to move up and down
They say boxing is a dying sport. And with the absence of an American heavyweight champion, combined with the rise of the UFC, maybe there is some truth to that. But every now and then, a fight comes along and temporarily revives interest.
Saturday night’s fight between Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez has that sort of potential. It is the fourth time these two featherweights will be stepping into the ring against each other. But if history is any indication, do not expect any closure in this epic rivalry.
Just count on being entertained. (Photos: Julie Jacobson/The Associated Press, Jeff Bottari/Getty Images)
That’s one way to do it: Juan De Leon (L) the coach of Polish boxing contender Mariusz Wach (R) holds up sparring gloves with images of opponent Vladimir Klitschko, as they joke during a public training session in Hamburg. Ukrainian WBO, IBO and IBF heavyweight boxing world champion Vladimir Klitschko will fight Wach in a title bout on November 10 (Photo: REUTERS/Morris Mac Matzen)
Things you did not really expect to see on Saturday: Singer Justin Bieber and Floyd Mayweather Jr. pose after he defeated Miguel Cotto by unanimous decision at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Because, well, yeah. Photo: Al Bello/Getty Images
Meet Mary Spencer: Canada’s best shot at Olympic gold in women’s boxing. But it wasn’t easy for her to get here:
It was the best when it rained, when the sewers backed up and the water in the parking lot crept high on her boots, almost to her knees. Those were the best days, because those were the days Mary Spencer knew she would make the money to fund her dream.
She wanted a new pair of shoes, ones without gaping holes near the toes like the ones she had to wear every day. There were other uses for the money, too. It cost $3 in bus fare to get to basketball practice. And when the funds were especially tight at home, she needed to buy milk for her cereal. But she dreamed about the shoes, and so she prayed for rain.
Around the time she turned 11, a local grocery store began charging a 25-cent deposit for use of its carts. Customers inserted a quarter into a mechanism near the handle to release the cart. Only a few extra steps were needed to retrieve the quarter, but those were steps nobody wanted to take in a downpour. At least, nobody except Spencer, who learned the value in taking the steps others avoided.
In two months, she had her new shoes.
They cost $120, or 480 safely returned grocery carts.
Click through to read Sean Fitz-Gerald’s full story on her journey to the top. Photo: Dax Melmer for National Post
No one said there would be blood: Steve Murray at the Justin Trudeau boxing match
As the shocking upset went down, the Post’s Steve Murray was in the audience, taking in his first-ever boxing match and producing a record of the proceedings so scrupulous you can almost taste the sweat and blood.
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Brazeau wants rematch after being TKO’d by Trudeau in charity boxing bout
Photo gallery: Underdog Trudeau comes out victorious against Brazeau
Justin Trudeau scores major upset in Fight for the Cure boxing match over Conservative Senator Patrick Brazeau
In a stunning upset, Liberal MP Justin Trudeau brawled his way to a second-round TKO victory over Conservative Senator Patrick Brazeau. The referee stopped the fight in the third and final round.
Following his victory, Trudeau was hoisted on the shoulders of his supporters. The slender eldest son of Pierre Trudeau, who was expected to box his way to a points-only finish, instead pounded his foe into submission with a series of unschooled but powerful haymakers. In the final round, his attack became unrelenting and Brazeau was clearly exhausted. (Photos: Chris Wattie/Reuters)
So, uh, boxer Dereck Chisora had a busy week.
Former WBA heavyweight champion David Haye (R) punches Dereck Chisora during a news conference in Munich February 18, 2012.
Haye is wanted for questioning by German police over his brawl with fellow Chisora following a WBC title clash in Munich on Saturday, a police spokesman said Monday.
Chisora, beaten by Vitali Klitschko in an unanimous points decision in their heavyweight title bout in Munich, has already been questioned and released by police over the incident in the post-fight news conference.
Photo: Andrew Couldridge/Reuters/Action Images
Vitali Klitschko gets slapped in the face by British boxer Dereck Chisora after their official weigh-in.
Yes.
Rivals Justin Trudeau and Senator Patrick Brazeau facing off in charity boxing bout
Liberal MP Justin Trudeau and Conservative Senator Patrick Brazeau have sparred on Twitter, but on March 31, the two will fight for real in the ring.
The boxing match is part of Fight for the Cure, an annual gala featuring matches between “white-collar” Ottawans such as CTV anchor Terry Marcotte and lobbyist Walter Robinson, who fought last year. All proceeds go toward increasing “survivorship” among cancer patients in the Ottawa region.
Mr. Trudeau received training as a boxer in his youth, although he has never employed his skills in the ring. “He really wanted to see if he could compete properly,” said Rob Imbeault, one of the event organizers.
