Knuckles and Gloves Boxing Radio

Boxing History - The Cruiserweights

It sure looks like the cruiserweight division is enjoying a surge of both talent and popularity, thanks to the World Boxing Super Series, and more specifically, Oleksandr Usyk and Murat Gassiev's tremendous recent performances.
Often thought of as a second-rate heavyweight division, cruiserweight is consistently overlooked. How did this division -- not quite heavyweight, but bigger than light heavyweight -- even get started? Who are the division's greatest fighters?
This week on Knuckles and Gloves Boxing Radio, boxing writer/historian Patrick Connor is joined by Compubox operator and fellow fight history admirer Aris Pina, and the whole cruiserweight scenario will be laid bare.
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Boxing History - The Un-Filmed Classics

Boxing is a sport with no shortage of mythology and history. Much of the mythology centers around fights we've never seen before and have only heard or read about. That's what this show is for!
This week on Knuckles and Gloves Boxing Radio's history show, Compubox operator Aris Pina and writer/fight historian Patrick Connor team up to talk boxing history. Just about all of "Sugar" Ray Robinson's welterweight reign has gone unseen by fans, as have classics between Willie Pep and Sandy Saddler, and Tony Zale and Rocky Graziano. They're only the tip of the fistic iceberg, so listen in!
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Usyk-Briedis, Matthysse & Linares Recaps, Canelo-Golovkin Rematch Official

If there were any question whether or not boxing had really kicked off in 2018, the excellent scrap between Oleksandr Usyk and Mairis Briedis answered with an emphatic "YES IT HAS."
Usyk-Briedis should stand as a "Fight of the Year" contender by the end of the year, if not a frontrunner. The two cruiserweights beat the heck out of each other in the semifinal of the World Boxing Super Series, with Usyk barely winning out. Then over on HBO, Lucas Matthysse continued his comeback with a strange stoppage of previously-undefeated Thai Tewa Kiram, and Jorge Linares mostly had his way with Mercito Gesta in the co-feature. We seent it. Read more about it here. 
There's a little matter of the Saul "Canelo" Alvarez vs Gennady Golovkin rematch to discuss too.
On this episode of Knuckles and Gloves Boxing Radio, boxing historian Patrick Connor and author/filmmaker Brin-Jonathan Butler team up to recap the weekend's boxing and more.
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Boxing History - Forgotten Action Fighters

There's room for many styles, outlooks and approaches in boxing. Brawlers, stylists, patient thinkers... The contrast between these are a large part of what makes the sport interesting. But action is what draws the masses and keeps them enraptured. In boxing, television rules all and action makes for the best TV.
Many action fighters haven't been the best pound-for-pound, and some never even came close to sniffing a world title. Despite the entertainment they provide, many fade away or simply don't get the recognition they deserve. And we refuse to forget.
This week on Knuckles and Gloves Boxing Radio, boxing historian Patrick Connor and Compubox operator Aris Pina remember forgotten and underrated TV action fighters of years past.
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Boxing History - Greatest Jewish Fighters Ever

Fights and fighters simply aren't promoted along ethnic or religious lines like they used to be, for better or worse. In decades past, a number of large U.S. cities in particular would be nearly factioned-off in separate neighborhoods based on ethnicity and the like. In the 1920s and 30s specifically, Jewish fighters were extremely well-represented in boxing.
While pugilism seems to have largely forgotten Jewish influence in combat sports, we haven't. This week on Knuckles and Gloves Boxing Radio, boxing writer/historian Patrick Connor again joins up with Compubox operator Aris Pina to pay tribute to the greatest Jewish fighters of all time.
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2017 Boxing End of the Year Awards

The "state of boxing" is often the subject of an ongoing discussion on this podcast, and 2016 was one awful year overall. It would have been difficult for this year to be worse, and thankfully 2017 was indeed a massive improvement. There were some memorable skirmishes, some insane knockouts, unbelievable controversies, as usual...
In short, boxing continued to be boxing this year. Reports of its demise were premature, as they always are.
This week, on Knuckle and Gloves Boxing Radio's final show of 2017, James Foley re-joins the usual cast of boxing historian Patrick Connor and author/filmmaker Brin-Jonathan Butler to deliver some of the most scorching takes around. Scorching. Look it up.
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Vasyl Lomachenko vs Guillermo Rigondeaux Recap

Guillermo Rigondeaux may have been a firm underdog against Vasyl Lomachenko, but few thought the Ukrainian would triumph so thoroughly in this battle of Olympic gold medalists on ESPN. If nothing else, Lomachenko confirmed that he deserves to be ranked among the best fighters in the world.
This week on Knuckles and Gloves Boxing Radio, author and filmmaker Brin-Jonathan Butler and boxing historian Patrick Connor team up to tackle the how's and why's of all that happened between Lomachenko and Rigondeaux.
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Vasyl Lomachenko vs Guillermo Rigondeaux Preview, Ali-Cotto Recap

Vasyl Lomachenko's showdown with Guillermo Rigondeaux is one of the most anticipated fights of 2017. It's a year that's ending with a bang -- or at least we hope so. Lomachenko-Rigondeaux could conceivably end a few different ways, and a few of them could be less-than-scintillating.
No matter how it endsm Lomachenko-Rigondeaux matches two fighters with an incredible amount of experience, talent and skill. It's an extremely worthy offering, and getting it on ESPN is awesome. We'll be there.
But this weekend also sees perennial "Fight of the Year" participant Orlando Salido square off against Miguel Roman on HBO, with Tevin Farmer and Francisco Vargas in separate bouts on the undercard.
There's also a small matter of Sadam Ali's upset win over Miguel Cotto to discuss. So join us on this week's episode of Knuckles and Gloves Boxing Radio with author/filmmaker Brin-Jonathan Butler and boxing historian Patrick Connor!
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Brin-Jonathan Butler: @brinicio
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Boxing History - Greatest Puerto Rican Fighters Ever

The island of Puerto Rico has an incredible relationship with the sport of boxing. Per capita, "The Island of Enchantment" may have produced more champions than anywhere else, and the list of champions is long.
This weekend on HBO, Puerto Rican star Miguel Cotto takes on Sadam Ali in what may be his final bout. The occasion gives us the perfect opportunity to discuss the greatest champions that Puerto Rico has ever produced.
Join us for another history edition of Knuckles and Gloves Boxing Radio as historian/writer Patrick Connor and Compubox operator Aris Pina talk about Carlos Ortiz, Felix Trinidad, Hector Camacho, Wilfredo Gomez, Wilfred Benitez and more.
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Miguel Cotto vs Sadam Ali Preview, Kovalev-Shabranskyy Recap

2017's final month is upon us, and this year has been far kinder to all of us boxing fanatics than previous years have been. And we're still not done!
This weekend on HBO, Miguel Cotto fights for (what he says is) the final time, taking on Sadam Ali, who is moving up a division for the clash. It's less-than-ideal, but Cotto is still a massive draw and an important figure in boxing. Whether or not he fights on after this is tougher to know.
Last weekend, also on HBO, Sergey Kovalev made a successful return following the Andre Ward debacle(s) by thrashing Vyacheslav Shabranskyy in 2 rounds. The tripleheader also brought us scraps between Sullivan Barrera and Felix Valera, and Yuriorkis Gamboa and Jason Sosa. Both had their share of controversy, per usual.
What about the state of the heavyweight division? Deontay Wilder's hopes for presiding over it? Upcoming bouts? We're going there.
Join author/filmmaker Brin-Jonathan Butler and boxing historian Patrick Connor in talking life, love, loss, lament and luscious, exquisite boxing. But mostly boxing.
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Brin-Jonathan Butler: @brinicio
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