Gordon Marino

There has been a good deal of moaning and most unfortunately, shrugging, about New Orleans Saints coach Gregg Williams and his "bounties for injuries" scandal. What we find repugnant tells us a lot about who we are; anyone who is not appalled by this sin against the brotherhood should just...

On Saturday, IBF, IBO, and WBA heavyweight champion, Wladimir Klitschko (57-3) slammed a jab, right hand, left hook combination to stop Jean-Marc Mormeck (36-5) by knockout at 1:12 of the fourth round. It was Klitschko's 50th knockout victory and with this stoppage he moved into fifth place for most KOs...

Rick Santorum has been a boon to the class I am teaching on Freud. Last week, we were covering Freudian slips when Senator Santorum generously provided a superb object lesson. Talking about government entitlement programs to a mostly white audience, Santorum proclaimed that he doesn't want to, "make black people's...

The sport of boxing has always been adept at putting itself on the canvas. Some of the self-inflicted blows derive from the fact that promoters have boxers under extended contracts. They have their own stable of fighters, and rival promoters are reluctant to put their boxers in with legitimate challengers...

Christian Bale grabbed an Oscar for his portrayal of Dicky Eklund in The Fighter. Bale played the role of the charismatic but slightly daft brother and trainer of junior welterweight contender Micky Ward. On Friday, Eklund visited Leo High School in Chicago.

Founded in 1926, Leo is...

Boxing took a pounding on Friday night. The too-much-hyped championship contest between Floyd Mayweather and Victor Ortiz went down in pugilistic infamy at the end of the fourth round.

With only seconds remaining in that stanza, Ortiz had "Money" Mayweather on the ropes and intentionally head-butted him. Referee Joe...

Last night WBC world champion Vitali Klitschko scored his 43rd victory and registered his 40th knockout with his 10th-round stoppage against Tomasz Adamek. Vitali has the highest KO percentage in history and has not lost a single stanza of boxing in years. It could be argued that Dr. Ironfist is...

On Saturday night in Wroclaw, Poland, WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko (43-2, 40 knockouts) defeated Polish challenger Tomasz Adamek (44-2, 28 knockouts). This was Klitschko's 9th successful title defense. The referee, Massimo Barrovecchio, wisely stopped the slaughter with 41 seconds remaining in the 10th round.

For most of the...

One of the greatest trainers in boxing history, Angelo Dundee began his tenth decade on August 30th. Dundee, who was born and raised in Philadelphia, trained 15 world champions, including Carmen Basilio, Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard and George Foreman.

The son of Italian immigrants, Angelo followed his brothers...

For all of the anathemas cast at helicopter sports parents, the fact remains that no small portion of major league and college athletes were developed by either fanatical fathers or sports savvy mothers -- or both. Perhaps your Jack or Jill has a great swing or kicking leg and you...

WBC heavyweight king, Vitali Klitschko improved his world record knockout ratio this weekend with his first round stoppage of previously undefeated Odlanier Solis. The 39-year-old Klitschko has now triumphed in 42 fights. An astounding 39 of those victories have come by way of a ten-count or technical knockout. Vitali has...

Not long ago Chris Matthews shook his head when a spokesperson for the Tea Party refused to condemn Michele Bachmann's claim that the founding fathers solved the problem of slavery. His reaction seemed a bit premeditated, but Matthews looked off in disgust and then blurted, "Michele Bachmann is a balloon...

In elections and political discourse, there are constant references to the world of the playground as in, Who will stand up to the bully? With the squabble about extending the Bush tax cuts, Democrats have been drubbing President Obama for slinking away from a donnybrook with Republicans.Though I have since...

I am a rabid fan of compelling underdogs and as such have been a long time follower of the Boise State football team. It is, I believe, a marvel that a squad from Idaho that has none of the recruiting gravitas of the Auburns or Alabamas has been able to...

On Wednesday, Sarah Palin erroneously remarked that we had to stand by our North Korean allies. She obviously meant our South Korean allies, but never mind, all of the bloggers and media who she makes gag went into a frenzy over her gaffe. As usual, Palin flipped the snickering to...

For all of the knocks that boxing takes and often gives itself, the sweet science is in the midst of a two-week renaissance. On November 14th, we watched Manny Pacquiao banged out a unanimous decision over Antonio Margarito. Though the contest was one-sided, Margarito was dogged and had...

On Saturday night, Vitali Klitschko defended his WBC heavyweight title against Shannon Briggs in Hamburg, Germany. In the process, Klitschko both established himself as one of the most dominant heavyweight of his era and inadvertently hammered out an argument for reform in his beloved sport.

Like...

The great psychoanalyst Erik Erikson once observed that the moment little boys realize they have a backside, they become riveted to the question of who can do what to whom. Of who can kick whose butt? I grew up in a home in which backhands were always flying, so the...

Sad to say, but boxing news this summer has been absorbed with the question of whether or not Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather were actually in negotiations about the fight that they do not plan to have. Much to the glee of Dana White and the UFC, boxing's capacity for...

A symbol of strength and resilience to a city that has taken many blows, middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik (36-1, 32 KOs) enjoys an ardent fan base in his native Youngstown, Ohio. Known as "The Ghost" for his splintery build and chalky complexion, Pavlik was on the expressway to mega-stardom when...