Norm Frauenheim
265 articles · The Arizona Republic
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Ward delivers clean right hand for a stoppage of Kovalev, but KO blow doesn?t knock out controversy
LAS VEGAS ? One righteous right was the beginning of an end to the fight. But there was no end to the controversy. It rages on. It looked as if the Andre…
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Ward-Kovalev: Lots to like in a sequel between fighters who dislike each other
One is portrayed as scary and angry, yet Sergey Kovalev has a keen sense of humor with an engaging ability to deliver one-liners as though they were jabs. The other is seen…
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Canelo-Chavez: Can Beristain in the corner help Chavez? chances
LAS VEGAS ? A Mexican Boxing Hall of Fame should be named after Nacho Beristain. If Julio Cesar Chavez is the national face of the game, Beristain is its architect. From Ricardo…
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Chavez Jr.-Canelo: If not for a father and a son, there might not be a fight
LAS VEGAS ? The sunglasses could have used a couple windshield wipers. They were that big. Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. hid behind them, a little bit like a guy trying to shield…
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Heavyweight Rebirth? Wembley crowd of 90,000 hopes to witness one
The looming spectacle of 90,000 people at London?s Wembley Stadium Saturday for Anthony Joshua against Wladimir Klitschko is a sure sign that heavyweight boxing hasn?t gone the way of Tyrannosaurus Rex. Heavyweight…
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Pound-for-Pound: There?s a vacancy at the top of this debate
Pound-for-pound, it might be the most overrated argument in the debate business. Who is No. 1? Who?s No. 2? Who cares? Most of these guys won?t fight each other any way. But…
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Mayweather-McGregor: A license to make money, but not history
It?s beginning to look as if Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Conor McGregor are just a few dancing bears away from reaching an agreement on whatever it is they intend to do in…
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No, No: Boxing biz moves on despite combo that didn?t happen
A couple of things didn?t happen during the last week, neither one much of a surprise and yet both significant for a sport that is either dying, or rebounding, or just going…
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Power Player: Mikey Garcia?s big KO lights up his career
Power speaks for itself. Find it, and a fighter doesn?t need words. He already has the singular answer for nearly every question. Just ask Mikey Garcia. With one frightening flash of power…
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First Bell: DeGale-Jack is the opener in boxing?s fight to get off the deck
The James DeGale-Badou Jack fight Saturday night is a good bout and perhaps the first step in an attempt to hit the reset button after a sobering 2016. It?s no secret that…
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Mourning a tough year and hoping for a better one
One year ends and another begins in a couple of days amid regrets and grief from the last 12 months and a wellspring of hope for something better in 2017. It?s been…
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Busy Saturday and two big questions precede 2017
The end is near for another forgettable year, memorable mostly for fights that didn?t happen and a controversy still raging over the one that did. Yeah, 2016 was lousy, yet the year?s…
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From The East To The Beast: Lomachenko might be the best
The evolution of boxing?s surprising new generation ? fighters from the old Soviet Union ? continues Saturday with Vasyl Lomachenko, who many believe will be the best of them, if not one…
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Kovalev-Ward: Fighting for a classic and an audience
LAS VEGAS ? On the scale, there was no difference. Not even a fraction of an ounce separated the two. It was 175 pounds even for each in a weigh-in that seems…
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Pacquiao says he has given away half of his boxing income
LAS VEGAS ? Two-hundred-and-fifty million dollars mean all kinds of things. A quick check with Google will deliver a list of hedge finds, tax evasion, lawsuits, Donald Trump, luxury condos, good bets,…
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A Senator?s Fight: Pacquiao hopes to add Champ to his political title
They call him Senator these days. The hope is that they can call him Senator Champ in about 10 days. Manny Pacquiao is seeking what is believed to be an unprecedented combo.…
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Oscar Valdez Jr. to make first title defense in Vegas instead of Tucson
The championship belt is probably not going anywhere, but Oscar Valdez Jr., figures to retain it in Las Vegas instead of Tucson. Valdez? first defense of the WBO?s featherweight title against Japanese…
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What retirement? Pacquiao decides on Vargas and hopes for Mayweather
It?s hard to know what to make of Manny Pacquiao?s decision to fight Jessie Vargas on November 5, other than to say he never retired. Please, don?t call it a comeback. Pacquiao…
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Juan Diaz continues comeback with eighth-round TKO of Vazquez
TUCSON, Ariz. ? ?Baby Bull? is still the nickname. But Juan Diaz has outgrown the baby. A more precise, more deliberate Diaz is the story of his comeback. It continued Saturday night…
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Featherweights: A sign the business will go from bust back to boom
A compelling clash between Leo Santa Cruz and Carl Frampton Saturday in Brooklyn one week after Oscar Valdez Jr.?s ongoing emergence is a sure sign that the featherweights are a loaded division…