The possibility clearly was there, but few people really expected the volcanic eruption that resulted when 36-year-old Nonito Donaire, a future Hall of Famer, collided with unbeaten Japanese superstar Naoya Inoue, the 26-year-old knockout artist known as "The Monster."
Expert analysts Travis Hartman and John J. Raspanti review this spectacular "Fight of the Year" candidate in great detail. They also argue both sides of Saturday's controversial DAZN main event between YouTube stars Logan Paul and KSI, who earned $900,000 apiece to headline a show that featured the likes of Billy Joe Saunders and Devin Haney on its undercard. Hartman and Raspanti tell us why Andre Ward dismissed rumors that he might return to fight Canelo Alvarez, and they take a look at the dismal year of entertainment that was the 2019 Showtime Championship Boxing season.
Our outstanding British correspondent, Paul McLaughlin, is back this week to share insight into Billy Joe Saunders' challenging night, among other offerings from the United Kingdom.
And this week's featured guest is a man who needed just 93 seconds of his 12th pro fight to win the WBO heavyweight crown from Tommy Morrison (38-1, 34 KOs at the time), saw his career end when he nearly died in his very next outing, and went on to become a Hollywood actor who played Sonny Liston (opposite Will Smith) in the big-screen production,"Ali." Brace yourself for an entertaining hour-long interview with Michael Bentt.
Dennis Taylor is host of The Ringside Boxing Show, editor/publisher of www.ringsideboxingshow.com, and co-author (with John J. Raspanti) of "Intimate Warfare: The True Story of the Arturo Gatti and Micky Ward Boxing Trilogy."