A Slight Diversion

RBP is first and foremost a blog about the beautiful game of basketball. Most of our posts address the college game, but we occasionally cover professional and high school roundball as well. (With the addition of Commander Harry Lonestar to our team, we hope to offer more high school content.) That being said, I'd like to take a moment to recommend a sporting blog that has nothing to do with the hardwood -- Boxiana: The Science of Bruising.

I'm not going to sit here and pretend I'm a huge fan of the sweet science. Sure, I like to catch the occasional fight (and by occasional, I mean one every two years or so). Actually, I did follow the sport somewhat closely for about a year. But more recently I've pretty much stopped following boxing altogether. I'm not exactly sure why. Perhaps because it seems inaccessible, with the top fights only available on pay-per-view, or perhaps I just don't find today's characters compelling. But I remain fascinated by the sport. I want to like it. But, at the same time, I think I may have at least a few ethical issues with it. I'd be conflicted if I cared more.



So, how does a guy who doesn't follow boxing and has no intention of following the sport more closely in the future end up recommending a boxing blog? Well, the site was brought to my attention by the guys over at freedarko. Shoefly, Boxiana's proprietor, is a talented scribe, and, I must say, there's just something about pugilism that lends itself to writing. Moreover, for a sport that I seldom find compelling, one of the most interesting fights of the past few years takes place tomorrow -- Manny Pacquiao vs. Ricky Hatton. I'd go into all the reasons why this is an absolutely fascinating matchup, but that would give you an excuse not to check out Shoefly's three-part preview of the fight, which is nothing short of remarkable. Even if you're not a boxing enthusiast, you should give Boxiana a chance. It's that good. In fact, I'm hard-pressed to identify better sports writing anywhere in the blogosphere.