#{A year works but man will that do some damage to Franco. Him and June and the idea he dreamt Hiero up will be rough on him.}

[shiftingmuse]

A pregnancy scare, a loss, and a resurgence had occurred all in the time since he last had been with the blonde. Franco hadn't thought much about the idea of a child, and he thought even less about one with the woman he was with now. She was a fluke, a misstep in his feeble journey through life.

"Fuck, ah thooght ye…" There was a woman on his couch; the only woman that would be there wasn't the woman sitting there now.

"What?"

His left hand reached in to flip on the living area lighting. "Th fuck ur ye!?" Begbie's head was a bit hazed seeing some random bird on his couch. "Fuckin' Ju, invitin' fowk ower." He put the knife away, thinking this was just some stupid mistake. "Miss ye?" They must have met before, but he shook his head before reaching down to pick up the beer. "Nae a body is supposed tae be haur!" Frank walked into the apartment, slamming the door behind him as he came in. His head didn't clear much when he got by the coffee table to drop the drinks on it. 

It was clear though he'd been in a scuffle or more; his head was hurting and he was pretty smashed already.

"If yoo're waitin' oan June, Ah need ye tae gang." He wasn't looking directly at the woman when speaking. "She's gonnae 'er sisters, an' Ah dornt want tae see 'er coopon until th' weekend is it." His hand reached back down to grab for one of the cans when it hit the lipstick instead. Franco's middle finger and thumb of his right hand picked up the item in his hand. His stomach turned seeing the color through the pain in his head. His missus hadn't left it there; Begbie had, he had noticed the color on her dresser. 

June's mate gave it to her, and she wore it once before Franco told her she looked like some over classed whore. Only that wasn't the truth of it; he stared at the piece, smirking.

"Hiero.."

It was a red that matched closely to the one the blonde had been wearing. A piss poor color on the measly woman that he had now. "Ur ye daft, bird? I said ye need tae gang!" He spits before tossing the lipstick on the couch next to the woman. His eyes finally came up to her properly before he began to blink in confusion.

"Yoo're nae June's mate?" 

@shiftingmuse ・❥・continued thread

『✣』 She'd never been inside Franco's flat before.

Their encounters had always been at her place, in her world. Wherever he came from, whatever life he lived outside of her, hadn't mattered. Like he'd been cut right off the page and pasted onto hers.

Maybe it wasn't even the same flat he'd lived in back then. Maybe this place was something new, something he'd acquired in that big black hole of missing time.

It was cleaner than she had expected. But there was a reason for that — and it wasn't because Franco had developed a passion for home economics in her absence. Oh yes, she knew a woman's touch when she saw it. It wasn't like it took a genius anyway. Two toothbrushes in the bathroom, a lipstick on the coffee table, ugly dresses in the wardrobe, a box of tampons under the sink. A sealed box of tampons. That coupled with the secondhand paperback of 'What to Expect When You're Expecting' on the nightstand painted a picture that made Hiero's blood run so hot, she feared she might explode from it.

She had enough time alone in the apartment to go through waves of it — cycling through the five stages of grief like an asylum patient clawing at her padded walls. Part of her wanted to just smash the place up with the bat she'd found in the closet and vanish back into the night. But she resisted the urge. She waited.

The hour was getting late, but that didn't surprise her. Lord knows he probably still drank himself stupid night after night. Would he even come home at all tonight? He could just as well be passed out in the gutter or couch-surfing with one of his loser friends. She didn't want to be responsible for what might happen if his little lady came home instead.

Hiero heard the footsteps first, then the jingling of keys preparing to unlock a door that no longer had any need for it. Then she heard the enraged hollering and....well, she'd know that voice anywhere.

The door swung open violently, slamming into the wall. It should have made her jump, but it didn't. She had expected it. She wouldn't have left the door ajar if she hadn't wanted him to find it that way.

❝ 𝐍𝐎𝐖 𝐈𝐒 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐀𝐍𝐘 𝐖𝐀𝐘 𝐓𝐀' 𝐆𝐑𝐄𝐄𝐓 𝐀 𝐆𝐔𝐄𝐒𝐓? ❞

Light from the florescent bulbs in the hall spilled into the dim room, though the pair of them were still half-cast in shadow. That same light glinted off a small silver blade gripped in his shaking fist. He wasn't much more than a silhouette, just like the shape she'd thought she'd seen in her periphery a million times since she'd left.

She crossed her legs, exaggerating her relaxed position on the sofa, as though she were right at home. She grinned, like the mere sight of him wasn't a knife twisting in her side. ❝ 𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐒 𝐌𝐄? ❞

[frontproofmedia]

Manny Pacquiao's Five Best World Title Victories

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By Hector Franco

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Published: August 07, 2021

Later this month, on August 21st, the city of Las Vegas will host one of the most anticipated fights of the year as Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao (62-7-2, 39 KOs) makes his return to the squared circle against unified WBC and IBF Welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr. (27-0, 21 KOs).

The bout will also be for the Ring Magazine Welterweight title. Pacquiao has been the Ring Magazine champion at Featherweight (126), Junior Lightweight (130), and Junior Welterweight (140).

The fighting Senator will be coming off a two-year hiatus, the longest of his career, and at 42-years of age, will face height, reach, and overall size disadvantages against Spence.

Given Pacquiao’s name and stature that he has earned over a nearly 27-year career, he could have faced any opponent, including participating in an exhibition contest. However, the eight-division champion feels that he has more to accomplish and prove in the sport.

"There were a lot of opportunities for me to pick an easier fight than this,” said Pacquiao at a Los Angeles press conference promoting the fight with Spence. “But I picked Errol Spence Jr. because I want a real fight and a great fight for the fans.

“I’m a fighter, and boxing is my passion.”

At this stage of his career, Pacquiao has been fortunate not to have found himself at the hands of beating like many Hall-of-Famers before him. In this era, fighters have been able to stay at an elite level for longer due to advanced technology and new measures of rest and recovery.

However, this isn’t to say that he won’t meet his impending end at the hands of Spence. The last thing fans want to see is a scenario similar to when Muhammad Ali took on Larry Holmes in 1980 and was thoroughly dominated in a fight that was hard to watch.

Boxing isn’t a forgiving sport, and if Pacquiao overstays his welcome, he could end up the victim of a beating.

Throughout his career, Pacquiao has defeated 16 opponents with eight knockouts in world title fights and holds a 25-6-2 record against former world champions.

He has won the lineal crown in five separate weight classes and is the only fighter to win a title in eight divisions. One accomplishment that has escaped his grasp is successfully unifying titles in a division. Should he come out victorious against Spence, he will be the unified Welterweight champion, and it would arguably be his most significant title victory.

We will examine five of Pacquiao’s most notable title victories. There will be two victories that won’t be included, but are just as crucial to the eight-division champion's career.

In 2003, Pacquiao defeated Marco Antonio Barrera for the Ring Magazine and lineal Featherweight crown. No sanctioning body title was on the line for the fight with Barrera as he was stripped of the WBC Featherweight title following his second encounter with Erik Morales.

Almost six years later and 14-pounds heavier at Junior Welterweight, Pacquiao scored his most famous and emphatic knockout over Ricky Hatton in May 2009 to claim the lineal Junior Welterweight crown.

Although these victories will not be included in this list since there wasn’t a sanctioning body title on the line, these are two of Pacquiao’s best achievements and are arguably more significant since they established him as the number one fighter in the weight class.

5. Lehlo Ledwaba (36-6-1, 23 KOs) WTKO6

IBF Super Bantamweight Title – June 23, 2001

Pacquiao at Super Bantamweight had a near-perfect record of 11-0-1, with 11 knockouts with a draw against Agapito Sanchez in a unification bout being the only blemish.

Following a third-round knockout to Boonsai Sangsurat after losing his WBC Flyweight title on the weight scale, Pacquiao decided to move up to the 122-pound division.

The move to Super Bantamweight eventually brought him to the United States, where he was fortunately placed in a position to fight for the IBF Super Bantamweight title after Lehlo Ledwaba’s initial opponent Enrique Sanchez pulled out of the fight.

The fight with Ledwaba was Pacquiao’s first in the United States and was the first chapter of the meteoric rise of his career. Pacquiao dominated Ledwaba to a sixth-round stoppage putting the boxing world on notice.

Although the late Ledwaba, who passed away earlier this year due to contracting COVID-19, isn’t viewed as one of the elite opponents Pacquaio faced in his career, he made five defenses of his IBF title. He had previously had a career-best performance against Carlos Contreras on the undercard of the first Lennox Lewis-Hasim Rahman Heavyweight title bout in his native South Africa.

“We recently celebrated the 20th anniversary of my US debut where I beat Lehlo Ledwaba to win his IBF junior featherweight title,” Pacquiao stated in a recent interview to The Sun. “That was certainly special because it was also my first fight with Freddie.”

4. Keith Thurman (29-1, 22 KOs) WSD12

WBA Welterweight Title – July 20, 2019

Pacquiao’s most recent title victory was one of the greatest of his career from a historical perspective. The win over former unified and then-undefeated Welterweight champion Keith Thurman gave the Filipino the distinction as the oldest Welterweight champion in history at 40 and the only four-time Welterweight champion in history.

The win over Thurman doesn’t rank higher as the Florida native had been somewhat inactive before facing Pacquiao and has yet to step back in the ring since losing to the fighting Senator.

Ultimately, the knockdown Pacquiao scored in the first round, along with a dominant showing in the first half of the match, led to him receiving a split decision from the judges.

There is a saying in boxing that every fighter has one last great showing. Pacquiao certainly showed his greatness against Thurman, but will this be the last time we see him in elite form?

3. Miguel Cotto (41-6, 33 KOs) WTKO12

WBO Welterweight Title – November 14, 2009

For all intents and purposes, Pacquiao’s victory over Miguel Cotto in 2009 should claim the top position. Not only was this one of Pacquiao’s best overall performances, but it also secured him winning the Fighter of The Decade award for 2000-2009 and won him his seventh title in seven weight classes.

What holds this victory back slightly is an unnecessary catch weight of 145-pounds imposed on the match.

The first four rounds of the fight with Cotto rank as some of the best in boxing PPV history. Pacquiao scored knockdowns in the third and fourth rounds leading to an eventual stoppage in the 12th and final round.

This was Pacquiao at his peak and not only solidified him as a Hall-of-Famer, but as one of the top two fighters of the era along with Floyd Mayweather.

2. Timothy Bradley Jr. (33-2-1, 13 KOs) WUD12

WBO Welterweight Title – April 12, 2014

The most underrated title victory of Pacquiao’s career came in his second match with Timothy Bradley in April 2014. The two first fought in June 2012 and ended in a controversial split decision for Bradley that caused a massive public outcry.

Following the first fight, Pacquiao would be famously knocked out in the sixth round in his fourth bout with Juan Manuel Marquez.

Bradley would go in 2013 to have the best year of his career, first by participating in the Fight of the Year against Ruslan Provodniov and then winning a split decision over Pacquiao’s conqueror Marquez in a fight that Bradley arguably put on his most outstanding performance.

Often forgotten is that at the time of the Pacquiao-Bradley rematch, Bradley was rated as one of the top three fighters in the world pound-for-pound and was rated as the number one Welterweight by Ring Magazine.

The Palm Springs, California fighter’s work at Junior Welterweight as a unified champion and earning the number one position with a win over Devon Alexander in 2011 gave him distinction as an elite fighter. Add in holding victories over Marquez and Pacquiao although controversial for the latter, Bradley was on top of his game heading into a rematch with the Filipino.

Bradley was able to do something Pacquiao never could in clearly beating Marquez.

Due to the controversy of the first match with Pacquiao, the man known as the “Desert Storm” was arguably at his most motivated to prove fans and pundits wrong in the rematch.

Pacquiao-Bradley II would be the most exciting of their three fights, with Bradley choosing to engage and brawl with the fighting Senator through 12 rounds. Pacquiao would end up winning a unanimous decision and the WBO Welterweight title.

The victory over Bradley in 2014 not only established that Pacquiao was not a damaged fighter from his knockout at the hands of Marquez, but also made the eventual fight with Mayweather viable again.

The second fight with Bradley is Pacquiao’s highest grossing PPV since the fourth Marquez fight, besides the record-breaking fight with Mayweather.

Through three fights, Bradley was competitive, but he could never quite figure out how to deal with Pacquiao.

“I never got used to it at all,” Bradley stated on the 3-Knockdown rule Podcast. “His herky-jerky style is what makes him innovative inside the ring. This guy keeps you one edge. You think he’ll attack you, and he’ll foot feint you, feint you with his hands.

“You’re just constantly burning energy standing in front of him.”

1. Juan Manuel Marquez (56-7-1, 40 KOs) WSD12

WBC Junior Lightweight Title – March 12, 2008

The fight that began the run that made Pacquiao a worldwide superstar was the second match with rival Juan Manuel Marquez in 2008.

It may be problematic to put such a contentious bout on the top of this list; however, Pacquiao-Marquez II had everything you could want in a boxing match.

It featured two of the best fighters in the world, pound-for-pound fighting in a rematch of a disputed first encounter. The winner would be the number one fighter in the Junior Lightweight division holding the WBC, Ring Magazine, and lineal titles.

Rivalry, elite skill-level, and world championship glory all encompassed Pacquiao-Marquez II.

The match itself was one of the best in boxing PPV history, with both men battling to the brink of their talents. With numerous swing rounds that could have been scored for both pugilists and momentum swings occurring every few rounds, there was no telling what the judge's scorecards would look like once the final bell rang.

A third-round knockdown ended up being the difference on the judge’s scorecards. Duane Ford scored the fight for Pacquiao 115-112, Jerry Roth had a 115-112 scorecard for Marquez, and Tom Miller scored 114-113 for Pacquiao.

Media scorecards were looked at from members of the media that were not based out of Mexico and the Philippines, with 32 scoring for Marquez, another 32 for Pacquiao, and the remainder having the fight a draw.

At the time, Pacquiao-Marquez II was the highest-grossing PPV event at 400,000 buys for a fight below the Welterweight limit. That record would be broken a year later when Pacquiao faced Ricky Hatton at Junior Welterweight.

Throughout the history of boxing, there have been numerous fighters who have had storied and legendary careers. But Pacquiao's journey stands on its own as an odyssey through different eras.

All the millions of dollars Pacquiao has made in boxing did not change him from being grounded with legacy at the forefront of his thoughts.

“It is almost like I have had several careers in boxing the one I am in now makes me think,” Pacquiao said in an interview with Boxingscene.com. “If I can keep winning against elite-level fighters, perhaps I can be in the discussions of being one of the greatest fighters of my era.

“Of course, that is not for me to decide, but I would like to make my case before I do retire.”

(Featured Photo: Stephanie Trapp/Trapp Fotos)

[biofunmy]

“Romeo and Juliet” director Franco Zeffirelli dies at 96

Italian director Franco Zeffirelli, who delighted audiences around the world with his romantic vision and often extravagant productions, most famously captured in his cinematic “Romeo and Juliet,” has died in Rome at 96.

While Zeffirelli was most popularly known for his films, his name was also inextricably linked to the theater and opera. Showing great flexibility, he produced classics for the world’s most famous opera houses, from Milan’s venerable La Scala to the Metropolitan in New York, and plays for London and Italian stages.

Zeffirelli’s son Luciano said his father died at home on Saturday.

“He had suffered for a while, but he left in a peaceful way,” he said.

Zeffirelli made it his mission to make culture accessible to the masses, often seeking inspiration in Shakespeare and other literary greats for his films, and producing operas aimed at TV audiences.

Claiming no favorites, Zeffirelli once likened himself to a sultan with a harem of three: film, theater and opera.

“I am not a film director. I am a director who uses different instruments to express his dreams and his stories – to make people dream,” Zeffirelli told The Associated Press in a 2006 interview.

From his out-of-wedlock birth on the outskirts of Florence on Feb. 12, 1923, Zeffirelli rose to be one of Italy’s most prolific directors, working with such opera greats as Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo and his beloved Maria Callas, as well Hollywood stars including Elizabeth Taylor, Mel Gibson, Cher and Judi Dench.

Throughout his career, Zeffirelli took risks — and his audacity paid off at the box office. His screen success in America was a rarity among Italian filmmakers, and he prided himself on knowing the tastes of modern moviegoers.

He was one of the few Italian directors close to the Vatican, and the church turned to Zeffirelli’s theatrical touch for live telecasts of the 1978 papal installation and the 1983 Holy Year opening ceremonies in St. Peter’s Basilica. Former Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi also tapped him to direct a few high-profile events.

But Zeffirelli was best known outside Italy for his colorful, softly-focused romantic films. His 1968 “Romeo and Juliet” brought Shakespeare”s story to a new and appreciative generation, and his “Brother Sun, Sister Moon,” told the life of St. Francis in parables involving modern and 13th-century youth.

“Romeo and Juliet” set box-office records in the United States, though it was made with two unknown actors, Leonard Whiting and Olivia Hussey. The film, which cost $1.5 million, grossed $52 million and became the most successful Shakespearian movie ever.

In the 1970s, Zeffirelli’s focus shifted from the romantic to the spiritual. His 1977 made-for-television “Life of Jesus” became an instant classic with its portrayal of a Christ who seemed authentic and relevant. Shown around the world, the film earned more than $300 million.

Where Zeffirelli worked, however, controversy was never far away. In 1978, he threatened to leave Italy for good because of harsh attacks against him and his art by leftist groups in his country, who saw Zeffirelli as an exponent of Hollywood.

On the other hand, piqued by American criticism of his 1981 movie “Endless Love,” starring Brooke Shields, Zeffirelli said he might never make another film in the U.S. The movie, as he predicted, was a box office success.

Zeffirelli wrote about the then-scandalous circumstances of his birth in his 2006 autobiography, recounting how his mother attended her husband’s funeral pregnant with another man’s child. Unable to give the baby either her or his father’s names, she intended to name him Zeffiretti, after an aria in Mozart’s “Cosi fan Tutti,” but a typographical error made it Zeffirelli, making him “the only person in the world with Zeffirelli as a name, thanks to my mother’s folly.”

His mother died of tuberculosis when he was 6, and Zeffirelli went to live with his father’s cousin, whom he affectionately called Zia (Aunt) Lide.

It was during this period of his childhood, living in Zia Lide’s house with weekly visits from his father, that Zeffirelli developed passions that would shape his life. The first was for opera, after seeing Wagner’s “Walkuere” at age 8 or 9 in Florence. The second was a love of English culture and literature, after his father started him on thrice weekly English lessons with a British expatriate living in Florence.

His experiences with the British expatriate community under fascism, and their staunch disbelief that they would be victimized by Benito Mussolini’s regime, were at the heart of the semi-autobiographical 1991 film “Tea with Mussolini.”

He remained ever an Anglophile, and was particularly proud when Britain conferred on him an honorary knighthood in 2004 — the only Italian citizen to have received the honor.

As a youth, Zeffirelli served with the partisans during World War II. He later acted as an interpreter for British troops.

The lifelong bachelor turned from architecture to acting at the age of 20 when he joined an experimental troupe in his native city.

After a short-lived acting career, Zeffirelli worked with Luchino Visconti’s theatrical company in Rome, where he showed a flair for dramatic staging techniques in “A Streetcar Named Desire” and “Troilus and Cressida.” He later served as assistant director under Italian film masters Michelangelo Antonioni and Vittorio De Sica.

In 1950, he began a long and fruitful association with lyric theater, working as a director, set designer and costumist, and bringing new life to works by his personal favorites — Mozart, Rossini, Donizetti and Verdi.

Over the next decade, he staged dozens of operas, romantic melodramas and contemporary works in Italian and other European theaters, eventually earning a reputation as one of the world’s best directors of musical theater.

Both La Scala and New York’s Metropolitan Opera later played host to Zeffirelli’s classic staging of “La Boheme,” which was shown nationally on American television in 1982.

Zeffirelli returned to prose theater in 1961 with an innovative interpretation of “Romeo and Juliet” at London’s Old Vic. British critics immediately termed it “revolutionary,” and the director used it as the basis of frequent later productions and the 1968 film.

His first film effort in 1958, a comedy he wrote called “Camping,” had limited success. But eight years later, he directed Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton in Shakespeare’s “The Taming of the Shrew,” and made his distinctive mark on world cinema.

When Zeffirelli decided to do “La Traviata” on film, he had already worked his stage version of the opera into a classic, performed at Milan’s La Scala with soprano Maria Callas. He had been planning the film since 1950, he said.

“In the last 30 years, I’ve done everything a lyric theater artist can do,” Zeffirelli wrote in an article for Italy’s Corriere della Sera as the film was released in 1983. “This work is the one that crowns all my hopes and gratifies all my ambitions.”

The film, with Teresa Stratas and Placido Domingo in the lead roles, found near-unanimous critical acclaim on both sides of the Atlantic — a rarity for Zeffirelli — and received Oscar nominations for costuming, scenography and artistic direction.

Zeffirelli worked on a new staging of La Traviata as his last project, which will open the 2019 Opera Festival on June 21 at the Verona Arena. “We’ll pay him a final tribute with one of his most loved operas,” said artistic director Cecilia Gasdia. “He’ll be with us.”

Zeffirelli often turned his talents toward his native city. In 1983, he wrote a historical portrait of Florence during the 15th and 16th centuries, what he called the “political utopia.” During the disastrous 1966 Florence floods, Zeffirelli produced a well-received documentary on the damage done to the city and its art.

“I feel more like a Florentine than an Italian,” Zeffirelli once said. “A citizen of a Florence that was once the capital of Western civilization.”

Accused by some of heavy-handedness in his staging techniques, Zeffirelli fought frequent verbal battles with others in Italian theater.

“Zeffirelli doesn’t realize that an empty stage can be more dramatic than a stage full of junk,” Carmelo Bene, an avant-garde Italian director and actor and frequent Zeffirelli critic, once said.

It was a criticism that some reserved for his lavish production of “Aida” to open La Scala’s 2006-7 season — his first return to the Milan opera house in a dozen years and the fifth “Aida” of his career. The production was a popular success, but may be remembered more for the turbulent exit of the lead tenor, Roberto Alagna, after being booed from the loggia.

“I’m 83 and I’ve really been working like mad since I was a kid. I’ve done everything, but I never really feel that I have said everything I have to say,” Zeffirelli told The Associated Press shortly before the opening of “Aida.”

Zeffirelli had trouble with his balance after contracting a life-threatening infection during hip surgery in 1999, but didn’t let that slow him down. “I always have to cling on this or that to walk … but the mind is absolutely intact,” he said in the AP interview.

———

Giada Zampano contributed from Rome.

Sahred From Source link Entertainment

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[frontproofmedia]

What was the biggest story of 2016?

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By Hector Franco

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January 10, 2016

We are now over a week into 2017, and most boxing fans have already moved on from the stench left from 2016. 2016 was a transitional year for the sport. It was a year where the phrase “ you take two steps back to take one step forward” was appropriate. 2016 may have been the two steps back. Even thought it was a disappointing year there still many events that took place that set up the sport of boxing for the future.  

1. The Death of Muhammad Ali. 

On June 3, 2016, the man known by many as the greatest heavyweight champion in boxing history passed away. There are few athletes let alone human beings on earth whose death would elicit such a strong reaction worldwide. What he meant to the sport of boxing was immeasurable; there will never be another Ali. 

The day after his death on June 4, 2016, WBC 130-pound champion Francisco Vargas defended his title against Orlando Salido at the Stub Hub Center in Carson, California. That night there was a feeling in the air that something special would take place. Vargas-Salido ended up being a fitting tribute to the great Ali as the two men produced a fight that will be re-watched for years to come.  

2. The Decline of PPV and the rise of Facebook Live.

If any year was an example of declining pay-per-view (PPV) sales in boxing, it was 2016. No PPV in 2016 sold over 500,000 buys for boxing. The closest may have been the Canelo-Khan PPV that took place in May. That event originally had been rumored to have sold 600,000 buys, but other reports claimed it sold about 460,000 buys. Other PPV’s like Pacquiao-Vargas, Pacquiao-Bradley III, and Canelo-Smith stayed in the 250,000-300,000 ranges in buys. These fights weren’t exactly welcomed with open arms by boxing fans. But even November’s Wark-Kovalev PPV failed to get over 200,000 buys. Ward-Kovalev was highly anticipated and many thought of the fight as the best that could be made in the sport. 

Many factors can be debated as to why sales have gone down for PPV. It could be the blowback from the Mayweather-Pacquiao event that left more fans disappointed than satisfied. It can be argued that the PPV’s didn’t have much substance outside of the main events. It could also mean that the PPV model for boxing is outdated and needs to change. 

Social media sites and apps hold a large portion into how news travels. In today’s world, one doesn’t need HBO to watch a fight on the premium network. In fact, one does not need even to have cable. Facebook now has a feature that allows members to show and share live videos of what they are watching or broadcasting. This has led to many boxing fans watching fights normally on PPV through their phone or computer. This development is likely only to increase rather than dissipate over time. 

3. The inactivity of fighters within the PBC.

Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) seemingly had a rough year. In 2015, PBC bombarded boxing fans with what felt like too many dates. There was more boxing for fans to view but the quality of the fights was called into question. There were rumors throughout the Internet that the PBC had been hemorrhaging money and could be on its way out of business. This may have been wishful thinking from PBC detractors but what can’t be disputed is that there were many fighters associated with the PBC that fought just once in 2016. Almost as many didn’t fight at all. 

The list of fighters that only fought once in 2016 ranged from Adonis Stevenson to Shawn Porter. Even more curiously fighters like Lamont Peterson were completely inactive the whole year. Al Haymon has a bigger roster of fighters than any other promotional or managerial group. It seems with the decline of television dates available it has taken an effect on his fighter’s activity. 

Fights like Thurman-Porter came too far and in between for the PBC. 2017, hopes to be a more active year for Haymon clients, as it will make fights like Thurman-Porter more likely to occur but also make for better fights. Fighters need to fight; it’s the only way to make sure that their skills stay sharp. 

4. The return of Richard Schaeffer.

This year marked the return of one of the most controversial figures in boxing. Richard Schaefer came back to the boxing world with his new promotional group, Ringstar Sports. Schaefer had been out of the sport since the return of Oscar De La Hoya to Golden Boy Promotions. 

There isn’t much of a gray area when it comes to Schaefer. You either love him for the amount of work he put in with Golden Boy in 2013 or you feel he is a person who can’t be trusted for how the fallout with Golden Boy occurred. Whatever may be the case his return to the sport could be positive.

In December, Schaefer was the lead promoter for a show featuring Abner Mares defeating Jesus Cuellar and Jermall Charlo stopping Julian Williams in dramatic fashion in the fifth round. Schaeffer has stated that he is willing to work with all promoters. Seeing that his first show was with all Al Haymon clients some may be skeptical. We will have to wait and see if Schaefer lives up to his word. 

5. Prichard Colon and Nick Blackwell.

Prichard Colon’s last fight was in October 2015 against Terrel Williams. Since that day Colon has been in a coma due to brain injuries he suffered in that fight. It’s hard to imagine that the young man from Puerto Rico is only 24 years of age and was only a professional for two years before this incident occurred. There have been some signs of improvement as Colon was moved to his mother’s home in Florida this past May, but it’s still troubling that he hasn’t come out of the coma in some way. 

Across the pond in England, Nick Blackwell could have suffered the same fate as Colon. Unlike Colon who was hit in the back of the head with shots that didn’t look damaging at first watch, Chris Eubank Jr beat Blackwell to a bloody pulp. After the fight with Eubank, Blackwell was put into a medically induced coma to deal with bleeding in his brain. Blackwell ended up making a recovery only almost to squander it away with a sparring session that once again left him in the hospital. 

Blackwell needed surgery to recover from the sparring session and luckily was able to once again recover. These two men are examples of just how dangerous the sport of boxing can be. It’s not a sport to be taken lightly in any way.

5. Canelo and the WBC.

Since Canelo Alvarez defeated Miguel Cotto in November 2015 for the WBC middleweight championship, the drums have been beating for him to unify against middleweight kingpin Gennady Golovkin. Alvarez instead decided that it would be in his best interest to first defend the title against Amir Khan at a catchweight of 155 and then drop the belt completely afterward. When Alvarez dropped the title, it made Golovkin the new WBC middleweight champion. It also gave fans the impression that Alvarez and his promoter Oscar De La Hoya didn’t want to face Golovkin if they didn’t have to. 

What may have fueled the flames to the backlash that Alvarez received was his boisterous proclamation after the Khan fight that he wasn’t scared of Golovkin in any way going as far as saying “Mexicans don’t f*** around” in Spanish. 

After the Khan fight, Alvarez decided to fight once again at 154-pounds and face Liam Smith for the WBO 154-pound title. It seems that Alvarez has a newfound relationship with the WBO and was recently even elevated to number one contender status for the title in the middleweight division. 

It’s still unclear whom Alvarez will face this upcoming May. There have been rumors of a fight with Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. That fight can generate a substantial amount of money and if put in a venue in Texas could sell out almost any arena. Alvarez’s promoter has maintained the position that the fight with Golovkin will take place in September 2017.  If the fight doesn’t come together for 2017, Alvarez and Golden Boy may have to prepare for some serious backlash that could affect business. 

6. The rise of Joe Smith Jr.

Few athletes in sports, in general, had a bigger coming out party than New York’s Joe Smith Jr. Smith first hit the consciousness of boxing fans when he faced off against Andrezj Fonfara in June 2016. In what may have been the years biggest upset, Smith stopped Fonfara in the first round. What made the victory so special was that it was a knockout win over an opponent who had proven to be durable with a good chin against fighters like Adonis Stevenson in the past. 

Smith followed this up by putting the nail in the coffin to a legend's career. Smith was given the opportunity to face Bernard Hopkins this past December. He was once again the underdog against Hopkins, and it made no difference. Smith became the first man to stop Hopkins, and he did so in spectacular fashion. Smith stopped Hopkins in the eighth round after landing a devastating combination that sent Hopkins through the ropes outside the ring. 

Needless to say, Joe Smith has arrived as a player in the light heavyweight division. Smith in 2017 may be looking at doing a big local New York fight with Sean Monaghan. 

7. Alexander Povetkin and PED’s

The drug testing in boxing conversation has been continuous since the start of the decade. This year Alexander Povetkin may have broken new ground by failing two drug tests before two high-profile fights. In May 2016, Povetkin was set to face WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder in his home country of Russia after winning the purse bid for the fight. The fight was canceled when Povetkin tested positive for a drug called meldonium.  There was some controversy with the testing and the drug itself as meldonium had only been recently put on the banned substance list in January 2016. 

Wilder ended up injuring himself in a fight with Chris Arreola and sitting out for the remainder of 2016. Povetkin then moved on to face Bermane Stiverne in December but once again failed a drug test. This time he failed for a drug called osterine. Osterine was also in the public eye this year when Lucian Bute failed a drug test for that substance after his fight with Badou Jack in April 2016. 

Stiverne went back to Las Vegas, and Povetkin had another opponent waiting for him in Johann Duhaupas. Povetkin disposed of Duhaupas easily but has been given little to no credit for the victory as it took place in a days notice after a failed drug test. 

In 2017, there may have to be stricter penalties inflicted on fighters who fail drug tests. Povetkin was able to secure a fight immediately, and Lucian Bute will be facing Eleider Alvarez in February. With a victory, Bute could be in line for a title shot against Adonis Stevenson.  The WBC has taken a stance by implementing drug testing for all fighters in their rankings but clearly more needs to be done.

Fans and media alike need to put pressure on promoters and ask the tough questions when fights don’t have testing. 

8. Ward-Kovalev decision and boxing’s racial divide

Art imitates life. The sport of boxing has always been a magnet for political issues. In the United States, race and racism will always be an issue that divides people. This year in boxing no other event brought race into the picture like the Ward-Kovalev fight and decision. Boxing fans would have you believe that there is a direct correlation between how you score a boxing match and your political views. 

Many observers thought Kovalev clearly won the fight against Ward citing the knockdown in the second round and his overall dominance in the first half of the fight. Others thought that Ward had done enough in the second half of the fight to get the decision. 

This development in boxing is not likely to change. There has been an up rise in pseudo alt-right boxing media this year on YouTube. Some in the boxing media have gone as far as to name African-American boxing fans “the demographic” or “the dummygraphic”. 

Boxing just like society will not change without further discourse. 

Looking back at 2016 it's a year that simply had its moments. Fans and media alike hope 2017's biggest story will be the amount of great fights that took place. 

(Featured Photo: Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images)