Mike Tyson Knocksouts

Larry Merchant Quotes

“Only fighting each other could have brought that much effort out, at a time in their careers when fighters, given all the punches that had landed on them, generally don't want to go that far.”

“He had long ago established he wasn't just another pretty face, but it was a reminder of what was going on inside his body while he was entertaining us.”

“Everyone remembers Ali afterwards could hardly get off his stool because of the effort he gave.”

“It was the third fight. They had both been beaten. If the fight was as significant as it may seem in hindsight, it wouldn't have been held in Manila. It would have been the Thrilla in Chicago.”

“Frazier was never the same after his first fight with Ali. He fought the best fight of his career in that fight.”

“I don't think that boxing historians have been able to find a case in which a great fighter, or a fighter presumed to be a great fighter, came to such an ignominious end.”

“It's hard to break through the clutter of fighters out there trying to get attention.”

“I haven't seen Johnson enough in the past to know, but he's a guy who's fought all these years, 16 years, finally gets a title, he's fighting for his biggest payday, he's still fighting back in occasional flurries, just as Jimmy Garcia did when he fought Gabe Ruelas. So he was still fighting back, Every time he went back to the corner he seemed to be going slower and slower. In fact I did mention after the eighth, ninth round that he sorta wobbled onto his stool. So the signs were there and it's in the hands of the referee.”

“The thorough bred against a clamor, or rather the Porsche vs. the pickup truck.”

“There are too many governing bodies. They're all corrupt. I think they have replaced the old Mobsters with the kind of 'corporate rule' of boxing.”

“Follow the wisdom of the great actor, James Cagney, you hit your mark, you look the other guy in the eye, and you tell the truth.”

“I think it all depends on how good this fight is. I don't know how to rank it. If this turns out to be a dramatic fight and Roy wins, people will look back at all three (in a fond way). But he has to win in a theatrical way. That would make it a great trilogy, maybe.”

“He's so good, you wonder what's wrong with him.”

"Maybe he won't look like a guy who's been eating too many of those airplane cinnamon buns."

Lampley: "will the seething undercurrent of the buildup now be reflected in what we see in the ring?"

Merchant: "probably. sure. because mayorga is a rude, crude dude in the ring as well as outside. in a sense, what we have here is class warfare with boxing gloves....mayorga looks at him as a hated slumlord, and oscar is coming to collect the rent"

"Chris Byrd has two punches - pitty and pat."

"Peter comes from the old school of swing in case you hit something."

"Castillo used his hands more when he was making his way from Cuba to Florida."

"He had a Michael Richards kind of bad day."

"That whale was just harpooned."

"You can see the colors of Ghana on Jantuah's trunks and robe. Bright, vibrant colors. You can take the boy out of the tropics, but sometimes, you can't take the tropics out of the boy"

"Despite the reality of what goes on inside the ring, the business of boxing is based on illusion. And if you want an example, I'll give you an example. The last big fight that Mike Tyson won was against Michael Spinks fifteen years ago."

HBO Boxing Announcer Larry Merchant At His Best

Floyd Mayweather Jr. Injured!

Floyd Mayweather Jr's July 18 bout with Juan Manuel Marquez is postponed. Mayweather injured his rib during training camp.

There have been rumors that Floyd didn't really injure himself and the cancellation of the fight is due to bad pre-fight ticket sales. But that's only speculation. No news yet on whether the fight will be rescheduled, or if it will be rescheduled at all.

This summer was shaping up to be a memorable time for boxing fans; first David Haye, now Mayweather Jr.

Miguel Cotto Gains Split Decision Victory Over Joshua Clottey

Going into the Cotto-Clottey fight, I knew it wouldn't be an easy night for Miguel Cotto. Joshua Clottey is extremely underrated and as tough as they come.

The first round saw Cotto knock Clottey down with a stiff jab. The knockdown had more to do with Clottey's balance than it did with Cotto's power. It was a good shot none-the-less - and I thought it was a sign of what was to come for the remainder of the bout. I was wrong.

Miguel Cotto suffered a cut in the 3rd round over his left eye by Joshua Clottey's head. The cut would bother Miguel Cotto for the whole bout and seriously impacted his performance on the night. Miguel Cotto had a perfectly good reason to quit after the 6th round, but he didn't. He kept on fighting, even changing tactics late in the championship rounds, from stationary target to boxer.

I thought it was a brave performance by Miguel Cotto, given the cut and who he was fighting. Champions find ways to win. Champions find ways to overcome adversity. That's exactly what Miguel Cotto did.

Realistically the fight could have gone either way, but the judges saw it for Cotto. As did I. I had the bout in favor of Cotto, 114-113. The knockdown in round one being the difference.

Joshua Clottey gave a spirited effort, but fell short again. Clottey could have taken the decision if he was busier in the final two rounds. He has no one to blame but himself.

There are serious talks of Miguel Cotto facing Manny Pacquiao, Nov. 14.

Wladimir Klitschko To Fight Ruslan Chagaev

It looks like Wladimir Klitschko will go ahead and fight undefeated, Ruslan Chagaev June 20, instead of waiting around for David Haye.

David Haye's manager has no qualms about Wladimir Klitschko's decision to not wait around for his fighter to get healthy.

David Haye is shooting for a match-up against Vitali Klitschko, in September.

David Haye Injury Update

Apparently David Haye's injury had nothing to do with his hand, but rather, his back.

Wladimir Klitschko does not want to wait around until David Haye is healthy enough to fight, according to Reuters. Instead, Klitschko wants Ruslan Chagaev.

If Klitschko does wait until David Haye is healthy, the proposed date for the bout would be July 11 - only three weeks later than the original date, June 20; this according to Haye's manager, Adam Booth.