It's been two years since the death of boxing great Muhammad Ali, but the mark he left on the world remains radiant. That's why Laila Ali felt it was important to take the time recently to travel to her father's hometown of Louisville, Kentucky. The eighth of nine children, Ali, a former boxer herself and panelist on We Need To [...]
The Houston Astros brought the heat to the mound even before the first inning of the May 2 match-up against the New York Yankees. The team invited retired Marine Corps Sergeant Eric Morante to throw the ceremonial first pitch, and it's one worth talking about for a number of reasons. Morante, a Purple Heart recipient who lost his right leg [...]
With millions of eyes on the Mayweather v. McGregor fight Saturday night, Showtime aired a strong public service announcement on diversity and "supporting tolerance." The placement of the ad, just before round one of one of the most highly-anticipated and controversial boxing matches in history, may seem odd, but its message was perfect. Kobe Bryant, along with actors like Liam [...]
Maurice Hooker vs Cristobal Cruz in Tijuana. Photo c/o Stacey Verbeek Maurice "Mighty Mo" Hooker is currently an undefeated junior welterweight who is ranked No. 2 by the World Boxing Organization and No. 4 by the International Boxing Federation. The 27-year-old from Dallas trains out of the Maple Avenue Boxing Gym, where he has been coached outside of [...]
Amaiya Zafar, 16, was disqualified from her championship fight in November because she was wearing a hijab underneath her boxing headgear, and shorts and leggings under her singlet. Her opponent, 15-year-old Aliyah Charbonier, didn't have a problem with it. It was USA Boxing's executive director who called the uniform violation a "safety issue." So, Zafar took the "loss," but Charbonier [...]
Photo courtesy of Eric Morante By Kim Constantinesco In boxing, defeat comes not when one falls, but when one goes down and fails to get back up. Retired Marine Corps Sergeant Eric Morante, 31, didn't just hit life's proverbial mat. He had a bridge crumble on top of him after being struck by a suicide bomber while [...]
Photo: Vimeo By Steve Coulter Like any piece of artwork, documentary filmmaking is a process that requires a long-term commitment to subject and form. Boxing shares a space on that headstrong plateau, where art and athletics collide, and a concoction of hyper dedication and repetition forges a mentality that shuns the mind and body's inherent need for [...]
Ali with ABC sportscaster Howard Cosell in 1975. Photo: Sports Illustrated Muhammad Ali's legacy surpasses boxing, and will live on forever. For religious beliefs, he refused entry into the Vietnam War, and was found guilty on draft evasion charges. Subsequently, he was stripped of his boxing title, and not allowed to fight for four years, until the Supreme [...]
Hector Picard showing us how he swims What a year 2015 was for us, but most importantly, for the athletes that we've featured. We're honored to bring you this list of our top 15 stories for the year based on pageviews. Thank you, athletes, and thank you, readers. You make Purpose2Play spin, and we wish you the [...]
By Brittany Alvarado For over 40 years, one family has been crafting the title belts you see boxers proudly hoist into the air after nearly every championship match. Edward Majian, his 94-year-old grandfather, Ardash Sahaghian, and a small group of fiercely loyal employees of SARTONK, craft belts for the WBA (World Boxing Association), WBO (World Boxing Organization), IBO (International Boxing [...]