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Doubts Grow About Whether Alexis Arguello Committed Suicide

By Tim Starks | July 2, 2009 | The Queensberry Rules

Having a distaste for conspiracy theories the way I do, I bit my tongue yesterday -- despite my doubts -- about the official explanation given that boxing great Alexis Arguello's demise was, apparently, a suicide. But some very, very level-headed people today are openly questioning that explanation today, wondering whether he was killed, and I think those thoughts require an airing out.Tales of Arguello's flirtation with death by his own hand are well-known at this point. This one was particularly poignant. Still, some of the details are a tad eyebrow-raising. Who kills one's self via shotgun blast through the heart? It's certainly not the predominant method. "The first man from Nicaragua ever to win a world boxing title was found shot to death at his home in Managua, the Sandanista Party's government Radio Ya quickly claiming it was a suicide even though a gunshot wound to the chest would seem...

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Alexis Arguello, 1952 - 2009: Knockout Artist, Sweet Scientist, Gentleman

By Tim Starks | July 1, 2009 | The Queensberry Rules

It was a fight Alexis Arguello lost, his tremendous 1982 Fight of the Decade with Aaron Pryor, where I first laid eyes on the man, and it was that fight that turned me into a fan. Past his prime and over his ideal weight, the boxer who was arguably the finest junior lightweight ever went 14 hard ones with the man who is arguably the finest junior welterweight ever, eventually succumbing in a knockout loss that glorified him more than it diminished him.Arguello -- found dead today, apparently by his own hand -- was the kind of boxer anyone could love. "Watching Arguello fight is like enjoying the subtleties of a great Renaissance masterpiece," Peter King once wrote. "There is rich color and detail in his performance. His jabs are straight, strong and accurate. His body punches are delivered with care. His right crosses and left hooks are issued with...

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Weekend Afterthoughts About Victor Ortiz From All Angles, Juan Manuel Lopez' Win And Other News

By Tim Starks | June 30, 2009 | The Queensberry Rules

I don't think I'm alone in still having all kinds of conflicted feelings about what went down this weekend, especially vis-a-vis Victor Ortiz' Fight of the Year effort/surrender routine. There's much I'm still processing about what went down there, plus plenty to discuss about Friday Night Fights and some other subjects I didn't get to over the last few days.First, enjoy the clip above of flyweight Omar Narvaez' knockout win. You can watch the whole thing if you want by following the links....

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In An Insane Fight, Marcos Maidana Derails The Victor Ortiz Star Train

By Tim Starks | June 27, 2009 | The Queensberry Rules

What a stunning fight, and a stunning outcome, with a stunning aftermath. In a junior welterweight fight Saturday on HBO, Marcos Maidana stopped Victor Ortiz in a fight that had two crazy first rounds, a strange ending and a bizarre interview after with Ortiz. Ortiz' superstar rise is definitely well off the tracks now, and the way Ortiz sounded at the end, he may not want to put it back.(Meanwhile, on Showtime, top middleweight Arthur Abraham made mincemeat of the tough but underpowered Mahir Oral. But I saw some holes in Abraham's game that I hadn't noticed before.)...

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Quick Jabs: Mayweather-Marquez Rescheduled, Pacquiao-Cotto Close; Darchinyan's Latest Funny Trash Talk; Other Weekend Bouts; Fights In The Works; More

By Tim Starks | June 26, 2009 | The Queensberry Rules

That right there is Mahir Oral, who's fighting top middleweight Arthur Abraham on a fight to be broadcast on tape delay from Germany via Showtime. Besides the more compelling junior welterweight Victor Ortiz-Marcos Maidana bout on HBO, it's the top freeish weekend broadcast. There's also the pay-per-view headlined by junior featherweight Juan Manuel Lopez, whose opponent Olivier Lontchi, as mentioned just below, may moonwalk to the ring in honor of the king of pop. Between Oral's lion fist (I can't tell if it's a tattoo; if it is, it's very recent, since most of his photos don't feature such artwork, nor have I seen any news coverage of him getting a tattoo) and Lontchi's maybe-moonwalk, I have to hand it to the B-side of both of those fights for having some reason to grab the spotlight, if only for a moment.There are a few other weekend bouts of note, as...

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Olivier Lontchi May Moonwalk To Defeat Against Juan Manuel Lopez

By Tim Starks | June 26, 2009 | The Queensberry Rules

Tomorrow night, Olivier Lontchi (left) is the sacrificial lamb for Juan Manuel Lopez (right), a junior featherweight star with greatness written all over him. Lontchi, an unknown Canadian, at least is going to make things interesting. According to a news release the event's promoter just sent out that was titled "Lontchi May Moonwalk Ring Entrance?":"Lontchi came up to me this morning and specifically asked Top Rank's technical crew to download as many of Michael Jackson's songs as possible to play in his locker room tomorrow night for inspiration," said Lee Samuels of Top Rank. "Michael Jackson is his all-time favorite artist and Olivier is making his ring entrance to Jackson's 'Thriller' music video which will be projected inside the Adrian Phillips Ballroom. I wouldn't be surprised if he Moonwalked into the ring."The overall pay-per-view card -- $39.95 worth -- has been marked more by fighters pulling out than the quality...

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Perched On The Precipice Of Superstardom: Victor Ortiz - Marcos Maidana Preview And Prediction

By Tim Starks | June 25, 2009 | The Queensberry Rules

Just watch this video and try not to like Victor Ortiz. I defy you. Go for it.If that doesn't do it for you, try this one.And that's it. That's the formula for any American superstar-to-be. Have a personality and/or a story. Fight well and fight in an exciting way. Early in his career, Ortiz has done those things. Saturday night on HBO, the 22-year-old phenom is about to answer the biggest question of his young boxing life: Can he take a punch from an elite junior welterweight power puncher? If he can handle what Marcos Maidana throws at him -- and Ortiz has been dropped by lesser bombers -- I think the sky is the limit. Golden Boy Promotions will indeed have the next golden boy on their hands. The talk that Floyd Mayweather, Jr. has Victor Ortiz on his "hit list" won't sound so far-fetched....

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Getting Sick Of This "I Didn't Prepare For A Left-Hander/Right-Hander" Junk (Looking At You, Rocky Juarez And Nicolay Valuev) [Updated]

By Tim Starks | June 24, 2009 | The Queensberry Rules

Twice in the last month, a boxer has pulled out of a fight with a health issue, and a substitute has been offered so the show can go on. Twice, the healthy fighter has rejected the substitute, claiming he wasn't prepared for the substitute's stance.His stance.Heavyweight Nicolay Valuev had been preparing for a southpaw on May 30, Ruslan Chagaev, but Chagaev was rejected by Finnish regulators when his blood came up with traces of hepatitis B and both of the perfectly acceptable substitutes, Lamon Brewster and Kali Meehan, were orthodox fighters. He turned them down for that reason. This week, featherweight Chris John dropped out of his rematch scheduled for Saturday with Rocky Juarez, citing a blood issue of his own, but Juarez turned down an HBO-approved opponent, Mario Santiago, because he was a left-hander and he'd been preparing for a right-hander.There are lots of reasons to reject a substitute opponent....

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Ricky Hatton/Manny Pacquiao Fight Will Set Stage for Floyd Mayweather Jr. Return

By Evan | January 29, 2009 | MVN Outsider

If Pacquiao defeats Hatton, people will be calling for a Pacquiao-Mayweather, Jr. fight to settle the score once and for all as to who the better pound-for-pound figher is in this decade.Read more

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