http://www.yardbarker.com/boxing/players/bob_fitzsimmons/73666 Recent articles about Bob Fitzsimmons en-us COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- A high school football player convicted of raping a 16-year-old girl after an alcohol-fueled party last summer was given the state's second-toughest sex offender classification at a Friday hearing. The decision by Judge Thomas Lipps at Jefferson County Juvenile Court in Steubenville means Trent Mays could have to report to a local sheriff every six months for 20 years. Unlike adult sex offenders, however, Mays' name won't be included on publicly accessible websites. And he can request to have the sex offender classification removed later based on his history of rehabilitation. Lipps also agreed Friday with a request from Mays' attorneys that the teen be transferred from Cuyahoga Hills Juvenile Correctional Facility near Cleveland to a southern Ohio facility that works with sex offenders. One of Mays' attorneys said after the hearing he will ask Lipps to release Mays from state custody if he successfully completes the program at Lighthouse Youth Center-Paint Creek in Fri, 14 Jun 2013 19:19:16 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/boxing/article_external/ohio_football_player_classified_as_sex_offender/13838705 http://network.yardbarker.com/boxing/article_external/ohio_football_player_classified_as_sex_offender/13838705 Ohio football player classified as sex offender http://www.yardbarker.com/boxing/articles/ohio_football_player_classified_as_sex_offender/13838705 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png "COME ON ye moving picture guys,  And listen to my tale;  Ye hurlers of the custard pies Who gather in the kale. Another moving stare we hear,  Must in the picture horn-- And his name is Georges Carpentier Greatest fighter ever born." - Francois Descamps, Omaha World Herald, 1920 *******  "Sam Langford, himself one of the greatest fighters that ever pulled on a glove, was the first we interviewed as to his greatest fighter. Sam picks Jack Johnson. He came with a natural. He didn't hesitate at all. We met him at Jack Dempsey's camp in Toledo the day before the big bout, and Sam was very strong for Johnson. He said that no man could lick Willard because Willard licked the greatest man that ever lived. 'Didn't you say that Jeffries would lick Johnson?' we asked for a kid. 'Yes. Yes, I did say that, but I was sore at Johnson then,' said Sam. 'You know he gave me a licking a long time ago in Bost... Wed, 22 May 2013 02:52:56 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/from_beyond_the_grave_the_hyperbole/13671079 http://network.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/from_beyond_the_grave_the_hyperbole/13671079 From Beyond The Grave: The Hyperbole http://www.yardbarker.com/all_sports/articles/from_beyond_the_grave_the_hyperbole/13671079 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png "Boxing has a nostalgia problem. Any discussion about the fight game is really a discussion about the past and all arguments are really just variations on the barbershop scene in Coming to America." With that big claim attached to a sexy Eddie Murphy reference, Jay Kaspian Kang has got me to thinking about something I’ve suspected for a long time. In the conclusion to his great profile of Adrien Broner, Kang briefly argues that the constant talk of boxing being “saved” stems from boxing fans’ obsession with the past. “When the past looms so large, I suppose, it looms so large,” he writes. If you hang around with boxing people, in real life or on Twitter, then it’s pretty clear that many boxing fans have at least one eye on the rear-view mirror. Fans and journalists are forever working on their lists of all-time greats, sharing archived fights and discussing the significance of various eras. Kang even points to fighters’ choice of nicknames: “Every fighter nam... Thu, 09 May 2013 21:20:13 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/does_boxing_have_a_nostalgia_problem/13586918 http://network.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/does_boxing_have_a_nostalgia_problem/13586918 Does Boxing Have A Nostalgia Problem? http://www.yardbarker.com/all_sports/articles/does_boxing_have_a_nostalgia_problem/13586918 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png The Ten Greatest Irish-American Boxers in History There have been some great Irish-American fighters in boxing’s rich history. In the past 50-60 years, there have become steadily less Irish-American representatives in the sport. Boxing in America has always been a meter of how well different groups fare in a socioeconomic sense. For the first half of the 20th century, Italians, Jews and Irish were not given equal access to the American Dream, hence the fact that droves of members from those groups found pro boxing to be an acceptable occupation. People generally only fight when they have to. Here are some of the greatest Irish-American fighters of all-time, beginning with the earliest. John Sullivan (1879-1892) History hasn’t been terribly kind to Sullivan. When top heavyweight champs from the past are discussed, Sullivan’s name doesn’t come up very often. But he was the first champion of the modern era and a double-tough guy who dominated his era. Before he shockingly lost to Corbe... Fri, 19 Apr 2013 07:45:01 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/boxing/article_external/top_10_irish_american_boxers_of_all_time/13435936 http://network.yardbarker.com/boxing/article_external/top_10_irish_american_boxers_of_all_time/13435936 Top 10 Irish-American boxers of all-time http://www.yardbarker.com/boxing/articles/top_10_irish_american_boxers_of_all_time/13435936 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png As time has accumulated, the Irish around the globe have accepted that St. Patrick's Day has morphed into a kind of "every man's drinking holiday." And far be it from them to complain about a drop or two, but at its Celtic heart, it's an Irish holiday, the celebration thereof apparently important enough to maintain for over 1,000 years.  When Irish warrior traditions gave way to pugilistic fancy, the transition was an easy one -- especially in a boxing world where, at the start, just about anything was more or less acceptable in the ring. The list of all-time great Irish fighters seems unusually long for an island that, in the eyes of the world, isn't particularly large. More difficult to compile is a list of all-Irish bouts that had a bit more on the line than a post-fight pint.  The following four battles involved nothing but Óglaigh na hÉireann -- the warriors of Ireland.  ******* Tom Sharkey D7 Peter Maher I, 1897 "Sailor&quot... Sun, 17 Mar 2013 19:30:57 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/boxing/article_external/codladh_smh_four_all_irish_scraps_fit_for_donnybrook_fair/13167280 http://network.yardbarker.com/boxing/article_external/codladh_smh_four_all_irish_scraps_fit_for_donnybrook_fair/13167280 Codladh Sámh: Four All-Irish Scraps Fit For Donnybrook Fair http://www.yardbarker.com/boxing/articles/codladh_smh_four_all_irish_scraps_fit_for_donnybrook_fair/13167280 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png ((HT: WTRF-TV)) Thursday was Day 2 of the Steubenville rape trial. It ended around 9PM, and during testimony, prosecutors introduced text messages shared between witnesses, the alleged victim and the defendants. The text messages include those from the alleged victim where she said she did not remember anything of the night of the attack and was trying to find out what happened. She said that she believed she was drugged and that others were "taking advantage of me." One text sent by one defendant actually admit that he had sex with the victim. Bob Fitzsimmons, the alleged victim's lawyer, said his client was supposed to testify Thursday, but some testimonies went much longer than scheduled. He also said there would be a good chance she'll testify on Day 3. Here's the wrap... WTRF 7 News Sports Weather - Wheeling Steubenville And here's the CNN version... Fri, 15 Mar 2013 13:45:00 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/boxing/article_external/day_2_wrap_steubenville/13152085 http://network.yardbarker.com/boxing/article_external/day_2_wrap_steubenville/13152085 Day 2 Wrap: Steubenville http://www.yardbarker.com/boxing/articles/day_2_wrap_steubenville/13152085 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png A 16-year-old girl was ''substantially impaired'' after an alcohol-fueled party, was unable to consent to sex and suffered humiliation and degradation when she was raped by two high school football players, a prosecutor said Wednesday in her opening statement at the boys' trial. But a lawyer for defendant Trent Mays said his 17-year-old client ''did not rape the young lady in question.'' Special Prosecutor Marianne Hemmeter and Mays' attorney, Brian Duncan, spoke at the opening of the juvenile court trial, which has drawn international attention to a small town in a football-loving region of eastern Ohio. Hemmeter told Judge Thomas Lipps, who is hearing the case without a jury, that she would show that the girl was ''somebody who was too impaired to say no, somebody who was too impaired to say stop.'' The attorney for Mays' co-defendant, Ma'Lik Richmond, 16, gave no opening statement. The case has divided the community amid allegations that Wed, 13 Mar 2013 20:00:26 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/prosecutor_rape_victim_didnt_consent/13135261 http://network.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/prosecutor_rape_victim_didnt_consent/13135261 Prosecutor: Rape victim didn't consent http://www.yardbarker.com/all_sports/articles/prosecutor_rape_victim_didnt_consent/13135261 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png According to documents obtained in a joint investigation by PBS' FRONTLINE program and ESPN's "Outside the Lines", the National Football Leagues' retirement board awarded at least $2 million in disability payments to at least three former players after reaching the conclusion that football was the cause of their brain injuries. In 1999, the retirement board determined that the late Mike Webster, a Hall of Famer who played 17 seasons in the NFL, mostly with the Pittsburgh Steelers before finishing his career with the Kansas City Chiefs, was "totally and permanently" disabled due to repeated blows to the head he received as an active player. Webster passed away in 2002 at age 50 and was the first former player to be diagnosed with Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy after donating his brain for research. Bob Fitzsimmons, Webster's attorney in that disability case and the current co-director of the Brain Injury Research Institute, believes the conclusions reached by the retir Fri, 16 Nov 2012 13:39:56 -0500 http://network.yardbarker.com/nfl/article_external/nfl_retirement_board_paid_2m_to_ex_players_while_league_denied_concussion_risks/12228991 http://network.yardbarker.com/nfl/article_external/nfl_retirement_board_paid_2m_to_ex_players_while_league_denied_concussion_risks/12228991 NFL Retirement Board Paid $2M To Ex-Players While League Denied Concussion Risks http://www.yardbarker.com/nfl/articles/nfl_retirement_board_paid_2m_to_ex_players_while_league_denied_concussion_risks/12228991 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png A joint investigation conducted by ESPN’s “Outside the Lines” and PBS’ “Frontline” show could shed new light onto the issues surrounding the long-term effects of concussions players suffer while playing in the NFL. Despite the fact that the NFL has consistently denied any link between playing in the NFL and long-term brain damage, unpublished documents and medical records revealed that the league paid at least $2 million in disability benefits to players in the late 1990s and early 2000s. According to the investigation, the disability board determined in 1999 that Hall of Fame center Mike Webster and other players suffered brain damage while playing. Awarding players compensation for head injuries completely contradicts the public stance the NFL has taken regarding concussions. Bob Fitzsimmons, a lawyer who represented Webster in 1999 and co-director of the Brain Injury Research center, said the settlements could create major issues for the NFL. “It’s pretty devastating evidence,” ... Fri, 16 Nov 2012 13:34:07 -0500 http://network.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/nfl_reportedly_paid_2_million_in_disability_to_former_players_despite_denying_link_between_football_and_brain_damage/12228940 http://network.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/nfl_reportedly_paid_2_million_in_disability_to_former_players_despite_denying_link_between_football_and_brain_damage/12228940 NFL reportedly paid $2 million in disability to former players, despite denying link between football and brain damage http://www.yardbarker.com/all_sports/articles/nfl_reportedly_paid_2_million_in_disability_to_former_players_despite_denying_link_between_football_and_brain_damage/12228940 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png Boxing History Needs to Have a Greater Appreciation from Fans As boxing fans, we follow the careers of Andre Ward, Donovan George, Gennady Golovkin, or whoever our current favorites may be. And so we should. We care about who's fighting today just as our fathers and grandfathers cared about the boxers of their eras.  But I've noted an unfortunate trend in recent years -- the ignorance of or indifference to those who came before. I recently got into a rather acrimonious discussion with a fellow fan who had on his list of 10 best pound-for-pound boxers of all time George Foreman, Larry Holmes, and Evander Holyfield.  I understand holding those guys in regard, but among the best of all time?  Adding insult to ignorance, there was nary a mention of Willie Pep, Harry Greb, or Sam Langford.  Such omissions are beyond risible; they're anti-historical. And, indeed, that's the crux of the problem.  Some of today's boxing "aficionados" have little or no... Thu, 11 Oct 2012 16:08:23 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/boxing/article_external/the_unbreakable_chain_boxing_history_past_to_present/11936983 http://network.yardbarker.com/boxing/article_external/the_unbreakable_chain_boxing_history_past_to_present/11936983 The unbreakable chain: Boxing history past to present http://www.yardbarker.com/boxing/articles/the_unbreakable_chain_boxing_history_past_to_present/11936983 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png AGELESS QUESTION: WHO HAS THE ADVANTAGE WHEN YOUTH BATTLES EXPERIENCE? In addition to the amount of wins, losses or knockouts a fighter possesses, another number exists that is often discussed in the buildup to a prizefight: age. However, history reveals that neither 43-year-old former Undisputed Light Heavyweight World Champion Antonio “Magic Man’’ Tarver nor unbeaten 29-year-old top rated cruiserweight Lateef “Power” Kayode will have a clear advantage or be at a distinct disadvantage when they clash in the main event on Saturday, June 2 on Showtime. The same goes for the evening’s co-featured bout between 40-year-old former Undisputed Junior Middleweight World Champion Winky Wright and undefeated 28-year-old Brooklyn native Peter “Kid Chocolate” Quillin. Boxing’s history includes many instances of fighters in their 40's taking on 20-somethings, and SHOWTIME color commentator and boxing historian Steve Farhood assembled a list of marquee fights in w... Tue, 29 May 2012 16:11:24 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/boxing/article_external/does_experience_or_youth_have_the_edge_as_tarver_kayode_quillin_wright_prepare_for_battle/10897400 http://network.yardbarker.com/boxing/article_external/does_experience_or_youth_have_the_edge_as_tarver_kayode_quillin_wright_prepare_for_battle/10897400 Does experience or youth have the edge as Tarver-Kayode & Quillin-Wright prepare for battle? http://www.yardbarker.com/boxing/articles/does_experience_or_youth_have_the_edge_as_tarver_kayode_quillin_wright_prepare_for_battle/10897400 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/2/4/24fc62d23d75529719fa40fdd66dd053a349614b/mini/Winky_Wright_v_7a36.jpg "John L. Sullivan, the Boston pugilist, had a benefit at Harry Hill's Theater yesterday afternoon, the feature of which was an offer of $50 for any man to box with him four rounds according to the rules of the Marquis of Queensbury, which are rounds of three minutes each, with one minute between each round. During the afternoon, while the sparring was going on between the volunteers, Dick Holliwood appeared on the stage with Steve Taylor and stated to the audience that Taylor was there to accept the challenge of Sullivan. It was then announced by Mr. [Richard] Fox that Sullivan would fight any man in the world in the ring for $1,000 a side, according to the rules of the English prize ring. This, however, was not taken up..." - New York Herald, 1881 "Grand International Glove Contest, for the Middleweight Championship of the World and a Purse of $12,000 between Jack Dempsey, The Nonpareil, and Bob Fitzsimmons, The New Zealand Wonder ... General Admission $10.00... Fri, 27 Apr 2012 14:44:39 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/boxing/article_external/from_beyond_the_grave_the_paycheck/10662935 http://network.yardbarker.com/boxing/article_external/from_beyond_the_grave_the_paycheck/10662935 From Beyond The Grave: The Paycheck http://www.yardbarker.com/boxing/articles/from_beyond_the_grave_the_paycheck/10662935 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png How would Sergio Martinez deal with the best middleweights in boxing history? World Middleweight Champion Sergio Martinez has not cracked anyone’s all-time great middleweight lists. What can you expect with only 5 fights at the weight? Nevertheless, he has established himself as the best middleweight in the world and the top guy at the weight since the glory days of Bernard Hopkins. The combined records of the men Martinez has faced at middleweight is 172-3. After crashing onto the scene as a junior middleweight, Martinez lost a disputed decision to Paul Williams at middleweight poundage. While not the best entrance into middleweight waters, Martinez handled himself well against what was at the time a high-flying commodity in Williams. Credit: DBE Since then, he beat linear Middleweight Champion Kelly Pavlik in a big win. Then he threw the first Williams result into a new light with a memorable 2nd-round flattening over PW. With the talent pool at 160 in the States rather dry, M... Thu, 01 Mar 2012 18:32:17 -0500 http://network.yardbarker.com/boxing/article_external/sergio_martinez_vs_top_10_all_time_great_middleweights/10210528 http://network.yardbarker.com/boxing/article_external/sergio_martinez_vs_top_10_all_time_great_middleweights/10210528 Sergio Martinez vs. top 10 all-time great middleweights http://www.yardbarker.com/boxing/articles/sergio_martinez_vs_top_10_all_time_great_middleweights/10210528 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/0/9/09602f073e5511bf40144fa5aa97dc19c536ac55/mini/BOX_CONFE_MARTINEZ_b11c.jpg The 10 Greatest Middleweight Boxers in History When ranking the ten best middleweights of all-time, many challenges arise. With great middleweights spanning over a century in time, it can be difficult to measure 160-pounders against each other. Try to compare the undefined middleweight division of the turn of the 20th century to its current manifestation and your head might spin. In the old days, fighters could sit on their title for years with nary a defense. Newspaper decisions, the vast changes in the dynamics of a typical professional boxing career, and other considerations makes it a sticky undertaking. Also making it difficult is that this might just be the most stacked division in boxing history. With Hall of Famers occupying most of the top 25-30 spots, there are a lot of fighters with a good argument for top ten honors. Some of the most historic fighters of all-time made 160 their home and it makes coming up with a top ten an ultimate test of what you think is more valuabl... Mon, 30 Jan 2012 09:55:18 -0500 http://network.yardbarker.com/boxing/article_external/top_10_best_middleweights_of_all_time/9669994 http://network.yardbarker.com/boxing/article_external/top_10_best_middleweights_of_all_time/9669994 Top 10 Best Middleweights of All-Time http://www.yardbarker.com/boxing/articles/top_10_best_middleweights_of_all_time/9669994 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png