During the same week that two fighters died from injuries they incurred in the ring, a monumental scandal erupted in England: Dillian Whyte tested dirty for PEDs, the promoter (Eddie Hearn), the British commission, and the anti-doping agency all knew about it three days in advance ... and nobody told Whyte's opponent, Oscar Rivas. The fight went on.
Newly enshrined International Boxing Hall of Fame broadcaster Teddy Atlas joins us on this week's show for an epic, 90-minute conversation about the horrifically dangerous, loosely regulated, Wild West nature of professional boxing. He also tells us which modern-day fighter is the best in the world, which era of boxing was the best-ever, which heavyweight, on his best night, could have beaten Muhammad Ali on Ali's best night, where Mike Tyson ranks on the list of all-time greats, and much more.
We've spent 10 years trying to get Teddy Atlas on our show, and New York legend made it well worth the wait. This one is an interview for the ages.
Our conversation with the Hall of Famer is preceded by our British correspondent, Paul McLaughlin, with another inside peek at the United Kingdom boxing scene.
And we begin, as always, with expert analysts Travis Hartman, Rizwaan Zahid, and John J. Raspanti, who engage in a lively donnybrook over the Dillian Whyte situation, the ring deaths, and a very dark chapter in the history of the sport we all love.
Dennis Taylor is host of The Ringside Boxing Show, editor/publisher of www.ringsideboxingshow.com, and co-author (with John J. Raspanti) of "Intimate Warfare: The True Story of the Arturo Gatti and Micky Ward Boxing Trilogy," an Amazon bestseller.