SCR Boxing

Manny Pacquiao has been called the greatest pound for pound boxer in the sport today, meanwhile Devon Alexander has done everything within his 71-inch reach to earn the nickname of Alexander the Great. As no fight against Floyd Mayweather appears to be in the cards for 2011, or any year thereafter for that matter, it’s high time boxing fans the world over choose another opponent against whom Pacquiao can further vindicate his claim of superiority.And, who better than St. Louis‘ own Devon Alexander? With a still sterling record of 21-0 featuring 13 knockouts, Alexander may have never been tested by a fighter of Pacquiao’s all-time caliber, but there’s no indication the youngster would shy away from such an opportunity. First, however, he will have to get through arguably the fight of the year (at least of fights we are certain will take place at this point) on January 29^th against Tim Bradley.The winner of the welterweight showdown will unify the belts for the weight class, in a contest some hopefuly analysts view as semi-final matchup with the winner moving on to face Pacquiao in a championship bout, effectively determining the best boxer alive. After all, if Alexander deserves a shot at Pacquiao, it would be hard to discredit Bradley, who has a nearly identical resume in the form of a 27-0 clean sheet with 11 knockouts. Bradley may be 4 years older than Alexander, but at 27 he is well within his boxing prime and still 4 years younger than the 31-year old Pacquiao in his own right. Read more

While many boxing legends out of inner-city St. Louis ultimately fall back on bad habits and poor decision making, likely stemming from an underprivileged upbringing in the city’s rough streets, Michael Spinks represents the one of the hard-luck community’s true shining stars. The younger brother of heavyweight champ Leon Spinks, the two came up together in a housing project that would later be condemned and demolished, often the victims of bullying by some of area’s shadier figures. Both brothers took to boxing as a means of self-defense, Leon first taking to the sport then urging his younger brother to join him. Though Leon was older, Michael tended to display more maturity in his decision making, and could be considered the man of the house, as their father abandoned the boys at a young age. Michael’s level head manifests itself today as he has managed his money responsibly and walked a well-thought out career path, while Leon has fallen on hard times after the early glory of his fighting days. The two brothers rose to fame together taking dueling gold medals at the 1976 Montreal Olympics.Unlike brother Leon’s quick rise and fall, Michael rose through the boxing ranks more slowly, running his tally to 17-0 before finally accepting a title fight, in the light heavyweight division. He would proceed to defend his title successfully, later uniting his WBA belt with the WBC belt as well. As his career progressed, Spinks decided to bulk up and pursue the heavyweight title belt. Despite giving up 22 pounds to champion Larry Holmes, Michael defeated his much heavier opponent in 15 rounds. He defended his IBF heavyweight crown three times from ’85 to ’87, including a rematch with Holmes ending in the same result. Spinks finally suffered his first defeat at the hands of upstart Mike Tyson, virtually unbeatable at that stage of his career, after which he found it fit to retire. Read more

A fixed fight, a “phantom” punch, whatever you want to call it, Sonny Liston is most famously remembered as that guy staring up at a screaming Muhammad Ali from his back, in what has become one of the world’s most famous pictures, and a common poster adorning college dorm rooms across the country thanks to Adidas’ “Impossible is Nothing” campaign. But before falling to Ali, whether or not you think he was actually knocked down, Liston put together as an illustrious a career as any St. Louis fighter of all time, ranked as 15 on the greatest punchers of all time list by Ring Magazine (a compilation of the hardest hitters not necessarily the best all-around boxers). Putting together an impressive 50-4 record, while knocking out 39 opponents along the way, Liston’s talent was indisputable, though much of his life is surrounding by mystery and tainted by boxing’s dark underworld.First arriving in St. Louis at the age of 13, after hitchhiking from Arkansas to reunite with his mother, Liston finally escaped his abusive father, though he would not find himself free from trouble, this time legal trouble. Regarded as a menace in the neighborhood, he was arrested upwards of 20 times, the most serious of which resulted in an 8-year sentence on a robbery charge. It was behind bars, however, well Liston first found his natural aptitude for the sweet science. Discovered by a reverend, Father Alois Stevens, his talent helped Liston to see early parole after only 2 years. Though remarkably successful in the ring, Liston’s checkered past and rumored ties to the mafia at times limited his ability to secure big fights and prevented him from ever being revered as a fan favorite. Liston finally got a title shot against Floyd Patterson, who he handily disposed of in the first round. Read more

With the gap-tooth smile that endeared a nation, fresh off his upset of then heavyweight champion and self proclaimed “greatest of all-time” Muhammad Ali, Leon Spinks quickly rose to national celebrity on boxing’s grandest stage. Today, the same man who was once on the cover of Sports Illustrated pushes a janitor cart down the hall at the Columbus, Nebraska YMCA for a significantly less money than he earned as a top billed fighter. Still, were you to meet Spinks he wouldn’t ask for pity, as he by all reports is a proud man, thankful to be able to put in an honest day’s work, never asking for handouts from anybody and appreciating that there are plenty of people out there who find themselves in much worse situations when they wake up in the morning. Though pity may not be called for or appropriate, a young fighter or any young person freshly coming into money might find it wise to take caution from his tale. Read more