Lederman's most memorable Boxing After Dark fights

Lederman's most memorable Boxing After Dark fights
Mark E. Ortega
RingTV.com
March 27, 2013


Over the course of its 15 year run, HBO's Boxing After Dark series has produced some of the sport's most exciting matchups. The series has televised cards from all over the world in eight different countries with more than 125 championship bouts being broadcast.

The inaugural broadcast on Feb. 3, 1996 featured a smashing 122-pound contest between rising Marco Antonio Barrera and a still quality Kennedy McKinney. It was a back-and-forth war with tons of bad blood. The program, which has focused on building stars for its World Championship Boxing brand, has hardly looked back since that first show.

On Saturday, a rematch of one of last year’s best fights tops an HBO B.A.D. telecast.Brandon Rios looks to duplicate his mid-rounds stoppage of Mike Alvarado at the Mandalay Bay Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. The first fight, which took place last October in Carson, Calif., was a B.A.D. opener (for Nonito Donaire-Toshiaki Nishioka), while this fight will headline – to lots of fanfare.

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Wayne Kelly (1948-2012): No Gimmick Necessary

Wayne Kelly (1948-2012): No Gimmick Necessary
Mark E. Ortega
Queensberry-Rules.com
February 7, 2012

He needed no gimmick and drew no attention to himself. It was modesty, perhaps, that overshadowed his merits, as his name was oft overlooked in casual discussions of the United States’ best officials.

For veteran referee Wayne Kelly, who passed away last Wednesday due to heart attack at age 63, this mattered none. Of his peers in the fight community, Kelly commanded great respect.

Twenty years playing the third man inevitably saw his involvement with some major incidents, yet the grace with which he handled them elicited little -- if any -- contention. Though I missed the opportunity to meet Mr. Kelly in my five brief years covering the sport, I have always admired his work from afar. With the announcement of his name during pre-fight introductions came the reassurance that I could focus on the in-ring action, rather than the competency (or lack thereof) of the calls.

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