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A new star is born
at junior welterweght
By Rizwaan Zahid
of The Boxing Amusement Park
Devon Alexander has been a name that has
been floating around the boxing world the last couple of years,
however he wasn’t mentioned as often as his 140-pound
counterparts. After his impressive win over former champ Juan
Urango, the 23-year-old can now expect to take part in major
fights in what might be the most talent-rich division in the
sport.
Urango might not be the quickest boxer, but he definitely has
the biggest body of any light welterweight. It still amazes me
that the 5-foot-7 Columbian can make weight each time around. He
has great power and although he looked tight and a tad reckless
during this fight, much of that could attributed to Alexander’s
footwork, always catching Juan off guard and off balance. The
balance of speed, precision -- and above all, focus -- is
what impresses me the most. Urango had only been down once in
his entire career (in his last fight against hard hitting
Randall Bailey) before entering Saturday’s fight.
Those qualities allow Alexander to be
entertaining as well -- something his fellow St. Louis native,
southpaw Cory Spinks, doesn’t ever seem to be.
There are so many opponents to choose for
Devon’s first defense, starting with Timothy Bradley, although
that's a match that might be hard to make right now, since both
are so young. Both have solid chins and great technique. It
would be a fight-of-the-year candidate, for sure, but one in
which you would see jabs, speed, game plans and skill. A "fight
of the year" is rarely that technical, but I would expect this
one to be an exception. It would also be a battle of wits, a
battle of boxing brains, like chess players predicting their
opponent's next move. If it happens, boxing fans who adore the
brawls and the brains are in for a treat.
There are many options for Alexander, and
the talent-wide division seems to be growing by each light
welterweight fight. There are three big names who are only 23
(Alexander, Khan, Ortiz), and the majority of name-brand
140-pounders are under 30. These fighters should be around for
quite a while, which means big fights are on the horizon for
years to come -- and Alexander may be a heavy favourite in each
of them.
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The best female fighters
of all time
By Rizwaan Zahid
of The Boxing Amusement Park
Yesterday was International Women’s Day and although
women make accomplishments all year around, many use
today to highlight female success. Women’s boxing is
scarcely covered, even less than other sports. The
reality, though, is that many female boxers have had
successful careers, and although this type of piece
could be used at any point in the year, I will take
advantage of this well known day to discuss the best
female fighters.
Bridgett “Baby Doll” Riley turned pro after a career in
kickboxing. The Missouri native is promoted by Don King
and is not the female boxer that most would expect. Most
would imagine a female fighter who fights courageously
through cuts blood to be a tomboy and wear thick,
checkered flannel shirts. On the contrary, Riley has
expressed her love for make-up. However, she has also
expressed her love for knocking her opponent out. She
was also one of the key members in the new sport of
women’s boxing.
Lucia Rijker was one of the most devastating female
power-punching boxers of all time. The Dutch woman
knocked out 14 of her 17 opponents, beating every one of
them. She was an undefeated kickboxer as well. Her wins,
however, were mostly against lesser-known opponents and
journey women. Nevertheless, Rijker was one of the
most-feared fighters in women’s boxing history.
The No. 1 female boxer of all time in most people’s eyes
is Laila Ali. The daughter of the Greatest of All Time
had a daunting stature, but she has been criticized for
not fighting the best opponents, such as the 6-foot-6
Vonda Ward -- who’s only loss was to Ann Wolfe -- and
Wolfe, herself. Despite this, many still view her as the
female counterpart to her legendary father.
Wolfe was an outstanding boxer during her career, able
to outmuscle most of her opponents. Her boxing knowledge
then transferred to her new career as James Kirkland's
trainer before he was incarcerated. It has been said
that Laila avoided Wolfe as well. For good reason too,
especially since Wolfe had destructive power, and the
size to match up with Laila.
There are numerous others to mention, such as Holly
Holm, Christy Martin and even fighters today, such as
Ina Menzer. Perhaps if we see these women fight more,
and on television, then not only can we appreciate the
female fighters, but we can appreciate and commend what
they are doing. They are boxing.
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