richard mcmanus

The Parallel Universe of Juan Manuel Marquez

by Richard McManus - The boxing story of Juan Manuel Marquez reads like the real life chapters of many of us. Some incredible drama, a few mistakes, comebacks, boring times, lots of hard work and a long struggle for recognition. All this said, the...

Vasquez and Marquez Make Big Promises

Boxing fans are by nature very excitable. We can get excited about a fight months before it is scheduled to take place. Can the same be said for the fans of any other sport? And because of our excitable nature we’re sometimes willing to accept jus...

Vazquez and Gonzalez Prove Their Mettle

High drama at the sport’s highest level is the only way to describe Israel Vazquez’s 10th round stoppage over Jhonny Gonzalez Saturday night in their 122-pound title showdown.

Spotlight on "Magic Man" Malignaggi

Every once in a while a fighter comes along that captures the imagination of not only the hardcore fight fan but also the general boxing public and sometimes even the general sports fan.

Is Castillo The Scapegoat For A Bigger Problem?

Jose Luis Castillo is being portrayed by some as a man who intentionally deceived his opponent and the sport of boxing for some sort of personal gain or another. Everybody is shocked that he showed up weighing 140 pounds for his Lightweight title (1...

Floyd Mayweather: Boxer/Businessman

Imagine this scenario and the irony included therein: Instead of fighting Floyd Mayweather on his pre-planned future Pay Per View card Oscar de la Hoya instead fights either Ricky Hatton or Antonio Margarito. Imagine if he lost and then retired. The...

The Last British Invasion

The last time a British boxing superstar took this side of the pond by storm fans crowded around their televisions on a Friday night in 1997 for an HBO showcase between “The Prince” Naseem Hamed and veteran Featherweight Kevin Kelley. The buzz aroun...

De La Hoya-Mayorga: The Trinidad Factor

The boxing world has been abuzz the last couple of weeks with rumors of an Oscar De La Hoya–Floyd Mayweather mega-fight, possibly being made and possibly taking place on September 16. This despite the fact that De La Hoya already has a Pay-Per-View...

The Fog of Internet Reports

I finally got a chance to see the Juan Manuel Marquez - Chris John scrap yesterday. Now, in this space last week I was critical of the way Marquez and his manager Nacho Beristain have handled their boxing affairs but I in no way implied or meant to...

Juan Manuel Marquez and His Place in Boxing History

In the mid-1990’s, boxing pundits and fans alike lauded the class of Welterweights inhabiting the division at the time as being part of a return to the “Golden Age”. The ”Golden Age” most were referring to was the Middleweight class of the Mid-1980’...

Mayweather-Judah: Who to Root For

The upcoming bout between “Pretty Boy” Floyd Mayweather and Zab “Super” Judah poses an interesting dilemma for fight fans. Who should we root for?

Is Floyd Really Number 1?

As most know, the mythical Pound for Pound ranking system is a methodology devised by the boxing public as a means of measuring fighters from various weight classes, divisions and eras against one another. The historical basis within the sport dates...

Judah vs. Sweet Pea: A Historical Analysis

Up until about two months ago it was requisite for fighters planning to headline a major Pay Per View card to win their lead-up fight. These fights are usually known as tune-up or “stay busy” fights and under some circumstance are mandatory champions...

Heavyweight Miscellany - A Deep Look

Making no sense whatsoever, the Heavyweight division in boxing remains the sideshow of the sport. Several top 15 Heavies are in action over the next several weeks so I thought this might be an opportunity to shed some light on the confusion and mire...

Augustus Keeps Plugging Away

Emanuel Augustus (32-25-6, 17 KOs) will return to the ring this Friday night. This time out he faces the rugged Mexican journeyman, Arturo Morua (22-7-1, 13 KOs). Augustus, 31, is a fan favorite known as much for his antics and ring dancing as he...