http://www.yardbarker.com/boxing/players/jess_willard/74580 Recent articles about Jess Willard en-us 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 (Chamreon Songkitrat, left, and Jimmy Carruthers; Jay Robert Nash Collection)"Undefeated Jimmy Carruthers of Australia retained his world bantamweight title tonight by out-pointing Chamreon Songkitrat, Thailand police lieutenant, in a grueling, bloody 12-rounder fought in a driving rainstorm. Because of the heavy downpour, both fighter fought bare-footed, the first world title fight in Thailand's history. A crowd of around 50,000 sat in the open air National Auditorium... The bout was interrupted in the third and ninth rounds when exposed electric bulbs over the ring exploded and splattered glass over the ring. Time had to be called while the glass was swept up." - Times-Picayune, 1954, Jimmy Carruthers vs. Chamreom Songkitrat "The American A.C., the new boxing club in this city, which had its opening last night, was handicapped by the weather, but the conditions as they existed would not attract anyone who seeks comfort. Three bouts were held in a clubhouse wh... Fri, 05 Oct 2012 01:40:50 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/boxing/article_external/from_beyond_the_grave_the_elements/11887192 http://network.yardbarker.com/boxing/article_external/from_beyond_the_grave_the_elements/11887192 From Beyond The Grave: The Elements http://www.yardbarker.com/boxing/articles/from_beyond_the_grave_the_elements/11887192 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png Referring to Cuba's boxing history as "rich" would be a weak cliché that doesn't quite do the concept justice. Cuba's boxing history is wealthy. Even in outlawing professional boxing in 1961, men like Teofilo Stevenson and Felix Savon became absolute legends without ever stepping foot in a ring for money. And thanks to Stevenson and Savon, Cuba is the only country with two three-time Olympic gold medalists. That's without mentioning the numerous prolific amateurs and post-ban defectors that have played significant roles in world class boxing over the years, notably "Sugar" Ramos, Joel Casamayor and Jose Napoles, though there are many others. The birth of professional boxing in Cuba, perhaps unsurprisingly, was just about as political as its end immediately following the Revolution. But in the beginning, Cuba needed a world champion to be legitimized on an elite level. That's where Kid Chocolate came in. ******* To suggest the ... Mon, 23 Apr 2012 01:15:36 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/victoria_aut_mors_kid_chocolate/10619635 http://network.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/victoria_aut_mors_kid_chocolate/10619635 Victoria Aut Mors: Kid Chocolate http://www.yardbarker.com/all_sports/articles/victoria_aut_mors_kid_chocolate/10619635 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png Another weekend is in the books and now it’s time to make sense of the aftertaste. And make no mistake--there is one. To be fair, there was a weekend of interesting fights. In Germany, we got what turned out to be the most interesting heavyweight title fight in about a decade. That’s not saying a lot for the division, but hats off to Dereck Chisora for trying. That has to be considered a boon in today’s age of uninspired heavyweight challengers. And the action in the ring in Texas was actually pretty good. But once again, piss-poor officiating and questionable commission practices cast a pallor over what should have been a good weekend. Exhibit One: A 196 lb Light Heavyweight As if the career development of 2008 Olympian Shawn Estrada wasn’t disgraceful enough, now he’s getting a 20-pound cushion too? On Friday, ESPN2 televised what was supposed to be a super middleweight 8-round attraction featuring the unbeaten Estrada. Problem was Estrada checked in at 196 pounds. A few maneuver... Sun, 19 Feb 2012 20:56:24 -0500 http://network.yardbarker.com/boxing/article_external/rough_weekend_in_texas_as_campillo_gets_jobbed_estrada_competes_20_lbs_above_his_weight_class/10009345 http://network.yardbarker.com/boxing/article_external/rough_weekend_in_texas_as_campillo_gets_jobbed_estrada_competes_20_lbs_above_his_weight_class/10009345 Rough weekend in Texas as Campillo gets jobbed & Estrada competes 20+ lbs above his weight class http://www.yardbarker.com/boxing/articles/rough_weekend_in_texas_as_campillo_gets_jobbed_estrada_competes_20_lbs_above_his_weight_class/10009345 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png Ten Greatest Heavyweights in Boxing History While one of the easiest lists to compile, with so many many hallmark names at the top, it is one of the more sticky rankings in the sport. The number one and two spots are easy enough, with an even argument on Muhammad Ali and Joe Louis. After that, it is an absolute free-for-all with some of the giants from the past. This division, more than any other, requires one to ignore the head-to-head fantasy component. Let’s face it, what a heavyweight really is has changed drastically over the years. Up to 4 of the people on this top-ten might not even be a heavyweight in today’s era of 250-pound cyborgs. This division really forces one to be mindful of the fact that a fighter can only really be judged against his era. There are so many different factors and who’s to say which ones should carry more weight? One can go off any number of things, like accomplishments, won-loss record, quality of opposition, or a ton of other factors. Not to mentio... Wed, 11 Jan 2012 09:44:06 -0500 http://network.yardbarker.com/boxing/article_external/top_10_best_heavyweight_boxers_of_all_time/9270806 http://network.yardbarker.com/boxing/article_external/top_10_best_heavyweight_boxers_of_all_time/9270806 Top 10 Best Heavyweight Boxers of All-Time http://www.yardbarker.com/boxing/articles/top_10_best_heavyweight_boxers_of_all_time/9270806 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png