By Matthew Hurley: The stunning news that junior middleweight champion Vernon Forrest had been shot and killed Saturday night during an apparent car jacking left an already dazed and confused boxing community collectively looking up to the heavens and asking, “Why?” The month of July in 2009 will long be remembered as one of the most tragic months in the history of boxing.

By Matthew Hurley: For a little over five rounds Victor Ortiz and Marcos Maidana put on a fireworks display in front of a raucous crowd at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. After five knockdowns and concussive back and forth action the young rising star with the Dickensian back story told the ringside physician that he’d had enough and Maidana walked away with a sixth round technical knockout and the interim WBA super lightweight championship belt.

By Matthew Hurley: The news that Israel Vazquez was cleared to fight by the California State Athletic Commission after undergoing surgery for a detached retina came as a relief. After his epic third fight with Rafael Marquez, both fighters were riding a wave of public and media adulation. Their trilogy, with Marquez taking fight one, RTD 7 and Vazquez taking fights two and three, TKO 6, W 12, ranks among the great fistic three fight series in the history of boxing.

By Matthew Hurley: As the accolades continue to pour in for Manny Pacquiao in the aftermath of his destruction of Ricky Hatton, a contingent of more pragmatic fans have begun to bark back at the lunatic fringe of Pacmaniacs who now proclaim their idol to be one of the greatest fighters to ever lace up the gloves.

By Matthew Hurley: Even those of us who anticipated an eventual beat down of Ricky Hatton by Manny Pacquiao never truly anticipated a complete blowout of the junior welterweight champion. Once again the ‘Pac Man’ not only proved his greatness as a fighter but also elevated his stature among the all time great fighters.

By Matthew Hurley: “To be a champion requires total commitment of mind and body. There is no second place when they call you a champ. It’s because you don’t lose.” - Rocky Marciano -

By Matthew Hurley: “It’s always better to win as the underdog.” So says Ricky Hatton as he winds down preparations for his May 2nd mega-fight with current pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao. Hatton’s easy charm has been tested in the buildup to this fight as Pacquiao’s ascension to superstar status in the aftermath of his December destruction of Oscar De La Hoya has reduced ‘The Hitman’ to the B-side of this number one record. But in that vein Hatton remains one helluva B-side.

By Matthew Hurley: When Manny Pacquiao forced Oscar De La Hoya to retire on his stool after eight ridiculously one-sided rounds the vast majority of people who had picked against the ‘Pac Man’ that night sat up, blinked and began comparing the Filipino whirlwind to all time greats like Henry Armstrong.