Few boxers in this history of boxing fought more legends in their prime than Jesse James Leija, whose 16-year, 46-fight career included collisions with Kostya Tszyu, Oscar De La Hoya, Shane Mosley, Gabriel Ruelas, Arturo Gatti, Micky Ward, Francisco "Panchito" Bojado, Ivan Robinson, Steve McCrory, and, of course, four memorable clashes with Azumah Nelson.
Leija joined us for an in-depth conversation about his illustrious career, a highlight of which was his first showdown with Azumah Nelson in front of 63,000 people at the Alamodome in San Antonio.
This interview is jam-packed with colorful stories from one of the sport's true good guys.
We also get a thorough breakdown of the weekend action from our expert analysts, Travis Hartman, Rizwaan Zahid, and John J. Raspanti, who unpack Gassiev vs.Dorticos, preview Gassiev-Usyk, anticipate a possible Matthysse-Pacquiao match-up, and psychoanalyze Floyd Mayweather's tease about entering the MMA cage, and Tyson Fury's inexplicable call-out of Antonio Tarver (age 49) and Shannon Briggs (age 47).
And Paul McLaughlin, our British correspondent, updates us on the boxing scene in the United Kingdom, including Amir Khan's water-throwing press conference with Phil Lo Greco.
Dennis Taylor is host of The Ringside Boxing Show, editor-publisher of www.ringsideboxingshow.com, and co-author (with John J. Raspanti) of "Intimate Warfare: The True Story of the Arturo Gatti and Micky Ward Boxing Trilogy."