Paul Magno
1,136 articles · Inside Fights
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How Arum is Hustling ESPN
By Paul Magno
There were a lot of people who thought ESPN?s multi-year deal with Top Rank Promotions was a good thing. Who better to bring boxing back to the mainstream sports world than the…
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Lawlessness in Mar de Plata and The Lifetime IBF Ban
By Paul Magno
On February 10, 2012, the fix was in. Filipino John Riel Casimero was flown over 11,000 miles and brought into Mar de Plata, Argentina to lose to Luis Lazarte. The fall guy?s…
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ESPN Boxing: The Island of Misfit Toys?
By Paul Magno
When ESPN first re-entered the world of big-time boxing, their partnership with Bob Arum?s Top Rank Promotions allowed them direct access to the elite levels of the sport without having to build…
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Don?t Sleep on Mikey Garcia in Spence Clash
By Paul Magno
Let?s not even try to count the times that a smug boxing intelligentsia played the role of human centipede, feeding on its own crap en route to a laughable miscalculation. Hardcore boxing…
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The Art of the Non-Deal: Why Wilder Has Already Beaten Joshua
By Paul Magno
Behind the ?he said, he said? drama involved in why Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder won?t be fighting any time soon, there are a few damning realities. First, Wilder is nowhere near…
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Waiting For The Pacquiao Piggyback Ride
By Paul Magno
When it became clear that Manny Pacquiao, post-Mayweather cash-out, was not going to ride off into the sunset, basking in the glow of a legendary Hall of Fame career, a feeding frenzy…
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Boxing in the Mexican Badlands: A Broke Gringo?s Descent Into Sex, Drugs, and Pugilism (Part Five)
By Paul Magno
To Catch Up On The Story: Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four As Americans, we like to talk about how free we are. But what we are is not so…
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Kovalev May Be A POS, But He?s Still A Damn Fine Boxer
By Paul Magno
Despite the crybaby accusations from fanboys whenever I dare to criticize ?their? fighter, there have only been a small handful of fighters over the years who I genuinely dislike. At the top…
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Hey Boxing: Here?s The Problem With Your Greed
By Paul Magno
This morning, when I went to check the latest goings on in the Universo Pugilistico, this was the featured story on the ESPN Boxing homepage: ?How to watch Eleider Alvarez versus Sergey…
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Does Keith Thurman Have A Bit Of Jackrabbit In Him?
By Paul Magno
Back in my youth, the crusty old-timers in the gym would sometimes disparage a young, developing fighter by saying that he has ?a bit of jackrabbit? in him. This meant that when…
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Boxing in the Mexican Badlands: A Broke Gringo?s Descent Into Sex, Drugs, and Pugilism (Part Four)
By Paul Magno
It got to the point where my sordid little gig started being run like a real business. Marcela kept my appointment book, made hotel reservations at my preferred spots, and handled all…
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Better Call Saul: Like It Or Not, Canelo May Take Over The World
By Paul Magno
Saul ?Canelo? Alvarez catches so much flak from fans and media that when you post something positive about the guy, there?s a tendency to feel the need to qualify it. ?He?s gonna…
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Boxing in the Mexican Badlands: A Broke Gringo?s Descent Into Sex, Drugs, and Pugilism (Part Three)
By Paul Magno
I guess you could say that I loved Marcela?I mean, I ?loved? her as much as a guy like me could love a girl like her in the middle of all this…
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Souring on Terence Crawford
By Paul Magno
Over at my other gig (at FightHype.com), I do a mailbag column every Thursday (humorously?) called ?Magno?s Bulging Mail Sack.? For the last six months or so, not a week has passed…
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Caleb Plant Is Why You Love Boxing
By Paul Magno
Boxing writing is full of macho fairytales and silliness that borders on fetish fan fiction, but it?s easy to see why that is. Boxers are unique human beings with unique stories who…
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Boxing in the Mexican Badlands: A Broke Gringo?s Descent Into Sex, Drugs, and Pugilism (Part Two)
By Paul Magno
I learned a long time ago down here in Mexico that saving face is everything. Let them think they?re winning, winning, and winning?until they?re not winning. And then leave them a graceful…
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How Deep Is Your Love? (What Will It Take For You To Give Up On Boxing?)
By Paul Magno
I was a toddler when I first started hanging around boxing gyms, following my uncle around as he alternated between working with fighters and telling bitter/funny stories of the old days. But…
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Rigondeaux: The Party?s Over
By Paul Magno
On Sunday, January 13, in a fight televised live by Premier Boxing Champion on FS1 and FOX Deportes from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, former WBA/WBO super bantamweight champion Guillermo Rigondeaux…
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For Crawford, Khan?s Alright?For Now?But Not on PPV
By Paul Magno
In a perfect boxing world, both Terence Crawford and Amir Khan would be doing something different this coming spring. Crawford would be battling Errol Spence or, maybe, paving the way for a…
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Boxing in the Mexican Badlands: A Broke Gringo?s Descent Into Sex, Drugs, and Pugilism (Part One)
By Paul Magno
?We might have to fight our way out of here.? I was trying to find a flicker of awareness in Rick?s eyes. He was scared shitless and his lips were trembling. I…