Characters of Boxing (And Beyond)

Boxing's Golden Boy, Oscar De La Hoya, is covered on today's episode of the Characters of Boxing (And Beyond) Podcast.

"Aussie" Joe Bugner was an incredibly prolific and durable heavyweight contender with a career that spanned from 1967 - 1999. Bugner could never win over the fans in the United Kingdom where he grew up and learned to box. He lost favor with English boxing fans after beating the incredibly popular Henry Cooper in 1971. Bugner battled Muhammed Ali twice and Joe Frazier. He also appeared in the 1994 blockbuster movie Street Fighter.

Butch Lewis helped earn Michael Spinks nearly $14 million in a fight lasting just 90 seconds against Mike Tyson. As Philadelphia's very own, he was known for his trademark wardrobe of a tuxedo jacket, bow tie and no shirt underneath. With the notable exception of Don King, Lewis could easily be considered boxing's most colorful and savvy business mind throughout the 1970s and 80s.

The Choir Boy, Freddie Roach, is profiled on this latest episode of the Characters of Boxing (and Beyond) Podcast. Roach is widely considered one of the greatest boxing trainers of all-time, but throughout the 1980s he was also a fan favorite fighting out of Las Vegas. We explore his New England roots and fighting career on today's episode.

South Korean lightweight contender Duk Koo Kim is profiled on today's episode of the Characters of Boxing (and Beyond) Podcast. Kim fought at a thrilling pace and brought significant action and offense to the ring as a crowd-pleasing pugilist. His life was cut tragically short in 1982 in a nationally televised match against Ray Mancini.

Earnie Shavers never won a heavyweight championship and he is not enshrined in the Boxing Hall of Fame, yet every boxing fan seems to know his name. Shavers had the hardest punching power that's ever been seen on tape in the history of boxing. He also fought during what many consider the most competitive time in the history of heavyweight boxing.

Ed "Too Tall" Jones was drafted No. 1 overall by the Dallas Cowboys in the 1974 National Football League (NFL) Draft. After 5 years with the Cowboys, he stepped away from the NFL at the height of his athletic prime to pursue his professional boxing dreams. After six professional bouts he returned to pro football and played 10 more seasons with Dallas. With one of the most memorable nicknames in football history, he was a 3-time All-Pro at defensive end and a Super Bowl champion.

Boxing's other Golden Boy, Donny Lalonde, is profiled on the Characters of Boxing (and Beyond) Podcast today. Lalonde was a bruising contender throughout his career. His 1987 match against Sugar Ray Leonard was one of the most important boxing moments of the 1980s, an incredible decade in pugilism.

Michael Katsidis, also known as boxing's "last action hero" is profiled on today's new episode of the Characters of Boxing (And Beyond) Podcast. The great Australian fighter always gave fans their money's worth. Arguably, there hasn't been a boxer as exciting as Katsidis to enter the ring since his 2017 retirement.

Legendary ring announcer Michael Buffer is covered on today's episode of the Characters of Boxing (And Beyond) Podcast. We explain why Buffer is the James Bond of boxing and how he convinced Atlantic City promoters to hire him in the early 1980s without any prior experience.