COME OUT WRITING
DOUG’S TOP 10 I cannot complain about your
6. Big George Foreman – Had the non-broadcasting school approach. 7. Larry Merchant – I liked his before and after the bout comments the best.
picks for the top 10 pound-for-pound fighters of the 21st century (“Ringside,” February 2026 issue) and I cannot see anyone I would replace. I am glad you included Gennadiy Golovkin, as I feel he doesn’t get the credit he deserves. The guy completely dominated one of the most competitive divisions in boxing. I would just like to add honorable mentions for Miguel Cotto and Juan Manual Marquez – both truly fought anyone. Matt Bradbury JUNTO’S P4P STATUS I had the pleasure of watching the Naoya Inoue-Alan Picasso and Junto Nakatani-Sebastian Hernandez boxing matches. Both were great. Inoue was dominant, Nakatani not so much. He did win, however, barely. To me it looked like a late Christmas gift, so as not to spoil the big match with Inoue. At the end of the match, Nakatani was a beaten man. In my opinion, he is no longer a Top 10 pound-for-pound boxer. Walter Zabicki WORDS OF WISDOM My favorite ringside announcers list: 1. Al Bernstein – Met him after the Hagler-Hearns fight and asked who would win a rematch between them. He smiled: “Always Hagler.” 2. Max Kellerman – I remember reading that as an aspiring boxing hound he would chase Steve Farhood (KO magazine editor at the time) and ask any and all boxing questions he could and inquired about when he could start working! 3. Marv Albert – Olympics and pro boxing on NBC. 4. Emanuel Steward – Met him at Caesars in Atlantic City and talked with him and another casino host for 20 minutes. He said, “Go for the knockout when you can. That’s what the fans want.” 5. Gil Clancy and Tim Ryan – A great team.
Jack Dowling
CLOSER THAN WE THOUGHT In “Fightline” (January 2026 issue) there was a link from the greatest boxer that ever lived (regardless of what The Money Team says), Sugar Ray Robinson, to Floyd Mayweather in eight steps. Very impressive. However, I managed to find an even shorter link. As is, the link goes from Robinson » Joey Archer » Emile Griffith » Vito Antuofermo » Marvelous Marvin Hagler » Roberto Duran » Hector “Macho” Camacho » Oscar De La Hoya » Mayweather. Allow me to introduce into the mix former junior middleweight titleholder Denny Moyer. Moyer defeated a past-his-prime version of Robinson by 10-round decision on Feb. 17, 1962 (a rematch of a 1961 loss to Robinson). That same Moyer lost a 10-round decision to Vito Antuofermo on September 9, 1974, in Madison Square Garden. This would make the shortest chain: Robinson » MOYER » Vito Antuofermo » Hagler » Duran » Camacho » Oscar » Floyd. Darren Calamese ONCE MORE FOR JOE I was heartened to read Lee Groves’ appreciation of Joe Bugner in The Ring (November 2025 issue). Big Joe was my boxing hero, a genuine contender on the world stage during the heavyweight division’s golden era of the 1970s and arguably one the most underrated boxers of all time. His excellent fight record during that period reads like a who’s who of the good and great, but of course his controversial win over Henry Cooper in 1971 made him far more unpopular with both the British press and fight
Joe Bugner’s talent was sometimes obscured by public sentiment.
fans than he deserved to be. He did have his supporters, though; make no mistake. He was followed in large numbers to Las Vegas for the first Muhammad Ali fight in February 1973 and when he fought Joe Frazier at Earls Court in July the same year, he was roared on by a full house as he produced arguably his greatest performance in losing a close decision over 12 bruising rounds. It is interesting to note that when Frank Warren began to get his shows on British TV in the early 1980s, Joe was the main attraction. Barry Hearn also persuaded him to return to the U.K. in 1987 for the first big Matchroom boxing promotion when Aussie Joe fought Frank Bruno. To me, he was a total one- off. Entertaining, funny, brave, controversial – and boy, he could fight. Rest easy, Joe, and thanks for the great memories. I hope you get the respect and legacy you deserve. Dean Christopher WRITE TO THE RING! Email comeoutwriting@gmail.com or use this address: P.O. Box 90254, Brooklyn, NY 11209
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