Boxing in the 20th century

The opening decade of the 21st century is coming to a close and, regardless of the outcome of the remaining matches that are yet to play out in what has turned to be an exciting 2010 for professional boxing,  it is time to bring back the glorious years of boxing entertainment. It is time to recall those who gave color, drama and life to the sport; those who created indelible impressions among the fans; and those who, year after year, have proven their reign atop the ring by taking on the toughest opposition. I mean let's meet, once more, the fighters of the decade.

1910's-1920's

BoxRec Boxing Encyclopedia wrote that "Jack Dempsey changed the sport of boxing from a slow, defense-minded contest of single punches and frequent holding into an exciting, aggressive battle of furious combinations and blazing knockouts." But his life outside the ring gave him a bad press. Widely regarded by many as "a thug wallowing in immorality and brutality," fans loved to hate him. And yet when Gene Tunney dethroned him in 1926 after a 7-year reign, fans ironically began to admire him. Tunney was the epitome of an intelligent and scientific boxer, and they found him boring to watch. They missed Jack's "ultra-masculine charisma and slugger's brawn." In Dempsey's time, nobody packed the crowds in quite like he did.

Still, when the scribes minted the term "pound-for-pound" during this period, it was not because of Dempsey. It was because of Benny Leonard, who reigned as Lightweight Champion from May 1917 to January 1925. Boxing experts argued that Leonard at this time was the best, pound for pound. They also made mention of Harry Greb, a Middleweight Champion from 1923 to 1926. Greb has incredibly beaten heavier opponents in the light heavyweight and heavyweight divisions. He held the distinction of being the only fighter to ever beat Gene Tunney, the light heavyweight champion and conqueror of heavyweight king Jack Dempsey.

1930's

Henry Armstrong rocked the boxing world in 1937 and 1938, generating after-shocks that would continue to be felt until now. At a time when there were only 8 weight divisions, he won the featherweight, welterweight and lightweight titles in succession within a period of 10 months (from October 1937 to August 1938). Thus Armstrong would go down in boxing history as the only fighter ever to hold 3 world titles in 3 different divisions all at the same time.

Also at this time, Heavyweight Champion Joe Louis started a terrific run and would continue to dominate the opposition towards the latter part of the 40s. Earlier in the decade, Barney Ross stamped his class in the lightweight and welterweight divisions, besting Italian and fellow all-time great Tony Canzoneri, among others, twice.

1940's

World War 2 momentarily halted ring action except on very few occasions. Joe Louis kept his title despite being out of ring action due to his military service, and when he did return in 1946, he defended it 5 more times until Ezzard Charles defeated him in 1950.

At the lighter divisions, Featherweight Champion Willie Pep was making it hard for anyone not to notice him. He won 229 of his 241 fights, and showing, in the process, his opponents the finer points of defense in boxing.

Towards the late 1940's, the welterweight division had ran out of warm bodies that were capable of putting up a decent competition against a rising star named Sugar Ray Robinson.

1950's

Sugar Ray Robinson remained lord of welterweights and was, by now, the newest darling of boxing. He reminded boxing historians of Benny Leonard, Henry Armstrong, Willie Pep and all the great boxers of the lighter weight divisions before him. The only difference with them, it seemed, was that he was better. When he annexed the middleweight crown early in the decade and outclassed the best middle-weights afterward, the term "pound-for-pound" champion that briefly emerged during Leonard's era was back, and it was firmly associated with Robinson. Fans found him so good that beating him-which the likes of Carmen Basilio and Gene Fullmer did when Robinson was apparently past his prime-meant earning for themselves an exalted place in the all-time greats list.

1960's

Cassius Clay became Muhammad Ali on the same night he wrested the heavyweight crown from Sonny Liston in 1964. Producing spectacular wins inside the ring and creating political drama outside of it made Ali the most recognized-and probably adored -athlete in this era.

The lighter weight divisions also produced an exciting crop of fighters in Bantamweight Champion Edre Jofre (Brazil), his conqueror Fighting Harada of Japan, Junior Lightweight King Gabriel "Flash" Elorde (Philippines), and Lightweight Champion Carlos Ortiz (Puerto Rico).

1970's

In no time was there such a bumper harvest, so to speak, of talent in the heavyweight division as in this period. Ali, Joe Frazier and George Foreman were not only former Olympic stars, all of them were also undefeated challengers when they all won the heavyweight championship. Frazier grabbed the title vacated by Ali (who preferred to be in jail rather than in military service during the American-Vietnam war in the 60s and 70s). Frazier yielded it to Foreman via a second round KO loss. Ali recaptured his title from Foreman after besting the latter in 8 rounds.

Elsewhere, Argentina's Carlos Monzon rose to the Middleweight throne in 1970 and ran out of abled opponents in that division until he retired in 1977. Experts viewed him as the pound for pound champion in this era-that is, until Roberto Duran of Panama came along.

1980's

Like what Monzon did in the middleweight class, Duran thrashed all comers in the lightweight division. He eventually invaded the talent-laden welterweight and middleweight divisions. He won the welterweight championship from Sugar Ray Leonard in their first encounter (1980), only to relinquish it back to Leonard in their return bout. Leonard did not only bested Duran in their 3-bout match-up, he beat Hall of Famer Thomas Hearns and decisioned Middleweight all-time great Marvin Marvelous Hagler, among many other who's who in boxing.

1990's

Mexico's Julio Cesar Chavez, Pernell Whitaker, Oscar De La Hoya and Roy Jones Junior dominated their respective divisions during this period. Although Chavez, Whitaker and De La Hoya crossed paths at some points in their careers, one would be off his peak in relation to the other. The outcomes of their personal match-ups could therefore hardly be a measure of who was superior to whom. Jones? He rocked (for a time, that is.)


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7 Classic Fights Between Undefeated Boxers

In the advent of the pay-per-view phenomena, many recent matches have turned out to be just a bunch of sleep-o-ramas where one can simply grab a pillow and not worry about missing anything. Is this what the sweet science of boxing has reverted to? Now let's try to freshen our memories. Here are seven previous classic mega-bouts between undefeated fighters, in chronological order, that provided enough electricity to light up the Las Vegas skyline:

1. Joe Frazier (26-0) vs. Muhammad Ali (31-0), Mar. 08, 1971

With The Greatest coming out of a three-year hiatus, "The Fight of The Century", the first in the Ali-Frazier Trilogy, was supposedly the vehicle for his reclaiming of the WBC and WBA heavyweight titles. However, a victorious Smokin' Joe was emphatic in handing Ali his first defeat instead. Frazier floored Ali in the 15th round enroute to a unanimous decision triumph.

2. George Foreman (37-0) vs. Joe Frazier (29-0), Jan. 22, 1973

In the 1973 Ring Magazine Fight of the Year, Frazier was floored 6 times, 3 times in the 1st round and another 3 times in the 2nd round, when the fight was stopped by the referee, giving the brutal TKO conquest to Foreman.

3. Wilfredo Gomez (21-0-1) vs. Carlos Zarate (52-0), Oct. 28, 1978

It was a battle of frighteningly powerful knockout artists, Gomez winning all 21 within the distance after a draw in his first bout while Zarate knocking out a tremendous 51 opponents in 52 fights. With the WBC super bantamweight title on the line, it was no surprise that it took only 5 rounds to determine the winner. Would it be youth or experience that will prevail? This time the younger fighter, "Bazooka" Gomez, won.

4. Sugar Ray Leonard (25-0) vs. Wilfred Benitez (38-0-1), Nov. 30, 1979

It was a hard-fought 2nd defense of the prodigy Benitez, who became the youngest world boxing champ at age 17, for the WBC welterweight crown which saw him hit the canvas on the 3rd canto and bleeding in the forehead with a cut. The referee Carlos Padilla stopped the bout seconds before the end of the 15th round for a TKO win, with Leonard leading on all score cards.

5. Michael Spinks (27-0) vs. Larry Holmes (48-0), Sep. 21, 1985

A historic bout, given that a Holmes victory would have matched Marciano's unblemished 49-0 record, while a Spinks win will make him the first ever light heavyweight champion to become heavyweight king. As fate would have it, Spinks snatched a piece of history away from Holmes with a unanimous decision victory, taking the IBF heavyweight title along with it.

6. Riddick Bowe (31-0) vs. Evander Holyfield (28-0), Nov. 13, 1992

Unanimous decision win in 12 rounds by Bowe, their first fight in a trilogy. Many were doubtful that Holyfield could take on the huge Bowe but Real Deal proved in this fight the true warrior that he is. Round 10 was named Round Of The Year by Ring Magazine as a tribute to the two men giving in a round where the favor shifted from one to the other in a see-saw battle for supremacy in the heavyweight division.

7. Felix Trinidad (38-0) vs. Fernando Vargas (20-0), Dec. 02, 2000

A total war in the truest sense, Trinidad scored a 12th round TKO victory for the WBC/ WBA/ IBO junior middleweight titles. The Aztec Warrior managed to floor Trinidad once in the 4th round, but Trinidad made Vargas kiss the canvas a total of 5 times (twice in the 1st round and 3 times in the 12th round) when the bout was stopped.

Five Interesting Facts About the Touchdown Passes of the Patriots Tom Brady

There are few teams in history that have had a quarterback as good as Tom Brady. He is incredibly accurate, has deceptive arm strength, and is about as cool under pressure as a player can be. Brady came out of the University of Michigan without a lot of high expectations. He got onto the field due to an injury to the player starting ahead of him and went on to make the most of that opportunity. Since then he has won multiple Super Bowls, conference championships, and individual awards.

With the high powered offense that the New England Patriots have run since Brady came into the league, he has been able to put up some great passing numbers. Here is a look at five little known facts surrounding his touchdown passes. All information is taken from his entire career through the end of the 2009 NFL season.

#1 The first touchdown pass that Tom Brady ever threw in the National Football League came in the second quarter of a 29-26 win over the San Diego Chargers in 2001. The pass went for 21 yards and was caught by Terry Glenn. This was the only time that Brady would ever throw a touchdown pass to Glenn.

#2 Tom Brady has thrown more touchdown passes against the Buffalo Bills, 33 in total, during his career than he has against any other team in the NFL.

#3 He is a second quarter kind of guy. Over the course of his career, he has thrown 47 touchdown passes in the first quarter, 47 in the third quarter, 53 in the fourth quarter, and one in overtime. He has topped all of those though with 77 career second quarter touchdowns.

#4 No player has caught more touchdown passes from Tom Brady than Randy Moss. He and Moss have hooked up for a touchdown 36 times during their time together. This is more than twice the amount of touchdown passes he has thrown to anyone else.

#5 During his career, Brady has thrown 19 touchdown pass of 50 yards or more in distance. Even though he has only played with him for two seasons, 2007 to 2009 with 2008 lost due to Brady's injury, more than one third of those 50 yard touchdown passes have been caught by Randy Moss (7).

The Golfing Greats - Arnold Palmer

Arnold Palmer has said "Success in golf depends less on strength of body than upon strength of mind and character." His sense of fairness, kindness toward everyone, and dry sense of humor have made him one of the most popular golfers to ever play the game. And he was pretty darned good at the game, too!

As a world-famous golfer, Arnold Palmer won a majority of his 92 championships on the U.S. PGA tour. The only "major" he never won was the PGA Championship, although he finished second in three of them. Probably most noted for being the first pro to win four Masters Tournaments, it's not surprising to find that he started playing golf at the ripe old age of four. He worked hard at developing his golf game throughout most of his life, and it shows with some of the prestigious awards he's won including: the 1960 Hickok Professional Athlete of the Year, the 1960 Sports Illustrated's Sportsman of the Year, and even Athlete of the Decade for the 1960s in a national Associated Press poll. The awards culminated in 2004 when President Bush awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom in a ceremony at the White House.

His professional career began in 1954, just a few months after he won the U.S. Amateur Championship. The leading money winner in three of the four years spanning his biggest period from 1960 to 1963, Palmer twice represented the U.S. in the international Ryder Cup Match.

But Palmer never let all that prestige and status go to his head. He unfailingly maintained a dry and subtle sense of humor. After succumbing to bad luck on the 18th hole at the Rancho Park L.A. Open in 1961, a newsman asked how he had managed to make 12 on the par 5 hole. His reply: "I missed my putt for an 11."

Rancho Park became his home golf course for many years. The 20th Century Fox Studios were right across the street, and many times you'd find Hollywood stars mixing with the regular golfing crowd. It's said that after Palmer once played a round with Frank Sinatra - the famed singer rumored to have been involved with the Italian Mafia - Sinatra asked him, "How do you like my game?" Palmer responded with a straight face, "I prefer golf."

Palmer even got along with members of the media, laughing at the statement made by one television commentator who noted during a live broadcast that Palmer "seems to be having trouble with his long putt. However he has no trouble dropping his shorts." That same kindness, understanding and sense of fairness have carried through his life and led to the unofficial creation of Arnie's Army, a dedicated group of fans that has numbered in the thousands.

The honor and unceasing dedication those fans offer Palmer is well-warranted. His philanthropic efforts, while never highly publicized, have earned him recognition with those who count - the people who know him. For two decades, Palmer served as honorary national chairman of the March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation and has played major roles in fund-raising drives for hospitals in both Orlando, Florida, and Latrobe, Pennsylvania, the town in which he was born.

Now in semi-permanent retirement, Palmer splits his time between Latrobe and La Quinta, California. He has numerous business interests around the world and still keeps his hand in his first passion, golf, serving as a consultant to The Golf Channel, designing golf courses around the country, and owning several golf courses, including being part owner of the renowned Pebble Beach course in California.

Famed golf pro, down-to-earth father and family man, quiet philanthropist - all can be used to describe Arnold Palmer. His life in golf has mirrored his life in general. Speaking of golf, he once noted, "I've always made a total effort, even when the odds seemed entirely against me. I never quit trying; I never felt that I didn't have a chance to win." It seems, however, that it has been those who know him that have been the real winners in this game.

Green Bay Packers History

Green Bay Packers history is more extensive than most NFL teams. Packers fans are proud to know that their team is the third-oldest NFL franchise, established in 1919. They are now a part of the NFC North Division of the NFL, even though they started out as an independent football team and didn't join the NFL until 1921. Throughout Green Bay Packers history, they had many division changes, Packers started in the National Conference, then moved to the Western Conference in 1953, and then were divided into the Central Division of the Western Conference (confused yet) until 1969 when the AFL-NFL merger changed the leagues and made them a member of the NFC Central. Finally, in 2002, they were sent to the North Division as a part of the NFL changing teams around and re-doing divisions.
A unique aspect of the Green Bay Packers history is how the team ownership was structured. Packers are the only community owned, non-profit NFL team. They're also the only non-profit team of their kind in the world of professional sports across the United States. Green Bay Packers history began with their founding owners, Earl Lambeau and George Whitney Calhoun, who were once high school rivals. Lambeau was given $500 for uniforms and equipment, and the team was to be named for the Indian Packing Company, who gave him the money to fund his team. Combining Green Bay with the Packing company, hence the name Green Bay Packers was born; this is an interesting aspect of Packers history considering it the oldest team name that is still being used.
In 1920, the Packers joined the new national pro football league, which survived only a year due to their financial problems. The next year, Lambeau acquired new funding, and the Green Bay Football Corporation was formed. The Packers immediately became a force to be reckoned with in professional football. A significant accomplishment in Green Bay Packers history is their 12 league championship wins, which is the most in NFL franchise history by any one team. Three of those championships are credited as Super Bowls. Making the NFL records book, the Green Bay Packers history includes three straight NFL titles, which they accomplished twice, in 1929, 1930, and 1931, and again in 1965, 1966, and 1967.
In the 1960s, Vince Lombardi accepted the coaching position and the team won five league championships during his era. In 1968, Lombardi became the General Manager, and Phil Bengtson was chosen as the next head coach. Lombardi then left Green Bay in 1969, became head coach of the Redskins, and then died in 1970. The Super Bowl trophy was named after Vince Lombardi and the road that goes by Lambeau Field in Green Bay was named after him to honor this legendary man. They had five winning seasons between 1968 and 1991, and appeared in the playoffs twice. They had five different head coaches and many changes in their roster, which may have been attributed to the lack of structure and poor drafting choices.
In 1992, the arrival of Brett Favre brought Green Bay Packers history into a new era. Brett Favre's numerous victories and triumphs, helped boost the sales of Packers tickets, memorabilia and merchandise. Favre started 271 consecutive games for the Packers, an NFL record that the Packers can add to their laundry list of accomplishments. After picking up Reggie White for defense, the team took off again. They have had several winning seasons, played in a numerous championship games and eventually made it to Super Bowl XXXI. They returned to Super Bowl XXXII, but ended up losing to John Elway and his Denver Broncos in a close game.
The Packers made history once again in the 2007 season, appearing in the NFC Championship game for the first time in 10 years. The sales of Packers memorabilia soared and especially those items related to their Super Bowl run. In addition, anything that Brett Favre contributed to, including Packers autographed items, was extremely popular among fans of all ages. One of the biggest controversy's in Green Bay Packers history unfolded in 2008, when Brett Favre retired, and then requested to be reinstated in that same year. His reinstatement was granted, but was then traded to the New York Jets. That season, the Packers came out with a 6-10 record, but despite those struggles, team supporters are still considered as some of the most loyal fans in the league.

Rio de Janeiro hosts the 2016 Summer Olympics

The Cidade Maravilhosa will be the first South American city to play host to the Summer Olympics 2016. All the competitions except for football will be held inside the city of Rio. Barra, Copacabana, Deodoro and Maracana are the four Olympic zones where the competitions will take place whereas Belo Horizonte, Brasilia, Salvador and Sao Paulo are the cities where the football matches will be held. The Summer Olympics and the Summer Paralympics will tentatively range between August 5 to 21 and September 7 to 18 respectively.
When Rio was nominated as the Brazilian host candidate for the 2016 Summer Olympics and Paralympics, the Brazilian Olympic Committee (BOC) and the Federal Government was highly supportive of its candidacy. The BOC felt that Rio is the right place to host the Summer Olympics because it has the first-rate facilities for the different Olympic competitions as well as the accommodations for the thousands of athletes and tourists who will be staying in Rio for the whole length of the event. Carlos Arthur Nuzman, and the former Rio de Janeiro mayor, Cesar Maia gave their full support and approval for Rio's candidature.
Rio de Janeiro has hosted several important international competitions which makes it equipped to play host to the Summer Olympics. Back in 2007, Rio hosted the XV Pan American Games and the III Parapan American Games. The IPC even declared that the III Parapan American Games was the best ever in history. Brazil will also be the host country of the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The decision of the BOC to choose Rio over the other contenders was formally announced on September 1st of 2006 during the Annual Assembly. It is Rio's first successful attempt in becoming the host city for an Olympic event after failing to make the cut in the 1936, 1940, 2004 and 2012 Olympics.
On May 16, 2007, the 2016 Summer Olympics and Paralympics bidding process commenced. The IOC received seven candidates, Baku, Chicago, Doha, Madrid, Prague, Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo. The 2016 Applicant Cities Seminar was held on Lausanne, Switzerland on October 18, 2007 which was attended by the bid committees from the different candidate cities. Each of the candidates are required to submit an Applicant File which should give descriptions, strategies and project overviews to answer the IOC's 2016 Candidature Acceptance Procedure and Questionnaire. The IOC Working Group and the IOC Executive Board are in charge of deliberating the Application Files of the 7 candidates.
On June 4, 2008 in Athens, the final four was officially announced by the IOC. The shortlisted cities were Chicago, Madrid, Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo. The cities were judged according to eleven criteria: government support, legal issues and public opinion; general infrastructure; sport venues; Olympic village; environment conditions and impact; accommodation; transport concept; safety and security; experience from past sport events; finance; and overall project and legacy. The weighted averages of the cities were: Tokyo - 8.3, Madrid - 8.1, Chicago - 7.0, Doha - 6.9, Rio de Janeiro - 6.4, Prague - 5.3, and Baku - 4.3. Despite Doha having a higher average than Rio, the IOC still chose Rio to be part of the shortlist. This decision raised political criticism but the reason for Doha's bid to be rejected was due to its proposal of staging the Summer Olympics in October to avoid the extremely high temperatures instead of the usual mid-summer period.
During the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China, the four shortlisted candidates took part in the Olympic Games Observer Program. The candidates were also required to submit a Candidature File which should contain detailed answers to 300 technical questions of the IOC. From April 2 to May 9, the IOC Evaluation Commission embarked on an on-site inspection of the four candidate cities. On October 2, 2009, the decision was released in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Major plans for the Summer Olympics are being implemented in Rio. Olympic lanes connecting the four proposed Olympic zones and the Antonio Carlos Jobim International Airport will be built. Olympic villages with accommodations and training facilities will be dedicated to the athletes. Media villages and hotel rooms will be allocated to the media who will be covering the event. Rio's Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system is the primary mode of transportation to the different locations within the city. The Federal Government has strategies to ensure safety and security.
Aside from creating facilities for the traditional Olympic Games, Rio's bid committee also added its proposal for accommodating some new sports that may be added to the Olympic Program. The bid committee proved itself capable of staging baseball, golf, karate, roller sports, rugby, softball and squash.
Ana Soter designed the logo of Rio's candidature which was accompanied by the slogan, "Live your passion". It is highly reflective of the Brazilian's passionate involvement in accomplishing whatever they want or need to do. On the stroke of midnight, the logo and the slogan was projected on the 36-meter Ferris wheel right after the ten-second countdown to the beginning of the New Year of 2009. The summer of 2016 will be one of the most memorable summers of the decade and Rio de Janeiro is definitely the place to be during August to September of 2016 under the Olympic Games!