Philly Heavyweight Chambers To Get Title Shot » Don’t count Philadelphia boxing out yet – heavyweight Eddie Chambers is getting his shot at a world title… Don Steinberg, www.philly.com

Klitschko Will Not Underestimate Arreola » “He is young, undefeated, has a powerful punch and is confident. I won’t underestimate him but I have no doubt that I will leave California as world champion.” —Vitali Klitschko • Source: www.secondsout.com

Boxing’s Month From Hell » “You play football and basketball, but you don’t play boxing.” —Buster Mathis Sr. • This July, all the boxing news of note has been in the obituaries. Death has visited the sport like a plague, shocking even the most callous observers… DAVE ZIRIN, www.thenation.com

IN TRIBUTE: Excerpt from ‘Lords of the Ring’ by Steve Farhood (ROUND1 Winter ’07)

Unlike Ali, Alexis Arguello didn’t challenge our preconceived notions about champions. Instead, he embodied what a champion had always been. What separated Arguello from even his most accomplished colleagues was his class and consistency. The Nicaraguan viewed boxing as his profession and conducted himself like a world-class surgeon. There were smoother fighters and plenty of faster ones, but from late 1974 through 1982, Arguello won championships at three weights and compiled a title fight record of 18-0.

What illustrated Arguello’s character more than anything else was a choice he made in 1982. Having won world titles at featherweight, junior lightweight, and lightweight, Arguello attempted to become the first fighter in history to win championships in four different divisions. Rising yet again in weight, he opted to challenge undefeated superstar Aaron Pryor instead of the weaker titlist. “I wouldn’t have proved much if I had beaten one of the easier champions,” he told me in 1986. Arguello’s back-to-back losses to Pryor were thrilling battles that will live in boxing fans’ minds forever. The lesson he taught us? Being a champion is not only about winning.

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