Boxing
Chuck Norris Dead at 86: Boxing Connections Martial Arts Icon
Published
1 month agoon
Chuck Norris, martial arts champion and action movie icon, died on Thursday in Hawaii. He was 86 years senior. On Friday, his family confirmed the news, saying he died suddenly and was surrounded by loved ones. Just ten days earlier, Norris had celebrated his birthday by posting a video of himself throwing punches on social media, along with a proclamation that he wasn’t aging – but leveling up.
The world knows Carlos Ray Norris as a six-time professional karate middleweight world champion, a five-discipline black belt and a star. But for the world of boxing, Norris’s story carries themes directly related to the sweet science – more relevant than ordinary fans might expect.
Ali’s shadow over the most notable martial arts fight ever filmed
The most direct line between Norris and boxing runs through Muhammad Ali and Bruce Lee. In 1972, Lee cast Norris as his nemesis in the film, the climactic fight in the Coliseum remains one of the most notable martial arts sequences ever filmed. Much less attention was paid to where Lee found the movement vocabulary in this scene. According to numerous accounts from Lee’s students and biographers, Lee obsessively watched Ali’s destruction of Cleveland Williams in 1966, repeatedly showing eight-millimeter film on a projector to analyze Ali’s footwork, angles and shots. This real mastery in the ring became the blueprint for the fictitious fight that brought Norris worldwide fame.
World gardening champion title – for a thousand dollars and a broken jaw
Norris’ professional career peaked in the same building that hosted the greatest boxing matches of the 20th century. In June 1967, he won the Grand Master title at the S. Henry Cho All-American Karate Championships at Madison Square Garden, defeating Joe Lewis with a single side kick – the only point scored in the finals.
On , Norris recalled the financial reality: “You know how much I was paid for my first world title? Fight here in Up-to-date York, at Madison Square Garden. I won the world title. I got a thousand dollars. Plus I had a broken jaw, which cost me over a thousand dollars to fix it. So I really lost on that, even though I won the world title.” Every small-gym fighter who has counted his wallet after expenses understands this arithmetic.
Joe Lewis, Rocky Graziano and the birth of kickboxing
Norris’s most critical rival was Joe Lewis, not the heavyweight boxing legend, although the martial arts champion earned his own comparable nickname: “Muhammad Ali Karate.” On January 17, 1970, Lewis and opponent Greg Baines entered the ring at the United States Karate Championships wearing boxing gloves. The announcer introduced them as “kickboxers”. Lewis won by knockout in the second round, and thus American kickboxing was born – built on principles borrowed directly from the sweet science.
Lewis met former middleweight champion Rocky Graziano while stationed in Vietnam with the Marines. He defeated Norris early in both men’s careers, but Norris won their most critical fights. In 2004, Norris told the magazine that Lewis was “the greatest player the tournament scene has ever had.”
Norris himself trained under Benny “The Jet” Urquidez, one of the greatest kickboxing champions of all time, whose hand technique was rooted in Western boxing. Through Urquidez, Norris incorporated the basics of boxing into his own system – head movements, combination punches, command in the ring.
Warrior arithmetic
Strip away the memes and action movie mythology, and what’s left is a biography of a fighter that boxing fans recognize instinctively: a kid from nothing who found discipline in a combat sport, fought in the same building where Ali and Frazier traded punches, won a world title for a purse that didn’t cover his medical bills, and spent the rest of his life parlaying his toughness into something greater.
Chuck Norris was not a boxer. But there were sweet lessons woven into his story, from the Ali footage that shaped his most notable fight scene, to the Garden floor where he bled for the title, to the boxing gloves Joe Lewis wore when kickboxing was born. In combat sports, the boundaries between disciplines have always been more porous than sanctioning bodies would like to admit. Norris understood this.
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Boxing
Victor Ortiz was knocked out by Floyd Mayweather, but names an opponent who was ‘much better’
Published
2 hours agoon
April 25, 2026
Floyd Mayweather’s last knockout victory over a legal opponent came in 2011 against Victor Ortiz, but despite the stoppage loss, the fighter known as “Vicious” claims he once fought a much better opponent.
It was a highly controversial moment when Mayweather knocked out Ortiz for the WBC welterweight title more than a decade ago, and the fourth round of their fight turned out to be full of drama.
Ortiz threw combinations on the ropes against Mayweather, but then got reckless and led with his head, prompting the referee to deduct a point.
With Ortiz paying no attention to the resumption of the fight, Mayweather fired a tough shot that knocked down and then knocked out his opponent, proving the elderly adage to always protect yourself.
Mayweather is undoubtedly the biggest name Ortiz has ever adopted, but while the boxing legend can be considered one of the best of all time, Ortiz told TalkSport that Andre Berto was better.
“He (Mayweather) is not the best opponent I’ve faced. Without a doubt, not. The best opponent I’ve faced was Andre Berto; he was much better. Andre Berto is a top-shelf pound-for-pound king. He knocked me down, I knocked him down, he got up, he knocked me down again.”
“This man showed everything: quality, heart, skill. Whatever, he’s got it. Someone like Floyd has what? Counter, running? That same year, I bought him some sprint shots at a press conference. My brother also bought him a box of tampons.
“But Andre Berto is special. I have the utmost respect for him. He has power in both hands; he is the total package. Someone with Floyd can’t compete with that.”
Ortiz defeated Berto to win the WBC welterweight title in a fight before facing Mayweather, which would be the first defeat of Berto’s professional career.
Berto’s final record was 32 wins and 6 losses, and during their meeting in September 2015, he suffered a one-sided defeat to Mayweather himself.
Mayweather competed just once again after the Berto fight, when he knocked out MMA fighter Conor McGregor in August 2017, although he is scheduled to return to fight former opponent Manny Pacquiao in September provided that the current problems can be solved.
Many fans on social media suspect that Miller is once again chasing Joshua just to secure a huge payday, which he threw away when failed drug tests canceled their 2019 fight.
Joshua wants a tune-up before he finally meets Tyson Fury. The plan is to shake off the rust and keep his record pristine before this huge event happens. This gap in the schedule gives other heavyweights a chance to make their voices heard, and Miller takes advantage of the moment.
Miller is still a controversial name, but he knows how to cause offense. Beating Pero would aid him prove that he still belongs in this conversation.
“Your whooping cough will come sooner or later. You can run, but you can’t hide,” Jarrell Miller said on Matchroom.
From a business perspective, Joshua’s team is focused on the Tyson Fury event. Facing an aggressive, volume hitter like Miller in a comeback fight would be risky. If Joshua wins, critics may view it as defeating a challenger who has spent years outside the elite mix. If he loses, Fury’s payout and his position will take damage.
Miller has built much of his reputation on noise and confrontation, but he’s still trying to fight his way into the majors. A victory over Pero won’t put him in a fight with Joshua right away, but it will keep him in the wider discussion.
Joshua’s team may still choose the safer and more controlled option of a return, especially if negotiations with Fury progress behind the scenes. Risking that payday against a hazardous or inconvenient opponent wouldn’t make much sense.
Still, Miller continues to cling to the story whenever Joshua’s name resurfaces in the headlines. Heavyweight boxing has a long memory, and some unfinished fights remain useful long after the first fall.
Olly Campbell is a boxing journalist covering this sport since 2014, providing reports from the ring and technical analyzes of the most vital fights. His work focuses on fighter tendencies, tactical adjustments and the details that shape high-level competition.
Boxing
Terence Crawford names one fight he would like to see against Gervonta Davis this year
Published
6 hours agoon
April 25, 2026
Terence Crawford has named an opponent he would “love to face” with Gervonta Davis in his expected return to the sport.
The former world champion hasn’t fought since March 2025, when many felt he was lucky to draw with Lamont Roach.
Nevertheless, “Tank” retained the WBA lightweight title and was scheduled to face Roach in an immediate rematch before negotiating an exhibition match with Jake Paul.
But instead of spending time with the YouTuber-turned-boxer, Davis was forced to deal with domestic violence allegations from his former partner, Courtney Rossel.
Since then The 31-year-old was recognized by the WBA as a “breaktime champion”.urged by No. 1 contender Floyd Schofield to book their fight or give him a free shot at the title.
Davis, however, has expressed greater interest in a rematch with Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz at 140 pounds, even though he passed the Mexican in 2021.
Meanwhile, Crawford has no desire to watch “Tank” fight Schofield or Cruz, but he would happily sit back and watch him clash with Shakur Stevenson.
I’m talking to Danielle Pirello“Bud” called the WBO super lightweight world champion the perfect opponent for Davis, believing their potential meeting would be one of the best fights that could be had.
“I’d like to see Shakur vs. ‘Tank’ Davis.”
Stevenson had previously called on Davis to sign a contract several times, perhaps making him increasingly doubtful whether the Baltimore player would ever sign.
Therefore, it is unrealistic to expect an immediate fight between “Tank” and Stevenson, especially after the latter’s dominant performance against Teofimo Lopez in January.
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Victor Ortiz was knocked out by Floyd Mayweather, but names an opponent who was ‘much better’
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