the smoke cleared, Mayer had become a world-title-holder in a second weight class, taking away Ryan’s WBO welterweight belt via a majority decision in a fan-friendly fight.
The rematch tonight at the Fontainebleau in Las Vegas was another fan-friendly fight. There were furious exchanges in several rounds and the crowd awarded both gladiators a standing ovation at the finish.
Mayer dominated the first half of the fight and held on to win by a unanimous decision. But Sandy Ryan came on strong beginning in round seven, and although Mayer was the deserving winner, the scores favoring her (98-92 and 97-93 twice) fail to reflect the competitiveness of the match-up. This is the best rivalry in women’s boxing aside from Taylor-Serrano.
Mayer, 34, improved to 21-2 (5). Up next, she hopes, in a unification fight with Lauren Price who outclassed Natasha Jonas earlier this month and currently holds the other meaningful pieces of the 147-pound puzzle. Sandy Ryan, 31, the pride of Derby, England, falls to 7-3-1.
Co-Feature
In his first defense of his WBO world welterweight title (acquired with a brutal knockout of Giovani Santillan after the title was vacated by Terence Crawford), Atlanta’s Brian Norman Jr knocked out Puerto Rico’s Derrieck Cuevas in the third round. A three-punch combination climaxed by a short left hook sent Cuevas staggering into a corner post. He got to his feet before referee Thomas Taylor started the count, but Taylor looked in Cuevas’s eyes and didn’t like what he saw and brought the bout to a halt.
The stoppage, which struck some as premature, came with one second remaining in the third stanza.
A second-generation prizefighter (his father was a fringe contender at super middleweight), the 24-year-old Norman (27-0, 21 KOs) is currently boxing’s youngest male title-holder. It was only the second pro loss for Cuevas (27-2-1) whose lone previous defeat had come early in his career in a 6-rounder he lost by split decision.
Other Bouts
In a career-best performance, 27-year-old Brooklyn featherweight Bruce “Shu Shu” Carrington (15-0, 9 KOs) blasted out Jose Enrique Vivas (23-4) in the third round.
Carrington, who was named the Most Outstanding Boxer at the 2019 U.S. Olympic Trials despite being the lowest-seeded boxer in his weight class, decked Vivas with a right-left combination near the end of the second round. Vivas barely survived the round and was on a short leash when the third stanza began. After 53 seconds of round three, referee Raul Caiz Jr had seen enough and waived it off. Vivas hadn’t previously been stopped.
Cleveland welterweight Tiger Johnson, a Tokyo Olympian, scored a fifth-round stoppage over San Antonio’s Kendo Castaneda. Johnson assumed control in the fourth round and sent Castaneda to his knees twice with body punches in the next frame. The second knockdown terminated the match. The official time was 2:00 of round five.
Johnson advanced to 15-0 (7 KOs). Castenada declined to 21-9.
Las Vegas junior welterweight Emiliano Vargas (13-0, 11 KOs) blasted out Stockton, California’s Giovanni Gonzalez in the second round. Vargas brought the bout to a sudden conclusion with a sweeping left hook that knocked Gonzalez out cold. The end came at the 2:00 minute mark of round two.
Gonzalez brought a 20-7-2 record which was misleading as 18 of his fights were in Tijuana where fights are frequently prearranged. However, he wasn’t afraid to trade with Vargas and paid the price.
Emiliano Vargas, with his matinee idol good looks and his boxing pedigree – he is the son of former U.S. Olympian and two-weight world title-holder “Ferocious” Fernando Vargas – is highly marketable and has the potential to be a cross-over star.
Eighteen-year-old Newark bantamweight Emmanuel “Manny” Chance, one of Top Rank’s newest signees, won his pro debut with a four-round decision over So Cal’s Miguel Guzman. Chance won all four rounds on all three cards, but this was no runaway. He left a lot of room for improvement.
There was a long intermission before the co-main and again before the main event, but the tedium was assuaged by a moving video tribute to George Foreman.
Photos credit: Al Applerose
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William Zepeda Edges Past Tevin Farmer in Cancun; Improves to 34-0

William Zepeda Edges Past Tevin Farmer in Cancun; Improves to 34-0
No surprise, once again William Zepeda eked out a win over the clever and resilient Tevin Farmer to remain undefeated and retain a regional lightweight title on Saturday.
There were no knockdowns in this rematch.
The Mexican punching machine Zepeda (33-0, 17 KOs) once more sought to overwhelm Farmer (33-8-1, 9 KOs) with a deluge of blows. This rematch by Golden Boy Promotions took place in the famous beach resort area of Cancun, Mexico.
It was a mere four months ago that both first clashed in Saudi Arabia with their vastly difference styles. This time the tropical setting served as the background which suited Zepeda and his lawnmower assaults. The Mexican fans were pleased.
Nothing changed in their second meeting.
Zepeda revved up the body assault and Farmer moved around casually to his right while fending off the Mexican fighter’s attacks. By the fourth round Zepeda was able to cut off Farmer’s escape routes and targeted the body with punishing shots.
The blows came in bunches.
In the fifth round Zepeda blasted away at Farmer who looked frantic for an escape. The body assault continued with the Mexican fighter pouring it on and Farmer seeming to look ready to quit. When the round ended, he waved off his corner’s appeals to stop.
Zepeda continued to dominate the next few rounds and then Farmer began rallying. At first, he cleverly smothered Zepeda’s body attacks and then began moving and hitting sporadically. It forced the Mexican fighter to pause and figure out the strategy.
Farmer, a Philadelphia fighter, showed resiliency especially when it was revealed he had suffered a hand injury.
During the last three rounds Farmer dug down deep and found ways to score and not get hit. It was Boxing 101 and the Philly fighter made it work.
But too many rounds had been put in the bank by Zepeda. Despite the late rally by Farmer one judge saw it 114-114, but two others scored it 116-112 and 115-113 for Zepeda who retains his interim lightweight title and place at the top of the WBC rankings.
“I knew he was a difficult fighter. This time he was even more difficult,” said Zepeda.
Farmer was downtrodden about another loss but realistic about the outcome and starting slow.
“But I dominated the last rounds,” said Farmer.
Zepeda shrugged at the similar outcome as their first encounter.
“I’m glad we both put on a great show,” said Zepeda.
Female Flyweight Battle
Costa Rica’s Yokasta Valle edged past Texas fighter Marlen Esparza to win their showdown at flyweight by split decision after 10 rounds.
Valle moved up two weight divisions to meet Esparza who was slightly above the weight limit. Both showed off their contrasting styles and world class talent.
Esparza, a former unified flyweight world titlist, stayed in the pocket and was largely successful with well-placed jabs and left hooks. She repeatedly caught Valle in-between her flurries.
The current minimumweight world titlist changed tactics and found more success in the second half of the fight. She forced Esparza to make the first moves and that forced changes that benefited her style.
Neither fighter could take over the fight.
After 10 rounds one judge saw Esparza the winner 96-94, but two others saw Valle the winner 97-93 twice.
Will Valle move up and challenge the current undisputed flyweight world champion Gabriela Fundora? That’s the question.
Valle currently holds the WBC minimumweight world title.
Puerto Rico vs Mexico
Oscar Collazo (12-0, 9 KOs), the WBO, WBA minimumweight titlist, knocked out Mexico’s Edwin Cano (13-3-1, 4 KOs) with a flurry of body shots at 1:12 of the fifth round.
Collazo dominated with a relentless body attack the Mexican fighter could not defend. It was the Puerto Rican fighter’s fifth consecutive title defense.
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Avila Perspective, Chap. 319: Rematches in Las Vegas, Cancun and More

Rematches are the bedrock for prizefighting.
Return battles between rival boxers always means their first encounter was riveting and successful at the box office.
Six months after their first brutal battle Mikaela Mayer (20-2, 5 KOs) and Sandy Ryan (7-2-1, 3 KOs) will slug it out again for the WBO welterweight world title this time on Saturday, March 29, at the Fontainebleau in Las Vegas.
ESPN will show the Top Rank card live.
“It’s important for women’s boxing to have these rivalries and this is definitely up there as one of the top ones,” Mayer told the BBC.
If you follow Mayer’s career you know that somehow drama follows. Whether its back-and-forth beefs with fellow American fighters or controversial judging due to nationalism in countries abroad. The Southern California native who now trains in Las Vegas knows how to create the drama.
For female fighters self-promotion is a necessity.
Most boxing promoters refuse to step out of the usual process set for male boxers, not for female boxers. Things remain the same and have been for the last 70 years. Social media has brought changes but that has made promoters do even less.
No longer are there press conferences, instead announcements are made on social media to be drowned among the billions of other posts. It is not killing but diluting interest in the sport.
Women innately present a different advantage that few if any promoters are recognizing. So far in the past 25 years I have only seen two or three promoters actually ignite interest in female fighters. They saw the advantages and properly boosted interest in the women.
The fight breakdown
Mayer has won world titles in the super featherweight and now the welterweight division. Those are two vastly different weight classes and prove her fighting abilities are based on skill not power or size.
Coaching Mayer since amateurs remains Al Mitchell and now Kofi Jantuah who replaced Kay Koroma the current trainer for Sandy Ryan.
That was the reason drama ignited during their first battle. Then came someone tossing paint at Ryan the day of their first fight.
More drama.
During their first fight both battled to control the initiative with Mayer out-punching the British fighter by a slender margin. It was a back-and-forth struggle with each absorbing blows and retaliating immediately.
New York City got its money’s worth.
Ryan had risen to the elite level rapidly since losing to Erica Farias three years ago. Though she was physically bigger and younger, she was out-maneuvered and defeated by the wily veteran from Argentina. In the rematch, however, Ryan made adjustments and won convincingly.
Can she make adjustments from her defeat to Mayer?
“I wanted the rematch straight away,” said Ryan on social media. “I’ve come to America again.”
Both fighters have size and reach. In their first clash it was evident that conditioning was not a concern as blows were fired nonstop in bunches. Mayer had the number of punches landed advantage and it unfolded with the judges giving her a majority decision win.
That was six months ago. Can she repeat the outcome?
Mayer has always had boiler-oven intensity. It’s not fake. Since her amateur days the slender Southern California blonde changes disposition all the way to red when lacing up the gloves. It’s something that can’t be taught.
Can she draw enough of that fire out again?
“I didn’t have to give her this rematch. I could have just sat it out, waited for Lauren Price to unify and fought for undisputed or faced someone else,” said Mayer to BBC. “That’s not the fighter I am though.”
Co-Main in Las Vegas
The co-main event pits Brian Norman Jr. (26-0, 20 KOs) facing Puerto Rico’s Derrieck Cuevas (27-1-1, 19 KOs) in a contest for the WBO welterweight title.
Norman, 24, was last seen a year ago dissecting a very good welterweight in Giovani Santillan for a knockout win in San Diego. He showed speed, skill and power in defeating Santillan in his hometown.
Cuevas has beaten some solid veteran talent but this will be his big test against Norman and his first attempt at winning a world title.
Also on the Top Rank card will be Bruce “Shu Shu” Carrington and Emiliano Vargas, the son of Fernando Vargas, in separate bouts.
Golden Boy in Cancun
A rematch between undefeated William “Camaron” Zepeda (32-0, 27 KOs) and ex-champ Tevin Farmer (33-7-1, 8 KOs) headlines the lightweight match on Saturday March 29, at Cancun, Mexico.
In their first encounter Zepeda was knocked down in the fourth round but rallied to win a split-decision over Farmer. It showed the flaws in Zepeda’s tornado style.
DAZN will stream the Golden Boy Promotions card that also includes a clash between Yokasta Valle the WBC minimumweight world titlist who is moving up to flyweight to face former flyweight champion Marlen Esparza.
Both Valle and Esparza have fast hands.
Valle is excellent darting in and out while Esparza has learned how to fight inside. It’s a toss-up fight.
Fights to Watch
Fri. DAZN 12 p.m. Cameron Vuong (7-0) vs Jordan Flynn (11-0-1); Pat Brown (0-0) vs Federico Grandone (7-4-2).
Sat. DAZN 5 p.m. William Zepeda (32-0) vs Tevin Farmer (33-7-1); Yokasta Valle (32-3) vs Marlen Esparza (15-2).
Sat. ESPN 7 p.m. Mikaela Mayer (20-2) vs Sandy Ryan (7-2-1); Brian Norman Jr. (26-0) vs Derrieck Cuevas (27-1-1).
Photo credit: Mikey Williams / Top Rank
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