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A Boxing-Themed Discussion with Versatile Sports Journalist Greg Bishop
Hand Greg Bishop an assignment and he’s going to be equally comfortable writing about the NFL, MLB, college basketball, the Olympics or boxing.
Bishop began covering the sweet science while at the New York Times when he penned a feature on Manny Pacquiao in 2009 prior to his fight with Miguel Cotto.
Bishop, a senior writer at Sports Illustrated since 2014, has spent time with some of the biggest names in the sport, including Floyd Mayweather Jr.
What’s Bishop’s take on the state of boxing as it’s presently constituted?
“I don’t buy the usual arguments that boxing is dying, that it won’t continue, that all these exhibition-type fights are ruining the sport (although, Evander Holyfield, woof),” he said. “I believe there is a lot of solid boxing right now. I believe there are a ton of champions who deserve more attention than they’re getting.”
Somehow, boxing has a way of messing up its own progress. “And I believe that the sport continues to get in its own way, for myriad reasons: too many belts, not enough marquee fights, too many Pay-Per-View cards that should be on network TV or streaming,” said Bishop, a graduate of Syracuse University in 2002 with a journalism and finance degree. “Boxing’s problems continue to stem from the sports infrastructure. They have long needed fixing. The question is whether they will ever be addressed.”
In the old days, boxing had eight world champions based on weight. Today that number has multiplied because of all the sanctioning bodies.
In a way, this is beneficial for the boxer because he’s able to make more money and get recognition, but it also muddies the product.
Bishop, a sports staff writer at The Seattle Times from 2002 through 2007 and The New York Times for seven years, thinks this is a problem.
“When I write I usually leave the belts out of it. Often, my editors will ask to put them in,” he said. “I always say: to what point? The general reader will for sure be confused, and if you add in which belts, you have to explain which ones are significant. It’s too many wasted words.”
Pacquiao holds a special place for Bishop. “It will be tough to argue – in my opinion – that Manny Pacquiao didn’t have an unprecedented career. We haven’t seen anything like it,” he noted. “I doubt we will again. In an era where protecting a record from losses came to matter much more than in earlier eras, Pacquiao fought everybody. He didn’t always win, but that’s besides the point.”
Bishop continued: “Think of how many incredible fights he had: the trilogies, the four times versus Juan Manuel Marquez, Cotto, [Ricky] Hatton, [Antonio] Margarito,” he said. “I always tell people I’ve covered sports all over the world, from the Tour De France to the Olympics to every tennis grand slam, and there’s nothing in sports like when Pacquiao is coming into Thunderstruck.”
Pacquiao wasn’t perfect by any measure. “Now, that doesn’t mean I have always agreed with some of his stances, or some of his choices. But from a purely boxing standpoint, Pacquiao represents one of the most fascinating careers ever embarked upon,” Bishop said. “It was truly fun to watch, and that was part of his appeal, the way he fought, how he fought everyone, how he danced and moved and darted and dipped. I believe we will appreciate Manny and his career more over time.”
In so many ways, the undefeated Mayweather was bigger than life. “We’ve had our run-ins over the years, but whenever I went to Floyd’s gym, I knew there would be some sort of event,” Bishop said. “I saw a boxer chasing another boxer down the street with a knife one time. I also always found it interesting that Floyd could pretty much do anything he wanted, buy anything he wanted, fight anyone he wanted, and yet the one thing he wanted most – unadulterated respect – he always had trouble landing. I wrote about that a lot.”
Another boxer stood out for Bishop. “Andre Ward was a hell of a fighter who took on tough opponents and consistently performed,” he said. “He had power. He had technical skill. He won some big fights. It was a pleasure to watch him up close, too.”
Even those not in the ring are interesting characters in their own right. “I’d put Bob Arum in that category. Always funny, great stories,” Bishop said of the founder and CEO of Top Rank. “Bruce Trampler, too. I’ve never talked to Bruce and not learned something. People like those are the reason I keep coming back to cover boxing. There’s no shortage of amazing material.”
The sport’s biggest money-making bout involved Mayweather and Pacquiao. Bishop was there in May 2015 for that clash at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, but feels the best fight he covered was Pacquiao-Cotto, which was held at the same venue.
“To me that was Pacquiao’s peak, from style to just pure brutality. The best of Manny was there that night, and Cotto didn’t fight badly at all,” he said. “I remember the energy, the way the crowd seemed drunk on adrenaline, the trading of blows and then, finally, the mood changing. Like I started to worry that Cotto might get hurt. That maybe this wasn’t a good idea. As I covered more and more fights, I kept coming back to that one. The way it felt. It was sort of like I was chasing that feeling when I kept coming back.”
Though boxing can be full of drama, it’s also not for the faint of heart, because it demands so much physical and mental strength from its participants.
“Boxing is not for everyone. It’s a tough sport, and sometimes I’m not sure whether I should be covering it,” Bishop admitted. “I’ve written about that before, too. I wonder sometimes if we’re glorifying what should not be glorified, or if we’re all part of this machine that leaves these fighters bloodied, beaten, and broken.”
Still, Bishop, like so many other insightful writers across the decades can’t escape the bravery these men produce.
“And yet, I’m drawn to boxing, too,” he declared. “For the science and the artistry and, yes, the violence. I’m conflicted about it and that conflict only grows over time.”
Some have suggested that boxing needs to be recalibrated in order to clear the air and make it better. “For one, I think it would be great if there was a boxing commissioner. The sport desperately needs a national commissioner,” Bishop said. “No more moving a bout to Florida so that it will be licensed when it shouldn’t be. No more allowing someone who’s not a boxer, fight someone else who’s not a boxer and calling it a pro fight. I’d fix the whole situation with the belts. One main one per division. That’s it. That’s the one that matters.”
Bishop then added: “I’d add pensions and healthcare plans to the careers of fighters,” he said. “I wouldn’t allow managers to also promote fighters – which technically, is against the law, but happens all the time. I wouldn’t even mind these spectacle fights, as long as they’re clearly delineated – as that, spectacle, something different, to catch a different audience. There’s room for all of it, in my opinion. But the sport needs to address its credibility above all. That starts with the best fighters fighting the best fighters, with mandated drug testing, with belts that mean something and can be easily understood.”
Having covered every major sport, there’s nothing quite like fight week leading up to a colossal main event like Deontay Wilder versus Tyson Fury.
“Even though I cover the NFL primarily, I want to stay involved in boxing, whether I should or my editors want me to or not,” Bishop said. “Part of it is they’re selling a product, for sure. Part of it is the great tradition that has been passed down with so many champions and many writers who are much better at this craft than I am.”
Bishop likes the preparation that goes into writing about the sport. “I go back and study all of them, how they ingratiated in those camps, how well they knew the fighters that they covered,” he said. “Boxing is one of the last places in sports where you can still find that. It’s not like before, but nothing ever is. You can still get deep into a camp, which helps get deep into the mind of a fighter, their preparations, what it means. There’s truly nothing like it.”
Maybe boxing has lost some of its shine, but it’s still special when two high-level fighters step into the ring.
“People always ask: why do you cover boxing? One of my go-to lines is that boxers would let you stay over if you wanted, while most NFL athletes I profile would prefer to limit our conversations to 10 minutes,” Bishop explained.
That’s just one way in which boxers stand tall compared to some athletes in other sports.
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Shades of Triple G.
Kazakhstan has another middleweight killer as Sadriddin Akhmedov overran veteran Raphael Igbokwe to win by knockout on Friday evening.
“He’s a tough guy, but I’m a tough guy too,” said Akhmedov of his Texas foe.
Akhmedov (15-0, 13 KOs) excited the crowd at Chumash Casino with a strong performance against a gritty Igbokwe (17-6, 7 Kos). The Kazakh fighter has Gennady Golovkin’s old trainer Abel Sanchez at his side.
It was evident in the first round that Akhmedov wields power, but it was also evident that Igbokwe was not going to quit. Blow after blow was absorbed by the Texas-trained fighter and he continued to press forward.
Akhmedov telegraphed his overhand rights but fired quick and accurate left hooks. Igbokwe withstood the power for round after round.
At the end of the fifth round both fighters continued to fire punches after the bell rang. It angered the two middleweights.
Akhmedov must have still been angry when the sixth round began as he erupted with a 12-punch barrage. Several big blows connected and the Texas fighter was in trouble. Though Igbokwe escaped the first barrage he was unable to avoid the second and the fight was stopped by referee Rudy Barragan at 56 seconds of the sixth round.
The Kazakhstan fighter thanked his fan support and his new trainer Sanchez.
“Every morning at 7 a.m. he wants to kill me,” Akhmedov said of Sanchez.
Other Bouts
A battle between Olympians saw Carlos Balderas (15-2, 13 KOs) knock out Cesar Villarraga (11-11-1) in the sixth round for the win at super lightweight.
A one-two combination found the mark for Balderas at 56 seconds of the sixth round. Villarraga beat the count but once the fight resumed the referee stopped the fight after Balderas connected with another right.
“My coaches told me it was there,” said Balderas of the right cross that finished the fight.
Balderas fought for Team USA in the Olympics and Villarraga for Team Colombia.
Super welterweights Jorge Maravillo (10-0-1, 8 KOs) and Damoni Cato-Cain (8-1-2) fought to a split draw after eight back-and- forth rounds.
Cain-Cato sprinted ahead for the first three rounds behind subtle pressure and focusing on the body then the head against the taller Maravillo. Then, it stopped.
Maravillo stopped retreating and used his long stiff left jabs as a probe and counter punch and became the stalker instead of the prey. It turned the fight around. But Cain-Cato was reluctant to give up too much territory and fought through a damaged left eye to keep the match tight. After eight rounds one judge saw Maravillo the winner, another saw Cato-Cain, and a third saw it even for a split draw.
It was a fitting score.
Angel Carrillo (4-0-1) out-pointed Joshua Torres (0-2-2) with combination punching and in-and-out maneuvers to win by decision. Though 14 years younger, Carrillo wore a protector near his chest. Twice he placed it far above his belly button and was never warned.
Fidencio Hernandez (3-0) was the more polished fighter and used straighter punches and a tighter defense to shut out Laguna Beach’s Josaphat Navarro (1-3-1) and won by unanimous decision.
In her pro debut Perla Bazaldua (1-0) won by knockout over Mollie Backowski (0-4) in a super flyweight contest. Bazaldua fights out of Los Angeles and has long been touted as a one of that city’s best amateur prospects. Now she is a pro.
Photo credit: Lina Baker / 360 Promotions
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Avila Perspective, Chap. 308: SoCal Rivals Rocha and Curiel Rumble and More
Decades ago, battles between regional warriors were as common as freeway traffic in Los Angeles during rush hour.
Bobby Chacon repped San Fernando Valley, Mando Ramos came from the docks of San Pedro, Danny “Little Red” Lopez lived in Alhambra and Ruben “Maravilla Kid” Navarro hailed from East L.A. And they rumbled repeatedly with each other.
The boxing sphere in California has grown much larger despite the closure of boxing palaces such as the Olympic Auditorium, Hollywood Legion Stadium, Great Western Forum, the L.A. Coliseum and Wrigley Field.
Those were classic venues.
Today in the 21st century boxing continues to grow.
Golden Boy Promotions presents SoCal regional rivals Santa Ana’s Alexis Rocha (25-2, 16 KOs) facing Hollywood’s Raul Curiel (15-0,13 KOs) in a welterweight clash on Saturday, Dec. 14, at Toyota Arena in Ontario, Calif. DAZN will stream the main card and YouTube.com the remainder.
Ontario is located in the Inland Empire known as the I.E.
Rocha, 27, has grown into a crowd favorite with a crowd-pleasing style developed by Orange County boxing trainer Hector Lopez. I remember his pro debut at Belasco Theater in downtown L.A. He obliterated his foe in three rounds and the small venue erupted with applause.
Wherever Rocha goes to fight, his fans follow.
“Anyone I face is trying to take food away from my family,” said Rocha.
Curiel, 29, has traveled a different road. As a former Mexican Olympian he took the slower road toward adapting to the professional style. Freddie Roach has refined the Mexican fighter’s style and so far, he remains unbeaten with a 10-fight knockout streak.
“I want to fight the best in the division,” said Curiel who is originally from Guadalajara.
Super welter hitters
Another top-notch fighter on the card is super welterweight Charles Conwell from Cleveland, Ohio. Conwell (20-0, 15 KOs) faces Argentina’s undefeated Gerardo Vergara (20-0, 13 KOs) in the co-main event.
Conwell may be the best kept secret in boxing and has been dominating foes for the past several years. He has solid defense, good power and is very strong for this weight class. Very Strong.
“I got to go out there and dominate,” said Conwell. “This is a fight that can lead me to a world championship fight.”
Golden Boy Promotions got lucky in picking up this fighter who could compete with any super welterweight out there. Anyone.
Vergara, 30, is another Argentine product and if you know anything about that South American country, they groom strong fighters with power. Think Marcos Maidana. This will be his first true test.
“I really hope he (Conwell) backs what he is saying,” said Vergara.
Marlen Esparza vs Arely Mucino
Former flyweight world titlists finally meet, but at super flyweight.
Olympic bronze medalist Marlen Esparza fights Mexico’s Arely Mucino in a fight that should have taken place years ago. Both are both coming off losses in title fights.
Esparza has the “fast hands” as she said and Mucino the “aggressive style” as she mentioned at the press conference on Thursday in Ontario.
It’s a 10-round affair and could mark the end for the loser.
Friday Night Fights
Undefeated middleweight Sadridden Akhmedov (14-0, 12 KOs) headlines a 360 Promotions and faces Raphael Igbokwe (17-5, 7 KOs) in the main event on Friday, Dec. 13, at Chumash Casino in Santa Ynez, Calif. UFC Fight Pass will stream the event.
Akhmedov hails from Kazakhstan and if you remember legendary Gennady “Triple G” Golovkin also hails from that region. Tom Loeffler the head of 360 Promotions worked with GGG too among other legends.
Is Akhmedov the real deal?
Former American Olympian Carlos Balderas (14-2) is also on the card and fights veteran Cesar Villarraga (11-10-1) who has been known to upset favorites in the past.
Fights to Watch
Fri. UFC Fight Pass 7 p.m. Sadridden Akhmedov (14-0) vs Raphael Igbokwe (17-5).
Sat. DAZN 10:30 a.m. Murodjon Akhmadaliev (12-1) vs Ricardo Espinoza (30-4).
Sat. DAZN 5 p.m. Alexis Rocha (25-2) vs Raul Curiel (15-0); Charles Conwell (20-0) vs Gerardo Vergara (20-0); Marlen Esparza (14-2) vs Arely Mucino (32-4-2).
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Cardoso, Nunez, and Akitsugi Bring Home the Bacon in Plant City
The final ShoBox event of 2025 played out tonight at the company’s regular staging ground in Plant City, Florida. When the smoke cleared, the “A-side” fighters in the featured bouts were 3-0 in step-up fights vs. battle-tested veterans, two of whom were former world title challengers. However, the victors in none of the three fights, with the arguable exception of lanky bantamweight Katsuma Akitsugi, made any great gain in public esteem.
In the main event, a lightweight affair, Jonhatan Cardoso, a 25-year-old Brazilian, earned a hard-fought, 10-round unanimous decision over Los Mochis, Mexico southpaw Eduardo Ramirez. The decision would have been acceptable to most neutral observers if it had been deemed a draw, but the Brazilian won by scores of 97-93 and 96-94 twice.
Cardoso, now 18-1 (15), had the crowd in his corner., This was his fourth straight appearance in Plant City. Ramirez, disadvantaged by being the smaller man with a shorter reach, declined to 28-5-3.
Co-Feature
In a 10-round featherweight fight that had no indelible moments, Luis Reynaldo Nunez advanced to 20-0 (13) with a workmanlike 10-round unanimous decision over Mexico’s Leonardo Baez. The judges had it 99-91 and 98-92 twice.
Nunez, from the Dominican Republic, is an economical fighter who fights behind a tight guard. Reputedly 85-5 as an amateur, he is managed by Sampson Lewkowicz who handles David Benavidez among others and trained by Bob Santos. Baez (22-5) was returning to the ring after a two-year hiatus.
Also
In a contest slated for “10,” ever-improving bantamweight Katsuma Akitsugi improved to 12-0 (3 KOs) with a sixth-round stoppage of Filipino import Aston Palicte (28-7-1). Akitsugi caught Palicte against the ropes and unleashed a flurry of punches climaxed by a right hook. Palicte went down and was unable to beat the count. The official time was 1:07 of round six.
This was the third straight win by stoppage for Akitsugi, a 27-year-old southpaw who trains at Freddie Roach’s Wild Card gym in LA under Roach’s assistant Eddie Hernandez. Palicte, who had been out of the ring for 16 months, is a former two-time world title challenger at superflyweight (115).
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