Max Boxing

In a non-stop action dustup, former unified welterweight champ Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis secured the WBO/WBA super welterweight titles in a back-and-forth war against defending champion Xander Zayas. Ennis dropped Zayas in the 1st round. In the 3rd, Zayas appeared to be working (or warring) his way back into the fight with some solid shots that got Ennis’ attention. However, in the 5th round, a perfectly timed uppercut snapped Zayas’ head back, dropping him.

It is hard to believe it has been 45 years this month since the late, great middleweight champion Marvelous Marvin Hagler successfully defended his WBA and WBC titles at home in The Boston Garden against rugged former champion, New York-based Italian slugger Vito Antuofermo. The bout was a rematch as the two stocky warriors had fought in 1979, with Antuofermo keeping his titles with a questionable draw.

In terms of boxing, Robbie Sims is probably most famous for being the half-brother of Marvelous Marvin Hagler. Robbie was the guy who often accompanied his famous brother to the ring along with Hagler’s lifelong trainers Pat and Goody Petronelli. Despite living in the shadow of the Marvelous One, Sims had a very impressive career of his own that deserves a minute under the spotlight.

Abraham Perez overcame a determined challenge from Jonathan Gonzalez to earn a hard-fought 12-round split decision victory, with two judges scoring the bout 115-113 for Perez and one judge awarding a 115-113 score to Gonzalez. From the opening bell, Perez relied on his speed and movement while trying to establish his jab against the southpaw Gonzalez. Gonzalez had success early by attacking the body, landing two hard left hands while making the straight left his primary weapon.

Joe Louis world heavyweight champion.jpg The first time I heard the term "The Bum of the Month” was when my late father, in the midst of talking about his favorite fighter, Joe Louis, mentioned it. I was about seven. My dad grew up in Chicago and boxed in the Golden Gloves. He loved Louis. Listened to every one of his fights on the radio.

Men’s Modern Gennadiy “GGG” Golovkin, the Kazakhstan-born champion, competed for 16 years from 2006 to 2022. He was the king of the middleweights for years, holding the WBA, WBC, IBF, and IBO titles. He faced a long list of elite fighters, including Danny Jacobs, Saul Alvarez, and Kell Brook, among others. Antonio Tarver – Florida’s Tarver, a 1996 Olympian, competed for 18 years, racking up the WBA (Unified), WBC, IBF, and Ring magazine 175-pound titles.

O’Shaquie Foster followed through on his promise and showed his superior skill and talent against a flummoxed Raymond Ford in front of a raucous local fanbase. Though Ford is also a (recent) Houston resident, he was roundly booed during his entrance. And any doubt that he had any hopes of a rooting public was eviscerated when Foster was led to the ring by local rapper Trae The Truth in an electric entrance.

It’s hard to believe this month marks 7 years since the passing of exciting heavyweight Smokin’ Bert Cooper. To say Bert Cooper had an interesting career would be an understatement of heavyweight proportions. In his 20-year career, he logged an impressive 64 fights (38-25-1, 31 KOs) and fought some of the very best of his era. Fighting out of Joe Frazier’s Gym in Philadelphia, and originally trained by heavyweight legend Frazier, Bert turned pro in 1984 and went 18-2 in his first 20 bouts.

Repeat or revenge? That is the question as WBA lightweight champion Stephanie Han prepares to defend her title against Albuquerque’s own Holly Holm in a highly anticipated rematch Saturday night in El Paso. Their first meeting in January ended in controversy and unfinished business when Han upset Holm by a seventh-round technical decision in Puerto Rico after an accidental clash of heads caused a cut that stopped the fight.

Former world champion Brian Norman Jr. looked impressive this past Saturday night in his first outing with new trainer Ronnie Shields. The former WBO welterweight champion returned on the Keyshawn Davis-Nahir Albright undercard at Scope Arena in Norfolk, Virginia. It was his first fight back since 3-division champ Devin Haney took his WBO, 147-pound crown by UD 12 on November 22 on “The Ring IV: Night of The Champions” undercard in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.