Cliff Rold
427 articles · Hard Core Boxing
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Keith Thurman vs. Danny Garcia: The Fight, Right Now
By Cliff Rold
WBA welterweight titlist Keith Thurman (27-0, 22 KO) is saying exactly what he should be saying. He?s saying what?s best for the sport and for the brand umbrella he fights for. Thurman,…
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Keith Thurman-Shawn Porter: Pre-Fight Report Card
By Cliff Rold
Saturday night (CBS, 9 PM EST), we find out if the wait was worth it. After talking about fighting late last year, and then pushing the fight back following a car accident…
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Shakeup: John Riel Casimero Gives Flyweight a Fresh Spark
By Cliff Rold
Every weight class gets its turn under the spotlight. For some, it?s hard to turn the spotlight off. Try to find a lull period at welterweight that lasted more than a year…
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Manny Pacquiao-Timothy Bradley III: Post-Fight Report Card
By Cliff Rold
Batman will always capture the Joker. Freddy and Jason will always be back. Manny Pacquiao will always beat Timothy Bradley. It doesn?t matter how many times they fight. Bradley could replace Teddy…
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Pacquiao-Bradley III: Pre-Fight Report Card
By Cliff Rold
It?s been almost eighteen years since Manny Pacquiao won his first world title. It?s been over a dozen since he defeated Marco Antonio Barrera to announce his potential for true greatness. That?s…
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Juan Diaz Breaks Garcia Down, Mike Alvarado Gets KO Win
By Cliff Rold
32-year old former lightweight titlist Juan Diaz (41-4, 20 KO) returned successfully to the ring Saturday night at the Arena Theatre in his hometown of Houston, Texas, with a ninth-round stoppage of…
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Junior Featherweight Wars Are Set To Resume
By Cliff Rold
It?s not boxing?s oldest weight class, though its history goes back farther than one might think. The modern incarnation of the 122 lb. weight class was born under the auspices of the…
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Canelo Alvarez vs. Amir Khan: When The Stars Don’t Align
By Cliff Rold
The announcement of a middleweight title fight this week between champion Saul Alvarez and former Jr. welterweight titlist Amir Khan couldn?t have come at a better time for press and social media.…
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Sergey Kovalev-Jean Pascal II: Post-Fight Report Card
By Cliff Rold
It didn?t look like much of a fight going in. It was less than that in the ring. Sergey Kovalev was better than Jean Pascal a year ago. He was several leagues…
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Sergey Kovalev-Jean Pascal II: Pre-Fight Report Card
By Cliff Rold
Every once in a while, rematches turn out dramatically different than expected. Ezzard Charles had already defeated Jersey Joe Walcott twice entering their third contest. Walcott did him in with a one-punch…
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Boxing in 2016 – One Christmas Wish List
By Cliff Rold
It?s the giving season, or so it?s said. Being a boxing follower means giving plenty: money, time, DVR space, and patience. Few sports can be as frustrating to endure with the sports…
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Who Can Wait for 2016?
By Cliff Rold
It might be a good fight; maybe even the best of their three. While it hasn?t been officially announced, it?s floating out there in the water pretty heavy. Many expect it to…
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Miguel Cotto-Saul Alvarez: Pre-Fight Report Card
By Cliff Rold
There is some debate about how successful the promotion will be. There is no debate about fan hopes for what it will be in the ring. This is the fight the most…
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Terence Crawford-Dierry Jean: Pre-Fight Report Card
By Cliff Rold
Terence Crawford spent 2014 stamping himself as the best lightweight in the world and winning the nod as Fighter of the Year in several spaces. With little in the way of big…
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Gennady Golovkin-David Lemieux: Post Report Card
By Cliff Rold
He?s halfway there. If Gennady Golovkin intends to make his ultimate mark as one of the great Middleweights, and at 33 there isn?t much time to do otherwise, unification of the class…
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Roman Gonzalez-Brian Viloria: Pre-Fight Report Card
By Cliff Rold
A good sign for any pay-per-view show is when an anticipated main event provides a co-feature capable of stealing the show. Roman Gonzalez-Brian Viloria is a good sign for Saturday?s Gennady Golovkin-David…
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Gennady Golovkin-David Lemieux: Pre-Fight Report Card
By Cliff Rold
There?s something about punchers. With losses to Joachim Alcine (debatable) and Marco Antonio Rubio (by stoppage), David Lemieux should be and largely is seen as a prohibitive underdog. A career best win…
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Juan Francisco Estrada Drops Marquez 7 Times For TKO
By Cliff Rold
It was competitive for a while but the one-sided expectations eventually played out in brutal fashion. 25-year old WBA and WBO Flyweight titlist Juan Francisco Estrada (33-2, 23 KO) of Hermosillo, Sonora,…
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Fighting Words: Mayweather out a winner, with a whimper
By Cliff Rold
The numbers have long mattered to Floyd Mayweather Jr., or rather a couple of specific numbers were those to which he paid the most attention, particularly when it meant he could bring…
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Danny Garcia-Paulie Malignaggi: Pre-Fight Report Card
By Cliff Rold
Who is Danny Garcia? Is he the underdog who put on a show in upsetting Lucas Matthysse to establish his place as the leader at Jr. Welterweight? Or is he the guy…