Don't Sleep on "My-Time"! Pride of Reading, PA faces biggest test

By Chris Mealey

Heavyweight boxing in America just may takeover and once again be spectated as the the most vital essence of the sport, as we lead up to the anticipated main event on December 1st between WBC World Champion Deontay Wilder and the undefeated Lineal Heavyweight Champion Tyson Fury, live from Staples Center in Los Angeles. However, the opening bout for this venue appears to be "under the radar," but still a bout that's actually a stellar matchup in the same division of the towering giants.

We're talking about two men who have delivered entertainment through thrill, undoubtable grit, and excitement in their most recent bouts to say the least. Two warriors that will raise the blinds this weekend. The Cuban boxer Luis "King Kong" Ortiz and Travis "My Time" Kauffman from Reading, Pennsylvania bring a lot of energy to kick off the fights this weekend for various reasons. Ortiz, recently coming off a KO loss to current WBC Champion Wilder on March 3rd, had provided Wilder with all he could handle, virtually winning every round of the fight until dramatically failing to rise from a haymaker in round 10. The ferocious, yet tactical, Kauffman may be considered one of the most under looked opponents, as Ortiz eyes a rematch with Wilder in the event he defeats Tyson Fury.

Travis Kauffman is known for his undeniable heart and alluring adjustments, most recently against Scott Alexander and more notable boxers consist in - Chris Arreola and a fight of the year candidate with Amir Mansour. It is worth noting that the victory over Scott came after a 15 month layoff, followed by the close thriller with Mansour. On top of the ring rust, Kauffman proceeded to emerge victorious over Alexander, who he had little time to prepare for as his original opponent Antonio Tarver failed a drug test.

A lot of boxing fans tend to underestimate certain matchups, and professional fighters are no different. Luis Ortiz has made it very clear that he is eyeing up a second go against Wilder, but that may be his biggest mistake, as he has the big man from Reading, Pennsylvania in his way. fans of late and to this current era have experienced dramatic shifts in the art of pugilism, and we may well be witnessing another ruffle in the dynamic, most iconic, and legendary division - the heavyweights.

Ortiz is the favorite, Kauffman the dark horse. The most certain aspect revolving around Travis Kauffman and Luis Ortiz is that they will entertain and provide the spectators with lightning, thunder, and dynamic action to open the first adequate heavyweight boxing card in many years.

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Fury vs. Wilder: Is it Worth $74.99?

By Steve Ward

This Saturday the Staples Center in Los Angeles will play host to what many boxing pundits have tabbed the fight of the year…of course I’m referring to Tyson Fury (27-0, 19 KOs) vs. Deontay Wilder (40-0, 39 KOs) with the Bronze Bomber’s WBC title on the line. The pay-per-view broadcast presented by Showtime (so at least we’ll have an elite broadcast team) will be composed of four fights. Aside from the main event, the card will also feature Jarrett Hurd vs. Jason Wellborn in a super welterweight clash, as well as, two heavyweight bouts that will feature Luis “King Kong” Ortiz vs. Travis Kauffman and Joe Joyce vs. Joe Hanks.

The main event certainly has several captivating narratives to explore. First we’ll take a look at Wilder. There’s no denying his imposing stature and explosive power which have carried him to 39 KOs in his 40 bouts but when you dig a little deeper I will dare to play devil’s advocate and ask the question, “Is his record really that impressive?” Wilder’s resume is not exactly a "who’s who" of heavyweight talent and the current landscape is by no means what one would label a "golden age of heavyweights" as the division is devoid of fighters that have the charisma and talent of such greats like Tyson, Holyfield, Lewis, and Foreman, just to name a few.

Wilder didn’t face any real adversity until he faced Bermane Stiverne to earn the WBC title in underwhelming fashion by unanimous decision, and unfortunately when Stiverne was finally granted a rematch, he was out of shape and quite frankly appeared disinterested in fighting as he was knocked out in round one. After the fight, Wilder celebrated over Stiverne in a poor display of sportsmanship like he had just won the gold medal…oh wait, he never did that.

Wilder followed this performance with a fight against Luis Ortiz that I found, quite frankly, to be frustrating to watch. Ortiz was clearly the more refined boxer and one could make the argument that when he had Wilder asleep on his feet late in the fight, the ref probably would have stopped the fight had he been in the ring with anyone else. Essentially with Wilder, you have a fighter who’s not going to box, is constantly going to drop his guard and stick his chin out, but will also lull his opponent into a false sense of security, and then use his power to put you away with one well placed shot.

On the other hand we have the eccentric “Gypsy King” Tyson Fury who is entering his third fight of 2018 following a two and a half year layoff-a layoff filled with the type of activities that would make my esteemed colleague Justin Dohnson proud. (The same Justin Dohnson who once shared a Tecate-fueled night of debauchery at a fight in Cabazon with Matt Ward and me, where he delighted our fellow fight fans as he serenaded his favorite Corona ring girl with a vivid narrative of what their life together could/would be-ranging from their house with a white picket fence to their impressive 401k plans.)

When we examine Fury’s resume it is mostly reminiscent of Wilder’s except for one glaring difference. Fury can boast one thing Wilder cannot and that is he stood toe-to-toe with Wladimir Klitschko, a man who along with his brother Vitaly, absolutely dominated the heavyweight division for well over a decade and took his titles. While this was three years ago, it is still a testament to what Fury is capable of when he is focused. Tyson Fury appears to be in phenomenal shape for this fight, matches Wilder in stature (he actually has two inches in height on him), is deceivingly quick, and he can box. While many are picking Wilder as the clear favorite, I personally think if this is the Tyson Fury who defeated Klitschko and Dereck Chisora, then he has a legitimate chance to leave L.A. as the new heavyweight champ.

As we continue our in depth cost benefit analysis of this pay-per-view’s price, we’ll take a brief look at the undercard. Jarrett Hurd is another fighter I find frustrating to watch. Hurd, much like Wilder, does not believe in utilizing much defense but there is no arguing that he has a cast iron chin-one that was prominently displayed when he was outboxed by Austin Trout who eventually wore himself out as he threw everything at Hurd for ten rounds with Hurd seemingly unfazed. Hurd will take his frosted tips into a contest with the lesser known Jason Welborn from the UK.

King Kong Ortiz will also appear on the pay-per-view telecast in his third fight of the year against the gritty Travis Kauffman with the winner potentially vaulting himself into the title shot conversation. The last fight on the pay-per-view will pit the 2016 British Olympic silver medalist Joe Joyce against Joe Hanks-who you know is going to be tough because he’s from the mean streets of Newark, New Jersey.

Now for a few gripes I hold with the event. The returns of Chris Arreola and Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero have been advertised for the card, however, neither will be featured on the pay-per-view telecast. Additionally, Showtime will be airing a pre-pay-per-view warm-up of sorts with what was originally advertised as a split site event. One of the bouts featuring Adonis Stevenson fighting in Canada and the other originally scheduled as Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. vs. Alfredo “El Perro” Angulo. Unfortunately, Chavez backed out of the fight earlier this week on the advice of his legendary father leaving Angulo to fight the equivalent of a WWE enhancement talent in Eduardo Flores (26-30-4, 15 KOs)-and no shocker here, this fight will not be featured on Showtime now.

Now we revisit the question, “Is this fight worth $74.99?” Well that depends…if you are a boxing head chomping at the bit to watch a heavyweight clash with a big fight feel reminiscent of those supplied by Mike Tyson in his heyday, then perhaps you could spend $1.75 instead and rent Iron Mike’s new feature film The China Salesman co-starring Steven Seagal (yes, this is a real thing…see Matt Ward’s feature on it).

Or maybe you would find $74.99 better spent on a front row seat for Justin Dohnson squaring off in an old school 16 round grudge match with his estranged twin brother Brian Scalabrine? If that doesn’t suit you, then perhaps you could be enticed by Matt Ward making his House of Hardcore debut as the son of Akeem with his manager Luis Cortes at his side. All joking aside, who am I to say if $74.99 is worth it? After all, Magna Media didn’t find your favorite West Coast correspondent for The Weigh-In worthy of a media credential. Nonetheless, this card should play a significant role in molding the heavyweight division moving forward and perhaps determine the next opponent for Anthony Joshua. The pay-per-view start time will be 9 p.m. ET, 6 p.m PT, and 7 p.m. AZ and in case you missed it, the price is $74.99.

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Ladies and Gentlemen, the Atlantic City Boxing Hall of Fame Class of 2019

By Matt Ward

Next June, another class of Atlantic City boxing royalty will be honored in the city by the sea. The 2019 class of the Atlantic City Boxing Hall of Fame, which was recently announced by ACBHOF President Ray McCline, will honor a 19 inductee class which includes eight former fighters, two trainers and cut men, and nine special contributors who had a lasting impact on Atlantic City's rich boxing history.

The last two induction weekends have been nothing short of fantastic, and have provided fans of the sweet science with the opportunity to interact with boxing stars over the course of three days of festivities and events. We anticipate that this year's induction weekend will exceed all expectations with yet another great class of inductees entering the ACFBHOF.

If the following list doesn't get you excited for next year's induction weekend, I don't know what will! 

The Fighters

Bernard Hopkins - If you have followed professional boxing over the last 30 years, you should be familiar with this former world champion from Philadelphia. Hopkins fought up to the "ripe old age" of 51, and up until his retirement in 2016, was still considered in boxing circles to be a contender for the world light heavyweight title. "The Executioner," and later "The Alien," fought against a "who's who" list of top notch fighters in the middleweight and light heavyweight divisions over the course of his long career including Roy Jones Jr., Glen Johnson, Simon Brown, Félix Trinidad, Oscar De La Hoya, Jermain Taylor, Antonio Tarver, Winky Wright, Joe Calzaghe, Kelly Pavlik, Jean Pascal, Chad Dawson, Tarvoris Cloud, Karo Murat, Sergey Kovalev, and Joe Smith Jr. The future International Boxing Hall of Famer fought a number of professional bouts in Atlantic City, which at times served as his home away from home in nearby Philadelphia. A particularly notable victory in A.C. came on June 10, 2006 when then 41-year-old Hopkins defeated Antonio Tarver for the IBO and The Ring World Light Heavyweight titles. Hopkins retired from boxing with a remarkable record of 55 wins, eight losses, and two draws.

Virgil Hill Sr. - Hill first caught the attention of the boxing world as an amateur when he competed in the 1984 Olympic Games for the United States, and won the silver medal as a middleweight. Following his stellar performance in the Olympic Gamers, Hill turned professional and fought as a light heavyweight and cruiserweight from 1984 to 2007, before making a comeback to the ring in 2015. Over the course of his hall of fame career, Hill stacked up an impressive record of 51 wins and seven losses. A major career highlight came on September 5. 1987 in Atlantic City, when he defeated Leslie Stewart by TKO for the WBA World Light Heavyweight Title. Hill went on to defend his title ten times before losing it to boxing legend Thomas "Hitman" Hearns in 1991. He later recaptured this title in 1992 with a victory over Frank Tate, and successfully defended his belt ten more times between 1992 and 1997. On the tail end of his career, Hill also won the IBC and WBA titles in the cruiserweight division. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2013. Hill, a longtime resident of Atlantic County, New Jersey, has several ties with the Atlantic City boxing community. Along with winning his first and final world titles in A.C., Hill also worked out in area gyms, and had ACBHOF President and trainer, Ray McCline, work his corner for a number of bouts. 

Kevin Watts - Pleasantville, New Jersey's Kevin Watts fought professionally from 1983 to 1993. The middleweight fighter who went by the alias, "Killer," compiled an impressive record of 23 wins, seven defeats, and one draw, and fought all but five of these contests in front of his hometown fans. Watts had victories over Tyrone Frazier, John Scully, Tony Thornton, and Steve Darnell. He held the USBA and NABF Middleweight Titles during his ten year career. 

Iran Barkley - If you have found yourself in attendance at just about any of the boxing banquets, ceremonies, or commemoration events in the last few years throughout the tristate area, there is no doubt in my mind that you have run into Iran "The Blade" Barkley. In recent years, Iran, a fan favorite in and out of the ring, has become somewhat of an ambassador for the sport throughout the Mid-Atlantic states. Barkley, a native of the Bronx, is best known as the man who defeated Thomas Hearns for the WBC World Middleweight Title in 1988. The tough middleweight also got into the ring with a number of other notable pro fighters including, Roberto Durán, Michael Nunn, Nigel Benn, James Toney, and Trevor Berbick. Barkley is no stranger to Atlantic City, having fought his professional debut and 12 ensuing fights in the city. Between 1982 and 1999 he stacked up 43 victories, 27 of which came by way of knockout.

John Brown - John Brown made his professional debut at Trump Castle in Atlantic City on June 8, 1989. This was the first of many appearances that the super featherweight contender made in front of his hometown fans leading up to his retirement from the sport in 2011. Brown fought Sugar Shane Mosley for the IBF World Lightweight Title in 1999. This was the first of four world title shots that the "Eastern Beast" had in the lightweight and super featherweight divisions during his long career. Brown retired after winning 24 of his 46 professional contests. 

Roberto Durán Sr. - If you never heard of Roberto Durán, you probably would not be reading this article! Durán had 119 professional fights between 1968 and 2001. One hundred and three of those fights were victories, with 70 (yes, you read that right) coming by way of knockout. The Panamanian, who was known as "Hands of Stone," was a world champion in four different weight classes. His resume of victories include wins over hall of famers Ken Buchanan, Carlos Palomino, and José Cuevas. Durán was the subject of the 2016 film "Hands of Stone." He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2007. 

Micky Ward - Between 1985 and 2003, "Irish" Micky Ward fought 22 of his 51 professional fights in Atlantic City. Two of these contests were part of his legendary trilogy against Arturo Gatti in 2002 and 2003. The 2003 contest was named The Ring magazine fight of the year. The two wars fought between Ward and Gatti in Atlantic City were so popular with fans that a banner now hangs in Boardwalk Hall commemorating the fights. The Lowell, Massachusetts native was a light welterweight contender during his career and held the WBU Intercontinental Light Welterweight Title.

Tim Witherspoon Sr. - Tim Witherspoon is a former world heavyweight champion who fought professionally from 1979 to 2003. He captured the WBC World Heavyweight Title with a victory over Greg Page in 1984, and the WBA World Heavyweight Title by defeating Tony Tubbs in 1986. He faced several notable heavyweights during his career including Alfonso Ratliff, Renaldo Snipes, Larry Holmes, James Tillis, Frank Bruno, James "Bonecrusher" Smith, James Pritchard, Al Cole, Andrew Golota, Brian Nielsen, and Lou Savarese. He was inducted into the New Jersey Boxing Hall of Fame and Pennsylvania Boxing Hall of Fame in 2008. He is the father of lightweight fighter Time Witherspoon Jr. and the cousin of heavyweight fighter Chazz Witherspoon. 

Trainers & Cut-Men 

Ace Marotta - A fighter's best friend can be his or her cut man. One of the top cut men in the history of the fight game is Ace Marotta. The Totowa, New Jersey native worked with some of boxing's biggest names, and gained notoriety as manager Lou Duva's official cut man. Marotta worked with many world champions during his career including  Rocky Lockridge, Johnny Bumphus, Livingston Bramble, Sean O’Grady, Davey Moore, Mike McCollum, Ayub Kulule, Evander Holyfield, and Mark Breland. Marotta was inducted into the New Jersey Boxing Hall of Fame in 1987. 

English "Bouie" Fisher - Bouie Fisher was a boxing coach who is most often associated with former world champion, Bernard Hopkins, who he trained from 1989 to 2002, and again from 2003 to 2005. Fisher was awarded the 2001 Eddie Futch-John F.X. Condon Award (top trainer of the year) from the Boxing Writers' Association of America. Fisher passed away in 2011 at the age of 83. He was inducted posthumously into the New Jersey Boxing Hall of Fame in 2015. 

Special Contributors 

Ronald "Butch" Lewis - Butch Lewis was a boxing manager and promoter, who is best know for serving as the manager of professional fighters, Leon and Michael Spinks. He promoted a number of fights, many of which were held in Atlantic City, between 1979 and 1996. He died on July 23, 2011 at the age of 65-years-old at his home in Bethany Beach, Delaware. 

Bobby Goodman - Bobby Goodman was a boxing matchmaker, publicist and promoter who currently resides in South Jersey. As a promoter, Goodman planned events for Main Bout, Bob Arum’s Top Rank and Don King Productions. He managed world champions Bob Foster and Ken Norton. In the early 1970's, Goodman joined Don King Promotions where he served as Director of Boxing. In this role, he promoted numerous major boxing events including the “Rumble in the Jungle” between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman; the “Thrilla in Manila” between Ali and Joe Frazier; The “Sunshine Showdown” with George Foreman and Joe Frazier, and the two fights between Roberto Duran and Sugar Ray Leonard. He later worked with Roy Jones, Jr.’s Square Ring Promotions. Goodman was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2009. 

Stan Hoffman - Stan Hoffman was a boxing manager who advised and/or promoted 38 world champions during nearly 50 years working in the boxing industry. Notable fighters who he worked with during his career included Iran Barkley, James Toney, Michael Benntt, and Hasim Rahman. He was inducted into the New York State Boxing Hall of Fame in 2017. 

Nigel Collins - Nigel Collins is a respected, veteran boxing journalist from Pennsylvania. Before turning to boxing journalism, Collins boxed in the U.S. Army and managed fighters. Collins currently serves as a boxing writer for ESPN and is the former editor-in-chief of The Ring, KO, and World Boxing magazines. Collins is also the author of the 1990 book, Boxing Babylon. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2015.

Henry Hascup - Hascup is the long-time chairman of the New Jersey Boxing Hall of Fame. A highly respected boxing historian, Hascup is also known as the uncrowned king of sports information. Sports writers and historians from around the country have sought out Hascup for his extensive sports knowledge. Hascup is a familiar face in the local boxing scene, having served as an MC and ring announcer for numerous regionally and nationally broadcasted boxing shows. Hascup is active in the Veteran Boxers Association (VBA)-Ring 8 in New York City and the International Boxing Research Organization (IBRO). He was inducted into the New Jersey Boxing Hall of Fame in 2010.

Jimmy Binns Sr. - Jimmy Binns has arguably the most interesting and diverse resume out of the 2019 Atlantic City Boxing Hall of Fame class. Binns, a high-profile lawyer from the City of Brotherly Love, served as legal counsel for the WBA, was the head of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission, and represented Rocky Balboa in the film Rocky V. As if that wasn't enough, Binns graduated at the top of his class from the Municipal Police Academy at Delaware Community College in 2013 at the age of 74-years-old. 

Tom Kaczmarek - "Tommy Kaye" has been a fixture in the world of boxing since he first stepped foot in the ring as an amateur in 1946. Between 1947 and 1949, he fought as a professional and compiled a record of 11 wins, five losses, and three draws. After stepping away from fighting, Kaczmarek became a boxing judge who judged thousands of matches, including hundreds of world and regional title bouts, before retiring in 2010. He was inducted into the New Jersey Boxing Hall of Fame in 1994. He is the author of You Be the Boxing Judge!: Judging Professional Boxing for the TV Boxing Fan. 

Tony Orlando Jr. - The Elizabeth, New Jersey native has worn many hats in the boxing industry beginning with his days as an amateur boxer including referee, judge, and chairman. Orlando started off as a referee in the amateur ranks, before transitioning to professional boxing in 1981. He served as a referee for numerous world title fights including the 1987 World Heavyweight Title fight between Mike Tyson and Tyrell Biggs in Atlantic City. Orlando currently serves as the Chairman of the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board. Along with his career in boxing, he worked as a fire fighter in the Elizabeth Fire Department. Orlando was inducted into the New Jersey Boxing Hall of Fame in 1991. 

Rhonda Utley-Herring - Rhonda Utley-Herring has served as the Deputy Commissioner of the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board since 2015. A native of Trenton, New Jersey, she has been involved in the state's boxing community since 1980 when she landed an intern position in the New Jersey Office of the State Athletic Commissioner. As a member of the commission, she has played an instrumental role in a number of initiatives that have improved the sport of boxing across the Garden State. She holds degrees from Rider University and Rutgers University-Newark. She was inducted into the New Jersey Boxing Hall of Fame in 2004.

Stay tuned to The Weigh-In over the next few months as we provide further coverage on the dates, times, and locations of events associated with this outstanding boxing weekend, as well as information on ticket sales.

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If Mike Tyson made an action film and no one watched it, did it really happen?

By Matt Ward

Well this happened in 2017... Mike Tyson, Dong-Xue Li (Who?), and Steven Seagal in "China Salesman." 

We here at The Weigh-In would have had no idea that the former Undisputed Heavyweight Champion made a feature film with everyone's favorite Russian citizen (other than Roy Jones Jr.), Steven Seagal, if it had not been for our resident cinephile, Steve Ward.

Even the People's Redhead missed this one, and that guy watches every piece of shit film that is posted on Netflix and Hulu. 

If you are interested in previewing this "cinematic gem" before parting ways with your hard-earned $3.99 to rent it on YouTube, click on the below link for the trailer: 

"China Salesman" Official Trailer

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Creed II is a Must See

Finally! The real People’s Red Head has come back to The Weigh-In!

With the holiday season underway, good movies get released. Creed II is no exception to the holiday movie release rule. The People’s Redhead went and saw it on opening day, and it is fantastic.

DISCLOSURE:  No spoilers below, but even if there were, shut the fuck up and quit bitching!

Creed II starts off by highlighting the success of Adonis Johnson (aka Adonis Creed), played by Michael B Jordan. As one would suspect, Creed is floating along and then he encounters tremendous obstacles that he must overcome. The film is generally based off this premise. However, I felt the need to write this film review after reading some of the other bullshit reviews being published.

I have read that this film is not as good as the first Creed. What a fucking original thought, wow. Sequels to films are not expected to surpass originals, but rather compliment them, which this film easily does. Further, we at The Weigh-In are not going to pretend to be on the same level of review of established cinema experts such as Sisquo or Eggbert (mispronunciation intentional you rubes). We are not changing the well-established landscape of film critique, but we want to discuss everything combat sports related. Currently, film reviews seemed to be dictated by a bunch of desk warriors who want to bash everything in order to elicit readership. To this, I say, go fuck yourself!

Michael B. Jordan’s portrayal of Adonis Johnson-Creed has displayed layers that I never considered while watching the widely celebrated Rocky series. Adonis Creed struggles to carve his own path and is not only facing intense competition, but he is essentially fighting the ghost of his father’s legacy. Jordan captures this and his approach to the character puts the viewer through the full spectrum of emotion. For those of you reading this, I cannot quite articulate Jordan’s performance well enough to do him justice.

I want you all to think of a time you were watching a film and the hair on the back neck of stood up. I want you think about a film that inspired you to go out and try what you just watched on the big screen. Think about a time that your eyes were watery and you held back tears. Michael B. Jordan makes the viewer feel all of these things because of his brilliant performance. It also does not hurt that the man is super jacked. (See his workout routine below)

On top of Jordan’s performance, which is next level, let us not forget about his supporting cast. Bianca, played by Tessa Thompson is more prevalent in this film and her performance keeps getting better. In Creed II, Bianca plays a more vital role to Creed’s life and the parallel between what she is going through as compared to Apollo’s wife (Creed’s mother), is understated and brilliant. Thompson is showing a wide range of depth in her own character that gives the audience no choice but to feel for her position.

Last but certainly not least, Sly Stallone once again crushes his role as Creed’s uncle. The entire film has magnificent foreshadowing into the magnitude of the decisions Rocky made during his own storied career. Rocky cares for Adonis so much and does not want to see him make the same mistakes. However, at the same time, Rocky sees Adonis has something more, something Apollo did not have and Rocky is fully invested in young Creed.

Some other honorable mentions in this film is the return of Ivan Drago, played by Dolph Lundgren. One can only wonder what this means for the series moving forward. Lundgren looks great by the way, shout out to the Russian Gas!  Brigitte Nielsen even returns to the series, which wow! Shout out to Brigitte, she needs to consume some Russian Gas!

Wood Harris returns in Creed II and crushes his role as Tony “Little Duke” Burton. He trains Creed and hopefully this will be the case moving forward because I am a huge Wood fan… That’s what she said. Harris is a great actor who murders every role. Some of you readers may recall him as Avon Barksdale from the HBO hit series, The Wire.

Creed II is excellent and in today’s big box office superhero release bullshit, a film worth actually paying to see and not illegally downloading. Right, you all want me to believe that you are not currently on some Russian website trying to download Creed II, have more sense people.

I am not going to rate Creed II with a letter grade or star count like other sites. I am just merely telling everyone that the film compliments the first film and I think the characters reach new levels of depth that is truly brilliant. I would pay to see this film multiple times and that should speak volumes. After all, us redheads do not get out much, on account of the UV rays and all that.

Go see Creed II and be glad you listened to us here at The Weigh-In.

Michael B. Jordan’s workout routine Creed II:

https://www.menshealth.com/fitness/a23722030/michael-b-jordan-creed-ii/

Special Thanks To:

Michael B. Jordan

Sly Stallone

Wood Harris

Tessa Thompson (You all know what you did and we thank you)

-Justin Dohnson, The People's Red Head

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The Premier of the Muhammad Ali Documentary "Me Whee" in Long Beach

By Matt Ward

Executive producer, Drew Stone will bring his Muhammad Ali documentary, "Me Whee" to the west coast on January 25, 2019. The film, which provides an intimate view into the training camp and personal life of Ali, will be screened at the Long Beach United Boxing Club in Long Beach, California at 7pm and admission is free of charge. 

"Me Whee" was shot in 1975 in and around his training camp in Deer Lake, PA and in Las Vegas. This documentary captures an incredible moment in time in Muhammad Ali’s life. At the peak of his career his love for kids and general philosophy of life shine thru with appearances by luminaries from the boxing and entertainment world. Highlights include his legendary 1975 commencement speech at Harvard University.

For more information on "Me Whee," and to hear my August 2018 interview with executive producer, Drew Stone, click here. 

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Golden Boy Promotions’ MMA Card Breakdown

Finally! The People’s Red Head has returned to The Weigh-In.

Saturday night marked Golden Boy Promotions’ inaugural venture into MMA. The main event on this card was the Iceman, Chuck Liddell v. The Huntington Beach Bad Boy, Tito Ortiz This fight turned into what many feared, a fight that probably never needed to happen.

I must admit, I for one care for legend fights a great deal. However, this being said, I like to caution against a legend fighting later in their career and someone who is just purely past their prime putting themselves in danger. Unfortunately, many worried Liddell should have never agreed to this fight and I fear the critics were correct in their analysis.

Tito, who fought in 2017, ends up stopping Liddell in the first round. Liddell looked like a fighter eight years removed from the sport. For those who do not remember, Liddell was essentially forced into retirement after knockouts caught up with him during his UFC career. There is no shame in this, it happens to everyone. This is the same pep talk Steve Ward gives himself, before getting oiled up and slapping his own unit around.

Our own Luis Cortes, regarding Liddell’s future was quoted as saying, nothing, nothing at all. I could not reach Luis prior to this piece and I desperately still wanted to put his name in this article, so here is how I accomplished that. Thanks Luis, class act that fucking guy.

Liddell looked uncoordinated and unbalanced. He claimed to have gotten into shape for the fight, but he truly just looked like a retired fighter without the capacity to perform anymore. This is not a knock on Chuck Liddell, he is fucking 48-years-old! I cannot get in a cage now and I am considerably younger than Liddell. 

Ortiz caught Liddell with a one-two against the cage late in the first round and that was all she wrote. Ortiz finally avenged his two prior losses to Liddell. Ortiz now feels like he has wronged this right from a career perspective, but I doubt anyone was truly impressed with his performance. This is a Liddell well past any semblance of his true capability and as such, the win should be given its proper weight.

That being said, Ortiz still looks as if he could fight a couple more times in events like this. It will be interesting to see if Ortiz comes back and takes another fight against a former legend. For Liddell, even though he said he would evaluate what is next, I truly hope he remains retired. For someone as good he was in his prime, I hate to see him injured or continue to compromise his well-being.

In the co-main event, Deron Winn defeated Tom Lawlor by unanimous decision. For Winn, this establishes him as a true contender and he will be looking to get paid as he is coming up on free agency. It will be interesting to see where Winn goes from here.

Also worthy of mention is the tilt between two UFC veterans, Gleison Tibau defeated Efrain Escudero by unanimous decision. Tibau had success in the stand up game and ultimately wore Escudero down during the match.

More fight results: 

Ricky Palacios defeated Walel Watson

James Barnes defeated Albert Morales

Jay Silva defeated Oscar Cota

Special Thanks To:

Brazilian Oil - Helping Steve Ward since 2009

Golden Boy - Entering the MMA arena

Michael B. Jordan - For his brilliant portrayal of Adonis Johnson

Thanksgiving - For allowing America to over eat

Canadians - For stronger beer

-Justin Dohnson, The People's Red Head

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