When a boxer answers every pre-fight question with “well, if the cut’s don’t open up” then you know the fight is going to be interesting and bloody. Such was the case in the ESPN2’s Friday Night Fights junior welterweight main event between Oakland native Juaquin Gallardo and Venezuelan Patrick Lopez. Gallardo was the aforementioned bleeder; he had had cuts open in four of his last six fights. His Scranton experience held to form.
After a clash of heads in the fifth a cut opened to the right of Gallardo’s nose. Despite the streaming blood Juaquin moved forward impervious to the …read more

Something was different about ESPN2’s Friday Night Fights. I was relaxed. I was soothed. I wasn’t stressed. I didn’t change the channel. I wasn’t yelling “please stop talking” at the television. The mute button was not engaged. What was the difference? The increasingly annoying team of Joe Tessitore and Teddy Atlas was replaced last night with the always excellent Brian Kenny and ex-heavyweight champ and Transporter 2 actor Shannon Briggs.
I’m not denying Teddy Atlas’ extensive knowledge or his boxing acumen. He’s a likable guy who every five minutes forgets more about boxing than I’ll ever know. My main …read more