The search for the perfect boxing glove continues. But great progress has been made, thank goodness, since the day fighters did not wear gloves at all or spiked ones. One of the most notable dates in the development of gloves, and the history of boxing, was September 7, 1892. On the day in New Orleans, […]
Me and Jake LaMotta grew up in the same neighbourhood. You wanna know how popular Jake was? When we played hide and seek, nobody ever looked for LaMotta. -ROCKY GRAZIANO
When I was a young fellow I was knocked down plenty. I wanted to stay down, but I couldn’t. I had to collect the two dollars for winning or go hungry. I had to get up. I was one of those hungry fighters. You could have hit me on the chin with a sledgehammer for […]
“Fifteen referees. I want fifteen referees to be at this fight because there ain’t no one man who can keep up with the pace I’m gonna set except me. There’s not a man alive who can whup me. I’m too fast. I’m too smart. I’m too pretty. I should be a postage stamp. That’s the […]
Did you know? Marciano on a visit to South Africa was invited to step in as the third man on 25th November 1967 in an exhibition bout between Robert Trott (2-1-1) and Arnold Taylor (1-0-1) Arnold Taylor went on to become South African bantamweight, flyweight and WBA bantamweight champion Marciano also squared up for a […]
Greatest Bantamweight Fight in Boxing History Arnold Taylor – ‘I felt God’s hand on my shoulder’ He felt God’s hand on his shoulder at the end of that brutal eighth round. He knew God was in his corner and that he would soon be bantamweight champion of the world. That is how Arnold Taylor explained […]
Former WBC heavyweight champion Ken Norton Norton is best known for beating Muhammad Ali to win the NABF heavyweight title in their first bout in March 1973 and breaking his jaw during the fight. This was Ali’s second defeat having previously lost to Joe Frazier. Six month later Ali avenged the loss to Norton and in […]
Joe Rosella, who won the South African welterweight title in February 1921 and scored only six victories in his 18 fights as a professional, was better known as a trainer of fighters and for his body building gyms rather than being a boxer. Born William Joseph Rosella in Cape Town on June 26, 1897, he […]
Certain fighters throughout history have made a living on their chins! And if that sounds like gibberish, allow me to explain. The term denotes a boxer whose main asset is a rock-like jaw, which as any follower of the sport will inform you, cannot be acquired, no matter how hard an athlete trains. Like true […]
The first national title fights between black and white South Africans took place in November 1976, a month after permission for “multiracial” boxing at all levels was granted by the government. Gerrie Coetzee and Elijah Makhatini became the first “undisputed” SA champions on November 27 that year. Since then, the number of black boxers in […]