Britton is right. Today audiences are fragmented, this isn’t like back in the day where everyone is watching one thing. Connecting fighters to ancillary markets outside of just boxing fans is how you build a brand. Casuals are what make big fights!

One of 27 fights Armstrong had in 1937. He won 26 via stoppage, including Petey Sarron (KO 6) for the featherweight title and fellow future Hall of Famer Benny Bass (KO4)

A massive fight night at Wintrust Arena is loading... ⏳🥊 𝐃𝐎𝐍'𝐓 𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐒 𝐎𝐔𝐓! 🎟️: bit.ly/46r1lYg #SchofieldBahdi | #SandovalMendoza | LIVE on DAZN | Oct. 10

New Episode out now on @YouTube #WhittakervsWallace #schofieldvsbahdi #tfwta m.youtube.com/watch?v=qQLnVr…

29 years ago, Lennox Lewis defeated Andrew Golota by KO in round 1 of 12 to retain the WBC heavyweight title.

“A lot of guys now cant fight on the inside, they don’t know how… they just tie up & hold for dear life. Hitchins thats what u do… Haney same thing… grab & hold, thats all yall be doing” Tim breaking down why the old school fighters are more skilled than the fighters of today

Love this footage of the great Marvin Hagler. He does nothing but old-school calisthenics to get ready. Nothing fancy, no frills.... #boxing Rare! Never Before Seen Marvin Hagler Sparring Footage youtu.be/LyCs07SEMC8?si=eVZi… via @YouTube

From Dan Rafael for ESPN dot com on the passing of Don Chagrin on Septmeber 28, 2018: Don Chargin, the beloved promoter, matchmaker and International Boxing Hall of Famer, died Friday at Sierra Vista Hospital in San Luis Obispo, California, after a brief battle with lung and brain cancer. He was 90. Until just a few months ago, Chargin was a fixture at ringside for Golden Boy Promotions events because besides running his own promotional company, Don Chargin Productions, he served as a senior adviser to Oscar De La Hoya and his staff for most of the past 16 years. Just hours after Chargin's death, one of his fighters, junior bantamweight Alejandro Santiago, put on a spirited effort Chargin would have been proud of as he slugged his way to a split draw challenging world titleholder Jerwin Ancajas for his belt in Oakland, California. It was the kind of crowd-pleasing fight Chargin had a towering reputation for putting on throughout his long career. He was a licensed promoter in California for an astonishing 69 years -- a record -- and earned his nickname of "War a Week" because of the regular exciting scraps he put together during his 20-year run -- 1964 to 1984 -- as the matchmaker at the Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles, where he worked with fellow Hall of Famer Aileen Eaton. Born on June 5, 1928, in San Jose, California, Chargin began boxing in high school, but an arm injury ended his fighting days. But he had the boxing bug. He began working as a coach and eventually moved into matchmaking and promoting in his early 20s. He promoted his first event at age 23 -- Eddie Chavez versus Manuel Ortiz in 1951, in San Jose -- and went on to promote more than 3,000 fights, including Carl "Bobo" Olson-Paddy Young, Jerry Quarry-Jimmy Ellis and Sugar Ramos-Mando Ramos. He was also a co-promoter for the Floyd Mayweather-De La Hoya blockbuster in 2007. Chargin also promoted fights involving boxers such as Muhammad Ali, Julio Cesar Chavez Sr., Jose "Pipino" Cuevas, Lupe Pintor, Roberto Duran, Bobby Chacon, Danny "Little Red" Lopez, Pete Ranzany, Carlos Palomino, Tony Lopez, Loreto Garza, Willie Jorin and Oscar Larios. While Chargin handled the promotional and matchmaking end of the business, his late wife, Lorraine, who was always by his side, took care of much of the business side of things, unusual for a woman in those days in a sport dominated by men. Besides promoting in Southern California, the Chargins also were largely responsible for a boxing boom in the Sacramento area in the 1970s and 1980s. Chargin, of Cambria, California, was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in Canastota, New York, in 2001, while Lorraine, who died at age 79, in 2010, was inducted posthumously this past June, becoming just the second woman to achieve the honor. Don Chargin, who missed her deeply, made the trip to Canastota for her induction, which was the last time he saw so many of the friends he had throughout the sport. "For decades, 'War a Week' Don Chargin was universally known as a titan of promoting and matchmaking," Golden Boy Promotions said in a statement. "His events at the Olympic Auditorium were not to be missed, and along with his wife, Lorraine, he was the linchpin of boxing in California and beyond. But to those of us at Golden Boy Promotions, he was so much more. He was a partner. He was a mentor. And he was a friend. To say Don will be missed doesn't come close to explaining the sadness we all feel today." The International Boxing Hall of Fame announced on Saturday that it would fly its flags at half-staff in Chargin's honor. "Don Chargin dedicated his life to boxing and was highly respected for his tremendous matchmaking and promoting abilities. He made a lasting impact on the sport on the West Coast and beyond," Hall of Fame executive director Edward Brophy said. "Everyone at the Hall of Fame joins the boxing community in mourning his passing and remembering his lifelong contributions to the sport of boxing." When Chargin went to work for the newly founded Golden Boy Promotions as an adviser in the early 2000s, he took Eric Gomez, now the company president, under his wing and helped Gomez become a top matchmaker in his own right. "I came into boxing because of Oscar, but Chargin taught me everything," Gomez said. "He was my mentor and my teacher and my friend. He was almost like a second father to me. I'm glad he is not in pain anymore. He was sick, but I was fortunate to spend some time with him [earlier this month]. I spent the whole day with him. Me and [current Golden Boy matchmaker] Robert Diaz went up to visit him in Cambria, and we were very happy we were able to spend that time with him. "There must have been something he liked about me. I got along great with him and Lorraine. We spent a lot of time together. Daily phone calls, advice at every level. He knew everybody in the business. He kept me out of trouble. He taught me everything about the business. He was such a highly regarded person who everybody in this business respected. He was a very nice man, but he also carried a big stick, and when he had to make a fight happen or he had to make a deal happen, he made it happen." Gomez credited Chargin with being responsible for Golden Boy being able to sign its biggest star: unified middleweight world champion Canelo Alvarez. "When he started with us, he brokered the deal to get us Oscar Larios and Javier Jauregui, who became world champions. That paved the way for our relationship with [Alvarez manager and trainer] Chepo and Eddy Reynoso, and we were eventually able to sign Canelo," Gomez said. Bruce Trampler, the longtime head matchmaker for Top Rank, was one of many with a deep respect for Chargin, whom he first met as a young matchmaker in 1973. Trampler, along with Top Rank matchmaker Brad "Abdul" Goodman and veteran trainer and cutman Miguel Diaz, also went to visit the ailing Chargin about two weeks ago. "To me, he was the West Coast Teddy Brenner, the best of the best," Trampler said, comparing him to the late longtime matchmaker for Madison Square Garden and later Top Rank, where he was one of Trampler's mentors. "[Chargin would tell] wonderful stories of Hollywood in [the] '50s and '60s, movie stars and gangsters. He was great at building talent and developing stars in front of demanding audiences and knowledgeable fight fans week after week. Wonderful person, and Lorraine, of course, was the real boss. Reunited now." Chargin is survived by his son, Don Jr., daughters Jill and Debbie, five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Plans for a memorial service are pending.

Hamzah Sheerez's recent decision showed that a fight like Hagler-Mugabi would never happen today. My latest column (a 'freebie'). You can subscribe to my Substack at stevekimboxing.substack.com #boxing Where Have You Gone Marvin Hagler? stevekimboxing.substack.com/…

this is by far the worst generation of boxers by a good bit. Im not the only one who feels this way

I remember when champions were expected to make difficult and inconvenient title defenses versus mandatory challengers. Now, they just dump titles. The erosion of this once fine sport continues... #boxing

I just watched Salvador Sanchez vs Wilfredo Gomez. My goodness Sanchez was special. He's one of the best fighters ever. Any weight. Any era. Dude could GO!

Happy 68th birthday to the great Wilfred Benitez from all of us here at 20thCB:IM&M!!! From his boxrec bio: Wilfred Benitez was a boxing prodigy. He was an outstanding counter-puncher and a great defensive fighter, which earned him the nickname "El Radar." Benitez defeated Antonio Cervantes by a fifteen-round decision to win the WBA Junior Welterweight Championship on March 6, 1976. At the age of 17 years, 5 months, and 23 days, he became the youngest world champion in boxing history. After two title defenses, Benitez was stripped of the championship on November 28, 1976, for failing to meet a contracted title defense date against Cervantes. Benitez was scheduled to fight Cervantes on December 4, 1976, but he was injured in a car accident, and the WBA refused to allow a postponement. Benitez captured his second world title on January 14, 1979, beating Carlos Palomino by a fifteen-round decision to win the WBC Welterweight Championship. In his first title defense, Benitez defeated Harold Weston by a fifteen-round decision, avenging a ten-round draw with Weston from 1977. Benitez lost the title to Sugar Ray Leonard by a fifteenth-round technical knockout on November 30, 1979. Benitez knocked out Maurice Hope in twelve rounds to win the WBC Super Welterweight Championship on May 23, 1981. He became the first boxer in 43 years to win world titles in three weight divisions. He made two successful title defenses, outpointing Carlos Santos and Roberto Duran over fifteen rounds, then lost the title to Thomas Hearns by a fifteen-round decision on December 3, 1982. Benitez's time as an elite fighter ended when he was in his mid-20s, but he continued to box until the age of 32 and suffered severe brain damage. His condition is called post-traumatic encephalitis. Benitez's elderly mother took care of him until she passed away in 2008. He is now cared for by his sister, Yvonne. His brother, Gregorio Jr., also suffered brain damage as a result of his boxing career. Benitez earned more than $7 million dollars in his career, but the money is now gone. He receives pensions from the Puerto Rican government and the WBC. ---------------------------------------------------------- Excerpts from Chicago Magazine's, in 2023 (I'll post the full article in my FB group), 'The Last Fight of Wilfred Benítez' written by Edward Robert McClelland: SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO, 1976 Wilfred Benítez stands in the middle of a crowded ring at Hiram Bithorn Stadium, one of his home island’s largest venues. He’s wearing a robe with his name stitched on the back, awaiting the judges’ verdict in his junior welterweight title fight against reigning champion Antonio “Kid Pambele” Cervantes of Colombia. For 15 rounds, Benítez displayed the footwork of a salsa dancer and evaded nearly every one of Cervantes’s jabs, showing a defensive acumen that will earn him the nickname El Radar. When the ring announcer declares him the winner in a split decision, Benítez raises his fists in triumph. His cornermen lift him high above the crowd and set a sparkling paper crown on his head. The theme to Chico and the Man, sung by Puerto Rico’s José Feliciano, blares in the stadium. At 17 years old, Benítez has just become the youngest world champion in boxing history — a record that will never be broken, now that 18 is the minimum age for a professional fighter. “I feel happy, because since I was born, I have dedicated all of myself to boxing,” Benítez tells a TV broadcaster as his fans mill around the ring. “I dedicate this fight to Puerto Rico, Colombia, and all the countries that saw this fight. I dedicate it to my mother and especially to my father, who was the one who went through all the trouble for me.” Three years later, in the same stadium, Benítez, who’d moved up in weight classes, would win another title, the welterweight championship, from Carlos Palomino. Howard Cosell, calling the fight for ABC, would praise the victory as “a sterling boxing demonstration.” Benítez, he would say, was “quicker with his hands, quicker with his feet.” In the late 1970s and early 1980s, after the decline of Muhammad Ali, the welterweight and middleweight divisions were the most glamorous and competitive in boxing. They were dominated by the Four Kings: Roberto Durán, Marvin Hagler, Thomas Hearns, and Sugar Ray Leonard. To many boxing fans, though, Benítez was the fifth king. Ten months after defeating Palomino, he lost the title to Leonard, but he beat Durán and went the distance against Hearns. He won championships in three weight divisions. “You couldn’t hit him,” says Johnny Turner, who lost to Benítez by technical knockout in 1980. “You couldn’t touch him. I caught one shot. In the fifth round, I caught him with a perfect right hand. He’s the only guy who ever hurt me in the body. He was throwing body shots.” “A majority of the fighters are just one-dimensional,” (Harold) Weston says. “They know one way of fighting. That’s all they do. Benítez could change up. He could go into a slugfest, then turn into a boxer. Not many fighters can do that.” In his autobiography, The Big Fight: My Life in and out of the Ring, Sugar Ray Leonard related a story about visiting Benítez in a nursing home in Puerto Rico after both of their careers were over. At first, Benítez didn’t recognize Leonard, but as they watched their 1979 bout together, he remembered the man who dealt him his first loss in his 39th fight and took his welterweight belt. “Su … gar, Su … gar,” he said slowly, almost in a whisper, Leonard recounted. “I want … you to know … that I no train for that fight.”

My column on Ryan Garcia's KO victory over Conor Benn. You can subscribe at stevekimboxing.substack.com... #boxing Swift and Decisive stevekimboxing.substack.com/…

How would you like to be Ben Davison since Moses Itauma lost to Filipe Hrgovic, not knowing if the next phone call Davison receives is the call where the caller says "Ben, disappointing, but you won't be training Moses anylonger" It happens that quickly in Boxing.