Boxing News - Jermain Taylor, Evander Holyfield and More!

There’s never a dull moment in boxing. From high-profile bouts to wacky controversies, it’s certainly a sport that generates all kinds of news items. That being said, I thought I would talk briefly about some of the recent events that have boxing fans logging on to blogs and forums by the thousands.

JERMAIN TAYLOR VS. CORY SPINKS

On Saturday, Jermain “Bad Intentions” Taylor put his WBC and WBO Middleweight titles on the line against Cory “Next Generation” Spinks in front of a less-than-sold-out crowd in Memphis, Tennessee. Unfortunately, this fight was dull enough to make a Mormon squirm (not to mention the crowd in attendance).

Spinks danced around like a more-cowardly version of Sugar Ray Leonard in route to a 12-round split decision which favored Taylor. Spinks, of course, referred to the loss as “highway robbery,” even though he helped to effectively kill any momentum which the De La Hoya/Mayweather fight may have given the sport.

Don King’s presence also guaranteed some funny business on the scorecards, a fact which Taylor’s trainer Emanuel Steward seemed more than aware of between rounds. While two judges scored the bout 115-113 and 117-111 for Taylor, judge Dick “I’m Don King’s Bitch” Flaherty actually had the gall to score the bout 117-111 for Spinks.

If you really listen, you can almost hear the sport’s pulse get closer and closer to flatlining.

KELLY PAVLIK VS. EDISON MIRANDA

At least the fans who paid to see Taylor/Spinks got their money’s worth during the undercard when Kelly “The Ghost” Pavlik (#1 contender) took on Edison “Pantera” Miranda (#2 contender) in a furious slugfest.

Pavlik was the clear underdog going into the match, despite his perfect record and higher ranking. Being a bald white boy from Ohio may not have helped him either. Miranda, on the other hand, grew up alone on the tough streets of Colombia and came into the ring a physical specimen. Most expected a tough night for Pavlik. They couldn’t have been more wrong.

From the opening bell, the two traded shots, and Pavlik proved to be the more accurate puncher. He constantly kept Miranda moving backwards, and finally managed to drop him twice in the 6th round. Miranda looked out on his feet, but he answered the count and referee Steve Smoger allowed the action to continue.

But in the 7th round, it was more of the same, and Miranda soon found himself tasting canvas again. The ref mercifully stopped the bout at 1:54 of the 7th, improving Pavlik’s record to a perfect 31-0 (28 KO’s) and possibly setting up a match with Jermain Taylor.

WAS GEORGE FOREMAN DRUGGED?

A lot of shady storied surround Muhammad Ali fights, and here’s the latest. In his recent book, “God in My Corner,” former champ George Foreman stated that he may have been drugged just prior to his October 30th, 1974 title fight against Ali in Zaire.

Foreman was a heavy favorite to beat Ali, but Ali employed the now-famous “rope-a-dope” strategy of leaning against the ropes and deflecting or absorbing Foreman’s brutal body shots. As the champ tired in the heat of Africa, Ali turned up the pressure and knocked him out in the 8th round.

But before the fight, Foreman says that his trainer gave him something to drink that tasted like medicine.

"I almost spit it out ... [I told my trainer] 'Man, I know this water has medicine in it,'" Foreman wrote. "I climbed into the ring with that medicinal taste still lingering in my mouth."

"After the third round, I was as tired as if I had fought 15 rounds. What's going on here? Did someone slip a drug in my water?"

Who knows what really happened? But add this controversy to the Sonny Liston rematch (among others), and you have to wonder if Ali was really as great a boxer as history makes him out to be.

PACQUIAO LOSES BID FOR CONGRESS

On Sunday, Filipino boxing sensation Manny Pacquiao conceded defeat in his effort to win a congressional seat in his native country. He was beaten by Darlene Custodio, who said that her countrymen weren’t ready for their country’s greatest sports icon to retire.

Pacquiao urged Custodio and other winning candidates to “make good on their promises to help the poor.”

“If that happens,” said Pac-Man, “I would be happy. It would be like a victory for me.”

THE MOST STUBBORN MAN ON THE PLANET

Despite his eroding skills and eroding brain capacity, Evander Holyfield just will not give up on his dream to retire as the Heavyweight champ. The 44-year-old fighter has announced that his next fight will be against the always beatable Lou Savarese (who didn’t even bother to attend the press conference).

Demonstrating that his brain is already mush, Holyfield graced reporters with this Yogi Berra-like wisdom: “Age ain’t nothing but a number.”

Holyfield has tons of money in the bank, yet he continues to risk permanent brain damage by fighting. There’s a reason why all his latest fights have been in Texas - it’s because most states will no longer give him a boxing license. This one is not going to have a happy ending.

For more boxing news, check out the following articles:

Diego Corrales Killed in Auto Accident

Results for De La Hoya vs. Mayweather

Boxing News - Jermain Taylor, Evander Holyfield and More!