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On a snowy Friday night with weather projections for the coming hours looking grim, the Blue Horizon never hesitated about going on with their scheduled show. And it turned out to be the right thing. The fights were sizzling, and the weather, although intense, really only started to get worse after show ended. Amazingly, a healthy crowd of die-hards came out to watch the fights on this night when it seemed crazy to be anywhere but home. But those who ventured out were rewarded with good fights and an earlier-than-usual exit, thanks to numerous knockouts, and an uncharacteristically brief speech by promoter Vernoca Michael, which really helped to move the proceedings on to a prompt finish. In the main event, Germantown's USBA junior middleweight champ Derek Ennis, 154 pounds, clashed with Puerto Rican journeyman Edwin Vasquez, 150, in an 8-round non-title bout. Derek jumped out to an early lead, having his way with the action. However in round three... (MORE) |
 
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The first time I ran into Tacony heavyweight Joey Dawejko was at least three years ago. It was at the Veteran Boxers Club in Port Richmond. His trainer Brian McGinley, a former Philly welterweight and a member of the Club, introduced us one night. McGinley told me that Dawejko was the future heavyweight champion of the world. At a glance, it was easy to see that Joey was a fighter. He just had that look. Although small for a heavyweight, he appeared plenty big and powerful. He was a polite, shy kid who didn't say much that night. But he exuded confidence. I asked him how old he was. "16", he said, and then a shy smile spread across his face. It was a smile that surely had surfaced before in similar situations. There must be a look on a middle-aged guy's face when he meets a little kid that 1) can already beat the crap out of him, and 2) is probably going to become the heavyweight boxing champion. The smile crawled across Joey's face. It was shy at first but ended confidently - smug even. You could tell... (MORE) |
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Now that 2010 has begun, it is time to look back at 2009 and announce the nominees for the 3rd annual Briscoe Awards. Last year was another good year for Philly boxing, and we have selected four fighters and four fights as the nominees who will vie for the top award of the local fight scene. Click the "MORE" link at the end of this paragraph to see all eight nominees. Once you have reviewed our description of each, cast your own vote by clicking the "VOTE" link at the bottom of the page. Voting will be kept open for about one month. Once all the votes are cast and tallied, the 2009 winners will be announced right here at Philly Boxing History. The winners will receive their awards in our annual Briscoe Award event in October. So voice your opinion by voting, and be part of this new Philly tradition. Past winners include Steve Cunningham, & Bernard Hopkins. Click this link to see the nominees and to cast your vote. (MORE) |
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Last October at the Blue Horizon, a new Victor Vasquez emerged in his fight with Tyric Robinson. It was a more controlled and stylish Victor Vasquez. He didn't get cut or bruised. He didn't make it hard for himself by giving the blood-thirsty crowd what they came for. He just handled Robinson with more boxing skill than he usually shows and, dare I say, coasted to a near shutout victory. It was exciting to see this young North Philly fighter rise to a new level and wonder about his future. What would be next for this changed man? Hours and hours of tattoo removal? On Friday night at the South Philly Arena... (FULL STORY) |
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It seems that people can't help but chase after the answer to the question "Who was the best ever?". I give them credit. I gave up trying to figure that one out a long time ago. How do you compare two guys from different eras? Do you rank them by their individual impact on the sport or how on a given night they would do against each other? For example, Ali must be the greatest boxer of all time. But could he beat every other boxer in history? I say Ali is the greatest, but Sugar Ray Robinson is probably the best (even though he wasn't from Philly). Boxing scribe Ken Hissner is the latest to tackle this age-old question, but has focused on Philly's best. READ |
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Ring Magazine, known as the "Bible of Boxing", covered October's "Briscoe Awards" event in their January 2010 edition, which is currently on newsstands. The Ring has been very supportive of the various projects and efforts of this web site. And they continued to display that support with a nice piece by Nigel Collins recently published in the "Round One" section of the monthly magazine. The cover story is Oscar's retirement, but we rifled straight to page nine to see the photo of Bernard Hopkins holding his "Briscoe". The story describes the Briscoe Award as "coveted" and lists not only the most recent winners (for 2008 achievements), but also names every past recipient. Truly some good ink for our cause. Check it out. |
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Philadelphia's Eddie Chambers, the #1 contender for the heavyweight championship, will fight Wladimir Klitschko for that title on March 20th. Chambers claimed the top spot in the (WBO) rankings with a 12-round decision over Alexander Dimitrenko in an elimination bout staged in Germany last July. He also beat former champ Sam Peter in 2009, which makes him a leading contender for the Briscoe Award next year. Chambers, 38-1 / 18 KO, will return to Germany for the Klitschko fight, at a venue that has yet to be named. Klitschko, 53-3 / 47 KO, will defend his IBF, WBO, & IBO title collection for the 8th time against "Fast Eddie", who will attempt to become Philly's first heavyweight champ since Tim Witherspoon held the WBA belt in 1986. |
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Editor & Webmaster - John DiSanto |
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Assistant Editor - Chuck Hasson |
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Web site design by Fairhill Street Productions |
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KOs
ABOUND AT
DAWEJKO
MAKES PHILLY RING DEBUT FRIDAY
2009
BRISCOE AWARD NOMINATIONS ARE IN
WELCOME
BACK VICTOR VASQUEZ
WHO
WAS PHILADELPHIA'S GREATEST FIGHTER EVER?
THE
RING COVERS BRISCOE AWARDS
EDDIE
CHAMBERS 
