On April 29, Larry Merchant, seated alongside Jim Lampley and George Foreman, was preparing to call the opening moments of a Heavyweight championship battle between the 6’7”, 250 pound Michael Grant and the 6’5”, 247 pound Lennox Lewis.
On a chilly night in Las Vegas, the first Saturday in November, a hush had fallen over the 13,500 fans packed into the outdoor arena at Caesars Palace.
Tony Calcara goes back to May 19, 2007 when Edison Miranda and Kelly Pavlik battled in a high-action WBC Eliminator Middleweight fight at FedExForum in Memphis, Tennessee.
Standing in his locker room just moments before walking towards the ring, the Heavyweight champion whispered to his trainer, Kevin Rooney, “I’m gonna hurt this guy.”
Tony Calcara goes back to June 1, 2002 for Evander Holyfield vs. Hasim Rahman which included one of the most gruesome injuries in boxing history.
Boxing history is filled with its share of bizarre episodes. Certainly ranking towards the top of that list is the trilogy between Terry Norris and Luis Santana.
Tony Calcara goes back to 1992 at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas for a battle between former Heavyweight champion George Foreman (70-3, 66 KOs) and Alex Stewart (28-3, 28 KOs).
Tony Calcara goes back to 1986, on a Tuesday night at New York's Madison Square Garden for a bout being billed as "New York is Busting Out". The two combatants were Mike Tyson and Mitch Green.
After his first professional fight in Mexico, Juan Diaz later sat ringside and chatted with a man, Juan Manuel Marquez, who was 10 years his elder. The two spoke warmly and remained friendly for the duration of the evening. Years later, both were top-tier warriors in the same division fighting for 135-pound supremacy. Tony Calcara goes back to the legendary first fight between Marquez and Diaz.
Tony Calcara turns the pages back to May 22, 1993 for a matchup between Heavyweight champion Riddick “Big Daddy” Bowe and Jesse “Boogieman” Ferguson.
It was 18 years ago this week, on Saturday night, March 28, that two big men took center stage to battle for the Heavyweight championship of the world. The WBC Heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis would meet the man recognized as the lineal Heavyweight champion, Shannon Briggs.
Tony Calcara goes back to March 3 of the year 2000 when the outdoor arena at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas hosted a Super Welterweight showdown between David “The American Dream” Reid and Felix “Tito” Trinidad.
This week, Tony Calcara goes back to the dead of summer on August 14, when the Foxwoods Resort in Mashantucket, Connecticut, hosted a Welterweight bout between Arturo “Thunder” Gatti (29-4, 24 KOs) and Reyes Munoz (21-3, 9 KOs).
On June 27, a warm Saturday afternoon in Reno, Bally's Hotel and Casino hosted an exciting Heavyweight matchup as Tommy “The Duke” Morrison squared off against Joe “Boss” Hipp.
On Friday night, October 16, as the tide from the Atlantic Ocean rolled in towards the Boardwalk, fight fans packed Donald Trump’s Convention Center in Atlantic City to witness the first title defense of Mike Tyson’s undisputed crown.
