Miguel Cotto's Jab Scores A World Class Knockdown: GIF Spotlight

 

Miguel Cotto has scored a knockdown a few times in his career with his left-hand-dominant jabbing capacity. But it was particularly special to see him in a major world title fight with a rock-chinned, championship level fighter with a world class defense, planting his opponent on the canvas in the first round with that jab. That night, Joshua Clottey's risk aversion instincts were as much his opponent as Cotto, but the decision victory for Cotto was still so well contested that it went to a controversial split decision. There were many heated exchanges, some of which made Cotto look like he was on the way to being stopped.

This 2009 welterweight battle was one for the books as part of the long story of the rich division. "Grand Master" Clottey possibly earned as many fans as he frustrated that night, coming so close but stepping back at times when it looked like he could've possibly ended it. It all depends on how you see it. A jab knockdown in the first for Cotto, a throw-down in the fifth against Clottey, a hellacious headbutt cut against Cotto, a controversial decision-this fight had so much going for it. I applauded both fighters for getting through a very grueling match that tested their chins, their skin, their wits and their will, in the way championship boxing is supposed to be. Their match turned nine-years-old this month.


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Cotto dodges punches and lifts opponent Oktay Urkal over his shoulder

Cotto surprises Brendan Shaub

Bute watched Edison Miranda mug then knocks him out with an uppercut
 
Hector in headdress boogies before the Pazienza match begins

Muhammad Ali and Freddie Starr Share A Wonderfully Campy Moment: GIF Spotlight

In the most GIFable interview ever, Freddie Starr talked Muhammad Ali's ear off on Parkinson after a comedic singing performance. With a snowy-looking energy, he tells Muhammad Ali if he weren't a man he'd kiss him. Ali's reaction is aflame. I don't know if he had any idea what to make of this man.


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Muhammad Ali has a tense moment with George Chuvalo

Muhammad Ali surprises Sylvester Stallone

Liston menacingly wags his finger at the police

Ricardo Lopez's uppercut KO of Ala Villamor

An animated Lomachenko and Guillermo Rigondeaux star in The Matrix

Faux Dempsey Beats The Snot Out Of Faux Willard! (GIF Spotlight)

In 1983, there was a Jack Dempsey biopic, made for TV, simply entitled Dempsey. With Sam Waterston as Doc Kearns, Sally Kellerman as Maxine Cates, Peter Mark Richman as Tex Rickard and Treat Williams as Dempsey, it had a lot of character. It was understated throughout and rarely ham-handed, which is a pleasant surprise for a sports movie about an iconic figure like Dempsey. Even the music lacked the overbearing "treatment" we'd normally get, fully recognized from half a dozen other treatments. Waterston's infectious joyfulness as Kearns is a perfect counter to Treat's fittingly stern demeanor. These GIF's are from Dempsey:

Side note: Peter Mark Richman, a man you'd probably recognize, even if you didn't know from where, is now 91-years-old. He will not be limited to twelve rounds. And why should he be?

Side side note: This is Clay Hodges as Faux Willard.



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Jack Dempsey and Jess Willard dance together as older gents

Frazier licks his chops

Marvin Hagler Combs His Bald Head

As Tommy Hearns talks about fighting Ray Leonard again, Ray Leonard rests his head gently on Tommy's shoulder

Conan O'Brien Could Get Mike & Don To Bury The Hatchet: GIF Spotlight

Dark lord of the comic underworld, Robert Smigel, often showed up as a moving mouth on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, the moving mouth belonging to him and the rest of the head belonging to Don King, Arnold Schwarzenegger and whoever else. I find it mesmerizing. I believe Conan could bring the real men together with the power of his comedy. But maybe not. It's just a random thought.


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Kenny Norton knocks out Gary Coleman

Paul Williams and Kermit Cintron have one of boxing's weirdest moments

Deontay makes a Godzilla effigy

Andre Ward batters Edwin Rodriguez with a power jab  

Tyson Fury Randomly Kisses Opponent - Opponent Kisses Back (GIF Spotlight)

Tyson Fury is rusty. He telegraphed his kiss. Sefer Seferi countered. This is not the sport I grew up watching. It's much, much sexier. Incidentally, I feel like we just did a Tyson Fury GIF.


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Tex Cobb licking a poor bride on TV series Highlander
 
Muhammad Ali and Liston try to psych each other out at weigh-in

Referee Marcus McConnell shh's Tyson Fury

Wladimir Klitschko smashes Tyson Fury's eye with headbutt foul

What Was The Single Greatest Event In Boxing History? It's In This GIF, In Its Totality

At the grand 2018 IBHOF event, Don King ballsily moves to give Tyson a pat on the shoulder and Mike Tyson goes Mike Tyson on him in the finest way he could have done. He throws water on him and tells him something that probably isn't loving. I doubt it bothers Don. He's already got the money. Mr. Tyson, I salute you. Lovely young woman pointing, I salute you. Person taking the footage, I salute you. I can't peg who you are, but if anyone knows the source of this, please let me know, to give credit. I don't have it. Also, pardon the hyperbole of the title but I love what I love.


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Evander Holyfield KO's Don King on Conan O'Brien

Mike Tyson Bullies Norm Macdonald

Mike Tyson fights Jean-Claude Van Damme

Mike Tyson impersonated on In Living Color by Keenen Ivory WayansAlex Wallau On Young Mike Tyson & His Era: Quote Spotlight

Tyson Fury & Sefer Seferi Lift Each Other's Souls & Things Up: GIF Spotlight

I can honestly say, Tyson Fury and Billy Joe Saunders are directly or indirectly responsible for more presser and weigh-in firsts for me than any two other men, off the top of my head. It must be a cultural creativity unknown to the laws of science. These men are blessed with intangibles of the mind and spirit which the likes of me are destined never to quite grasp.


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Eddie Chambers and Tyson Fury fist bump 

Tyson and David Haye laugh together. Well, sort of together.

Tyson and Hughie Fury play Batman and the Joker for Wladimir Klitschko

Referee Marcus McConnell shh's Tyson Fury

Wladimir Klitschko smashes Tyson Fury's eye with headbutt foul

Put Up Your Dukes. . .Or Not. I Love You. (GIF Spotlight)

Top shelf middleweight Billy Joe Saunders has a priceless moment during a presser with Avtandil Khurtsidze. He tries to get his opponent to put up his dukes, which provokes a calm battle of wills, with Khurtsidze refusing to obey. The psychological combat was broken only by Saunders humourously hugging him for taking his stand. Frank Warren gets a grand chuckle out of it, as does Andre Rozier, off camera, who was going to be in Khurtsidze's corner. Saunders was slated to fight this rough customer in 2017.

The fight was scuttled because Khurtsidze (of Georgia) is such a rough customer that before the fight could happen, he and 32 other members and associates of a Russian crime syndicate, allegedly, were arrested for racketeering, extortion, robbery, murder-for-hire conspiracy, fraud, narcotics and firearm offenses. He faces 40 years for being something of an enforcer, if they convict him. He isn't a tall man, but he decides exactly when and where to put up his own dukes, and that makes any man dangerous.



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Billy Joe decides to flash the weigh-in audience for his Lemieux fight

Billy Joe Saunders' son punches and kicks at opponent Willie Monroe Junior's groin

Mike Tyson Bullies Norm Macdonald

Tyson and Hughie Fury play Batman and the Joker for Wladimir Klitschko 

When You Realize One Of You Is Feather-Fisted: GIF Spotlight

Jaleel White on the sitcom Family Matters gives school bully Willie Fuffner (Larenz Tate) a pleasant surprise. In the 1990 episode entitled Requiem for an Urkel, Urkel takes his best shot and shows Willie he's got nothin'. Willie is pleased. But he is less pleased when he finds out how slick Urkel is. And even less pleased when he finds out there's a hostile crowd later. Let's not get into it. Fuffner was, once again, robbed. I have to say it again.



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Jaleel White as Steve Urkel on Family Matters has a little grade school boxing match, very slick

(3 GIF's) A Chimpanzee Boxing Circus Show From The Fifties

Blind Ugandan boxer hits referee. From a real news story

James Toney Has Strange Stare down/Jaw Down Encounter

Freddie Starr Tells Muhammad Ali A Joke: GIF Spotlight

In the legendary Parkinson interview where Freddie Starr out-talked The Louisville Lip himself, Michael Parkinson and Muhammad Ali laugh at a Starr punchline. He says everyone in his family is a boxer except for his father. "What was he?" asks Parkinson. "A Cocker Spaniel." replied Starr.


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A very young Muhammad Ali points with a false caption to call BS  

Muhammad gets the phone hung up on him in promo with Joe Frazier

Muhammad pats his hair and thanks you with a real caption

Muhammad Ali kisses Olympic medals

Teofimo Lopez Junior Does Something Interesting With His Victory: GIF Spotlight

I confess, I don't know anything about Fortnite, and I had no idea what this young man was doing. I thought maybe it was a strange fit. I worried for his health. Teofimo Lopez Junior recently went from a strange, cuffing, abrupt knockout victory over Vitor Jones Freitas, to this "L" dance from a video game, followed by a far more studly gymnastic gesture. One of the funnier wins I've seen in boxing. I can't wait for his next win!

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Adrien Broner Dances With Marcos Rene Maidana

Golovkin dances "Mexican Style"

Bob Foster knocks Mike Quarry out cold

Hector in headdress boogies before the Pazienza match begins

Mike Tyson Murders Brave Bronx Comic: GIF Spotlight

From Jimmy Kimmel Live's specialty films, Tracy Morgan finds his papa, Mike Tyson, with Ray Leonard in awe of the destructive and dysfunctional outcome.

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Vic Darchinyan dethrones Cristian Mijares

Young Juan Manuel Marquez's vicious uppercut

Ricky Hatton fixes Larry Merchant's hair

Greg Jackson gets hit with tremendous knockdown punch in winning effort 

Jimmy Kimmel Loves Tracy Morgan: GIF Spotlight

From Jimmy Kimmel Live's specialty films, Jimmy Kimmel is a grizzled, old, but extremely supportive and nurturing boxing trainer with his pupil, Tracy Morgan.

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Muhammad Ali kisses Olympic medals

Tex Cobb with amazing rabbit punch combination, referee doesn't care

Terence Crawford as a prospect annihilating opponent with a massive right hand

Tyson and Hughie Fury play Batman and the Joker for Wladimir Klitschko 

Angry Gloves Is A Universal Gesture: GIF Spotlight

From Jimmy Kimmel Live's specialty films, Tracy Morgan gives us a nice angry gloves display.

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(3 GIF's) A Chimpanzee Boxing Circus Show From The Fifties

J. B. Smoove imitates Muhammad Ali, a bit

Rock The Musical opened Klitschko VS Wach

Leonard Nimoy in bizarre choreography knockout

When Your Coach Helps You Celebrate Small Training Victories: GIF Spotlight

From Jimmy Kimmel Live's specialty films, Tracy Morgan finally gets a win in training, with Jimmy Kimmel as his encouraging coach.

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The Frustration Of Training Celibacy, With Tracy Morgan

Heavy Bag Apathy, with Tracy Morgan

George Foreman threatens Bill Cosby and takes his shirt off.

George Chuvalo is smacked right across the face. And he takes it.

The Frustration Of Training Celibacy: GIF Spotlight

 

From Jimmy Kimmel Live's specialty films, Tracy Morgan just says NO.

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Heavy Bag Apathy, with Tracy Morgan

Tex Cobb licking a poor bride on TV series Highlander

Carlos Palomino on the Taxi sitcom, knocking down Tony Danza

Jaleel White as Steve Urkel on Family Matters has a little grade school boxing match, very slick 

We've All Had Heavy Bag Apathy: GIF Spotlight

From Jimmy Kimmel Live's specialty films, Tracy Morgan WORKS THAT BAG.

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Evander Holyfield KO's Don King on Conan O'Brien

Johnny Carson Outboxing Joe Frazier: GIF Spotlight

Johnny Carson Fights The Odds: GIF Spotlight

Johnny Carson Demonstrates Speed Bag Work For Joe Frazier: GIF Spotlight

Evander Holyfield's Incredible Combination Against Michael Dokes: GIF Spotlight

It was the eleventh of March, 1989. Evander Holyfield had unified the cruiserweight division and moved up to heavyweight, to prove his case as a challenger to the division's king. He was matched against Michael Dokes, following his win over Pinklon Thomas. The fight was an action-packed Las Vegas night displaying the skills and guts of both fighters. But whoever started it, it got dirty, and Evander Holyfield knew how to win when things got dirty.

Here we have a beautiful, ugly, completely illegal, very damaging combination. It's the dirty 1-2 (headbutt, low blow). Holyfield, later on, with a much more legal maneuver, would score a TKO over Dokes. He'd splatter Buster Douglas for the heavyweight title the following calendar year. Unlike a typical fighter today, he didn't go from Dokes to a title shot. In the brief time between Dokes and Douglas, he'd knockout all three of Adilson Rodrigues, Alex Stewart and Seamus McDonagh. You don't see schedules like this for heavyweight contenders anymore. That was a risky, grueling trip to the top for Evander Holyfield, especially considering most champions from lower divisions can piggyback on their lower division accomplishments when they move up in weight.


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Evander Holyfield KO's Don King on Conan O'Brien

Evander Holyfield's Terry Mims KO GIF

Wladimir Klitschko Smashes Tyson Fury's Eye with Headbutt

Ezzard Charles eats a nice headbutt by Rocky Marciano

Analyzing A Great Boxing Character With Rob Ager

1994's iconic Pulp Fiction saw the least pugilistic boxing film in the consciousness of the general public that I can remember. The defiant fighter Butch Coolidge (Bruce Willis) and his match are a major driving force for everything in the movie. [anachronistic spoiler alert text] Maybe I'm biased but any fighter who gets the same proposal is totally justified in a double-cross. [/anachronistic spoiler alert text]

Rob Ager (Collative Learning) recently caught my eye with a shareable analysis I thought you might enjoy of Butch, the watch and the fighting spirit in his life. I loved it and I hope you will too.

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Mike Tyson fights Jean-Claude Van Damme

George Foreman threatens Bill Cosby and takes his shirt off.
 
Leonard Nimoy in bizarre choreography knockout

Evander Holyfield KO's Don King on Conan O'Brien

Darryl Pinckney Sends Us A Major Knee-Bender: GIF Spotlight

Undefeated prospect Luis Leija, cousin of Jesse James Leija, was 14-0 going into his featherweight match with Darryl "The Nightmare" Pinckney. Pinckney was deceptively 19-19-2. It was 1995 and the year before this Darryl had stopped Junior Jones in three rounds. This man was one dangerous 50/50 fighter and "The Nightmare" was not an ironic nickname. He would reaffirm this point with Leija.

Pinckney KO1 Leija. If you ever wake up in life and you're staring at the full sole of one of your shoes. . . there's a good chance something went wrong for you. Leija would go on to rumble with several names but most notably he was stopped in two against Floyd Mayweather Junior. Pinckney was quite a story before and after, and he'd still go on to fight major titlists Oscar Larios, Jesus Chavez, Mauricio Pastrana, Freddie Norwood, Robert Garcia, Guty Espadas Junior and Juan Manuel Marquez. He would knockout Espadas Junior while Junior was still undefeated in 1996. He even gave Juan Manuel Marquez a scare that year.


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Darryl Pinckney Shocks Junior Jones With His Power

Ricky Hatton fixes Larry Merchant's hair

Ricardo Lopez flattens Rocky Lin with left hook

Ricardo Lopez's uppercut KO of Ala Villamor

Young Juan Manuel Marquez's vicious uppercut