http://www.yardbarker.com/boxing/players/nino_benvenuti/75251 Recent articles about Nino Benvenuti en-us (Edward Cook, Cassius Clay, Wilbert McClure; photo credit: FPG/Getty Images)"...And then I come home with the Olympic gold medal and the light heavyweight championship of the whole world representing my country, America. Coming back to this city called Louisville, Kentucky, where I was born and raised. And then go to a restaurant and can't get served. I did this a lot of times. In the not summertime I'd go in an open door for a glass of juice, and they'd say, 'Can't serve you here, darkey.' I went in one place and asked to be served and the waiter told the boss, 'He's the Olympic champion,' and the boss said, 'I don't give a damn who he is, get him the Hell out of here.'" - Cassius Clay, St. Albans Daily Messenger, 1967 "Seales won the gold medal in the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, but unlike some boxers, that was never turned into a springboard for pro riches. Certainly Seales could have been better advised. His... Fri, 24 Aug 2012 13:03:40 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/boxing/article_external/from_beyond_the_grave_the_weight_of_gold/11539534 http://network.yardbarker.com/boxing/article_external/from_beyond_the_grave_the_weight_of_gold/11539534 From Beyond The Grave: The Weight Of Gold http://www.yardbarker.com/boxing/articles/from_beyond_the_grave_the_weight_of_gold/11539534 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png With Bernard Hopkins returning to arms next weekend, Andrew Harrison looks back at the Philadelphian’s middleweight championship reign -- a fantastic run but a record breaking one? A great bumper sticker once noted that during a time of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act. And while Big Brother should not concern itself with murmurings of a rebellion just yet, it’s time to set fire to our bras, brahs. Insurrection is in the breeze, with a picket line forming at the gates of boxing fallacy. Specifically, it opposes the notion that Bernard Hopkins holds the world championship defence record at middleweight, after he was reckoned to have eclipsed the imperious Carlos Monzon in 2002. In April 2005, William Dettloff added weight to this theory after he penned a Ring Magazine article suggesting boxing’s greatest world title tenures. There, perched one spot behind the legendary Joe Louis, but nestled ahead of Monzon and other luminaries such as Henry Armstron... Thu, 19 Apr 2012 08:56:13 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/boxing/article_external/an_inconvenient_truth_the_myth_behind_bernard_hopkinss_middleweight_reign/10593955 http://network.yardbarker.com/boxing/article_external/an_inconvenient_truth_the_myth_behind_bernard_hopkinss_middleweight_reign/10593955 An Inconvenient Truth: The Myth Behind Bernard Hopkins’s Middleweight Reign http://www.yardbarker.com/boxing/articles/an_inconvenient_truth_the_myth_behind_bernard_hopkinss_middleweight_reign/10593955 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/a/b/abf34009e087be828a93c2b40ce1e6cc452da4c2/mini/Bernard_Hopkins_v_2f8c.jpg 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 Ten Greatest Junior Middleweight Boxers in History Ranking the top ten junior middleweights is a tricky endeavor that puts to test the full range of qualities that one uses to determine ring greatness. The old guard suffers historically from the division’s lack of value in the early days. And almost all fighters worth being considered great didn’t make 154 their home for too long. But despite a dicey history and the fact that this has largely been a pit-stop division, 154 has been home to some awfully good fighters and some legendary encounters. At the top of the all-time ranking is the conundrum of what is better: a star that shines for a long time or a comet that flashes briefly. Throughout the rankings, one struggles to weigh what is more valuable. Is a long reign more impressive than a fighter who establishes clearer greatness with a smaller body of work? How do you weigh in losses? Does becoming the PFP #1 or #2 fighter in the world while at this weight count for more than... Thu, 02 Feb 2012 09:30:03 -0500 http://network.yardbarker.com/boxing/article_external/top_10_best_junior_middleweights_of_all_time/9726874 http://network.yardbarker.com/boxing/article_external/top_10_best_junior_middleweights_of_all_time/9726874 Top 10 Best Junior Middleweights of All-Time http://www.yardbarker.com/boxing/articles/top_10_best_junior_middleweights_of_all_time/9726874 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png 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 Don Fullmer, a former middleweight boxer who fought nine world champions and came within a fight of a world title himself, has died in Utah at the age of 72. His sons told the Deseret News that he died Saturday in West Jordan after suffering from lymphocytic leukemia for 15 years. Fullmer was the brother of former world middleweight champion Gene Fullmer. He fought in 79 matches, losing to such former champions as Dick Tiger, Jose Torres, Joey Archer and Emile Griffith during a career that spanned from 1957 to 1973. He defeated Griffith and Archer in rematches before losing to Nino Benvenuti in 1966. In a 1968 rematch with Benvenuti for the middleweight title, Fullmer knocked the Italian down but lost a 15-round unanimous decision. Sun, 29 Jan 2012 21:08:00 -0500 http://network.yardbarker.com/boxing/article_external/don_fullmer_ex_middleweight_dies_at_72/9664201 http://network.yardbarker.com/boxing/article_external/don_fullmer_ex_middleweight_dies_at_72/9664201 Don Fullmer, ex-middleweight, dies at 72 http://www.yardbarker.com/boxing/articles/don_fullmer_ex_middleweight_dies_at_72/9664201 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png Don Fullmer, a former middleweight boxer who fought nine world champions and came within a fight of a world title himself, has died in Utah at the age of 72. His sons told the Deseret News (http://bit.ly/xvP29R ) that he died Saturday in West Jordan after suffering from lymphocytic leukemia for 15 years. Fullmer was the brother of former world middleweight champion Gene Fullmer. He fought in 79 matches, losing to such former champions as Dick Tiger, Jose Torres, Joey Archer and Emile Griffith during a career that spanned from 1957 to 1973. He defeated Griffith and Archer in rematches before losing to Nino Benvenuti in 1966. In a 1968 rematch with Benvenuti for the middleweight title, Fullmer knocked the Italian down but lost a 15-round unanimous decision. --- Information from: Deseret News, http://www.deseretnews.com Sun, 29 Jan 2012 16:25:41 -0500 http://network.yardbarker.com/boxing/article_external/don_fullmer_ex_middleweight_boxer_dies_at_72/9660133 http://network.yardbarker.com/boxing/article_external/don_fullmer_ex_middleweight_boxer_dies_at_72/9660133 Don Fullmer, ex-middleweight boxer, dies at 72 http://www.yardbarker.com/boxing/articles/don_fullmer_ex_middleweight_boxer_dies_at_72/9660133 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png