Dan Rafael
1,538 articles · USA Today
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Pacquiao-Clottey undercard is missing punch
Between the 27 inches of snow that pummeled Northern Virginia on Saturday and the additional foot that crushed us Wednesday -- not to mention the bitter cold and extreme winds -- there…
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Guerrero’s wife battling leukemia
Junior lightweight titleholder Robert Guerrero, scheduled to face interim lightweight titlist Michael Katsidis on March 27, withdrew from the fight on Monday because his wife is seriously ill. "It's a very tough…
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Mosley-Mayweather fight finalized
After several days of concern over whether Floyd Mayweather Jr. would sign the contract for an agreed-upon showdown with welterweight titleholder Shane Mosley, he put pen to paper on Wednesday and signed…
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Where, oh where, is Floyd’s signature?
Richard Schaefer, the CEO of Golden Boy Promotions, is usually a calm, cool and collected sort. The former Swiss banker doesn't get rattled easily. Tuesday morning, however, he sounded rattled, expressing concern…
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Pacquiao wins BWAA fighter of the year and fighter of the decade
Pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao, who stormed to a pair of decisive knockout victories to win world titles in a record-tying sixth weight class and a record-breaking seventh one, has been named the…
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Mosley, Mayweather reach terms
Shane Mosley and Floyd Mayweather Jr. have agreed to terms for a welterweight super fight, Mayweather adviser Leonard Ellerbe said Friday. Although the contracts are not signed, "all of the deal points…
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So far, 2010 nothing to write home about
Your weekly random thoughts … • The start of 2010 has been just awful for big fights. Other than a nice "Boxing After Dark" card on HBO last week, January has been…
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Margarito’s biggest supporter? His opponent
There are a lot of people utterly disgusted by the likelihood of Antonio Margarito being granted a boxing license by Texas regulators, a situation I outlined in a blog last week. Carson…
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Cuban Gamboa smokes Mtagwa in 2
Saturday at New York Featherweight Juan Manuel Lopez TKO7 Steven Luevano Wins a featherweight title Records: Lopez, 28-0, 25 KOs; Luevano, 37-2-1, 15 KOs Rafael's remark: In October, Lopez struggled mightily in…
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Morales will return against Alfaro
NEW YORK -- Former three-division champion Erik Morales will end a 2? year-retirement and return to the ring in March, Mexican promoter Nacho Huizar told ESPN.com on Sunday. Morales is scheduled to…
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Lopez, Gamboa on collision course
NEW YORK -- This is the blueprint for building toward a big fight. It's a blueprint that promoter Top Rank promoter Bob Arum knows very well after 40 years in boxing. It's…
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Pacquiao-Clottey tickets on fire on first day of sales
NEW YORK -- Sure, most boxing fans really, really wanted to see pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao fight Floyd Mayweather on March 13. While that fight isn't happening now because of their inability…
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Boxing insiders say ‘no’ to Margarito licensing
Since reporting Wednesday night that Top Rank was planning a fight for disgraced former welterweight titlist Antonio Margarito and that it believes he will be licensed by the Texas commission, the reaction…
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Margarito poised to receive license
More than a year after having his license revoked for attempting to fight with illegal pads coated with a plaster-like substance inside his hand wraps, disgraced former welterweight titleholder Antonio Margarito will…
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The top three pound-for-pound fighters
Who is the world's best fighter regardless of weight class? See my top 20 below. And don't forget to check out the divisional rankings, now updated weekly. For a list of the…
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Mosley-Mayweather good, but still second-best
Your weekly random thoughts … As soon as Shane Mosley's welterweight unification fight with Andre Berto was canceled -- understandably, because Berto lost numerous family members in the Haiti earthquake and isn't…
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Mosley, Mayweather sides open to bout
Floyd Mayweather is ready to negotiate a fight with welterweight champion Shane Mosley in the wake of Mosley's fight with Andre Berto being canceled, Mayweather adviser Leonard Ellerbe told ESPN.com on Monday…
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Berto withdraws from Jan. 30 bout
Overwhelmed by family loss in the Haiti earthquake, welterweight titleholder Andre Berto withdrew on Monday from his scheduled unification fight with Shane Mosley on Jan. 30 at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.…
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Arum starts ball rolling on Foreman-Cotto
There are two significant reasons why Top Rank's Bob Arum will be in New York next week. One will be to oversee a press conference on Wednesday to promote the Manny Pacquiao-Joshua…
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Hopkins, Jones Jr. agree to fight
Two months after the long-anticipated Roy Jones Jr.-Bernard Hopkins rematch was left for dead following Jones' stunning first-round knockout loss in an interim bout, the fight was resurrected on Wednesday -- an…
