![]() He went on to have two more reigns as 112-pound champion. He took Perez’s flyweight title by a split decision and then stopped the great Argentine in eight rounds in the rematch. In fact, he became an icon in his native country in only two bouts, back-to-back victories over all-time great Pascual Perez in 1960. The Thai star made the most out of relatively few fights. He claimed victories over some of the biggest names in history, including Hall of Famers Maxie Rosenbloom and future heavyweight champ Jersey Joe Walcott (twice). The one-time light heavyweight champion from Spokane, Washington, was a good boxer with murderous power, which accounts for his 91 knockouts. The natural boxer went on to become one of the most accomplished female fighters from her adopted base of Las Vegas.įox is one of those old-timers who probably would’ve won multiple championships today. Many observers believe Serrano was cheated out of what would’ve been a defining victory. The native of Mexico took on a big challenge in her pro debut, fighting Hall of Famer Christy Martin and emerging with a disputed draw. She finally retired in 2018, when she was 50 years old. She didn’t turn professional until she was 31 but still won major belts in three divisions. There was more to the women’s boxing pioneer than that, however. The most remarkable thing about Ashley is that she became the oldest boxer to win a world title when she claimed a vacant belt at 48 years old in 2015. And we have to ask: Is there a better brother combination in the history of the sport? When he was at his best, Marquez was special. However, the decline is easily forgotten. He was never the same after the last fight with Vazquez, going 2-4 in his last six fights. Marquez would ultimately split the four fights with Vazquez but solidified his reputation as one of the best and most-exciting fighters of his era. The two-division champion went on to beat Tim Austin, Mauricio Pastrana (twice) and Silence Mabuza (twice) before entering one of the most-compelling – and brutal – series of fights in boxing history, his rivalry with Israel Vazquez. ![]() The younger Marquez burst upon the scene with back-to-back victories over Hall of Famer Mark Johnson, first a split decision and then an eighth-round knockout the following year. The brother of Juan Manuel Marquez didn’t have the skill set of his more famous sibling – few did – but he was a good boxer who punched harder than big bro. He richly deserves the honor of being inducted into the Hall. Few fighters of today even approach the quality of Froch’s deep resume. His only losses came against Kessler in their first fight and all-time great Andre Ward in the final of the Super Six World Boxing Classic, a 168-pound tournament. Among his victims: Robin Reid, Jean Pascal, Jermain Taylor, Andre Dirrell, Arthur Abraham, Glen Johnson, Lucian Bute, Yusaf Mack, Mikkel Kessler and Groves (twice). That, combined with a nasty streak and unwavering confidence, produced a remarkable career. The Nottingham fighter wasn’t great at any particular aspect of boxing but did everything well. Of course, Froch should be remembered for more than one spectacular moment. ![]() The first thing I think of when Froch’s name comes up is his mic-drop retirement, a one-punch knockout of rival George Groves in front of 80,000 screaming fans at Wembley Stadium in London that ended his decorated career. Bottom line: Bradley was sometimes overshadowed by bigger stars but his record compares favorably with most of those he’ll join in Canastota. Bradley outboxed one of the best to ever do it. And let’s stop and appreciate his victory over Marquez, who was coming off his one-punch stoppage of Pacquiao. However, everyone agrees he was competitive with the Filipino legend. And he lost both the second and third installments of their trilogy. OK, most people thought he got a gift in his first meeting with Pacquiao. That run alone makes Bradley Hall of Fame worthy. Consider this: Between 20, the gifted, clever boxer from the Southern California desert beat in succession (not counting one no-contest): Miguel Vazquez, Junior Witter, Edner Cherry, Kendall Holt, Lamont Peterson, Luis Abregu, Devon Alexander, Joel Casamayor, Manny Pacquiao, Ruslan Provodnikov and Juan Manuel Marquez. I wonder whether people who have come to know Bradley as an analyst have forgotten how good he was as a fighter. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |