JE Grant ... at The Sweet Science

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Features by JE Grant

	[Jan 3, 2006] Top 25 Heavyweights (As of January 1, 2006) Historians may someday look back on 2005 and say that it was the beginning of a shift in dominance from American heavyweights.

	[Dec 17, 2005] Ruiz-Valuev: A titlist in the wilderness comes upon a giant The fight between John Ruiz and Russian Nicolay Valuev was considered a non-US televised sideshow.

	[Dec 8, 2005] Ikeke vs. Abraham: The middleweight title fight you didn't know about Let's focus on the relative worthiness of Abraham-Ikeke to be in a title contest, starting with an evaluation of the IBF's ratings.

	[Dec 5, 2005] Audley Harrison: The complete package or completely packaged? In the current crop of heavyweights there are four belt holders and a series of mandatory contenders.

	[Dec 1, 2005] Top 25 Heavyweights (As of December 1, 2005) The sudden departure from the scene by Vitali Klitschko has just as suddenly generated interest in a unification series.

	[Nov 27, 2005] Hitman Hatton unifies belts, looks toward mega bouts Junior welterweight champion Ricky Hatton stormed through Carlos Maussa to unify the IBF and WBA belts.

	[Nov 22, 2005] WBC makes Toney mandatory in bizarre ruling Do you want to know how much the WBC's heavyweight ratings are worth? Look at their latest stunt concerning James Toney.

	[Nov 20, 2005] Mayweather powers past Mitchell, wants the big names next Floyd Mayweather continued his campaign along the way to greatness with a sixth round stoppage of Sharmba Mitchell.

	[Nov 19, 2005] "Bad" Chad Dawson cuts down The Cobra "Bad" Chad Dawson scored an 11th round KO over Ian "The Cobra" Gardner to win the vacant NABO super middleweight title.

	[Nov 16, 2005] Mayweather-Mitchell: Pretty Boy seeks to put his mastery on display Floyd Mayweather engages Sharmba Mitchell Saturday night. Mitchell is still smarting from his blowout loss to Kostya Tszyu in November 2004.

	[Nov 14, 2005] Hasim Rahman: Twice to the pinnacle Having faced Lennox Lewis, David Tua, Evander Holyfield, Corrie Sanders and John Ruiz Rahman has won some and lost more at the top.

	[Nov 10, 2005] Vitali Klitschko: A titlist cut short Injuries, first a hamstring pull and then surgery for a back problem, forced delays in Vitali Klitschko's mandatory defense against the Rock. His...

[Nov 9, 2005]
Maskaev vs. Sam: The other heavyweight fight
The fight between Oleg Maskaev and Sinan Samil Sam will take place in Germany in what is being billed as a WBC eliminator.  More ...

[Nov 6, 2005]
Lacy crushes Pemberton, calls out Calzaghe
Jeff Lacy successfully defended his IBF super middleweight title with a brutal second round knockout over outgunned Scott Pemberton.  More ...

[Nov 5, 2005]
Powell outlasts Ter-Meliksetian; Green scores stunning KO
Powell captured a ten-round unanimous decision over Archak Ter-Meliksetian in the main event on ShoBox Friday night.  More ...

[Nov 1, 2005]
Top 25 Heavyweights (As of November 1, 2005)
We had some activity among the fighters at the bottom of the list. Most notably, Jameel McCline fell big with a loss to Zuri Lawrence.  More ...

[Oct 26, 2005]
Antonio Tarver and the Euro champs
From the moment Tarver captured the light heavyweight belts vacated by Roy Jones, he seemed intent on battling the best.  More ...

[Oct 22, 2005]
Tua reclaims contender status; McCline drops decision
Tua escaped with a split decision over Salif to advance in the division. Despite the split verdict, he appeared to clearly overtake Salif.  More ...

[Oct 12, 2005]
Chico Corrales: Loser and still champion
When Diego "Chico" Corrales and Jose Luis Castillo created a masterpiece in May, it was abundantly clear that once would not be enough.  More ...

[Oct 10, 2005]
What the alphabets are doing to boxing's glamour division
Sanctioning bodies, boxing magazines, and guys at your local tavern will never agree with precision on a firm top ten.  More ...

[Oct 2, 2005]
Toney shines; Byrd gains win in snorefest in Reno
James Toney used his full repertoire to gain a clear-cut decision over Dominick Guinn and put himself squarely in the championship picture.  More ...

[Oct 1, 2005]
Tarver-Jones III: History is on the line in Tampa
The winner of 23 title fights in four weight divisions, his fights were canvases on which the master performed his art.  More ...

[Sep 29, 2005]
Top 25 Heavyweights (As of October 1, 2005)
Chris Byrd defends his IBF belt against DaVarryl Williamson; Nicolay Valuev tussles with Larry Donald for the right to face John Ruiz.  More ...

[Sep 27, 2005]
Brewster defends against Krasniqi just in case you didn't know
You won't find it on pay-per-view, HBO or Showtime, or even ESPN2. It will appear only on German television. What gives?  More ...

[Sep 18, 2005]
Barrera pounds Peden, unifies 130-pound belts
Marco Antonio Barrera scored a resoundingly clear 12 round decision over Robbie Peden to unify the WBC and IBF 130-pound titles.  More ...

[Sep 11, 2005]
Raheem upsets Morales; major rematch with Pacquiao scotched
Zahir Raheem thoroughly dominated a confused and frustrated boxing superstar Erik Morales, capturing a twelve round decision.  More ...

[Sep 10, 2005]
What world are you living in Joe Calzaghe?
Calzaghe puzzles boxing fans with his odd opponent choices, all the while wondering why he doesn't get enough respect.  More ...

[Sep 9, 2005]
Klitschko Peter, the year's most important non-title bout
All the talk about the upcoming Wladimir Klitschko Sam Peter fight will not do justice to the relative magnitude of this non-title fight.  More ...

[Sep 7, 2005]
Top 25 Heavyweights (As of September 1, 2005)
There was plenty of heavyweight action this month, though in some cases the word 'action' is used very loosely.  More ...

[Aug 21, 2005]
Vargas overtakes Castillejo, wins unanimous decision
In uncharacteristically workmanlike fashion, Fernando Vargas scored a clear ten round decision victory over Javier Castillejo.  More ...

[Aug 16, 2005]
Is Calzaghe looking for a way out of Lacy unification?
Joe Calzaghe is having second thoughts about meeting Jeff Lacy in what was supposed to be his long-awaited, career-defining unification fight.  More ...

[Aug 14, 2005]
Rahman Decisions Barrett; Wins Right to Face Klitschko
Hasim Rahman won a decision over Monte Barrett and with it the WBC interim heavyweight title and the right to face Vitali Klitschko.  More ...

[Aug 7, 2005]
Lacy Destroys Reid in Tampa; Calzaghe Next?
With four knockdowns of the previously steel-chinned Reid, Jeff Lacy serves notice to the division that his power is real.  More ...

[Aug 4, 2005]
Top 25 Heavyweights (As of August 1, 2005)
The fight blogs are full of invective lamenting the current state of the division and its supposed lack of talented contenders.  More ...

[Jul 24, 2005]
Fifteen Rounds Reexamined
After the Hopkins-Taylor fight, debates raged as to the scoring of round 12, the inactivity of Hopkins in the first half of the fight, or how Taylor faded down the stretch.  More ...

[Jul 17, 2005]
Taylor Beats Hopkins New Era Begins
Jermain Taylor captured a split-decision win over defending champion Bernard Hopkins in Las Vegas Saturday night.  More ...

[Jul 13, 2005]
Court Denies Klitschko IBF Title Shot
Wladimir Klitschko lost his court fight to be installed as the next contender for the IBF heavyweight title yesterday.  More ...

[Jul 9, 2005]
Augustus Cruises Past Oliviera
Augustus is as entertaining as any mid-level fighter in the business, but his record suggests that over the years he has not fulfilled substantial promise.  More ...

[Jul 6, 2005]
Ian Gardner Posts Easy Decision
Middleweight Ian Gardner cruised to a shutout ten-round decision over Mohamad Said, never leaving any doubt about any round in Boston, Mass. Tuesday night.  More ...

[Jul 4, 2005]
Top 25 Heavyweights (As of July 1, 2005)
I reminded those who emailed me about the Europeans not being given enough credit that the Klitschko brothers are indeed European.  More ...

[Jul 3, 2005]
Samuel Peter Butchers Taurus Sykes
Samuel Peter added the NABA belt to his trinket collection with a resounding second round knockout of Brooklyn's Taurus "The Bull" Sykes.  More ...

[Jul 2, 2005]
George Khalid Jones wins USBA light-heavy belt with controversial nod over Freddy Moore
The bout was stopped due to an accidental headbutt in round eight.  More ...

[Jun 27, 2005]
Former top contender Maskaev powers past Castillo
Oleg Maskaev scored a 3rd round knockout over Livin Castillo in Atlantic City's Trump Taj Mahal Friday night.  More ...

[Jun 25, 2005]
Floyd Mayweather Toys With Gatti in AC
Floyd Mayweather forced defending WBC super lightweight champion Arturo Gatti's trainer Buddy McGirt to stop their fight after 6 rounds.  More ...

[Jun 20, 2005]
Ruiz May Face McBride Stop This "Colossal" Disaster Before It Begins
The boxing media is abuzz with the prospect of Kevin McBride facing John Ruiz.  More ...

[Jun 19, 2005]
Tarver Recaptures Light Heavyweight Crown
Antonio Tarver reclaimed his perch high atop the light heavyweight division, with a clear though hard-fought decision over Glen Johnson.  More ...

[Jun 13, 2005]
Cotto's skill, poise lead him past Abdullaev
Miguel Cotto stopped his Olympic nemesis Mohammad Abdullaev in nine rounds to successfully defend his WBO belt Saturday night.  More ...

[Jun 12, 2005]
Briggs Continues Win Streak
Former lineal heavyweight champion Shannon Briggs crunched Ghanian Abraham Okine, in 3 rounds of a scheduled 10 in Verona, New York Friday night.  More ...

[Jun 9, 2005]
Top 25 Heavyweights
Today we are experiencing an unprecedented delay in discovering the predominant heavyweight following the retirement of the consensus champion Lennox Lewis.  More ...

[Jun 4, 2005]
Harrison Blows Past Brodie
Scotland's Scott Harrison easily defended his WBO featherweight belt with a fourth round stoppage of Michael Brodie, in Brodie's hometown of Manchester, England.  More ...

[May 30, 2005]
The State of the Heavyweights: Clearing the Crossroad
In the midst of the most muddled heavyweight picture in many years, it's easy to write off the current crop of big men.  More ...

[May 21, 2005]
Brewster-Golota: A struggle for a backwater title
Saturday night boxing fans will witness another in a string of heavyweight "championship" fights held this year.  More ...

[May 17, 2005]
Golota Gets Another Chance Where Will It Lead?
When Andrew Golota fights, few members of the viewing public watch for the accuracy of his jab or the crispness of his straight right.  More ...

[May 4, 2005]
Boxing's Lifeblood The Big Fights
Professional boxing is a maze of sanctioning bodies, promoters, and government overseers in an international, year-round sport. It endures because of the big fight.  More ...

[May 2, 2005]
Toney Once More to the Well Once More a Champion
James Toney had no business winning the WBA heavyweight title in Madison Square Garden Saturday night.  More ...

[Apr 26, 2005]
The New Cruiserweight Division
All cruiserweights fighting today should give a note of thanks to Jean-Marc Mormeck and Wayne Braithwaite. The two put on a quality fight which led to the first unified champion in years.  More ...

[Apr 24, 2005]
Jeff Lacy vs. Robin Reid A Bump on Lacy's Road to Greatness
Jeff Lacy appears to have the skills, the motivation and the willingness to put it on the line against the best in the business.  More ...