Storyland
2000 to 2009
A collection of links to some of the best boxing stories ever written
This page contains articles from January 2000 to present day
To read stories from other decades, click below:
1990-99 1980-89 1970-79 1960-69 1954-59
Sports Illustrated: January 18, 2010
Sports Illustrated: December 7, 2009
A classic detroit gym could be a model of reinvention for the city
Sports Illustrated: Noveber 23, 2009
With a resounding defeat of Miguel Cotto, Manny Pacquiao proved that boxing's best is getting better
Sports Illustrated: November 16, 2009
Despite a shocking lack of animosity, Pacquiao and Cotto promise a great battle
Sports Illustrated: November 16, 2009
Boxing's best trainer is determined to protect his fighters from progressive brain damage
Sports Illustrated: October 19, 2009
A new made-for-TV competition could give boxing a boost
Sports Illustrated: October 5, 2009
His retirement over, the highly unorthodox Vitali Klitschko reaffirmed his place among the top heavyweights
Sports Illustrated: September 28, 2009
Landing seemingly every punch he threw, Floyd Mayweather looked ready to take on the ring's best
Sports Illustrated: June 23, 2009
With lucrative purses and a wealth of talented fighters, the welterweight division is the place to be
Sports Illustrated: May 11, 2009
Manny Pacquiao cemented his claim to being the world's best pound-for-pound fighter by knocking out Ricky Hatton
Sports Illustrated: March 2, 2009
Rebounding from their losses, Miguel Cotto and Kelly Pavlik proved that being unbeaten isn't everything
Sports Illustrated: Feb. 9, 2009
Was the champ packing his fists with extra wallop?
Sports Illustrated: December 08, 2008
When Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao takes on Oscar De La Hoya, he'll be fighting for more than an eight-figure purse. He'll be representing countrymen who adore him—and trying to win their votes
Sports Illustrated: October 27, 2008
Bernard Hopkins silenced critics by thrashing undefeated middleweight champ Kelly Pavlik, 17 years his junior
Sports Illustrated: October 20, 2008
He's my brother, the heavyweight champion
Sports Illustrated: October 06, 2008
Welterweight champion Antonio Margarito may be too fearsome for his own good
Sports Illustrated: August 11, 2008
A documentary examines Ali's Miami years
Sports Illustrated: July 07, 2008
Manny Pacquiao, the sport's biggest little star, moved up a weight class and crushed David Diaz for his fourth title
Sports Illustrated: December 17, 2007
A British invasion livened up Vegas. So what if Ricky Hatton got pounded?
Sports Illustrated: October 08, 2007
Can the kid from Mancini's hometown save boxing?
Sports Illustrated: July 02, 2007
A quarter century after their contentious bout, the champ and the challenger are still going at each other--but these jabs don't hurt
Sports Illustrated: May 21, 2007
Oscar's tops, but elite fighters have always lived in Fat City
Sports Illustrated: May 14, 2007
The two most compelling boxers of their time. A $19 million gate. Jack and J-Lo. Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s victory over Oscar De La Hoya had everything boxing could want--except for the thrills inside the ring that could revive this sagging sport
Sports Illustrated: May 07, 2007
THE FIGHT TO SAVE BOXING Can Saturday's showdown make the average fan care about the sport again?
Sports Illustrated: December 11, 2006
A new bio of Gene Tunney brings a fresh appreciation to the career of an often maligned champion
Sports Illustrated: December 11, 2006
Super welterweight Oscar De La Hoya has applied his golden touch to land development, boxing promotion and newspaper publishing, but he's still set for another big payday in the ring
Sports Illustrated: November 06, 2006
Modern-day Cinderella Man Carlos Baldomir is going to find out soon if his glass slipper still fits
Sports Illustrated: October 09, 2006
With his Shaqlike dimensions and fearsome features, Nikolay Valuev--history's tallest heavyweight champ--intimidates foes and titillates fans, but can Don King's colossus fight?
Sports Illustrated: May 15, 2006
Oscar De La Hoya regained his Midas touch--and the super welterweight title--by battering Ricardo Mayorga. Will he crown his career against Floyd Mayweather Jr.?
Sports Illustrated: April 10, 2006
Despite blood clots on the brain, a former contender gets back in the ring
Sports Illustrated: March 20, 2006
After a decade in oblivion, trash-talking, pistol-packing (but downright lovable) former middleweight king James Toney has grown--and how--into a contender for boxing's biggest title
Sports Illustrated: February 13, 2006
The Friars Club roast of DON KING revealed--and reveled in--the vagaries of the honoree's dark and twisted soul. As King has said so many times, "Only in America"
Sports Illustrated: November 21, 2005
With its heavyweight chumps and forgettable fights, the once mighty sport of King (Don, that is) is staggering toward oblivion
Sports Illustrated: October 10, 2005
Lightweight champion Diego Corrales recently went through hell to win his first bout against Jos Luis Castillo--and now he's eagerly stepping back into the fire for the rematch
Sports Illustrated: September 19, 2005
A pair of historic bouts with race on the undercard are examined with different approaches but the same wallop
Sports Illustrated: July 25, 2005
Jermain Taylor weathered a ferocious finish by Bernard Hopkins and took away his middleweight championship
Sports Illustrated: July 11, 2005
A quarter century after he famously quit against Sugar Ray Leonard, former champ Robeto Duran still doesn't understand why he was held in such disdain
Sports Illustrated: June 27, 2005
This Saturday night, the ultratalented Floyd Mayweather Jr. will fight Arturo Gatti for the super lightweight title. It's his biggest bout yet. Few will be rooting for him
Sports Illustrated: May 23, 2005
Having annihilated Felix Trinidad with a razor-sharp jab, Winky Wright is suddenly the hottest thing in boxing
Sports Illustrated: May 09, 2005
He'd been laid low, but nothing--not the Depression and certainly not the heavyweight champ--could keep JAMES J. BRADDOCK down
Sports Illustrated: April 18, 2005
Emile Griffith beat Benny "Kid" Paret to death in the ring after Paret called him queer. That was 43 years ago. He's still struggling to come to terms with it. So are we.
Sports Illustrated: January 31, 2005
No movie can top the outsized drama of real boxing
Sports Illustrated: January 31, 2005
The boxing movie has been a staple of Hollywood for more than a century. Here are some of the genre's champs and palookas
Sports Illustrated: November 29, 2004
In a rematch neither could afford to lose, Winky Wright retained his titles, and Shane Mosley remained in a tailspin
Sports Illustrated: November 15, 2004
Six months after dethroning Roy Jones Jr., Antonio Tarver is set to make his return in L.A. with an eye on Hollywood
Sports Illustrated: October 11, 2004
In his first fight in 29 months, former world champ Felix Trinidad was razor sharp in a win over Ricardo Mayorga
Sports Illustrated: October 04, 2004
Once seemingly unbeatable, Roy Jones lost a second consecutive bout, casting an ominous cloud over his future
Sports Illustrated: August 09, 2004
Mike Tyson's latest comeback—and most likely his career—ended in a stunning knockout by a handpicked opponent
Sports Illustrated: July 26, 2004
With a series of bloody, crowd-pleasing brawls, Arturo Gatti has left his mark on boxing. And boxing has left its marks on him
Sports Illustrated: July 12, 2004
Based in Milan since retiring from the ring 16 years ago, the former middleweight champion is training his sights on leading-man status in Italian cinema
Sports Illustrated: May 03, 2004
Vitali Klitschko finally proved his mettle by seizing the WBC title
Sports Illustrated: April 19, 2004
Cory Spinks beat Zab Judah while the main event showed that the heavyweight division is lightweight
Sports Illustrated: December 29, 2003
Driven by his ambition to reclaim the heavyweight belts, 41-year-old Evander Holyfield soldiered on, even at the risk of a tragic ending
Sports Illustrated: December 15, 2003
Once considered the lesser of two palooka-ish brothers, Vitali Klitschko has emerged as the great hope of the heavyweight division
Sports Illustrated: December 08, 2003
Welterweight champion Ricardo Mayorga, a reckless fighter with an unruly lifestyle, is boxing's hottest ticket. Next show: Dec. 13
Sports Illustrated: December 01, 2003
From nasty heavyweight champ to humble preacher to jolly heavyweight champ to zillionaire pitchman, George Foreman is a miracle of reinvention
Sports Illustrated:
Sept. 22, 2003
Oscar De La Hoya lost his long-awaited rematch with Shane Mosley, then made wild charges that suggest he might have also lost his mind
Sports Illustrated: June 30, 2003
Nearly three decades after he went 15 rounds against the Greatest and inspired a movie, the Bayonne Bleeder is still living the good life in his hardscrabble hometown
Sports Illustrated: April 14, 2003
A decade after their epic ring trilogy, Evander Holyfield and Riddick Bowe are still bound together, hostages to their dreams and delusions
Sports Illustrated: March 10, 2003
BOXING IS IN A HELL OF A STATE, SADDLED with fading stars and a fragmented fan base, but don't count out the not-so-sweet science just yet
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Sports Illustrated: February 03, 2003
He calls himself boxing's Ebola virus, and for good reason—few contenders in the heavyweight ranks want to take a chance against Chris Byrd's slick southpaw style
Sports Illustrated: December 16, 2002
A desultory 10-round TKO by Wladimir Klitschko did not boost his image as a heavyweight power
Sports Illustrated: November 18, 2002
A pair of brawny, brainy Ukrainian Ph.D.'s, Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko, hope to soon divide and conquer the heavyweight division
Sports Illustrated: October 14, 2002
Roy Jones tries to move up in class
Sports Illustrated: September 23, 2002
Fernando Vargas brought his rage and muscle to the ring, but Oscar De La Hoya had the savvy and skills to make a bloody 11th-round TKO look as measured as a day at the office
Sports Illustrated: September 16, 2002
(These guys hate each other. No, really.)
Sports Illustrated: July 29, 2002
By beating Shane Mosley to defend his welterweight title, Vernon Forrest joined boxing's elite. But he's already the greatest to a special group of men back home
Sports Illustrated: June 17, 2002
Lennox Lewis lowered the boom—and dropped the curtain—on Mike Tyson's long-running carnival act
Sports Illustrated: May 20, 2002
As he storms toward his showdown with Lennox Lewis, is Mike Tyson the ultimate psycho celebrity in the midst of a public breakdown—or the shrewdest self-promoter in boxing history?
Sports Illustrated: May 13, 2002
Boxer Gerald McClellan, blind and brain damaged, leaves home
Sports Illustrated: March 04, 2002
Paulie Ayala's convincing win over Bones Adams should silence his many doubters
Sports Illustrated: February 04, 2002
Vernon Forrest's bruising upset of Sugar Shane Mosley should help redeem boxing
Sports Illustrated: December 24, 2001
Evander Holyfield battered John Ruiz but got a draw, and boxing took a beating
Sports Illustrated: November 05, 2001
If you've never heard of Zab Judah, who will fight to unify the junior welterweight title this weekend, then you don't know boxing's strangest family saga
Sports Illustrated: October 22, 2001
That Eddie Futch lived to 90 without making any enemies was remarkable enough, but considering that almost all those years were spent in boxing, a business in which nice guys generally don't finish at all, it's even more astonishing.
Sports Illustrated: October 08, 2001
Long overlooked Bernard Hopkins capped his career and unified the middleweight title with a stunning upset of Felix Trinidad
Sports Illustrated: September 10, 2001
Cuban refugee Joel Casamayor eyes a shot at becoming the bantamweight to beat
Sports Illustrated: July 02, 2001
Oscar De La Hoya won his fifth title, but vindication may be more elusive
Sports Illustrated: June 25, 2001
Hard knocks outside the ring haven't hindered big Lance Whitaker inside it
Sports Illustrated: May 14, 2001
Felix Trinidad has emerged from the shadows of lesser champions and is now boxing's cock of the walk
Sports Illustrated: April 30, 2001
Hasim Rahman shocked Lennox Lewis with a fifth-round KPO to take the heavyweight chmpionship.
Sports Illustrated: April 16, 2001
Prince Naseem Hamed's glitz was no match for the grit of Marco Antonio Barrera in their featherweight showdown.
Sports Illustrated: March 19, 2001
John Ruiz, who defeated Evander Holyfield on March 3 to claim the WBA's slice of the heavyweight title, is known as The Quiet Man.
Sports Illustrated: March 5, 2001
Kostya Tszyu, a Russian turned Aussie, has a bite more lethal than his bark
Sports Illustrated: November 20, 2000
David Tua's 'do and his power were undone by the withering jabs of Lennox Lewis, who retained his heavyweight title by decision. So why doesn't the champ get more respect?
Sports Illustrated: November 13, 2000
David Tua is a playful Samoan, but he plans to give Lennox Lewis a serious run for the heavyweight title.
Sports Illustrated: November 6, 2000
When welterweight Arturo Gatti fights, his opponents -- and fans -- often see red
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"A fiery, free-swinging pinwheel of a boxer,
Gatti has built a 33-4 record scuffling straight up,
like an angry wallaby. He's geared to fight in only one way: to wade in and whale.
"I love to bleed, love it," he says.
"People at ringside bring umbrellas to my bouts
so they won't get splashed."
--Franz Lidz
Sports Illustrated: October 30, 2000
When the fragile personalities of Mike Tyson and Andrew Golota collided in the ring, the only question was who would break first
Sports Illustrated: October 23, 2000
In this corner, Mike Tyson wants to eat your children. In that corner, Andrew Golata wants to keep you from having children.
Sports Illustrated: October 30, 2000
When the fragile personalities of Mike Tyson and Andrew Golota collided in the ring, the only question was who would break first
Sports Illustrated: September 11, 2000
Hector Camacho Jr. doesn't party as hard as his dad, but he punches harder
Sports Illustrated: August 21, 2000
The Internet offers fight fans a one-two combination that's difficult to beat
Sports Illustrated: June 26, 2000
In a stirring bout that ennobled both fighters, Sugar Shane Mosley beat rival Oscar De La Hoya and assumed the role of boxing's standard-bearer
Sports Illustrated: June 19, 2000
He says he's a gladiator, but Oscar De La Hoya has yet to give a ring performance that proves he has the heart of a great champ
Sports Illustrated: May 8, 2000
Heavyweight champ Lennox Lewis silenced his critics and gave his reputation a much needed boost by mercilessly chopping Michael Grant down to size
Sports Illustrated: April 24, 2000
A bloodied Fernando Vargas proved his mettle by beating veteran Ike Quartey
Sports Illustrated: March 13, 2000
Felix Trinidad battered David Reid to earn a new title and a new edge on rematch-seeking Oscar De La Hoya
Sports Illustrated: February 7, 2000
Treated to a royal reception in England, Mike Tyson proved that he's still a contender with a brutally effecient second-round knockout of Julius Francis
Sports Illustrated: January 17, 2000
However gripping, the film about Rubin "Hurricane" Carter's ordeal loses punch by fudging facts
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THE VIEW FROM PRESS ROW Current boxing news from all over the world
THE ICEHOUSE Excerpts from 'The Iceman Diaries,' memoirs of former boxer & renowned trainer 'Iceman' John Scully
Inside the Ropes with Travis Hartman Articles & interviews by active pro boxer & boxing writer Travis Hartman
The Young Oracle Alden "The Kid" Chodash, 14, is boxing's No. 1 pound-for-pound expert.
Storyland A collection of links to some of the best boxnig stories ever written
Linda Rodriguez's Training Table Nutritional advice from one of the most-respected advisors in boxing
The Roughhouse Our readers share their own tales of schoolyard scraps, bar room brawls & alley fights
The Bare-Knuckle Legend The amazing story of Bartley Gorman, 'King of the Gypsies'
PUGILISTIC PARADISE The original broadcasts of classic, full-length fights
BLOOD 'N' GUTS THEATRE Video of some of the most-spectacular rounds in boxing history
"The Funhouse!" Quirky clips from the humorous and unusual side of the boxing world
THE GYM Rare workout footage of some of the legends of boxing, including all-time greats sparring with each other
BOXDOX THEATRE Compelling boxing documentaries in their entirety
HIGHLIGHT HEAVEN Spectacular highlight reels of the greatest boxers of all time
HARD KNOCKS Clips of some of the most-brutal knockouts in boxing history
GENERATION '09 A section dedicated to the young guns of the sport
THE INTERNATIONAL BOXING HALL OF FAME Bios and classic photos of every boxer in the IBHOF
THE ART GALLERY A showcase of the world's most-beautiful boxing paintings
BLACK & WHITE TV A wayback machine dedicated to great fighters from bygone eras
DANGEROUS CURVES A room reserved for the world's greatest female boxers
SMACK TALK Rare, classic interviews and volatile press conference footage
short-attention-span theatre The best moments from some of the best fights of all time
THE BIOGRAPHY PAGE The life stories of hundreds of boxers, past & present
PROFESSOR RINGSIDE Boxing history and trivia in the form of an ever-evolving quiz
fIND A Boxing GYM A resource for anybody looking for a gym or club
BEFORE THEY WERE STARS Seldom-seen amateur footage of the biggest names in boxing
SLIGHTLY NAUGHTY HOTTIES Photos, slideshows and video of smoking-hot ring card girls
