THE RING August issue: At a glance

The London Olympics are almost here. The Opening Ceremonies are July 27 and the boxing competition begins the following day.

THE RING staff has put together a 38-page preview of the boxing competition, which includes women for the first time. The coverage includes feature stories, profiles on some of the top boxers, capsules on the teams from the U.S. and Great Britain, the boxing schedule and more.

Regular contributor Norm Frauenheim kicks off the coverage with THE TRANSITION GAMES, in which he explores boxing officials’ fervent wish that the sport become as relevant as it once was. Frauenheim touches on the biggest stories – the U.S. team’s prospects, a pending battle between powerhouses Cuba and Ukraine, rising power China and the host team.

Frauenheim also wrote AMERICA’S FINEST, a look at the 10 best Olympic teams the U.S. has produced. Who’s No. 1: 1976 or 1984? And, finally, Frauenheim (a busy writer this month) wrote a terrific piece on Roy Jones Jr.’s memories of the 1988 Olympics, in which he was cheated out of a gold medal. Jones is still haunted by the disappointment.

Regular contributor Ron Borges wrote COMPUTERIZED SCORING: DOWN FOR THE COUNT, a look at a failed system that will be used for the last time in London.

In GENDER EQUITY … ALMOST, regular contributor Bernard Fernandez tells you how women became part of the boxing program and what it means to them.

And regular contributor Harry Pratt writes in HOMETOWN HEROES that the British believe in their team.

Among other elements of the Olympics Preview:

• Profiles of U.S. hopefuls Rau’shee Warren and Jose Ramirez and capsules on all nine members of the American team.
• Capsules on the British men who have qualified for the Games.
• A complete schedule of the boxing competition.
• A list of past winners.

Also in this issue, Bart Barry wrote a compelling piece titled SO YOU WANT TO BE A MATCHMAKER? on the profound challenges matchmakers face every day. Yes, it would be a dream job for any boxing fan but the stress level is prohibitive.

EASY? NO. IMPRESSIVE? DEFINITELY, written by RING Editor Michael Rosenthal, is about the closer-than-expected – and entertaining – fight between Floyd Mayeather Jr. and Miguel Cotto in May.

And Fernandez explores in WHERE DOES HOPKINS RATE? the legacy of future Hall of Famer Bernard Hopkins, who lost to Chad Dawson in April.

Elsewhere in the August issue:

• Columnist David Greisman points out in READY TO GRUMBLE that Cotto deserves credit for a solid performance against Mayweather but still lost by a wide margin.
• Evander Holyfield revealed in BEST I’VE FACED his toughest opponents in 10 key categories.
• Columnist T.K. Stewart writes in SIX PACK that losing the final few pounds is the bain of many fighters.
• And, in LOOKING AHEAD, Don Stradley writes that Tony Thompson – who faces Wladimir Klitschko on July 7 – sees boxing as just a job.

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