By Jim Amato
A couple of thoughts ;
Although 2010 has gotten off to a slow start things will be heating up as spring approaches. Some predictions…
Mayweather by UD over Mosley. As much as I like and respect Shane as a fighter I don’t think he’ll pull this one out. Like him or not, in my humble opinion Mayweather [...]
By Jim Amato
Niles, Ohio’s Billy Lyell fought with courage but was unable to take the IBF middleweight title from Sebastian Sylvester. Sylvester started fast and dominated the first two rounds cutting Billy on the bridge of the nose. Cornerman Jack Loew did a fine job controlling the cut.
Lyell came on in round three and held [...]
By Jim Amato
For a decade ( 1952-1962 ) Joey Giambra was a mainstay among the middleweight elite. Still he never received a shot at the middleweight title. In fact he received his only title shot at the tail end of his career battling for the newly created junior middleweight division. He was not successful. Nevertheless [...]
By Jim Amato
One of the best potential match ups in the mid 1970’s that never took place would have been a light heavyweight unification bout between W.B.A. titleholder Victor Galindez of Argentina versus W.B.C. title claimant John Conteh of England.
After world champion Bob Foster was given a gift draw over Argentina’s Jorge Ahumada in June [...]
FORMER MIDDLEWEIGHT CONTENDER TONY LICATA
By Jim Amato
One of the better middleweights of the 1970’s was New Orleans native Tony Licata. The smooth boxing Licata turned professional in 1969 and was undefeated in his first 52 fights, ( 49-0-3 ). During that streak he defeated the likes of Mike Pusateri, Luis Vinales, Jose Chirino, Art Hernandez, Denny [...]
By Jim Amato
Fraser Scott was a tough middleweight out of Seattle, Washington. He turned pro in 1968 and in slightly over a years time ran up a record of 17-0-1. His biggest victory was a two round, cut eye stoppage of former junior middleweight champion Denny Moyer. In 1969 Scott was awarded a title shot [...]
By Jim Amato
Sam Peter is the former WBC heavyweight champion. He is hoping to regain a piece of the heavyweight title. He is fighting tonight on the under card of the Kelly Pavlik – Miguel Espino middleweight title fight in Youngstown, Ohio. Sam Peter is on a two fight win streak and has worked himself [...]
By Jim Amato
It amazes me what a first career loss and a legit injury can do to a fighter’s reputation. Kelly Pavlik has gone from boxing poster boy to outcast. The fight fans are a fickle bunch. That’s for sure. After Kelly demolished the hyped Edison Miranda and dethroned Jermain Taylor, he was the toast [...]
Roy Jones Jr.-vs- The 70’s and 80’s
By Jim Amato
Author’s note;
This article was first published after Roy’s wins over Lou Del Valle and Virgil Hill. This is what I thought about Roy then and my opinion has not changed even in light of his recent loss to Danny Green.
Roy Jones Jr., by far the class [...]
By Jim Amato
To me Jean Claude Bouttier was one of the best fighters of a great era who never won a world title. He joins Pierre Fourrie, Yaqui Lopez, Bennie Briscoe, Hedgemon Lewis, Armando Muniz and several others who were boxers fighting in the wrong place at the wrong time. Even some boxers who held a fragment of a [...]
By Jim Amato
In many of my past articles I have touched on boxers who came so close to winning a world title but just fell short. Talented fighters who I have no doubt in today’s four title per weight division format would have garnered a piece of the pie. The extremely gifted Howard Davis Jr. [...]
By Jim Amato
What happens when the unstoppable force meets the unmovable object? Let me rephrase that. What would have happened if Joe Frazier and Ron Lyle would have hooked up in the mid-1970s?
It is too bad this fight was never made. It was discussed on occasion, but to the best of my knowledge no serious [...]
By Jim Amato
Long before Mark McGwire was launching tape measure home runs in Oakland and acquiring the nickname “Big Mac”, West Coast sports fans used to cheer the feats of another “Big Mac”. MacArthur Foster a heavyweight boxer from Fresno, California won his first 24 professional bouts all by knockout. Six came in the first [...]
By Jim Amato
Arthur Abraham – Jermain Taylor. I must say that I was quite impressed with Abraham. I kept thinking that he reminded me of someone. A fighter from the past. That burst of offense. That ability to take punishment. That power and most of all that bull like strength. Then it hit me harder then [...]
By Jim Amato
Kelly “The Ghost” Pavlik was forced to make a decision. Fight or lose his title…Despite his well documented medical problems he was forced to confront this situation. In boxing’s bullshit politics it became a do or die call for Team Pavlik. Despite all the problems Kelly has endured they have made the decision to [...]
WHY ALEXIS ARGUELLO WAS THE GREATEST 130 POUNDER EVER…
By Jim Amato
Note: I wrote this article a few years ago. He was a great fighter. May he rest in peace with God.
On November 18, 1921 Johnny Dundee won on a fifth round disqualification over George ” KO ” Chaney to become the first recognized champion [...]
By Jim Amato
One of Japan’s first great boxers was Mitsunori Seki. Seki was good enough to challenge for a world title no less then five times during the 1960’s.
Seki first attempted to win the flyweight title from Thailand’s Pone Kingpetch. On this occasion Seki lost a close decision. Seki would move up to bantamweight but [...]
By Jim Amato
The proud city of Cleveland has produced their share of notable boxers. All time greats like Johnny Kilbane, Jimmy Bivins, Joey Maxim, etc…helped to put Cleveland on the fistic map. One fine fighter from Cleveland’s gloried past has kind of slipped through the cracks of deserved recognition. He was a rough and tumble [...]
By Jim Amato
There may have never been a more talent rich period in the heavyweight division then from 1968 to 1978. With Muhammad Ali (a.k.a. Cassius Clay) on the sidelines due to his draft case, other big men emerged. They would compete with each other on an almost equal basis for the next [...]
INTERVIEWER’S NOTE ; This interview took place almost ten years ago. Since then Harry and “Boom Boom” have put any animosity behind them.
INTERVIEW WITH HARRY ARROYO
Submitted by
Jim Amato
During the mid-1980’s Youngstown’s Harry Arroyo established himself as one of boxing’s most popular fighters on television. His stirring battles with “Choo Choo” Brown, “White Lightning” Brown and [...]
